ICanDoThis

And dispose of the bodies in BBQ sauce.

I'm exactly the same way! Once I went black, I never went back... I'm also doing one of those "detox" periods right now. I'm on summer break and know I'll need the full effects of caffeine for my first year of in-hospital training, so I'm taking the opportunity to reduce my tolerance. I have to tell you, though...the first week was pretty unpleasant. I don't know whether it was recovering from the exhaustion of exam week, or the lack of caffeine, but I felt like I was moving in slow motion It seems I've cut way back. Not on purpose though. Maybe It's the effect of having more energy from being on a vegan diet that makes me not crave caffeine? I'm not sure. I do a cup a day in the morning when I get to work. But it must be good coffee. If it's bad I just dump it like I did this morning.

July 4, American Independence Day passed a couple of weeks ago. But I still have this thought in my head so time to clear it. I made a conscious decision to go vegan a few months ago. Up until then I was eating a mostly vegetarian diet. No red meat. It has a bad effect on my skin. Then during Lent I gave up all meat and dairy and followed the Lenten diet hardcore. When it was all over I felt so clean and full of energy I decided to continue. It's that good feeling that keeps me vegan. The feeling of freedom! More energy and less fatigue = freedom. Now omnivores would argue that vegetarians and vegans are restricting their food choices. Well, no. We choose to have the freedom of good health. Free from artery clogging mcsandwiches, free from decomposing road kill in our bodies, free from hormone injected meat that makes men look like pregnant women, sometimes with bigger bellies and boobs. Yeah, that's real macho. What else can I say? It's the personal feeling of energy, vitality, and good health that I like about being vegan. It's the feeling of freedom physically and psychologically.

I told my boss i didn't eat meat the day before he had us go to his house for a christmas party and what do you know.....even the salad had ham sauce dressing.On top of that they kept trying to give me wine when i told them i didn't drink the day i started working for them. Does it even matter if you come off rude to people like that? I don't know what "ham sauce dressing" is and I hope I never find out. Sounds something like "chicken-fried steak". Another thing I hope I never encounter.

Thanks everyone. When you really think about it, the situation is like smoking. Cigarettes and meat are basically interchangeable.

Zen In The Martial Arts by Joe Hyams. Lots of insights applicable to every aspect of Life, The Universe and Everything. Short stories, some include Bruce Lee, that make a good subway read too.

Congratulations Spain! Chippy game full of yellow cards to both sides. And finally in over time, gooooooooooal!

A few weeks ago, I was hanging out with a buddy of mine and his wife, both vegans. He for 18 years and she for the 10 or so they've been together. They both congratulated me on my enlightenment and commitment. One thing I asked them is what do you do when you're a guest at someone's house. He said that he hasn't eaten animal products since he went vegan and absolutely refuses to break his streak, at all, for anyone. I was raised old school: you eat what's put in front of you. So what do the rest of you do? Say you find yourself at someone else's table and there isn't really substantive vegetarian / vegan food. How do you walk the line between being polite and being healthy, or moral or whatever your reasons for going vegan? Thanks.

Sounds like it's coming along just fine. Filmmaking can be a big project. It's important to do it right and don't worry about any artificial deadlines (yes I speak from experience). It's kind of like bodybuilding and fitness. The important thing is to make progress...and have fun doing it. Also, shop it around to film festivals like Sun Dance, Slam Dance, and Tribeca. If Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock can do it so can The Vegan Army.

Quinoa is awesome! It's one of the easiest things to cook and you can use all kinds of sauces, seasonings, fruits and veggies.

I guess for a training blog I just keep adding to this. After a refreshing weekend I'm back in the groove. It's like a tropical jungle here in New York. All of the Northeast from what I hear. So I just keep going. Time to move some cast iron. And Robert's book is on its way. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I only could peek at your site.... it looks too good! I am trying to stick to the diet, but as soon as i can have carbs I will take a much closer look. thank you for sharing! My workouts are going good so far. I struggled the first week, and I am sure it will get easier over time. I am excited to start the second week! How are your workouts going? They are going as well as they can. It's sometimes hard to balance workouts, fitness and everything else happening in life. I usually get 3 or 4 days in a row before something comes up. But, as their saying goes, "Do your best and forget the rest." So I do. Everyone is different and the important thing is to stay dedicated to my goals.

Workouts are going well. I usually do about 3 or 4 days in a row before a long work day or something else breaks the streak. Throughout it all I stay dedicated to the cause.

Thanks for the link.

Catch up time: This is my first blog / journal posting. Back in the Spring I gave up animal products for Lent. That's what you do. By the end of Lent, I felt great! Not hungry or worn down but energetic and ready to go. So why go back? I didn't eat a lot of meat anyway. Then I joined this website. That was the major change. It's good to draw on the inspiration of everyone here. And, I know about a dozen friends and relatives who are vegetarian or vegan. More support. Recipes too. So now combining a mostly vegan diet with the focus and planning of the P90X workout, my weight is "up" to 154 and bodyfat percent "down" to just below 14. Ab are starting to show. Ok at 154 lbs and 5' 11", let's just say it right now and get it out of the way, I'm a lightweight. So just a couple of months of putting it all together I'm on my way to doing exactly what I've been trying to do before - build lean muscle mass! Who f-ing knew! I'm never going back to a meat diet now. That's the short story. The rest is in the future. Stay tuned.

The China Study is quite an eye-opener. I just received my Thrive Diet / Fitness books and can't read them fast enough. The best thing about the Thrive program is that Brendan's (and Robert's and everyone else's on this site) experiences are proof that the vegan diet works.

I just re-started P90X. I'm on Week 3. It's a great workout. The best thing about it is the structure it provides. After a long day or week at work, I know I don't have to figure out what to do for my workout. I just do it. If you fail to plan, then plan to fail. This is my plan to succeed. I also like the all around "full body" plan of attack. Meaning that over the course of a week, you work to strengthen your whole body. There are even a stretching and a yoga day as well as an abs routine.

I'm never giving up coffee. Ever. I do cut back and sometimes quit to detox and reduce tolerance which I'm doing now. I just do a cup a day so when I drink it, I really do feel it. I like it full strength, black and no sugar. It tastes better that way.

1 down, 3 to go. Sweet home Chicago.

I use kettlebells (which are awesome!) and dumbells. They're all I can fit in my apartment. I have a door pull up bar too. Also do body weight exercises - push ups, ab work, legs too. There are others you can google. So sometimes it's just a matter of making do with what you have and finding a way to work outside the box.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Now the real work begins, or continues.

I'd like to see the Black Hawks go all the way. I'm a Bruins fan and never liked the Flyers growing up. But the Bruins are playing golf now...courtesy of the Flyers.

Hi all, I'm new to the site although I've been checking it out for a while. Should have joined sooner. Anyway I'm into fitness. On other sites, veganism and vegetarianism are kind of a sideline. Here it's what it's all about! So after a month of being a slug because of work and personal reasons, I'm back in the saddle. I work out with kettlebells and just restarted P90X. I like them because I can work out when it's convenient for me. My work hours are not always compatible with a gym. Been seriously trying to eat clean for a year and a half now. Sometimes it's harder that others. This site, Mike Mahler & Brendan Brazier help with the inspiration. Jack LaLanne too. The guy is in his 90's doesn't eat meat and kicks some serious A. Jack is proof this all works. Me: I'm 44, 5' 11" and weigh somewhere around 155, + or -. I run, snowboard, bike, hike, jump, lift cast iron and just like to move and workout as much as I can. It just feels good. That's it. Stay healthy & stay strong.