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Deuce Lutui confirms vegan diet led to weight loss

Quick update on Deuce Lutui, whose adventures as a vegan were chronicled last week:

The Seattle Seahawks guard confirmed he's eaten a mostly animal-free diet to reach his playing weight of 340 pounds much earlier than in past seasons. This after years of struggling with a ballooning figure.

To the four vegans reading this: Please be gentle with Lutui -- he's not off meat entirely. He still consumes fish and chicken on occasion, along with a steady stream of protein shakes after working out.

"A lot of people wouldn't call it vegan, but as the vegan concept goes, it is something I eat pretty much vegan throughout the week," Lutui told ESPN.com on Tuesday. "I've been at this for four months, and so I've lost tremendous weight."

Per ESPN: "Breakfasts are heavy on fruit. Giant salads loaded up with beans, tomatoes and avocado often carry meals later in the day. Brown rice is another staple."

Lutui's weight problems led to a reduced role with the Arizona Cardinals last season after 72 starts, but it was a failed physical with the Cincinnati Bengals during a free-agency visit last offseason that served as an eye-opener.

"My strength on the field speaks for itself, but being born 13 pounds, coming from an ancestry of big men, it is definitely -- I have changed my whole life," Lutui said. "I come from the land of kings that eat like kings. The first king of Tonga was a 7-footer."

Deuce Lutui: Vegan, historian, Seahawks guard -- possibly not in that order.