My Faux Vegan Experience

Full disclosure: Over the past 30 days I went through what I am describing as a faux vegan experience, the person you see to the left, that’s not me. Would be nice though, huh?

What exactly does Faux Vegan experience mean?

During my 30 day cleanse, I ate mostly vegetarian and in many cases a vegan diet however there were a handful of occasions where I ate fish, meat, and dairy. After hearing about my Hungry Dude partner in crime Joe Hakim’s vegan cleanse, I wanted to do something similar. Too many photo shoots with too much great food resulted in an expanded waistline. I was feeling sluggish and I didn’t like how I was feeling overall. Right after being a judge for the recent Motown Burger Battle, I knew something had to change and so I began the journey.

What has resulted over the past 30 days has been a huge eye opener for me. I began this process weighing 222.5 doughy pounds, today’s scale reads 204.5 pounds, resulting in feeling more energized than I have in several years. I started walking 5 miles a day and now am walking between 6-8 miles daily. Feeling better has translated not only into my clothes fitting better and in many cases, now wearing old clothes I haven’t fit into in a long time, but also an increase in my confidence. My business is doing better than it ever has and my flirting and love life are very much on the rise. I will forever, as long as I can, change my behavior and what I put into my system. Less meat, sugar, and carbs, have been replaced by more vegetables, fruits, and lean meats.

Below are several of the dishes that I’ve made and have been eating over the past month. I think there’s a real misconception that healthy eating has to be boring or flavorless. To the contrary, some of the best, most refreshing and flavorful meals occurred during the last 30 days. While I’m not including recipes in this blog, I am happy to share the recipe for anyone that leaves a comment regarding any particular dish.

The salad’s I’ve made over the past month have largely replaced ranch and bleu cheese dressing for homemade citrus vinaigrette’s.

Other healthy dishes I’ve made or have eaten over the past month:

There are many people that asked me questions  along the way and even more than offered unsolicited advice. One thing I can assure those looking to make a significant life change is you will have your critics. Every step along the way people will tell you how you’re doing it wrong. Your diet and work out regimen is out of whack, you’re wasting time building relationships with big brands you hope to work with one day, you’re not aggressive enough in your pursuit of a companion, and on and on. Basically everyone knows better than you, even if they haven’t or aren’t doing great things for themselves. Advice – Listen to everyone but follow your own path with conviction. They don’t have to live your life, you do!