Vegan

coastofhypnotic

I would like to lose 40 pounds (and keep it off!) and I think that going vegan would be a good choice for doing so. I'm just worried about the holidays, as we all are. . . fudge, pies, turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, etc... the former two being my favourites, I don't know how I will decline when they are offered to me! And in the future I don't know how I will deny the occasional fast food and whatnot... but when you go so long without those things and follow a completely vegan diet, when you return to extremely greasy and high calorie/fat foods, you tend to get sick. I have a real dislike for sickness and so I think that if I was to begin following the vegan diet, I'd continue with it for a really long time for fear of getting really sick. I don't know why I'm posting this, I have just read around and this seems like a very supportive group of people. I just don't know how I will go without indulging in fudge and sweets! They always make me feel terrible but I continue to eat them... grr.

coastofhypnotic

I would like to lose 40 pounds (and keep it off!) and I think that going vegan would be a good choice for doing so. I'm just worried about the holidays, as we all are. . . fudge, pies, turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, etc... the former two being my favourites, I don't know how I will decline when they are offered to me! And in the future I don't know how I will deny the occasional fast food and whatnot... but when you go so long without those things and follow a completely vegan diet, when you return to extremely greasy and high calorie/fat foods, you tend to get sick. I have a real dislike for sickness and so I think that if I was to begin following the vegan diet, I'd continue with it for a really long time for fear of getting really sick. I don't know why I'm posting this, I have just read around and this seems like a very supportive group of people. I just don't know how I will go without indulging in fudge and sweets! They always make me feel terrible but I continue to eat them... grr.

Dsmart

Congrats on being vegan, that's very good. When I go to friends for their barbeques or parties I bring a dish and they usually fix a salad. The more you learn about meat and processed foods the easier it will be to decline any offers and you won't even give fast food a thought. An author that comes to mind is John Robbins and check out healthyat100.com to learn more. Plus there are two amazing girls who got together to make a cookbook and they are Sarah Kramer and Tanya Barnard "How It All Vegan". Incredible vegan dishes. Good luck, you can do it and remember it's a journey so take it slow and enjoy the trip because it will be worth it.

Nevada

Going vegan for the next two months might make it easier to excuse yourself from holiday stuffing. I am not vegan, but having gone two months now without fast food, and little processed food, I find myself wretching while watching a TV ad for a bacon double cheeseburger.

But, I would be careful trying to use food-aversion as a dieting method. At 40 pounds to lose, this might not be an issue, but it might lead to an eating disorder.

sam456456

I've only been a vegetarian for one week and so far everything is fine and its quite easy. I have seen a few pictures and have read some articles about how animals are treated and harmed and killed brutally to become food and its so horrible that I can't dare think about not being a vegan or vegetarian. But, starting January I am going to go vegan. I think the hardest part really is being educated on all the animal derived ingredients you need to avoid as a vegan. I recommend going to peta.com They have alot of helpful information, recipes. and whatnot. I went to their site and took a vow of being a vegetarian for 30 days and I also requested for a free vegetarian starter kit which will help learn more. Also, I'm an emotional eater and usually binge every 3 days literally but I haven't binged in a week which is a long time for me and its because I'm trying to avoid as much animal by-products as possible so chips (some have milk in them), mashed potatoes, french toast, etc I have to avoid and I've been able to avoid it easily actually. But, you know whats good about being a vegan is that they have so many great vegan products out there like meatless chili, soy ice cream, soy chocolate, meatless hamburgers and all other types of really good food. Also, you should check to see if there are any vegan or vegetarian resturaunts in your city. We have 2 where I live. Any type of food you like, such as fudge, pie, etc you can make a healthier way and in a vegan way. Peta.com could be a great help for that. I hope to lose about 15 more pounds and keep it off (I've lost 15 pounds too). I hope you like being a vegan and I hope you reach your weightloss goals, good luck!!

MiaEllie

Welcome "coastofhypnotic"! Being truely vegan is very hard.
Even 99% of marshmallows contain animal products. There are vegan marshmallows out there but they are hard to find, expensive, and don't make very good rice crispy treats.

Anyway, my husband and I went vegan for a year or so a while ago. I didn't really loose much weight since many things like potato chips, fries, and sweets can be vegan. Also, there are a great number of processed foods that are vegan. You will need to make almost all of your food from scratch (preferably with fresh raw organic ingredients) to be healthy.

There are, however, great cookbooks out there and here is one: "Vegan Planet", by Robin Robertson. Some of my favorite recipies are the Baked Tofu, Szechuan Stringbeans, Pesto Sauce, and Hummus (it's hard to choose favorites!).

There is also good information out there for those who care to take the time and effort to become knowledgeable. I am reading a great book right now called "The Omnivore's Dilemma", by Michael Pollan. The author follows corn from the field to the labs where it is turned into thousands of various chemicals. He follows meat and organic food from start to finish. Very well written and super interesting.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

MiaEllie

Oh I forgot to mention thanksgiving food...
Tofurkey makes a pretty good thanksgiving dinner. It comes with a Tofurkey roast that you bake in the oven (which is pre-stuffed with a wild rice stuffing). Tofurkey gravy (pretty damn good!), and potato cranberry dumplings. I always make homemade bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, and roasted veggies on the side as well.

Tofurkey jerky is good, too.

My husband and I are no longer vegan or vegetarian (this year we will have organic free-range turkey) but the Tofurkey meal did us right for many years.

Happy thanksgiving and ENJOY!