I notice not many guys have posts here.. maybe I'll start something.

I'm very new to the idea of becoming a vegan or vegetarian.  I live on meat and processed foods..  My health and weight reflect that as well.. I have high blood pressure, sleep apnea, way overweight, and skin problems.

I have tried just about every diet out there, and I haven't been able to stay with any of them.  I go to the gym from time to time to try and stay a little bit healthy, but I want to do better...

I am a few chapters into Alicia's book, the Kind Diet, and its really speaking to me.. 

I have told my son and his mom, which is a good friend, and they all think I shouldn't bother.. that it will just be another one of those fad diets I try and fail at..

And what they don't understand is it wouldn't be a diet..  It would be a change in how I look at food.

Anyway..  I love the idea of not killing any more animals for my sake, and if I can avoid dying of colon cancer like my Dad did, I'm all for it. 

So this weekend, I'm avoiding the meat section of the store and looking for those items that promote a healthier, meat free life.  Time to flirt I guess and stop talking about it..

I think Cheese is the one thing I will miss the most... that and a steak every weekend..

 I grew up an Iowa Farm boy, now its time to put that past behind me and find something better than steak to eat after church on Sundays...

Kevin, there are a few guys here and you are all definitely welcome!  :o)  You sound like you are ready for change.  I know you said that you have tried other diets in the past, but this is different.  Like you said, it is a lifestyle change, it is a shift in your perception of food.  That really works for people sometimes.  My brother-in-law made the change to vegan when he had trouble losing weight other ways (because he couldn't stick to a diet) and he lost 80 pounds.  He has been vegan ever since.  You  can totally do it.  Don't listen to the naysayers, listen to us.  Read the success stories and keep yourself inspired.  I love when people take control of their health like this, understanding that they have the power to avoid disease and reverse much of what damage has already been done.  Good luck and keep coming to this site.  It is extremely helpful for those first on the journey and it provides great support to those who don't have it at home. 

Thanks for the encouragement. 

Its not so much that they are naysayers, they will support me if I tell them I'm doing it regardless of what they think.  But up until now, I've just been talking about it and thinking about it.  They just don't think I can do it.. I guess they know me too well and my past experiences.

I quit smoking several years ago by just stopping... not cutting back or using some program.. just quit...

I think that  I have to do it the same with eating meat and the other unhealthy foods (like sugars and white breads),  I just have to quit... cold turkey.. no looking back...  I have tried the cutting back and programs (with all the dieting), and nothing worked.. the temptations were still there and if I started with one bite, I had to finish the whole thing..  and then get more..

So I think the key (for me anyway) is to just not take that first bite.. out of site - out of mind...

That's one reason I have been researching it so much.. The Kind Diet is the best book I've read on it so far,  I don't want to do myself physical harm by just changing all at once.. 

So I will give myself a week or two to transition, but after that... no more cold turkey..  (meat, that is)...

Thanks for the support.. I'm sure that starting next week I will need all I can get...

Good for you!  My husband is taking the leap now too.  He is like you where he can't eat just one cookie, he has to eat 10, so I definitely know where you are coming from.  Some personalities just have to go cold turkey.  He is having blood pressure issues, so rather than go on meds I told him to put his life in my hands for two weeks and I will have him in shape. So he agreed and he feels great. He said he's not going to turn back because he feels so energized.  My hubby is doing mostly vegan, but is doing skim milk on his cereal in the morning because it is lower sodium than my Almond milk.  Well I hope you give it a try, I think you will be really happy with the results.  I've been with my husband 17 years, so it took him a really long time to come around, but better late than never :)  Good Luck!

Have you read the Engine 2 Diet? It is very accessible and a quick read. It has some great information. I don't like all the processed soy in some of the recipes, and the abundance of nightshades, but there are still some really goos recipes in it and it's good for guys to read - the author being a firefighter who did a study at his Engine 2 Firehouse in Austin, lowering the cholesterol of his fellow firefighters and stuff like that.

Thanks Minnie...

Hazel, I will look that book up tomorrow when I'm running around town.  I live just outside Austin, I'm surprised I didn't see news stories or something about that..   I guess getting healthy is not big news...

I picked my son up today after school, and he was waiting for me at the Wendy's next to his school.  I walked in and he was there eating a salad... not a double baconator like he usually gets...  I asked him about it and he said he thought he would try it since I told him that eating vegetables was more healthy than meat..  I mentioned it to him yesterday when I told him I was thinking about being a vegetarian.... I didn't think he was listening to me (it was in the car)...

Maybe it won't be so hard to get him on board... at least most the time...

I told him we would clean out the meat in the freezer over the weekend (only a couple things left), but when I go get groceries this weekend, I was going to concentrate on vegetarian products..

I"m a little worried... I'm a single guy (with a teen son) that doesn't like to cook...  I can see all those fancy recipes in the books and online, but they kind of scare me because of all the strange ingredients... so I will probably start out with mostly meat replacements like vegiburgers and slowly pick up a few new recipes on the weekends until I have enough good ones to get away from those highly processed products..

Welcome Kevin!  Ditto on what's been said & sounds like your head & heart are in the right place.  It's good to hear you'll have a support system, & though I'm new to the forum it seems like a place full of resources.  Plus the web doesn't hurt either :)

Like you I don't like to cook; I don't remember the last time my stove was used.  How are you w/ using the oven?  I'm more open to using it for baking, broiling, roasting, etc.

How cool about your son - proof that teenagers can hear what their parents are saying hehe.

Good luck & keep us posted.

Kevin - while like I said I don't care for processed soy like veggieburgers and stuff like that, and I don't think it's healthy to eat it all the time - it can be essential for some trying to switch to a healthier diet from a SAD one. I think a lot of The Engine Two recipes are simple. Most of them use common ingredients. There's a whole chapter on 'E2 Approved Foods' to keep in your kitchen, helping you with initial shopping. If I recall correctly, Rip and his father (Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn - well known for his research with heart disease and plant-based-diets), don't promote the use of oil at all, at all, and Rip's focused on low-sodium and stuff like that. So, it's a really guideline for losing weight and lowering cholesterol. Don't be overwhelemd with the lists if you decide to get this book, you can replace things in chunks.

And while some of the ingredient lists for the recipes might look long, they're really basic - like onions, garlic, tomato, spices. He uses a lot of canned stuff - like beans - partially for the purpose of trying to make the recipes easier. And when the recipe calls for canned beans or veggie broth, it's easy to find low or no sodium versions. Rip's Big Bowl is really good and filling, E2 Basic Panckaes couldn't be easier (I always add frozen berries when I make them). The Quick Bran Muffins are super easy to make to keep on hand for a snack (I would add raisins or fruit juice sweetened cranberries). The Supreme Pizza is easy and good, too (you can use a healthy crust that is not Kabuli if you can't find that one).

I heard Rip speak once, the company I worked for brought him in, and he's very passionate, like his father, about getting people healthy.

 

If you have the opportunity - in March the documentary Forks Over Knives is opening, focusing on the work of Dr. Caldwell and Dr. Essylten, there's at least a cameo by Rip as well:

http://www.forksoverknives.com/

 

Hi Kevin...I am new at this veggi/vegan lifestyle as well. I started out as a vegetarian and that wasnt so difficult for me since I dont eat a lot of meat in the fish place. Now i just decided to transition over to vegan. Its been a little harder to figure out what to buy and eat since almost eveything contain some form of animal products so I been venturing out on my own...in my kitchen. I am super excited and happy for you that you have decided to make a change...a BIG one at that! Alicia's book is a great guide it helped me a great deal...support is a huge factor as well so your in the right place!  :)

Hi there! I'm new at this lifestyle also, but had been eating "healthy" prior. But, there was a time when I lived off junk. And a friend said to me once "just observe how you feel when you DON'T eat that cookie." And that helped me to feel less controlled by food. I didn't buy that chocolate chip cookie, and I felt all these emotions coming up. It was interesting and empowering to observe this, and not give into it. Every day that you make healthy choices, you will feel more and more empowered by that success. I know it is hard because junk food is an addiction like any other.

The biggest thing that helped me was to focus on what I CAN eat rather than on what I CAN'T eat.

Also, those in AA know that you have to get as passionate about being sober as you were about alcohol. Same with healthy eating. I got as passionate about healthy food as I used to be about the junk food I ate. Changing how you think and what you focus on makes it a whole lot easier.

Good luck!!!!

Thanks everyone...  I went shopping today and I was like a lost puppy trying to buy vegetarian foods.  I think I did okay..  I'm not going all the way to Vegan just yet... but I did try to get stuff with as little egg and dairy as I could, like soy milk and vegi-cheese...

My older brother went to the hospital today with chest pains, they admitted him for more tests.. I don't want to go down that road anymore..When I turn 50 in a few years, I don't want to think that I only 10 good years left (which is what my dad had).. I want to say I'm only half way there...

 

 

Yogagirl gives some good advice, many of us on here have said the same thing - mindset will go a long way towards success. Don't think about - I can't have this - think - I don't want that, it's not good for my body and won't do anything good for me. Then make something delicious to eat. I'm going to recommend one more simple read - Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, by Caldwell Esselstyn. The Esselstyns write in a very accessible way about the incredible health beenfits of eating a plant-based diet..

Kevin,

I wanted to get on an wish a fellow Iowan GOOD LUCK on your new lifestyle.  I was raised in Ames, with a SAD diet, so this was a big change for me too.  I've now been vegan for a year, and feel so great about the change.  It's so peaceful and empowering to be able to eat until I'm full, and know I'm giving my body the best fuel possible.  Definitely see Forks Over Knives and read the China Study when you need some inspiration or willpower.  You can do it- and it will be so beneficial to both you and your son.

Thanks Katherine,

I'm Iowan by birth, but relocated to Austin, TX about 11 years ago...  So I was raised on Steak and mashed potatoes... and ended up around BBQ Brisket and sausage (here in TX)... so I'm sure that getting rid of all the meat will take some time of adjustment..

Today is my first day..  I "enjoyed" a pork sandwich last night.. it was good, but I think I can live without it..

For a while, I may rely on Veggie burgers and TVP to satisfy my meat cravings, but from what I have read, I need to wean myself off that or at least greatly reduce it because too much soy is not good for me... so I will need to learn some good bean recipes... easy ones, since I don't cook..

I also puchased Tofu for the first time last weekend... I have never tasted tofu.. I hope its edible. 

My brother went to the hospital Saturday Morning with what appeared to be a mild heart attack..  That is just one more reason for me to succeed at this...  I dont' want that for myself in a few years...