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stirfry
May 19th, 2012, 08:19 PM
No more congestion!
My cravings for junk food have all but disappeared.
It's only day eight, y'all. =]

Firestorm
May 19th, 2012, 11:06 PM
My cravings for junk food have all but disappeared.

That's such as shame! :pBeing vegan doesn't mean having to live without junk food:
http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l560/firestorm2011/9781440528972.jpg

FaerieSuzy
May 20th, 2012, 07:51 AM
My cravings for junk food have all but disappeared.
. =]

It's my 1 year veganniversary and I've finally started to enjoy carrot sticks more than sweets! Haha it gets even better :p

Firestorm
May 20th, 2012, 08:28 AM
Congrats on the 1 year veganversary!

stirfry
May 20th, 2012, 06:32 PM
Firestorm:
I'll keep that book in mind if a craving ever comes along. I found that within the first few days I would have weaker and weaker cravings. I could just tell myself no and bye-bye craving.
I had tried going vegan in the past. Cheese always beat me down. Perhaps it's because I'm cooking better food now, but I didn't miss it after the first day.

sandra
May 20th, 2012, 07:16 PM
It's my 1 year veganniversary and I've finally started to enjoy carrot sticks more than sweets! Haha it gets even better :p

Happy anniversary FaerieSuzy! :)
I love carrot sticks too but have to admit I also love sweets. :)

FaerieSuzy
May 21st, 2012, 06:25 AM
Happy anniversary FaerieSuzy! :)
I love carrot sticks too but have to admit I also love sweets. :)

Thanks Sandra!

Blackpoolvegan
Jul 25th, 2012, 08:29 PM
Positive side effects of going vegan? You mean, apart from my effortless moral superiority? :D My skin doesn't seem as prone to spots (thank God, as they were beginning to look increasingly anachronistic, given that I'm 42). Also, my nails seem to be better (they were never terrible but they look great atm). In addition, I've expanded my repertoire of meals (thank God for Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and also the Hamlyn Vegetarian Cookbook published in the 90s: some excellent vegan recipes). Fewer headaches, which I only realised when somebody further up the thread mentioned it. And noticeable improvement in digestion. On the other hand, simmering frustration at finding the words 'whey' or 'egg white' in ingredients lists.:mad:

vj
Feb 24th, 2013, 12:26 AM
That's actually atopic I plan to cover soon in my daily vegan blog www.veganjulia.com (http://www.veganjulia.com/). I had never had an issue with my weight before, but within a month or so of going vegan (cold turkey from Omni) I found I weighed 10 lbs less- which I now know I should blame solely on the dairy and eggs - and my fingernails went through a time when they were super strong. They react badly with nail polish, and I got greedy, so for now they're crummy again, but they were so strong and long- whereas before they would be weak and peely. It's been awesome so far. I don't get the same crashes I used to, as well as fewer headaches after meals. I never thought I'd be an advocate, but now seem to want to promote it when I can.

vj
Feb 24th, 2013, 12:31 AM
i too lost a fair bit of excess weight when first starting out on a vegan diet (having been veggie before). people have commented that i look slimmer and healthier. :)

i didn't expect to be free of cravings for non-vegan (but still veggie) foods so quickly! i don't miss any of those foods i used to like any more, and now they make me feel a bit ill just thinking about them - e.g. milk chocolate, cheese, egg-fried rice, milky coffee. the vegan versions taste much better anyway! i've also developed a taste for healthier foods, as i think has been mentioned in another thread, which i didn't expect.

I've been vegan for almost 5 months now, and I have to be honest. Other than the odd craving here or there for a pizza or something really cheesy, most of m cravings have gone. And I went cold-turkey - not vegetarian first- so I expected to have a difficult time of it. You can check out some of the awesome recipes that have helped me not miss the meat or dairy as much, along with the books they come from at www.veganjulia.com (http://www.veganjulia.com/). It's a daily blog I started on Jan 1, that talks about my experiences and the recipes I have made. The one that I think actually made the difference for me was my last carrot cake that I made. It had mock cream cheese, and tasted so much like the real thing, that it made me think anything was possible! :)

vj
Feb 24th, 2013, 12:34 AM
I find I recover from workouts much faster. I'm rarely sore the next day. I don't know the physiology behind this, I imagine fighting animal products through an omni's body would take energy away from recovery.

I too find that recovery time is greatly reduced. I play hockey, and used to be a wreck after a shift. I never felt ready to go back out when the next person came off, but now, after about 20 seconds, I'm not even breathing hard anymore. It's so cool. I've only been vegan for about 5 months now, chronicling my adventures on my daily vegan blog www.veganjulia.com (http://www.veganjulia.com), so I can only imagine what the future benefits will be after a year, or 5, but it's been great so far!

s_am
Mar 9th, 2013, 01:30 PM
Two weeks in and I feel much more.. clear headed? Hard to describe. I feel more in tune with the world and have more attention.
I also just really like feeling in control of my own body and what I am consuming.

misosoup
Mar 9th, 2013, 02:22 PM
I feel I'm the person I always should have been.

My skin is better, body feels lighter, had tests to show my vitamin levels are better than when I was vegetarian, I bounce back from my joint issues much quicker.

I feel more for the world, for nature. I enjoy cooking. I have a different attitude towards food and appreciate it more. I appreciate the little things in life. I think more about where things come from.

I am much more confident in saying why I am vegan and knowing I am doing the right thing, which has affected my confidence in other areas.

Blueberries
Mar 10th, 2013, 08:07 PM
Discovering loads of new food, learning to cook, feeling like I'm doing something decent with my life.

Tabbycat
Mar 10th, 2013, 09:37 PM
That's such as shame! :pBeing vegan doesn't mean having to live without junk food:*snip*

Too true. Lays potato chips, Fritos corn chips, and original Sunchips are all vegan.

And then there's Hummus and tortilla chips. *drool*

Blueberries
Mar 10th, 2013, 10:44 PM
Too true. Lays potato chips, Fritos corn chips, and original Sunchips are all vegan.

And then there's Hummus and tortilla chips. *drool*

Depending obviously on your location, there is so much accidentally (and purposely!) vegan junk food available now. You can get a vegan version of nearly everything, and if you can't- D.I.Y! Learn to cook and bake the world is your oyster mushroom! :)

VeganEsthie
Mar 31st, 2013, 07:06 PM
I've been vegetarian for over six years and vegan for about 6 months now. I have noticed a lot of great improvements like my energy is boosted, my skin is clearer and brighter, my digestive system is fantastic. I wake up easier in the mornings, no more crazy mood swings, no more allergies!(which is huge because I had an extremely severe allergy to dust mites) and many other things. One thing that has not changed at all, however, is my weight. The scale has not budged. I would like to lose around 10 to 15 pounds, but nothing I do works. I am mostly raw, lots of fresh pressed juices, lots of raw fruits of veggies, very limited on nuts. My main "junk food" is dates and hummus. Maybe this is my body's natural weight? I try to run several miles a week too.

Tabbycat
Apr 1st, 2013, 03:02 AM
I've been vegetarian for over six years and vegan for about 6 months now. I have noticed a lot of great improvements like my energy is boosted, my skin is clearer and brighter, my digestive system is fantastic. I wake up easier in the mornings, no more crazy mood swings, no more allergies!(which is huge because I had an extremely severe allergy to dust mites) and many other things. One thing that has not changed at all, however, is my weight. The scale has not budged. I would like to lose around 10 to 15 pounds, but nothing I do works. I am mostly raw, lots of fresh pressed juices, lots of raw fruits of veggies, very limited on nuts. My main "junk food" is dates and hummus. Maybe this is my body's natural weight? I try to run several miles a week too.

It sounds like that's the weight your body wants to be. If your doctor says you are healthy and fine at the weight you are, I wouldn't worry about it.

slanzoni
Apr 1st, 2013, 07:07 PM
I am living my life in the way I think it suits me best: this is my inner truth, and no one is able to take it away from me. Thanks to this awareness I entered in a sort of virtuous cycle, where other pieces of my life are switching to a better status and, because of that, they are all joining into a better Me.

tl;dr: this is the happiest time of my life, thanks to adopting the vegan lifestyle.

pat sommer
Apr 3rd, 2013, 07:46 PM
An old friend has been convinced by her daughter to give up red meat for a year on health grounds. Five days now of vegan eating and her hearing is restored with the drop in blood pressure.

What's next, the blind shall see? Can I have a hallelujah; praise veggies!

harpy
Apr 3rd, 2013, 11:18 PM
Amazing! I take it they won't be backsliding then, Pat!

pat sommer
Apr 4th, 2013, 03:52 AM
...already planning on fish dinner Thursday and grilled chicken breast next week *sigh*

They really are aiming to do the minimum for better health (not for the animals) and it's my hope that they will just lose the taste for Burgerking etc.
I have a stockpile of frozen analogs that I'll give to help with temptation. Oh, that they walk through the valley of darkness...

Jara
Apr 4th, 2013, 10:31 AM
I'm autistic, and (although I only recently realized there might be a connection) about 7 or 8 months after going vegan I had a massive epiphany and developed "empathy" for want of a better word. I was always sensitive to other people feelings but I could only see them from my point of view. I thought people were talking from some inborn script that I didn't have, and that there was an exact and correct response to every single sentence someone might say. So, before my epiphany, I would memorise every conversation I heard. Then one day I was just reading an interview and I just "got" it. I just suddenly made the connection the people just say what they think, and now when people talk to me I can truly connect with what they're saying and understand their feelings. In that moment it felt like I suddenly understood the whole world and that I was "seeing" for the first time. It was incredible.

I now suspect it's related to veganism because when you have the mental click it causes profound and positive psycological changes that probably alter the structure of your brain. Also when you go vegan you can see the whole world clearer anyway, when you realise that the whole system is wrong and nothing "has" to happen. No person and no animal ever has to die or suffer for you. I "get" equality now. It's like you evolve from being a barbarian and only caring about your own world, to having the ability to function in a theoretical global society.


This is completely amazing, it is so far the best testimony I've read.
Lots of love for you.

harpy
Apr 4th, 2013, 12:28 PM
...already planning on fish dinner Thursday and grilled chicken breast next week *sigh*


Yes, sigh indeed! Good luck with the analogues and things :thumbsup: Yes they may just lose their taste for it - some people do don't they?

pat sommer
Apr 8th, 2013, 08:13 PM
Update: friend has now found relief from 'anal leakage'. Shortly after pooing, she would uncontrollably pass mucous from her irritated colon. Lovely.

Slightly off topic: L.A. Times ran a steak-restaurant review with caption "weak from eating all that quinoa?"

Response:

My late father got his strength from red meat: his heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis too.
Dad loved his steak; it didn't love him back.

Quinoa rocks