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I am just getting started with a vegan lifestyle. I feel pretty bad and probably look even worse. I have experienced a vegan lifestyle as a child and have yearned to get back to that period as an adult. I can remember having clear skin, healthy hair/nails and a healthy weight. My life now is full of processed foods, sugar, salt and fatty meat. I am experiencing depression/anxiety, am overweight, acne problems, digestion problems and have recently been diagnosed with sleep apnea, hypertension and atrial fibrillation- all of this at the age of 32. I have little to no energy. I feel 132. I have attempted to lose weight on my own with diet and exercise but have gotten nowhere. A vegan lifestyle is my only alternative right now. I want to feel more alive and feel better about what I am putting into my body. I also want to help the environment and take better care of it with lifestyle changes. I also live a very high stress, high strung lifestyle- I work full-time, am a full-time student, mother of four and wife. Any tips on getting started with de-toxing and with lifetstyle de-stressors are welcome! It is definitely time for a change.....
Wow where do you find time for you? I shouldn't complain ever again...I have 1 cat and me and I'm still overweight and the best thing I do about it is talk about it with no action! That's what I've been doing for years, just talking about the change that I want with no action behind it. Maybe you can help inspire me.
Michele
Why not take baby steps and do the suggestions in Alicia's book, for flirts?
Let me start by saying WOW! I dont know how you have any me time.
I have only been vegan for about 3 months and I have to say i feel great. I was also pretty stressed being a full time student and working...but no kids...so i really admire you.
I would say that the best way to start is probably to flirt for a while. Personally I became vegetarian over night and then after about 2-3 weeks became vegan.
As for the stress...the best thing i do when im really stressed is exercise or cooking. I too am overweight but have lost quite a bit of weight since going vegan. I dont know how you feel about meditation but I have heard people say that it is great for stress. I personally am very interested in trying it but haven't done so yet.
The other thing i do from time to time...especially when i'm really stressed is have a bath and use a bubble bar from lush (some are vegan). Then i do a face scrub and a mask. Even if all you can spare is 10-15 mins...lol because i can be time poor i sometimes put the mask on while in the bath. It helps so much and when you feel good about yourself you are more likely to care about whats going into your body and how it is making you feel.
Thank you all for your responses 
@Michele-..actually I never have time for myself and when I do its only a few minutes! My time is completely devoted to my family, work and school. I have a cat too!
@ Esperanza- Yes I agree, and I am doing just that, taking baby steps. I am beginning this week with a detox. I am going to wean myself off the meat little by little until I no longer crave it..its going to be tough!
@Alysha- your relaxation tips are very helpful...I think 10-15 minutes is pretty much all I have to myself each day. Meditation has crossed my mind too, but I'm not sure how to even do it. Or if I even can..I have a lot of things going on. I would like to become a vegan overnight too (I envy you right now) but from my own personal experiences, its best for me to gradually work up to it or I would give up. How did you become vegan so quickly? Any tips?
Lol...i actually took a few weeks to go vegan...but i became vegetarian overnight.
I had been sort of flirting with the idea for a while and then one day went to a farm and saw a cute little piggy in the field...and then 20 mins later saw a dead piggy being brought in. It was the same pig and it just absolutely turned me off. I know its sounds stupid but actually seeing that pig alive and then dead really made it hit home. It wasn't just meat anymore but a real animal. Sounds stupid I know.
Vegan was another story altogether. I had no intention of being vegan until i read the kind diet and everything changed. I had no idea of the cruelty towards dairy cows. Honestly i have slipped up every now and then with dairy...but never with meat.
I dont think it is necessary to become vegan overnight. Take it one day at a time. The best tip i have is to really research everything and just take it slow. I have read soooo many books i feel like i could write a thesis lol.
Good luck with it all and take your time. Let me know if you want to be added to our email group.
Charletta, good for you!!! 4 kids, school and full time job must really take it out of you, I can't imagine!!
I work in an office with 4 other women and about 6 months ago, we decided to start 10 minutes of mandatory meditation/yoga each morning because we were all just plain beat down and pissy. People grumbled for awhile but now, I hear those mats flick open each day without complaint!! I also take a short walk sometimes during my lunch hour; just the fresh air seems to relax me. (Often times this short walk leads me to the frozen yogurt shop which always has a non-dairy option). I don't know the age of your children but my 5 year old LOVES to help me in the kitchen. She thinks" veggies are yucky" unless she can see where they come from so we spend a lot of time outside in the garden. Getting your kids involved and excited about the change might make you more motivated also. Something a little more nonconventional is a technique called "Tapping" you can YouTube it. It seems silly sitting around tapping yourself on the head/face/neck but I swear it works.
Thanks ladies- I am really enjoying these tips! Since I have begun on this path to become a vegan, I am already experiencing the health benefits....like literally overnight. I just feel better about myself, what I am putting into my body and am glad that what I am choosing to eat, a poor animal did not have to die for me to get it.
@Alysha- yes please add me to your email group. I would love to get more information- I have been researching like crazy. Looking for the best foods, checking out health benefits, tips on gardening etc; etc;
@Emma- thank you for the relaxation tips. They sound like some really good de-stressors and I will check out "Tapping" as well!
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