“My colon has never felt better.” - Me.
My birthday falls on January 31st. Having a birthday on the last day of January lines me up perfectly for a reset in February. I like the idea of leaving one age with a bang, and starting a new year, and a new era, with a sense of purpose. Last year, I challenged myself to an alcohol-free February. Cutting back on beer had its challenges, especially on weekends when Jamie and I would explore Nashville finding new restaurants we wanted to try, and their drink menu. I read a meme that I related to throughout the month that went something along the lines of “you don’t need alcohol to have fun,” and someone replied to it stating, “you also don’t need a car to get places, but it helps.”
Last years alcohol-free February was not as bad as I thought, so I decided to keep the February challenge going in 2018, and now Jamie is joining in. This February we have we have cut back on alcohol during the week, so we can still enjoy an adult beverage with each other on the weekends. This years main challenge is to go completely vegan. Gasp. This February we have cut out all meats, dairy, eggs, and CHEESE! You get the picture, not animal products.
I thought the process would be way harder than expected but as it turns out with a little prep and research, it really isn’t that hard. There are a ton of books, blogs, and apps that help you find your way through making simple changes to a plant-based diet. We are trying all kind of foods that we would have never checked out before and feeling incredible. We are on a culinary adventure. I didn’t even know what a jackfruit was, but now it’s one of my new favorite foundations for meat replacements.
We are getting married this year, and both kinds of wanted to tighten up our bodies. Doing this meat-free-vegan February has shown us that we can lose extra weight, get more energy and feel less bloated. I am sure cutting back on unnecessary alcohol after work on a weekday helps too. With this plant-based diet, I have lost over 7 pounds since starting at the beginning of the month and feel, for lack of better words, clean. (See title quote). Who knew? We have both also committed to making simple changes in our weekly work out routines like riding bikes to work, taking the stairs or an extra walk after meals, etc. I have been running consistently a few times a week since October, and since switching to a plant-based diet, I have been crushing my old run times and going further and faster than I used to.
Who knows if switching to a plant-based diet will be something we commit entirely to as a lifestyle change, but I would not be opposed. We feel great, are fueling our bodies with whole foods and seeing results, both physically in mentally. I will get off my pedestal for a minute and completely align and recognize that anyone pushing an agenda or lifestyle change is completely annoying. Nobody want’s to hang out with that guy, but if you were at all interested in trying a plant-based diet, even for a short time, I would recommend it. I am from Philadelphia, and there we live on cheese steaks and hoagies. And they are delicious. It’s in my blood to want to hang with my friends with a beer and sandwich. That will never change. I was just ready to try something new and trying a plant-based-vegan diet has been great to me. Check out some additional resources I have been using below.
Give it a try and if you feel the same after, awesome!
And if not, that’s cool too.
-YourFriendMatt
