Day 182 -- The Penultimate Day?

Tomorrow will mark the six month anniversary of my year as a vegan.  Today is the last day of the rist half of the year.  Would that make today the penultimate day before my six month anniversary?  I don't really care.  I'm going to call today the penultimate day because I get to use the word "penultimate" for the first (and probably last) time in my writing career.  Before setting some new goals for the second half of the year, I thought it might be nice to look back at the first six months and list some of the things I've learned along the way.

I think the most important thing I've learned is that it is possible to change habits that have taken many, many years to build.  I went cold turkey from dairy, meat and fat on December 27th and I didn't go crazy with cravings.  Instead, I focused on putting only healthy food into my body.  I also learned to not make this all about losing weight but more about becoming healthier.  This way, if I had a week where I didn't lose anything, I could still feel good about the fact that I had eaten healthy!

I also learned that variety is important in any diet.  If I push myself to try new recipes, I'm much happier about my eating choices.  Eating has become an adventure, grocery shopping is fun and I've come to be very proud of the things I put in my cart.  I've also learned to like the taste of whole foods, the sweetness of a red pepper, the tartness of a Pink Lady apple, the deep, mellow taste of mushrooms.  Without all the additives, food can taste really good!  I've discovered great products that I've added to my kitchen, new tastes that I've incorporated into my diet and interesting insights that have proven to me that my plan is the right one for me.

I've learned that time flies.  It seems like just yesterday that I started this blog, but here it is, a half year gone by and 66 pounds gone as well.  I'm fitting into clothes I haven't worn for years and that's kind of fun, too.  But I think the most important thing I've learned is that food is the best medicine for the body.  By eating a healthy diet, you can alleviate so many health problems.  I feel good, and that's enough to keep me going for another six months.  So, tomorrow I start the second half of the year.  If the second half of the year goes as quickly as the first, it's going to be Christmas before I know it!