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I could really use some encouragement from ex-vegans


Violet

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Hey folks! I'm 39, overweight by about 60 pounds, and suffering from fibromyalgia. I have been trying to adopt a low-fat plant-based diet (a la McDougall/Jeff Novick) for the last two years, with terrible results. My resting glucose, which was initially healthy, began to show signs of slowly ticking upward with every week I tried to eat starch-based meals (it went back down once I lost the potatoes and oatmeal with fruit juice). Not to mention, the more starch-based my meals were, the more terrible I felt. 

 

I relate all this so you'll understand how silly I feel being this afraid to do the Whole 30. A few days ago I downloaded some great paleo cookbooks and the lovely Hartwigs' book onto my Kindle, and have been immersed in reading. I love this idea, and would like to try it, but.....here's the embarrassing part....I'm terrified. 

 

After so many years of listening to the Forks Over Knives guys, I'm terrified that one burger will put me in the hospital. Despite the fact that I've only ever felt awful eating their low-fat plant-based diet, I still can't seem to get away from it. I look at a piece of meat and I think of my arteries hardening, and environmental damage, and I go back to my hummus - at the same time, every time I eat beans, I feel awful! I think beans taste great and I enjoy eating them, but over the last six months especially, I'm having worse and worse gut problems. The doctor has said, "Well, fibromyalgia often has an IBS component," yet when I stop eating beans and grains, the problems go away. (Speaking of which - why do none of these plant-based people talk about lectins? Try searching on nutritionfacts.org or McDougall forums: nothing, it's like they don't exist). 

 

But, as my friend said today, "That basically leaves you with a paleo diet." 

 

Which terrifies me. 

 

I know people will be tempted to make fun of me; even I can see the humor in this situation. Woman claims she feels better eating a diet she's too afraid to eat - I get it, it's funny. Yet at the same time, after years of devouring studies and advice and FEAR from plant-based doctors, I will just come out and admit it: I'm phobic of meat. I'm about ready to try subsisting on apples and carrots (I have a feeling the results won't be positive). My health is already so poor, and I'm nearing mid-life here; the last thing I want to do is give myself heart disease. 

 

What I'm looking for isn't mocking (although, haha, it's the internet, right?). I'm hoping to find others who have been as indoctrinated as I have into the plant-based fold and yet have found health and happiness through paleo eating. And hopefully longer than a few months. Anything feels good for a few months, but what about a few years? Are your arteries still working? You aren't having chest pains? (I use humor to cope with tension, can you tell?) 

 

Encouragement appreciated. I want to get going on this Whole 30. I want to try this. I want to stop being afraid. 

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So, I don't have any experience to lend you, but I wanted to say that I don't think your concerns are silly or something to be mocked. We have all in one manner or another been taught to believe a set of "facts" regarding food that are truly challenging to overcome. But I firmly believe that each of us can overcome them with time and experimentation. 

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I completely understand where you are coming from. I was a Dr. Fuhrman/"Kind Diet" style vegan for a few years and it became almost a religion. Honestly, that's what first brought me to the feeling that something wasn't right. I will never forget the first non-vegan meal I ate. It was Spanish chicken and rice (Obviously wasn't Paleo yet). I kept waiting for something bad to happen as I ate slowly. Surprisingly, I felt more nourished that I had in a long while.

 

I still freak out a tad when I hear certain statistics or "facts" about eating meat, but I remember that all those statistics and research can be manipulated. I know that when I cut out grains and eat saturated fat I feel better, lighter, and more satisfied. I don't have to eat 5 times a day to stop my blood sugar from plummeting. I couldn't even imagine going back. 

 

Start slow. Eat one meal slowly and notice how you feel during and after. Be gentle with yourself. 

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We really really do try to be supportive and avoid mocking around here.

 

I was never officially a vegan, but I was lacto-ovo vegetarian for many years (15? 20?). It took me a long time to work my way into being an omnivore, first adding fish, then things like chicken broth very very gradually. I did it because I was tired of what seemed like an arbitrary restriction, not because I understood fully how much better my health would be after adding meat. But I can tell you with confidence my health is greatly improved eating a diet of sustainably raised meats, good fats, vegetables and some fruits and no dairy, soy, grains or legumes. Sure, if I was to go vegetarian now, I might be able to do it in a healthy way (not what I was doing at age 16), but I know that way of eating is not optimal for me, and eating that way for so many years did have an adverse impact on my health. I am still recovering from that, but I'm a year and a half or so into whole30 style eating and it is only getting better.

 

I would encourage you to be gentle with yourself, to put the past behind you and give this new way of eating a shot. I know it helps me to buy the best quality meat I can afford and maybe this is corny but to really think of it as honoring the animal and honoring my own body when I consume it. Diving into the whole30 head first, you may find you have trouble digesting the meat and fat. Adding digestive enzymes before meals and probiotics or probiotic foods (kombucha, fermented sauerkraut, carrots, pickles, etc) can really help as you transition.

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I was vegan for five years before my first Whole30 a year ago. I totally get it.

 

The thing that really helped me in the beginning was reminding myself that if I felt terrible after 30 days, I could stop. Whole30 was "not the boss of me," and I didn't have to keep eating this this way if it didn't feel right to me.

 

This past year has been filled with struggles—most of them are the mental hurdles you've talked about. But physically, I am more energetic than ever, my chronic pain is not nearly as severe as it once was, my IBS-like symptoms are almost non-existent, and my mood has improved more than I can say. My body is still working on reaching its natural weight after years of chronic dieting and an eating disorder or three; I'm trying my darnedest not to think "I have X number of pounds to lose," but I've probably lost a dress/pants size in a year.

 

Sometimes, it's still scary to eat this way. I had steak and an egg (and a huge mound of broccoli) for breakfast yesterday, and I could still hear the voices in my head going, "But...cholesterol! Artery-clogging saturated fat!" But it was delicious, I felt awesome afterwards, and had energy until lunchtime five hours later.

 

So, yeah. It's "so far, so good" for me on making the vegan-to-paleo switch. And my heart has yet to junk out on me.

 

I think putting your terror out there will only help you make the transition, and I love your humor. Feel free to PM me any time.

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I'm not an ex-vegan, or an ex-vegetarian, even. I have been eating meat my whole life, though, everything from factory-farmed meat (before I could afford better) to the good grass fed stuff or wild venison, and I can testify that my arteries are fine. :) My blood pressure is great (just had it checked this week). No chest pains either. ;)

 

I don't think it's silly to be afraid about making such a huge change in your life. Of course you're scared! You've read all the scary articles that say eat plants and nothing but plants or you'll be sick and unhealthy. Have you read scientific articles about eating meat? About eating paleo (though there are fewer that look at paleo specifically)? Would hearing the other side of the plants-only argument help relieve your fears, at least on an intellectual level?

 

Hope you stick around and let us know how your journey goes. :)

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Echoing everyone, I've tried raw vegan, regular vegan, vegetarian, of all stripes. I have an especially hard time with eating animals from a moral standpoint. 

 

HOWEVER

My IBS and ever-worsening joint pain are drastically reduced when I eat paleo. My energy levels go up so I actually feel like moving my body. My sleep improves enormously. My mood improves. My skin and hair and nails improve. The benefits I've experienced make it worth it for me to seek out producers who sell humanely raised/processed animals for food.

 

I wish we could destroy industrial animal production, and I realize I have an enormous amount of privilege to even be able to choose something else. 

 

I'll be super honest: I used to scoff at "failed" vegans who claimed it was making them sick. Now I believe it. It's not for everyone, and maybe it's not for you. It wasn't for me.

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Ohhhhh, maaaaaan, thanks, everyone, so much! 

 

What a breath of fresh air. I was nervous about posting that, especially as my first post. I've been the whiny one in the plant-based forums for the last couple years who is like, "But! I don't feel good! Maybe I should eat a little more fat? Or meat? Or something?" and inevitably it doesn't go well. I'm either a troll, or I'm not doing it right, or I'm just making trouble. In fact awhile ago someone urged me to just write to Dr. McDougall myself, so I did, and he wrote back and said that my difficulties eating a plate full of starch were unusual, and my struggles were clearly a sign that I was going diabetic. The only thing left to do was.....eat more starch. 

 

Yeah, I didn't follow his advice, as you can imagine. 

 

I can't tell you how appreciative I am of the comments! Thanks again. So non-judgemental! So supportive! I feel better already. I also really appreciate the message, "Take it slow." I think I'm not the right person to jump in to the Whole 30 right at this moment, only because the learning curve for me is so steep and I know myself well enough to know that, despite how awesome I'm sure it is, I would likely have a LOT of panic and anxiety. I think the one-meal-a-day thing might work well, just to start, until I feel like I have a good repertoire of dishes. At that point....maybe I'll just jump in..... 

 

Right now, I'm making lunch - I haven't eaten well today and I'm trying to make up for it. I'm having a small salmon fillet with some olive oil, and a big side of sweet potato chunks and green beans. I'm going to see how I feel. 

 

Thanks again! 

 

Oh hey! Edited to add: I have a great doctor, and I have been tested for diabetes twice in the last year. Both times because I was nervous about what Dr. McD said. Both times I was just fine (she did that AC1 test or whatever that's called). Just an FYI in case anyone is concerned I'm actually possibly diabetic. I'm not. 

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Have you seen this article: http://whole9life.com/2013/02/eating-meat-a-primer-for-the-meat-challenged-2/? Both Melissa and Dallas used to be vegetarians, maybe this article will give you some helpful hints.

 

I was never vegetarian, but I have some similar feelings about the fat we're encouraged to eat during a Whole30, having been overweight all my life and always doing the low-fat, low-calorie thing. Sometimes, as I'm cooking my veggies in ghee, and eating them with beef, and maybe putting a dollop of mayo on it, I worry that somehow they're wrong, and I'm going to, I don't know, have a heart attack in the middle of dinner or something. But I do feel better, enjoy my food more, and stay full longer now than back when I was eating steamed veggies and dry chicken breast.

 

Anyway, it's totally understandable to be worried, but it couldn't possibly hurt you to give it a try for 30 days and see what happens.

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 In fact awhile ago someone urged me to just write to Dr. McDougall myself, so I did, and he wrote back and said that my difficulties eating a plate full of starch were unusual, and my struggles were clearly a sign that I was going diabetic. The only thing left to do was.....eat more starch. 

 

I would have written back and asked him if he realized that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing and expecting different results.

 

Welcome to Whole30!

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Violet, thank you so much for sharing your concerns. I, too, was a Dr. Fuhrman advocate and have been eating the whole foods, plant-based diet for about 4 years now. I just started my Whole30 9 days ago (after a false start). I figured it's just for 30 days. I'll make an assessment when it's over.

I hate eating animals, though. The health issue doesn't worry me as much as the environmental issue.

Anyway, let's do this experiment so we can see for ourselves what is best for our bodies! Thank you again for bringing this up. The responses you got we're awesome and just what I needed!

Lara

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