Vegan?

[justjumpit4]

I'm thinking about going vegan. Not because I'm all animal rights and stuff.. But I've just heard that sticking to it healthily and not eating the animal products and stuff will leave you feeling better.

I don't eat much of it as it is, because I have digestive problems in general..

But I'd also like to slim up a little bit, and I think it'd be good for that too. (yes I already am kinda a health freak, and work out a lot, so don't say that haha)

Are any of you vegan or have any thoughts on this?

[SkinnyG]

I'm a vegetarian, mostly vegan but I do eat dairy occasionally (maybe 1 or 2x month). I've been like this for 11 years. I lost a little weight (I'm naturally thin anyway) and I do feel better...lighter. Not weight wise lighter but I noticed after the first month I didn't get as tired and just felt cleaner. Read up on it. Take Vitamin B12. I take liquid minerals, too. You don't need as much protein as the USDA would say you do. Read up also on how little meat the Chinese diet consists of. I live in AZ which probably is similar to New Mexico...meaning that it's a little harder to get certain things that are readily available in NY or California. But I've been doing it long enough that I don't really think about it a lot. Plus I don't really cook that much...just simple things.

Beans, nuts, fruit, etc...Even pizza with no cheese or meat on it. There's fake hamburger you can probably get - I put that in pasta sauce sometimes...seriously, there's a TON of stuff you can get protein from. There's fake cheese, soy milk. Even Burger King has a BK Veggie. (I get it w/o the mayonaisse.) There's Veganaisee (fake Mayonaisse), soy yogurt at Fresh and Easy, Trader Joes has a lot of stuff.

Don't listen to the naysayers here. It's way easy.

BTW WoodWizzard87 - I went vegan overnight. Nothing drastic happened. I work out 3x/week and have good muscle tone.

[SkinnyG]

Oh, I almost forgot. My brother was a BIG TIME meat eater and was overweight and would tease me about being a vegetarian. Well earlier this year he called me to tell me he is now a vegan. Turns out he almost had a heart attack and had to go in and get stints put in his arteries or whatever they do and it scared him so bad that he swore off all animal products! His doctor recommended the vegan diet for him. He lives in LA. Easy to be vegan there, too.

[hvillagomez]

In theory it's a great idea, but few people manage to eat everything that they need to get the proper nutrients. And if you are a healthy freak and exercise constantly that is sometimes and indication of an eating disorder. I speak from experience, it is not the route to go.

[WoodWizzard87]

Stop eating simple sugars and saturated fats and you'll be fine. Over many thousands of years our bodies have been moe accustomed to animal meat, fruit/berries, veggies, and nuts. I've had a couple buddies try the 100 day vegan thing and it totally drained them of energy. They got pale, lost a bunch of muscle, and quit after 60 days or so. It will also be hard to go from regular eating to total vegan, because it will shock your body since it's not use to it.

[Kimkitty]

Well, of course you'll need to slowly get your body used to it, which makes that 100 day vegan thing pretty impossible. I have been strictly vegan myself for the past 5 years. Do I look any pale to you, or as if I lack energy or muscles?

[Anonymous]

It's tough. Vegetarianism is more realistic. Unless you live in a big city, it'll be tough to find milk substitutes and the like. It's also kind of expensive. Still, you need to watch out that you don't gorge on carbs and end up gaining weight.

[justjumpit4]

ahh I don't gorge on anything really. My problem is more like I won't eat.. I'm thinking more a, tofu & fruit kinda stuff.. (of course other variation too)

[Kiwedin]

I do Raw Till 4, it's a vegan lifestyle and it works great for me :). You go through a bit of a detox at the beginning, but then you feel much more energetic, clean, and light. When I started I was 187 and now I'm 171. Look up Freelee the Banana Girl, Rawvana, and Fully Raw Kristina. They really helped me get into it. If you want to learn about what a vegan diet can do for you or learn more about animals rights, watch Gary Yourofsky's lectures, he's really great and teaches you a lot.

[mujusipi]

I also have the impression that there is an eating disorder problem here.

[SandraSlip]

I say go for it.