Well, not really.
Let's start at the beginning. All the way back. See, I was born July 27, 1994, where my mother was heard to say, "He smells like raw meat." I was then imbued with my family's charm, humor, and unfortunately the risk for diabetes. I never thought about this for years, until one day in 8th grade.
A student and I were getting drinks from a fountain. When I leaned over to get my drink, he tapped me on the shoulder and whispered, "Dude, you might want to clean your neck."
Promptly, I ran to the nearest restroom to examine this new filth. A dark brown splotch had taken up residence on my neck. I shrugged and grabbed some paper towels, and began scrubbing. About five minutes later, my neck was red and rough. Yet, that brown blotch stayed. I instantly began to panic. What was that thing?
Two years later, (yeah it took that long) my parents took me to see a doctor about it. Some small side facts before I give you his diagnosis. I am not at a healthy weight, I never have been. I weigh close to 280 pounds right now, and I am only 6' 1". Anyway, the doctor took one look, and knew what it was. I forget the scientific name, but in simple terms, my body was grown insulin receptors on my skin to compensate for my increased sugar intake. Not candy and soda mind you, but rather bread. I was at high risk for diabetes.
My parents decided that maybe it was time for a change. We cut back on sugars, I drank less soda, more water. We replaced rolls and toast at dinner with a salad. Slowly, I was able to control my weight. Kinda. After about two months, we returned to our old eating habits.
My only real exercise came from walking every day to and from school. I eventually joined a tennis class, but even that ended. Now my racket sits unused. I tried running, but I have problems breathing at times, and my heart rate is more sporadic than the NYSE. However, even with the shoddy exercise schedule, and the terrible eating habits, I stayed at a constant weight. For almost five months now I have stayed at 275lbs. However one day, I got up in the morning and looked at myself in the mirror. A realization dawned on me.
I don't want to stay like this. I want to travel the world. I want to be able to hike the trails around the world. I want to enjoy strenuous activities without having to stop every five minutes to catch my breath.
So, that day I started taking measure to change. I ate smaller portions of food, I began exercising. I even started bugging my mom about getting our old treadmill fixed. But the biggest change came about no less than two weeks ago.
My homeroom class had to give speeches on health subject. I figured I would pick a topic I knew well. Food. So I borrowed one of the classes health books and started researching my topic. Suddenly I stopped. I had found the answer.
I know many vegans and vegetarians, so I wasn't to surprised by my epiphany. Fruits and vegetables, with their low fat and sugar contents, are much more healthy for the body. I know what you are thinking, "Well duh, everyone knows that. It's why your mother makes you eat your veggies."
You would be right, but that was only part one of the epiphany. The rest was, that humans were never made to eat meat. God did not put Adam and Eve in the garden and say, "Hey Adam, from all the creatures of the land you can eat." No. He specifically pointed out the trees abundant with fruit. So therefore, that means we only started eating meat as the human condition deteriorated, and it became a necessity to take in more proteins.
So I came to the conclusion that I might be able to obtain my goals for better health, if I cut out meats. So I am running an experiment. Starting March 1st, I will drop all animal products from my diet. Strictly vegan. Then 5 months later, on July 27th, I will determine whether or not it had any real affect and if I should continue. That's it.
My end goal is to be under 200 lbs. in June, and to reduce my risk of diabetes at anytime.
I will miss my good friend meat, but it is for the best.
