I Didn't Expect to Feel This Way

When I opened up the refrigerator this morning I knew what I would find there. Still, I was still totally caught off-guard by the wave of emotions that hit me when my eyes fell upon the package of Smithfield bacon. I didn't put it there  I didn't purchase it, nor was I asked to buy it by a non-vegan family member. He knows I wouldn't anyway. He simply purchased it to have a BLT when he sits down later today to have lunch with my mother-in-law who will be visiting for the afternoon.

This is the first package of bacon that has come into our home since Joy and I went vegan. When I looked at it, all I could see were the faces of the pigs on the trucks headed to the Smithfield packing plant. The ones Joy and I bore witness to as we stood at a rural highway intersection holding signs and watching them roll by truckload-by-truckload. The ones we had seen up close. The ones who had no voice. Knowing that she would probably come unglued at the sight of it I put the bacon in a brown bag so that she cannot see the label. Her heart would be broken too.

This is where it gets really hard to be vegan. We are entering fall -- the season of family get-togethers and holiday celebrations. Joy and I are going to be the odd ones out. We'll be the ones bringing the vegan side dishes and desserts. It will be hard for us, not because we will miss the turkey and ham but because we know animals were abused and killed to put those meals on the table. It will be hard because we will be asked why we have chosen this lifestyle, how we could possibly give up meat, how long we think we will "stick with it." We will have failed to convince those we love most that there is a better, healthier, more compassionate way to celebrate and enjoy one another.

Dear family and friends, when I come to your house for Thanksgiving or Christmas I promise to leave my tears at home and come with a smile on my face, though my heart is breaking. Thank you for understanding that my refusal to eat the meat you serve has nothing to do with my love for you but rather my choice to no longer contribute to the suffering of animals. I love you no less for choosing to eat meat. I respect your choice. Thank you for respecting my choice enough to not be offended when I say "none for me, thanks."





Copyright 2016 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com

Progress Report and Holiday Plans

As we celebrate Day 10 of our 30-Day Vegan Challenge (which, incidentally, I highly recommend if you are considering adopting a vegan or even vegetarian lifestyle), and as I celebrate my own personal decision to become a vegetarian on April 6, I'm ecstatic to be able to share with you my progress so far.

On December 2015, at age 55, I had a routine physical.  I weighed in at 208.3 pounds.  My total cholesterol was 213 and, LDL was 165.  Physical issues at the time included acid reflux daily, joint pain in my hands, frequent headaches, and detection of a polyp, which resulted in further testing and thankfully, a benign diagnosis. Instructions of my medical provider were to reduce my caffeine and alcohol intake, stay away from other acid triggers, lose 20 pounds, and take two Zantac daily. Realizing that careless eating and a lackadaisical approach to exercise had brought me to this point, I decided to make some changes.  Here is a snapshot of my progress.

• January 1 -- weight: 203.5 lbs. 

• March 1 -- weight: 198.5 lbs.

• April 3 -- I returned from vacation weighing 202 lbs..  One of my goals during vacation was to eat favorite foods I haven't found since moving to Virginia:  Memphis BBQ, southern-fried catfish, Gibson's Donuts -- you get the picture.  Mission accomplished, but at what cost?  

• April 4-5 -- After watching the documentaries Vegucated and Food Inc., I began to seriously consider a lifestyle change.  Prior to going on vacation, Joy and I had already decided that upon our return we were going to begin eating more whole, and fewer processed, foods.  But after watching these documentaries on food production and the animal cruelty involved in producing the foods I've eaten and enjoyed my entire life, I began to weigh the effects of my dietary choices not only on my health, but also on our environment and the welfare of other living beings.

• April 6 -- At 201 lbs., I decided to become a vegetarian, choosing to live without meat and to eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. (At that time, I decided to be an ovo-lacto vegetarian, consuming no meat, but consuming dairy and eggs.)

• April 16 -- weight: 198 lbs.

• April 18 -- Began Joy's 12-week program of eating "mostly vegan" (little or no dairy or eggs) coupled with targeted, regularly scheduled exercise  (see "The Gauntlet")

• May 18 -- I joined Joy in taking the 30-Day Vegan Challenge.

• May 25 -- Just one week into the 30-Day Vegan Challenge, I weighed 191.5.  TOTAL WEIGHT lost since my physical in December:  16.8 pounds!  Off all medications, including Zantac.  Seldom have headaches or reflux!  No joint pain!  Increased energy!

At the end of the 30-Day Vegan Challenge I will have more blood work done so I can see the effect this new lifestyle has had on my cholesterol levels.  By then I will have lost the 20 pounds recommended by the doctor -- weight that I won't regain because this is not a diet, but a lifestyle.

As we look forward to a long Memorial Day weekend, we are making plans for our first social and family gatherings -- two cookouts -- since adopting a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle.  Our contribution to these traditionally meat-centered meals will be foods we can eat and everyone can enjoy, such as fresh fruits and veggies, green beans seasoned without meat but loaded with lots of love, and vegan brownies.  We have made arrangements in advance to bring our own "meat" -- veggie burgers to throw on the grill in lieu of the steaks and beef burgers intended to be the main course.  For us the focus is not going to be food for once, but rather the sweet fellowship of family and friends.