A Little Venting...

I would like to tell you all that I am STILL not eating meat. It's been over a month now and it feels really good. My body feels cleaner and my skin feels better, and I lost ten pounds. Some people are very supportive. Some people are rooting for me to fail at this. Some people question every single thing I put in my mouth. You can't change 26 years of bad eating habits overnight...but you can try to start somewhere. Am I still eating pizza? Yes. Am I still eating french fries? You bet. Have I replaced the Quarter Pounder with a salad? Yes. Did I eat veggie sandwiches all week instead of French Dips? Yes. I'm not saying that you can't be healthy if you are a meateater, of course you can. I'm saying that I personally am not more healthy as a meateater. Skinless chicken breast is healthy, but I wasn't really eating that I was eating fried chicken wings. And frankly, it's not a question of health...that is just a perk. Being conscious of what I'm eating now starts with not putting pepperoni on my pizza and will hopefully slowly evole into not eating as much pizza altogether. Baby steps. For me though, this isn't a diet to lose weight or to be fit or healthy....because you can stop eating meat and still be a big fat fatty and eat like crap. It's more a test of being aware and testing my restraint. Meat is delicious, but not necessary...and for me to challenge myself by eliminating something that is fun but not necessary....and to succeed so far in doing so...makes me believe that I can eliminate other unnecessary things that are a habit in my life. Like smoking and drinking and salt and myspace. Eliminate or at least pull back on. It also makes me believe that I am not glued to the mold that has been set for me. You can change anything at any time. I live a lot of my life believing that I'm not allowed to step outside my character when that is the most unhealthy way to live of all. It's a personal decision. I am curious as to why everyone questions "Why?" when you tell them that you don't eat meat. "Why not?" Does there need to really be a reason? No one ever asks me why I don't wear leg warmers or why I don't wear lipstick. Does it make that big a difference "why?"
But since everyone seems so interested in knowing...the main reason is a true test of will power. The next reason is that I don't like the idea of the inside of an animal being digested by the inside of me. Maybe it's natural, but it's yucky to me. I got to a point where I couldn't see a steak, I could only see the muscle of the inside of a cow...and it was yucky. The next reason is that I don't need to tell anyone how animals are raised and slaughtered. I understand why it is done and I understand I'm not going to personally stop that from happening by not eating hamburgers...but I don't personally have to support it either.
I guess what I'm not clear about is why people who love me and support me in other ways continue to challenge this choice that I've made. I feel like if I falter I'm going to get a big "TOLD YOU SO" dance from a handful of people and that makes me really sad. I mean, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not eating meat. It's not BAD for you to NOT eat meat...so what difference does it make? And it doesn't affect anyone's life except my own. I feel as though so many people have challenged this. When I started I had one friend and she said, "What are you going to do if you find yourself in a situation where there is only meat?" I'm curious about what this situation would be as I have not yet encountered it. Every restaurant has SOME type of vegetarian option. Even at a bbq there is potato salad, chips, salad, which is all stuff I would normally be eating along wth a giant hamburger so it's also rationing the amount of food I eat in a positive way. And if there is really only meat and nothing else then I will silently criticize such a bad hostess and grab something to eat later. I mean, ok, I suppose if it was like "Alive" and we had to eat each other to stay alive I would grab a fork, but c'mon. It's not weird, it's certainly not hard, maybe it's not BETTER than being a meateater but it's not worse. It works for me right now and that should be good enough right? I still eat seafood, I still eat chicken-stock, eggs, cheese...I mean, people act like there are these hard and fast rules and if you break them you are some sort of poser. I still eat crappy junkfood...but like I said, not eating meat is not a weight loss plan. I will tell you this...I would stand behind anyone who wanted to try it even if just for the sake of trying it...because even if it doesn't work for them it's always good to try changing your lifestyle to see what works and doesn't work. And although I have judged vegetarians in the past, my tune has changed. I mean, you certainly can't believe in "My body my choice" and then turn around and judge someone for changing what they put into their body.
The real issue is this...I have found that the only thing difficult about not eating meat is the judgement from people waiting for you to fail or accusing you of not following "the rules". No one cares that I don't eat cauliflower, but some people view me as some sort of phoney or idiot for not eating chicken. You eat meat. It's yummy, I dont blame you. I also don't care if you eat it or judge you for eating it. I don't feel that's it's good for me or yummy for me anymore right now, can you please give me the same respect? Some people are so sensitive and assume that my not doing something is an automatic judgement on them for doing it. Ridiculous.

Whew. That's all. Thanks.