Took the kids to a movie night at a local church. Had I not been on my current “veganish” diet, I would have eaten a hot dog with chili and cheese, chips, popcorn, and maybe some candy. But instead, I ate some homemade vegetable soup. And now, even though it’s kind of late, I’m having a natural peanut butter and jelly sandwich on Ezekiel sesame bread, with apples and a glass of almond milk. Eating guilt free feels pretty good…except for the gas.

Anyway…

My three oldest kids, our next door neighbor kid, Jack’s friend, and I went to this church to see The Lorax. It’s a pretty cute movie. The kids enjoyed the movie and the food. Mikey ate two hot dogs, and probably would have eaten another one. He told me he was “starving for death.”

Unrelated…we’re having a couple of doors put in our “formal living” room. The guys will also be painting and installing a track light and changing out my awful ceiling fan. The work started today. This room will be my office once it’s done. I’ll start meeting with clients here for pre-consults and proofing/ordering. I think the room is going to look awesome when it’s done. I’m very excited about it. This is a big step for my business. I’ll definitely post pictures in the next few days as it starts coming together.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of trying to eat vegetarian or vegan for a few months. I went a couple of weeks or so at the beginning of the summer just eating veggies, boiled eggs, and turkey breast. I lost about 7 pounds in those two weeks. The goal at that time was to lose weight and it worked, but I eventually gained it back. At the end of those two weeks, I ate a Fuddrucker’s burger and fries and I laid awake that night feeling like I was going to throw up. It was a horrible feeling. I really thought I had food poisoning, but I think it was just my body trying to adjust.

But since then, Phillip and I both have adopted a much healthier diet. And we are exercising several times a week. Not sixteen times a week (The Royal Tenenbaums), but still. And I’ve taken off those same 7-10 pounds again that I lost at the beginning of the summer.

But recently I watched a documentary, Forks Over Knives, that really got me thinking. You should watch it too. Maybe it’s hogwash, lies, and propaganda. That’s certainly a possibility. But regardless, I just feel less and less okay about much of the food that I’m putting in my body. So I’ve decided to do something about it.

So after a weekend of eating chicken wings, beef fajitas, fish, and chocolate, I’m starting a veganish diet starting tomorrow, really this evening. My goal is to *try* to cut out all meats, eggs, and dairy for a year. But I decided to allow myself to eat fish tacos and the fixings at La Casona and Chuy’s because…I’m only human. Maybe a year is too long. Maybe a year is too short. But anyway, a year is what I’ve decided on. I’m kind of thinking about this sort of as an experiment. I have frequent stomach issues. I’m often lethargic. I’m often moody. Those things may or may not be diet related. So I’m going to give it a year and reevaluate at that time. Also, I think it will really help me to begin thinking of food more as fuel rather than a source of pleasure or something to occupy my time.

It’s kind of scary. I’m sure I’ll fail here and there, some intentionally and some unintentionally. At this time I really don’t know a lot about what I should and shouldn’t be eating. But I’ll learn as I go, just like anything else. I’m diving into this with every intention of succeeding. And it may not be a great idea to start this right before the holidays, but my mind is made up. No point waiting. I think the foods that I’ll miss the most are chicken and various cheeses. Apparently there are soy cheeses so I need to find out about those and where they can be purchased.

A few funny conversations Jackson and I had about this whole thing…

Me: So I’m thinking about giving up meat, eggs, and dairy for a year.
Jack: So you’ll just eat like plants??

Later…

Me: No more meat as of today.
Jack: So you made a decision?
Me: Yes, I did.
Jack: You’re insane.

Later…

Me: Do you want some? (showing him brussel sprouts)
Jack: You’re just going to eat those cabbages by themselves??
Me: They’re brussel sprouts. At least I think they’re brussel sprouts.
Jack: laughing… You don’t even know what you’re eating, do you?
Me: Not really, no.

Later…

Me: Jack, do you want an eggplant and tomato sandwich?
Jack: Nope. Can’t say that I do.

He’s endless amusement.

Here’s a picture of my dinner this evening. Not too bad, really. I think I can do this.