Going vegan isn’t easy. For one thing, I’m not actually vegan. I am technically a pescetarian. I don’t eat meat, eggs, or any diary but I do still eat honey and fish. This is very confusing to a lot of people. When you say I’m vegetarian, people think “ok you just don’t eat meat”. Very few know the different types of vegetarianism. To be honest, neither do I. I’m still trying to figure this all out for myself, while explain it to other in the process. So, to make things easy I just tell people I’m vegan but I do still eat honey and fish occasionally. It may be incorrect at the moment but I do intend to transition to full vegan one day.
My second problem with going vegan is food and people’s reactions to me. Now, most vegetarians/vegans usually have problems with finding things to eat and negative comments people make about their diet. I face another problem, people assuming I’m going to lose 100 pounds because I’ve gone vegan. When walking into vegan shops I get a lot of looks from customers. It’s not just a look but the stare, turn around, and have your friend look thing. Waiters and store clerks are usually very nice. However, I suspect it’s because they want everyone not just vegans to come to their store. They may just figure I’m one of the non-vegan customers. This disturbs me. I understand that vegetarians/vegans are usually healthy people. They’re not all a size 0 but they’re usually not a size 18. Plus, many people go vegetarian in order to lose weight. I guess the thought is there is less temptation and the food is healthier. Well, veg food is a lot healthier but it is far from less tempting. Since going vegan (almost) I have had plenty of chocolates, brownies, cookies, cakes, corn dogs, burgers, pasta, ribs, mac and cheese, and so much more. There is a vegan alternative for everything. I found out how to make French toast, eggs, buttery grits, and sausage. So I can have the occasional big breakfast that I use to. I don’t eat these things on the regular basis but I do eat them. I also eat pop tarts (unfrosted) and oreos, both of which are vegan. All these things have contributed to me not only not losing weight but gaining it from time to time.
Here is the thing about going vegan. Yes, you eat more veggies and less unhealthy things. I may eat a burger but my burger is made from beans, chickpeas, and other veggies. However, going vegan does not automatically mean I have portion control, I watch my calorie intake, or that I exercise more. I can be just as unhealthy as a vegan as when I was an omnivore! This is not a goal for me; I would love to lose weight. I am just simply stating a fact. It bothers me when people look at me fun or make comments. Even my mother asked me how I was gaining weight when on a vegan diet. Simply put, I am an emotional eater with unhealthy habits. Recently I have graduated from college, which is a good thing. The problem is I can’t find a job is this wonderful big apple of a city. So I tend to eat a lot more when I’m in the house babysitting my sister for the little money I can make. For example I had main meals today, cereal and stir-fry. When I woke up, I ate a bowl of cereal. Not too much later I ate another, not giving time for my food to digest in order for me to feel full. For lunch/dinner I ate homemade stir-fry. This consisted of seitan, broccoli, bok choy, rice, soy sauce, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Half of the bowl of stir-fry I ate was shared with my brother. So far, with the stir-fry and the two bowls of cereal it doesn’t seem so bad. Well I also had mundo oreos and animal crackers both weighing in at 160 per serving. I had several servings of each. I tried to avoid these foods by eating carrots and nuts to snack on. Yet, it didn’t quench my sweet tooth. In the end the several carrots and nuts just added to the calorie. I’m very glad that I drink tea and water, keeping juice from adding to the calorie count. At the end of the day I’ve had more calories than I needed and I only did about 15 minutes of exercise. Mundo calories + little exercise = fat vegan. Yay!
I have to mention when eating this stuff, I’m not actually hungry I just want it. This is all a part of emotional eating, something veganism cannot cure. When becoming vegan I didn’t just throwing away junk food and all my unhealthy habits. I looked to find ways to continue them and I found it on the Internet. I found all the vegan bakeries and ice cream shops in the city. The vegan stores online I can order from and the vegan section in my local organic store. With all these things available to me, I don’t see why everyone it shocked about my weight. In fact, sometimes people are downright cynical. I just don’t know when it was decided you have to be skinny in order to be vegan. I think I’m going to wrap this up here. I want to say I love being vegan and I encourage others to go vegan. I just wish people would stop being judgmental.
