Vegetarians/Vegans

my whole family and i became vegetarians one year ago. and let me tell you that before i became a vegetarian i never had energy , NEVER i could not wake up at all without coffee, i was sluggish and very depressed. but now one year later i feel amazing! i wake up with so much energy and its not that just woke up burst of energy its consistant all till the end of the day, my depression is significantly less and my mom lost 40 pounds and is off a lot of her medication. going out to eat is harder, lesser options, but most restaurants are willing to adjust to you . and they are healthier options.my brother is a vegan , but boy has it been hard, even for me just seeing him struggle, but its worth the sacrifices because we all feel healthy .

hope this helps

I'm vegetarian and have been for 9-ish years (minus a few hiccups in the beginning). I'm living proof that just because someone doesn't eat meat, doesn't mean that they are going to be skinny/thinner Currently, I'm almost 100 lbs overweight. I lost 35 lbs in the beginning of being vegetarian, but it eventually steadied out to around what I am right now, which is where my weight has been stuck at for pretty much the whole time.

I went vegan once for a few months and during that time I lost 30 lbs, but I don't contribute all that weight loss to veganism; I didn't know what I could eat as a vegan since so many of my usual foods were off-limits and I was too lazy to spend time cooking healthy foods for me to eat so, I barely ate anything at all. I probably ate under 1,000 calories a day. I also felt really stressed while I was vegan because I wanted to eat more and when my family and I went out to dinner (which, at the time, was once a week), I couldn't find anything on the menu I could have at most places so, I ate fries a lot. I regained the 30 lbs I lost fairly quickly once going back to vegetarianism.

I do just fine as a vegetarian, there's many more options for food and I don't feel stressed or deprived at all with this way of eating. I originally became vegetarian for the animal rights thing, but I researched the health benefits and now that's probably the main factor for me now. Heart disease runs rampant on both sides of my family and vegetarians are at much lower risk and that makes me feel a lot safer for my future... of course, I'll feel even better once this fat comes off and I can truly be a healthy individual.

I'm going to have to check out Forks Over Knives- seems like it might be a good one!

Forks over knives is a good one along with hungry for a change and vegucated as mentioned about, all 3 are real eye openers

I just started my veggie journey, keep sharing please!

I went Vegan for 2 months and got horribly sick. Found out I was slightly allergic to Soy. Guess its A+ for effort and F for genetics.

I went vegetarian because I was the cook of the house and I was sick of making two separate meals since two of my sisters are vegetarian. I kind of gradually phased meat out before I realized, hey I haven't had meat in a while maybe I should keep going. So it was a really smooth transition, and I can honestly say I haven't been tempted since.

I don't eat fish, mostly because I'm slightly allergic, and I don't drink milk because I'm slightly lactose intolerant, and I don't eat eggs by themselves because they taste yucky, but i'm getting over that. I guess you could say I'm a picky eater haha.

I attribute most of my weight loss to vegetarianism, as well as my improved mood and energy. I agree that it gives me a "clean" feeling inside, mostly from the increase in fruits and veggies. It completely changed my eating habits and tastes, to the point where I couldn't eat fried or greasy food because it reminded me too much of meat.

I guess the hardest part of vegetarianism for me hasn't been personal at all, it's been dealing with the constant questions/ridicule from other people, because you really do start to hear the same things over and over and over again. What's the difference between vegetarian and vegan? You can eat chicken, right? Aren't you dying of protein deficiency? What would you do if you got lost in the wilderness? Can I eat this burger in front of you? Can I wave this burger in your face and try to convert you back?

I feel like I sound like a broken record all the time, but you learn to shorten your opinions and beliefs and health facts into short sound bites so you don't sound preachy or stuck up. It would be so much easier to just tell people I'm allergic to meat though!!!

I've been vegetarian for 4 1/2 years now and have been transitioning to becoming fully vegan. I went veggie when I was 16 - not thinking that I would stick with it forever however over time it just became second nature. The thought of eating meat or fish really grosses me out now - where as before I used to love eating steaks and sushi..

If you stick with it you will find that it is a lovely way of living - it makes you more aware of what you are eating and how it is effecting both your body and the world around you.

As for being vegan in a small town it can be a little tricky but it is completely doable - just remember when you are going out for a meal you can ask to alter what is on the menu to suit your needs. For example you can ask for a balsamic / olive oil dressing to drizzle on top of a salad as opposed to a thousand island or ranch dressing.

Check out to see what type of meat, milk and dairy alternatives are at your grocer. Scrambled tofu with bok choy, green onions, mushrooms and a little soy sauce is a really yummy lunch for me

I also love to make oatmeal with berries and a spoonful of almond yogurt on top for breakfast (you could also opt for mixing in a soy, almond, or coconut milk if you prefer)

Hope your journey to veggie/veganism is going well
-Sar

I have been Vegan for just over 1 year. I was previously a Vegetarian for 25 years. I became Vegan purely for ethical reasons as the cruelty animals have to suffer to become peoples food is horrendous. I had been wanting to make the change to Vegan for many years but family and outside influences stopped me. However last January the 1st I decided it was the time to go for it and do what I believe in! I do not use or consume any animal products and live a 100% vegan lifestyle. It is incredibly hard to start with and will take at least 3 to 4 weeks to adjust. I had huge cravings for macaroni and cheese!! Vegans can eat very well and a plant based diet is very healthy. I have found that restaurants in the UK will make a Vegan alternative but I do not eat out as much as I used to as you can't be 100% sure of what restaurants use! I have never felt more healthy and my change to a vegan diet coupled with exercise has helped me loose around 7 stone in the last year. Now I just need to muscle up lol!

I would recommend making the change however you do have to be 100% determined and know that it is a huge change and it will be difficult.