in search of another SACRIFICE.

year 12 of none of this. 

day 190ish of none of that. 

i'm proud of myself. what's next??

i want to make a sacrifice. 

like a huge one. i know that sounds bizarre. i mean no one ever wants to sacrifice anything. but i want to sacrifice and completely cut out something from my life. something negative. and it has to be something that has alot to do with my day to day life. i need this.

for 2 years i made a huge sacrificed. i was full blown vegan. no meat. no dairy. no ice cream. no eggs. NOTHING. ironically i gained alot of weight and got sick easily. but that was probably because i was 14 and had no idea wtf i was doing. 

one small sacrifice that i have kept up with for 12 years is giving up coke/pepsi soda. when i was 10 years old i swore to myself that i would never ever ever drink coke or pepsi again. everything else (sprite fanta root beer) was cool. i was a strange 10 year old. but i have kept that promise. to this day 22 years old. not a drop of coke or pepsi has entered my body. i know it's a silly sacrifice/promise but i have been in some crazy situations where this promise was difficult to keep. but i remained tough. because i did not/ do not want to disappoint myself. it hasn't been that easy my friends. and i am proud :)

i have also sacrificed eating mcdonalds. since the last week of december 2009 i have not consumed ANY mcdonalds. not a single fry. not a single apple pie. not a single chicken nugget. not a single soda from mcdonalds. NOTHING. it's been about  200 days without it. that's a bit tough for a broke hungry working young woman. with a mcdonalds right around the corner from her job. with coworkers who devour juicy big macs in front of her face. but i have kept it up.  and i'm proud.

these small yet surprisingly sometimes big sacrifices that i have stuck to show me that i can really be determined and stick to my guns. which inspires me to give up something harmful.

i was thinking of giving up alcohol. then i laughed. then right after that i frowned upon myself. i'm no alcoholic but i really can't give that up. its kind of funny. but in a dark humor kind of way. i just can't. i drink about 2 times a week max. i drink. i dont get WASTED those times either. i'll get wasted maybe twice a month max. i love wine. LOVE. and beer. see? it's not out of control so i don't see it as a problem.

sigh. 

then i thought how about meat again? but this time i'll ease into it, do plenty of research, have plenty of guides (books, restaurants, vegan friendly events), take vitamins and protein, and actually know wtf i'm doing. i am still considering this.

then i thought what about sacrificing gluten? i'm not allergic or anything but it WOULD help me lead a healthier diet. i recently met a nice girl who has a gluten free diet. and she's in great shape. a gluten free diet would consist of avoiding the following:

Most beers and some wines

Malt vinegar

Malted cereal or farina cereal

Prepared gravies or gravy packages

Many types of soup

Baked beans or chili

Some salad dressings

Certain brands of sausages

Pate

Stock cubes or bouillon

Less expensive cold cuts

all i had to do was read the first line and my gluten free diet became extinct. sigh. so i am still considering vegetarianism. it's a beautiful lifestyle if done right. i've done it before. just not right. i definitely can do it again. right this time. i'll look into it. 

if anyone has any other ideas/suggestions on what would be a beneficial sacrifice please let me know!