Welcome!
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Hello -- both my DH and I are calling ourselves "BABY vegetarians", he will eat fish/shellfish mostly wild caught and for me eating almost none due to allergies.
This WOE began with him having us watch a movie "Game Changers" and then I saw a couple more Netflix videos etc...also many years ago read about the way animals are treated, ate no animal products for about 2 weeks.
Like @jhardin62 above, am about 90% compliant & hoping to be kinder to our planet.....am totally willing to friend and get/give mutual support.0 -
My name is Penny. I became plant-based vegan after a health scare back in November 2017. I have never felt better & enjoyed food more. I also undertook a 10-day water fast which was difficult though transformative. For support & inspiration I’d love to see other vegans on my news feed, so please add me if you feel the same way1
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Hi! I’m Phyllis. I’m from New Jersey and have been vegan for almost 3 years.1
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Hi Phyllis, what made you decide to be vegan?0
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Hi! I am a new vegan, it's been 3 months now. What triggered this? I had been thinking of going vegetarian for about a year, and kept talking myself out of it because I thought it would be too hard to make the transition. Yet I really didn't feel great about eating animals, could certainly never kill them myself and I never really liked meat anyway.
Then, this happened: I follow a kitten rescue on Instagram. Awhile ago they decided to foster a baby pig - and that little piglet was SO CUTE and he was just like a kitten. He was the size of a kitten, his best friend was a kitten, and he played and snuggled and everything like a kitten - he just looked a little different! That ruined pork for me right there. I started to see him like I saw my own cats, who are my fur children and I love so much.
Soon after this I started watching documentaries about the food industry. I was completely horrified to learn that the milk and egg industries were just as bad or WORSE than the meat industry! And they all end up the same way. It really took the blinders off me, as I had this idyllic idea in my head that chickens and cows were just happily living on a little farm and the eggs and milk were just a harmless, bonus byproduct of a peaceful life. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was devastated and traumatized by what I saw.
So, "cold turkey" I went vegan. It was a joyful choice for me and I feel total peace about it. I haven't even missed cheese and it was its own food group for me before - I thought I'd never be able to give it up. I guess because I felt so bad about the things I learned, the choice became easy.
A really nice side effect of me going vegan: I have high cholesterol, and at my last blood lipid panel my numbers were dramatically lowered for the better. My doctor was so happy!
I have a lot of weight to lose also. Hoping I will find a way to do this. It's good to be here!1 -
My three year journey, post recovery from emergency open heart surgery, endowed the path to maintain my health which influenced the avenue to vegan which has brought untold substance to me. I feel like a young boy, my mind is clearer than I can remember it being in many years. My medical test results are intensely low. I enjoy the vegan lifestyle, the wonderful food choices and the many rewards that being vegan yields. I am happy to have found this group.0
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Hi all! While I'm not technically vegan, I do have a number of allergies that force me to eat a primarily vegan diet - no red meats, dairy, or eggs. These allergies came on suddenly a couple of years ago and I'm still trying to figure out how to make yummy meals that won't bother those allergies while being a bit of a picky eater. I've been trying to branch out more, but it can still be a somewhat of a challenge. I'm hoping to find some great, new recipes to try out through this group!
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Hello! I'm Susanne from Ontario Canada. I have been plant based for 4 years now...I say I am 98% plant based, as we can't always find non dairy items on a restaurant menu. I am just starting Chef AJ's Ultimate Weight Loss Plan to hopefully kick my last 65 lbs. Fingers crossed! We try to go for a walk, try to get in 5km a day. I work full time 8-5, so after getting home, making supper, eating and then trying to go for a walk...we don't always get 5km in, but we try. I love recipes and sometimes need a kick in the butt to do my exercises, so this might be the group for me!!!1
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Hello friends!
I'm Dee, and I've been vegan for just about 5 years now (I count my veganniversary as October 10, 2015). I had been considering going more plant-based for a couple years at that point and had started experimenting more with plant-based meals earlier in that year and then one day I saw an ad for a butterball turkey that was all "cooking a turkey is hard there has to be a better way" and was disappointed when it wasn't a tofurky ad or something instead, which was when I realised I'd started thinking like a vegetarian. So I basically gave up meat then and there, and within about a week, I'd done some more reading into the ethical side of plant-based eating (because that was part of why I'd been working to reduce my intake of animal products) and realised the dairy and egg industries were just as bad, so I stopped eggs as well (I never really liked them anyway, just ate them in baked goods) and slowly transitioned off dairy by only eating what dairy-containing foods I still had on hand but not buying any more.
This had an awkwardly inverse effect on my weight-loss journey because it coincided with a return to emotional/binge eating and I've realised I do best at achieving health goals when I have a group of people to talk to about it, who understand my goals and have similar ones. So my weight's been up and down for my whole time being vegan but I'm back on MFP and I'm looking forward to sharing recipes and tips for both vegan eating and products, and for healthy weight loss habits.0 -
Hi everyone. I'm Meggyn, based in Portland, Oregon, and happy to be here! I'm going on 12 years on my vegan journey. I feel like I learn more every day. I'm currently trying a keto vegan diet and experimenting with macros. Let's connect and share tips 0
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Vegan for 6 years. Working with a nutrition coach (who is not vegan but is also not judgmental) to help me "diet" the right way and finally lose the fat. Always up for new vegan MFP friends so don't be hesitant to friend request!0
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My son and I are both vegan and trying to lose some weight using MFP. He's 17 and I'm 47 so it's not easy to find things with both like. Looking for friends to share ideas with! Also, I need motivation! I start out the day with the best intentions but I'm working at home and give in to temptation every afternoon!!1
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Hi there! My name is Victor, I am vegan since the first week of 2020. I am the only one who chooses this lifestyle in my home so it's quite challenging and self-learning at the same time.
I change my diet to improve my health and reduce my blood pressure. In the path of the learning process, I am being more conscious about the responsibility of a plant-based life and the impact on our planet and its environment.
Every day that I maintain the course make me feel proud of myself, and now, after reading your messages about you guys, some vegan from 14 years (and more) it's also inspiring and most important, this kind of feeling that I belong to something bigger than just eat veggies.
I don't have any vegan friend, so I know from first hand how difficult is stay straight when you don't have somebody to support or share your thoughts during your first steps.
Here I am finding a community to get this before mentioned feeling that "I belong to something" and in the same way, I want to help others to learn and find the resources to stay on track.2 -
I'm Nicole. I recently modified my lifestyle to vegan after doing extensive research to minimize my symptoms of an autoimmune thyroid and neuromuscular disorder. I have noticed my swelling has minimized and my stomach pains have definitely lessened. I am gluten sensitive, lactose intolerant, with few food allergies such as chia seeds and citrus fruits. I do have a hard time with figuring out new recipes so I have been sticking to 'dump meals' as they call it. Would love to receive more information about recommendations to sticking to this new lifestyle and any research regarding autoimmune and vegan diet to continue minimizing my symptoms.
Thank you 1 -
Hi, I'm Beth, 23 years old and I live in Sheffield, UK. I've been vegan since October 2018. I am vegan for ethical reasons, but try to be healthy and think about getting what I need from my diet. However, it's very easy to slip into bad habits - especially with all the vegan junk food that is out there now! I also haven't regularly exercised for a long time, so things need to change in my lifestyle. While I am not overweight and may still be considered slim, I have noticed that I've put some weight on and am bigger than what I'm used to being. I'm not satisfied with how my body looks at my moment and some of my clothes are too tight. In addition, I know I need to exercise to improve my fitness and both my mental and physical health.0
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Helloooooo! My name is Susan and I am 56 years old. I live in Massachusetts. About 8 years ago I was vegan for almost a year then went back to eating meat. I've been thinking about going back to vegan again for some time. For ethical reasons. I am hoping to learn how to do this right by getting the right nutrients so I don't fall victim to the same issues I had last time. I am overweight and have some health issues that accompany the extra weight. I desperately want to be healthy but also want to live without the guilt of what happens to animals. Anywhoooo, I look forward to learing from you all.1
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Hi, I'm Pat, living in Nova Scotia, Canada. I've been a vegan for nearly 30 years. It was next to impossible to even get soy milk or tofu where I live, in those "olden" days when I first started and I often felt that I was the only vegan in the entire province. There were no vegan convenience foods. Ever had soy milk made from soy milk powder? Maybe such is better these days, but in those days it tasted like chalk. I would sometimes make my own soy milk (it seemed to make every pot in the kitchen dirty, plus a few t-towels) from dried soy beans. So I am embracing the fact that veganism has gone mainstream, something I honestly thought would never happen in my lifetime. Alas, I've embraced too vegan junk food, and need to lose a lot of weight. Would love to have a vegan friend!0
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Hi! I'm Mandy. I was vegetarian for over 25 years and then went vegan just over 5 years ago. I am vegan first and for most for the animals and then secondly for my health and the environment. I'm always happy to make new friends with like minded people, so feel free to say hello!0
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Hi, Veganites:
I am vegan-fluid--about 95% of the time, but am flexible when eating with friends. I started on 2/2/20, just before sheltering in place after watching The Game Changers. Decided to become vegan for health and for the planet. My adult son and his wife are also vegan but not their three young kids who are are about 80% vegan. I love vegetables and am trying to learn how to cook. My husband is the cook in the family and I do all the paperwork-admin stuff. He has more fun! We're in our mid-to-late 70's, still working, and active with our grandkids.
I am always wondering how best to lower carbs and increase protein naturally. I would love to lose weight and be more active and getting my macros better balanced may be the path to reaching those goals.
Bebster70 -
Hi Everyone!!
I became a vegan over 2 years ago when a friend of mine posted about an experience she had and others on the thread started mentioning movies like "Earthlings." After watching some clips I was deeply disturbed. I felt so guilty and ashamed. I knew deep down that animals being exploited were not living their best lives and that should have been enough. When I discovered the standard practices (culling, burning off beaks, grinding down horns, castration, etc.) I just cried. I remember just asking "Why? why? why?" Right then and there I became a vegan overnight. In fact, that was Memorial Day Weekend and when I attended my sister's BBQ that Sunday I ate nothing but salad, fruit, pasta, and tortilla chips while everyone else around me ate chicken, sausages, steak and burgers. And it wasn't hard at all because I was ethically motivated. I have never gone back.
I am super lucky too because once work found out, they started making sure to have vegan food and dessert for me if we had a luncheon and my family is so great. For holidays, my Mom asks me what vegies I want and cooks extra potatoes for me and makes sure to set mine aside before she mashes them up and adds the dairy ingredients.
We just had a BBQ at my sister's again for Father's Day and my sister called me a week before and told me she was picking up some Beyond Meat for me and hummus and some other vegan snacks and fruit and salad. On that day, my BIL actually asked me how clean I wanted the grill before he cooked my Beyond Meat! I was amazed and so grateful that others around me just accepted and respected it without any fuss or eye rolling or anything.
I know others are not as lucky so I feel like I need to acknowledge my family, friends and co-workers for their support.
I have been super excited to see all of the changes in the plant-based/vegan world. It makes me happy to see it becoming mainstream and to see things are actually changing and we are on a trajectory towards ending animal exploitation. I truly hope the momentum continues. It is so amazing. It gives my hope we will, one day, no longer exploit animals.
Here is to a future where animal exploitation is a thing of the past!
Stasia0 -
Hello! My name is Maria, and I've been vegetarian since 2019, and vegan since Jan 1st 2021. I've started on the path for my health, after reading "How no to die" and following my friends' footsteps Switching the diet hasn't affected my weight, but sure made me feel better (and cleaned my skin, what a miracle!). I've been always lazy when it come to cooking, meal prep and food tracking, and I tend to overeat and grab takeout way too often.
However, with gaining 10lbs during covid that I can't seem to shake off, I am faced with the reality that I need to start meal prep, and tracking my macros so I am not getting occasional "hangryness" followed by binging.
I am currently reading "Plant-Based Athlete" and starting on the journey of finding balance in my diet and exercise. Would love to find plant based friends and accountability partners!1 -
Hi! My name is Shawn and I recently committed to veganism. I had a good friend who is my age become vegan after he suffered a "widowmaker" - the health transformation he has achieved by eating a completely plant-based diet and working out is truly remarkable. Additionally, I watched the documentary "The Game Changers" and began to question the idea that I needed a diet of animal protein to fuel workouts.
I began refocusing on my health last year and began moving from meat to vegetarian options for my breakfast and lunch as the year progressed. While I was generally happy with the results, I kept questioning why I needed to consume animal protein at all - so I made the jump. While I've only been vegan a short time, I feel terrific.
Happy to have found this community since I only know a handful of people who are vegan/vegetarian and look forward to learning from members of this group.1 -
Hi! I’m Jane (she/her). 67 & vegan for 12+ years. I’m single w 1 daughter & 2 fantastic grandchildren. I also have 1 dog, Bella, & have been an animal rescuer/advocate for 35+ years. Originally I’m from Hawai’i but now I live in Los Angeles (since 1985).1
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Hiya! My name is Erika, I am almost 32 years old, and I live in central Missouri with my sister and our 16-year-old Chihuahua. I have followed a plant-based diet off and on for almost a decade now, but a lot of eating disorder issues held me back from fully committing to a vegan lifestyle. I have done a ton of inner work and healing over the years, however, and I am now so ready to have a completely vegan diet and lifestyle.
My desire to be vegan is three-fold: for the animals, for the environment, as well as for my health. I have read and listened to a bunch of material at this point from Dr. Neal Barnard, Dr. Michael Greger, Dr. Garth Davis, as well as many other doctors, professionals, committees and organizations, and it is undeniable how healthy a whole foods plant-based diet is for our bodies.
Even though I am only in my early 30's, I have recently been experiencing some very concerning heart issues that I would like to reverse/heal immediately. I have been overweight/obese my entire life, so it's definitely something that has been building for a long time. Both of my parents passed away before the age of 60 because of poor health and I don't want that to be me.
Even though I very much want to be vegan for ethical and environmental reasons, I must admit the final push for me to fully commit now is because of my concerning health issues.
Anyway, I hope to find community, support, and friends in this group. Please feel free to add me as a friend, as I would love for us to support each other on this journey!
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