My First Year As A Vegan

I have been a vegan for a little over a year now and it has been quite the adventure filled with ups and downs. Here is a little bit about what the last year has looked like for me and why I made the decision to go vegan.

I think I was about 8 years old when I started thinking I was fat. (With the help of my siblings and peers) I was always told growing up that "I was just built different than my siblings." I have struggled with my weight most of my life and while, I don't think most people would look at me and think that I am over weight. Maybe just a a little chubby. If you look at all of my living Grandparents, all of them are overweight and 2 would be considered morbidly obese. They struggle with health problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. My other Grandpa and one Uncle both died at 41 of Luekemia. Even the majority of my Aunts and Uncles are overweight and my parents aren't where they should be either. The thought of being older and overweight scares the shit out of me. My genetics would suggest I don't have a choice. So I chose to become a vegan. I chose to try my best to defy my genetics.

My real obsession with my weight came about 6 yrs ago when I lost 40 pounds in 15 months. I have spent the majority of the last 6 six years obsessively thinking about food. I have gone through periods where I think some would classify me with an eating disorder. I would think that if I'm not working or I haven't done much at work, I don't deserve to eat or I can only eat something small like a piece of fruit. I would spend my day drinking coffee, trying to keep my mind off eating. Going vegan was the best thing for me to stop this obsession because now I know that everything I put in my body is good for me and it is used to fuel my body.

I think the best/worst thing about being a vegan is all the ridiculous questions I get asked. The number 1 question I am asked is "What do you eat?" To answer I say "Fruits, vegetables, legumes, beans, nuts, whole grains and a little pasta occasionally." But what I want to say is "Not processed shit like you do." Another question I hear a lot is "Do you just eat salad all the time?" To which I answer, "No, there are more ways to eat vegetables than just in a salad." But what I want to say is, " What do you think, dumb dumb?" And then there is the list of the stupidest questions I have been asked. "Can you have carrots?" "You can't have Ramen noodles?, you can have the chicken kind though, right?" "What's wrong with eggs, they aren't an animal." "Are you starving to death?" "Can you have beer?" " I thought you couldn't eat wheat?!" "Where can you eat?"

I'm sure there are more but I think you get the idea of what I have to deal with. I still struggle at times, especially at holidays or when I am traveling because it is a bit harder when you can't prepare your meals yourself. Luckily, I love to cook and I am a pretty good cook. I am by no means a perfect vegan. I still cheat occasionally, mostly for sweets. (Who can resist the occasional cookie or piece of birthday cake?) I still have not had any meat or cheese in the last year but have been craving a cheeseburger for over a week now for some reason.

I recently just found out that I have a soy intolerance and that it was causing my thyroid to swell and stop working as well. This has made my choice a lot harder but it is not a deal breaker for me. I honestly think it was the best decision I have ever made in my life and I hope I can help others look at their diet and be more conscious of their food choices.