The KInd Life Community Forum

I was trying to go from lacto-ovo vegetarian to superhero and it is just too hard because I haven't been grocery shopping for the items in Alicia's recipes yet, and I am quickly running out of stuff to eat. I decided that for tonight, I am going to take a break and just do vegan for dinner.
I have been vegetarian for a year and a half. I have been vegan 3 days now. I feel cranky, but very calm and warm and unstressed. I have lost 1 1/2 inches and 7 pounds already. I feel better physically. I feel less hungry, even though I have been eating much less. Weird. I actually get full really fast. I have more color in my eyes, cheeks, and skin. My intestines feel less dense and heavy. They feel light and fluffy. Cool beans!

The sweet craving is because you are so tired and want to keep going. Of course giving in will only fix this for a few minutes and then it will be worse. I have found that, being vegan (7 weeks now) however my body feels is authentic and I need to honor it, if possible. For instance, if I am very low-energy, I lie down and close my eyes, if only for 5 minutes. Then I get up and drink a big glass of water and am surprisingly energized. That being said, dairy is the most tired-making of foods for me. It created a heaviness and a slowness in my movements. You should get some relief if you give this up. Also, a lot of folks need a good B Complex when they give up meat -- particularly B12 helps with brain function and central nervous system (my Dr. prescribes Multigenics Glycogenics). You can read more about B vitamins in The Kind Diet. Good luck.

When I first changed my diet, I felt kind of lightheaded and lethargic for a little while. It goes away once your body gets used to running on a cleaner fuel. In the meantime, what helped me was making the most filling meal I could prepare, usually something like rice and beans. Hope this helps! It gets a lot easier the longer you go! :)

Sarah -- Yes, following a balanced vegan diet takes some planning, but not necessarily at every meal. My suggestion would be to avoid the cheese and egg substitutes for a while. They won't be satisfying if you are newly off dairy. I only began enjoying them about 3 months clean. Instead, have some different "go-to" foods. When I was newly off dairy and didn't have time to cook or plan a real meal, I would reach for some eziekiel bread toasted with hummus or almond butter. That with a plain dark green salad would have most of your nutrition bases covered. The "mouth feel" of the creamy hummus or almond butter is very satisfying and filling, and you are getting all your protein and can forget about cheese for a while while you detox. Good luck -- dropping dairy has been my most dramatic beneficial health change! -- http://midlifevegan.blogspot.com

hi, i think the most important thing is to go at your own pace, my daughter rachel 22, introduced me to the kinddiet in march & i took on her 7 day vegan challenge & found it ever so easy, that was april 1st for 1wk. since then, ive mostly consumed vegan type meals, and vegertarian type meals, excluding eggs, cheese & milk, i found with having had a small serving of egg/cheese after a few wks, that id didnt agree with me, so off the list they went :) in the past 6wks, since my new diet, ive only consumed a few prawns/shrimp, during wk 5, when i had lunch at a sailing club, with my youngest daughter grace. i will never go back to red meat or other types of meat, after having read Alicia's book, but i dont have issues with the odd small amount of seafood, perhaps once a month, eating out on a special occassion. do i want to be a vegan or superhero, im not sure, but ill know when the time is right, just like i found myself doing what im doing now, after 46yrs of eating anything & everything. i would describe my current diet, as strict vegetarian & that suits me just fine. i dont want to be perfect & i dont want to live in a perfect world, near enough is good enough :)

my point is this, just feel it, go with your instincts & find a balance between other peoples experiences, words of wisdom & what your inner self guides u to. any kind of eating improvement, is a positive step in the right direction, so if it takes one person longer to reach being a vegan, or superhero, than the average person, then im saying, thats ok :) because we are individuals & none of us would be here, if we really didnt care about making changes or making a diffrence :)

hugs

john, sydney Australia 4.24pm