Two months as a vegetarian! Woo hoo!!!

[Bouncy Ball]

All three of us, myself, husband and daughter, have done quite well.

We feel great, my husband and I have each lost about four pounds, and we have a lot of energy. We have NOT replaced meat with junk food or tons of dairy.

Our food choices have expanded, rather than contracted, as we become more adventurous with flavors and foods. We really don't eat much of the "fake meat."

I can even see being vegan someday and that was something I used to think would be nearly impossible for me. But as it is, we sometimes have completely vegan meals, so I don't see how it would be a big stretch.

I found out most Americans get WAY more protein than they require and all three of us still get plenty of it.

We do still consume dairy, but not as much as we used to and it's ONLY organic. We drink more soy milk than we used to. We've replaced about half of our cow milk consumption with soy.

This ranks right up there in the top five best decisions I have ever made in my life. Our initial reasons were the cruel practices the animals have to endure, but they have expanded to environmental concerns and our own health concerns (I found out our chances of cancer are lessened, overall, by a veg diet).

And even with buying a few expensive items (we LOVE the frozen Amy's foods and soy milk ain't cheap), our food bill has decreased because of no longer buying meat.

It's great. Thanks to this board for being here. Someone here told me, when I first started, I would smell a steakhouse and still think "mmmm" and then later I would smell it and think "blech." They were right. At first, my mouth would water. Now it doesn't smell good to me AT all and my daughter can hardly stand the smell of meat.

[RebelOne]

1. Good for you.

I have been a vegetarian for about 8 years now. But I have to admit when I smell barbeque cooking, I still think "yum."

I have to agree with you about Amy's products. I buy lots of them. Where I live in Georgia, the price of soy milk is just about the same as milk. Soy milk costs about $2.49 a half-gallon and milk usually runs about $1.99.

[Bouncy Ball]

2. Why is soy so much more here? Weird.

When I go to Whole Foods it isn't as expensive, but the nearest one is quite a drive away.

Eight years, wow.

[RebelOne]

3. Do you have a Super Target near you?

That's where I buy my soy milk. And their store brand Archer Farms is very inexpensive. They will often have Silk on sale for about $1.99 for a half gallon.

[Bouncy Ball]

4. You know, I do.

It's further than the grocery store, but I noticed they had a bigger selection of organic stuff, too.

Thanks! :hi:

[flvegan]

5. Awesome!! Most positive post of the day!

Once you open your mind, your taste buds and stomach will follow. One thing you mentioned is really in key in explaining veg*ism: "Our food choices have expanded, rather than contracted,...". How true that is. Too many folks see going veg as going without, which isn't the case. It's going within, thinking about what you're going to eat, being "adventurous" as you said. Creating your own dishes, writing your own cookbook.

Yay Bouncy Ball and family!!!!!!!!

[livetohike]

6. Do you have a Trader Joe's anywhere near you?

I don't know what I would do without mine. The soy milk is $1.29 there. Congratulations to you and your family!.

:toast:

[Bouncy Ball]

7. Nope, nearest one is in New Mexico! LOL!!!

I wish!

[CrispyQ]

8. Congrats to you & your family!

Great move for all of you & the animals & the planet! The weight loss is nice, but the energized feeling is wonderful, isn't it?

If you ever taste milk after not having it for some time, you will not believe how awful it tastes. Putrid, sour, retch! Also, I've found after years of being veg I can hardly pass by the meat department without wondering who the heck could eat something that smells like that? Maybe I've become more sensitive to it, but even a clean, well ventilated store smells bad in the meat section. Soon you will find yourself traversing the grocery store in patterns that avoid the stinky meat/fish sections.

BTW, just curious how much a pound of ground round goes for these days as it's been years since I bought it. I think the meat replacements are very expensive, but I don't know what meat goes for.

BB :yourock:

[Warpy]

9. I still have the drools when I go by some fast food joints

but ONLY the ones that serve onion rings. The meat and grease make my tummy do a flip.

Dairy was the last thing I passed on, too, although I've always consumed very little of it due to lactose intolerance. I find there is just no substitute for butter in some things, but I use it very sparingly and usually mixed with olive oil. A pound of butter, kept in the freezer, lasts me about six months.

At that rate, I buy the organic stuff from the food co-op.

[Robeson]

10. Way to go Bouncy Ball.....

...I'm very proud of all of you....:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Goblinmonger]

11. Congratulations

I have been vegetarian for abou 15 years. My 12 and 9 year olds have never eaten meat. It's worth it.

[Catchawave]

12. Yay !

Nice post, and very inspiring. I can't do "fake" meat either. One great discovery I found recently is grilling portabella mushrooms. Use the same grilling sauces n' spices and condiments....and it's fabulous!

I used to use fake ground meat in chili, but couldn't get by the chewy factor(which I have a high gag reflex for). A pure veggie bean chili, with the same seasonings tastes even better! Of course, I always top chili with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Yum!

[Warpy]

14. Wait until you discover grilled asparagus

The exterior caramelizes and makes it into the lovliest, sweetest vegetable in the world.

[JackieO]

15. oh yeah...

yum

[La Coliniere]

13. It's not too difficult...

and it has so many benefits. Congratulations! I have to admit that I will eat an occasional piece of fish or shellfish when on vacation in Florida or any other place where the seafood is local and not on any endangered list. This occurs 2 or 3 times a year and I do feel guilty about it. Before giving up meat I was a seafood glutton. Now when I see commercials for restaurants that promote unlimited seafood, I feel ashamed that my past eating habits supported this. I will not patronize these establishments, especially the all-u-can-eat Chinese Buffets that not only promote gluttony, but they import farm raised shrimp as well. Fish and shrimp farms are destroying the coastal mangrove forests world wide, which in turn is having a detrimental effect on coral reefs which are already under extreme assault from pollution, over fishing, and global warming.
Then the cod fisheries in the Atlantic collapsed. This, combined with the fact that I became an avid scuba diver, changed my consciousness about eating seafood, especially in the gluttonous manner I did up until 1997. Nobody's perfect. One thing I've found out is that over the past few years is that I crave beans like I used to crave shrimp, snapper and clams.
My goal is to some day go totally vegan. Even though my wife and I don't consume many dairy products, it would still be a challenge. As it stands we eat all vegan meals on Mon., Wed., and Fridays.
By the way, when people ask me why I don't (except for those few exceptions I've mentioned above) eat meat, I tell them that if they are interested, they should read "Diet for a Small Planet" by F.M. Lappe (BIG influence on me), and "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser. Then I change the subject. Again, congratulations.

[RebelOne]

16. I have to admit that I still eat seafood.

I can't resist salmon or fresh tuna. But I'm trying to wean myself off it.

[Warpy]

17. Those are great sources of essential fatty acids

Unfortunately, they're also great sources of mercury and farm raised salmon is also a great source of PBBs and PCBs and agricultural chemicals.

I will still eat seafood very, very sparingly, in small amounts maybe four times a year, and avoid farm raised seafood because of the poor water quality it's raised in.

I'm not a morality vegetarian, not at all. I just never liked meat and never felt particularly well when I ate it. Besides, isn't fanatcism about anything worse for you than seafood is?

[JackieO]

19. I eat flax seed oil

It has Omega-3, whatever that is. Is it the same kind of thing that you get from eating fish? Anyway, this stuff is cinnamon flavored and I eat a tablespoon of it everyday and I feel great.

[Maru Kitteh]

18. GOOD FOR YOU BOUNCY

congrats to you and your family.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

20. Two and a half months as a vegetarian!

Congratulations!