Calling all vegans and vegetarians

Pick up the book "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone. It changed my life! I've recently gone back to vegetarian eating (from vegan) and find that both ways of eating are healthier for me than omnivorous.

But that may not be the case for you. Every body is different, so I suggest that you try it out for a bit and see if vegetarian or vegan eating is right for YOU.

I went vegan for health reasons. I was able to stop taking a medication, and I felt amazing. The only problem is that I started having gastrointestinal problems that could be related--I'm still being checked out for it. Once it get the signal, though, I'll be back to it (they're not really sure if I have some kind of allergy or what is going on--maybe soy). As far as current animal products go, though, I only eat eggs and occasionally fish.

I've been vegan for about 7 months now! I originally went vegan for animal rights reasons, but I've realized it's done wonders for my health! Since going vegan, I feel like I have more energy, I feel stronger, healthier and less tired. It's been the most incredible change in my life and I'll never go back!

I'm actually pescatarian (think vegetarian diet + fish), and I haven't yet reaped any weight loss from it (my weight was due more to work anxiety rather than diet, so only now that I've been away from that job for a month is my weight starting to drop), but my overall health is very good and I feel more energetic than before. Aside from energy, my body just feels "clean". It's hard to explain, but you'd know what I meant if you ever felt it. xD.

I also forgot to mention that going vegan completely cleared up my psoriasis - before, my hands and feet were cracked and bleeding, now they are completely clear with no itching at all. My severe acid reflux is partially better, but I'm still struggling with it a little.

I will say that I did gain weight when I went vegan, though...and I don't just eat 'convenience' foods and french fries, haha.

I eat vegetarian....

In between my meat eating sessions

I ate meat and eggs/dairy up until 18 months ago. With the quality of meat and dairy steadily declining, I always wondered why I was still eating it. Then, I read the China Study and watched Forks Over Knives and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (you can view for free on Netflix). The messaging in them changed my life.

I was always obese, pretty much my entire life and while I had begun my weight loss journey as a meat eater with modest success, my weight loss increased significantly once I went plant based then vegan. The first two weeks after I converted, my body went into detox and I lost 14 lbs without even blinking. About 9 months into veganism, I did start to incorporate a little dairy, (goat cheese, blue cheese on occasion and some cow cheese) and found my balance. My weight loss stayed steady and I feel AMAZING!

There are MANY naysayers out there, so do what you feel is the right thing for you. Then, once you make the choice, listen to your body and you'll remember why you went down this path. It's truly an amazing experience and I can't see myself going back to meat/eggs/all dairy again anytime soon. (P.S. The protein I get from plant-based foods has allowed me to build muscle through weight lifting activities and still lose fat..so don't listen when people try to tell you that you can't build muscle w/o animal protein.)

I'm happy to answer any other questions you have but would recommend finding a dietitian in your area to help you make the transition. It made all the difference for my weight loss in general, but she really helped me fine tune things once I went veg.

Hope this helps!

What types of foods are you eating? Are you eating healthy food, or processed faux meat? How active are you?

I would suggest limiting (not avoiding) faux meats (and other processed stuff) and instead shifting over to things like legumes. Also, I know there are huge health benefits to things like Avacados, nuts, seeds, omega 3's in general, etc., but they should still be consumed in moderation due to their high fat content.

Stick with complex carbs whenever possible. Avoid sugars, white bread, white rice, and white pasta, in lieu of whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and quinoa. Even better, stuff yourself with leafy greens for super low-cal and complex carbs.

I am not an expert...although I've lost a ton of weight in the past leading a healthy vegan lifestyle.

I've been mostly going vegetarian until supper because I find it hard to give up yogurt.

There are lots of vegan yogurt substitutes, if you're interested. They make coconut milk yogurt, soy yogurt and my favorite, almond milk yogurt.

I have nothing against real milk, but OMG COCONUT MILK YOGURT?!?! I must find some.

I've been a vegan for over a year now. Like anything else, you can still eat crappily and be a vegan, and it took a little while to figure out that calorie-dense/nutrient poor food can keep a person from meeting goals whether the foods are vegan, omni, or anything in between. I've since lost over 40 pounds, and am fitter, leaner, and more active than ever. I'm happy to offer tips/advice/resources, just let me know what specific questions you have, feel free to ask. I'm only on the forums sporadically, so feel free to send a direct message as well. Good places to start: Forks Over Knives (movie, website); Engine 2 Diet (book, website); Jeff Novick, RD (person with website, books, DVDs). Jeff Novick has a great little article discussing nutrien density and calorie density, and specific pitfalls people fall in which they don't often recognize.

I'll look over your diary and see if I notice anything in particular. Good luck!

http://www.gnolls.org/1444/does-meat-rot-in-your-colon-no-what-does-beans-grains-and-vegetables/

Please ignore the Paleo part of it unless you have interest. I posted the link because of the science involved. He sends you on a trip through digestion and it's pretty interesting (and why you can have gastrointestinal issues from a lot of veggies). So I'm not trying to offend any v**ans or try and push meat on anyone. I support everyone in their journey to health. I know what works for me won't work for the next person.

I've dealt with a lifetime of digestive issues (hiatal hernia, indigestion, IBS and the symptoms that go with it, stomach pains, spasms in the gut, etc.). Primal Blueprint relieved me of all of them (but N=1) after 6 months of following a healthy standard american diet helped that helped me lose weight but wasn't helping my health. I found this out purely by experiment. It also got rid of my eczema, my blemishes which would come out like painful welts, my belly, the dark circles under my eyes, my daytime sleepiness, etc. In fact, Mark Sisson's (Founder of Primal Blueprint) son is a vegetarian.

If you have gastrointestinal issues this article might help some. It could be the insoluble fiber:

http://chriskresser.com/got-digestive-problems-take-it-easy-on-the-veggies

He talks about certain types of veggies that can upset the gut. You can switch ones out and see which ones affect you (be your own scientist). There are foods on both lists that I can and can't tolerate. And please ignore his comparison of beef and beef liver to fruit/vegges - it's a Paleo-based site. But there's still a lot of good information on these sites for vegatarians and vegans, too. It just doesn't involve grains or legumes.

My man's stepmother has been taking medications for severe acid reflux for about 30 years or more. She removed bread from her diet recently on the advice of her sister - and she has stopped the medication - it was instant. She still eats grains just no longer as bread. It's even something worth trying out.

My gut is healing. I'm so happy about that. But I still can't tolerate raw fibrous veggies - and grains inflame it bad (no I'm not celiac). I have to cook all my veggies. Broccoli is probably the worst and I love it. *sigh*

Hi there! :flowerforyou:

I'm in the same boat, and last month, Lindsay Nixon of The Happy Herbivore wrote a GREAT piece addressing this precisely. Here's a link to her Top 10 reasons the weight loss stops, even when eating plant-based.

Hope this helps!

http://getmealplans.com/blog/2012/07/12/get-out-of-diet-rut/

Edited to add: Being honest, I found I was guilty of several of these.