It’s great being a carnivore

I love being a carnivore!

Back in 1987, on the recommendation of my wife’s rheumatologist (arthritis doctor), Barb and I became vegetarians. The idea was that some people have a sensitivity to meat, and that it might have been causing Barb to have worse rheumatoid arthritis than usual. We were dedicated vegetarians, although we were not vegans. As such, we would eat a lot of pasta, we had cheese and other milk products, but just didn’t eat meat — no chicken, no fish, no pork, nothing that “had a face.”

We stayed vegetarians for quite a few years, and then when Barb started having problems with arthritis again in 2004, we decided to bring fish back into our diet. Unfortunately, the diet we had been stuck on for so many years made it very difficult to lose weight. After I started working for myself in late 2004, I gained about 30 pounds. Barb was also gaining weight at an accelerated rate.

Well, we decided that both of us really needed to lose weight this year, and made the decision to bring back ALL meat into our diet this year. First, it was a bit of pork when we had sweet and sour pork at a Chinese restaurant. Then we went for steaks at Outback. The real kicker was having a bison tenderloin at Ted’s one night – wonderful, sweet meat that melted in our mouths.

What’s great is that we’re both losing weight now. The meat tends to fill us up, so we’re eating less. Something like bison is a handful of calories for a 7-oz. steak, so we can get full without stuffing in the carbs. Neither of us are really too upset about eating animals again; we were primarily veggies for health, not for moral reasons.

I think the one thing I’m really noticing is that my body almost seems, well, grateful that I’m eating meat again. I just love the taste, the texture, and the energy I get from eating meat. After 22 years of not eating red meat, chicken, or pork, my body is finally where it wants to be again. And I’m losing weight to boot! MEAT!!!!!