1. The
Oblivious Brats
The oblivious can be quite amusing, but also a little hard to handle. They aren't hearing ANYTHING and they understand NOTHING. Repeat yourself a million times, or die trying...(they can be assholes, too)
2. The Resistant Goons
Non-surprisingly, Americans are generally unrealistic and hilariously aggressive. These people don't want to change their diet or the way they live even slightly, because they focus intently on what they desire only. My brother used to tease me and say, "I don't want no goddamn lettuce." Really, though, the truth of the matter is most vegans rarely eat lettuce. I guess that's what made the joke funny, in a way. I hardly ever eat anything plain or dull, but...the resistant one's know best, eh?
3.
The Half-ass Opportunists
The half-ass opportunists are these annoying, cancerous human-beings that litter the earth. They're lazy, unmotivated, misguided, and they seek attention for many temporary ventures - not just veganism.
4.
The Indecisive's
The indecisive's are normal people - they're just simply uninformed. They want to be healthy, but they only look at veganism as a "diet" and they struggle with seeing themselves sticking to a vegan diet completely. They also might be dealing with "he said, she said" syndrome.
5.
The On-the-go's
These people are in a hurry 24/7, especially with their food. The on-the-go's are always outside of their house, traveling each day. They feel discouraged and hesitant towards dieting, because they like being lenient with their food choices and where they choose to eat in order to save time.
There are many other flakes and naysayers, but I think these five types cover a large variety. I think I'll go fruit myself now - my plantiful belly is cranky as fuck this morning!
Remember...
How
did you get here?
I became a calorie-counter in 7th grade, when I first started having health/weight issues. I didn't attempt to eat healthy foods until 9th grade, when I realized my weight was teetering back and forth. I've always had problems with binge-eating.
When I restricted my calories to about 1200 a day, I thought I'd be able to lose weight without exercising. I lost weight until I didn't – I plateaued, and when I'd plateau, I'd binge.
I kicked myself in the ass that summer before starting my sophomore year of high school. I discovered one of Freelee's videos about eating strictly fruits and vegetables, so I ate all of the fruits and vegetables I wanted that summer. I also hiked every morning for 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, I saw this as a diet instead of a lifestyle back then. I knew nothing about the meat and dairy industry, or that meat and dairy are BAD for your health. It didn't click in my brain when I was fifteen — sixteen years old. I lost thirty pounds over the summer, but had gained it all back within the year. I went from about 150 to about 120 pounds, back to 150, then it added up from there. Though I knew my diet was working, my family and friends were completely against it because they believed it was unhealthy. So, I went back to my old ways after school started due to inconvenience and a lot of peer pressure.
I can go on about my juvenile endeavors, but I have only truly succeeded with weight loss when choosing the low-fat high-carbohydrate vegan route. To put it lightly, I kind of gave up on dieting and restricting my calories after that massive failure. Though I wasn't eating a lot (about 1700-1800 calories a day, average) I was still eating meat, dairy, and other animal products. My metabolism also endured some damage, especially since I started restricting my calories at such a young age.
I became interested in veganism again after watching the documentary, “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.”
I started juicing more, and I became more interested in fruits and vegetables. I've always had a passion for raw food that I never really noticed before.
I started looking into veganism and educating myself. The documentaries “Cowspiracy” and “Forks Over Knives” convinced me that the vegan lifestyle is the most Eco-friendly/healthy option; both documentaries are on Netflix. I started watching more of Freelee's videos on YouTube as well. Ultimately, I had to accept the fact that I shouldn't be eating meat/wearing an animal's skin and fur if I can't find myself killing an animal – I could NEVER kill an animal for any reason, including fish.
I went completely vegan (for all the right reasons) about six months ago. I was an unhealthy vegan for a little less than a month. I ate a few too many vegan cupcakes from the bakery down the street. Who can resist red velvet? I couldn't six months ago. Now that I'm an adult, I find myself caring a whole lot less about my appearance. I figured I'd lose some weight just by making the transition. I was right, but only by a little bit. I went from 196 pounds (my heaviest) to 181 pounds within 4 long months. That was when I decided to start exercising for at least 30 minutes each day again. I still enjoy hiking, but my boyfriend and I bought a treadmill + elliptical to make exercising more convenient. We particularly enjoy speed walking at random inclines, and random resistances on the elliptical (not too intense).
Also, I really want more people to go vegan – just like every other vegan. I obviously won't be obnoxious or rude about it, but I want you to understand the purpose of veganism whether you're planning on going vegan or not. Watch the documentaries. Seriously. A lot of them are on Netflix. I'll list some of them below. Earthlings is excellent, but it isn't on Netflix – still find a way to watch it, though!
Super
awesome + available on Netflix:
- Cowspiracy | IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
- Food, Inc | IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
- Forks Over Knives | IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
- Food Matters | IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
- Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead | IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
- Hungry For Change | IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
- Super Size Me | IMDB Rating: 7.3/10
- Vegucated | IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
Super
spectacular + not on Netflix:
- Earthlings | IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
- Peaceable Kingdom | IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
- The Cove | IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
- Speciesism: The Movie | IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
- Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days | IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
- PLANEAT | IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
While I'm pretty new at being vegan, I still have results. I've also done a lot of research, so I know my stuff. I may not exercise vigorously, but at least I know my stuff.
These results are coming from a slacker (lazy person), but they're results! I should say my 'vegan weight loss journey' isn't over, and I have a few more pounds to lose. I'm in no rush...I've lost 32 pounds in 6 months, and 4 of those months I didn't even exercise. I have hypothyroidism and was pre-diabetic before going vegan, so I'm very happy with the results so far!
 |
Before
– 196 lbs. |
 |
During
– 164 lbs.
|
There's
a lot of speculations going around about vegans and their lifestyle.
Non-vegans can be quite judgmental towards vegans, especially the
vegans that demand change. The question is why?
People are unfamiliar with veganism; it's outlandish to them. They don't want to understand the purpose of it, because it seems bizarre in their eyes.
Being surrounded by nothing but chocolates and cheeseburgers can make a person ignorant towards what is considered healthy, because these animal products are like drugs. A drug addict who doesn't want to give up drugs is just like a person who doesn't want to give up animal products! It's called food addiction, and food addiction can be just as ugly as drug addiction.
Having meat, dairy, and other animal by-products included in your diet is ideal to some people – because they were brainwashed into believing it's healthy to eat this way everyday. The 'Got Milk?' campaign is a false advertisement for healthy bones, since hips start breaking prematurely here in the United States. The facts have been proven - I'm not making this up. Watch the documentary, “Forks Over Knives” if you don't believe me.
Drinking cow's milk should seem odd to us, because if we drink another species' milk, that's basically believing a human needs a baby calf's milk more than a baby calf – and to me, THAT is bizarre. A mamma cow wants her baby on her tit, not a grown-ass-human, right?
If not from a human, why from a cow?
Just in case you didn't know, baby cow's don't even get a taste of the milk that was meant for them; they get dragged away from their mothers immediately after they're born. Then they get turned into what you call veal. The real outcome isn't a cute little gif.
Some people might not know how animals are treated in the meat and dairy industry, or either they just don't care. Some people are sensitive towards the neglect, abuse, and death of innocent animals, but a large sum don't appear to be emotionally affected by what is happening. Some vegans only touch on the slaughterhouse aspect, and a lot of non-vegans are obnoxious towards this approach – they basically think vegans are “pussies” if they go about spreading their message this way. Well...
If people haven't watched documentaries such as “Cowspiracy” they're likely unaware of the impact a vegan has on the environment. According to the information given in the documentary, you need 660 gallons of water to make one single cheeseburger. This is problematic, because the world is already overpopulated by humans. An overpopulation of humans means an overpopulation of animals. The more cows the population consumes, the more methane-infused cow farts and cow poop we get. Approximately 1 kg of beef produces 34.6 kg of CO2e. Our planet isn't built for raising masses and masses of cattle, so why should people think they're built to consume cow meat?
How about you riddle me this. What if all of that cow shit was in your house? Would you feel endangered then?
People have no reason to hate on vegans for being vegan. The people that are negative towards the entire vegan “community,” so to speak, are stubborn and close-minded, with limited education. People who refer to vegans as 'vegan nazi's' are considered intolerably stupid...unless they're obviously joking...but if they're not joking...
It's disrespectful to call a vegan a 'Vegan Nazi' just for expressing their feelings regarding veganism, for example. There are some vegan kids and teens walking around, however. The younger ones tend to be more reckless and rude – it's just what kids do. Freelee the banana girl, a controversial vegan youtuber, is a little abrasive and straight-to-the-point in her videos, but she does what she needs to do to get the word out. A ton of people hear what she has to say clearly, so you can't really shame a method like Freelee's. She successfully turned a lot of people onto the vegan lifestyle, including me.
So,
what does it boil down to?
People can be assholes. They come in all shapes and sizes, whether their diet is meat-based, plant-based or whatever. A diet doesn't define someones personality just like race doesn't define someones personality...to think otherwise is downright ridiculous.
