Vegetarian for half a year

[Corelich]

I'm a vegetarian for half a year now.
Here I want to share my experience for the first half a year and my plans for the future.
Pleas note, that i still eat cheese and drink milk. Not more than before, but not less either.

- Weight:

I didn't lose weight, i did't gain some either.
With 75 kg @ 1,80 I'm pretty happy about my weigt, so thats a good thing.

- health

Pro: I'm a migrene patient. I usually get then 2-3 times a year. Have n't had one in the past 6 months.
Proofs nothing, but its a good start.

con: I feel tired and unmotivated. Might be due to the brutal temperatures of this summer though. I like temperatures around 10° C, not 40° C. Still, I have to check if I have some malnutrition due to my dietry change.

social life:

Carnivores have accepted that its not only a phase without exception (But some of my old friends i rarely see still don't know, some of whom aren't that huge fans of vegetarians.)

Vegans and vegeterians are... different. Somehow they still manage to forget i'm a vegetarian, when planning for events. They still think its strange that I am a vegetarian and can't fit me in this picture. Kinda sad.

Feelings about meat:

Mixed. Very mixed. I ordered a vegetarian Pizza at a restaurant. The waitress mixed up and got me one with fish unterneath the cheese. I noticed after I ate the first piece and was somewhat disguted by the taste i had left in my mouth. Meat smells and looks very tasty, but I don't think I could enjoy it at the moment.
I was once on a trip with an omnivore and a Vegan. I was asked by the omnivore if I was still a vegetarian and the vegan said 'Thats a daily fight, a decision you have to make every day' before i could answer. I laughed. Yes its some kind of a battle, but it changes. The cravings pass by, most days nearly unnoticed. The only thing I really miss is poultry. But then again, I could not enjoy that either anymore.

Taste:

My taste changed. I used to dislike broccoli, spinach and zucchini.
I mean, people manage to make broccoli unedible, but most of the times i kinda like it know. Same with spinach.

I have mixed feelings about zucchini. 6 people died here from zucchini not long ago. In natural form zucchini are poisonous. We just breed them not to be. Sometimes they mutate to be poisonous again. Then they taste bitter. Thing is, for me they taste nearly always bitter. I refuse to eat zucchini which are planted in somebodies private garden over several generations, Those are the most dangerous.

Future plans:

I want to cut back my cheese and milk consumption. Plan is to half it by september.

[EmperorPalpatine]

Pro: I'm a migrene patient. I usually get then 2-3 times a year. Have n't had one in the past 6 months.
Proofs nothing, but its a good start.

con: I feel tired and unmotivated. Might be due to the brutal temperatures of this summer though. I like temperatures around 10° C, not 40° C. Still, I have to check if I have some malnutrition due to my dietry change.

Thanks for sharing! And good work sticking with it. Sadly going veg doesn't make you invincible, we do still feel tired, and if you were to look up conditions that exhaustion is symptomatic of, you have a small novel full of conditions. I'd pick up a B12 supplement, (Even though you eat milk, eggs and honey) and get your blood tested.

Carnivores have accepted that its not only a phase without exception (But some of my old friends i rarely see still don't know, some of whom aren't that huge fans of vegetarians.)

Vegans and vegeterians are... different. Somehow they still manage to forget i'm a vegetarian, when planning for events. They still think its strange that I am a vegetarian and can't fit me in this picture. Kinda sad.

Sadly, I can't say this will change for awhile. When I visit people like my aunt, or even some friends (My grandparents too, but I don't blame them.) they still ask me questions like "So can you eat bread right?" Or "What about chicken? Are you still eating chicken?" Some how they manage to keep this up despite me explaining "no animal flesh, secretions, clothing, or entertainment venues." We are different, in a good way, people often feel threatened by vegans, and try to block it out or forget. This is because having someone in the family go veg makes them briefly have to think about wear their food came from.

Mixed. Very mixed. I ordered a vegetarian Pizza at a restaurant. The waitress mixed up and got me one with fish unterneath the cheese. I noticed after I ate the first piece and was somewhat disguted by the taste i had left in my mouth. Meat smells and looks very tasty, but I don't think I could enjoy it at the moment.
I was once on a trip with an omnivore and a Vegan. I was asked by the omnivore if I was still a vegetarian and the vegan said 'Thats a daily fight, a decision you have to make every day' before i could answer. I laughed. Yes its some kind of a battle, but it changes. The cravings pass by, most days nearly unnoticed. The only think i really miss is poultry. But then again, I could not enjoy that either anymore.

Hah, I know the feeling. In the states I ride my bike around a few suburban areas, and during the summer, barbecue is all you smell. It has become an entirely different smell that isn't at all attractive.

I want to cut back my cheese and milk consumption. Plan is to half it by september.

The sooner the better! is this a transitional phase for you? If so I empathize, although I jumped right into it pretty early, with about three days vegetarian before cutting the rest out. My advice, if you plan on cutting out milk and eggs, do it when you know you won't be going out to eat very often. Resteraunts screw up, and it feels odd just ordering a garden salad every time. I have never enjoyed eating out. The reason most vegetarians don't go vegan is not hard to pinpoint: Cheese. Stay strong, I hope you decide to make the switch!

[Corelich]

Thx for the response. I move in the direction of veganism, but am not sure, if I will go vegan completely. At this moment I eat at a cantina or restaurant nearly every day. Luckily i'm at a financial position where this is not a big cut for me. When i'm eating at a restaurant, this isn't a big deal either, because I eat very often vegan anyway (for example cucumber and avocado makis while eating sushi; we have a Pizza store that has vegan pizzas aswell, which i eat from time to time.) The cantina is harder. It has a vegetarian meal every day, but its rarely vegan. Going completely vegan would be a big hit in the quality of life department for me, but I may consider it worth it. I have yet to decide, but its a big hurdle. Yet, I can cut all meat, cheese and eggs I eat at home. I drink cacao almost every evening. I slowly replace this with almond milk, but because the taste isn't as satisfying, I drink mostly cowmilk.

[garrethdsouza]

You can check whether your day to day diet is meeting your nutritional needs at www.cronometer.com

[brimstoneSalad]

Great update, thanks for that! It's good to hear.

I'd be murdered by 40° C weather too. Hope it cools off for you soon, but you know: global warming. I'm afraid it'll only get worse in the coming years.

Vegans and vegeterians are... different. Somehow they still manage to forget i'm a vegetarian, when planning for events. They still think its strange that I am a vegetarian and can't fit me in this picture. Kinda sad.

Weird. Well, they'll have to figure it out eventually.

My taste changed. I used to dislike broccoli, spinach and zucchini.
I mean, people manage to make broccoli unedible, but most of the times i kinda like it know. Same with spinach.

That's great!
Vegetables have a slight bitter or maybe earthy taste if you never eat them, but once you start eating them you get used to it and can even find it enjoyable.
I'm glad your tastes are adjusting.

I have mixed feelings about zucchini. 6 people died here from zucchini not long ago. In natural form zucchini are poisonous. We just breed them not to be. Sometimes they mutate to be poisonous again. Then they taste bitter. Thing is, for me they taste nearly always bitter. I refuse to eat zucchini which are planted in somebodies private garden over several generations, Those are the most dangerous.

Wow, yeah. I just read up on it. That seems very reasonable.

The most healthy veggies are the Brassica/cruciferous and allium(onion/garlic/etc.); you're not missing out on much nutrition-wise if you skip the garden zucchini.

I want to cut back my cheese and milk consumption. Plan is to half it by september.

Sounds like a good plan.

I drink cacao almost every evening. I slowly replace this with almond milk, but because the taste isn't as satisfying, I drink mostly cowmilk.

Have you considered a chocolate smoothie? Nuts and fruit with cocoa are amazing.

[EmperorPalpatine]

Thx for the response. I move in the direction of veganism, but am not sure, if I will go vegan completely. At this moment I eat at a cantina or restaurant nearly every day. Luckily i'm at a financial position where this is not a big cut for me. .

Depending on where you live, vegan resteraunts aren't always difficult to find, however I feel your pain when eating out. As a bit of an introvert, this stopped bothering me when I stopped having to go out to eat all the time, however I do understand how complicated that is. Weaning off dairy is tough, and when talking to my vegetarian friends, all of them say the reason they cannot go vegan is cheese. Dairy is tough to give up, it's a very rich food, with lots of compounds that make it perfect, and craveworthy. I'd suggest just doing a day of vegan each week when you feel ready, that alone will give you more ideas on how to veg. If you enjoy animals, or have ever had experiences with cows, I'd suggest looking into dairy industry practices, as that alone was all I needed to stop drinking milk.

My advice is not to give up dairy and eggs for yourself, moreso your animal companions, the majority of people I see go vegan to lose weight etc fall back on it. It does not take much to understand why any industry responsible for inventing a device generally referred to as a "rape rack" is not an ethical one. My advice is find vegan options where you are through experimentation via "Vegan days", it is a generally reliable way to become comfortable with the idea of fewer animal products.

[Corelich]

Have you considered a chocolate smoothie? Nuts and fruit with cocoa are amazing.

Thx for the response. I really have to try that. Never came to my mind.

My advice is not to give up dairy and eggs for yourself, moreso your animal companions, the majority of people I see go vegan to lose weight etc fall back on it. It does not take much to understand why any industry responsible for inventing a device generally referred to as a "rape rack" is not an ethical one. My advice is find vegan options where you are through experimentation via "Vegan days", it is a generally reliable way to become comfortable with the idea of fewer animal products.

Moral reasons are the only ones why I even consider it, since the health issues aren't a big deal for me.

[EmperorPalpatine]

Moral reasons are the only ones why I even consider it, since the health issues aren't a big deal for me.

I agree 100% and I think you have what it takes, have you watched a Gary Yourofsky lecture or earthlings, those are excellent inspiration, besides that, the BEST inspiration has to be meeting animals you enjoy eating. In my experience, watching earthlings was particularly awful watching the parts about chickens, because I personally have many experiences with chickens, and I love the creatures to death, and seeing them is one of my favorite part of visiting my mother. (we built a retirement facility for her hens, so they could live out their lives, which is awesome, because she isn't vegan.) By far my biggest inspiration for going vegan are the animals I've met. Not sure if you live hundreds of miles away from an animal sanctuary or anything similar and if so you'll have to look elsewhere, but I strongly suggest taking the chance to meet a cow, chicken, pig or turkey if the chance arises. Good luck cutting out dairy, it seems to be the hardest for people, but once you do, there's no going back

I commend you for your efforts to live ethically, which far exceed those around you

[Corelich]

... have you watched a Gary Yourofsky lecture or earthlings,...

very likely by accident. I have seen multiple documentaries, but in german. I think its likley that some of his footage might be included in them. We had a big scandal here in germany by the end of last year/ beginning of this one. A huge Pig farmer was checked multiply times in his different farms and they all had miserable conditions. He lost his license and was not allowed to keep animals anymore,... well except in bavaria. Here the goverment ignored the order and did let him keep his farm. Because he never failed a check.... because he was never checked. He had to be checked once every year but never was. There is a high possibility of corruption. Was kinda fucked up, but in the end the protest from the bavarian citizen got big, the farm got checked and he lost his last farm aswell. Guess thats a win

I commend you for your efforts to live ethically, which far exceed those around you

Well, since i have several vegan and vegetarian friends (atheists and some kind of spiritualists, sadly), I can't agree here.

[EmperorPalpatine]

Hah, I meant in the general sense with regards to the rest of the people In first world countries, and in a non assertive way obviously ("GOOD JOB BEING BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE.") . It's cool that you have veg friends, I very rarely meet other vegans or vegetarians, and if I do, they're usually just very distant friends, who I rarely see. These farms often get in trouble, sadly, some people feel as though chopping off pig testicles without anesthetic, and making sows stand in cages so small they can't turn isn't abuse enough, these cases are always especially horrid. We had one awhile back with dairy farmers in Ohio brutally beating cows, including leaked footage of them tackling a calf to the ground and punching it in the jaw. In the states however, we had no protest, these farms got a letter asking them to stop. Sadly the industry standard in America is determined by what the majority of facilities are doing, the animal cruelty act here was not extended to cows, chickens, and pigs. The industry controls itself here, which is scary.

I was able to find a German Version of Earthlings if you run into some spare time, you might get something out of it. If there's one film 99.9% of all vegans have seen.. It's probably this one, in fact, I'd be surprised if you haven't encountered it already.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxjAwiHgN94