The Day Before

Tomorrow is the big day.  I just ate my last meal with animal products.  Starting tomorrow, I am vegan.  No animal products.   No meat, eggs, cheese, gelatin, marshmallows, milk, butter, etc.  More importantly, though, is what I'll be gaining.  Better health, smaller body; lower chance of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes; a smaller carbon footprint meaning I will be doing more to keep the planet greener; and a chance to practice what I preach in regard to animal rights:  I love animals, therefore I will not eat them and will do far less to contribute to their suffering and slaughter.  Overall, I feel pretty damn good about this.

This is not my first attempt at going vegan.  In fact, it's my third try.  Third times a charm, right?  I'll do things different this time.  This time I will:

• Not accept the all or nothing mentality.  In past attempts if I failed, I gave up.  I accidently ate something with cheese in it?  Oh hell, I might as well eat a side of beef!  If I am not 100% compliant one day, it will be ok and I'll do better the next day.
• Cook.  It is absolutely impossible to dine out in this deep-fried-wrapped-in-bacon town and maintain a vegan diet without becoming bored as hell with it.  Starting tomorrow, I take my lunch to work and I start searching for new and different things to prepare - which brings me to my next point:
• Educate myself.  Learn about and experiment with ways to make my favorite foods in a new and different way.  I will learn about ingredients and what I can use to substitute.
• Not give up ALL of my vices at once.  Last time I went vegan, I also gave up processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, and diet sodas.  Come on, I need SOMETHING unhealthy to do!
• Blog.  I need the support that blogging offers.  Did I mention that I live in a not-so-vegan-friendly town?  People here think they are being vegan if they just add the bacon grease to the pot of beans instead of just throwing the whole pig in.  Blogging gives me a chance to connect with other vegans for support and maybe some ideas along the way.

Tomorrow morning I will get up and weigh myself first thing to have a starting point for my weight.  I will not publish my weight here for a number of reasons, including:

1. It's really not anyone's business.
2. If I told you, you pass out from the shock - and then I'd be sued when you recovered from your fall.
3. I don't want my weight to be the focus of this journey.  I'm not Jared and this ain't Subway.

So, join me on this journey.  Let me know your thoughts and offer me advise.  When I learn something, I'll share it with you.  This is one journey I hope never ends.