Falling off the wagon (shame)

[raquel]

Ok, so I'm back because my conscious (and digestive system) won't have it otherwise. I've been away from this site for a while, as I fell off the vegan wagon and have been too ashamed to come back, I suppose. I know some of you have no respect for "former vegans" and I get that. But I hope that some of you will welcome me back into the fold...

My struggles with the vegan diet are as follows:

-Both times I've gone vegan, I have been insanely tired, crabby, and have gained weight (I'm a competitive runner). My husband therefore determined that the vegan diet was not good for me and is not AT ALL supportive of me being vegan (sigh).

-I am gluten intolerant, so if I am also vegan, then I basically can never go out to eat in restaurants, or go to other people's houses for dinner without being a total pain in the arse.

-I am very strapped for time (PhD student with an 18-month-old), so I don't have piles of time to cook, sprout, etc. etc.

-Too much fibre gives me major digestive issues.

So because of all these things, I gave up. However, every time I come back or re-read the books that made me vegan in the first place, I feel nauseas and can't even look at the chicken in my fridge. However, because I have tried this twice already, I don't think my family will take me seriously when I try again (it will just be another "phase" - and trust me, I've had a lot of diet phases -- I've tried them all!!!)

I am already lactose intolerant, so the dairy part is easy. But eggs and fish are hard for me to give up... Help? (I won't take offence to a good strong kick in the pants, either)

Thanks......

[Hiking Fox]

I know some of you have no respect for "former vegans" and I get that. But I hope that some of you will welcome me back into the fold...

Hey, cut us some slack! We'll all welcome you, of course. I'd be surprised if anybody doesn't.

[Konstantin]

Hmmm, I did wheat free vegan for a while - was a pain in the arse. I would just say add more foods. Don't drop meat and leave a gap, have so much food that meat can't get a look in. I've got into The Thrive DIet recently and spend 30 mins making pizza that lasts 5 meals. Then a food processor gives me loads of quick vegan meals.

Are you using good grains - buckwheat, quinoa, cous cous, millet, rice...? Once you get them you can almost anyting to them.

Not solutions, but I hope it helps.

[moggy]

I'm gluten intolerant, so I can agree that its a pain, but its still very do-able, and thats even with me not liking vegetables (but luckily adore fruit). Good luck!

[raquel]

I know some of you have no respect for "former vegans" and I get that. But I hope that some of you will welcome me back into the fold...

Hey, cut us some slack! We'll all welcome you, of course. I'd be surprised if anybody doesn't.

I didn't mean anything by that, I've just seen some posts trashing people who fall off the wagon, so I was nervous to mention my failures....

[Linnéa76]

Don't beat yourself up, at least you're striving for a vegan lifestyle which is more than 99,9% are doing.

If you get tired and gain weight when going vegan, I think it could be that you have changed the carb/protein/fat proportions of your diet?

I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out, third time's the charm, right?

[spike]

Welcome back!

I don;t think I have any words of wisdom for you re going vegan again, just keep at it and get support from other people on here. Good luck!

[offense74]

Welcome back!
The road to whatever goal is never straight. Most people will need many attempts to brake a bad habit. The important thing is to not be angry with yourself. Just try a new way or a new perspective and repeat until vegan

[raquel]

Thanks all! And Happy New Year! Day 1 of the year, Day 1 of my return to veganism... I'm cooking my family a vegan meal as we speak -- soup & fresh bread -- and chances are they won't even realize that it's vegan.

[helmut]

Thanks all! And Happy New Year! Day 1 of the year, Day 1 of my return to veganism... I'm cooking my family a vegan meal as we speak -- soup & fresh bread -- and chances are they won't even realize that it's vegan.

good work raquel. also, i have a very close friend with the same name

[flightlessbirds]

Hope things are going well for you with returning to veganism. I agree with everyone who said don't give yourself a hard time for going omni again. Making yourself feel guilty about it is not going to help you stick with being vegan. Hopefully you figure out what you need in order to feel great while eating vegan!

The going out/going to a friend's place can be a pain in the arse even for us gluten consuming vegans. If you are worried about being a pain to a friend just offer to bring something that you can eat. If they are feeling really confused about what to make this gives them a way out and gives you a way to introduce others to delicious vegan cooking.
Also if you know what restaurant you are going to in advance, you can call ahead and ask what options they have for you. Call during a not-busy time of day (after the lunch rush, before the dinner rush). If they don't have anything ask if the server/manager you talk to can ask someone in the kitchen if there is something they can modify for you and there often is. If you call when they are not busy it is much easier/nicer than trying to work something out with a busy server who has other tables to get to and doesn't have time to go back and talk to the kitchen.

[Beaners]

Hey - you're not the only one! I've flip-flopped many times already, usually because I panic assuming I'm not getting proper nutrition, or read books that insist humans need at least SOME meat to thrive (usually backing that up with the fact there are no fully vegan cultures out there). I experience the same thing, where I'll start eating meat but feel gross after the first bite (or beforehand, when it's still cooking), so I end up pulling out the vegan books and vowing to start over next day. And on it goes! It's taken a long time, but slowly I've been eating more and more vegan meals. I try not to beat myself up, and figure the fact that my conscience is bothering me keeps steering me in the right direction, and I also remind myself that there are clearly plenty of healthy vegans out there whose hair isn't falling out and who aren't pasty & gaunt. And I really have NO excuse for not eating a healthy vegan diet - I've got a gazillion great cookbooks in the drawer. Not sure what stops me from actually making the recipes? Probably laziness and fear of the unknown ... anyway, tomorrow's a new day and a new opportunity to do this properly, 100% !!

Stay in touch and let me know how it's going for you!

[JP]

hey just a wee point, there is a culture which is totally vegan and that is us vegans ok, i guess you would label it as a subculture, but that would miss the point.

Since pretty much no one eats in the "original" way which was the habit in their location for centuries, and their eating only resembles it in form, but not in substance (for instance, all production methods, storage, transport etc have changes the food culture dramatically), the comparison doesnt work any more.