I think I made it finally!

[MuseRider]

Thanks to all of you. I have been lurking in this forum for several years working up the courage to make a major change in my life. I stopped eating red meat long ago but I have been eating chicken, fish and shellfish and feeling very guilty about it. Ahhhh. This is only the first week but I feel like it has made me happy and I can look my goats in the eyes now and not feel like a predator ;).

My husband is in a very bad mood right now and out eating a steak, he is NOT happy about this although he did eat a Chick Pea "tuna" sandwich this afternoon and thought it was OK.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all. I joined VegWeb.com like someone here suggested in another thread and I am having a great time finding all kinds of yummy things. It is the perfect time as the garden starts to provide all kinds of wonderful things that are not meat.

OK, two questions.
1. When does my stomach stop hurting? I feel so bloated, I suppose all the beans and raw veggies.
2. How does one lose weight or even maintain weight with all the rice and beans?

Off to learn what to do with Tofu. You have no idea how many times I have bought Tofu and let it sit as I looked at it blankly. :hi:

[Ignis]

1. Congrats and welcome!

1. Your digestive system will adapt over the course of a few weeks. You've probably dramatically upped your intake of dietary fiber by going veggie. That's a good thing, but it can also cause discomfort as your body adapts. You can try products like Beano to help you deal with gas, but eventually your system will get used to eating well. :)

2. Less (refined) carbs, more veggies and protein. I've been vegan for almost 20 years, but my office job and long hours of sitting has forced me to modify my diet now and then to keep my weight in check when I can't exercise. Especially because I travel a fair bit for business, I have to make sure I'm not living on bread, rice, and potatoes. Aim for complex, unrefined carbs in the form of whole grains, lots of leafy or dark green veggies, and be sure to keep your protein up. (There are several veggie faux-sausage brands that contain 20+ grams of protein each.)

And don't be afraid to ask us on this forum a million questions. We love it! :)

[MuseRider]

2. Thank you.

This has been such a long trip, it has taken me years. I intend to be very faithful to it but not feel terrible if I find myself confronting meat at someone's house. Hopefully I will be able to decline gracefully. It is really tough when you live in the middle of beef country. They usually frown on someone who will not eat beef, buffalo or goat here but I have learned to navigate that. Still, I feel finally very committed to this and happy to have finally made the jump.

I had green beans for lunch, it was so good. I really need to learn how to balance with this diet. Thanks for the suggestions. There are no health food store close but I do have a couple I can get to now and again and some of the larger grocery stores carry some vegetarian choices but they are also not close. I have to find Facon (I think that is what it is called) before the tomatoes come in!

Thanks for your response. Better late for me than never I guess but I am very excited to have finally made this goal.

[Ignis]

4. Try SmartBacon, or Yves' Canadian Bacon w/ green beans.

You may also wish to try ordering some of the faux-meat products online until you find a few that you really like, and then take the packages into your local supermarket and ask if they'll keep them in stock.

I shop online at the following stores, but there are many others that are not vegan-specific.

foodfightgrocery.com
veganstore.com
veganessentials.com

When I wanted to drop a few pounds, I lived on salads, green beans, and Tofurkey sausages. :) Tasty stuff, but not everyone can pull off the low-carb vegan thing without health problems.

It's never a bad idea to find a doctor--or nutritionist, if your health care covers it--who isn't anti-vegetarian (sadly, many still are), and have a good long chat about what YOUR body needs.

[MuseRider]

6. No health care coverage

for that, we have only catastrophic because we both have pre existing conditions that priced us out of regular health insurance but I do have doctor friends, my husband was a doctor and I was a nurse. I do believe my rheumatologist would listen, he has allowed me to do my own wacky things for my RA before so this should be a piece of cake :). Don't know if he knows anything about diet though.

I will look for a nutritionist. Surely there is someone close. Good suggestion and I thank you.

Salads are great anyway and I love green beans and the tomatoes are about ready and there are fresh cucumbers just waiting for me to pick. This really was the right time of the year for me to do this. I have never had Tofurkey in any form. I do know that if I will like it I will eventually acquire a taste for it.

I will bookmark those sites, they sound wonderful and I can always order food that way if I can't find it here. I do believe if I drive about 35 miles I could find most of what I need, just thought of that!

I need to stop rambling. This is just such a big change and I am so excited....an actual goal achieved! A big goal and I know once I get to the point I am at right now I will be successful. Over the hump and on the downhill side :). Thanks!

[Chan790]

9. Avoid Beano...

It's made from fish and gelatin. There are a few vegan/vegetarian alternative products on the market. I'm a fan on Bean-zyme (It tastes best IMO), but others work as well.

What pisses me off about it is that the animal products aren't even active or "vital" ingredients of Beano. They serve no functional purpose, just a binding agent and they could have used anything...such as agar or starch.

[MuseRider]

10. Thanks.

I never had any luck with Beano but then I rarely used it. I am feeling better now, it was kind of a shock but all those raw veggies and beans it was no wonder and it hurt my poor stomach.

Probably the people that make Beano make other things and they have those animal products available? Ick, I am so over eating meat. Poor creatures, poor planet. I figure if I have a hard time killing bugs I have no business eating meat. I feel virtuous! LOL, really. This is the best thing I have done in a long while.

I am still trying to figure out what exactly make you a vegetarian or a vegan. At this point I have not begun to really read labels for those things. I guess I should start now.

Thanks, I will look for those products.

[flvegan]

3. Congrats, welcome and ditto what Ignis said.

Glad we played some role in your decision, that's nice to hear.

[MuseRider]

5. A big role actually.

I had to really decide if I could hang in there and by reading everything you all have said and some of the websites that were recommended to others just starting out I decided I really could do it.

It is funny, I think I feel better already. Seriously. The mental strain of realizing what you are contributing to as a meat eater was weighing on me in a big way. That and I feel healthier because I know I am doing the best thing for my poor, aging body. It overall just feels good. I will be very proud the first time I announce that I am a vegetarian. I told the goats. They said, Yaaaaaaaaaaaay!

My husband just brought home a chicken from the store. I think he was tempting me (I know he was). Did not work, although it does smell good, my mind is set. Poor guy might actually have to try to fend for himself a little. Not a bad thing for a retired man to have to do. :)

Again, thanks. You all helped a lot.

Chick peas are good for lots of things aren't they? That chick pea salad sandwich was yummy. Maybe some Dahl tonight....conscious choices.

[ThomCat]

7. Hi MuseRider!

:hug:

Congratulations! I hope your husband comes to a happy equilibrium about this. :)

If you focus more on developing the taste of great veggies, and less on the starch, hopefully weight won't be much of a problem. A small amount of rice goes a long way.

If you have problems figuring out what to do with tofu then don't buy it raw. Buy it already baked. It's much easier to use that way. :)

[MuseRider]

8. I miss you!

I hardly ever see you here anymore and it has been almost a year since the trip to NYC. You are such a great guy! :hug:

Thanks, I will try to find that. I have never seen it already baked, if not I will figure it out since I am now committed to this.

I guess all the years leading up to this, thinking about it and wishing I just could do it made the transition easy for me. It has been close to a week now (just a baby!) but I have had no desire to eat any other way. My choices are small now since I am so new but I have been content.

We will just have to take ole Bill out to Italian Gardens :hide:! How is the Dim Sum place doing? That was the greatest food!

My youngest is moving there in a year so I will be making trips regularly (I hope I hope I LOVE NYC!). I hope we can get together again.

[ThomCat]

11. That Dim Sum restaurant is still crowded.

I'll probably never go out of business at this rate. :9

If your youngest moves out here I really hope you'll be visiting NYC pretty regularly. I'd love to see you and your husband again.
:hug:

By the time you get back out here I should have moved to Queens and I'll be living with another DUer. It'll be easier for me to introduce you to some of the other locals. :)

[CrispyQ]

12. Congrats for your decision to take vegginess to another level!

The chicks & fish will thank you - as will the goats!

I always share this little anecdote with those who ask about tofu:

A man was grocery shopping & saw a woman put a tub of tofu in her basket. He approached her. "Excuse me, but what are you going to do with that tofu?" She replied, "When I get home, I'll drain the tofu & put it in a plastic container with fresh water. Everyday for the next two weeks I change the water until the tofu goes bad. Then I throw it out. " He gave her a sad smile. "That's the same recipe my wife has. I hoped you had a better one."


Here's my baked tofu recipe: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=231&topic_id=18228&mesg_id=18520

We eat tons of this. You can season it with just about anything. It's great as is, or diced in salads or sliced thinly in sandwiches. Sometimes I crumble the tofu before baking instead of slicing & use it as a base for Sheppard's Pie. Very versatile & filling.

As for the bloating issue, have you tried taking enzymes? There are several brands of vegetarian enzymes. They recommend taking a pill about a half hour before eating, but I usually don't take them unless I feel badly. You might want to take them regularly until your system gets used to your new diet. Vitamin Shoppe has several types. Just enter 'vegetarian enzyme' into the search box. Amazingly, I've found enzymes to be very helpful after drinking too much! ;)

As you find more & more delish recipes, your hubby will come around. Wasn't there another recall, just recently, of 1.2 million pounds of beef? Make sure to tell him of events like that when they happen - in an off hand way, of course.

Be sure to share any great new recipes or products with us!

:hi:

[MuseRider]

13. Doing great!

I feel good, my mind is free of feeling overly cruel (not vegan yet, that may take a while again) and my hubby does not want to be a vegetarian but I find him eating enough of what I make that I am now buying and cooking for two because I was starving!

Bloating is pretty much gone. Been doing this for around a month now. I am on vacation right now and finding it a little harder to be vegetarian but have been able too do it, just creatively. I see things I want so much but am committed to doing this enough that I am finding so many other things satisfy.

I love the story. I do not feel so alone now. :)

I will share. I have to admit that I am not thrilled with cooking and not terribly good or creative at it because of that but slowly I am coming around. When I get home I will share a couple that I really like but I imagine they are pretty basic for a group that has been doing this for a while.

It does feel great, it really does. I think my youngest son is a bit interested in it now since I fed him some of the goodies (when he was home visiting) I have learned. He does not want to do it he says but he is thinking about it and that is step one I guess.

Out into the wild eating berries and fruit for the mean time. Mmmmmmmm.

Thanks.

[CrispyQ]

14. Here is my vegan choco chip cookie recipe.

It's pretty healthy as far as cookie recipes go. It's egg free & less sugar & oil than most recipes. It also has some protein powder in it. We love these!

1 cup flour
1/2 cup protein powder - I use a vanilla soy powder
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick margarine (Earth Balance makes sticks)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
egg replacer for 2 eggs -- I use Ener-G -- whisk 3 teaspoons of Ener-G with 4 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.

choco chips

Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.

In a medium to large bowl cream the margarine. Add the sugar & beat till fluffy. Add the molasses, applesauce & vanilla & mix well. Add the Ener-G & mix again. Slowly add the dry ingredient to the wet & beat after each addition until all the dry ingreds have been incorporated into the wet. Add the chocolate chips & mix well.

Bake at 375º for 11-13 minutes. Cool on a baking rack. These store in the fridge very well, if they last that long!

===
When I first became veg, I made some of the most boring, tasteless meals! They would have actually been better if they had tasted awful -- instead they just tasted like nothing! It will get easier as you go. One word of advice -- find a really good veggie bouillon! That will make cooking so much easier. There are two that I really like. Rapunzel makes a great salt free veggie cube that is more like a chicken type flavored broth. Better than Bouillon makes a couple of great bouillon pastes (in a jar) that are really good too. They are a little on the salty side, but make quite good broth. I use them both for different types of meals.

In the meantime, tis the season for berries & fruit!

[nankerphelge]

15. Best Tofu Cookbook

Tofu Cookery:

http://www.amazon.com/Tofu-Cookery-Anniversary-Louise-Hagler/dp/1570672202/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218762934&sr=8-1

[MuseRider]

16. Thank you.

I appreciate this.