Vegetarians/Vegans: Is meat something I can stop eating overnight? Or is it something I should ween myself off?

[Anonymous]

It is all in the question. I want to go vegetarian for the new year. I am NOT doing it for health reasons, but I do not want to go through a change in mood/health/wakefulness during the process. Any knowledge, tips, advice to share?

[xyzzy]

Hi, I've done exactly this - currently at 2 month mark in a 4month plan. I went completely zero meat overnight. The biggest challenge you'll face initially is your body going into shock. It took me 2 weeks to get back on track "normal". You need to maintain fat and protein intake, which will probably be the hardest hurdle. I didn't change in mood. My diet includes avocados, olives, sundried tomoatoes, mushrooms. I don't eat boiled vegies (I would want to kill myself). Discovering a whole new set of foods has been interesting. When I workout (dance) I drink protein shakes with eggs, milk... and it's enough for a night. As a result, still drinkin the same amount of alcohol etc, I lost a lot of waist-size, neck size, thigh size (all of the fat) and in the first month i did lose about 4 kg - my measurements keep going down but my weight is now increasing/steady. I get heaps of compliments, and I do notice a change myself. Bear in mind that I haven't changed the amount of alcohol I drink, nor the amount I exercise. I think I also sleep better

[thewanderingme]

neither protein or fat are hard to get. those who have issues, usually do because they eat too much junk food instead of real food.

[xyzzy]

When you stop eating meat and dairy, both protein and fat are notoriously difficult to eat enough of. Take it from someone who has vegan friends, many of whom are grossly underweight and struggle to eat enough protein/can't put any weight on

[JackKerouac77]

Even if you go cold turkey... you're still eating turkey! Oh noesss!

But seriously, @thewanderingme is a good person to ask about this

[thewanderingme]

it took me a few weeks. I never really like the taste or texture if meat though (except for burgers, white fish, pepperoni, and sliced turkey). so depending on that, the transition should be fairly easy.

learn your spices. it's all about seasoning your food.

[Asker]

I love meat, but I hate the meat industry, and can no longer be a participant in it. I have noticed even a day without meat for me right now leaves me unsatisfied, lethargic, and feeling just... unbalanced. A few weeks of bad comfort isn't that bad though.

[thewanderingme]

what have you replaced it with so far? you're probably not getting enough fat.

[Asker]

I haven't started yet. There have just been odd days in the past where I didn't eat meat (not by choice) So I don't really remember what I had instead. What are some good replacements? And I want to stay away from soy because of the estrogen.

[thewanderingme]

yea, soy is poison.

I change what I eat a lot. at the moment I'm mostly raw. make a list of what vegetable you already enjoy, then start picking up random ones when you go to the grocery store. like I said before seasoning is the most important, use the exact same seasoning pairings you already do when cooking meat and add them to stir frys/boiled/grilled veggies. I use a coffee grinder for seeds/nuts to add fat to soups to make them creamy. plus their a great source of protein. hemp especially. eat more fruit, especially dried because it feels you up more. and the best carbs fir energy are naturally sugary carbs. don't over do it with starchy carbs, they make you tired and bring your moods down.

also, realize no matter what you eat throughout the day, plants breakdown much faster than meat, so you will be hungry again much sooner. so snack often...

[thewanderingme]

also, if you love meat but hate the mainstream industry, you might want to try free range.

[Asker]

I've never eaten a fruit or vegetable I didn't like, so it shouldn't be too hard. Thanks so much for you help and advice, it really helped me :)

[thewanderingme]

sweet! I'm glad. you're welcome! (: