Editor's note: In our regular feature, we test O'ahu folks' abilities to green up their lives. We've taken on the local-only diet, zero trash and now, asking two avowed carnivores to give up their flesh-eating ways for a week, all for the good of the planet.

Palani Williams scanned the menu in front of him, a meal plan for the coming week.

He grew bewildered to see that he would be giving up not only fish, fowl and meat — these, he was prepared for — but mayonnaise.

"Mayonnaise?" he asked nutritionist Tandis Bishop. "What's wrong with mayonnaise?"

"It's got eggs in it," Bishop informed him, ruefully.

It was a cold, hard truth for Williams, who with Jack Belli had agreed to go vegetarian as a way to green up their lives for an entire week. Adding to the challenge was that Williams, of Kamehameha, and Belli, of Punahou, head up their schools' meat clubs — philanthropic groups that celebrate community service work with a big barbecue afterward. A glee club for carnivores, as it were.

AND THEY'RE OFF

The week began with a briefing at Down to Earth, where staff nutritionist Bishop walked the pair through information on why going vegetarian is a sound ecological choice. She also explained where to find nutrients in plant matter for a balanced diet.

She led them down the aisles of the King Street natural foods store, where the pair stopped at the refrigerated case long enough to mock the "mock" meat.

"Veat balls?" said Williams with a laugh, checking out the veggie-meat alternative.

"I can't remember the last time I bought tofu," Belli said.

Yet just a few minutes later during lunch on the house, they managed to pack it away, anyway.

Belli piled his plate high with mock chicken nuggets, stuffed shells, eggplant parmigiana.

Williams went for the macaroni and cheese, and scalloped potatoes with Thai soup, with mock chicken salad on the side.

When lunch was over, not a dot of food remained on their plates — and Williams even nibbled the pesto pizza leftovers of a tablemate.

Both agreed textured soy protein didn't compete with the real stuff, but the breading of the mock chicken nuggets got a thumbs up from Belli. And Williams' son, Musashi, kept saying, "Daddy! More, please."

AS WEEK PROGRESSES

The rest of the workweek zipped past quickly for Williams, an art teacher at Kamehameha. He led himself out of the path of temptation.

"I didn't go to dining hall during the week," Williams said. "My wife would pack a lunch of leftovers, which wasn't too bad."

When Saturday arrived, however, Williams came face-to-face with a massive shoyu chicken luncheon he was committed to attending.

"That was the hardest day," said Williams, adding, "of course it smelled really delicious."

He made do with salad and vinaigrette-dressed pasta.

For someone who would only agree to the challenge if it did not fall on Thanksgiving week, Williams performed admirably. He not only avoided meat for a week, but went totally vegan — no egg or dairy products at all.

Williams succeeded with help from his wife, who filled him up with soy products — miso soup, tofu burgers and tofu-tomato salad — and supported him by eating meatless, but. ...

"You can only do tofu so many ways," he said.

Belli, the Punahou teacher who's on sabbatical this semester, didn't fare so well. There was one little slip when he was getting his wife's dinner. (She wasn't going meatless.)

"I was cutting roast beef and gravy, and cut a portion for the cat," said Belli. "On my finger was just that little bit of gravy."

Yep, you guessed it: He licked his finger.

"Oh, wow," Belli said, making a low rumble. "You get a lot of satisfaction from meat."

His diet was filled with plenty of starch, cheese and beans, as well as fruit and granola.

"I had a lot of baked potatoes, pancakes, Taco Bell," Belli said. "Before I knew it, it was the weekend and I was almost done. ... And I didn't do any Veat."

BACK, IN THE FLESH

Still, the week went well, Belli admitted. He ate bigger portions: "For a week, you can do anything. I just think back to my wrestling days. And it's better than those people on TV, who eat bugs."

The competitive side of Williams made a whooping sound when he heard about Belli's tiny slip.

"I knew it! Yay! I win," he gloated. "Anytime it's Kamehameha vs. Punahou. ..."

Since the two friends have competed in the wrestling realm, Williams drew on that motivation — and the health benefits.

"My ultimate goal is to live longer to be there with my kids," Williams said. "The go-green is a nice, happy aspect of it."