So, I've been easing into this diet over the last week and a half. This weekend is when I really committed to it. Good news is that I've already started to see results, I lost 4 lbs. since last Wednesday. Just have to hope I keep this up, been gaining and losing the same 5 lbs. for the last three months.
So, I've been watching a lot documentaries about food on Netflix - part of what started this diet. The very first thing I had watched was an episode of 30 Days, one in which a guy who loved BBQ and guns lived with a family of vegan animal rights activists in California for a month. So, obviously very entertaining, but it really had an impact on me when some the activists took him to an industrial cattle farm, and they later ended up rescuing a veal calf that was sick and had been abandoned by the side of the road. The man really took to it, he began to nurse it back to health, and he named it "Sugar." Best part is that this calf was a male, and when one of the other guys there reminded him of that when he suggested the name Sugar, he got real defensive and said, "SO?" It was amusing, particularly when contrasted with his attitude towards animals even a few days before.
Now, I do not have any big issues with eating meat, I think it is tasty, but I think it is important that animals be treated in a humane fashion before we eat them. I also have health concerns about eating meat from animals that have been raised in poor conditions (more on that later). So, initially I was thinking of going vegetarian, but now I'm finding I can get access to organic, grass-fed meat and free-range chicken fairly easily. So, one thing I'm learning is that this type of lifestyle is something just about anyone can do, despite finances or geography. I think it seems like it might be more expensive, especially for some items, but when I compare how much I might spend on a fast food value meal or take-out, versus what I can cook it home, even if it's organic, it's almost always more affordable. And when you consider that the average American eats out 4-5 times per week! I also notice that I have to be a little more prudent about what I buy, so I'm buying less food, with the goal of actually using it all, rather than throwing a good portion of what I buy away because it spoiled before I used it all and being so wasteful.
