Doing this too fast?

[TzevY21]

This has been bothering me..I know when you learn about all the facts (animal rights, suffering, health, ENVIRONMENT sustainability) that being vegan makes complete sense.

That being said, I notice a lot of people go from being vegetarian for X number of years (mostly 2+) to THEN being vegan. If I started being vegetarian like a month ago, and now want to be Vegan, what are my likely chances of success (ie not reverting back to retardum = meat eating)...It's been said and dually noted that changes are best sustained with small steps/progress...I just hope making these changes so quickly won't screw me over

[Yoggy]

No worries TzevY21, lots of people on here went vegan straight from meateating and haven't looked back. I was a meateater when I decided to go vegan, but rather than jump straight into it, I allowed myself to "slip" during the first few weeks, since I was new to vegan cooking and label reading, etc. That was nearly 2 years ago, and aside from the odd slip-up during the first few months, I've never gone back to eating meat or animal products. I think everyone has to go at the pace that's right for them, and if you feel comfortable going straight into veganism rather than taking it slowly, then I say go for it and you'll be glad you did :)

[Pob]

I wanted to go straight vegan as it was the notmilk website that swayed me to give up animal products. But I was a bit worried about B12. So I went veggie while I researched it. Then I went vegan 2 weeks later, and haven't looked back.

[RachelJune]

Hi TzevY21,

When I went vegan about 4 years ago now, I had been veggie for about 7 years before that. Back then I found it quite difficult at first even just being veggie, as food labelling and choice certainly wasn't what it is now.

Nowadays with there being substitutes for virtually anything, e.g. milk, cream, yoghurt, cheese, fake meats, even eggs (!) I imagine it must be much easier to make the transition, even direct from omni to vegan :D

It's a very personal choice though, and a person should do whatever they feel comfortable with to start. Were you to chose the omni-veggie-vegan route, you are still making a positive change in beginning to eliminate meat products.

I also think that the more you know about good vegan nutrition and health when you start ,the less likely you are to revert back.

[pookah]

Hi, I went straight from eating meat to becoming vegan overnight about 4 years ago and haven't looked back. However, I did find myself in the first couple of months coming across as a bit 'evangelical' about being vegan, out to convert anyone I came across. However I managed to reign in my super enthusiastic behaviour and luckily all my friends now speak to me again. They also take into account what I will eat when we go out for meals which always helps ;) I was lucky in that my husband became vegan at the same time - he was a veggie before.

[Gorilla]

i think it's best you go at your own pace. if you're comfortable going vegan quickly just be aware that if you make mistakes to start with it's not the end of the world. most people need a bit of time to adjust to the change in lifestyle. make sure you get yourself plenty of information so you feel prepared enough to stick at it, and try not to get overwhelmed.

personally i was veggie for 11 years and have been vegan for 3 and a half years (i wish i'd gone vegan sooner). it took me a couple of weeks after deciding to go vegan to completely eliminate all animal products. but i know there are plenty of vegans who did it overnight and have managed to stick to it easily.

[cedarblue]

i did it gradually over a few months after 16yrs of being veggie.

try not to follow what others do, we can offer advice, but you must do it the way is comfortable and attainable FOR YOU.

good luck, let us know your progress...

[TzevY21]

Thanks for your responses...I agree with all of you in that everyone needs to take it at their own pace. I want to do as much good in this world as possible, and I guess it's translated into me making such a round about change in lifestyles so quickly. Thankfully, I do have a couple friends already that are vegan and they are a great source of information and reassurance. Also, as I said in another post, my girlfriend went vegan about 6 months ago, so that obviously helps. This website (and the beautiful people that frequent it) definitely will be a great tool in encouraging and furthering my knowledge!! I keep telling people this scenario as to why my change was so sudden:

Me: Have you ever come across those videos on the internet that depict the cruel torture of animals for the meat industry? Those videos have the same general effect on any compassionate and intellectual soul, one of shame and sadness for the poor souls subjected to the mistreatment of humanity. If you come across those videos once a year, they surely make you stop and think about the world in which we live in and also give some type of further insight as to how we could change our lifestyles so as to make it a better place for animals, humans, and life in general. The thoughts may stick with you for a couple of days, but other than that people revert back to their blind sighted ways. Now imagine you're surrounded by this truth 24/7, ie every hour of every day of your life. Mind you, this is truth and truth needs to be reckoned with and recognized. When you are constantly proven time and time again that 2+2=4, rather than a previous thought that it equaled 5, you will never go back to your inaccurate assumptions. Thus, since I'm surrounded by this truth and reality constantly (by my girlfriend and new vegan friends which I'm forever thankful for), it's naturally feasible that it would effect me, and any other caring and mindful individual for that matter, thus the quick and effective change to virtue and truth =)

I think that's an effective argument, no? At least that's what I dish out to others =)

[msbliss]

I just gave up animal products after being a meat eater. I have been veggie for years (off and on) and I always felt there was something not right about dairy & eggs.

I think the most important thing is to not beat yourself up if you sort of slip up in the beginning- that's what's going to hurt you more than your previous lifestyle. The other day I didn't read the ingredients of my frozen waffles until after I started eating them...I felt bad but I didn't make a big deal out of it and I'm still committed!

[berta_the_aspie]

well i became veggie first, i would have gone vegan straight away but i had never even heard of it and thought u had to be insane and live in india to be vegan. but i became veggie overnight and vegan more gradually but only coz i didnt find substitutes for things. but i dont see a problem with goin from carnivore to vegan just like that, as long as u know alot about nutrition and read about in uhm like.. alot

[Cherry]

I think some of the best changes are snap decisions rather than little steps. At least when you do it in one go you can see where the boundary is and be less likely to slide back into old ways.

I was veggie for 6 years before I became vegan, because I thought I was doing all I could (duh :rolleyes: ). Once I'd realised the error of my ways I gave myself about a week to become completely vegan and I really didn't find it difficult. If you're dedicated then do it - I don't see why eating dairy for longer will make it work in the long term. You seem to want to make it work for the right reasons, so I'm sure you'll succeed :)

[Mr Flibble]

I think some of the best changes are snap decisions rather than little steps.

I agree, i think people often break easy tasks down and take them "one step at a time" as an excuse not to actually just get on and do them.

[auntierozzi]

All the best in making your transition. There is plenty of information on this forum about nutrition and also loads of recipes.
I went straight from being an omni. to vegan 10 months ago. It was the best decision I have ever made and have not found it difficult.

[auntierozzi]

I thought that stopping eating cheese was going to be very difficult for me. I loved it. After the first few days without cheese I began to feel very nauseous around any milk or milk products. I'm sure that once I made that step nothing could hold me back. I still feel very queazy if I smell cheese.

[flying plum]

i agree with both sides of this argument, actually. i started in september, veganising my food at home, which wasn't very hard, as i was already veggie and ate very little cheese etc, so it was a case of replacing milk with soymilk, and avoiding quorn. i had to do it slowly, because i was still learning about where things were hidden. i also wasn't strict about doing it in public - i think part of that was i wanted to prove i could do it at home, so i didn't want to make a big song and dance about it in front of my friends in case i failed. i ate vegan whenever possible, but didn't make too many special requests, beyond 'no cheese on my pizza please'.

however, i realised that after a while, things were going a bit slow, and so i decided to set a date for all things vegan. that was teh final push on the diet, and now i'm replacing things like cosmetics and toiletries as they run out.

so, basically...a bit of both, i think. start doing things at home first, slowly. learn as much as you can, and don't freak about the amount of info and most importantly, if you slip up or make a mistake don't make yourself feel guilty. good luck :)

amanda

[mjj48]

I was vegetarian for 10 years before going vegan a month or so ago. Why didn't I do it sooner? I wish I had but I always saw it as difficult, expensive - basically I wasn't well informed and had got it all wrong.

If anything my food bill has gone down since going vegan - it's amazing how long a pack of green lentils will last lol.

Plus things are so easy to get hold of these days - especially soya margarine. I use the Vitalite dairy free one, tastes exactly the same as dairy margarine. Cheap too.

I know I'll never go back to eating dairy again - the more I think about it, the more the thought of eating it makes me go ewwwwww.

[Enchantress]

mjj48, you might be interested in this thread (http://veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=198630&highlight=vitalite#post198630).

[puffin]

I was veggie for 7 years i think and then went vegan. I didnt know much about being vegan and didnt have a computer so had quite a restrictive diet for some years but it was still pretty simple. I agree with cedar, just do it at your own pace. Some people find it hard some find it second nature so dont feel bad if it takes a while.

[mjj48]

Thanks for that link - I didn't know that, I assumed because it says suitable for vegetarians and dairy free it would be okay.

I'll stop using it and email them to voice my concerns over their mis-labelling, thank you for that.

Jay

[mjj48]

Just emailed them, in a professional but insistent manner lol.

Wonder if they'll reply?

[harpy]

At least some of the Pure margarines are vegan - they have the Vegan Society symbol on them. People tell me they are quite nice but I don't touch the stuff myself :)