The Vegan Experiment

Here is what I know...If you don't eat meat I can't help you. In fact, not only should you eat meat...you should eat a ton of meat! I don't think you'll get any worthwhile results by eating a vegan or a vegetarian diet.

Here is what I know...wait...I don't know a damn thing! Have I ever cut meat out of my diet? Have I ever relied on vegetables alone to fuel my body? Have I ever really experienced any of these things I am preaching to my clients about not eating meat? How could I be so certain that not eating meat is so bad for you?

I have literally said it all: You cannot get stronger as a vegan. You will not be able to lean out. Your performance in the gym won't improve. You just can't really build muscle without meat!

Well, it finally happened. I finally realized that I was speaking out of pure ignorance. I know that eating meat has value. For my entire life I have built up my body by eating animal protein. What I didn't know was what would happen to me if I gave it up! So, I began my first journey as a vegan! Yes, that's right...I temporarily gave up eating my beloved and sole necessity in life. No beef, chicken or bison. Pork and fish were out too! What the hell was going to happen to me?!?!

This whole journey started without intention. In early November, I committed to do a cleanse with a couple of my clients once I made it back from a trip I was taking. Knowing this, I went on a bit of a binge. I was frequently indulging in the wondrous flavors of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and enjoying one of my most memorable childhood addictions: Dublin Dr Pepper (RIP!). I even had the privilege of attending the now infamous Texas Monthly BBQ Festival just 2 days before I left! It was UNBELIEVABLE! (I will never miss this event!) It almost goes without saying that I literally ate myself into a meat coma!

Sure enough, the day before I flew to LA I came down with a head cold. Not for one second did I wonder why this happened. I knew that I had made myself sick! In the past 16 years I have only gotten sick when I have done things like this. Like weekends of little sleep and bad eating choices. And the over consumption of alcohol, which is an obvious one. I know that we each have control over our mental and physical health, either for good or for bad!

Understanding all this, I still didn't anticipate what would happen next. The flight to LA really got my head jacked up. I spent my entire week there trying to kick this head cold. I have never dealt with any illness for as long as this was keeping me off track. I had had enough.

I couldn't have asked for a better final day during the trip. You see, I was attending Anthony Robbins' Unleash The Power Within seminar, and the final day was all about nutrition. As much as I knew about this topic already I was blown away by the amount of information I learned. I was ready to come back and take on my cleanse! I was ready to be free from a body filled with acids and ready to eat more vegetables in just 10 days than I had eaten in months.

Well, by day 7, I felt so amazing that I decided that I wanted to be a vegan indefinitely. Against the most valuable opinions of everyone I knew who were saying I should not do it...I had to take it on! I had to see for myself if I would grow weak and lose size. I wanted to know if I was truly going to be a suffering CrossFitter and if my health would just deteriorate.

For the next 6 weeks my diet consisted only of these foods:
- boatloads of veggies (brussels sprouts, zucchini, squash, kale, collard greens, bok choy, watercress, swiss chard, broccoli, sweet potatoes, spinach, mixed greens, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, asparagus, etc.)

- moderate amounts of fruit (blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, grapes, apples, bananas)
- nuts and nut butters (almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans)
- herbal tea and water

Here is what I saw: My mind and body went into rapid acceleration! The first thing I noticed was I didn't get tired anymore. All of a sudden I could wake up laser-focused at 4:30 a.m. and not feel the need for any rest until 10 p.m. Before this, I would have never really believed this was truly possible. This was quite different than what I typically experienced. I was used to having a foggy mind and a complete shutdown of my focus at least once a day.

Physically, I experienced something completely unimaginable with my training. I was pushing my body to lift heavier than I had in quite a while. I got back on a regimen of training 4 times a week with the CrossFit Central coaches as well as an additional workout on my own. I did yoga 3 to 4 times a week. I regained all the strength I had lost since Regionals last year. People thought I looked smaller but my weight didn't change one pound. It occurred to me that without all the acids in my body, my body could not be inflamed. In the minds of others this makes you "skinny." I actually starting seeing everybody else in a way I never noticed. People seemed to start looking puffy and tired to me.

All this gave me an entirely new perspective. Everything I thought I knew about being a vegan was bull. My conscious mind will never allow me to speak about anything with ignorance for the rest of my life. If I don't know the answer about how to help somebody, I will ensure that I find somebody else who can.

The plain and simple fact is that I don't know everything, and I will never again pretend like I do. What I know is valuable but it is only a very small amount relative to all there is to know and experience from what this world has to offer. Now when I think about vegetarians I think of one of the most fierce and powerful primates on earth...the Gorilla! Fitting, huh?

So, if you are still reading this, one of the questions you might be wondering is if I plan to stay a vegan for the long haul. Here is my answer...Hell No! I personally just love meat way too much to give it up entirely! I will say that now I will only consume it in small amounts so that my body will maintain optimal alkaline levels. Creating an environment of low acidity is the only way I believe my body and mind can function at their peak! However you decide to eat isn't of the least bit of importance to me but whatever you do...Happy Eating!