Vegetarian, Vegan, or something else?

I've been really examining my diet in the past couple months (as most people do at the beginning of a new year).  After watching Forks over Knives the other weekend and reading The 30-Day Vegan Challenge, I've been remembering how it felt not to eat meat, and very little dairy or eggs for a couple months last year.  My body felt amazing, my workouts seemed easier, I had more energy, and I slept really well.  Not to mention that my digestive system was working better than it had in my entire life.

Why did I switch back to a more meat diet?  I'm not really sure, but I think it came from a belief that I would only eat a little bit of meat and I had intensified my weight training, so thought I "needed" the meat.  Even though everything I had read told me it wasn't necessarily true.

This past week, I've still eaten meat, but my focus has been on eating more plant based meals and snacks.  And I've noticed the changes already.  My digestion is working really, really well, and I'm sleeping a lot better.  My energy levels are high and I've been able to focus on doing good work and accomplishing more.

So, why haven't I completely committed to a vegan diet (because truthfully I don't really drink milk, and cna definitely cut out eggs, cheese and other dairy products).  I think it has to do with the feeling of categorization and restriction.  I don't really want to proclaim myself vegan, in case I do decide to have an egg, diary, or meat on occasion.  And by 'on occasion' I mean the times when I decide I want to eat them and enjoy them fully, which for me is usually once a month or less.  I don't want to have people say "but I thought you were vegan" if I decide to eat a bit of animal product, or purchase something that might have leather, wool or other animal products in them.

In the end, I've decided to not 100% proclaim myself vegan, but I don't want to proclaim myself flexitarian either.  So, I'm going to quietly focus on eating non-animal foods, and choose to focus on how my body feels on a daily basis as a result.  When I do indulge in an animal-based food, I'll make sure it's a conscious decision, I'm aware of the impact of the choice on the animal and environment, and it will be a rare occasion.