Six weeks and one day ago (not that anyone’s counting), I became a vegetarian. A pescatarian to be exact, since I could give up the thrice-weekly chicken and occasional In-N-Out, but sushi? C’mon.
My intention was to walk my eco-friendly talk a little more. Some sources estimate that animal production contributes more to global warming than cars, and last month I saw a PETA video that really drove the point home (and totally grossed me out in the process).
As PETA puts it, “You can’t be an environmentalist and eat meat.” And although I only bought organic and free-range meat, and tried to avoid inorganic meat in restaurants (except, of course, the aforementioned In-N-Out), even the conscious meat eating was weighing me down.
And that, of course, was also the point. After more than a few friends told me how those last few stubborn post-Barnacle (read: baby) pounds virtually melted away after they went vegan, I was sold. Reduce my carbon footprint and my one-pack? Sold!
But it didn’t work out that way. After eating tofu, beans and whole grains for six weeks, I’m now six pounds heavier. Apparently, my type-O blood needs straight protein, not protein-rich carbs.
So now I’m faced with a conundrum: Save my ass and start eating (free-range, organic) steak or gain 50 pounds over the next year to help save the environment.
What would you do?
