How long did it take you to become vegan after making the decision to do it?

[Cat]

How long did it take you to become vegan after making the decision to do it? It has taken me about 2 months, not because I found it hard to not eat animal products, but because I found it hard to tell people! I was so worried about negative reactions that I have been compromising and eating non vegan foods when I eat out, or with friends. But not any more! I have finally realised that I need to be more assertive because this is really important to me.
And the reaction I have had so far has been, on the whole, positive.

[sbond]

I am just beginning as part of my New Year’s Resolutions. I, too, wonder how long it will be before I stop craving flesh and animal by-products. This morning I woke to the smells of bacon and eggs and other assorted things, and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to go and sit at the table.

I come from a traditional Southern family, so when it comes to confession time, I do not know how they are going to take it. For now, I plan to cook for myself and limit myself to salads at family functions.

Has anyone out there been in a similar situation that can advise me on smoothing the transition?

[Cat]

Not long - the thought of eggs already makes me sick! Although, to be honest I've never liked them

[Ishtar]

I am just beginning as part of my New Year’s Resolutions. I, too, wonder how long it will be before I stop craving flesh and animal by-products. This morning I woke to the smells of bacon and eggs and other assorted things, and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to go and sit at the table.

I come from a traditional Southern family, so when it comes to confession time, I do not know how they are going to take it. For now, I plan to cook for myself and limit myself to salads at family functions.

Has anyone out there been in a similar situation that can advise me on smoothing the transition?

Hi sbond, I have not had the same situation in my immediately family, but i have with my partner, friends etc. They are all of Eastern European origin, therefore they love their MASSIVE bbqs, roasts, etc. I have found that (generally speaking) once people know you are sure of your decision, and are going to stick to it, people will leave you alone. So it really helps if you have someone to support your decision, if you dont- you always have support online

Oh, and i think you will find that it wont take long before the cravings subside. Dont think about the taste that you are missing out on, realise that you now have many many more tasty and humane options that you didnt know about before!

[GwynneVeg]

Sbond

According to Dr. Lisle, of The Pleasure Trap, it takes from 6 to 12 weeks of eating vegan for the cravings to end. He asserts that some foods trigger a chemical reaction, and when you take those foods away, you have cravings. Your brain actualy cries out for those foods (including meat, cheese, and chocolate). So hang in there!

And Cat, I'm glad that you've decided to go 100% vegan, even around your friends. You can be a great example for them!

[tails4wagging]

I crossed over from veggie to vegan nearly two years ago, I missed cheese more than anything. I dont now. For bacon I get vegan rashers, smells the same tastes nice. I get my fix of choc as there is a multitude of vegan chocs available out there.

I did not tell my family for many months because I wanted them to see that I was not fading away and still maintained a healthy diet, so they could not criticise my diet.

Its awful really how, as a vegan you have to defend yourself. Discrimination really.

[Mystic]

I never crave flesh or eggs or cheese, but I have to admit, I get cravings for yoghurt. I have been vegan for close to 2 years now. I hate vegan yoghurt, but if I get a bad enough craving I will eat it.

[kokopelli]

I, too, wonder how long it will be before I stop craving flesh and animal by-products. This morning I woke to the smells of bacon and eggs and other assorted things, and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to go and sit at the table.

It's a very weird thing, but I think most vegans will agree that although the smell of cooking animal products (especially bacon) is appetising when you first stop eating them, it doesn't take very long before it starts smelling repulsive, like the fatty corpse it really is. When that happens, you'll probably prefer to get right away from the kitchen while your family are cooking!

And if you stick with it, you'll definitely be glad to be vegan, and you never know, maybe your decision will influence your family to cut back on their meat consumption too. At least they'll see that it IS possible to be healthy and happy without having to kill to live. I don't know what it's like in the US, but here in Britain even the government are urging people to eat more fruit and vegetables and cut back on fatty meat and junk foods...but maybe that's because the National Health Service is going to face massive increases in expenditure due to dietary diseases otherwise...but in the US it seems like every failure of society is a money-making opportunity for private enterprise.

[foxytina_69]

i went from being omnivore to being vegan within seconds, literally. i was a meat eater before i watched the "meet your meat" peta video. afterwards, i was vegan.

[Gorilla]

i went vegan from veggie around September 2003. it didn't take me long to stop eating dairy and eggs because i'd already cut right down on cows' milk and didn't like eating eggs on their own. it was mostly getting rid of processed foods that contained them, and finding alternative recipes to cook.

i missed cheese for a little while, but very quickly went right off it. i live with my boyfriend and told him my decision straight away - he was a little worried but once he realised i'd got all the necessary facts he was happy to go along with it. my parents were a little more difficult and i put off telling them until i really had to. they invited me round for a meal and i had to tell them. i'd been veggie for 12 years beforehand so they were used to me eating different food, and they took it a lot better than i thought they would. as i don't live with them any more they can't really influence what i eat, and they have been pretty receptive actually.

well done on your decision and i hope it goes well for you

[MandaPea]

i went from being omnivore to being vegan within seconds, literally. i was a meat eater before i watched the "meet your meat" peta video. afterwards, i was vegan.

me too foxytina!! that video is just horrible i was shaking with anger and digust and bawling my eyes out and then i decided that no longer will i be responsible for that kind of cruel and sickening actions towards beautiful innocent defenseless animals.

[Cat]

I did not tell my family for many months because I wanted them to see that I was not fading away and still maintained a healthy diet, so they could not criticise my diet[/QUOTE]

Still not told my family yet, I don't see them all that often. You've just given me a great excuse to put it off a bit longer!

Its awful really how, as a vegan you have to defend yourself. Discrimination really.[/QUOTE]

You're right, I really don't understand why so many people think it's okay to criticise and stereotype. That's why I have been so worried about telling people- I hate confrontation.

[Tigerlily]

I went vegan around November 20th, 2004. It was a pretty quick decision. I went from (picky) omni to vegan pretty much over a weekend. I was thinking of just becoming a vegetarian but the more I thought about, I realised, I hardly ate meat anyway, so that wouldn't much of a challenge. I decided to go vegan.

At first, I had major cheese cravings. They are gone pretty much now. And the smell of eggs and meat cooking sickens me now (so soon?). The other day my mom made steak and eggs for breakfast, something I would have loved before but just the thought grossed me out. And I took one look at the frying pan, and I nearly got sick.

[eve]

congratulations Tigerlily

[littlekitten]

is it true that you can actually become lactose intolerant if you have been vegan for a while? I was a vegertairen since the age of 6 for 10 years and ive now been vegan for 2 and a half? Someone accidently fed me meat and that made me sick. Anyone else been in a similar situation?

[blue]

I made my decision one day, and that was it!

I've always loved cheese, so I'm constantly looking for alternatives!

I am repulsed by meat now, which is weird, because I loved meat before. I used to eat meat for breakfast. I mean, dinner meat at breakfast, I didn't like breakfast food. It amazed me how easy it was.

Now, my brother who introdused me to Veganism, is not a Vegan. I asked him, and he said, " Well, I never said I was going completely quit eating meat! I crave it too much!" My mother who even told her Dr. she was a Vegan still eats meat. Now, my oldest sister who is going to school to become a nurse has convince them that it is unhealthy because you don't get your B vitamins if your Vegan. Of course, she couldnt' tell me why. She said she would have to look it up. So, now she's preached to the entire family how unhealthy this diet is that my daughter and I are on. Now, no one seems to realize it is more than a " Diet "!

Anyway, as usual, instead of just an answer, I gave you a novel!

[Andie]

Littlekitten,
I was somewhat lactose intolertant before becoming a vegan. Now as a vegan I ate at an Indian buffet and my stomach had a fit. I think there was dairy in the stuff. The next time I ate Indian was at a restaurant which labeled major ingredients and I didn't have that problem. I got a bite of ham recently and had to spit it out. The texture was nasty.
Since becoming a vegan five months ago, I've become more sensitive to chemical smells. Cooked meat smells more strongly to me now. If it's highly seasoned it doesn't bother me and sometimes smells good but that's the seasoning not the meat.
I occasionally eat baked goods which probably have eggs and maybe butter. Since I don't eat a lot of that it doesn't seem to bother me.

[Artichoke47]

Once I knew of the cruel industries and realized how wrong consuming animal products was, just like Foxytina, it took me seconds to clean out my refrigerator and never again purchase animal products.

[Tombstone]

is it true that you can actually become lactose intolerant if you have been vegan for a while? I was a vegertairen since the age of 6 for 10 years and ive now been vegan for 2 and a half? Someone accidently fed me meat and that made me sick. Anyone else been in a similar situation?

Back when I was vegetarian, I ignorantly ate stuff which had animal fat in a few times, and it made me have gut problems. But also worth noting, when I was vegetarian, I often suffered from IBS on a regular basis, but these days I don't. So I think if I was to ever have milk again it would make me sick probably, the thought of drinking it makes me feel sick certainly.

[greenworlds]

It's a very weird thing, but I think most vegans will agree that although the smell of cooking animal products (especially bacon) is appetising when you first stop eating them, it doesn't take very long before it starts smelling repulsive, like the fatty corpse it really is. When that happens, you'll probably prefer to get right away from the kitchen while your family are cooking!

Thats how I felt about meat..(I now see it (and have done for a good few yrs now)..as cooking rotting corpes of murder animals etc etc. I use to like smoke when I smoked but now repel that as well. Though I think the meat is a far worse than smoking.

[Roxy]

Meat and smoking are both bad for you and those around you and the environment.

Someone in my building was cooking some kind of stew yesterday. It smelled like boiling bones and I honestly gagged a couple of times from it. It was putrid!!!

[abrennan]

Meat and smoking are both bad for you and those around you and the environment.

Someone in my building was cooking some kind of stew yesterday. It smelled like boiling bones and I honestly gagged a couple of times from it. It was putrid!!!

Yeah there's a cafe I walk apast every morning and man are they cookin something offal in there..

antony

[Gliondrach]

There's a covered market in town that has lots of butcher stalls. when I walk past them I can smell the meat. It smells blooming horrible. I wonder if meat eaters can detect the same smell? Probably, they can't because they are used to it. I can't describe the smell except by saying that it is rather like unwashed bodies. Not quite a sweat smell but definitely something in that direction. And people eat those sorts of things!

[Kiran]

There's a covered market in town that has lots of butcher stalls. when I walk past them I can smell the meat. It smells blooming horrible. I wonder if meat eaters can detect the same smell? Probably, they can't because they are used to it. I can't describe the smell except by saying that it is rather like unwashed bodies. Not quite a sweat smell but definitely something in that direction. And people eat those sorts of things!

I think even the meat eaters can smell the unwashed bodies. But unlike us vegans, they adore it. They like the smell and can't wait to have them for their dinner.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to one of my friends place and he was cooking fish. It smelt disgusting, I was about to throw up. But he liked it, and was telling me that he could make out that it was the best quality fresh fish from the smell it had.. Yuk..

I am planning to cut links with all my carnivores friends, because they are stupid and don't value life. But I have you guys, don't I?

[Gliondrach]

It might not be a good idea to cut all links with your corpse eating friends, Kiran. They might come in handy for something in the future. And, you have the opportunity of educating them. You can only do that by spending time with them. You could become more distant but keep in touch with them. As the philosopher, Nitram Nagev has said: 'Don't burn all your bridges until you have some way to cross the river'.

Regards,

Martin.

[xwitchymagicx]

Well one day I decided it wasn't up to my mum what I could or couldn't eat so I went vegan. I just cut animal products out. With the odd mistake of course I am learning everyday.

[~Luna~]

Becoming a vegan didn`t took long to me as I had been lacto-vegetarian for a long time and I didn`t use milk products in cooking. Before I became a vegan, I had tried it couple of times (on weekends as I didn`t have the courage to ask vegan meals at school) just to find out that my tummy doesn`t like soy milk. Sometimes I wonder what "real" cheese would taste like after more than a year without it but I´ve more than enough vegan food to eat so I don`t have to eat cow cheese anymore