I want to become vegan?!

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Becoming vegan will not stop people from hurting animals. The fields where vegans get their grain and vegetables are filled with mice, shrews,and any number of small animals that end up getting crushed or chopped up by the plows and tractors. You can't care about some animals and not others, otherwise you would be a hypocrite.

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Being a vegan is insane. I've attempted it, and I plan to attempt it again. That being said, I've been a vegetarian for what seems like forever, and veganism was still hard for me.

If I were you, I'd suggest you go vegetarian for a while, and then transition into veganism slowly. It can be challenging to get all of your nutrients, especially if you are still growing.

Anyways, here is my story.

In grade seven, my friends and I were talking one lunch. We made a bet to see who could last a week being a vegetarian. Losers had to buy the winners a pizza from the cafeteria. I ended up winning. Later that month, I decided to look into vegetarianism. I learned about how it was good for the animals, the environment, and my health. Plus, I saw the Meet Your Meat video, and it made me cry. I was never going to eat meat again! Well, that only lasted a month, and within thirty-one days, it was back to hamburgers. I was disappointed in myself. Three months later, I went vegetarian for the third time, and I've never looked back.

I am almost done high school now, and I love being a vegetarian. I'm taking classes in Europe for a semester, and I wanted to be able to try their cheese and such, so I waiting to re-attempt to go vegan until I come back.

Personally, I really think it would be better if you went vegetarian, and then vegan. It would be way easier on your body. And make sure you know how you are going to get your vitamins.

Good luck! :)

Good for you! I've been vegan for about 4 years. (I'm 15) At first it may seem tough, but it is well worth it! After a week or so you will be much more energized and healthy. You're skin will clear up, you'll lose weight, your hair looks great, it's awesome. Chocolate is replaceable. Most dark chocolate doesn't have milk in it. Make sure to always read the ingredients. Steak could be a problem. Ice cream is fairly easy. Soy ice cream is generally easily available. It might be a bit more expensive, but it is SO worth it! Sorbet is also a good substitude. Del Monte Lemon Gelato is wonderful! It's vegan.

I would suggest peta2.com They have links to great blogs too. http://www.peta2.com/p2vsk2_flash/ This is the "what they never told you ecard" That is primarily the reason I became vegan. After I read it I eliminated all animal products from my life.

It's a little hard the first month or so. You have to be dedicated. But it will be the greatest choice of your life. I highly encourage you to become vegan. Once you are used to your diet, being vegan is no problem. Oh and by the way. Oreos and fudgeos are vegan. I recently found that out. It changed my life. Hope I helped. Good luck! You won't regret it!

Chocolate is hardly a problem when you're vegan!
I just got Sweet Chocolate Dream at Whole Foods today,
as well as a chocolate chip cookie.

Steak, well, you can have meat alternatives but I've
never seen a steak one. If you care about animals that much,
I'm sure you'll get over not being able to eat a cut of meat.
You can always have a grilled portabello mushroom, yum!

There are so many delicious dairy-free ice creams. Most are
better than 'normal' ice cream I used to eat! Some brands are
Tofutti, Soy Delicious, etc.

I've been vegan since I was fourteen (went vegetarian at thirteen)
and you'll feel the best you have in your entire life. It's so much
better for you, the animals, and the environment- you'll forget all
about what you're worrying about now. I'm turning fifteen soon.

Here's a website: http://www.veganteen.net/

Or you can always message me or ask on here if you have any more questions.

It doesn't matter if you are a vegan, vegetarian, or meat eater, you could lose weight eating anything, really. The key is moderation. And having a pretty balanced diet.

When becoming a vegan, you cannot eat any animal products (dairy and meat) and I would rule out eating all that disgusting 'vegan' fake foods since all of it is crap.

I love nut butter! It is vegan, delicious and very good for you (again, IN MODERATION). You could buy it, but normally most commercial brands have sugar in it. You can make your own - just toast almonds in the oven for about 20 minutes at 300F (mix every 5 mins to prevent burning) and then let it cool. Then put it in a food processor until it turns buttery and like peanut butter (about 15 minutes).

(http://ohsheglows.com/) Angela is a vegan and she has amazing recipes. Her blog is so inspirational too, so check her out.

Chocolate covered Katie is a vegan-driven blog as well and is pretty good too.

As for your foods you love - I say go ahead to the steak. If you want it, eat it. If you can, try to go to a farmer's market or Whole Foods to find grass-fed/organic steak. Normally these will taste better and the cow probably had a better life than as opposed to mass produced meats.

If you want to lose weight, keep sugar to a minimum. Normally people are overweight because they eat too many refined grains and sugars. That is what you need to be looking out for - white flour, refined sugars (including high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, anything ending in an -ose).

That said though, if you love chocolate, try dark chocolate. It has least sugar out of all edible chocolate.

As for ice cream, I would just say, enjoy it in moderation. Possibly every two weeks or less until you get to an ideal weight.
Vegan ice cream is around too. I don't like any of the commercial brands because of high sugar content but you could try to make some vegan ice cream yourself. I know a friend who makes coconut milk ice cream and it is really good.

I have been a vegetarian (for three years), then I turned into a raw food vegan (can't eat anything over 112 degrees, mainly nuts, veggies, fruits.) because of a soy intolerance. I have learned a lot from those diets, like to eat more vegetables and whole foods. But I don't believe in depriving yourself. If you want steak, have the steak!

Now, I am an omnivore. I only eat meat if I got it from the farmer himself (aka local) or local/organic at Whole Foods or another natural food store. It is more expensive, but it makes me feel that the animal had a better life than being stuffed into cages in a factory farm and beaten. Also, to me, it tastes a lot better.

I know a lot of vegans that eat a lot of crap - there is so much stuff with soy in it (soy increases estrogen which could lead to higher chance of cancer) and most of the fake meats are just processed crap that have a bunch of fillers. I rather eat the real deal (like sausage than fake sausage). I used to eat veggie chicken nuggets and all that processed stuff and it made me sick. It may be different for you.

You can always try to incorporate vegan meals to your diet. There are a lot of good meals, like sauteed veggies and nuts, that are not only healthy but really good.

Another good source is Mark Bittman. He has a couple good cookbooks out. He also is a vegan until 6 pm every day and then he eats whatever he wants for dinner.

Good luck!