Hello everyone, I just wanted to drop in and introduce myself. I've been on 3FC since March, but this is the first time posting in this forum. I'm brand new to the vegetarian lifestyle (2 weeks). I finally decided after much research and reading that I'm ready to embrace and respect this way of eating. My decisions weren't so much based on health but on the the ethics of the meat industry and the way that animals are mistreated and abused.

I thought it would be a much more difficult transition than it has been, but I've been pleasantly surprised at the healthy options that are out there. My husband has always been a serious meat-eater but since my transition he's been extremely supportive and is even trying to eat a more vegetarian diet (although he's telling me that he'd like to have some type of lean meat at least once per week).

A few years ago I tried to become a vegetarian, but I was a huge failure because I failed to do any research and I was unwilling to embrace new foods. Since my weight-loss journey has started my palette has completely changed and I love all the new fruits and vegetables that I'm learning about. I'm actually learning to cook (my husband has done all the cooking for the past 9 years) and I love learning to recipes and discovering new foods that I would have normally shrugged off a few years ago.

So anyway, I will put an end to my rambling and just say that I look forward to meeting all of you and discussing this wonderful lifestyle

Hi, welcome to the Vegetarian Chicks!

I think you are doing a fantastic thing and it's wonderful that your husband is being supportive

I look forward to getting to know you and hearing about your new food adventures

Wow, I'd say your hubby is being very supportive if he only wants meat once a week. My husband has meat at least 5 nights a week ... although he has cut down on the amount, he will probably always be a omnivore. ;-)

If you haven't watched the movie "Earthlings" yet (google it, it's available to watch free online)-- it will cement your beliefs about the meat industry and the unethical treatment of animals. There are several scenes from that movie that replay in my head any time I question my beliefs, or face a little hardship on my path (like being invited for a meal at someone's home).

Veggiepoweredl... I just watched just the first portion of the movie and had to stop it! Could not watch anymore!

I know! I can't believe I watched it ... I have THE softest heart where animals are concerned, and can't usually watch anything with suffering or death (I couldn't even watch "Marley & Me" because I knew Marley died. ). But once I started I thought I just had to know. It really made me ill to know that such abuse exists. I honestly had NO idea.

I watched Earthlings all the way through because I think I needed to. Pictures of the cows being boiled alive still haunt me. Also, I never knew or imagined that the cows we get leather from aren't the same cows we get meat from. I thought fur was horrible and wasteful but I never knew leather was as well.

That's fantastic hopeful8! I've been a vegetarian since February when my daughter and I decided to give up meat for lent and never went back. My husband has been a vegetarian for 8 years. And we are now transitioning to a vegan lifestyle for health reasons and because conditions in the egg and dairy industries are horrific for those innocent creatures.

In the last week and a half, I've been following a low fat vegan diet (with a few pizza cheats... gotta work on that) and I've not only lost 7.5 lbs. but I feel it all over. I have more energy. My skin is clearer. My nails are stronger. I'm having fewer headaches and problems with allergies. My feet don't hurt as much and I just feel lighter. And I feel so good eating a vegan diet because I know that I didn't cause any suffering because of what I wanted for dinner.

I can't wait to see what happens in this journey.