Vegan was never something I thought I would be.

The first image of vegan that springs to my mind is of a hippie on a commune, dirty from digging up a tuber and eating it in the field. Kids running around nekkid. That guy is not even wearing a bow tie.

Dr. Rebecca Walker, OD, did not appear to be a hippie. But after my treadmill test, which would normally be considered normal, she took me aside and told me about Forks Over Knives and the health results she and her family had experienced, as well as what other patients had experienced. Some pretty big claims - getting off all meds, losing the pains from arthritis, or leaving behind the problems associated with asthma. And she asked for a commitment of 8 weeks. She also said that she quit trying to get most doctors to recommend this course of action - because they wouldn’t propose anything so drastic.

Vicki and I have done detox diets before. The one on our bulletin board today consists of weaning ourselves off everything, then bringing it back in item by item. Lost some weight and felt better, for a while. But this is 8 (eight, VIII) weeks, after which I know/hope there will be much weight lost, many bad habits broken, and a general improvement in my health. I am still looking for the energy I was promised after my open heart surgery 3.5 years ago. So I suspect that this will - at least for the greater part - continue after the 8 weeks.

And we went for it hook, line, and sinker. No playing in the shallow end - we picked a date and dove in. I read How Not To Die. Vicki loaded up a bunch of items in the pantry and moved them to a back bedroom. And we have a freezer full of wonderful food that I love - but if we only eat any of it on rare occasions after this, then we have enough until 2025.

I do not plan to bore you with all the details of this process, but here are some baselines: I weighed 196 on Thursday, January 4, when this began. 180 would be a nice goal. I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, both controlled by medications. I have restless legs syndrome. I do not sleep well. I use a CPAP machine. I have shortness of breath. I’ll stop there. So if this change in eating can deal with all of those issues, I’ll be very pleased. 

Vicki has been great. She has advocated for this from the moment I walked in the door. She is taking every bite, and skipping many preferred bites, with me, even though she doesn’t have to. She is very healthy. So I am grateful to have her beside me, because I am not sure I would follow through without her here. 

All of this does not mean I will like it. I have warned my colleagues and friends. Light candles for me. But don’t send food unless it’s something a rabbit might eat.