Vegan diet - the wrap up

I will call the Vegan-for-a-month experiment back in January an overall success. No, it did not convince me that I want to be totally Vegan. Yes, I discovered that sometimes non-vegan food is more appealing (and frankly, probably healthier, than vegan food - namely those "meatless" burgers). Overall, the month of being more conscious about what I was eating really helped me press the reset button. I didn't visit my co-worker's candy bowl ONCE (because Hershey kisses have dairy in them). I didn't really go out to eat very often, I consumed for fruits and veggies by default because sometimes that was the only vegan food available. I ceased eating my weekly wedge of brie. I felt better, thinner, less bloated, and just... healthier. I looked forward to cooking each night, I indulged in chocolate (but in moderation, mainly in the form of vegan chocolate walnut cookies - soooo easy to whip up AND you can eat the batter). And even now, when I'm not really vegan, I still eat mostly vegan - I don't mind homemade pizza without the cheese, I don't put cheese on my pasta, I've still been successful at staying away from my co-worker's candy bowl. So, why don't I want to be totally vegan? It's just too restrictive. I think I can still feel just as healthy by eating a mostly vegan, clean, mostly-unprocessed foods diet. It's easier to maintain and I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything - kind of like the best of both worlds. I came to this final decision when we were out at dinner the final weekend of my experiment. We were at Founding Farmers and I was bitterly disappointed in their meatless vegan burger (most disgusting thing ever, well, next to the fake cheese it was smothered in) and watching Mark indulge in a huge slice of homemade red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. Where was the joy in my life? What's the point of living if you can't enjoy a little red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting? Vegan diet be gone! I ended the experiment right there with a huge bite of cake and frosting. It was glorious.