Mike Tyson Drops Meat, Drops 130 Pounds!!

I always love hearing the positive stories about how veganism can literally transform a person’s entire life. One of my favorite stories right now is that of Mike Tyson. Now, before you get all “Mike-Tyson-is-a-crazy-no-good-woman-beating-ear-biting-good-for-nothing,” just chillax a little bit. I was about 13 or 14 when I first heard of this guy. And believe me, it wasn’t a good impression. I was not into boxing, but recall him being all over the news for weeks after biting off part of his opponent’s ear in a boxing match. For years, this was my one and only impression of the guy, followed by allegations of abuse, drug addiction, and various other problems. Clearly, he was not on my radar as being someone I looked up to.


Fast forward about 12 years from that point (about a year ago), when I realized that, as much as I hate when people judge me, I was no different in my perceptions of a man I didn’t even know! Julian and I went to see his documentary in Los Angeles, because the reviews were astounding, and curiosity was getting the better of us both. What in the world was everyone so interested in seeing from him?! Well, I quickly saw for myself what an incredibly complex human being he was. Now, I’m not saying that some of the stuff he did in his past was right, but I am saying that you need to get to the core before you judge. Did you know that the first time he ever fought someone was because he was protecting an animal?! I had NO IDEA!!! He used to see the pigeons as his only friends, and loved these animals. To this day, he still has a close bond with these animals. I would have never thought that compassion for an animal could lead to a life built on smashing people’s faces in, but you never really know! Anyway, after a personal tragedy and battling some demons, Mike Tyson stumbled upon the world of veganism about nine months ago. I’ve been following it pretty closely, because that was also around the time when I decided to give up 100% of the animal products I’d been putting in my body.

Recently, an interview was done with Mike Tyson on ESPN where he revealed his amazing 130 pound weight loss all credited to veganism…rock on, Iron Mike!! Here is what he had to say on the weight loss:

"I became a vegan. Vegan is where no animal products. No livestock products. Nothing. I just did a lot of training and try to become more faithful in life. I wanted a different life. I felt like I was dying. I had an incident in life where I lost my 4 year old daughter in a tragic accident at home. I don't know. I didn't want to live anymore. So I said, that in order to go there, I had to change my life. I am going to change everything I dislike about myself. I changed everything that I was as a human being. I started that journey in October or November. … I don't smoke anymore. I wanted to give up everything. I had to change my life. I didn't have a problem with drugs or nothing. I had a problem with thinking. My thinking was broken. That was the solution of my broken thinking using drugs and living crazy. It was just the way I was thinking."

Now if that isn’t inspiring, than I don’t know what is! And if you haven’t seen the documentary Tyson, I highly recommend you do. Fan or not, it really gives you a new perspective on how the cards your dealt in life can always be played in your favor…it’s all just up to you!

I'm a Big Loser...weight, that is!!

So I haven’t really been updating this week. Quite frankly, after the birthday celebrating and all that, I needed to get my body back to a more neutral place. Very basic foods this week…green salads, lots of plain brown rice and quinoa and beans. Nothing to really write home about, but I know my body needed some help getting back to a neutral state. Anyway, I wanted to tell you all about a new program I have started that can really rock your ass off that couch cushion!!

For my birthday, my amazing man got me the Biggest Loser game for our Wii Fit. I have wanted this game for a while, since I have heard that it is pretty killer. Not only that, but the two trainers (Jillian and Bob) are super hot, super inspiring, and one of them is even a veg-head!! Yes, Bob Harper has to promote “Jennie-O Turkey” and “Milk” on the tv show, but these things were written into his contract before he became vegan a few years ago. It’s unfortunate, but if you follow his Twitter and Blogs, he explains the situation he’s bound to. But regardless…if people think that vegans are just skeletons walking around with skin stretched around their frames from lack of nutrients, all they have to do is look at his amazingly hot body, to realize that yes, vegans can be buff, too!!


So, I got home from work yesterday and set the game up. You build a program for yourself and it helps you in setting realistic and attainable goals, and then gives you the tools to achieve those. Then, you start your first workout with Bob and Jillian. Let me just say, that I was pouring sweat, and we were not even done with the 6-minute warm-up yet! I knew I was in for some trouble at that point! Well, the circuit kicked my ass (although I did start at intermediate instead of beginner), and as soon as I was about to collapse on the floor in a puddle of my own sweat, Evil Jillian tells me that we’re doing the circuit…AGAIN!!! Awww hell no! I honestly didn’t think I could do it, and I was shocked that a video game was really pushing me this hard, but it was! And incredibly enough, I was able to get through the circuit the second time around! I knew I was going to be sore, so I ended with one of the cool-down options, which was 18 minutes of “light” yoga, which was really quite refreshing after the drills I had just been through. Needless to say, I’m feeling every single squat and every single speed-punch today, that’s for damn sure!! And yet, I’m super excited to do it again tonight! Call me fuckin’ nuts, but I actually want to impress my little virtual Bob and Jillian! Hahaha…okay, yeah, that does sound pretty nuts, but it’s true! It’s like I don’t want to let them down!

America's Hottest Trainers...ooooowww!!!

But seriously, if you are looking for a good workout, and want to support a fellow veg-head (and I’ve heard rumors that Bob is beginning to pull Jillian to the “plant side”…let’s hope!), then definitely buy this workout game! I KNOW for certain that if I do this at least 5 times a week, then I’m going to be seeing a different silhouette pretty soon!!

A Little Humor for the Day...

"The standard diet of a meat-eater is blood, flesh, veins, muscles, tendons, cow secretions, hen periods and bee vomit.
And once a year during a certain holiday in November, meat-eaters use the hollowed-out rectum of a dead bird as a pressure cooker for stuffing.
And people think vegans are weird because we eat tofu?"

~Vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke