Did you have weight or health problems before you went vegan?

[Las Vegan]

Hello,
I just read a survey about weight and vegans, where more than 50% of those who replied answered that they were overweight.

Maybe many people with weight problems go vegan in the hope that this will reduce their weight, or maybe people who experience side effects of eating too much switch to a vegan diet, and still don't manage to lose weight. The survey doesn't surprise me, but it makes me think that the studies I've seen about vegans and health would be even more convincing if it would cover only people who went vegan without a weight or health problems background.

The perfect study about the effect of a vegan diet would be of course be one that studied people who never had been eating animal products.

[harpy]

I haven't seen that particular survey but I have seen others that suggest fewer vegetarians are overweight than omnivores, and fewer vegans are overweight than other vegetarians. I think a lot more than 50% of omnivores are overweight in the UK and the US - according to this it's 2/3 of the adult population in the UK http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...081048,00.html

Personally I have got a tendency to become overweight if I'm not careful - I did when I was omnivorous and when I was ovo-lacto-vegetarian and I still do as a vegan. Fortunately a desire to lose weight was not the reason for removing animal produce from my diet

[gertvegan]

I'm aware of a few people who were anorexic and that becoming or adopting a vegan diet or lifestyle has helped them. Before anyone points it out, I appreciate that veganism isn't linked to anorexia nervosa.

[cedarblue]

answer to question - no!

[phillip888]

I'm one of those people that was anorexic before going vegetarian. I think the reason a lot of people associate anorexia and eating disorders with vegetarianism is because of the PR efforts of certain animal slavery based industries. For a taste:

http://www.cool-2b-real.com/why.html


I've had discussions with plenty of vegetarians and vegans that have overcome weight issues after dropping meat. I actually weighed to much after eleven years of vegetarianism (too many tasty fatty decadant vegetarian foods I say). When I went raw vegan my weight stabalized again. Of course I've been more active lately too. After I went vegan I no longer suffered from asthma making outdoor activities fun instead of a miserable experience.

[Mystic]

I am also one of those vegans who was anorexic - but I had been a vegetarian for 6 years before that. I went vegan, not to restrict my diet, but because I have always been an avid animal lover and I did it to aid in my recovery - to make me feel good about myself, that I was being a voice for the animals and helping the planet. I now enjoy a varied vegan diet - I am just like everyone else - cereal and fruit with rice milk and calcium fortified OJ for breakfast, hummus and salad sandwiches for lunch, pasta, rice or couscous and curries and veggies for dinner (or soups, veggie burgers etc...) with fresh or dried fruit or veggie sticks or rice cakes for snacks. I also eat out now, an can eat things like deep fried falafel balls or vegan sorbet, cake or cookies - I still have thoughts that haunt me, but my diet is no different to what it was before I was anorexic - only I eat eggless milkless cake and rice milk instead of cows milk.

I feel happy and content that my food choices are legit - just ask my doggy Odi!

I am now less hostile, more sure of myself and can feel confident that I am doing something good.

So not all post-anorexic vegans are hiding their eating disorder - I am very open about mine and everyone knows what my veganism is truly about

[tsunami]

I had heart and weight problems before i went vegan. The heart problem being heridical, and gained weight after moving to USA, but now since i became vegan they all went away. Though veganism is not just diet, the diet is stricly vegetarian, but lifestyle is vegan, also why i became vegan, animals, environmet, etc.

My overall wellbeing became better as well. Way better mental, physicl and spiritual heralth ^-^

Overall, veganism is not a diet, it is a lifestyle. Someone for diet purposes is a strict vegetarian, a vegan is a compassionate cruelty free lifestyle. But of course as we all can see, it also has positive effects on the one who chooses to be kind ^_^

[turbineexhaust]

hello, i have made some strides since becoming a vegan in janurary of 2004. i suffered a bad back injury in 1998, was given all sorts of meds. always doped up, went up to 210 from a normal weight of 180. i am a 52 year old male who was always active. had to stop suddenly. i was always throwing up, chest pains, cholesterol, LdL's, high blood pressure, the works. in janurary i made a decision to start working out, stop the meds, and change my eating habits. so far, my workouts have increased to a level i have been to in over 6 years. no stomach problems, lost 46 pounds, cholesterol and blood pressure normal. most people have negative things to say, so be it. there are no guarantees in life. i drink filtered water and my 16 year old daughter seeing the change is following suite. one thing i know for sure, what you put in is what you get out. i was a vegan 30 years ago for 3 years, worst thing i did was to stop. so though i still have pain, being able to workout and feeling overall better, has given me a better perspective on life. better self esteem. people do not know they are slowly killing themselves. no miracles, no magic pills, just having discipline and doing things better.

[ConsciousCuisine]

What a journey, Turbine! Good for you! You are proof that the body heals and balances out when we live a natural lifestyle!

[8 winks]

More than half the world's population fails to do 30 minutes of moderate activity a day.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_ne...081048,00.html


....ewww

[oldskoolstevo]

my experience was that i've just always liked to eat during most of my youth! i got to be the heaviest i've ever been around christmas gone, and wasn't comfortable with my weight anymore, and decided in about january to start eating healthier. i started to lose quite a bit of weight and at that point started to become more interested in what i was putting into my body, and there started reading labels more closely. i've always been interested in animal rights since i did biology at college and we studied the subject a fair bit. i decided to go vegetarian, as it seemed the healthy and ethical choice that i'd been missing. after a few weeks of this up until about mid-march this year, i'd been looking at veggie sites on the net, and became aware through a vegan friend too, that veganism aligned much more closely with my ethics, and made the switch end of march. i gave my leather stuff away to friends so they'd be used practically, and haven't encountered many problems at all being vegan since! i've managed to eat out every day for 11 days on holiday in spain and so forth. i feel much more positive, i'm in the best shape i've ever been, i feel happier, full of energy, sleep better, never get sick etc. it's the best thing i've ever done, and i'll never regret it! my only regret is that i didn't do it sooner!

[assilembob]

I could write a book on what all is wrong with me...
My health and mood were worse as an omni (as I got sick anytime I ate meat...and was bullemic from obsessing over junk food) But I am still overweight a bit (way less than before) and still have buckets of health issues. As my students say...Miss what isn't wrong with you!
However I am down to having lost around 60 lbs. since being omni...and 15 lbs since going vegan (although my all time low weight and mygoal weight of 155 lbs. was at my ovo-lacto stage...ten more to go!)
Bascially I went veggie cause meat made me vomit...seriously...and went vegan for a host of reasons including it was also begining to make me sick. now I am "super vegan" as my students call me. It's kinda silly but fun.

~Mel

[MzNatural]

I did not have any weight or skin problems before I became a vegetarian. I have noticed an improvement in my overall well-being. I noticed that I have even more energy when I made the switch to Vegan.

[Miel Miette]

No, I have never had health or weight problems, before or after being vegetarian then vegan.

[Seaside]

No, none then and none now (knock on wood)

[Mozbee]

No, none then and none now (knock on wood)

Lucky you Seaside, must be all the sand, sea, sun and pomegranates!
You healthy sentient.

[Seaside]

Pomegranates are very good for you!

[Mozbee]

Unfortunately I don't see them in shops very often.
I have a fresh fruity smoothie most nights though with spirulina and vegan natural yoghurt.

[assilembob]

Unfortunately I don't see them in shops very often.

That is so sad
They are all over in stores here...even the evil WAL-MART has them

~Mel

[VeganLu]

My answer is number 1, no.

What amazed me was I did not lose a pound. I was worried that I would lose weight, but I guess all of the vegan junk food I eat is balancing out all the cookies, cake and candy I used to love to eat.

[Torath]

i have yet to see or even hear of an obese longstanding vegan. it might be possible but seems highly difficult to accomplish.

i wouldn't mind getting chubby just for fun.

[rxseeeyse]

I think it's important to eat healthy as vegan, because I actually feel dizzy after I've been vegan for a while I need more beans or something in my diet I guess :P