Hi :)

[Qanik]

Hi everyone! I'm from Poland, I'd love to go vegan and... Oh, where do I start?

I find it so hard - for the simple reason that literally EVERYTHING in my life seems difficult right now. I've been recovering from depression (the most severe one I ever experienced) and I've just taken a step or two backwards: the symptoms got worse due to my nutrient deficiencies, before I even had the time to change my diet. Yay, good job, Qanik. I'm feeling like such a failure. I know, not uncommon for depressed people and I shouldn't beat myself up this way but, try as I might, I do.

Anyway, I want to enjoy my life again. And I want food - something I never felt comfortable with - to be fun. I believe going vegan AND being healthy might help me to achieve that goal. You see, I used to be vegan years ago but fell into orthorexic habits back then which resulted in health deterioration. My parents made me eat products of animal origin since they thought my veganism was to be blamed. Well, I got well (physically and mentally), step by step. That is, till depression turned things upside down once again. I've had several episodes since fall 2012.

Sorry about sharing all that personal stuff but I desperately need to get it off my chest. I isolated myself from the whole world because of my illness(es) and I don't want to do it anymore. And I'm so exhausted that it's sometimes quite a strain to read or write which doesn't exactly help me to stay in touch with people, either.

On a more positive note, I can't wait to get to know everyone here!

 

[mavrick45]

hello and welcome!

 

[Lou]

Hello! And Welcome Aboard!

after reading your post I am of two minds.

First I would suggest you put veganism on the back burner for now. Complicating your life right now is probably the last thing you should do. First thing you should do is concentrate on getting All The Way better. Combining an eating disorder with veganism is a recipe for disaster. Many times it is the eating disorder in the driver's seat. Not the person's fault. No one claims that eating disorders are easy to get over.

So maybe first get all the way healthy. Then turn to veganism in a controlled, logical, and planned way.

However, as I said, I am of two minds, I can't help thinking that maybe you can feed two birds with one scone. Maybe if you can keep veganism in the driver's seat the vegan diet can make eating a pleasure. And good nutrition a goal.

Of course, it's up to you but we will be here for you, no matter what you decide.

Oh, BTW, What the heck is your avatar?

 

[Qanik]

Hi and thank you for your concern!

Actually, if I ever suffered from an ED, I put an end to my unhealthy eating behaviors some 8 years ago. I guess that kind of experience stays with you forever but I didn't feel guilty about eating 'forbidden' food anymore (and didn't 'forbid' it in the first place). In fact, I still remain extremely cautious about [not] restricting my diet and avoiding certain products - no matter how 'unhealthy' it is claimed they are. I give a wide berth to any sort of information on what and how I should eat, except for the nutrients some products contain when I need it. I don't intend to "define" myself as vegan any time soon. Or even vegetarian. I'm really afraid of labels. I just want to add variety to my diet, especially trying out a lot of vegan recipes, and see where it takes me. I don't eat meat anyway (it makes me sick, I can't help it) and I'm not fond of many non-vegan dishes, either, so it would be amazing if I could make it work with primarily vegan food. Hopefully it makes sense?

What I'm currently struggling with is depression. Loss of appetite and of energy to cook doesn't help my physical health. (And I didn't have iron deficiency, which is the biggest problem right now, when I was on the pill...) Not an excuse of course - and I hope this forum can be sort of inspiration and motivation for me.

OMG, I totally forgot about my avatar. It was one of the images of Lisa from the book written by Mylène Farmer. Probably most of you guys never heard of it, but Mylène's a singer whose music I love and who is very important to me for personal reasons. She wrote and illustrated 'Lisa-Loup et le Conteur'. Lisa is a bookworm who uses her imagination to beat loneliness.

 

[Forest Nymph]

Hello and welcome! I hope you find lots of information heter that helps you on your way.

 

[Emma JC]

cześć - hello and welcome Qanik

It is a great idea to work your way into veganism gradually and do it by eating more of the foods you love that are whole foods and that are from plants.

Do you love pastas and breads and rice? then include more of them in your meals and try to make them whole grain if you can. Do you love potatoes? then adds lots of them including sweet potatoes and any other root vegetables you love. Do you enjoy chick peas and lentil and beans? then add those when and where you can and may find it easier and easier to leave out the things that you no longer wish to eat. So many vegetables and greens are delicious and of course, fruits and berries make everything taste better and you may find that buying frozen fruits and vegetables makes them more readily accessible and less likely to spoil. Having a few nuts available for snacks and seeds too will give you some fats and proteins and make cut down on your desire for eggs and meats.

The other thing that has helped me stick to it is by watching a ton of vegan youtube videos. There are lot of really great people out there doing "what I eat in day" vegan videos and "what's in my vegan fridge or pantry" and they show lots of great recipes too. Watching the sad videos like Cowspiracy and others is good to help you to understand why but watching good and joyful videos will help you to stay strong.

Sometimes reading other people's success stories is also helpful, this is a link to Dr McDougall's website page of Success Stories (all listed down the right side of the page) and you might enjoy them.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/health/education/health-science/stars/

All the best with your depression and we hope you will find some motivation here with us and then motivate us in return!

Emma JC

 

[veganDreama]

Hello and Welcome! I've been there too. I was Anorexic once and was heading that way again when I became vegan. I found being vegan gave me strength to fight my disorder. Although I'm currently a bit obsessive about my diet and try to exercise as much as I possibly can although not quite as much as I did before I went on holiday. At one point I exercised so much I simply had no time for anything else and I slimmed down to BMI of 19. At my heaviest I was over 200 pounds. Took over 3 years to lose all that weight so slimming became part of my lifestyle. I just need to stop now before I get underweight again.