Just joined

[Guest guest]

Hiya Nigel,

 

You seem to be going all out with your lifestyle change. You are definitely

on the right track but change takes time and your body needs time to readjust

to your new way of living.

Stopping smoking (you're not giving up - giving up makes you think you

are depriving yourself of something - you are stopping, giving your body the

rest and fresh air it needs to recover from all of that carcinogenic smoke!)

and going on a raw food diet will have thrown your body into shock. Stopping

smoking itself can be awful. I stopped 5 months ago and my lungs are still

getting used to working better. I've had headaches, spots, rashes,

irritability and really bad dandruff. They seem to come in bouts and

thankfully they are waning with time as my body is detoxifying itself. That's

what your body is doing, ridding itself of toxins from all of that smoke and

secondary smoke. If you are also suddenly switching to a raw food diet, your

body will start to shed weight quickly. Most of the toxins are in the fat

cells of your body. Lose weight too quickly (more than a pound a week) and

you are releasing a lot of toxins into your blood stream and this will

obviously contribute to your already overtaxed system and make you feel

headachey and unwell.

However, having said that, the toxicity in your blood might be

counteracted somewhat by the extra nutrients you absorb from your raw food. I

would advise you to err on the side of caution though, at least for a few

months, until your body has got used to not smoking. Eat plenty of raw fruit

and vegetables and saladings but make sure you eat some grains as well - the

carbohydrate will break down and produce serotonin which will calm your mind

a little and make you feel more contented. Of course don't go to the opposite

extreme and eat loads of carbohydrates, unless you plan on hibernating for

the rest of the winter, because they can contribute to weight gain -

something ex-smokers tend to veer towards after stopping.

Get yourself a good vegan cookbook (try your local library) and include

potatoes and pulses in your diet, otherwise you are going to get bored with

your diet and you will lose the will to continue. If you are worried about

losing nutrients through cooking your vegetables, why not steam them? You can

get cheap steamers (kind of round, interlaced fan things) from most

supermarkets to put into your saucepans. Put a bit of water underneath the

steamers and as it boils underneath it will steam the veg - the veg retains

most if not all of its nutrients and you have a happier palate!

Good luck mate!

Mark

X

[Guest guest]

>Thought I would say hi !!

>:0)

>how is everyone?

>Suzy..

>

Hi Suzy. I'm fine. How are you?

 

Dee

_______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm new here too - I've been lurking for a couple days just to feel the

" aura " of the list.

 

A little history ... I was a vegetarian for about 4 years from the age of

15 to 19. Then I went vegan for a little while, maybe about a year. Then

came the horrible part ... I wanted so desperately to lose weight that I

submitted myself to the horrors of the Atkins diet. I did it for a couple

months and lost 18 pounds, but never got used to all the animal-eating. A

few days ago I made some scrambled eggs and literally gagged when I tried

to eat them. So I've made the decision to go vegan again. Eating

ethically is more important to me than losing weight (although I'm hoping

I will also lose this way as well).

 

Since I'm not new to veganism, I do have a closet full of books that will

help me get back on track again.

 

I have a question, though ... I've been hearing a couple people talk about

Weight Watchers ... is this really an easy diet to be vegan on? If so,

I'm definitely interested. How can I find more detailed information about

the program? I'm guessing it's not a pay-program like Jenny Craig, right?

 

Anyway, I'm 21 and I live in Oregon with my puppy Veda

 

Lisa

 

--- Dee Matheson <dmatheson72 wrote:

> Hi Suzy. I'm fine. How are you?

>

> Dee

 

 

 

Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

http://auctions./

[Guest guest]

vegan-network, " Lisa C. Meier " <vedasamadhi> wrote:

> Hi everyone,

>

> I'm new here too - I've been lurking for a couple days just to feel

the

> " aura " of the list.

>

> A little history ... I was a vegetarian for about 4 years from the

age of

> 15 to 19. Then I went vegan for a little while, maybe about a

year. Then

> came the horrible part ... I wanted so desperately to lose weight

that I

> submitted myself to the horrors of the Atkins diet. I did it for a

couple

> months and lost 18 pounds, but never got used to all the animal-

eating. A

> few days ago I made some scrambled eggs and literally gagged when I

tried

> to eat them. So I've made the decision to go vegan again. Eating

> ethically is more important to me than losing weight (although I'm

hoping

> I will also lose this way as well).

>

> Since I'm not new to veganism, I do have a closet full of books

that will

> help me get back on track again.

>

> I have a question, though ... I've been hearing a couple people

talk about

> Weight Watchers ... is this really an easy diet to be vegan on? If

so,

> I'm definitely interested. How can I find more detailed

information about

> the program? I'm guessing it's not a pay-program like Jenny Craig,

right?

>

> Anyway, I'm 21 and I live in Oregon with my puppy Veda

>

> Lisa

>

 

As one would probably expect, they are on www.weightwatchers.com

 

I can't even begin to imagine how a mostly animal-eating diet could

really help anyone lose weight! I'm amazed that worked. I heard that

Atkins diet is really dangerous, and eggs are so high in cholesterol.

On Weight Watchers, so many of the ideas are vegan friendly since so

many vegetables contain no points at all and can be eaten in

unlimited quantities. Every food is counted in points and so long as

you stick to the right number of points per day, you can't fail!

It can be expensive, that is the snag, but since I went and paid for

a few months I think I can follow the basic plan on my own in future

without rejoining, now I understand it and have all the leaflets and

points listings, etc.

Pulses (legumes as you call them on your side of the pond), potatoes,

rice and pasta are good, you can eat a reasonable amount, nuts and

avocadoes are a couple of the vegan foods most high in points, that

you have to watch. Most fruits are low in points. Soya milk is

somewhere between the equivalent of skimmed and semi-skimmed milk.

Soya cheese is also usually lower in points than dairy cheese.

The points are a way of measuring saturated fats and calories.

Junk foods such as chocolate and crisps are of course high in points

so I found it was hardly worth eating them so often, and I was really

good for 4 months until I got pregnant. Now I am past the horrendous

sickness stage, I am starting to try to go back to some of the better

eating habits I had started on WW, although not dieting as such which

would definitely not be safe until after the birth.

I'm vegan for ethical reasons but my bad junk food habits had

spiralled out of control, I was about 40 lbs overweight, and I am

only small, just over 5 ft tall, so I looked almost spherical (I do

again now)! WW really helped me to learn that I could get back in

control of my eating habits, because it didn't dictate to anyone

exactly what to eat, it was flexible enough to not scare me off

dieting.

Oh and I think that getting to a healthy weight is part of the reason

I got pregnant unexpectedly with this surprise baby, because

fertility may be increased if you go from underweight or overweight

to a healthy weight. This is my third and definitely the last!

Ladies, you have been warned!

 

Lesley

 

 

> --- Dee Matheson <dmatheson72@h...> wrote:

> > Hi Suzy. I'm fine. How are you?

> >

> > Dee

>

>

>

> Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

> http://auctions./

[Guest guest]

Hi Lisa, you wrote...

 

>... I've been hearing a couple people talk about

>Weight Watchers ... is this really an easy diet to be vegan on?

 

Absolutely. I noticed many of the recipes given were vegan and even the ones

that weren't could be easily adapted. I replaced meat with tofu and soya

products. It's a fairly easy to follow diet. Each food has so many points

[some have no points] and you are allowed so many points per day depending

on what weight you are at the start. So far it's been the only way I managed

to lose weight.

 

If so,

>I'm definitely interested. How can I find more detailed information about

>the program?

I found a local one, but I guess they'll have a website where you can find

out more about it.

I'm guessing it's not a pay-program like Jenny Craig, right?Not familiar

with Jenny Craig.

Dee

>

>Anyway, I'm 21 and I live in Oregon with my puppy Veda

>

>Lisa

>

>--- Dee Matheson <dmatheson72 wrote:

> > Hi Suzy. I'm fine. How are you?

> >

> > Dee

>

>

>

> Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

>http://auctions./

 

_______________________

Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.

[Guest guest]

The whole diet tends to amaze most people. I joined a group of people who

were doing Atkins along with me. Most of them had been doing it for about

6 months and had already lost 50-75 pounds. They also had LOWER

cholesterol and tryglyceride levels. The reason you lose weight so fast

is because your body burns fat faster than it burns carbs, so when your

diet consists mostly of fat and protein, your body burns it right away and

then moves on to burn stored body fat. When you eat a diet consisting

mostly of carbs (like a vegan diet), your body takes longer to burn the

carbs and, therefore, burning stored body fat is a much slower process.

 

I'm glad I decided to go back to veganism, though. It makes me feel

better about myself, even though I know I won't lose weight as quickly.

It's a very easy diet for me to do, as well (veganism) ... I'm not ever

" tempted " to cheat, because the ethics of the diet are so important to me.

 

Lisa

 

> I can't even begin to imagine how a mostly animal-eating diet could

> really help anyone lose weight! I'm amazed that worked. I heard that

> Atkins diet is really dangerous, and eggs are so high in cholesterol.

 

 

 

Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

http://auctions./

[Guest guest]

--- Lesley Dove <100706.3632 wrote:

> It can be expensive, that is the snag, but since I went and paid for

> a few months I think I can follow the basic plan on my own in future

> without rejoining, now I understand it and have all the leaflets and

> points listings, etc.

 

Thanks for all the info, Lesley! I actually visited the website yesterday

and was intrigued. I think I may do what you did ... pay for a few months

until I get the hang of it and then go on my own.

 

Lisa

 

 

 

Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

http://auctions./

[Guest guest]

> I'm new here too -

 

Hi, and welcome!!

 

> A little history ... I was a vegetarian for about 4 years from the

>age of 15 to 19. Then I went vegan for a little while, maybe about a

>year. Then came the horrible part ... I wanted so desperately to lose

>weight that I submitted myself to the horrors of the Atkins diet.

 

Sorry to sound dull, but what do you eat on this diet?

 

>A few days ago I made some scrambled eggs and literally gagged when I

>tried to eat them. So I've made the decision to go vegan again.

>Eating ethically is more important to me than losing weight

 

Well done!! To me being ethical is more important than being healthy,

not that I'm saying vegan food in priniple _is_ unhealthy, just that I

love all the rubbish you can eat still!!

 

> Anyway, I'm 21 and I live in Oregon with my puppy Veda

 

What's it like there, and how is it for veg*ns??

 

Suz

[Guest guest]

> Sorry to sound dull, but what do you eat on this diet?

 

Atkins - mainly fat and protein - meat, eggs, cheese, some veggies.

Basically you cut out most carbs. That means hardly any fruit, no rice,

no potatoes, no pasta - nothing starchy or high in carbohydrates.

 

> Well done!! To me being ethical is more important than being healthy,

> not that I'm saying vegan food in priniple _is_ unhealthy, just that I

> love all the rubbish you can eat still!!

 

Yeah, the ethics of veganism mean so much to me. Now that I'm " back " to

this way of life, I can't believe that I went for so long eating meat. It

disgusts me, but there's nothing I can do about it now. I'm looking

toward the future instead of the past

 

> What's it like there, and how is it for veg*ns??

 

I think Oregon is a good place for vegans. I don't personally know any

others, but I also don't have a very big social circle, unfortunately.

I'm stuck in an office all day with 8 " old " people (meaning, older than

me, so don't take that the wrong way!) and I go to school at night, but

there are only 8 people in my program. Other than that, I spend time at

home working out and doing homework ... not much of a life! My sister and

her girlfriend are vegetarians, though (I hang out with them quite a bit)

and I'm trying to talk them into veganism, but so far it's a no go. Their

excuse: " we go out to eat too often and there's not a big selection. " I

suggested a few orders of hash browns and fruit

 

I do remember when I was a vegan last year, there were quite a few

restaurants and cafes that supported this way of eating. We have a lot of

stores like Trader Joe's and Natures that sell good cheap vegan food. We

also have tons of local fruit and vegetable stands (gotta support those

local farmers!). There are cafes in Portland that sell vegan food. I

remember I went to this coffee shop with my sister one night (this was

after I had started Atkins) and I bought this chocolate chip cookie (not

supposed to be eating that on Atkins, but it looked too good). Anyway, I

was eating the cookie and it tasted different to me. I kept telling my

sister, " I swear this tastes just like those vegan cookies I used to make

at home! " and when we were leaving she said, " you must have good taste

buds " and pointed to a sign in the cookie basket that said " 100% VEGAN. "

I was so happy that I was able to recognize the taste ... and I'm thrilled

that next time I go there I can indulge in a cookie without it being

" cheating. "

 

Lisa

 

 

 

Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices

http://auctions./

[Guest guest]

> Atkins - mainly fat and protein - meat, eggs, cheese, some veggies.

> Basically you cut out most carbs. That means hardly any fruit, no

>rice, no potatoes, no pasta - nothing starchy or high in

>carbohydrates.

 

Yuck!!! How bad _is_ that?? Is that the same one that all those celebs

like Jennifer Aniston and Geri Halliwell went on? Personally, I

thought Geri looked fab the way she was! Nothing wrong with a bit of

meat, well, in that sense anyway!!!

 

> I'm looking toward the future instead of the past

 

Good for you. Remember, we'll give you all the support you want here,

most of us are warm + fluffy!!

 

>and I'm trying to talk them into veganism, but so far it's a no go.

>Their excuse: " we go out to eat too often and there's not a big

selection. " I suggested a few orders of hash browns and fruit

 

Tell them that that's only because there's not a demand for it in

their area! Unless people like them, ask for vegan options then

nothing will change!! Also, I've heard 'Diet for a new America' has

turned a lot of people vegan. Maybe you could get them to read that??

 

>We also have tons of local fruit and vegetable stands (gotta support

>those local farmers!).

 

Cheers for mentioning this, you've reminded that I need to get some

onions for me tea tonite!

 

>Anyway, I was eating the cookie and it tasted different to me. I

>kept telling my sister, " I swear this tastes just like those vegan

>cookies I used to make at home! " and when we were leaving she said,

" you must have good taste buds " and pointed to a sign in the cookie

>basket that said " 100% VEGAN. "

 

Were they made by Alternative Baking Company by any chance? We can get

them over here from veganstore.co.uk, and they are delish!! :-P

 

Suz

[Guest guest]

vegan-network, " Dee Matheson " <dmatheson72@h...> wrote:

>

>

>

> >Thought I would say hi !!

> >:0)

> >how is everyone?

> >Suzy..

> >

> Hi Suzy. I'm fine. How are you?

>

> Dee

>

Thanx Dee ! I am very well thankyou kindly !

:0)

sorry ti took soooo long fo rme to write but I am busy and dont get

here much !!

anyways Ill try post when I can ..

Suzy..

[Guest guest]

The atkins diet does work. It works by depleting the bodies sugar store as

you don't eat any carbs to replace them. It forces the body to burn fat.

It is very dangerous. I heard G.Haliwell was on it.

 

 

Lesley Dove [100706.3632]

24 May 2001 00:15

vegan-network

Re: just joined

 

I can't even begin to imagine how a mostly animal-eating diet could

really help anyone lose weight! I'm amazed that worked. I heard that

Atkins diet is really dangerous, and eggs are so high in cholesterol.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kim,

 

Welcome to the group! I also joined this group recently, try to eat eat

lo-carb and live in the East Bay. I can also relate to your fish

dilemna. Fish was the last thing I gave up before becoming a vegetarian

in 1996 (I have been vegan since 1999 or so). I really liked sushi

before I became veg--and I still do--I just eat veggie sushi now.

Anyway, the thing that helped me over eating fish was doing some

research about fish and fishing. Through the research, all of my own

rationalizations for eating fish basically went out the window. Bottom

line, fish can feel pain, fishing is bad for the environment, and

there's no difference between eating a fish and any other animal. And

specifically, Tuna and other large species of fish typically carry high

levels of mercury and other toxic chemicals in their flesh. Not to

mention, according to Greenpeace, since dolphins like to swim among

schools of Yellowfin, the tuna fishing industry " accidentally " drowns

20,000 dolphins in its nets each year. I have included some relevant

links below that explain these points. There's some interesting

information there.

 

There's one last bit of info I'd like to pass on. This is a story from a

Buddhist text I read some years ago that really touched me--I'll

paraphrase it for you as best I can:

 

A man was preparing dinner. He had caught an eel and was about to cook

it alive in a pot of boiling water. The eel was struggling for its life

and desperately trying to get away from the pot as the man brought it

closer to the water. The eel could not escape, however, and was plunged

into the pot of boiling water. The eel writhed and wriggled about

furiously and was able to keep one small portion of its body out of the

water for a few moments. The man, who had cooked many eels before, had

never seen one fight for its life so vigorously. He covered the pot and

ended the struggle.When the eel was cooked, he removed it from the pot

and cut it open to find that the eel was pregnant. He realized that

every ounce of her incredible strength was consumed in an attempt to

keep her unborn young out of harm. The man stopped eating animals that day.

 

Unfortunately, I lack the literary muscle of the original author, but

hopefully you get the point. The experience made the guy see that this

eel was more than a " thing " . It was an animal just like you and I--and

it can feel.

 

And now, the links:

 

http://www.compassionatespirit.com/fish.htm

 

http://www.nofishing.net/pain.html

 

http://www.askcarla.com/ac/tempfaq/FAQ.asp?CategoryID=5 & Category=Veg

 

Best of luck on kicking the Ahi habit, and congratulations for making an

effort to become a vegetarian!

 

-Josh

----------------------------

http://www.technotofu.com

 

karnitjc wrote:

 

> Hi Everyone!! I just joined the group and wanted to say hello. I am

> 28 y/o, live in Alameda, and mostly vegetarian, just looking for

> some support to get over the ahi tuna addiction! I am also a

> diabetic so I eat lo-carb and lo-fat. Looking forward to getting to

> know you all!!

>

> Much love,

> Kim

>

>

>

>

> BAY AREA VEGETARIANS (BAV) is a community group for veggies to network

> & find support. Free membership and lots of free events :-)

>

> Event Calendar, Charter, FAQ (/) and More!

> http://www.bayareaveg.org/

>

> Get the veg vote out! Vote for the Best in Bay Area Vegetarian Dining!

> http://www.bayareaveg.org/contest.htm

>

> Message board

> http://www.generationv.org/forum

>

>

> ------

> *

[Guest guest]

Hi, everyone. I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 20 years and

have struggled with sugar addiction even longer. I've been looking

around the website for a few weeks and have also joined the eating

disorders group and the breakfast group. Just beginning to post

messages and learn my way around here - hard to get started since I'm

so used to trying to deal with these things alone. It's really

obvious to me that you can't do it alone - I NEED the help and support

of this community and hope that I'll have something to offer, too.

 

Ok, enough for a " first post. " Just wanted to introduce myself and

say how much I look forward to getting to know you all.

 

Janet

[Guest guest]

Hi Janet, welcome!! You’ll see me

over on the ED list, too . I’m glad you are reaching out for support.

I’ve found that I couldn’t do it alone either. Having others who

know what I’m going through around is just amazing.

 

Heather

 

 

 

 

 

On Behalf Of planet_jp

May 02, 2006 12:13 PM

 

Just

joined

 

 

Hi, everyone. I've

been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 20 years and

have struggled with sugar addiction even longer. I've been looking

around the website for a few weeks and have also joined the eating

disorders group and the breakfast group. Just beginning to post

messages and learn my way around here - hard to get started since I'm

so used to trying to deal with these things alone. It's really

obvious to me that you can't do it alone - I NEED the help and support

of this community and hope that I'll have something to offer, too.

 

Ok, enough for a " first post. " Just wanted to introduce myself

and

say how much I look forward to getting to know you all.

 

Janet

[Guest guest]

Dear Janet, Welcome. Belonging to our community has done wonders for me. It has been a long journey and after 1 year I am still on step 1. I have changed in ways I wanted. I am sure I'll get many more such changes and these are my rewards. I am sure you will find what you want. Kiranplanet_jp <planet_jp wrote: Hi, everyone. I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 20 years and have struggled with sugar addiction even longer. I've been looking around the website for a few weeks and have also joined the eating disorders group and the breakfast group. Just beginning to post messages and learn my way around here - hard to get started since I'm so used to trying to deal with these things alone. It's really obvious to me that you can't do it alone - I NEED

the help and support of this community and hope that I'll have something to offer, too.Ok, enough for a "first post." Just wanted to introduce myself and say how much I look forward to getting to know you all.Janet

India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new. Click here