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I Am a Vegetarian

But may be no longer...

I've been a vegetarian for about 7 months. I feel terrible about the way factory animals are treated, the disregard for their lives brings tears to my eyes. The videos I've come across are just horrid. Not to mention the effects on the environment. Anyways, now when I see meat on a plate all I think about is that it's the dead corpse of an animal. I think about how they looked before being brutally murdered... I think about how they've lived a life of torture and abuse. But it's not just ethical reasons, it also simply grosses me out now - I feel almost as though eating it would make me a canibal. Plus the pus, feces, uric acid, fat and blood just don't sound good to me. I have no desire to eat it at all. I used to love bbq but now it makes me think of burning flesh, ugh. Anyways, this isn't meant to gross anyone out, it's just how I feel. I don't care about the choices others make. The reason I'm making this post, is because despite my aversion, I may need to somehow break this mental barrier and start incorporating meat again...

So, I may become a pescetarian instead. As in...ill eat fish & eggs in addition to veggies and such. Why? Well, first of all my skin. A few months ago this weird indent/depression spontaneously appeared on my face. There wasn't a pimple in that spot or anything. I started associating this issue with possibly my lack of protein, but I ignored it. Now it's even bigger. I don't want a dent on my face...and it may be permanent damage that will only get worse if I don't address it. I've read that such dents can be due to protein deficiency or vitamin deficiency, such as B-12. My skin has also lost volume it seems, making me look a bit older and frailer. And...a couple months after becoming vegetarian I experienced the worst cystic breakout I've ever had. My dermatologist was shocked and this led me to start Accutane.

In addition to skin problems, I'm having low energy and I'm not in as good of shape as I used to be. This time last year I felt great and looked great. I was eating a clean and high protein diet as well as following a strict workout plan. Well, I'm doing the same workout plan now but not getting the results I had before. Last year my face and body we're looking great. I had a good amount of energy as well to do my workouts; now I dread them and feel weak.

A friend of mine who looks like she's super healthy and in great shape is vegan, however surprisingly her doctor told her the diet is actually wearing in her body and now she's incorporating fish and chicken. I always looked up to her as proof of a healthy vegan, but I guess that was even misleading.

By the way, I've tried other options for protein (beans, tofu & fake meats, nuts and nut butters, Greek yogurt, cheese, eggs, protein shakes, protein bars, protein cereal, protein-infused soy milk, etc.). I've also tried supplements for the vitamins I'm missing. Some days I would even go way over my protein goal. However, this type of protein isn't as "quality" as meat protein which gives us the right amino acids. I realize that by being pescetarian it will still be hard for me to get this quality protein, unless I eat fish and eggs everyday (which probably isn't healthy?) But I'll try to get amino acid pills and continue eating other meatless protein sources.

Wish me luck on a journey back to health and if you have any advice or tips on how to get sufficient protein, aminos and/or vitamins please let me know. Oh...or how to get past this mental barrier of guilt and disgust.

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persistentone22 · M

Hey, the pus, feces, and uric acid are big in Asia. Lol Well, it would be pretty gross if they showed us those parts.

Protein is a big deal, so you are right to be concerned. For your face issues, maybe this is about collagen. You could buy a Type 1 and Type 3 collagen powder that is micronized on Amazon, and maybe also supplement that with Type 2 collagen. One of those twice a day for a few weeks and then once a day after that will probably remedy the skin issues within two months.

Egg should be a complete protein and is extremely healthy. There is a real change of opinion about the risks of dietary cholesterol in the last few years. It is not a bad idea though to monitor your LDL-P now and then again every three months until you determine if dietary change you made after first test is sending cholesterol too high or too low. For me I can have up to six eggs a day with minimal impact. I never have less than three.

There is some concern about Vitamin D in eggs, but that's a long story and ask me some day if you care.

I think most supplements shorten life and are more dangerous than beneficial. Its a controversial subject.

Careful on the fish. Anything larger than about a salmon is now too polluted with mercury to eat even once a year. Avoid tuna, shark, swordfish, for example. Stick with tiny fish like sardines.

I wrote you in one of your other threads about checking for environmental illness issues, and that could be having a big impact, particularly when combined with new diet.

persistentone22 · M

Best tool for treating body fat percentage is intermittent fasting. Look up presentations on Youtube by Dr Jason Fung in Toronto, and after you have listened to a few of those let's talk.

Do you know if your parents are prediabetic or type 2 diabetic? 80 million people in US are prediabetic, so probably they are and no one told them.

As part of intermittent fasting, I would recommend you pickup a glucometer on Amazon. This is a good one:
http://www.amazon.com/TRUEResult-Blood-Glucose-Starter-Kit/dp/B002CGT08S

100 pack of strips for that meter are only about $15, so it is really cheap.

I suspect you might be a little insulin resistant, so the intermittent fasting will be about retraining your body to lower insulin. That in turn acts as a signal to burn body fat as a primary fuel source.

I can talk more after you do Fung.

Serenitree · F

Good luck. Just don't be researching chicken and egg farms. Or fish farms. Or the quality of wild fish.

If you can afford eggs from a farm that keeps free range chickens and doesn't feed them hormone laden foods so they lay larger eggs, do that. They're kind of expensive, but if you aren't buying meat, it isnt bad. Try not to use too much soy protein. I've heard that it can be bad for you. Also that you can develop an allergy to soy products if you eat too much of it

When I was still driving, I used to buy my eggs from the Amish village nearby and the chicken too. The taste of free range chickens and their eggs is so much more intense. Not diluted by being forced to grow too big too fast. The chickens were raised in clean, healthy conditions not over crowded and not mutated.

kinkguy232 · 46-50, M

i love tuna salad on wheat bread and cheese slice... it seems you are doing what you need to in order to get healthy, im guessing you take multivitamins.... the only thing i didnt see is good water supply, if you eat alot of protein without water it can be not as beneficial as it should be. the extra protein passing through, i love a good V8 or spicy V8 also

Imagine626

Pone, I'll have to check and get back with you on the Vitamin D units. Oh and I haven't gained weight during my workouts perse. Although I did gain 6-8lbs after going vegetarian, but I didn't workout besides running. The main issue with my current regimen is that my weight isn't changing and I'm not getting the desired tone/definition in my abdomen region that I had before. However,I haven't been as consistent as I should be. I'll be happy to just lose 4lbs (bringing me down to 117lbs) and have things tighten up more.

I'm interested though in hearing the information you have regarding weight gain.

persistentone22 · M

Vitamin D is a long story. Remind me when we get PM or send an email sooner.

There is a new theory in science about bacteria and viruses parasitically living inside of our cells. There is controversy around vitamin D in reference to that, and some researchers think that vitamin D may suppress parts of the immune system, lowering symptoms in the short term but making conditions worse in the long term, and that allows the bacteria to further invade the cells.

What is your 25-OHD vitamin D number and what are units? Is it under 20?

If yes, we should definitely talk further.

Imagine626

Serenitree, I will continue to leave out chicken but sadly I have already done research on the egg and fish industries as well, *sigh* :/. I'll just have to try and not think about it I guess.

The Amish Village sounds great, that's wonderful that the chickens aren't in such harsh conditions. It would be nice to find somewhere around here with eggs from such a place. I do buy free range eggs from Trader Joes but I know they're likely still from crowded conditions and such.

Thank you for all the helpful information! I'll be careful with soy products :).

Serenitree · F

Pone. I believe you. The same with products saying they are organically grown. Not sure about the genetically modified foods. I don't know how strictly the industry is monitored. I only know for sure about the Amish eggs and chickens because I went often and saw the chickens in their enclosure and saw how many there were. Saw the size of the coop they went in and out of freely. And unless you have actually tried it you have no idea what a huge difference there is in the taste. It was like eating the food as it was when I was a kid.

Imagine626

Intermittent fasting, interesting. I'll look into it! I've heard of the zig zag diet before too, where you alter the amount of calories daily by having more one day and less the next. I'm not sure if that's similar?

I believe my Grammy has a form of diabetes. My parents however aren't diagnosed as diabetic. My mom has always been tiny. She weighed like 95lbs at my age and now she's 113lbs but really fit and definitely still skinny. My dad is in decent shape as well but he's had years where he was overweight.

I take after my mom more though. However I fucked with my metabolism so it's not as good as before. 4 years ago people would bother me and tell me I was "too skinny" even though I ate a lot. I got tired of it so I tried really hard to gain 15lbs. It eventually worked but then I hated it and worked my ass off to lose the 15lbs lol. I lost it and fortunately never gained that much again, but if I don't watch my eating and stay active most of the year then I always end up putting on about 5-8lbs & losing tone. I guess that's pretty typical though.

Anyways, burning body fat sounds nice so I'll be looking into this :). Thank ya sir. I'm curious though, what would be signs of insulin resistance?

Imagine626

@fallenshade are you trying to be insulting? I'm talking about problems I've faced being vegetarian and why I'm deciding to change. I don't go around declaring to the world that I'm vegan or vegetarian. Unlike you, I also don't make fun of those who have different diets. Even if they do happen to be meat eaters that also make showy or sly comments. I likewise don't tell people how to live their life, what to eat or what to do.

However, I must say that you are ignorant to believe factory animals are not mistreated. Could you describe to me the day in the life of a factory animal? Let's say...a chicken. What happens from the time they're born until the time they're killed? Do you know where the baby male chicks go? They're thrown into a grinding machine. That's only a tiny fraction of what happens in the system. Please, do your research and watch some videos before posting such comments. I'll let you off the hook since you're only 13-15 and haven't had much exposure to the reality in which we live.

Imagine626

Pone, thank you so much for all of the helpful information! That's relieving to hear about the eggs, as I was in fact worrying about the cholesterol haha. I'll definitely see if I can give these collagen powders a try.

Ahh would you say wild caught salmon is a good choice, though? I shall be careful :).

I actually am curious about the whole Vitamin D thing, since I'm deficient.

SW-User

I had the same problem with the denting except on my hands. I got weak and my hair was thinning.
Good luck with your health. It's too important to ignore when the body needs something and can't get enough of it from substitutes. You can look for places where the animals used for meat aren't treated so badly before becoming product.

Imagine626

Tumbleweed, it's interesting and helpful to hear from someone who had a similar problem. Did these dents go away when you changed your diet? You're right, our bodies are certainly important. I've heard substitutes aren't always the best either. Hopefully there's a more humane place around here. Thanks! :)

persistentone22 · M

@serenitree, free range chickens on the box:
http://rampages.us/kimyj22/wp-content/uploads/sites/2790/2014/10/free-range-chicken.jpg

Free range chickens in reality:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Chickens_seeking_shade.jpg

Well, at least they get to sleep on grass during the day. :)

persistentone22 · M

zigzag diet is completely different. Listen to Fung and ring me up because you need the background in that video to have a conversation about it. There is no real substitute or competitor to fasting. Fasting does something unique that is very specific to weight loss. It will simplify your life and you will probably feel better too.

Prediabetes is NOT diabetic. It's a level between normal and diabetic, and most doctors won't tell you when you are prediabetic. Nice, right?

Signs of insulin resistance would be putting on weight quickly when you overeat, for example. If you follow the technique I am going to give you then you will be the complete master of how much weight you put on, and the angels and animals will gather around you and sing. :)

Ynotisay · M

@imagine - Yep. I'd definitely suggest changing it up. You need to keep your body guessing. Exercises, reps, weight, duration, time between workouts and even activities. The body is amazing. It will respond. It's good for your head too. Keeps things fresh and fun.
Enjoy the journey.

FallenxShane · 22-25, M

I don't care if the animals die, they are food that's how it is, god created them for us to eat, meat is needed for protein, we keep animal population in check by killing and eating them, I told that joke because I thought you were someone else I knew from ep so I was in the wrong for that

FallenxShane · 22-25, M

Me: Ok that will be 2.50$

Vegan: I got the salad because I'm a vegan

Me: Literally no one asked

Vegan: We only we plants

Anyway the animals aren't treated badly, that may be certain areas mistreatment of animals meant to be food is illegal, the animals get a quick painless death, one shot to the head, they don't have time to feel it before they die

Imagine626

Kirkguy, ahh that sounds like a healthy protein-filled snack for sure. Yeah, I'm not the best about my water intake. I am for 72 ounces a day but it definitely doesn't always happen. I especially need to up my intake since I'm on accutane, which is very drying. Thanks for your input! :)

Imagine626

@salparsdise - hmm I didn't think about that. I know that if we do the same thing we will plateau however I haven't done this plan for 12 months so it's been quite some time. Should I still change it up?

SW-User

They're less prominent, like they faded or "grew back" to how it was before.
I love all the useful info people have given on this story. =]

Ynotisay · M

What I keyed in on was "same workout plan but not the same results."
That means you need to change your workout.

Imagine626

Fallen, thank you for your apology and I can understand your perspective.

persistentone22 · M

@imagine524 Is the issue around the workouts weight gain? If yes, I have solutions.

persistentone22 · M

@serenitree, I wish I had something like that Amish setup here where I live.

Imagine626

Thanks man! I'll try it :).

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