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keep falling off the veggie wagon

2K views 17 replies 17 participants last post by  AgentMobius 
#1 ·
I'm new to vegetarianism and one of the problems that I keep having is that while I'm very committed (especially after watching something like Meet your Meat for instance), I find that I begin to slip back into old habits. I've figured out that one reason for this is the propaganda we all seem to be brought up on such as seeing an all american teenager digging into a big cheeseburger and a coke, and it all seems so good and normal and very much part of our cultural identity. Or if I turn on a popular cooking show and they're making a dish with meat it starts to seem like it somehow okay to eat meat. I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across but just today I realised this is why I'm slipping up and feeling badly about it. Anyone else ever feel this way?
 
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#2 ·
It might help to go into this armed with a wide variety of recipes and ideas for full meals and quick grab type meals and different things so that you're not so tempted to run and get a burger. Many many many recipes can be vegetarianized without too much difficulty, so if there are any particular things you are craving or would like to try and make that traditionally contain meat, try asking around the board and posting the original recipe and people can probably make suggestions as to how to veg*nize.

You don't have to be perfect overnight. Reducing meat consumption at all is helpful.
 
#4 ·
It's a lifestyle change. As a veggie, you shop differently, cook differently, "go out" differently, think differently, and eventually move into different circles of people too. It can be bumpy to simply abandon a certain "default" way of doing things, especially without a clear model of what vegetarian life "looks like" for you. It may help to develop a very active interest in a particular type of vegetarian food you enjoy (Indian, say, or Mediterranean), and really get into it. Other than that, just give yourself time. The more time you spend as a veggie, the less relevance the meat-eating world will have.
 
#7 ·
I'm not there yet -- as in, I haven't gone far enough to slip back yet -- but I do understand what you mean. I don't know your reasons for going veg, but maybe it would help to solidify those, so you have a fall back when you're in the mainstream.

I know for me, I'm making a gradual transition, replacing more and more "traditional" meals with veg options. My guiding reason is health, so even though I'm sympathetic to the other reasons people don't eat meat, I have to focus on why *I* am making this change in my life.
 
#8 ·
Hi there AlittleGreen!

Back when I went lacto-vegetarian many eons ago, the most distinctive feelings I remember having regarding meat was that 1) it was Wrong and 2) it was such a tremendous relief not to subsist on the flesh of other creatures. And these were the most intuitive and powerful feelings.

However, I was terrible with cooking. (For the first 6 months I lived on nothing but biscuits, sandwiches, porrige, white spaghetti with champignons and ketchup and whatever vegetarian I could find in the uni canteen.) Fortunately my will was strong, and eventually I learned to cook so things got a little easier. (Of course, it also helped that before I made my decision, my omni cooking skills were probably - if possible - even worse.)

If I were to give any advice, it would not be to watch the horror movies produced by PETA. Most people already know at least in short what goes on in slaughterhouses, and in any case the imagination is often stronger than video anyway. Instead, allow yourself the time to think about what eating the flesh of an animal really means. It makes one an accomplice in the deliberate and gruesome killing of a living and breathing creature that could have been wandering around the fields and enjoying the fresh air, the sunny weather and the company of its companions and family. In this respect, a creature just like you and me.

I could go on and on about this, but I think you get the point already. And in the end, you will have to make them your opinions, not just something some guy on the Internet pushed on you.
 
#9 ·
I can understand about the slipping...I've done it quite a few times


As well as all the good advice listed above I will offer this: Think when you see the images that tell you (in words or otherwise)"You ought to eat meat because its normal" When you can identify the media messages you are making steps to become unbranded and it becomes easier to walk away from the mainstream when you can see it for what it is...if that makes sense.
 
#11 ·
Maybe when you see a non-vegetarian food that looks appetizing, you can think of all that's bad about it:

-Think of the dead cow/pig/chicken/animal

-Think of Meet Your Meat or whatever motivates you

-Think of it as unhealthy, ie: Hamburger= greasy, fatty, etc.
 
#13 ·
I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but when I first became vegetarian, I would slip up and eat hotdogs or something during the first 2-3 weeks because I would literally forget that I was trying to be vegetarian. I just persisted until my brain caught up with my new morals and now the idea of eating meat doesn't even enter my mind.

I think everyone gave good advice already .. .umm. Maybe when you catch yourself thinking those things, replace your old thought patterns with new ones.

Instead of thinking "gee maybe eating meat is normal,"

try thinking: "it might be normal to other people, but normal isn't always good.Even if it's okay to other people, it's not okay to me."

Or instead of "wow that looks good, I should go eat some"

think to yourself "It might look good, but my (favourite veggie dish) is so much better."

I may have misunderstood what you meant, so I'm sorry if I'm not making sense
 
#14 ·
i am new to this as well. what works for me is making sure that i always have access to vegan foods, especially at work since this is the place i am most likely to slip up.

you have to do what motivates you. i know those videos arent for anyone, but they really help me stay motivated. it's hard because we often dont associate a slab of meat with an innocent animal. the more i watch those videos and the farther along i get with not eating animals, the more that big connection sinks in for me.

good luck with what works for you!
 
#15 ·
star, i had the exact same experience. i'd find myself grabbing something meatie in the fridge and thinking, "what the heck?" doesn't happen anymore, but it really made me lol at myself.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Starblossom View Post

I'm not sure if this is the same thing, but when I first became vegetarian, I would slip up and eat hotdogs or something during the first 2-3 weeks because I would literally forget that I was trying to be vegetarian. I just persisted until my brain caught up with my new morals and now the idea of eating meat doesn't even enter my mind.
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by AlittleGreen View Post

I'm new to vegetarianism and one of the problems that I keep having is that while I'm very committed (especially after watching something like Meet your Meat for instance), I find that I begin to slip back into old habits. I've figured out that one reason for this is the propaganda we all seem to be brought up on such as seeing an all american teenager digging into a big cheeseburger and a coke, and it all seems so good and normal and very much part of our cultural identity. Or if I turn on a popular cooking show and they're making a dish with meat it starts to seem like it somehow okay to eat meat. I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across but just today I realised this is why I'm slipping up and feeling badly about it. Anyone else ever feel this way?
I struggled to make the veggie switch for a year and a half. Recently, I suddenly stopped altogether. Miraculous, I know, but I understand that the meat promotions are everywhere - from fast food restaurants, commercials and the like. I wish you all the best in your goals. I think the thing that helped me the most was being encouraged by other people who had already converted, so this forum will probably help you out a lot.
 
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