Welcome to the Group

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with veganism/vegetarianism:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

I know, i hate it when they try to push meat onto me so im not gonna be hypocritical. Haha thats awesome alaina. Its sweet when you can actually show them the variety of vegan food there is and how it actually tastes great...

Original Post by meeshellmabell:

Michelle - did I mention that I live just north of Everett in Marysville? My sister was in Lacey for a while, but she is north now too!

Michelle

 That's cool.

Quick Question: Is it impossible to be dating someone who isn't vegan? I keep finding that I am the odd man out at family dinners and I feel like his family thinks I am to picky. Or they will ask me if I ever eat. I say yes ( and all the while in my head I am thinking, I just dont eat the nightmare you guys do). Anywayz, it seems to be causing fights with me and my man cuz I never want to go to his family's house anymore. They eat beef every night and load things with butter and cheese. Besides being vegan, their dinners are diet diasters.....

What to do?

This Post has now been moved under "Misc" in the Vegan group.

Hi all! My name is Teresa. Thanks for welcoming non vegans! I have not eaten beef or pork for about 15 years and no poultry for about 3. So no meat, but am not strict with dairy and the occasional fish.

Hi Texas folks. I recently moved from the DFW metroplex where I lived in several locations over the years and recently moved to Austin. Yeah! It's soooo much easier to find vegetarian fare here. Any other Austinites in the group?

This is also a great place for outdoor activities that I enjoy with my precious jack/rat terrier.

I joined calorie counter quite a while back and fell off the wagon. I recently hit a new high with my weight and decided that it wasn't going to fall off as easy as it was pre-30. So I'm back and hitting the gym with a vengeance!

Hello! I'm so glad I found a vegan group! I'm 26 and due to a congenital digestive disorder the doctors recommended that I should exclude red meats from my diet. So I had a semi-vegetarian diet almost all my life but gradually moved on to a completely vegetarian diet. I've been vegan for just 6 months and I feel healthier than ever. I decided to try a vegan diet to improve my health but also for ethical reasons. However, I still have a lot of questions about dairy alternatives and high protein sources.

I joined calorie counter because even though I think I eat healthy food, I really really need to track my calorie income, I tend to gain weight really easy and the snacks between meals always get me.

Hope to share some vegan tips!

I am 32, 5'10 155 lbs.  I want to lose around 10 lbs, but mostly want to firm up.  I turned vegan from vegetarian about 8 months ago, and had to prove to everyone that vegan food is just as good, if not better, than 'reguar  So I cooked, baked & consumed...gee i wonder why i cant lose ? 

I started yoga, & got a gym membership, so Im doing cardio every day & weights every 2nd day.  I was on Jenny Craig before I was vegan, so I know I can lose the weight, just need et the motivation back!

I also am going to watch my portions...hence calorie counter.  Also I learned if its not in my house, I wont eat it, so I dont buy the tempting stuff anymore.  Im taking a really good protein supplement after workouts, and I think Im finally on the right track!

I would love to hear any tips & tricks from all you 'veteran vegans'

This sounds like an appropriate group for me, as I was raised mostly vegetarian, but then became carnivorous for many years, now am repenting of that and all the extra body fat which accompanies it.   CC has helped me lose 25 lbs initially, then I gained half back, so now I am here again, and want to get involved in some groups.  I am mostly vegetarian now and working towards vegan.  I am part of a CHIP team, working as the exercise leader, and I am a nurse.  The CHIP program teaches people how to eat VEGAN!  And we serve a vegan meal at each meeting, and teach how to cook it.  You would think I could be a better vegan than I am, but bad habits are hard to correct.  I am on my way.  Did you know when God created us, He made us as vegans?  He did not intend for any death, and in Heaven and the New Earth, there will be no more death, and we will all be perfect vegans again ;-)  and that's the truth.

Hi everyone!  I'm a twenty year old going to school in Las Vegas.  I've tried vegetarianism before but I always seem to fade back into meat etc within a few weeks.  I've been with calorie count for a while in order to track my nutrient ratios and calories.  Originally I lost a few pounds with cc alone, then I lost a lot more with Atkins.  However, it made me feel like crap because healthy it ain't and here I am again, trying to cleanse myself of animal grief.  I'm going to try to keep my calories low, around 1200 unless I'm hungry in which case  all bets are off, and watch my ratios between fat, protein, and carbs.  I know I can do it this time, though, and I'm anxious to see how awesome I feel.

Also, I'm so broke I'm considering becoming an egg donor.

hola! My name is Nathalie (silent h) and I'll be 16 in January. I've been near vegan for almost 2 years now and I plan on becoming full vegan by the time the year is out. (basically I only eat cheese occasionally and milk or eggs in baked foods like cake.) I'm really into music. I've been playing the cello for 6 year and have just started the guitar. I also learning new things about topics I'm interested in. I could spend hours respeaching and learning something new if I get intrigued by it.

I've been on calorie count for a while now, but I've been sort of on and off with keeping up with logging foods. Eventually my motivation would just go out. But this time I'm on the swim team at my high school to keep my weight loss goals in focus.

Basically, I joined this group because I like to have conversations with like minded individuals when it comes the food I eat. I live in a town where most people don't even know what a vegan is, let alone be open minded to it, so I get most of my support through the internet and vegan podcasts. lol

I'm Louis.I started the vegan diet in March of this year and have continued to this date.Two reasons stand out for me;for better nutrition and maintaining a healthy body weight.I never thought I could live without meat or dairy,but I have with little problem.I started this at a weight of 193# and I dropped down to 143#.Right now I'm at 156#(too many potatoes!).I confess that I do indulge in mac & cheese,and I also top off my spaghetti with grated cheese,but thats as far as I go.I'm a work-outaholic.I work-out with weights,box, and do cardio(treadmill,elliptical,etc.) about every day.I think the vegan diet is great and has been very beneficial for my health and physical fitness.

Hi! I'm Juliette and I've been vegan for over 2 years now. I was vegetarian most of my life before that so...about 19+ years.

I just joined calorie count as of today and am interested mainly because of my degree in nutrition/dietetics.

I wanted to join this group for a number of reasons. I am vegan, creating a club at my university for vegetarians, and am pursuing my degree to become a Registered Dietician (R.D.). So, my interest is both personal and because I plan to specialize in the vegetarian diet when I am licensed.

When not eating, talking about food, reading about food, etc. I go to school, sing/song write, and hike with my boyfriend and puppy dogs.

I look forward to making some friends here!

1. History with veganism/vegetarianism:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

Hello! My name is Cassie and I've been a vegetarian for a year now. I was actually a pescatarian up until the last 3 months when I was finally able to rid myself of fish! That was really hard for me. I call myself a lactose-intolerant vegetarian. The only dairy I eat is the occasional cheese and whatever is cooked into cookies/cake/bread etc. I despise vegan cheese and would much rather opt for not eating cheese for the rest of my life! I just joined Calorie Count today and am intrigued to see if I will actually be able to logon here all the time and post my calories etc.

I am a runner, currently injured. I do a lot of half-marathons and am amping up to do a marathon next fall hopefully. I volunteer for a dog breed rescue group finding dogs homes and and foster homes. I am the only vegetarian in my family, but my mom and my aunt rarely eat meat so it's easy enough to deal with. My boyfriend is a chef and he's really good about cooking me awesome vegan meals (although he has a hard time replacing butter with margarine, but he does it anyway).

I am excited to get to know everyone!

Ciao! My name is Taylor and i have been a vegetarian for over 4 years and a vegan for about 2 weeks! I have dabled in veganism those 4 years, but never made the full jump til recently. I do not use any animal products when i cook myself, and try hard to eat vegan at my parents house and at restaurants, but its kinda hard and im ok with that right now! I joined calorie count about 1.5 years ago to make sure i was getting enough protein and vitamins and all that good stuff. and if i lost a couple pounds, that was just a bonus :). Once i got the hang of it i slacked off a bit, but i recently converted to veganism, so here i am again! i've been a bit low on iron, but i am also leaving in 1 week, so im just trying to finish up all the perishable food. i hate wasting food. lol.

I am currently in my forth year of env. eng. at northeastern university, with thoughts of going to grad school for nutrition! haha i need to figure my life out pretty soon.

I have also started writing a vegan cookbook with my best friend.... stay tuned for that!

My name is Duane.  I am 70 years old and have lost and gained weight many times in my life.  For a number of years I have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian who on occasion will eat fish.  For ethical reasons, I aspire to be a vegan, but my few attempts have failed.  I find it difficult to find a variety of easily prepared, tasty sources of protein.  I usually drink several alcoholic cocktails each evening. I find that when I don't drink, I can better control my eating.  So this time around, I am not drinking alcohol and trying the South Beach Diet...a lot of protein  and as little carbohydrate as possible.  I need to find recipes for tasty, high protein vegan dishes that are relatively easy to prepare.

Hi everyone!

1. I've been vegetarian for the past four years, though I'll have chicken about once a year (usually comfort dishes my mom makes).  I was a vegan for a little over a year, but have been lacto-ovo for the past two.  I'd like to return to a mostly vegan diet, though I eat egg whites for breakfast, and will occasionally will eat cheese (though I'd like not to--I feel great when I don't!).

2. I just recently joined CC, with the hopes that I can have accountability in my weight-loss plans.  Doing it alone is hard, and I really want to get in contact with people who are doing the same thing.

3.  Veganism/vegetarianism is not well-accepted where I live, and I want to be able to talk to others who might also be trying to lose weight and get tips and recipes.

4. I'm a recent college grad, professional photojournalist for two small-circulation newspapers in Northern California, and live at home with my parents (temporarily!).  And that last bit is where I have trouble with both my weight-loss and veganism:  I am surrounded by the unhealthy and/or non-vegetarian dishes of my youth.  I have not forgotten how good much of it tasted/tastes, and I cannot wait until I move out in July 2009 so that I control what is in my kitchen!

hello. i'm candace. 26 years old... recently joined in attempt to lose weight... i'm using the food journal, but need to get back in the exercise habit to use the fitness journal. i've been vegetarian for 12 years, and vegan for the past year and a half. i need to lost weight, so i'm interested in any low and non fat vegan recipes anyone can suggest. i don't know any vegans, and the only vegetarian i know is my fiance. i have no trouble refraining from animal products, but i have trouble limiting my daily food intake. that's my greatest struggle.

Hi, I'm Vicki. I'm 55 years old, proving that even an old dog can learn new tricks.   

Last February, I was diagnosed with kidney failure, and in April, I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer. This cancer has a very low five year survival rate (1 out of a thousand or so). I was devastated, as the disease had caused the kidney failure (I was put on dialysis three days per week). My husband and I already had started a vegetarian regime after the kidney diagnosis, so we did a huge amount of research about alternative cancer therapies and got very serious about killing the cancer cells.

I pursued a vegetarian diet for all of 2008, and included such foods as turmeric, kombucha tea, lots of salads, green drinks made fresh, sauerkraut juice, and lots of strawberries and raspberries (good thing we live in California's Central Valley!). I rarely ate fish or chicken - probably less than a pound for the entire year. Very occasionally cheese. No eggs, no meat, no white anything, no fried foods, no pop.

My second biopsy results in December: NO CANCER CELLS!!!

Vegetarian is the only way to go! In the process I also lost 50 lbs. and feel wonderful! I will never go back to being a meat eater!

Hello, My name is Marcia, and I've been an aspiring vegan since June '08. I've recently turned 60 and am in very good health, but want to be more fit and conscious of my eating patterns and the effects my behaviors have on the world around me as well as within me.

Last June I was inspired to clean up my diet by following the lifestyle changes proposed by Kathie Freston in her book, "Quantum Wellness". After 21 days I felt so good that I have incorporated veganism and healthy eating into my daily life. I have occasional lapses, but no desire to eat meat. I have more energy, think more clearly, and have lost about 15 lbs.

I now need to focus on getting more exercise. Walking my dog 3 times daily just isn't enough!

Original Post by athenaoly:

Welcome! We would love get to know you, so please tell us a little bit about yourself. You can choose any format you'd like, but most of us here share some or all of the following details:

1. History with veganism/vegetarianism:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

And now just go ahead and make that first post!

Hi my name is Amanda and I am a vegetarian working on becoming vegan again. I have been a vegetarian for 10 years. I mostly stick to a vegan diet, but occassionaly have cheese or an egg(cage free). My life style is vegan. I do not wear fur or leather and I do not by products tested on animals. I am new to calorie count. Back in March of 08 I was doing great with weight loss and then I went through a bit of a slump. I need to get back on track. I feel having other veg heads to talk to will be helpful. I have two kids and they are both vegetarian as well. My daughter made the choice when she was almost 5. She is now 11. My 5 yr old son has never eaten meat and I hope he never does. My husband is also vegetarian. He was a huge meat eater, but about 4 yrs ago he saw the light. I look forward to chatting with you guys!