New to vegan

588 Views 8 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Clockwork, Jul 20, 2011

butterflysti24

Discussion Starter · Jul 14, 2011

Hello all!! I am in the process of transitioning into a vegan lifestyle & I am very excited! I am still researching and I started out by going vegetarian first with no deisire to go vegan but now I am fully ready to do it. I have only been vegetarian for three weeks but I find it to be pretty easy, so far. I am taking it step by step and not drastically changing anything. I wasnt a big meat eater to begin with, or so I thought until I took it out of my diet. Eating out is the only thing I find to be hard and the only solution is to limit eating out or I'll get bord of the side's and salads. I am also gluten free which makes food choices a little harder then normal. I have some gluten free/vegan cook books and I am starting to try differnent vegan foods. So far I tried cheese which I liked and im going to try tofu next. I was never a big fan of tofu but I guess I'll have to learn to cook it a way I'll like it. Right now I am having 1-2 vegan meals a day including snacks while one meal still has some animal product which is usually breakfast. I plan on going completely vegan with in the next 2-3 weeks. I am doing it for a number of reasons including to loose weight. Does anyone have any tips for me? I am pretty motivated & have support including my mother that has been interested in going vegan for sometime now so we are in need of some good receipes to try. If anyone has any to share please send them to me!

thank you all!!!

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Rainbows

· #2 · Jul 16, 2011

Just keep going. You'll figure it out.

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angie54321

· #3 · Jul 16, 2011

Welcome to Veggieboards!

For recipes, there are loads of vegan websites and blogs - if you have a particular recipe in mind, google it with 'vegan' in front (i.e vegan chocolate chip cookies).

One of the best places for recipes is www.vegweb.com, whose recipes are user-generated.

Best for nutrition? http://veganhealth.org/ and http://jacknorrisrd.com/ are great sources.

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VeganFromMars

· #4 · Jul 16, 2011

Congratulations! That is exciting. I have been having a similar experience, I have been transitioning to vegan for a few months (after about a week of being vegetarian). You'll find so many new foods and recipes to enjoy. I recommend the cookbook "vegan with a vengeance," that's the first vegan cookbook I purchased and it was worth it. Lots of good brunch recipes too, so you can eat vegan breakfasts!

Eating out was probably the hardest thing for me as well. I started by packing fun vegan lunches to bring to work everyday, so i wouldn't be tempted to go to the cafeteria where there aren't many vegan options. In terms of going out to restaurants, a little planning and preparation can go a long way. Try to figure out where you are going in advance, and go to their menu online or call them to see what vegan options they have. Also, you can search for vegan friendly restaurants in your area (depending on where you live there could be zero to many) and suggest those as an alternative. Have fun!

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Powered By Plants

· #5 · Jul 16, 2011

I second the congratulations! The only thing I wished someone had told me was that some products you'd think would be vegan are only vegetarian, so read labels very carefully. But since you're gluten free, I'm sure you already pay a lot of attention to ingredients.

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butterflysti24

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 19, 2011

thank you everyone!!!! I went away this past weekend and stayed on track. As of tomorrow I will be going 100% vegan and I think the hardest foods to give up will still be eggs and cheese. Funny thing is I had neither this whole past weekend and didnt even crave it so I think I'll be ok. Thank you all again

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offthahook

· #7 · Jul 19, 2011

It sounds like you're doing well so far. I was such a cheesehead before I was vegan and I rarely crave it now. If it's not there now, I just don't think about it.

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ashlend

· #8 · Jul 20, 2011

Congrats, it's great that you've decided to go vegan. Enjoy your journey! One word of caution: going vegan alone won't necessarily help you lose weight. I've actually gained a few pounds since going vegan, believe it or not. Your experience might be different, but I always get a little nervous when I see new vegans saying they're doing it to lose weight.

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Clockwork

· #9 · Jul 20, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by butterflysti24

Hello all!! I am in the process of transitioning into a vegan lifestyle & I am very excited! I am still researching and I started out by going vegetarian first with no deisire to go vegan but now I am fully ready to do it. I have only been vegetarian for three weeks but I find it to be pretty easy, so far. I am taking it step by step and not drastically changing anything. I wasnt a big meat eater to begin with, or so I thought until I took it out of my diet. Eating out is the only thing I find to be hard and the only solution is to limit eating out or I'll get bord of the side's and salads. I am also gluten free which makes food choices a little harder then normal. I have some gluten free/vegan cook books and I am starting to try differnent vegan foods. So far I tried cheese which I liked and im going to try tofu next. I was never a big fan of tofu but I guess I'll have to learn to cook it a way I'll like it. Right now I am having 1-2 vegan meals a day including snacks while one meal still has some animal product which is usually breakfast. I plan on going completely vegan with in the next 2-3 weeks. I am doing it for a number of reasons including to loose weight. Does anyone have any tips for me? I am pretty motivated & have support including my mother that has been interested in going vegan for sometime now so we are in need of some good receipes to try. If anyone has any to share please send them to me!

thank you all!!!

I feel you. I eat no meat, dairy, grains, or corn - so it's difficult when one goes out to find something that fits the mold, so to speak. I don't eat fast food (and neither should you!) and at most restaurants a salad is usually available on a menu. You can always ask your waiter to not include any croutons, cheeses, grilled chicken, etc from whatever salad you may be eyeballing on a menu.

Somehow this conversation reminds me of the Simpsons...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtuMIaOGRy8

lol

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