There's a part of me that's asking why I went Vegan. Let's be honest with ourselves...I was a hardcore carnivore. I loved eating burgers to a passion. I'd eat some of the tastiest foods imaginable...from the juiciest medium rare steaks money can buy, to the tasty chicken and waffles you can get at a restaurant like Roscoe's. And let's not forget about the baby back ribs...In my mind, I couldn't get enough of them. It was basically the whole nine yards for me as a meat carnivore and I devoured it like there was no tomorrow.
But then, the unthinkable happened...an injury I obtained on a recent ski trip...an injury so painful that kept me out of the gym for quite some time...I dislocated my left shoulder.
Right there and then, reality sunk in. You see, I'm a little old school when it comes to gym time, and when I do workout, it's like a madman possessed. And here's the funny part...I've always relied on the many hours I spent in the gym (from pumping iron, to doing a lot of aerobic classes) to burn off whatever excess foods I might have consumed during the day.
Sure, I was depressed after that first day of injury, but then I started to think about all the other people that have gotten injuries throughout the years...how they let it get them, how it depressed them, and how much weight they had gained because of it.
The truth is, I was afraid of gaining weight and I wasn't about to let any of that happen to me, so I started to hit the books and do what I thought would be very beneficial to me and my health.
One of the first things that I needed to change was my diet and after doing a little research, I found out exactly what nutrients my body needed for a healthy life style. I'd like to think of it as my first step to a new battle plan against gaining weight.
One of the best news that I got from my physical therapist was that I can ride an exercise bike. This may not sound like much to you, but it was for me. My injury was so severe to a point where I couldn't jump or bounce around too much. This meant that any form of aerobics or running was out of the question.
On the exercise bike, I basically started it off with 6 minute routine, then I built it up to 12 minutes. Over the next few weeks of hard work and sweat, I've built up my stamina to the point where I'm now riding the exercise bike up to an hour straight.
As for my diet...I've adapted to eating a lot of vegetables (mostly streamed) and a variety of fruits. I've also substituted the meats I use to eat with soy/tofu. This was a plus for me because I love soy/tofu.
I've also tried out a variety of Vegan Restaurants and do you wanna hear something funny? Vegan food isn't as bad as some people make it out to be. I found it really flavorful and tasty...There's even a place in San Diego that serves soy and tofu products that taste exactly like a variety of meats but it's all 100% vegetarian.
Over the past couple of weeks, I've even picked a few good Vegan restaurants that I now consider my favorites. Sure, there aren't too many places that serve vegetarian food, but if you ask around, someone may tell you where to go and you may actually find something very interesting on the menu.
It's now 7 weeks later after the accident and the truth be told, I've lost over 20 pounds. My body has adapted to this Vegetarian style of eating and it actually feels good. I also want to add that my body feels very cleansed inside.
I'm a little leaner, I have lot's of energy and to be honest, I don't miss eating any kinds of meat at all. Believe me when I say this but, "There's a lot of Temptation out there...Burgers, Steaks, Fried Chicken, Ribs...it doesn't matter cause I've learned to say 'no' and I'm not even close to being that tempted to go back."
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