My Online Brush With Fame

Before I changed my eating habits I researched what diet or change I needed and would be best suited for me and what I was trying to accomplish.  I heard over and over that if I really wanted to change the way I lived and wanted drastic change I should switch to a vegan diet.  I begrudgingly agreed to look further into the whole vegan thing.  I was a self professed “meatatarian” I could count on one finger the amount of vegetables I would include in my weekly food intake, unless of course you include French fries, the smattering of shredded lettuce that comes on a Big-Mac, or the tomato slices that are so prominently featured on a Double Whopper.  I sought out the advice of people with more education on the matter than I had, weighed the pros and cons and made my decision…..I am going vegan.  By chance one day while at work I was thumbing through a men’s magazine and happened to find a small blurb at the bottom of the page that referenced vegan diets, intrigued I read on.  They outlined 3 or 4 different books that all contained recipes and the like.  I saw a title that instantly grabbed my interest it was called “The Engine 2 Diet” a vegan diet book written by Fire Fighter Rip Esselstyn.  I sought out the website and examined every page, word, syllable and letter.  I liked it, I was sold, and the next day I went out and bought the book.  Later I find out that this book was or is on the NY Times Best Seller list, I’m not exactly sure what that entails but I only assume it means a lot of people have both bought and read the book. 

Now I am just now coming to grips with what I have accomplished in the last few months.  I have been so focused on the finish line I have ultimately blinded myself to the race.  I have now lost 75 pounds and have completely taken control of my health in the process.  I wanted to share my story with Rip, the author of the Engine 2 Diet; after all ultimately it’s the recipes in that book and the way he wrote it that I think I owe him a certain amount of acclaim.  I sent him an email telling him the story and in all honesty I expected to not hear back from him given he is a NY Times Best Selling Author and all and I am just a dude who eats funny and neurotically rides a bike.  Lo and behold I get an email from him the same day and it’s literally teeming with encouragement and congratulations he wants a picture and he tells me he is going to write a blog post about it on his site.  I oblige and a few emails later, all of which had words of encouragement, he tells me the post is finished.  Here it is if you want to check it out.