Former vegan thinking of going primal! page

[noor]

I'm 25 and until recently, I was vegan for almost 12 years. For the majority of my time as a vegan, everything went well until I had sudden weight gain with no changes to my lifestyle! Even reducing calories and exercising excessively didn't help me lose the extra lbs.

I added fish and eggs to my diet as well as dramatically reduced grains and my weight returned to normal quickly with no other changes. I'm now thinking of transitioning to primal after reading about this lifestyle and its benefits.

I'm curious if anyone here has also done the same after being a vegan for a long time. How long did it take you to transition and what are your favorite meals now?

[MissJecka]

Firstly, I was vegan for about a year before I made the switch to Primal/Paleo living. It's not as long as your stint with it, but making the transition wasn't hard for me at all; my biggest struggle is to not overanalyze the Calories or fear the fat like I used to!

Anyway, you're not alone! All over the internet I've found many articles written by former vegans who found paleo or primal living to be best for their health and well-being. Here are some of my faves and although they may be a long read, it's definitely worth it! Some are very, very interesting because some of these people are former vegan bloggers and authors who have (had?) huge followings in the vegan community!

A Former Vegan confesses how Veganism was destroying her health

Sweetly Raw: Coming Out - My World Upside Down, To Right Side Up

Let Them Eat Meat : Interview With an Ex-Vegan: Melissa McEwen

Raw Model - The Lifestyle for Beauty, Energy, and Mental Clarity: Walking away from Veganism...

[ashleybrook05]

wow.. I didn't realize that. nice thread and thanks for the info Miss Jecka. I learned something today.

[pjgh]

You've already made a start ... reducing grains and bringing in protein through fish and eggs.

Continue that path and remove all grains, and the other non-primal foods. You can do this one at a time over a period or all together picking a start date.

Carry on from there with fish and shellfish every meal, accompanied by as many veggies as you like, changing them for variety throughout the week. Fats? If you're not all the way onto land roamer yes, you can stick with coconut oil and red palm oil.

Later, when you think you can manage red meat, try some. You can also try out beef dripping, lard, butter and ghee as fats. Goose fat is very good indeed; many people coming back from vegan and vegetarian diets find fish, then birds easier to digest initially, so the fat from birds is useful in the early stages.

If you err on the lower carb side of primal, gain your energy from fat. It is useful during the transition period to "wet up" your veggies in fat. The food does not need to be swimming in the stuff, but once steamed, veggies can be tossed in some coconut oil or butter, fish fried in fats, that kind of thing. Avocadoes are phenomenally good food and work so well with fish.

Don't forget shellfish and don't overlook sea vegetables.

If that is where you want to stop ... do. Primal can happily be seafood only - I eat the vast majority of the time like this. If you want to try meat and have found a source that you are happy with, carry on.

Beyond diet, Primal is about engaging in meaningful activity, de-stressing and sleeping correctly ... and well.

Best of luck to you.

[anna5]

I am no expert and I never was a vegetarian let alone vegan, but it looks like you have no choice, but to forget about veganism. If I understand it correctly, you damaged your thyroid, among possibly other things/parts.
Check if your intake of soy wasn't excessive. You, tofu people, really don't know what you are doing.

[noor]

MissJecka thank you for the links they were so helpful and I'm glad to know there are many more like us!

pjgh, I've taken your advice and I'm hoping to see more positive results. I'm going to try some chicken and other meats soon. It just took a while to get used to the fish and seafood along with all the fat.

[magicmerl]

I added fish and eggs to my diet as well as dramatically reduced grains and my weight returned to normal quickly with no other changes. I'm now thinking of transitioning to primal after reading about this lifestyle and its benefits.

Sounds like you are already basically primal, since it my world it's just avoiding processed foods, particularly wheat, sugar and seed oils.

I hope you find health here. Welcome!

[avavioks]

yeah,MissJecka thank you for the links they were so helpful and I'm glad to know there are many more like us! thank you

[MissJecka]

yeah,MissJecka thank you for the links they were so helpful and I'm glad to know there are many more like us! thank you

MissJecka thank you for the links they were so helpful and I'm glad to know there are many more like us!

pjgh, I've taken your advice and I'm hoping to see more positive results. I'm going to try some chicken and other meats soon. It just took a while to get used to the fish and seafood along with all the fat.

wow.. I didn't realize that. nice thread and thanks for the info Miss Jecka. I learned something today.

You're welcome, guys!

[ashleybrook05]

You're welcome, guys!

I'll be waiting for more Miss Jecka. I like the links that you post. God bless.