The KInd Life Community Forum

i have been there Thearesa i know how you feel. but i noticed as my body is detoxing i was feeling these effects. it could be that your are detoxing and you are still illminating all that stuff out of your system. With the research i have it sounds like you are. you may want to check with your doctor and rule out any other possible medical issues

For the first few months, I was exhausted too! I promise it goes away and you will feel 110%. Alicia explains in her book what Suzy mentioned above. It's the craziest thing when your body starts expelling all of this stuff that it's lived on for so long and it unfortunately makes you groggy. Keep taking the B-12, it helped me a lot. Hang in there! Good luck :)

I don't suggest going vegan until you read more about it to gain more knowledge in what you're doing. Start by looking up Dr. John McDougall and buy his books. Also B12 is not an issue with vegans alone. B12 deficiencies are rampant in the general society. Meat eaters are not protected from being deficient in B12. Read the book "Could It Be B12" by Sally Pacholok. I'd say one of the best books you'll ever read. She one of the most knowledgable people in the world when it comes to this vitamin.
You're feeling weak because you lack the sufficient amounts of calories to assist your day to day life habits. The numbers have to add up. You cannot take out dairy without something to replaces those calories. You need to eat more starches from what I've heard. The body's not meant to be eating the high amounts of colesterol and calories coming from fat.
Work on cleaning out your system right now. B12 injections (or whatever method you use) is not going to assist you on being vegan for only a month. Check your B12 levels right now before you go vegan. And no, again, being vegan for only a month would have not affected your levels. If your B12 levels are fine, I'd suggest monitoring them throughout your life without the supplements and this is not because you're a vegan. EVERYONE should be doing this. If you need the supplement, injections are 100% the way to go. Again, B12 is not a vegan issue alone, and shouldn't be treated as an exclusive vegan issue at all. B12 is a friendly bacteria or "probiotic" which is self manufactured in a healthy intestine. Keep your eating clean, and try to avoid stress to keep a healthy flora.
There are plenty of recipes out there for vegans. Keep it high carb. Again, Dr. McDougall is a great man, he even has great recipes! While you're transitioning, take life a little easier and try to eat more. ;)
Vegans are made out to be deficient in a-z in our commercialized society. But there is nothing we can be deficient in. This is a COMPLETE diet.

Falling off the wagon is not a cure all!!! Let me stress that!! This is out of my own personal experience too. I have been vegetarian many years, and finally went full force vegan. I didnt ease into it, I didnt educate myself enough, and next thing I know, I was salivating over meat at the grocery store. I gave in. I ate red meat. It was delicious going down...At first. All of a sudden, I started thinking about how that steak got to my plate. But this animalistic monster inside of me came out. This week, I ate ice cream, hamburger and that steak. I drank milk, And here, Sunday night, I feel horrible. Im sitting here with a stomach ache that wont go away, I keep burping up the nasty food I put in my system, and I feel like I have razor sharp teeth ready to eat everything. Everything inside me is out of whack, and I think its the hormones in the meat and milk. I feel terrible. My peaceful cycle has been horribly disrupted. I went shopping today, and stocked my fridge with yummy vegan goodness. I have written a meal plan and exercise plan. I know I have put weight on this week, and my skin even looks different. I dont like this side of it, and giving in only reconfirmed my beliefs in the first place. That I cant live in harmony knowing that there is animals going into my body. I hope my relapse can help someone.

Thanks for all the advice. I went to the doctor and he thought it was stress because all blood tests came back negative. Between the long hours between gym, work, commute and just trying to eat healthy, maybe he has a point. To Sanchez- Dr. John McDougall. I will definitely look up his books. To Jessilyn- we all have been there. Good luck and don't give up. Thank you for all the help and support.