To All of My Vegans Out There...

I'm a vegetarian. I gave Veganism a chance, but I just couldn't meet my protein requirements for the day without living off protein drinks and bars. I love vegan food though, especially desserts.

6 months, but not hard core, like if I am out to eat and an item has eggs in it I will eat it, I only do this by choice.

I had high triglycerites and so I read a book by Dr. Neal Barnard about the benifits of eating vegan so I decided to try it, I didn't really like meat anyways. And I love it. Sometimes it is hard to eat out with my group of friends, but I am not by any means starving! LOL.

I have lost 18lbs, but working out and limiting calories has helped alot also. HOWEVER, my triglycerites have plummeted, my Dr was very impressed with my numbers.

And alot of people have no idea what a vegan is.

Favorite exercise is playing softball or rollerblading.

How long have you been vegan?

About a year and a half now, but I've been vegetarian for almost 10 years.

Why did you decide to go vegan?

It's bad to cause unnecessary suffering.

How much weight has been lost from being vegan, even if your reason for becoming vegan has nothing to do with weight loss?

It's hard to say. I was never really big to begin with and since I went vegetarian so early in childhood it's hard to tease out which lifestyle choices resulted in my weight. Maybe I would've been bigger if I was never vegetarian. Maybe it had no impact. But I lost about 10 lb off the bat going from vegetarian to vegan.

How do people respond when you tell them that "I'm vegan"?

It depends on the person. I think it makes people uncomfortable because lots of people feel like they should be vegan but aren't, and so they get defensive. Often they act like they're worried about me and are like "where do you get your protein?". Sometimes they try arguing with me. I always try to be respectful and answer questions and respond to concerns concisely and honestly because I feel like veganism makes the world a much better place and I don't want to turn people off of it by seeming preachy or defensive.

RANDOM QUESTION:

What is your favorite exercise?

Walking. XP

I've been vegetarian for 15 years and vegan for the last 8 of those.

I decided to go vegan as a 30 day challenge. I didn't like feeling addicted to cheese, yogurt and ice cream, and wanted to prove to myself that I could live without them. By the end of the 30 days I was feeling great and never even thought about going back.

I did not lose weight by going vegan, but didn't have any I needed to lose.

The response to "I'm vegan" depends on where you are. In more progressive circles it's totally normal or even respected. In meat country people just don't get it. But usually when I make it clear that I'm not trying to convert anyone (live and let live) it's all good.

My favorite exercise, by far, is running. I run competitively and I LOVE it!

My favorite meal is probably this one http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/04/citrus-quinoa-tempeh-plate-with-avocado.html or this one http://mjr.earthbalancenatural.com/lemon-tofu-with-pasta-vegan-cream-basil-sauce/. But I omit the peppers (not a fan).

That sounds amazing! I'm gonna have to try that. I enjoy tofu scrambles with as much leafy vegetables as possible. I could live off of tofu scrambles haha

I love tofu scrambles with greens. Have you tried Indian black salt yet? It imparts a slightly eggy flavor. It's great in scrambles.

I'm vegetarian, not vegan.

Been a vegetarian for two full weeks - challenging myself to go 8 weeks just to try out the lifestyle. I do indulge in seafood when I am feeling the need for meat but try to limit how often I eat that.

I am doing this for my health - I wanted to see if I felt different with meat out of my system and so far I feel great. At the end of 8 weeks I plan to reassess and either continue as a vegetarian or go back to eating meat. Right now I'm leaning towards staying vegetarian.

My favorite excerise is swimming at the gym. I also like walking and as the weather cools down I will be walking more.

My favorite meal - I am still trying different vegetarian recipes but so far my favorites are baked squash and sautéed green beans and carrots with sesame oil and soy sauce.

I've been vegan almost 2 years and was vegetarian for quite a few years before that. I did it entirely for animals, and the weight loss and health benefits were a welcome surprise. I lost about 30 pounds in a matter of a couple months when I went vegan. Dairy was really my main source of fat so I think that is why I lost so quickly. I wasn't trying or expecting it.

Most people are cool with me being vegan, although you always have a few who make a big deal and want to start an argument. I have perfected allowing my eyes to glaze over while planting a sad and resigned smile on my face. They usually get the hint to drop it. lol Generally I try not to mention it because in group gatherings it can become the main topic of conversation and I've had that conversation 1,000 times already. Nobody ever commented on my diet when I was downing veggie pizza and beer all the time and getting fatter!

I just started doing some lifting and strength training at the gym and love it!

Lessee...

1 & 2) I've been vegetarian pretty much all my life. From the time I was a small child, I could not abide the texture of meat, any meat. And I really hated fish because of the smell and really REALLY hated seafood because of both the texture AND the smell. Eventually, while growing up in the 70s in the Midwest, I learned to tolerate chicken, but only the breast meat and only if it wasn't tough or stringy. I did that only because at the time in the Midwest, there was no such thing as a "vegetarian option" on a restaurant menu. But all the while I loved dairy and eggs. So, I was ovo-lacto.

I've been vegan since mid-April. I transitioned because I was diagnosed with heart failure and heart-failure-induced liver failure. My doc recommended cutting animal protein to spare wear and tear on my liver as well as my kidneys. So, I dropped the eggs and dairy. The latter was easy. The former...not so easy. But it was made a lot easier when I discovered black salt to put on Ye Olde Tofu Scramble. The sulfur in the salt mimics the sulfur in egg yolk, infusing the tofu with an egg flavor. Add some nooch and turmeric for color and BOOM! I honestly can't tell my tofu scramble from real scrambled eggs anymore.

3) I really can't say how much weight I've lost. Much of my "weight loss" lately (probably about 45lbs since the beginning of April) is because of impaired metabolism. Unfortunately, I've lost muscle mass because of that. I'm smaller, but my body fat percentage is up. But it's also true that I retain water like crazy, so my weight is all over the place. It's not uncommon for me to gain and lose (sometimes both over the course of the same day!) 5 lbs a day, just from retaining or purging fluid. So, I don't really pay attention to weight because for me it's very meaningless. The overall trend is downward, though.

4) I work in a department of five people. Of the five, three (including me) are vegan, one for ethical reasons (She's also Ayurvedic), one for health/nutrition reasons (she's also celiac and gluten-free), and one (me) because I have to be. We annoy the other two with our "vegan talk," but they're certainly not averse to eating our food when we bring stuff to share among us! Aside from that, I live in an area that's sort of hippie-ish in the US Southwest, so it isn't surprising here when you say "I'm vegan." In fact, the servers in the restaurants will say, "Oh, awesome. Here's our vegan specials for the day." So, no big deal.

5) My favorite exercise: Walking my two dogs on cool evenings after the afternoon thunderstorms have gone through. I walk them slowly. It's pretty much the only exercise I can do for more than 5 minutes without having to sit down and gasp for breath for 10. I also do some light upper body strength training, trying to stem the tide of muscle wasting, but I can't say that I enjoy that. Really, it exhausts me.

How long have you been vegan?

Just about 11 months~ I'll be hitting my 1 year mark on August 31st

Why did you decide to go vegan?

I've always loved animals. It just made sense. When I found out all the cruelty that goes on in the animal product industries I made the decision that I couldn't keep eating animals or their products.

How much weight has been lost from being vegan, even if your reason for becoming vegan has nothing to do with weight loss?

Unlike a lot of people when they go vegan, I gained weight. Something like 2 or 3 pounds. Bummer, but I was eating a lot of sugary, really fatty foods, so I guess it should be expected. I'm getting on the right track now, though

How do people respond when you tell them that "I'm vegan"?

-:noway: "Wow, you're CRAZY. I could NEVER give up meat. I mean, c'mon, BACON. HOW DO YOU LIVE WITHOUT BACON??????? AND CHEESE? AND ICE CREAM???? WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN?"
-:huh: :grumble: "Vegan? Are you trying to play God? Did you know that humans are animals too? Would you get mad at a lion for eating a zebra???"
-:laugh: "Did you know that vegetarian is apache for bad hunter?"
- "As long as you don't judge me for eating meat! I LOVE meat."

What is your favorite exercise?

I like running and swimming most

How long have you been vegan?

7-8 months (Technically, I'm not a vegan. I eat a whold foods plant based diet, essentially a vegan diet. I do this for health reasons, not ethical or moral reasons.)

Why did you decide to go vegan?

I watched Forks Over Knives, then validated the claims made in the documentary by several channels and lines of evidence. I decided to try it for 3 weeks. At the end of the 3 weeks I felt good and wanted to go another 3 weeks. At the end of the 6 weeks I decided I should try it for 6 months and see how I felt, since 1) I was setting PR's in cycling and skiing, and 2) I felt REALLY good. At the 6 month mark (June) I decided to go 6 years and reevaluate.

How much weight has been lost from being vegan, even if your reason for becoming vegan has nothing to do with weight loss?

I lost 20 and have gained 10. I'm approximately 20 pounds overweight right now.

How do people respond when you tell them that "I'm vegan"?

I tell people I eat a vegan diet, but that I'm not a vegan. I just eat like one.

RANDOM QUESTION:
What is your favorite exercise?

mountain biking in the summer, and AT skiing in the winter.

I am making my way to vegetarian. I have meat maybe once a week. I researched into veganism and there is just too much processed vegan foods. I want my eggs and cheese. I just try to make sure they are natural as I can find. I know exactly where my eggs come from and what the chickens eat. I buy from a farm a mile away. She showed me the organic feed she uses and I read the label. The chickens are free to run around. She has two huge coups for them to sleep in. Cheese is a hit and miss, imo.

I only want to stop eating meat due to the crap they put into and force the animals to eat. You can imagine what they do to our bodies after seeing what they do to the animals bodies.