[Sassy-Sarah]

I there, I joined 3FC a couple of days ago and I really think that this forum will be a great help in my weight loss!

I've introduced myself on the UK chicks and the 20 somethings so I thut tha seeing as I'm a veggie I'd introduce myself here too.

For as long as I can remember I 've struggled with my weight and I've been yo-yo-ing up and down (more up than down ) for the last 6 years but I've decided that its now or never. I've promised myself that I'll lose weight and keep it off for good this time!!

BTW - I've been veggie for nearly nine years now!

[shananigans]

to 3fc Sassy-Sarah! The veggie-chicks forum tends to be a bit quiet sometimes so I’m glad to meet another veggie to get acquainted with.

Just out of curiosity what type of veg diet do you follow? I’m lacto-ovo but gradually cutting back dairy and eggs. Someday I aspire to be vegan but I’m just not quite there yet.

[Sassy-Sarah]

Well I do eat dairy and fish ( I know a lot of people don't believe thats a real vegetarian), but I only eat free range stuff.

What are your reasons for being veggie?

Do you find it hard to stick to a diet beng vegetarian?

[YP1]

Personally, I found that sticking to a healthier way of eating turned me veggie! I don't "diet" as such, but I found myself eating more vegetables and beans, and less meat (particularly red and processed meat), to the point where I was eating maybe one chicken breast a week, which I've now decided to cut out.

[alkali-feldspar]

Welcome! I'm a 20something veggie too.

[Only Me]

Welcome! I've been vegetarian for almost 17 years now. I'm currently ovo-lacto, but went through a mostly vegan phase for a few years too. That ended in the second trimester of my first pregnancy, when my dh's cheese and mushroom omlette suddenly looked irresistable and I ended up eating half of it.

I find it hard to stick to a diet, but I don't think being vegetarian has anything to do with it. I think it's easier to stick to a healthy, cheap diet while being vegetarian, as long as you don't rely too much on processed "meat" products. It's usually the junk food/sweets/rich foods that do me in. Chocolate bars and chips are vegetarian. Even homemade cookies with wheat germ, raisins and walnuts have lots of calories! And my favourite homemade vegetable samosas are fried.

[shananigans]

I also don’t do the “diet” thing. I just try to make better food choices, watch my portions, and make sure I get lots and lots of fresh veggies and fruits.

I’ve been a vegetarian since I was 14, so about 12 years now. I don’t think I was very fond of meat to begin with and them biology class dissection sealed the deal. Comparative anatomy and all that, too close to home if you know what I mean. It might sound a bit odd, but to me it seemed that eating meat, especially that of other mammals is a very short hop skip and a jump away from cannibalism. Just gross!

Over the years as I’ve learned more about factory farms and the unspeakable cruelty that marches on every day in the production of meat it has become clear to me that being veggie is not only about keeping my own eating clean, but also a better choice for the animals and the environment.

[shananigans]

I forgot, I also wanted to address the “free-range” comment made by Sarah. I would love to think that the dairy and eggs I consume are humanely produced and that labels like “free range”, "organic" and "hormone-free" really meant something for animal products.

Unfortunately:

http://www.upc-online.org/freerange.html

http://www.goveg.com/organic_health.asp

This is why I feel the need to get my diet free of the dairy and eggs as well. This hasn’t been so easy for me because the products themselves don’t gross me out like flesh does and I’ve been eating them my whole life. I’ve been making little changes here and there though, hopefully someday I’ll get there!