The vegan challenge

It's only a month until Ironman training really starts. Which means that I've been working out countless hours to get back in shape in order to get back in shape. Oh, wait. That's not what's been happening at all. With all the events leading up to the wedding, the wedding itself (yup, I managed to make it down the aisle without Brian killing me with one of his crazy schemes), the holidays, and our honeymoon (in South Africa- I chased after a giraffe and petted a penguin- check out the photos...), I've been eating pretty much anything and everything. And drinking anything and everything. Which was fine until my pants had started to hurt me. Yes, hurt. I don't know as much as I probably should about nutrition, but I know this much: pants aren't supposed to hurt you. Pants are supposed to be your friends. When your clothes start to hurt, you are too fat (and chances are you are too fat because you have been a pig- I know it's not pretty, but it's the truth).
So, when Brian suggested that we go vegan for two months, I agreed (what I thought was an elaborate scheme to make sure I wasn't eating crap and he wasn't thus doomed to life with a very large bride, was actually an elaborate scheme to make me his personal chef- but more on that later). While I'm no animal activist by any means (I love my new leather boots!), I don't eat a ton of meat (I generally stay away from anything with a viable nose), and figured that challenge would just serve to make me a more mindful eater.
Thus far (third week in), it has been decently easy for me: I've been cooking a whole lot more, eating much more mindfully, and each week have managed to (with Brian's help) consume about five bags of produce without letting any go to waste (OK, full disclosure #1: I threw out one really icky avocado).  What has been difficult has been social situations(full disclosure 2: I cheated once, I was at The Girl and the Goat and had had too many glasses of wine...). There are very few vegan choices on any menu, and as someone who was formerly in food service, I don't want to bug wait/kitchen staff by making a whole bunch of insane demands ("Can you make a vegan chicken fettuccine Alfredo? What? Why are you giving me that look?").  I don't necessarily see this as a terrible thing though. I'm not saying that I'm going to stay vegan after these two months (I'm not), but I think that I've learned some important lessons even in this short period of time:
-Good, wholesome, and whole foods beat processed foods every time (with the way that you feel, with the way that they taste, with the environmental impact of your choices).
- You can eat wholesomely and whole on about the same budget that you were spending on processed food crap if you shop wisely and plan well.
- Food is not entertainment. This one is hard for me. As an athlete, I should (and do) know that the purpose of food is to properly fuel your body and keep it functioning. I don't think there's anything wrong with treating yourself once in a while, but (I need to keep reminding myself this) that's supposed to be the exception, not the rule. Which is not to say that you can't eat things that taste good and are good for you, it's just coming at it from the opposite angle.
-There is a great deal of pleasure in doing things purposefully. Sometimes we move so fast, that we forget to be purposeful. Eating purposefully, exercising purposefully, planning our time purposefully give us a sense of control and make the mundane meaningful.

So, overall, it's been a good experience and a relatively sustainable one.



(Guest Commentary from Brian:  Going Vegan is much more challenging than I originally thought it would be.  When going to a restaurant, often times the only vegan item on the menu is Chips and Salsa.  Not exactly the healthy food I'm looking to replace my meat/dairy with.  Needless to say, over the last 3 weeks since we started going vegan, we have gone out to eat much less.  We have planned our meals much more.  And obviously, consumed a significantly larger amount of fruits and vegetables.  Well, at least I have.  Apparently, Jolly Ranchers don't count as servings of fruit in Michelle Obama's new food pyramid/plate thingy...who knew?  Anyway, 3 weeks in, am I'm down about 10 pounds, and have probably spent a couple hundred bucks less on food and alcohol than what I normally would be doing right now...and my energy levels have been pretty good as well.  No caffeine over that same time period!
However, I need to give credit where it is due.  I couldn't have done this without Cindy.  She literally packs my breakfast/lunch/dinner for me on the 3 nights a week where I have class and am gone from 6am to 10pm every day.  When I lose all my post-wedding/honeymoon/holidays/laziness fat, it will be 90% because of her.  Hopefully I can keep up with her on the bike a bit during her Ironman training over the summer to push her and help her out as a thanks for helping me out with the vegan thing.)