How Giving Up Meat For A Week Improved My Productivity 🌱

“Vegan” is a foreign concept for most Chinese people My whole life I’ve been a straight up carnivore. Meat is the primary staple of most Chinese food.

But after spending a whole week on a cruise with my family, I looked into going vegan for a week.

It could of been the fact I was eating 5 appetizers every night with dessert. Or eating reused steak 24/7 on the cruise. Or maybe it was because of the food poisoning LOL.

But here’s the thing.

I’m pretty active and I’m on keto diet. And in the powerlifting/bodybuilding world, there’s this thought that we’re just going to shrivel up and die not eating meat.

So I challenged myself by going vegan for a week. Here’s what I learned.

Do what’s easiest for you

What’s the hardest thing about dieting for 99% for most people? Eating shitty tasting meals that take forever to prepare.

So back when I did my article with “In N Out” keto diet 🍔🍟, the reason why it worked so well was because it was simple.

Cooking takes time. Who wants to spend 1-2 hours cooking after a 12 hour pharmacy shift? Fuck that.

So I started looking online. And you gotta love YouTube. I found this vegan concoction that resembled cereal. Perfect.

Chia seed, almond milk, hemp shell, coconut oil, berry, and peanut butter combo. Looks nasty, but it’s bomb as fuck.

The best parts?

• It requires the same effort as cereal
• It fits my macros perfectly (just throw a vegan protein shake and veggies and we gucci)
• It’s easy on waller (AKA you can find everything at Costco)

How many times have we told ourselves “IMMA SPEND EVERY SUNDAY MEAL PREPPING”

…only to find ourselves waiting at McDonald’s drive through?

Stop lying to ourselves. Figure out a realistic sustainable solution instead.

It’s not forever

It’s funny how we go into diets thinking… “I HAVE TO DO THIS FOREVER… FUCKKKKK”.

That’s like trying to plan a wedding with your first girlfriend… who you haven’t even gone on a first date yet.

A mental hack that helps me out is setting a specific date. That way you can test it out. It’s only permanent… if you choose so.

The reason why I choose a specific date is because you can circle it on a calendar. You can see the clock ticking. Shit gets REAL.

Ever here this before? “I want to lose weight by this summer.” That’s great. But when is “this summer” specifically?

One tool I use to get specific is using a calendar calculator. That way “10 weeks” gives you a specific date. What gets tracked gets done.

This helps for those moments of self doubt. Reminding you that pain is temporary. It isn’t forever. You can see the finish line then go back to your old habits… if you choose to.

Get in the habit of breaking habits

Who doesn’t like surprises?

Maybe it’s that surprise birthday party. It could be hitting a jackpot in Vegas. Or spontaneously joining the mile high club with the stranger in the next aisle.

When life gets predictable, I start thinking… Fuck. Is this going to be my life forever?

Humans need a sense of adventure or new stimulus. And for me that’s what going vegan was like. For most of my life I’ve always eaten meat. But what is it like on the other side?

So maybe going vegan isn’t like “skydiving”. It’s something that I wouldn’t normally do. It’s new. 

It teaches us to build the habit to seek out new adventures and makes life more interesting.

Doing the unfamiliar is required to be great

Face it. We don’t get better doing the same shit over and over again. You get better by doing uncomfortable things.

Think about it.

• Losing weight: It doesn’t happen by eating chips (I wish). You workout and focus on food selection.
• Being rich: It doesn’t happen by “wishing”. You move money from a bank account to an investment vehicle.
• Your next relationship: Your partner isn’t going to magically appear while you’re watching PornHub in your bedroom. You go on dates and face rejection.

If you want to grow and get better, you need do get off your ass. It’s okay to be scared or uncomfortable. But imagine if you do nothing for the next 10 years?

So let me challenge you. Go vegan for a week. Hit your macros.

Let me know it goes in the comments below.

Kevin Yee

PS… If you’re dreading this challenge, just remember my favorite quote from Rush Hour.