3/5/2012: Family Support

Almost nonexistent.

Nah, it is mainly my uncle. He thinks it is hilarious that I became a vegan, so he uses every opportunity to make fun of it. My more immediate family is more supportive. I was over at my cousin's place from Thursday. The whole time I was starving, because normally, we eat so little, but now that I am vegan, it was even worse. But I managed, eating the occasional veggie burger, rice, corn, and my personal favorite, which I call, "The Procrastinator." It is two pieces of bread with cucumbers and mustard. Made in less than a minute, great for a last minute meal. Not very filling, but when you are hungry, anything is better than nothing.

Also I made he mistake of trying to eat a veggie burger like regular beef. I nuked two patties, put some mustard and ketchup on them and started nomming away. *gags* I will not make that mistake again. The patties taste great between some bread with some ketchup and mushrooms though, so I still have hope for them.

That Sunday, my uncle had to give the Public Talk in Albany, so I tagged along. After the meeting, we met up with some old friends of my Aunt's who had some interesting stories about her past. But that same family took us out to hospitality. My cousin and I were just standing around, talking, when she approached us and asked, "Would you like to go to Denny's or Sizzler's?" Big mistake there. My cousin and I are boats without rudders. We go where the wind takes us. When we are presented with a choice, we capsize. In the end, they took us to Sizzler's. That was a bittersweet moment. They have salads but I was surrounded by the amazing smell of meat lingering in the air. Ah it is to weep. I almost gave up then and there.

We walked into the front door, and my uncle leaned over and said to everyone, "I know what Jake's gonna get." What else was there? I got a salad bar, with a root beer. The minute I said Root Beer, my uncle leaned over and said, "You know they put meat in that right?" I merely shook my head and scoffed. For the rest of the meal he was silent. I enjoyed a couple salads and some onion rings. Some things can still be enjoyed. I then got up for my dessert, and my uncle leaned back and said, "They have meat pie."

As we left the restaurant, I grabbed one of the mints, and my uncle made his little crack. So while we were in the lot, I yelled, "I'll get back at you for this." My uncle is a quick thinker. He turned around and asked, "By what, feeding us a salad?" Everyone (including myself) were laughing so hard, that people thought something was wrong with us. The rest of the night went well, I ended with some french fries and oreos.

This morning I had oatmeal, which is delicious anyway, but when you long for warm foods that can fill you up it is like ambrosia. I spent about ten minutes looking for my lunch and decided on some rice cakes. I was fine till I got home. I passed out for about two hours, catching up on the lost sleep from my cousin's place. My mother made me some vegan burritos, using re-fried beans and tofu. They were delicious. Now, I am trying to research more options for food.

I will keep you nice people updated about twice a week. It is a nice distraction. In the meantime, I am looking for other distraction. The biggest is my writing and my Digital Move Making class. So if I get cravings I got enough to do to take my mind off of it. The day draws near a close, so I need to go to bed. G'nite all.

In the beginning...

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.