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!

Hi, my name is Misty.  I decided to become a vegan - again.  I was a vegan about 10 years ago for couple of years, switched to vegetarianism for a few years, then pescetarianism until a couple of weeks ago.  My reasons are mostly environmental and animal rights in nature, but health has a great deal to do with my decision as well.  I'm the only vegetarian I know and I am surrounded by those meat and potatoes folks here in PA Dutch Country.  Until recently, it was difficult to find foods to support my lifestyle.

Over the past 14 months, I have lost 68 pounds.  I have 17 pounds to go to reach my goal of 125 pounds.  Perhaps that has something to do with the change in eating as well - that extra push at the end!

I've been using the CC tools for many months and decided to track everything online - I'm sorta a techy geek that way.  I can use it on my BlackBerry too, which is really convenient.  I also hope to get some helpful information on veganism from some of the other posts here in this group on what really tastes good, not just what the commercials say...

Just a little about me - I work for County government as an Analytical Services manager in the Information Technology department.  For fun, I'm the lead singer in a pop/rock band on the weekends.  Keeps me young and music is my passion!  Oh, and I have two children.  I'm a busy gal!

Looking forward to hearing from everyone!

Hi, my name is Christina and I live on the west side of Washington State--closer to Canada than Seattle. I have been a vegetarian off and on since my early twenties (remember Fit For Life?). I "fell off the wagon" when I remarried and began cooking for my new husband. I now realize that the 20 pound weight gain that all my married friends joked about had less to do with the fact that I was cooking on a regular basis and more to do with the fact that I was polluting my body with animal products! I joined Calorie Count last year as a way to track my weight and check the caloric contents of food--I was a faithful South Beach Diet/Lifestyle follower at the time.

My now 18-year-old became a Vegan for ethical reasons (the fact that I raised him on soy "meat" probably helped his dedication!) a year ago. I began to alter my cooking to accommodate his lifestyle. Eventually, I converted, too. I dropped 10 pounds the first month without counting calories. My colon has never been healthier and gone is the constant bloat and the fatigue! I don't miss meat, eggs, cheese...any of it! There are tasty and nutritious alternatives for all of those products. For instance, it's amazing how fast and easy it is to whip up ricotta, feta and mayo replacements in my food processor!

I did spend some up-front time reading the below-listed books and searching the books' recommended websites and perusing the local markets for Vegan products. I checked out every Vegan and Vegetarian cookbook that my local library had and "test-drove" the recipes and then picked my favorite cookbooks. Then, I ordered the favorite books online (I love Barnes & Noble and Amazon's used book options!). I have managed to convert all of my "old standby" recipes to Vegan with no complaints from the family. And we all eat the same meals together (no cooking two dinners here!): my husband and my 13-year-old, too. They may have non-Vegan foods outside of the home and that is their prerogative.

For those who say that they experience difficulty sticking to a Vegan diet, I suggest a few books. Reading these books cured me (and the other Vegans I know)--once and for all--of any desire to eat animal products ever again:

Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin

Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating by Erik Marcus

The Vegan Sourcebook by Joanne Stepaniak

Slaughterhouse by Gail A. Eisnitz

I have found a lot of recipes and resources through Alltop.com and following the links: Topics/Interests/Vegan

VegCooking.com is another great web site.

I'm looking forward to swapping ideas and encouragement!

Hi, my name is Lili. I'm 20 years old and today is my one month mark of not eating meat! I'm really excited about this and am trying to get more and more into veganism. I grew up as a skinny kid and didn't start gaining weight until about junior year of high school. Even then, I was still thin. College has really been the first time I have become VERY unhappy with my weight/body. I used to always think I wasn't fat, but could be toned, and now I definitely feel like I need to lose weight. I am 160 lbs and 5' 9". Since all of my little commitments I make to myself, I eventually break, I decided to read Skinny Bitch after hearing about it. I've always been kind of against vegetarianism/veganism. I thought it was outrageous and, frankly, ignorance is bliss when it comes to what goes into your food and what you're actually putting into your body. I grew up in a family where we ate every dinner together and my dad is a really good cook, so I am not just one of the girls who is like "well all i ever ate was chicken anyway--" i love a nice rare steak! plus many other meats. so far the hardest part is when i think long term and think i'll never have steak or bacon again. i loveee bacon! and the soy stuff isn't the same. so i am trying to take it one day at a time for now and not look at it in a negative way of "giving up." my sister became a pescetarian almost two years ago and i used to make fun of her for it (sometimes she was kinda preachy), but i am going to visit her for my spring break and am looking forward to sharing in each other's eating habits! anyway, that was probably way too detailed of an intro about me, but i love my cat, Caboodle, and my german shepherd dog, Fawn. I love to read and write, go out with friends, and am a student majoring in english/women's studies. I also work part-time for a photographer and i love my job!! 

Hola! My name is Arici and I'm 24. I have been a vegetarian for six years and I turned vegan two weeks ago. I gave up gluten one month ago.I am happy to be part of this group because I have no vegan friends and talking about nutrition or recipes, as well as having a support group to turn to, are very helpful for me.

I have been a member of Calorie Count for two years and it has helped me tremendously to find the right food for me and to know when to stop eating.

I love bicycling and dancing, and eating healthy food without harming any creature. I'm glad I joined the group!

Arici :)

Hi

My name is Christen.  I live in SW Ontario and am in my 40's.  I became a vegetarian 2 1/2 years ago.  I live in a small town so try to make vegan choices where available, but mostly that is hard to do with so few options available.

I am trying to switch up my routine to lose weight.  I am on the plateau from he!! and can't seem to get going again.  I am new to calorie count.

I love walking and plan on walking 40+ km at the local Relay for Life cancer walk in June.

Hi,

My name is Stephanie, I am 27 years old and I have been vegan for about six years (and vegetarian for another eight years before that). I went veggie for animal rights reasons and as the years went on, the reasons evolved into so much more than just a choice for me. I love being vegan and I love experimenting with new foods, recipes, products.

I struggle to maintain my weight because I love to eat and I eat too much. My weight fluctuates by about 30 lbs almost yearly. I have lost the first 15 lbs once again and thought I'd try something new. I joined calorie count a couple of days ago and think the forums/groups will be a great way to get a bit of support. As well, it seems like such a simple idea, eating fewer calories than you burn, I can't believe I haven't tried it before! Already I am more mindful of what I am eating.

I recently got hooked on Jillian Michael's DVDs (30 Day Shred, BFBM, NMTZ) so I tend to exercise to those a few times a week, I also enjoy running. Aside from that, I spend most of my time (outside of work) cuddled up with my husband and my newly rescued mini-pin/chihuahua cross.

new vegan, new to calorie count, not new to being overweight . Joined to get diet advice from other vegans.

solar

Original Post by changedform:

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:

about 6 years vegetarian but i had an ED and now eat seafood for protein...though not all the time. i'm thinking of going vegan but would like some help. 

2. History with Calorie Count:

started a few months back when dealing with recovery from an ED

3. Reason for joining this group:

support for switching to veganism and more info

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

just getting ready to graduate with a degree in psych, i tutor and have tutored for quite some time now, mostly writing but also diet and exercise, i have a puppy and her name is sasha she's my baby!!, i am interested in health and wellness, i love fitness and cooking/baking/and watching others prepare yummy meals!

Hi my name is Destiny. Im 15, 5'8" 129 pounds. I have been vegetarian since second grade but i made the switch to full-on-vegan in January 2009 (10th grade.) It has been 100% easy for me since i ALWAYS read everything in nutrition labels anyway. I just joined Calorie Count today and this is my first group!!! I mostly joined to find and to share some great low-cal/low-fat recipes. I only eat organic and im "anti-microwave" too. I record all my Calories, Fat, Carbs, Sodium, sugar, and Fiber. I like to keep all of these things very low and id love some recipes if you got em!!!

i'm thinking of switching to vegan but honestly the only thing stopping me is not having replacements for yogurt and cottage cheese. what brands do you guys eat? are they expensive? i already drink rice milk and i've had soy cheese but cottage cheese and yogurt are a bit trickier.

tofutti has some of the best soy products out there, along with Silken. Im really dont eat very much tofu myself though. I eat almost all fruit and veggies. Im switching to the cabbage soup diet on Monday after my fashion show (im a model) For great tofu brands and vegan recipies go to PETA.com and follow some of the links for cooking

Original Post by chrissy1988:

i'm thinking of switching to vegan but honestly the only thing stopping me is not having replacements for yogurt and cottage cheese. what brands do you guys eat? are they expensive? i already drink rice milk and i've had soy cheese but cottage cheese and yogurt are a bit trickier.

 Hi Chrissy, I don't know if you have a Holland and Barrets where your from but they sell a fake cream cheese called toffuti, you can buy it plain or with herbs. They aslo sell lots of other treats http://www.tofutti.com/. For yogurts I would go for Alprosoya, you can get loads of different flavour soy yogurts and they sell them in most superstores such as sainsburies etc!

Original Post by helen2009:

Original Post by chrissy1988:

i'm thinking of switching to vegan but honestly the only thing stopping me is not having replacements for yogurt and cottage cheese. what brands do you guys eat? are they expensive? i already drink rice milk and i've had soy cheese but cottage cheese and yogurt are a bit trickier.

 Hi Chrissy, I don't know if you have a Holland and Barrets where your from but they sell a fake cream cheese called toffuti, you can buy it plain or with herbs. They aslo sell lots of other treats http://www.tofutti.com/. For yogurts I would go for Alprosoya, you can get loads of different flavour soy yogurts and they sell them in most superstores such as sainsburies etc!

unfortunately we don't have that store here. maybe veganism is just too much for me...i'm thinking just lacto vegetarian...i really want to make the switch but i LOVE!!!! with extra !!!!! ice cream and cottage cheese...oh and frozen yogurt. maybe i can't do it :( 

Hello, My name is Crystal. I just joined Calorie counter today, and went looking for some groups. I am a vegetarian, and have been for several months. when I became a vegetarian, the intention was really to be a vegan. I read "Skinny Bitch", and it just made so much sense. I have been trying to make the transition to full vegan for some time. I just keep having relaspses. I know that it's better for the world and for my health, but my stomache just doesn't care when a cheese pizza or bowl of mac & cheese makes it's way around me. I realize that for some people it's easy to make the switch, but me it is a bit more difficult.

Some of the changes I've made so far are I gave up milk and now substitute it with Soy milk, and with my morning whole grain english muffin, I use all natural peanut butter instead of butter.

I'm also not a great cook, which is another problem. I have vegan cookbooks, but for me it's hard to motivate myself to actually get off my but and cook something. Me and my boyfriend eat out alot, and sometimes it's hard enough to find anything vegetarian, let alone vegan.

So anyway, thats my problems. Someday though, I hope to be entirely vegan. I'm working towards it one day at a time

Original Post by changedform:

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!

Hello all.  I'm new to the groups function of Calorie Count and today I decided to go forth and join.  I am not a vegan or vegetarian by label.  I joined this group because when I cook, I cook vegan.  I love vegan foods.  I was a vegetarian for years and never learned to cook meat.  Somewhere along the line I stopped cooking with animal ingredients entirely.  It's great, but I don't need to tell you all that.  If all the food I ate was food I prepared, then I would certainly be a vegan.  I'm hoping this group has great foodie secrets to share with someone who loves to cook vegan.

1. History with veganism/vegetarianism:

I have been vegan for almost a year now. Went vegetarian and in two weeks I could barely force myself to eat eggs and dairy... it was a natural progression for me.

2. History with Calorie Count:

Been a CC member for a couple of years. Love this place. Recently gained back some weight I need to drop it.

3. Reason for joining this group:

It would be nice to have some vegan weightloss support

4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:

Web designer, dog lover, goodie, spiritualist. I like to lift weights... not so crazy about cardio!

Hello! I'm Shayen!
I've been vegetarian for around 5 years now. I eat only raw foods, but I am Turkish and cannot resist feta cheese in my salads! And around that time of the month I enjoy some dark chocolate [:
I'm new to this web site and new to this group. I wanted to create a nice support base for myself as a reminder to keep it up, because sometimes I get unmotivated or my hormones tell me or make me feel bad things!

I'm very interested in the recipes. Although I'm a raw foodist I do cook every night for my father. He has converted vegetarian out of fear for his health and so I'm trying to take care of him now that I live with him. I just moved to Berlin from San Francisco and it's one huge healing experiment. I will settle only for success!

Hello. My name is Vanessa. I have been a vegetarian for going on 7 years.   I am almost vegan but I do sometimes consume products that have trace amounts of milk in them .  I do not eat eggs and I haven't eaten cheese in around 6 months.

I have found calorie count to be very helpful.   I am trying to lose a good bit of weight ( around 30 lbs or so)

My hubby and I had some issues an I ate cheaply and that was mostly pasta, etc and I gained about 15 lbs I had lost in the last six months back.   Now I am starting over again.   I have lost two lbs this week so far by working out and eating about 1350 calories a day.

I am my motivation and I have battled weight my whole entire life.

I have 4 cats ( fuzzy, lucky, hunny bun & pinky) and one dog (Laney).

I have been married a year and a couple of months.

Hello,

my name is elena! I am starting now to make the transition to vegetarianism.

I am so happy about it, i always felt unhappy about eating animals:( but its difficult since all my family eats meat and i didnt have a choice!No that i live on my own I am gonna change. i cut on eggs,meat, and also dairy(ecxept from bits) i prefer soya than dairy anyway.( i am trying to cut fish but i guess one step at a time, and i also dont want to throw food away)

i can believe i found this group were i can learn more about it and also find people that are veg n talk to them since i dont know anyone around here that is veg.:)

Hi All :)
I'm Icha, 22 yo from Jakarta, Indonesia
i've been a vegan for a year plus 3 months. I'm hypoallergenic. allergic to seafood, soap, make up, sometimes with coffein, nut, and choco. its depends on my condition. but its all nothing for me. im still wearing make up bcoz im a dancer and still eat cadburry black forest (everyday). lol
first time, i tried to be a semi vegan ( about 1 months ) but i dont mind that chicken eater is ppl who have a good life style even just a bit. so i decided to be a vegan (still trying) i love to be a vegan. my weight is 43, height 157 cm. its ideal for me (i have to keep my size for my shows)
nice to found this web, and also know with ya all.

these links to find me :

• my blog : oh my tote bag!
• follow me on twitter @iiiccchhhaaa
• facebook username : chaaa

<3
kisskiss
cha2