By Ronnie Koenig
When you think of a cowboy, your mind goes to images of horseback riding, Western boots, a Stetson and a steak dinner. But for Rocco Wachman, chief instructor at the Arizona Cowboy College in Scottsdale, the steak dinners have been replaced by soy burgers -- at least temporarily. For 28 days, the 55 year-old man's man gave up eating meat and adopted a vegan diet as part of a challenge for The Dr. Oz Show.Watch Rocco's segment on The Dr. Oz Show. Story continues below video.
During the four-week diet, Wachman lost 30 pounds, reduced his waist by six inches and was able to stop taking medication for cholesterol and diabetes, reports The Arizona Republic. The formerly 265-pound cowboy, who once turned city slickers into cowboys for Country Music Television (CMT), now eats seven small meals a day, none of which is bigger than the size of his palm. Wachman believes that prior to starting the diet, he was addicted to food.
"The difficult part is: If I were an alcoholic or addicted to a drug, I would stay away totally from that type of behavior, but everyone must continue eating," he says.
Eating vegan means eschewing all meat or animal products and consuming fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. Michael F. Roizen, M.D., who works with Mehmet Oz, M.D., says that this 28-day diet is designed to break the body's addiction to sugar and saturated fats. "The first seven days were the hardest," says Wachman.
Roizen also insisted that the cowboy incorporate more exercise into his daily routine. Wachman was told to walk 10,000 steps per day, a goal he achieved by giving up riding his ATV.
Wachman is pleased with his success and has even learned to enjoy a soy burger with hummus spread between two slices of tomato. But does he plan to stick with the diet? "I figure I will stay away from anything with a face or legs for a few more weeks at least," he says.
Vegans eat only plant-based foods, which means that milk, eggs and cheese are off the table. If you decide to go vegan, it's important to make sure you are still getting adequate nutrition. Be sure to find food alternatives that will give you the nutrients you may be missing by not eating meat, such as B-12, iron, zinc and calcium. Roizen recommends reintroducing meat back into your diet slowly -- 2 to 3 ounces a few times a week.Learn more about Cowboy Rocco's vegan journey on the Dr. Oz Show, which airs this Friday night and again on Monday morning.
