So, for the past few years I've had this challenge to myself dubbed "Project Swat." a number of Christmases ago, my brother-in-law gave me a 2X sized shirt from his police department in Washington. Since I wear 4X, I thought a good goal would be to fit into this t-shirt.
I was doing really well up until a very dear friend of mine was struck dead by a car in NYC last year and I really fell of the wagon. My grief took the form of eating rather than something healthy...whatever that might have been. At any rate, I am currently sitting at 372 pounds. I'm turning 34 this year and I think it is really hitting home just how the longer I remain this weight, the quicker I will be in my grave. Not only do I find this disturbing, I realize how irresponsible I've been with the body the Good Lord done gave me.
Another factor that is waking me up as of late is my dad's recent diagnosis of prostate cancer. My family history is smacking me in the face and I realize how many people have died young in my family. And all of them had pretty crappy eating habits.
I've tried everything. From Atkins to Nutri-system to the New Directions Liquid Diet. All of them work to an extent, but all of them are really quite unsustainable for the long haul. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but especially with regards to Atkins (a diet with which I have a particular beef these days) the people I have observed staying on it for a long time all look kind of sickly and gray in the face to me.
But I'm not here to talk about my frustrations with other diets. I'm here to talk about a journey that I started about 4 weeks back. For a lot of reasons, but primarily because I believe it is the healthiest most sustainable diet afforded to us by God's good grace, I've started a vegan diet.
Right now I'm learning how to cook like a vegan and keep it exciting. I've tried a bunch of stuff so far and have taken some really terrible pictures of that stuff. I won't post them right now, but I'm sure as I go I'll post a picture here and there.
This weblog is mainly for me. I don't intend to be a guru for healthy eating. I don't intend to write with an audience in mind. It's likely that I'll be the only one to ever read this thing...and that's fine by me. This is just going to be part of the discipline for me. So, I'll probably put some lists of what I've been eating and some pictures to get a visual on my progress. Later today I'm going to take a picture and do some measurements and crap like that.
But for now, I'm here. I'm eating in a way that I don't have to feel guilty about what I put in my mouth. And, if I can just get off my butt, I'll be losing weight with a great diet and exercise regimen.
And here we go...
