Hi there everyone. I started my journey towards becoming a vegan a little over three days ago. It has been up and down. For the first day and a half, I felt fabulous! I am a teacher and was amazed that I had energy to spare all the way up until the end of the school day and beyond. Usually, my last class of the day is really hard so this was a definite plus. On the second day, I woke up to a severe headache and an extremely upset stomach. I slept the entire day away and threw up once. I am back up again today and still continuing on the diet, but I'm afraid that I am going to wake up again with a headache tomorrow and tomorrow is a school day. Are these symptoms of detox and what should I do to make them less severe? I know that it is important to continue with the diet even in the face of these symptoms, but I just wanted to make sure this was normal and how to cope.

Sounds like detox to me. I experienced similar symptoms when I tried a raw food diet last spring. It scared me (I didn't realize it was normal), so didn't stick with it. From everyhting I've read since, I think you should be fine tomorrow.  If you're really worried about school tomorrow, maybe try eating bland/more familiar food for the rest of the day, if you can, to give your system a bit of a rest.

Hang in there Joda. I have been flirting for about 3 weeks now. So far no red meat and dairy. I have had fish once and chicken twice. My first week I also experienced the headaches but they go away just as quickly as they come. Do not feel bad to take medicine to cope, afterall you are making some major changes but  it is worth it. At least I think so. I am not sure if I will continue to keep all dairy out of my diet but so far I feel great. Good luck

Thanks for the heads up guys.  Its later in the evening today and I'm feeling like I might be on the way out of this.  I am still going to go to bed super early and drink two more glasses of water before I do.  I'll be taking tylenol with me tomorrow to school just in case.  I'm planning on hanging on and will update more about how I am feeling later.  Thank you so much for the encouragement!

Hi Joda I felt the same way. First few days felt amazing and full of energy then now I have been having ups and downs with headaches, aches and pains, gas etc but as I posted on another discussion my skin is amazing and my other unsightly symptoms seem to be lessening. So hang in there. I think we all have to go through a detox period. Lets face it we've been ingesting horrible things we thought were good for us and our bodies are just unloading now and regrouping so we can heal from the inside out. I also got sores inside and outside of my mouth but only lasted a day or so and now I'm free and clear. Good luck. We're all here for each other which is huge and such a blessing. It makes this new journey for many of us that much easier to know we're not alone or crazy...lol.... :)

UPDATE:  Hi there everyone!  I started feeling much better a few days ago and now I can't believe how good I feel!  Because of the detoxing symptoms, I wasn't able to drink coffee for a few days and now I am off of coffee as well.  I have enough energy to go from 4 am in the morning until 10 or so in the evening with energy to spare.  After the detox, I did decide to take it a little slower.  I am still eating a slight amount of cheese, some items that are made with eggs (though no eggs themselves) and going very light on any milk. I haven't had meat in one week.  I haven't turned scaling back on veganism to vegetarianism into a chance to replace meat with tons of cheese or sweets.  I plan on being fully vegan in a month or so.  Again THANKS for all of the support and advice.  It was invaluable in getting me through the detox and on with this great new thing. 

Hi Joda I'm about to complete my first week and have some similar symptoms. Hang in there.

You hang in there, too, Michelle!  I am over the hump and am not presenting any symptoms of detox except when I overindulge in carbs, cheese or sweets.  My skin broke out a little (and I NEVER break out) so I am just waiting for them to clear up now.  Please report back and let us all know how you are doing. : )

I had a similar experience after starting my vegan diet.  I felt great the first week, then a couple days later came down with terrible nausea and diarrhea... thought I ate something bad!  I felt awful (probably due to dehydration) the following day, but am starting to regain all of my original energy again.  I still have bouts of weakness and lightheadedness, which I assume is due to my blood sugar adjusting to new balance.  I'm glad to know others went through this.  It's scary to have these effects because we're so trained to think we're doing something our bodies are not accepting... when it's quite the opposite.

Man, oh man.  I was all gassy and un-energetic when I started... probably about a month ago.  Making sure to eat full balanced meals, grains, beans, veggies, and getting enough sleep, I was able to adjust.  I've flirted for a while, but with all the great recipes in the book, I've gone straight to Superhero.  
I used to get up around 9-11AM, now I get up at 6:30AM every day to draw with my friend, and go to sleep at 12AM.  Thats how much energy I've gained.  I've been able to exercise more, quadrupling my pushups, and sit-ups.  I have the strength and energy I had when I was six.  I also take a mid afternoon nap when I need it.  
I also had a cyst on my chest for months that, two weeks in, resolved it's self and I've forgotten all about it.  Detox baby!  

I did this weight loss game at work based on the book GAME ON where you have to eat a protein/carb/fat (fist/palm/thumb size) five meals a day, 3 liters of water, no processed food or white sugar or white flour.  I still ate some meat (ground beef and tuna) and dairy (cheese).  Then I decided to do the GAME ON structure but Vegan and I haven't felt many detox symptoms b/c I think I worked them all out during GAME ON.  Just some more oily skin, but otherwise I feel great.  I tried to go vegan awhile back when I was doing three meals a day and very little water and still processed food and I quit after three weeks b/c I bet my cravings were too strong and I wasn't aware of what it was.  So if anyone out there is having a lot of trouble, trying taking one thing out a week over a four weeks (sugar, flour, dairy, meat) and see if that helps with cravings and detox.  I'm convinced that's why this transition feels more like a change for a lifetime.  

I've been meat free for about 10 days now, and I'm definitely having headaches and nausea. It's comforting to know I'm not the only one! I have still been eating cheese, and I was wondering if that might be causing the headaches instead? How long did this detox stage last for you folks?

Emily,
You may be experiencing detox. Is there anything new that you added to your diet that could be causing your headaches? Some fake vegan meats and convenience foods can do that.
Do you wake up feeling that way? Is it every day? Have you had these symptoms before?
Justin

Hi Emily -- Agree that these sound like detox symptoms.  It can actually take several months for your body to completely detoxify (though we all go at our own pace), so hang in there.  I recently did a month-long raw food retreat in Hawaii and had very few detox symptoms (coming off a sporadic omnivore lifestyle) -- I think it was because I made sure to stay hydrated with both plenty of water and eating lots of fruits/vegetables/green juice. 

Dairy is problematic for a lot of people - though they may not realize it until its eliminated and they feel the difference; you may want to give subtracting it a shot?  Is meat all you've eliminated, or are there other foods you may be withdrawing from?  Coffee withdrawal is notorious for causing these symptoms. 

Thanks for the responses. They headaches went away not too long after. I have also decided to give cheese the boot. It was the only dairy left I was consuming, but I have to admit this one is really hard for me to give up!