Done in by a coconut shrimp

My vegan experiment lasted 3 days longer than expected. What started out as a 2 day trial, turned into 5 days.

The kids had a few fits & started but begged to be back in the vegan experiment. My son didn't hardly last at all, he happily threw in the veggies for a ham sandwich by day 2. My oldest daughter couldn't resist the orange chicken at lunch on day 1, but was fine after that, with the daily pass of yogurt pretzels. My middle daughter (who started with me) sailed thru the week. And baby daughter, she thinks she did well, insisting that a hot dog didn't count. With all their determination, they couldn't give up Friday night pizza - with pepperoni.

I made it until Saturday, then my resolve to have a salad and sweet potato gave way to coconut shrimp at lunch, then fried catfish for dinner. Yeah, I not only returned to animal products - but deep fried at that.

So how was the experiment? Interesting. I didn't eat any meat-substitutes like meat-flavored tofu or protein jumbles. But I did eat my fair share of beans, tofu, and rice. And when I turned to Korean food, it was too easy - I could live on rice & kimchi alone. What I did realize though, is how much fat I must eat during the course of my meals, even as one who doesn't eat meat (I think I'm technically a "pescetarian" since I eat fish). A slice of cheese here, a slab of cream cheese there, a piece of fried fish here - I guess it all adds up. The basis of this revelation? I lost a few pounds during the week, but never felt that I was particularly hungry.

As a lifestyle? Nah. It was interesting for the week and I think that I will be a bit more thoughtful in my food selection (do I have to have the burrito with cheese, isn't the guac enough?) but I can't imagine giving up Mocha Almond Fudge or Chunky Monkey forever.