Hello! My name is Brandon, I live in Portland, OR, but I grew up an hour outside Chicago, IL. I started my vegan path in Illinois, which is much more of a labor than out west, which is one of the many reasons I moved to magical Oregon. I've always been unhappy with my body. In high school I lifted weights with the football team, but due to generally poor eating, I was near carnivore (maybe 2 veggie servings a day, only when it came on a burger or in a burrito, etc) but only eating 2 times a day, I never gained the physique I was looking for. After graduating, I got an office job and gained 40 lbs over the next year. During the last 6 months of my employment there, while looking for whatever new fad diet was cheap and easy, my close friend and first vegan mentor turned me onto a healthy, zero cholesterol, eat all day long, diet called "vegan." Those last 6 months saw me lose 30 of those pounds... literally still sitting on ass. I've been vegan for almost 5 years now. Looking back, I'm glad I skipped the vegetarian step. It didn't start with animal rights, but now I figure that if I care enough to refrain from killing an animal, I might as well take the next logical step and refuse all products that deprive an animal of life (standing in a 4' x 8' stall is not living). I plan on posting a few pictures here soon to illustrate, but my goals are purely aesthetic. I feel I am strong enough for what I do daily, but I would like to look in the mirror and be pleased with what I see. Currently, I am in the best shape of my life and I see the light of my goal at the end of the tunnel. What I'm looking for by joining this community is a support network of knowledgeable people who can relate to the issues I'm facing and provide real, tried-and-true answers for the active vegan and help see me through to the fruition of my fitness dream.
