How long a Vegan?

[Vegan Joe]

I have 3 weeks over 1 year. While shopping at Whole Foods tonight (ran out of daily vits.), and being a bit nosey, I asked this guy if he was a vegan. His answer was yes. After telling him of my year he told me 14 years. Humbled and in awe, I said have a nice night and left him and his companion alone. So I was just wondering.
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Also, please no comments on your interpretation of who or what constitutes a vegan.
Let this poll be based on your own (vote) personal interpretation.
Thank you
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[BlackTears[x]]

I'd say for me its not been that long. I was veggie for about 9 months before i went vegan. So i'd say to estimate about just over a month.

Fran x

[meatless]

Nearly two and a half years. Vegetarian for a few years prior.

[Shantih]

Over a year, nearing two years, I think. I said this in someone's vegan-anniversary thread, but I really can't remember when I became vegan and it drives me mad. I might just set a date in the rough area I think it was so I can have a pot of hummus to celebrate :vebo:

Pretty strict vegetarian long before that, so maybe that's why I can't remember, I didn't have to give up a huge amount of stuff.

[m4rk0]

Since last August. Was vegetarian for about 6 months before that. It really helps that my girlfriend switched to vegan right after I did. We cook together all the time. It might have been more difficult if I were on my own.

[Black Heart]

I think about 3 and a half years.

[eggplant]

About 3 1/2 years now.

[nogardsram]

~3.3 years

[Lelena]

September will be 11 years for me as a vegan. August will be 19 years as a vegetarian.

[Brandon]

September will be 11 years for me as a vegan. August will be 19 years as a vegetarian.

Just passed 2 years of veganism. Vegetarian since 1989.

[isowish]

>6 months <1 year

7 months and 27 days to be precise :) although I was close to vegan/cutting out dairy and eggs for a while before that.

[Summerloco]

1 year on June 13th.

Though I was a vegetarian 1 year & 2 months before that.

[Isabelle]

4 years. :)

[Idhan]

I... I can't remember, exactly.

Okay. I remember that I first thought about becoming a vegan, paradoxically, after reading a Matthew Yglesias post which was actually anti-vegetarian/animal rights, but he called vegetarianism the "desperately inconsistent sister" of veganism. (I'm not a super huge fan of Matthew Yglesias's rather indifferent views on animal welfare, but he seemed logical on this point.) I can't find that Matthew Yglesias post anymore -- he's moved servers a lot, with the typepad account, TPMCafe, etc.

Some time after reading that, I became a vegan while I was college, but thought that it would be too hard on my mom to be a vegan at home.

I actually started being a vegan at home... sometime last summer (i.e., summer '06). Not sure when, exactly. I was talking to a counselor about some problems I was having, and incidentally I mentioned to her that I thought that it was bad that I ate eggs and dairy, but I didn't want to make life hard on my mom. She said that I should be more assertive, and tell my mom that I'd be willing to cook for myself if need be, and it needn't be any of her business, but I wasn't going to eat eggs or dairy anymore.

So I suppose sometime in the summer of '06. So about nine months.

[epski]

My 5-year veganniversary is tomorrow. I "cheated" and chose 5-10 years, though. :D

[thebelovedtree]

3 1/2 years vegan 9 1/2 years vegetarian :)

[manics_fan]

Nearly 5 and a half years. A heck of a lot longer than most of my friends and family thought that this "vegan phase" would last.

[Obladiblada]

I've been vegan for nearly 6 months, was a vegetarian for a year before that.

[thehappyhippo]

I said 10-15 years. Loved every minute of it too.

[Quinoa]

I will never now my exact „veganniversary“. Somehow, I automatically transitioned from (moderate lacto-ovo) vegetarian (to which I had returned from several years of being a shameful “occasional flexitarian” in January 2006) to vegan last autumn, when I realized I could no longer reconcile even the occasional consumption of eggs & dairy with my conscience. I did not even think of writing down the exact day on which I last had some cheese or something baked with eggs. It must have been before the German national holiday though, I’m sure (guess why). So I might just make October 3rd, 2006 my veganday, since I can easily memorize it, hehe. 6 ½ months already, hopefully a couple of decades ahead! And I’m not counting my 2 years of dietary veganism in the late 1990s here of course…

[T(m)B!B]

A week today since starting to follow a vegan diet.
Over 12 years following a vegitarian one.

[psychochick3339]

I've been a vegan for a month today. I celebrated with vegan peanut butter cookies. :smitten:

[HandcuffedAngel]

1 year, 4 months.

5 months on May 1st.

[janie]

1 year and 1 month.

[jojob1969]

5 month vegan. 4 1/3 years vegetarian.