fat guy here!
first of all, i want to make it clear that i mean no offense whatsoever, just trying to be honest.
i am a fat, meat eating, political conservative, redneck truck driver. i am also a history nut and have been looking into my family history. it turns out that just about everyone in my family has died of cancer or complications from diabetes. i'm 36 years old and have been smoking like crazy for 20 years and stuffing hormone and toxin laden meat into my fat face my whole life. i'm married and have three great boys and i'd like to be around. i also don't want to suffer like my dad is because of his diabetes. my blood sugar levels are approaching diabetic ranges, and i'm getting scared. i also don't want to end up like so many truck drivers do - dead from a heart attack in their 50's.
i have been looking into health and nutrition lately and from what i've seen, a vegan/vegetarian diet might be what's best for me. i was wondering if you guys could point me in some kind of direction, a book perhaps that i could buy. i was also wondering if there is a "do not eat" list somewhere. i have been able to find what you guys can and do eat, but not really what you can't.
any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!
Welcome. For the most part, I don't think anyone here cares much about which qualities you use to define yourself as long as you are respectful and keep an open mind. We are here to help if you want and we won't judge you if you choose not to listen to us. Vegans are a pretty easy-going bunch :)
My first suggestion depends on how quickly you want to change your current eating patterns. I would suggest that if you want to ease into a new lifestyle, you look at Eat for Health by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. He is a medical doctor who has extensive experience reversing diseases such as diabetes and heart disease through nutrition. That book (and the associated cookbook that comes with it) kind of eases you into a different way of thinking and eating. He highly recommends a vegan diet, but his plan gradually decreases your intake of animal foods over time.
If you want to make a change right now, I would suggest Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman. He gives pretty much the same information, in a condensed version, and his six-week plan goes vegan cold-turkey, so to speak.
As for a do-not-eat list, you might look at http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html as it is a pretty comprehensive list of animal ingredients. However, if you use either of the books I suggested or look at the recipes on this site, hidden ingredients shouldn't be a problem since you will know exactly what is going into everything you eat. You can also look at http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/default.asp for regular grocery store food that is accidentally vegan.
Hope this info helps. Just keep asking questions and you should always get someone to answer around here.
thanks krs! ;)b
Hey slowtrain!
Good for you. Commitment and self discipline is what you need more than anything. You need to focus on lifestyle changes more than anything else. Exercise is good but it will not make up for a reduction in your caloric intake. Prepare to go hungry at first and to deny your cravings. Eat lighter, smaller portions. A vegan diet will help immensely but you are facing the challenge of availability of food. Not too many truck stops that I know of have a vegan menu and healthy meals are not a priority.
4 years ago I was 210 lbs. Today I weigh152 and I am stronger than I have ever been. My blood pressure and heart rate has never been lower. I'm 48.
Commitment and self discipline!
You are in the right place. Welcome.
yay! and welcome!
I recommend Skinny Bitch for an easy start. You can read it in a day, and it's a good intro to the veg lifestyle.
Then if you are still wanting more, read The China Study (long and boring) and Food Revolution by John Robbins.
I think you might be best to start by cutting things out slowly. Start with red meat, then all the others. then dairy and egg. You will feel great! You will need to do a lot of cooking, but you will find tasty recipes on this site!
here are some quick videos geared towards men that you might find interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKYPSPUQvr4
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5QmTUe8i60
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZ--YtRwhUQ
I haven't read it but the Engine 2 Diet seems to be geared more towards men and health: http://engine2diet.com/
Good luck on your journey... Eating vegan whole foods will get you towards your goals faster than any other "diet" plan
Rock on for taking responsibility for your health. Don't bother with being vegetarian. Dairy and eggs aren't that great for you and you can have much faster health results eating delicious, filling vegan food. Remember, that everyone eats vegan, some people just add animal to it. All you're doing is not adding animal to what you're already eating (grains, rice, veggies, fruit, etc.). There are some things you can approximate and somethings that don't work out so well. If we know more about what types of food you like now, we can give you lots of help to get you going. For instance, do you have a particular preference for Mexican, Italian, Asian, "American" (e.g., meat 'n potatoes)? Or is it that you find yourself eating a lot of processed foods?
In terms of thinking of things you might like to try:
Do you like to cook or is your wife willing to cook/bake vegan food for you?
Are you a long distance driver?
Books: The End of Overeating by David Kessler.
I also really like this video called Eating (3rd Edition):
http://www.amazon.com/Eating-3rd-Mike-Anderson/dp/B001CRQ8K6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1269836118&sr=8-1
Rock on for taking responsibility for your health. Don't bother with being vegetarian. Dairy and eggs aren't that great for you and you can have much faster health results eating delicious, filling vegan food. Remember, that everyone eats vegan, some people just add animal to it. All you're doing is not adding animal to what you're already eating (grains, rice, veggies, fruit, etc.). There are some things you can approximate and somethings that don't work out so well. If we know more about what types of food you like now, we can give you lots of help to get you going. For instance, do you have a particular preference for Mexican, Italian, Asian, "American" (e.g., meat 'n potatoes)? Or is it that you find yourself eating a lot of processed foods?
In terms of thinking of things you might like to try:
Do you like to cook or is your wife willing to cook/bake vegan food for you?
Are you a long distance driver?
Books: The End of Overeating by David Kessler.
i'm a fat guy, i'll eat just about anything!
i like italian and mexican food. i spend most of my time in the truck and i do have a fridge, so i'll be eating a lot of fruit and raw veggies. a lot of truck stops have Subway, so i can eat veggie subs (ate my first one last night). i think i'm going ro have a hard time giving up coke and chocolate though. all of the meals i like to eat are meat based - beef stoganoff, tacos/burritos, bratwurst, stirfry, etc. i think i'm just going to have to take it one day at a time.
as far as my wife goes, she usually cooks when i'm home, but i also like to cook as well (just don't like cleaning up)! she laughed pretty hard when i told her i was thinking about becoming a vegan, which i expected. you see, i've always looked down on vegans as a bunch of hippy, cry baby whiners. don't get me wrong, i love animals and believe in protecting the environment. it pisses me off to no end when i go camping/fishing/hunting and see some had left their trash laying around or i see a deer had been shot in the gut with an arrow and left to die (it hard to find them when their gut shot because they can run so far and don't bleed very much). i always cleanup after myself and others and i've never shot an animal i couldn't kill cleanly. we also have three dogs, two cats and 19 chickens and we always take good care of them. i guess i've always seen animals as either food (cows), a friend (dogs) or source of labor (oxen). i've always taken good care of them. but with my attitude toward veggies/salads and ALWAYS having meat in just about every meal, it's kinda hard to believe someone like me would even consider going vegan.
after watching videos on youtube last night, i'm a vegan as of right now. i had no idea that animals were treated so badly. i don't understand how people can treat them like that and i don't want to have any part of it.
Welcome! You don't have to be skinny to be vegan! I hope you find all that you need on VW. It's a wonderful resource.
The good news is that we eat loads more than fruits and veggies. You could bring heavier meals with you for the first few days and have things like muffins on hand.
Do you have a microwave in your rig? I ask because I don't know what people have in those things. I've seen TVs, so I thought I'd ask.
Meat
Other vegwebbers may have suggestions for "meat" items. There are things on the market like textured vegetable protein. It comes dry in little dry granules and meat cube shapes that you rehydrate. I don't like tvp because it gives me gas. You might like it and it could be easy for you to transport. If you give it a try, don't buy too much the first go-around in case you don't like it. I went from eating meat to being vegan overnight (literally). I found that meat analogues tasted NASTY. If you're craving a burger and buy a pre-made vegan patty, use lots of strong flavored barbecue sauce. The tvp bacon bits are okay, though. (Most of the bacon bits on the market are tvp bacon bits.) Processed frozen vegan food is way expensive, but making your own and freezing it in individual-sized portions is less expensive than eating meat and dairy. I'd really just rather eat beans. Don't worry about protein. If you eat something other than straight sugar or straight fat, it's pretty hard NOT to get lots of protein. It's in everything, even the dried herbs in your cupboard. It adds up over the day.
Cheese
Don't buy vegan cheese. It's gross. There's a new vegan cheese on the market, Daiya. It's a little better, but it's not available in stores yet. I don't make many cheesy things, but when I do, I prefer making a cheese sauce with nutritional yeast.
Dragonfly's Bulk, Dry Uncheese Mix
A lot of people like this recipe. If you do have a microwave, you could nuke some veggies, sprinkle them with tvp bacon/ham/etc. crumbles, and top it all with this cheese sauce.
Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal Breakfast Pie
This is easy to make, tastes good and is filling, and is thick, so it'd be easy to transport. The recipe includes EnerG Egg Replacer, which is a blend of starches that serve as a binder. I have it, so I use it, but I think the oatmeal itself is a strong binder, so you could likely make it without the egg replacer and not even be able to tell the difference.
Muffins
Blueberry Bran Muffins
I really like these. The only "specialty" ingredient is nondairy milk. Personally, I like Almond Breeze brand unsweetened milk. For sweet foods like this, if you can find unsweetened vanilla almond milk, give it a try. I like it a lot and it's only 40 calories a cup. If you have a place like Trader Joe's nearby, they sell it (at least where I live). There's also unsweetened plain almond milk, but I've only seen health food stores carry it. If you don't have nondairy milk right now, use water.
(Insert Vegetable) Mix-in Muffins
Here's another recipe that doesn't take specialty ingredients. Perhaps except for the sweetener. If you don't have agave syrup, you could substitute with granulated sugar if that's what you have. I haven't tried it, but the reviews look promising.
The Best Banana Muffins Ever
Here's another recipe I like. It takes "unsalted vegan soy butter," which I don't think exists. All vegan butter I know of is salted. I'll bet the recipe was copied from somewhere with vegan ingredients inserted where there were animal ingredients. Vegan butter is Smart Balance LIGHT (available in a lot of supermarkets) or Earth Balance (available in health food stores, Trader Joe's, and some supermarkets). If you don't have that, you could sub with some vegetable shortening or add a little less oil that what is called for. When vegan butter melts, it doesn't really solidify again, so adding something like 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil instead of 2 tablespoons of vegan butter should be fine.
Welcome, slowtrain! Nice to have you here. :)
I'm finishing up my next book, a vegan weight loss/health plan. ALL my testers were women! They were all very successful, but it would be neat to have a male in the mix. If you're interested, let me know.
p.s. I wouldn't charge you anything if you'd be willing to be a success story in my book (and if you could start soon - book's almost done!)
;)b
Yay! welcome to VW!
Tacos and Burritos you say? ;D No problem! instead of animal protein, add cooked beans, lentils, corn, rice, or any combination to your tortillas and top with awesome salsa and avocado!
And truck stops have hidden delights! ;D I used to work at a Flying J, and they have a breakfast buffet that is chock full of fresh fruits, as well as oatmeal, and a HUGE salad bar until late at night with all kinds of yummy wonderfulness like 3 bean salad and leafy greens.
*DISCLAIMER*
I don't know that stuff like the 3 bean salad is perfectly vegan, but it sure is a start if you are looking to eat less animal!
ha. I came back on to mention tacos with beans and all the fixings, but sub guac for cheese. You've got it covered, irreverent.
i'm really likin' this fat guy!
i always suggest this book to men.. if a fireman can live off this food than im sure a 'fat guy' can.
http://www.amazon.com/Engine-Diet-Firefighters-Save-Your-Life-Cholesterol/dp/0446506699/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269982872&sr=8-1
Welcome to VegWeb and congratulations!!!!!!
Take it one day at a time and focus on today. I think becoming vegan will naturally get the weight off you without much effort on your part, you'll feel more energetic and just better about yourself and your contribution to making the world a better place.
I agree that the Fire Engine Diet would be a good place for you to start. Also check out Dr. Neal Bearnards books, especially if you're pre-diabetic. Good luck and stick around.
http://www.nealbarnard.org/books.cfm
first of all, i want to make it clear that i mean no offense whatsoever, just trying to be honest.
i am a fat, meat eating, political conservative, redneck truck driver. i am also a history nut and have been looking into my family history. it turns out that just about everyone in my family has died of cancer or complications from diabetes. i'm 36 years old and have been smoking like crazy for 20 years and stuffing hormone and toxin laden meat into my fat face my whole life. i'm married and have three great boys and i'd like to be around. i also don't want to suffer like my dad is because of his diabetes. my blood sugar levels are approaching diabetic ranges, and i'm getting scared. i also don't want to end up like so many truck drivers do - dead from a heart attack in their 50's.
i have been looking into health and nutrition lately and from what i've seen, a vegan/vegetarian diet might be what's best for me. i was wondering if you guys could point me in some kind of direction, a book perhaps that i could buy. i was also wondering if there is a "do not eat" list somewhere. i have been able to find what you guys can and do eat, but not really what you can't.
any help would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!
Vegetarians fall into a few different categories. Those who eat eggs and dairy (lacto-ovo veggies), those who eat dairy, but no eggs (lacto), those who eat eggs but no dairy (ovo). I think that most of the people on this site are vegan. We eat only plant-based foods. In other words, if you can't grow it (or the ingredients that make it), then it isn't eaten.
The truth is that when I first decided to become more or less vegetarian in 1995, I did not intend to stop eating fish and I thought that vegans were extreme and I would never do that. I never actually ate meat, poultry or fish again after deciding to become veggie. I used cookbooks for vegetarian recipes, then began surfing the internet and checking books out of the library (there are LOADS more vegetarian cookbooks available now). After a couple of years as a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I just stopped eating eggs because they didn't taste right to me anymore. The same thing happened with dairy after a short period of time, and I just naturally became vegan. It wasn't really a conscious decision.
I became vegetarian because I wanted to live a more compassionate lifestyle, and the other changes were a natural progression from that. The same is true from a health standpoint. Plants don't manufacture cholesterol (saturated fats in some, yes, but cholesterol is strictly an animal thing). If you don't add cholesterol to your diet, it is healthier.
Other things that I recall from my early veggie days: I didn't like most mock meat things (like veggie burgers and veggie sausages). There are much better products available now, but they aren't meat, they aren't made from meat and they will not taste exactly like meat ... I think that is more noticeable when you have eaten animal products recently. I had to start out with things that are supposed to be vegetarian like pasta with mushroom or marinara sauce, bean burritos, 3-bean chili, that sort of thing. Try to eliminate anything processed ... you want whole grains and whole grain bread and other "whole" foods . Make a list of things that you like where the meat is just one of many ingredients and make it without the meat. Then, try one completely new thing each week ... tofu, tempeh, seitan, quinoa, the list goes on. If you're going to buy cookbooks, I would suggest checking out cookbooks from the library before buying them. Some are really great, and others are just "take this meat/cheese dish and substitute a vegetarian item" or the same sauce on different vegetables.
Finally, I want to tell you that I think what you are doing is AMAZING. My father died of a massive heart attack (his one and only) when I was 12. Growing up without a Dad is really hard. Your family is very lucky that they won't have to go through this. This site is a really great resource. There are loads of people here to answer questions, and tons of recipes with comments from people who have tried them. Good luck on your journey; let us know how we can help.
I have to agree with lvhockhart in that what you are doing is awesome. My father's funeral was days before my 21st birthday. He died of a heart attack on a business trip. He wasn't sick, and other than some risk factors for heart disease, we had no clue he had heart trouble. He never got to meet his grandchild, and his wife is still depressed over a decade later. I know now that his death probably could have been prevented if he would have made the step you are now making.
I became a vegan shortly after he died. Contrary to what most people think, I enjoy my food now more than I ever did. People tend to assume vegan diets are limiting, but it really exposed me to a ton of new things that I would never have otherwise tried. I eat much more variety than any of my friends do.
I enjoy meat/dairy analogs sometimes, but I agree that you will probably be disappointed with them now. I'd stay away from those for a while. Along with the books already mentioned, I think the Eat For Health series is good for making a transition. In some ways they are really strict, but it goes through a step-by-step system and allows the consuption of a small amount of animal products. I think this small amount might make it harder for some people, but you know yourself and your needs.
i just wanted to say thank you to everyone for your replies. i'm taking it one day at a time right now. i think it's gonna take a while before i "get over" not eating meat.
i can't remember who it was, but someone mentioned that i didn't need to "identify" myself. i felt i needed to because i have run into vegans before and it seems most of them had a "holier than thou" attitude and were quite condescending to those of us who eat meat and also liberal politically. i didn't want anyone to think i was coming on here as a vegan and being something that i'm not. i've seen that on other forums and wanted to be honest about who and what i am.
i talked to my wife and she agrees that we need to eat healthier. she's not wanting to go vegan, but is willing to cut out the beef, etc and eat more chicken and fish. i'm not going to try to push this on her, that is her decision to make.
anyways, thanks again everyone!
I agree, slowtrain, it's those few vegans with bad attitudes that give the rest of us a bad name. Glad you're finding help here - there are lots of great people on vegweb that are quick to answer questions and give support.
Best wishes!!! It will keep getting easier & easier the longer you are away from unhealthy animal foods. :)
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