Well, here I am halfway between two weeks and three weeks into the Grand Vegan Experiment. I’m running out of new things to report. It’s been a few days since I posted an update so I felt compelled to check in. That’s about all I can do. There just haven’t been any significant changes or new outcomes. I guess I’ve already adjusted? Maybe from this point on it will just be maintenance?

The weight loss is visible now, though I still can’t provide a number to quantify it. My skin feels super-soft. I wake up before the alarm on most mornings. I still feel happy and content. I’m still not craving meat or dairy at all. The daily emails from the 30 Day Challenge continue to be informative. The Challenge support group continues to hold my interest. My vegan cooking skills continue to develop. But otherwise, there’s just not much more to say.

I like it. I’ve already decided to stick it with it past the 30-day mark, which will be August 11th. I would like to go ahead and say that I’d definitely recommend it, but that kind of statement can get a person sued these days. I’m supposed to recommend that you check with your doctor first but from what I understand most doctors will scare you away from veganism based on misinformation and mis-education (many through no fault of their own), so there is no safe statement to make.

I’m not smarter than my doctor; I’m differently informed. I have a fantastic doctor whom I trust and for whom I am grateful, but she doesn’t get to make my medical decisions for me. As of the date of this writing, I am still in charge of making my own health choices. I wish I had chosen to be vegan years ago.

Non-vegans like to capitalize on the opportunity to use this as “proof” that veganism is bad — because doctors are cautioned/trained to advise against it. Nope. Some sources rank my state #3 in the nation in percentage of cigarette smokers. My state is ranked #1 in rate of obesity in the nation. Ten million adults still use tanning beds in this county. Just over half of the U.S. population still has unprotected sex without knowing a partner’s history. All of this against the advice of medical doctors but yeah, it’s probably the vegetables that are going to kill me. I’ll risk it.

I really thought I’d have more to document this far into the experience but that’s all I’ve got today. I’ll switch to other topics until there is something else to report or the 30 Day Challenge expires, whichever comes first.

— Mercy