Vegan for a Month: Day 4

Greetings. My name's Thomas and I'm generally the person who posts up videos and other blog items here. I've been a patient of Dr. Duckworth (and occasionally Jason Hackler) for the past 18-or-so months. During that time, I've welcomed the approaches and care given at NLTC. But no one can monitor you all the time, and I've allowed some personal habits to push me to a personal-high weight of 231 pounds.

As a former athlete (not a good one, but an active one), this is completely galling. It pains me to even type in those numbers. 2. 3. 1. Together. In a row. AYIE.

To combat the creep of pounds and to establish some better habits going forward, I called a truce with drinking, giving myself a break from alcohol for the last seven weeks of the year. That process I'm well into and it's not been a bad thing; it hasn't been that rough to adapt, actually. But I'm also tapping into a vegan diet for the month of December, figuring that there's no rougher month to attempt some dietary changes, what with holiday parties, cookies set out on every available surface and the wintry temperatures keeping outdoor exercise to a minimum.

Dr. Duckworth thought it'd be interesting, maybe informative, for me to punch up some thoughts over the next month. I've given myself a few days worth of veganism before jotting down the first thoughts, but I'd like to diverge from the meat-and-dairy talk for this first entry. Instead, I'd like to point out that energy drinks can be as addictive as anything I've come across.

While they probably disgust no lack of readers here, energy drinks have been a daily dose for me over the past year, or two. I'm partial to Rockstar, Amp and Full Throttle, while passing on Monster, Rip It and Xyence. (Though, if handed one of those for free after a concert, I've willingly broken my own rules.) For the first three-plus days of the new diet settings, what's bothered me most is a serious, mid-day craving for these caffeine-and-sugar bombs.

Used to be, I'd grab one before an afternoon class "to help keep me sharp." Or I'd grab one before working nights "just to stay awake." And sometimes I'd find myself with one in-hand, solely because I'd be paying for gasoline, or standing in the checkout aisle at a store, with the drinks within super-easy reach.

Cheese, oh, I'll miss it soon enough, I'm sure. A pizza? Oh! They're so delicious! But I just watched a friend dine at the awesome Good Pie without having a stress attack. After being vegetarian for 20 years, I've worked in a fair amount into my weekly meals and I'll certainly want some sushi, eventually.

The energy drinks, though? I miss them already, like old friends. It's mid-day of day four and mind's keeping with the program, but my body's detoxing. It ain't fun. But it is necessary.

More soon...