The First Step
I’ve recently decided to make a big change in my life, maybe the biggest change I’ll ever make. I was talking with one of my best friends about our weight problems. 19 year old girls wishing they were skinnier, how unique right? Well this time, it was. She told me that she was thinking about going vegan, taking total control of her lifestyle and the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.
I’ve always been overweight, but everyone always said to me, “You carry it well, you’re just curvy.” Which is true. I don’t look as overweight as I am, and I am curvy. But that doesn’t make me feel any better about myself. I diet, lose motivation, then convince myself it’s better to eat what I want and not care. It’s a vicious cycle. But it’s time to stop.
In the winter I got the opportunity to see Alicia Silverstone speak at my university about being a vegan. At the time I scoffed at the idea, why would anyone do that? Only fruit and vegetables? I mean, I used to be vegetarian for a few years, but I couldn’t imagine cutting out dairy. But she was such a compelling speaker that I decided to order her book and look into it, which I finally did… Last week. Better late than never right?
I realized that being a Vegan was more than just eating fruit and vegetables and losing weight. It’s a complete life style change, one that makes perfect sense. If I had the choice to eat natural fruits, vegetables and grains or fried, processed food that’s been shipped all across the country, why would I ever choose the second? I always thought being vegan would mean having too think too much about what I’m eating, and putting too much effort into what I’m eating. But why would I spend more time choosing the clothes that go on my body than the food, the fuel, that goes in it?
