Transitioning to veganism/vegetarianism: support and tips

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tabbycat2221
tabbycat2221 Posts: 5 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello,

I have never posted on here before, so bare with me. In August of this year, I went vegan “cold turkey” I did well, I felt amazing, I lost weight and I was finding it rather easy... it lasted 6 weeks and then I crashed and burned. Since this happened, I have been finding it difficult to get back to it and just eating healthy in general. I wanted to create this thread so that I could meet current MFP users who are also on this transition to a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle. I want to share tips and advice and just support one another. I hope someone out there enjoys this thread. Well, that is it right now. Thank you everyone and stay strong, stay positive on your lifestyle journey!

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Why did you crash and burn? Identifying those factors and planning for them may make it easier to transition back to veganism.
  • tabbycat2221
    tabbycat2221 Posts: 5 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Why did you crash and burn? Identifying those factors and planning for them may make it easier to transition back to veganism.

    I am the only vegan (well transitioning) in my immediate and extended family. My family is completely unsupportive and often tries to sabotage me or make bets at how long I will last and always has some joke at my expense. My hubs would get annoyed my son liked the vegan food over the “normal” food and would complain he didn’t want me to do it because it was easier for him to prepare meals if I wasn’t (I mostly do the cooking). I always have to make 2 meals for everything.

    I am hoping this time around I can just put that negativity aside and focus on me and what is important to me and the world.

    Are you vegan?


  • tabbycat2221
    tabbycat2221 Posts: 5 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    thecharon wrote: »
    I simply cannot imagine never eating salmon, grilled chicken, or bacon or any meat for the rest of my life. I support you. Life is so long....

    I'm not sure what the limits of your imagination have to do with other people choosing to go vegan. Is there a reason why you decided to share this here?

    Thank you for your support. Some people always feel the need to chime in. Such is life. Have a wonderful day!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    tabbycat2221 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Why did you crash and burn? Identifying those factors and planning for them may make it easier to transition back to veganism.

    I am the only vegan (well transitioning) in my immediate and extended family. My family is completely unsupportive and often tries to sabotage me or make bets at how long I will last and always has some joke at my expense. My hubs would get annoyed my son liked the vegan food over the “normal” food and would complain he didn’t want me to do it because it was easier for him to prepare meals if I wasn’t (I mostly do the cooking). I always have to make 2 meals for everything.

    I am hoping this time around I can just put that negativity aside and focus on me and what is important to me and the world.

    Are you vegan?


    That situation sounds really rough. I am vegan and have been for about ten years. My husband isn't vegan, although he doesn't mind me being vegan.

    It sounds like you're already doing a good job of focusing on the main obstacles (other people being unhappy or threatened about you wanting to change). Good luck!
  • lucys1225
    lucys1225 Posts: 597 Member
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    I will preface this by saying I am neither vegan nor vegetarian. However, for many, many years, I have eaten differently than the rest of my family and they never understood it. I just always reminded myself the reasons why I chose to eat this way and remember how good I feel when doing so. After a receiving pretty bad blood test results back, my husband decided he didn't want to be on medication and changed his way of eating and now eats how do. He's been doing it for three months and his latest blood results were great! Good luck!
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    tabbycat2221 wrote: »
    I do not need meat, dairy or seafood to make me happy in life. Knowing that I am feeding my body good, whole, clean, plant based foods and nourishing it makes me happy. I feel amazing when I am eating this way both physically and mentally. I know that my decision is saving myself, the animals and environment. I do not push my choices on others, it is not my place, but I never turn down an inquiring mind or a curious person who wants to try these vegan dishes. My 3 yr old son loves them! He eats them more then “normal” dishes. I wish you much happiness and health in your life.

    If you're primarily going vegan because you care about saving animals and the environment, that make sense and I support you.

    However, I would not do it just for health reasons. There is very little good data to support the argument that veganism is better than a healthy omnivorous diet. Pro-vegan websites will post cherry picked studies that show people who eat bacon 3 times per day get more cancer. But most studies show that meat, especially fish, in moderate amounts is perfectly safe and even has health benefits. Many studies have also shown that certain dairy products like cheese and yogurt are healthy too. So avoiding them for health reasons doesn't make sense.
  • littlebabekitty
    littlebabekitty Posts: 384 Member
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    Hey i am a vegan for 1yr for the same reasons you stated. I also have open diary.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    thecharon wrote: »
    I simply cannot imagine never eating salmon, grilled chicken, or bacon or any meat for the rest of my life. I support you. Life is so long....

    I'm not sure what the limits of your imagination have to do with other people choosing to go vegan. Is there a reason why you decided to share this here?

    <3 YOU. Awesome.
  • pzarnosky
    pzarnosky Posts: 256 Member
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    I'm in a similar boat in that I'm going back to this lifestyle. I was whole food vegan strictly for the 2 months before my marathon. I truly felt amazing. I recovered faster and loved it. Then the marathon came and the weather threw a left handed curveball at me. 3 inches of rain during, 25mph winds, and a 10 degree temp drop into the 40's. I was crushed by my time, walked away with an injured knee and achilles, and lost all motivation. Soooo I ate the SAD for 6 weeks after.

    Well now here I am. Heavier and still hurt. BUT. My roomie swooped in after stumbling across Rich Roll and his podcasts. After learning about the lifestyle, watching a few documentaries, and picking my brain about the topic, she has decided she wants to be a whole food vegan. So this past Sunday we grocery shopped and did all of our meal prep together. I'm excited that she came to this at the exact time I was acknowledging I needed to get my act together before I lose all the stamina I worked so hard for!

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