Oh, and to let you know WHY "it ended". My mom took me to a doctor for allergy testing, he pretty much said "eat meat or die", so my mom would not let me not eat meat, which in turn cycled into a whole bunch of other things. NOT because I wasn't commuted to it or failed it in some way. Was I losing weight on it? No, because that wasnt my goal. My goal was to cut out meat.
Also, so sorry for looking deeper and trying to figure out the REAL reason why I'm going vegan. Also didn't realize it was a crime to make modifications to something due to make sure I'm staying healthy. So sorry.
People would love to help you but not if they are just going to be met with sarcasm or self-deprecation. Maybe you should speak with a nutritionist (even one who supports veganism) instead.
You see, you are memorable to most of us because most of us are mothers and when we know you're a younger poster, we take special interest. We care more. Sure, I'd love to help the average 50 year old too but when you're a young girl, we care more. Maybe it's the mommy, maybe it's that we know you have so much ahead of you and you CAN be successful.
But the mindset has brought you back to square 1 over and over again. It's not about allergies, it's not about veganism (there is a vegan section here, lots of successful vegan dieters with allergies), it's the MINDSET that does it.
The cold turkey/"grand plan" to fix everything mindset. This is a mindset that does not exist in the maintainers forum.
Isn't the whole point of "getting back on the wagon" etc. to not let one's past failures bring us down? I see several responses bringing up the OP's past attempts and changes in diet plans. Who cares? I understand offering advice about the plan that was posted. But let's not accuse her of not being committed to losing weight or w/e. I understand the OP pretty much asked for advice/critique on her plan, but some of what has been said here is just not helpful and detrimental to her "mindset".
OP: I'm not a nutritionist so I can't tell you if your plan is the healthiest option out there. I know many people are vegan and are perfectly healthy, as long as they get the proper nutrients obviously. I say, if you feel great and have energy, why not proceed with this? If you have trouble sticking to it, adjust accordingly or even try something else. There's NOTHING WRONG with trying multiple plans until you find one that works. Good luck to you!!
Thank you medchick. I'm sorry for being so defensive. It's really hard to express myself through only words (no tones to imply different things, etc), but I do want to assure you that sarcasm isn't something I do. When I'm saying I'm sorry, it's a tail-between-the-legs I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making y'all upset. I'm sorry for failing in the past. I'm sorry for not going about things the way I should. I have had a VERY tough past two to three years... And y'all have only seen the parts I broadcasted on here... And I shouldnt have made you guys worried about anything.
I'm not perfect, and I might fail this too... But while I have a 12 week plan (that I'm kinda only following now exercise-wise, not that it makes much difference), I'm wanting veganism for life. I'm wanting to run. I'm wanting to do yoga everyday. I want to do those things because they make me happy. They're not torture. I mean, they don't always feel good, but in the end, I love it, and it'll last far longer than just 12 weeks.
I'm seeing a counselor about various issues... And all of this is probably one of them. Something to work on.
While I do tend to agree with what a lot of the others have said about this plan, I also think it's important that you try different things and find what works best for you. I've tried a lot of different things and had them not go right, but I had to try them myself in order to find that out. People told me that it wasn't going to work at all, or not long term...and while I knew deep down that they were probably right, I had to find that out for myself. I'm not saying your plan won't work (though I'll be honest, it does seem a little extreme, just my opinion), I'm just telling you about my own experiences.
The best advice I can give you is: don't give up trying! You might try things and fail, but that's totally normal. Just keep going, keep trying things and you'll find what works for you.
Feel free to disagree, and any vitamin concerns or recommendations or different fruits of vegetables (no matter how obscure) are welcome.
I thought you wanted opinions? I"m confused! We are all here to help each other and i think you've received much valuable advise from the others here!
I've been on different fad diets, juice cleanse and so on for many years. Every time it fails, because they don't last in my opinion i've always gone back to Weight Watchers because i feel as though it's something I can sustain for LIFE. A juice cleanse, raw foods, diet drinks, whatever it may be, they do not last, it's not possible to do for X amount of years from now. Why not just follow a reasonable calorie count and follow the healthy guidelines?
When I'm saying I'm sorry, it's a tail-between-the-legs I'm sorry. I'm sorry for making y'all upset. I'm sorry for failing in the past. I'm sorry for not going about things the way I should.
Sweetie - there's no need for apologies, and no need for defensiveness either. We are all here to SUPPORT each other. Offer advice. Opinions. Share our experiences. I have discovered many helpful tips on this board, and sometimes I've received "tough love" - and while it may have stung a bit, it was definitely something I needed to hear, and think about.
You can "tuck your tail between your legs" and get defensive, or you can think - TRULY THINK - about what we're saying & then decide whether or not to apply that wisdom to your own life.
While it's true that you may have to try several diets before you find what truly works for you (sometimes we must try many different things before we find the perfect thing that works for our own personal journey, that's life in a nutshell!) it's also true about what your bottom-line goal is supposed to do for you. In one post you say you want to "lose weight" & then a few other posts later, you convey that you don't care if you lose weight, you're not trying to lose weight, you just want to be vegan and be healthier.
I strongly believe that for you to reach your goal, you must first be honest with yourself in what your goal is & what method(s) you will have to put to work in order to reach said goal.
Also try to keep in mind that no one here is trying to say/do anything to hurt your feelings or undermine your success thus far.
i generally post once every six months or so but regularly read through these forums for advice and encouragement--it's such a great resource i read through this thread and wanted to share that i "cold turkey-d" to a true vegetarian (vegan) lifestyle in 2006, then added fish back in 2011 (i just missed it. it's delicious.). a plant based lifestyle can be a very sustainable, healthy, and rewarding choice. when i made the switch, it was so far from the way i had been eating that i told myself, as opposed to my usual all-or-nothing "diet" behavior, i would give myself the grace to add stuff back into my diet if it became too stressful or frustrating. the grace to make mistakes or transition back to a more tradional way of eating i think is what really helped me mentally stick with it for the five years that i did.
something regarding actual weightloss with veganism, and i know everyone's different, but for me i think i lost about 7 pounds by making the switch but really nothing after that. tracking what i eat and exercise have changed my body the most. (i think i was around 170 in 2006 and i currently pop between 148 and 152.)
i want encourage you while you're working on a new lifestyle to be open to the advice of people who have been where you are and to be really loving to yourself. some good resources if you need any are 'eat to live,' 'vegan planet,' 'balancing hormones naturally,' and 'women, food, and god.' (that last one was an oprah pick a few years ago and is so worth reading.)
Thanks for letting me know all my flaws and failures. Sorry to bother you guys.
I'm going to say to you what not enough people said to ME a decade or so back.
STOP BEING MELODRAMATIC!
Seriously.
Everyone here wants you to succeed, being sarcastic and overly defensive isn't helping us OR you, yes? If this plan works for you, that is excellent. Our concern is that it isn't nutritionally balanced and is too restrictive to maintain on. That doesn't mean anyone thinks you're stupid or a failure, we just don't want this to be harder on you or your body than it needs to be.
You don't need to defend yourself or prove us wrong - prove to YOURSELF that you can find a way to live that is healthy for your body and spirit. And keep us posted on how that search goes. We might want to give tips or cautions, but it is with the very best intentions and hope for your success. Really.
Last edited by Arctic Mama; 03-22-2012 at 07:57 PM.
