The Heartless Vegan

I've gone vegan for one reason, it is healthier for ME.  Not because I care about the animals, I don't.   
Last year after much research and consideration I decided to adopt a vegan diet. I fell off the wagon HARD last summer but I'm climbing back on.   The decision is completely selfish,  based only on the health benefits to me.   It's about me.  I don't care at all about the poor sad animals in the Sarah McLachlan commercial. 

I know a plant based diet is the only diet if you want maximum health. I did the research.  But if the research had told me that the most sadistic foods are the healthiest, that "live monkey brains" are the way to go... I'd be building a table with the little hole in the middle.  

Ding dong, Hello, My name is elder Skip, I'd like to share with you the most amazing Book, The Book of Vegan

A few days ago I re-posted all my old blog posts. The posts written before I fell off the vegan wagon. When I still lived in Mississippi.  When everything vegan was new and fresh.  I was starry eyed with the cliche enthusiasm of a convert.  I became a vegan evangelist of sorts. Like I had discovered the secret truth of the universe and I had to tell everyone! " Listen, really!  I know it sounds crazy but it's all true! It cures Cancer"

It's not like you're 50...

So it's August in New Orleans and after a full shift on the pedicab I'm at Molly's at the Market in the French Quarter.  I'm lucky enough to be in the company of fellow pedicabbers Peyton and Nicole.

Don't you wish your boyfriend was hot like me?

Look at the picture above.  Be honest.  What do you see?  Hold that thought we'll get back to that in a minute.

I am very easy on myself.  I judge myself by my intentions and everyone else by their actions.  Oh and I expect everyone else to as well, I mean judge ME by my intentions not actions.  And could you also lavish me with praise when I STOP doing some self destructive thing? I live for the Cheap POP!.  Here's a link to an old blog post that defines a "cheap pop".

I need to lose about a hundred pounds. Still, not just from the sad pathetic high of last year (293 yikes) but from now.  I weighed in Wednesday at 254.  I'm 5'10" I should weigh 166.  I did once, right out of basic training.  I was so thin my mother walked right by me at the MP School graduation.  My own mother didn't recognize me at the right weight.

Constructive abuse appreciated.

I begin a 25 day cleansing fast today. I use the "Master Cleanse” or the lemonade diet.  Almost a year ago I did this fast for 10 days before going vegan and starting this blog.  I now repeat the process but I have set the bar higher because the stakes are higher.  WHY? Here's why:

To live and Die in McComb, MS (and be reborn in New Orleans)

A year ago I started to make some changes in my life.  I was living in McComb MS and working at a car dealership....  I hadn't been on stage in months ( I used to be a stand up comic and hope to be again).   I weighed in at about 290lbs (up 50lbs from my cruising weight of 240), smoking a pack a day and I was drinking every night.  Something had to change or I wasn't going to make it.  I clawed my way out of the funk and  got serious about health and fitness.

Bless me followers for I have sinned, it's been 7 months since my last blog post.  And a whole bunch has happened since then...

Hear are the highlights:

Fell into a deep and paralyzing depression
Left Mississippi for New Orleans
Separated from my wife
Baby Momma Drama and depression has kept me from seeing Beau, more depression
Jumped off the vegan wagon and dove into a troth of dairy and meat
Became a Pedicab driver in the French Quarter
Maintained the weight loss by pedaling 200+lb tourists around the big easy
Was hit by a Taxi cab while on the pedicab and was injured and will need surgery
Finalized divorce (yesterday)
And here we are.

I got back into therapy, back on anti depressants, working hard in physical therapy and I set a date to return to Veganville (Lent, actually the day after Mardi Gras).

The accident left me with a torn rotater cuff, torn cartilage, torn tendons and the shoulder injury will require surgery.

Not lookin' too bad for the oldest Pedicabbie in the City

The plan is to party thru the pain all Mardi Gras and then at the stroke of midnight March 4th re-embrace the vegan path.

As soon as I can ride, swim and run again I'll resume the IronMan quest but it looks like I'll be a spectator again this year at the Oschner event.  I am hoping to run the Crescent City Classic April 19th and my doctor thinks I can.

The good news is I'm in a real city and not in health HELL (Mississippi), Farmers markets, 5 (yes 5) whole foods type markets. My local Rouse's carries almost everything I need and there is a Whole Foods a half mile from my house

I'll check back in after Fat Tuesday, new pics, wild tales of the Pedicabrones, vegan meals, vegan restaurants, Yoga (yes yoga I know a cool instructor) workouts and more to follow!