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Thread: Cheese cravings

  1. #1
    soyabean's Avatar
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    Default Cheese cravings

    I'm really struggling to eat healthily and even stay vegan at the moment.
    I came really close to going out to get a pizza (vegetarian - I've been veggie since I was 6 and would never even think about eating meat etc.) earlier.
    I'm feeling the need for comfort food.
    I managed to stop myself, and forced myself to have a bowl of fresh fruit and some nuts, and I feel a lot better now than I would if I'd just eaten a cheese-covered pizza.
    I wish my subconcious would understand that junk food and non-vegan food won't make me feel better - but everytime I'm feeling low and in need of comfort I'm finding it hard not to go out and buy junk food right now.
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  2. #2
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Sorry to hear that you are not feeling great Soyabean. Maybe some healthy comfort food like vegan choc chip muffins could help, but I somehow don't think that eating a cheesy pizza would give you peace of mind after the meal. Your conscience possibly would make the situation worse.

    Is your body craving something? Chocolate gives you a good feeling and if you maybe drink hot soy chocolate instead of eating chocolate bars you can have a fair bit and not have to worry too much about the energy content.

    Maybe when you are feeling low, pack up some snacks like nuts and dried fruit, grab a friend and go for a walk in a nice place like a park or somewhere near water. It's often nice to go by yourself too.

    Exercise can help lift your mood and I have heard that jasmine tea has euphoric qualities - certainly won't hurt to sip some green tea. If you can, find the source of the low feelings - not an easy thing to do I know, but if you can it will help bring it all into context.

    I hope that you are feeling better soon.
    "if compassion is extreme, then call me an extremist"

  3. #3

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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Soyabean I often feel the same way. I don't have much advice, as I don't know how to deal with it myself, but you are not alone.

    Sometimes I feel like my ethics rule my life. I think that is the problem, so I want to 'rebel'. It is wierd mind games that I play with myself.

    What I do, is buy vegan junk food - we are lucky to have a milk-like chocolate and great ice creams readily available in Australia, and I am lucky to live within close proximity of vegan cakes/cookies. I know they are not "healthier" than their counterparts, but they are at least cruelty (and guilt) free. It also reinforces the fact that being vegan doesn't mean deprivation - it just takes a little effort.

  4. #4
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    I try to make sure that there is plenty of comfort food in the house.

    It's awful if you have a craving for something less healthy and you have absolutely nothing in to satisfy you. Pre-vegan it was far too easy to phone a takeaway.

    Make sure you have some vegan ice cream (raspberry Swedish Glace is my favourite) and several different flavours of chocolate in at all times.

    Frozen berries are great - you can easily whip up a gorgeous smoothie by adding them to whatever fresh fruit you have available. Takes the edge of hunger and cravings.

  5. #5
    told me to Mr Flibble's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Quote Rob(QG)
    Pre-vegan it was far too easy to phone a takeaway.
    I find it hard to beleive that leicester doesn't have an abundance of vegan curry places
    "Mr Flibble - forum corruptor of innocents!!" - Hemlock

  6. #6
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Yeah, I guess. Not sure vegan curry would satisfy a cheesy pizza craving, though.

    In some ways it's easier to migrate from an unhealthy meat eater to vegan, than unhealthy veggie to vegan, because vegan meat substitutes are far better than vegan cheese substitutes.

  7. #7

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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    I don’t know why you are craving, but is there a possibility that you need fat? And if so, avocado, peanut butter, vegan ice cream, and so on could maybe stop the cravings?

    I have sometimes cravings fore cheese, but most of the time I am able to stop it whit peanut butter or vegan chocolate. I guess it just is my body that say it want more fat.

    Hope you feel better soon
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  8. #8
    mango woman
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Quote NorVegan
    I don’t know why you are craving, but is there a possibility that you need fat? And if so, avocado, peanut butter, vegan ice cream, and so on could maybe stop the cravings?

    I have sometimes cravings fore cheese, but most of the time I am able to stop it whit peanut butter or vegan chocolate. I guess it just is my body that say it want more fat.

    Hope you feel better soon

    Hmm. i swear right now i could eat nine billion avocados and about twelve jars of peanut butter!!!!!!!!!!! Comfort food is a must soyabean, even IF it may be a bit on the unhealthy side.. here's what helped me a lot when i was still in the transition period from veggie to vegan.. if you are craving something from an animal, look up disgusting facts about it online. Research about health ailments involved with consumption of that product, animal rights issues and the suffering of animals related to that product, and then look up alternatives or home-made recipes. You will stop craving whatever you are craving in no time with this technique. This is what i did every time i craved something.. and it works! Well it did for me.. hopefully if you try it it works for you as well. Also, why not make yourself a nice yummy greasy VEGAN pizza? It would be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than one loaded with animal products!!

    Hope i have helped in some way..

    Don't worry, things get better!

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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Good advice - I always craved yoghurt, but now I know that milk (hence yoghurt) has pus in it, and somehow it is less appealing. I guess it would be the same for cheese. So maybe thinking of a cheese pizza as a pus pizza would make you prefer a homemade (or bought) pusless pizza

  10. #10
    mango woman
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Quote Banana
    Good advice - I always craved yoghurt, but now I know that milk (hence yoghurt) has pus in it, and somehow it is less appealing. I guess it would be the same for cheese. So maybe thinking of a cheese pizza as a pus pizza would make you prefer a homemade (or bought) pusless pizza

    omg totally. If i think about a pizza loaded in greasy melty cow cheese all i can think about is disgusting pus dripping everywhere. GAG! We really need a "holding back the vomit" emoticon on here like they do for msn messenger. It really expresses points well. hahaha I was never uber crazy about yogurt but i did use to mix it with oats or granola or whatevs but i haven't tried soy yogurt.. to me it just seems like empty cals. I think i'm slowly figuring out that i don't really like any animal product alternatives.. except a little nacho vegan cheese once in a while. oh wait, soy ice cream. I could eat it day and night.. good thing i steer clear of that section of the store freezers!!!

  11. #11
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Pizza is still great if you put loads of topping on it. I make my own from scratch and now my family won't eat any other. My workmates always pester me to bring a couple to work dos. I usually sprinkle pine nuts on top, kinda gives a creamy taste. Try a tandoori pizza or mexican or thai red curry instead of standard tomato based. Experiement.
    I find if I crave certain food I make a fruit smoothie with soy and the craving goes. I love a tropical smoothie with banana, pineapple, mango and coconut milk ummmm so indulgent
    I also make protein balls which stop both hunger and cravings:
    variety of nuts and seeds about 2 cups
    soy protein powder 2 Tbspns
    peanut butter 2 Tbsns
    malt syrup 2 Tbsns
    sweeterner 2 Tbsns(sugar or golden syrup)

    Mix with wet hands and add more syrups if not combining enough

    This will stop those cravings which particularly occur if you have gone straight into an extemely healthy diet from a not so healthy one. Make sure your getting enough essential fats.

  12. #12
    mango woman
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Quote treehugga
    Make sure your getting enough essential fats.

    Ditto. I had a hell of a time when i first went vegan because i was simply trying to live off raw fruits and veggies.. not even whole grain bread! oh how silly i was. It makes it difficult. Essential fats are a good thing. Avocado or peanut butter on toast or in a sandwich can really cure a craving. Like treehugga said experiment. Experimenting can lead to discoveries of awesome concoctions that kick those cravings to the curb!

  13. #13
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Thanks for the helpful comments.

    I think I've been trying to go too far too quickly - move from a veggie diet with junk food in it not so long ago, to eating just raw fruit and veg and nuts and stuff - and then wondering why I find it hard.
    I'm gonna make more effort to make some nice vegan foods now and again, or treat myself to nice vegan stuff - I'd love to be able to live off a healthy balanced rawfood vegan diet one day - but I think I need to aim to get there gradually otherwise I'll just get stressed out.
    ...set black streamers in the sky and ride against the kingdom of the gods. Christopher Marlowe

  14. #14
    mango woman
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Quote soyabean
    Thanks for the helpful comments.

    I think I've been trying to go too far too quickly - move from a veggie diet with junk food in it not so long ago, to eating just raw fruit and veg and nuts and stuff - and then wondering why I find it hard.
    I'm gonna make more effort to make some nice vegan foods now and again, or treat myself to nice vegan stuff - I'd love to be able to live off a healthy balanced rawfood vegan diet one day - but I think I need to aim to get there gradually otherwise I'll just get stressed out.

    That's the spirit! I was very happy to read that you were going to keep living a vegan lifestyle. Treat yourself to some good vegan treats once in a while, that way you will know there is better sweet stuff out there that doesn't require the pain of other animals to make it!

    Good for you. Hope all is going well for you. Good luck!

  15. #15

    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    I'm feeling like that too- I started losing weight when I became vegan, and was really happy- but now I keep bingeing on bourbon biscuits, hobnobs and crisps!
    And meal times keep being quite samey...

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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    I think that it is important to remember that just because you are vegan doesn't mean that you are on a diet. It is GREAT to eat fruits, vegetables and nuts, but there is no need to only eat these things. There is now an abundance of vegan foods available, and if you invest in a couple of cookbooks, you will find a variety of great meals. Vegan cuisine can be as simple as spaghetti with tomato sauce to more complicated gourmet-style. Lots of ethnic staples are vegan, for example:
    Mexican - corn chips, kidney beans, salsa
    Indian - dhal, rice, chutney
    Middle Eastern - falafel, pita, tabbouli, hummus
    Carribbean - blackbeans, corn, rice
    African - lentils, millet
    There are also loads of recipes available on the internet

  17. #17
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Good advice Banana

    I eat pretty healthily most of the time, and eat a lot of 'ethnic staples'!

    I do sometimes find it hard work to keep up the eating when I'm too tired to cook/shop etc... and sometimes I just have to satisfy my junk food cravings and eat potato waffles and crisps and stuff.

    I'm glad you decided against the cheesy pizza

  18. #18
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Today I totally have the munchies. I ate a whole pack of cereal bars, 8 rice cakes with 1/2 tub toffuti cream cheese. Now I'm having a giant avocado sandwich and houmous straight out the tub. Luckily I don't have anything in the flat that is too unhealthy, but all i want right now is a big mac. I'm just going to have to go to bed and try to forget about it.

  19. #19

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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    Make a double patty veggie burger, with tofutti cheese, mustard, ketchup & pickles, lettuce & tomato. And make oven fries to go with it.

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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    See this thread

  21. #21
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    Default Re: I'm really struggling

    whenever i crave some fat i much on an Amy's kitchen cheesless pizza. it is very good. and for the sweets? well i just go to vegweb.com and look up some cake or cookies. very yummy stuff there.

    glad to hear you regained some enthusiasum. it is not easy all of the time.

    find something to keep you motivated. i have a bracelet with a postetic cat's eye in it. i wear it when i am craving baked ziti or something. it reminds me of the animals i don't want to hurt. perhaps you can put your favorite vegan slogan on your fridge or near your phone. anything to keep you motivated.
    "The fact that man knows right from wrong proves
    his intellectual superiority to the other creatures;
    but the fact that he can do wrong proves
    his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot"

  22. #22
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    Default Cheese cravings

    I just feel so blah lately and don't feel quite so driven to be vegan as I was. I am still vegetarian, but I have been eating cheese lately. Why is this happening? It's just so hard to be vegan around here because there are no really vegan friendly restaraunts in this general area... just fast food and other chain places that may have a vegetarian option but nothing vegan.

    Over the course of being vegan for about 2 months, I managed to drop about 20 pounds but that has leveled off (I think due to the cheese.)
    And, I am afraid of it coming back. I would like to lose about 30 more pounds.

  23. #23
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    If you are not a vegan, shouldn't you be posting to the threads in the appropriate spot for non-vegans, or aspiring vegans?

    You say: "It's just so hard to be vegan around here because there are no really vegan friendly restaraunts in this general area... just fast food and other chain places that may have a vegetarian option but nothing vegan. "

    That description applies to many towns, and it certainly applies to the rural town where I live, but there's no way that I'd give up a vegan lifestyle and start eating cheese! If you want to lose 30+ pounds, you are obviously overweight, so on just that score you'd do well to avoid dairy products.

    There are a few books written by Neal Barnard MD:
    Breaking the Food Seduction
    Food For Life
    Foods That Cause You to Lose Weight
    Power of the Plate
    You may find one or more of them very helpful.
    Eve

  24. #24
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    I would say that going vegan does require something of a lifestyle change if you previously tended to eat a lot of takeout or fast food. Most "proper" restaurants can manage to knock something vegan up if you ask.

    Cooking for yourself is important. Restaurant meals generally put taste ahead of nutrition and will be too salty and too fatty to be healthy. If you cook most of your own meals you have control over what you are eating.

    It's not difficult to be vegan, but it does require some effort at the start until you get in the swing of cooking every day, and shopping often for fresh fruit and veg.

  25. #25
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Oh, Yasha, don't give up! I have read some posts on here where some people have "slipped" so don't give up trying. As Pob says, for some people being vegan means a massive lifestyle change and if the places you like to eat out in are fast food chains, then you are not likely to be able to obtain vegan food. That might be a good thing though... if you want to lose weight and be healthy then don't eat that kind of food.

    Maybe you are feeling "blah" because you haven't been eating well. Do you like cooking? Maybe more of a raw food diet might suit you best if you're not interested in cooking.

    Do you want to be vegan solely for your health? There are other issues you may like to consider, such as the fate of the animals used in food production, and also the environment. These things might spur you on.
    "Do what you can with what you have where you are."
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  26. #26

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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Yasha I can really sympathise with you. Maybe you need to cast your mind back to why you became vegan in the first place. It also sounds like the weight issue is more important than your ethical stance; if this is the case then maybe veganism isn't for you. When I get cravings for dairy I think of the dairy industry and veal crates and am immediately put off consuming dairy
    Obviously if eating out is important to you and there are no vegan/vegetarian restaurants around then it does make life more difficult. But you may be surprised how accommodating restaurant owners and chefs can be. Try calling a few places and asking what vegan options they have, or what things can be veganised. Bologna where I live does not have many veggie places. A restaurant/pizzeria where we go often has a marinara pizza (no meat or dairy), also they do a risotto which would normally have butter, cream and cheese in addition to the porcini mushrooms. I asked the waiter if I could have it without dairy and they obliged, and it was wonderful!
    It can be a pain, and your options are more limited, but at the end of the day you have to ask yourself why you're vegan and what's more important. Maybe the important thing is getting the meal you want. Or maybe it's doing without dairy. And of course the two are not mutually exclusive.
    I wish you all the best; I think these cravings are normal and happen to a lot of vegans, but it's up to you what stance you want to take.

  27. #27
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Please try not to feel discouraged, Yasha. A lot of people make the transition to a vegan diet gradually so that approach may work better for you.

    Is it mainly when you're eating out that you tend to eat cheese? If so you may be able to avoid the problem by eating something satisfying, such as a few unsalted nuts, before you go. Then even if you end up only being able to get salad or similar in the restaurant you won't be as tempted by the cheese.

    Good luck. If you were vegan for two months, you already know you can do it!

  28. #28
    cedartree cedarblue's Avatar
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    dont worry - if you find your motivation to veganism waning perhaps you are having a motivational crisis in other areas of your life? when we are feeling down in one area it can often spread to affect others.

    every day is a new start remember - you need only take it one day at a time and be proud of yourself when you have a fully vegan day.

    keep going!!

  29. #29
    veggiewoman
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    These short poem/videos should give youa gentle reminder of why its important to stick at being vegan.

    http://www.veganpeace.com/books_vide.../WhyVegan.html

    http://www.veganpeace.com/books_vide...ruthDairy.html

    Don't worry , the picutres are fairly mild compared to a lot of others.

    Just imagine how much more suffering their would be in the world if everyone gave up on their beliefs and what would happen to the planet itself.

    Stay strong and vegan , the planet,animals and yourself needs you too.

  30. #30
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    I know that when I started veganism, it was because I was concerned for the welfare of all of the animals that were being slaughtered for my consumption, etc... but then it spread more to the health issue as well because I realized that in the process I was losing weight.

    I think the thing that made me lose some motivation is that I got burnt out on cooking everything. I don't have time to cook very often and when I was trying to cook everything I ate, I found I was obsessing over food and losing sleep becuase I felt just to be sure I didn't slip up and eat bad food the next day, I should go cook something even though it was late at night.
    Not to mention that I don't have a dish washer which created a whole new problem as far as time goes.

    I want to be vegan for more than just the health reasons. Where I live, I have tried to ask the cooks/managers/et cetra if they can cook somethin vegan and they are either irritated or ask if it's okay if it contains eggs/cheese/ or CHICKEN...? No one around here seems to even know what a vegan is and when I try to explain, they say..."Well what about eggs? You need to eat eggs... you might get sick if you dont get enough protien!?!"

  31. #31
    Knolishing Pob's Avatar
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Where is it you live?

    I reckon it takes about 30 minutes to make a vegetable curry with rice (the rice takes 30 minutes), less to make a pasta dish, or other variation on the theme, eg chinese with rice or noodles. Washing up would be 2 pans, a plate, a chopping knife, a chopping board and a knife and fork.

    A baking tray of baked veg (potato wedges, sweet potato wedges, onion, pepper, zucchini, garlic, mushrooms) with maybe a burger or sausages, maybe boiled veg or baked beans too, would take about 30 minutes (most of that waiting for it to cook). Washing up would be baking tray, chopping knife, chopping board, a pan maybe, a plate and a knife and fork.

    Vegan pie and chips/wedges plus boiled/steamed/roast veggies is about the same, too.

    These are all things you can suggest for them to cook for you, too.

    Maybe during the day things are harder, but if you can't spare half hour to cook a decent meal and 5 minutes to wash up.... Most times you can cook double and eat the rest for lunch heated in a microwave (if that is available).

  32. #32

    Default Re: losing motivation...

    perhaps its because your motivation is in the wrong place. if you prioritize weight loss, that's not going to give you much incentive other than your own personal benefit. think about the bigger picture and put your weight somewhere deep in the back of your mind - it's only taking away from the important things you could be foccussing on, like how all those animals are feeling waiting to be ushered through the slaughterhouse or how the cows are suffering hooked up to milk machines and chained to the "rape rack". go to PETA's website and take a look around. maybe a shift away from your own personal desires (like wanting cheese, or wanting to lose weight) and towards a deeper cause will help you out.

  33. #33
    Willynilly
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Good post Karmadust. For me, it's not just the killing but the horrific conditions nearly all animals are kept in for their whole lives.

  34. #34

    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Willynilly - your picture is my all time favorite!!!!!!!!!!

  35. #35
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    If you have a freezer you could cook a big pot of something (like curry/chilli/casserole), eat some of it and freeze the rest, then when you need a meal and don't have the time or energy to cook something proper you can reheat a portion.

  36. #36
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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    I have felt this way to some degree so I understand how you feel yasha. By becoming vegan Ive had to think about so much more than most people and sometimes it makes my brain want to implode On top of that I have anxiety/depression problems which adds to the stress when I'm out shopping (I find shopping very stressful).

    The way I look at it is like being in a transition phase, sort of like learning new skills. Eventually it'll become easier and more automatic. I've had a lot more washing up than I used to too, but that's not really because of being vegan but more because of eating healthy (ie. eating plenty of vegetables which even omnis should be doing). If I wanted to I could live off vegan frozen meals and never have to wash up. So there you go.

    As for motivation, what keeps me going is my love of chickens. I hate the thought of being responsible for any animals suffering. I think weight loss/health is secondary because I was never that much concerned with my own health, but I'm changing my mind now because I think a better diet will help me with my anxiety and depression problems.

    Let us know how it's going
    Don't hate...educate!

  37. #37

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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    I wavered between vegetarianism and veganism for four and a half years. It wasn't fun. I felt guilty a lot of the time, but also felt hopeless. What made it finally stick, among other things, was that I learned how to cook and learned to love cooking. I don't always have time to cook, so I whip up something quick like a burrito with veggies and beans, I order takeout from an Asian, Indian, or Mexican place, or I microwave some vegan food (though you might not have frozen vegan options at your local store). But most of the time, I'm cooking my tried-and-true recipes that I absolutely love. Once you get into the routine, you'll enjoy cooking. It's too bad you don't have a vegetarian or vegan friend, because cooking with another person makes it more enjoyable.

    Also, maybe you could invest in a crockpot. Just throw in some veggies, broth, and protein source before you leave for work. Set it on low. When you come back, you'll have a dinner waiting for you. And then you get lots of leftovers.

    Good luck. It can be a tough road in the beginning. Just know you're doing the most awesome and far-reaching choice of your life by being vegan. And hopefully, someday everyone will be vegan and we will be the ones who were first.

  38. #38

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    Default Re: losing motivation...

    Quote Tikkin View Post
    I have anxiety/depression problems which adds to the stress when I'm out shopping (I find shopping very stressful).
    I've been trying to explain that to various girlfriends for years.

    As someone who's starting out in this field, I find that one good tip is to eat loads of your favourite vegan food. Because you're cutting out dairy and meat, you can afford to indulge a bit more.

    For an anecdotal example, I have a bit of a thing for olives, so I've been eating sh1t loads of olives.

    The point being that indulgence is easier than scraping by, so the whole process becomes a lot more managable.

  39. #39

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    Unhappy Cheese please

    I've been vegan for around three months now and it's all good, pretty much no setbacks or anything. But from the start I've been craving cheese pizza really badly, and at school I'm around pizza ALL THE TIME. You'd think it would make me, er, stronger, in this, but it hasn't changed a thing.

    So any advice, cures, or (good) substitute suggestions would be appreciated ^^

  40. #40
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    Default Re: Cheese please

    I really like the veganrella mozzarella cheese for that cheese pizza taste. Its weird though..when you get a reasonable facsimile sometimes you can't understand why you wanted it so bad in the first place. So try a veggie pizza with no cheese! DELICIOUS!
    Make sure you are getting enough calories. I crave animal foods when I don't eat enough.
    Whenever you see cheese pizza remember the suffering it causes and the loads of pus that are in it.
    Finally, remember that a craving is just a feeling. You don't have to act on it.
    it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble

  41. #41
    auntierozzi's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cheese please

    I like doing things from this book
    The Uncheese cookery book
    from time to time. You have to stock up on some ingredients that you might not usually use like arrowroot and umegoshi plums etc..but they all keep and they can help you to make some interesting cheezish recipes.

  42. #42
    missbettie's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cheese please

    I go to papa johns, whose crust is vegan and get the veggie pizza with no cheese, then i make my own ranch! mmmm nothing better...oh wait there is better...Amy's veggie pizza with no cheese!! oh yes so wonderful, u won't crave cheese after that!
    "i'm rejecting my reflection, cause i hate the way it judges me."

  43. #43
    applebaby's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cheese please

    i heard somewhere that most new vegans all report that over anything else cheese is harder to give up. i dont know how true that is but i felt the same way for a long time. i think it is something that is in the cows milk that makes it a little bit addictive, so that the calves will want it. anyways when i craved stuff like that real bad it was easy for me to get through if i did some research on dairy farms again, looked at pictures of the cows, and instead of craving the pizza the smell of it became revolting and wonder how people could eat that crud. blech.

    only been vegan for 8 months but i dont crave cheese anymore. i suppose it lessens with time. all that cheesey pizza all the kids at your school one day will pay them back .. health-wise.. because cheese is not very healthy @_@!

    my boyfriend gets this soy cheese that is so good and delicious on pizza !! good enough for me !!

  44. #44
    ♥♥♥ Tigerlily's Avatar
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    Default Re: Cheese please

    I like avocados when I'm craving cheese. I don't know why it works, it must be the fat content.
    Peace, love, and happiness.

  45. #45

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    Unhappy Cheese cravings

    I've been a relaxed vegan for five years. by relaxed, I mean I sometimes eat honey, and processed sugar, but never dairy, eggs, gelatin, and of course never meat. but i dont use wool, leather, etc. either.

    I then took a trip to italy this summer and the beautiful, incredible, cheese-laden food was my undoing. I came back I think literally addicted to cheese. And so for the past few months I've started cooking with dairy, eating dairy, and to be honest while it usually tastes great, my body feels terrible. My stomach is a mess and I just feel dirty. My diet is no longer about compassion and nonviolence. It's just food now, and the importance of why I was vegan has become abundantly clear to me now.

    I keep trying to "get back off" the dairy, because I want to so badly. But it's much harder than I thought it would be. This is so much harder than when I chose to become vegan the first time around.

    And so I guess I'm just in need of a little encouragement/advice. None of my coworkers or friends or family are vegan, and they just dont understand and so haven't been much help in this regard.

    Thanks so very very much, from a struggling vegan.

  46. #46
    fortified twinkle's Avatar
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    Default Re: In need of encouragment

    Hi lotuspixie, welcome to the forum!

    I'm not sure what to advise you really, as you seem to have thought it through quite a bit already.

    I might try a several-pronged attack to tackle the issue - maybe visit a lot of pro-vegan websites and read all the many reasons to choose not to eat dairy (particularly in the US where you've got that nasty growth hormone pumped into your cows, don't you?), plus try to buy a couple of new vegan things every week or get some new recipe books.

    They do say cheese has some kind of opiate in it, and I remember missing it for several months when I first went vegan. I also had a period about 4 years in where I fell off the wagon a few times, so I do sympathise, but if you say it's making you feel icky it is worth making an effort to stay off it! (not to mention the ethical aspect).

    Good luck! You can do it, I'm sure!
    "If you don't have a song to sing you're okay, you know how to get along humming" Waltz (better than fine) - Fiona Apple

  47. #47
    Super Nerd diannerd's Avatar
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    Default Re: In need of encouragment

    I understand how you feel! I fell off the vegan bandwagon once and my body felt awful but I couldn't stop eating dairy!

    Whenever I get a craving, or some dairy shoved in my face by a person who doesn't know my lifestyle, I think of the poor dairy cows with bloody, pus-ey teets hooked up to that milking machine day after day after day.

    Maybe my minds a little twisted (well, it is), but if my breasts were hooked up to some machine and milked raw everyday I'd be suicidal.

    Remember how wonderful and sweet cows are. How peaceful they are. How gross it is to drink another species milk.

    Thinking of that grosses me out so much I can't even look at the stuff.

    Good luck! It really is worth it! My mind and body are very much at peace!
    Love, peace, and vegan grease!

  48. #48

    Default Re: In need of encouragment

    good luck lotuspixie - I had the same problem with milk chocolate after having been a strict vegan for years. It can be difficult re-categorise stuff as non-food especially if it is comfort food. Hope you find lots of lovely vegan foods to tempt you away from the dairy.
    'Spring will soon pounce [like a floppy kitten]'. Whalespace.

  49. #49
    Rentaghost Marrers's Avatar
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    Default Re: In need of encouragment

    I guess it is harder second time around because you know you will never eat those things again. It seems like more of a loss because you were without them and then enjoyed having them again.

    When I first decided to go vegan I gave myself 2 weeks to eat as much non-vegan food as I wanted while I still could, and I totally stuffed my face! Maybe that would help you draw a line under it?
    Idleness is not doing nothing. Idleness is being free to do anything. - Floyd Dell

  50. #50
    Kevin2's Avatar
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    Default Re: In need of encouragment

    Hello. I hope you work it out. You can do it. Well OK I guess I opted to address the 'encouragement' part of your request.

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