EX VEGANS and VEGETARIANS?

Question

Hello I am a strict vegan and have never felt better in my life. There are a lot of people on here that say, "When I was a vegan, or when I was a veggie." I was just wondering how someone could choose to go back to eating meat and dairy after they were so devoted to not eating those things? Was it health reasons, a personal choice or what, because I will NEVER go back to eating animal products again. THanks, I am just curious and am in no way putting anyone down just plain curiosity.

Answer 1

I'm going to chime in on this even though I'm a meat eater.

Alot of this boils down to willpower and some people just don't have alot of it.

I try to eat healthy and follow a balanced diet.  I know full well what I *should* be eating but I don't have the willpower to stick to it all of the time.

Answer 2

The people who fall through the cracks are almost always people who become vegan/vegetarian for health.  People who do it for animals are far more committed because animal suffering doesn't stop.  

I'm with you, I'm a vegan for life!!

Answer 3

being vegan wasn't easy as a single girl working full time and trying to go to school.  i then just tried to be a vegetarian, but i missed meat.  i still don't eat pork, but i never did much, even when i did't have anything against eating meat.  i really didn't feel any better physically when i was vegetarian.

Answer 4

I think that it depends on why people went veg in the first place. For some people, it's just to experiment or fit in-- they fall through as soon as they get bored. You know, the people who "it's just a phase" is true for. Others go veg to lose weight, as an excuse for anorexia, or just for general health. They might stop when they find a more appealing "diet" or if they realize that their eating junk food to be healthy isn't working (because when you hop onto a "diet" that only has one condition, you won't necessarily bother with giving up your (now vegan) cookies and chips!). People who become ethical veg*ans (yes, I do know some who've stopped) may find veganism too expensive (if they buy lots of substitutes-- technically, veganism is the most healthy and inexpensive diet if done right), feel that they aren't making enough of a difference (just think about all the jerks who've told you your veganism won't help anything), or may be convinced by misinformed doctors or relatives that either A) veg*anism is impossible to be done healthily at their stage of life or B) some health condition that they have makes it impossible for them to get all of their nutrients. Oh, and there're also the people who find it too difficult due to allergies (soy or gluten, mostly, because their diets are already so restricted by what their bodies can't digest).

Hope I've helped!

Answer 5

I guess it would come down to why they made the decision in the first place. If a person was emulating a celebrity, trying to fit in, or even trying to be rebellious they might have less conviction than someone who made the decision to go veg for health or ethical reasons.

Think about it this way, 95% of people who lose weight gain it back within five years. The majority have put it back on after only one year. This is a sad and sobering statistic. Lots of people have the motivation to begin their diet, but staying the course especially after their ideal weight is maintained is almost impossible for many.

The same can be said for a vegetarian diet. It is easy to muster up the motivation to begin a vegetarian diet. It is maintaining one that is difficult. Once reality sets in many people lose focus. This is the reality of planning one's own meals, being the outsider at bbq's, and the pain-in-the butt who harasses waitresses about ingredients instead of just ordering.

I would suppose that if a person made an informed decision, after careful thought and planning their decision would be more likely to stick. People are, essentially, creatures of habit. It is hard to break old patterns and retrain ourselves to think differently. Food is associated, in our minds, with feelings of comfort and home. Eating certain foods can transport people back to happy moments. This is why dieters gain weight back and vegetarians go back to eating meat.

Answer 6

For me it was health reasons.  I had been ovo-lacto for about 25 years.  Diabetes runs in my family and when I was diagnosed, the doctor encouraged me to eat meat.  I didn't want to, but after a few years and multiple encouragements I decided to give it a try, thinking it wouldn't make any difference.  I choked down some chicken, beef and tuna every week.  And my average blood sugar and cholesterol went down.  I can't say I'm terribly fond of meat, but I do eat some each week.  I still eat tofu, soy meats and a number of meatless dishes.  I only use skim milk and mostly egg substitute.  I still enjoy some cheese.  I'm not saying that this is what everyone should do..everyone is different.

Answer 7

For Health reasons.     One does not have to go back to eating meat like a caveman.   Small amounts of seafood and meat to augment my diet have made me feel much more healthy.   I still eat mostly vegetables, fruits and grains.    I can also eat the same meals with my family instead of preparing separate meals (a huge reason).   Lastly, I found it very time consuming (like work) to come up with tasty variant meals to eat every day without overloading on carbs.

Answer 8

I am not an ''ex veg''.

I hear so many people, in 'real life' and on this site, that say they couldn't resist the smell of bacon cooking so they give in to it. Personally I think such people value taste over ethics.

Some people start meat eating again because they say it's healthier but I feel really healthy being meat free. Maybe they had severe cravings that they give in to? Cravings are the body's way of telling you that it needs a particular nutrient in the food you crave. I wonder if those going back to meat eating would not crave meat if they consumed more protein rich foods?  I hate to quote McDonald's but I'm lovin' it!

Answer 9

I was vegan FOR 3 YEARS, VEGETARIAN FOR MUCH LONGER...i FIND A LITTLE SEAFOOD LIKE SHRIMP, CLAMS, OYSTERS OR EVEN FISH MAKE ME FEEL BETTER...NOT ALL THE TIME, JUST OCCASIONALLY...OTHER THAN THAT MY VEGETARIAN WAYS BECAME A HABIT...i DON'T EAT DAIRY EITHER AND NO BEEF, PORK or chicken...

Answer 10

i had a lapse in vegetarianism when i was in college, and i was very distraught over it.

i was living in a sorority house and they would literally cook one meal choice and that was all we had to eat.  if you lived in the house, you had to buy their meal plan.  basically they had no idea how to provide for vegetarians.  i never once saw beans on the menu, and we frequently had casseroles and i was told to "pick out the ham" or whatever.  it got to the point where i was having a hard time staying healthy, so i gave it up.  now that i'm out of the house i'm back to being vegetarian. =)

thought i should add: there were three vegetarians in the house, and only one made it through college a vegetarian.  no matter what we tried to explain to our cooks they either didn't get it or didn't care, and we didn't have the money to stock all of our own food and pay the meal plan.  oh, and we had one girl who claimed she was a "pollo-vegetarian" (ridiculous) and so our cooks were convinced that all of us still ate chicken.  drove me nuts.

EDIT:  i don't mean to give the impression that an animal-friendly diet doesn't work, it just becomes difficult when you don't have many resources available.  we had no kitchen for our own use...nothing but a minifridge and microwave, and we were living in a place where we had no choice over the food that was prepared for us.  it was an incredibly hard decision, but i went back to being a vegetarian as soon as i had control over my own diet again.

EDIT:  treehuggingveganhippy has a point.....it was my physician who finally convinced me to give up my vegetarian diet when i did.  he told me that i needed to do it to stay healthy because of my restricted food options, and i trusted him.  some docs just aren't well educated in veg*n diets.......

Answer 11

I went from vegetarian to vegan to back to vegetarian.  I went vegan for health reasons.  It worked and my health improved dramatically.  Then I got pregnant and in addition to food cravings, I developed severe food aversions. I could not look at tofu or soy products or lettuce for three months and I craved fish burgers from MacDonald's (and I never eat at MacDonald's!!!!) and omelettes!  I went back to eating eggs and a small amount of cheese from time to time and after the pregnancy, I still haven't gone back to vegan.  My overall diet is so much better now and I feel great, so I'm okay with just being vegetarian.  I think I would have gone back if I was vegan for political or animal right issues.

Answer 12

I did the vegetarian thing the first three years of college. It wasn't a conscious decision. I just hated all the meat options the uni dining hall had to offer. It got to the point where three months in, I realized I hadn't eaten meat in that long.., It was kind of an 'oh well...' and continued on that pace. Managed to loose and keep off 60 lbs.

Even now that I'm out of the dining hall (four years later) and away from the uni eating habits now that I'm in my own apt, I still don't eat a lot of meat, *maybe* once a week, usually some kind of seafood... and rarely if ever eat red meat. Habit from that time.

I think the why for the person is important in this question. Different reasons lead to different amounts of conviction.

Answer 13

Well,that's a toughie.

I am a lifelong veggie,and never waivered,so i guess it could be non commitment,or just that their reasons for doing it weren't the same as us who have dedicated a life to not eating dead things.

Do you know this is a fantastic question,I'm looking forward to seeing some great answers.

I don't sadly have the answer,but my convictions are strong and for moral,ethical and religious reasons.

I think maybe for some,meat is an addiction like say,tobacco.

Smokers quit,restart etc,its generally in those a lack of will power and i have to say selfishness.

As everything in life,who knows what makes us tick.

:):):):)

Answer 14

Sorry in advance, because I am an Ex nothing. I am vegan and loving it.

I just wanted to let you know that I have given you a star of interest as I think you have asked a very good question, which has needed to be asked.

I read some f the answers and am bewildered. " ...I was vegan but it was hard so I went veggie but I missed meat..."

Where is the commitment there? My older sister went veggie on 2 occasions and now I see her eating veal of all things?! The words "Judas" and "Turncoat", come to mind. The movement needs all the help it can get so we cannot afford to have people going back on there choices. This isn't just counter productive, it actually damages the cause, by perhaps giving the illusion that an animal friendly diet doesn't work. It does! Anyway, this an important question and I'm grateful you have asked it. I shall keep an eye out for the answer.