Photo by Anne Preble on Unsplash

Veg out for a season

Lance Lee
Lance Lee
Aug 26, 2017 · 2 min read

Avocados are my favorite snack. At my local Winco, they’re 88 cents each.

Water is my favorite energy drink. At 32 ounces, I refill my recyclable Gatorade bottle five times a day.

Beans with rice is my favorite meal. At $2 a dry pound, I can feed myself dinner daily for about $12 a week.

Eating well, meal prepping, and saving money on food is new for me.

Well, new-ish.

Back in 2013 I was a vegetarian, weighed about 170 pounds, and had a lot of extra cash because I didn’t overindulge.

Then I turned 21, fell in love with beer, and discovered pub food.

Within a year, grease and meat was all I ate. I weighed 235 pounds and lived check-to-check. My lifestyle was excessive and not sustainable.

Now, I’m not saying how I was living is wrong. I’ve been ridiculously happy the last couple years. But it’s been a while since I actively cared about what is going in my body. It’s also been a while since I put money aside for the future.

So I’m practicing new habits.

I’ve stopped preparing myself any sort of meat, fish or poultry. I only eat it when others serve it to me.

I’ve stopped binge drinking alcohol and space out 4–5 servings a week. It’s amazing how much of a treat beer, wine, and hard-A can be.

I only eat out when others invite me or a paycheck deposits (I mean, you gotta celebrate somehow, right?).

I limit Starbucks to several times a month. I limit dairy to only a handful of servings a week. And I limit sugar to one serving a day.

I routinely exercise, too. That leaves such an important and positive impact.

Currently in 2017 I have vegetarian habits, weigh 200 pounds, and am putting money aside for a future move. It’s an exciting change.

I pulled this off by dedicating a season to veg out.

Three months ago I decided I wanted to physically feel better. I also became aware I’d start regretting how I treat my body at some point down the road.

Spending three months on a plant based diet catapulted me into a lifestyle change that isn’t ridiculously restrictive and gives me energy I’ve missed for a long time.

Eating and drinking less and better isn’t hard or expensive.

Dedicate a season of your life to these habits and see what it will do for you.

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Lance Lee
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