To quit my vegetarianism and become a hypocrite instead?

[OverTheHammer]

Became a veggie back end of June. Had wanted to do it for years but always thought it would be too difficult. Anyway after watching numerous PETA videos the guilt got too much and I became a veggie. I've since shared PETA videos on Facebook trying to encourage others to follow suit.

Anyway it was piss easy at first and I was telling everyone how easy it was but 2 months later I'm struggling. I've totally lost my appetite. The thought of anymore quorn makes me feel sick. I'm anaemic and never even thought about how vegetarianism would effect my (already extremely low) iron levels. I've also joined a gym and am struggling to eat enough calories to actually keep me going.

My appetite has always been dodgy, I'm also a fussy eater, a shit cook and busy person so can't be faffing every night making lentil this and lentil that ...

Most of the recipes I look at call for meat. Restaurant veggie choices are limited and shit - it's just so fucking difficult.
Then to top it all off, I watched a video last night showing how chickens are mistreated when used solely for egg purposes. I still eat eggs. So really, I'm a hypocrite anyway aren't I?

WIBU to go back on everything I've been saying these past two months and just start eating meat again?

OP
A very basic question- do you like veg? If you are going to be a successful vegetarian you have to focus your meals on veg not on a meat substitute with veg on the side.

Even though I am now pescatarian my meals are often veg with some fish not the other way around. My go to meal is still lentil dahl with spinach.

There's an excellent article in the guardian on clean eating that might make you feel better. You shouldn't follow a diet that makes you ill. www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/11/why-we-fell-for-clean-eating?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I became vegetarian beginning of June after watching cowspiracy. And I've had the same moral issue with eggs as you and haven't given them up either.
I think it is up to you - I can cook and enjoy vegetables and haven't found it too difficult (even though am 27 weeks pregnant)

I think a huge part of the problem is labelling yourself as a vegetarian is so... well - strict! I think it puts people off. It is better for the environment to eat less meat so cutting down hugely is beneficial.
I'll probably get flamed for this but I'm planning on roasting a chicken at Christmas. It'll be the highest welfare chicken I can buy... And representative of the fact that meat is better for the planet the less you have... i.e. have it as an occasional treat rather than every day.

I don't see why it's hypocritical. You adjust your eating habits based on your own morals and beliefs as well as striking a balance with nutrition.

If anything, it may even encourage more people to drastically cut down on how much meat they consume if you don't take an all or nothing approach.

P.s. I don't ever 'push' vegetarianism on people either - don't share information about it on social media. Will haoouly discuss it if people are interested but won't lecture people so maybe that's why I feel comfortable making up my own 'rules'

Exactly ethel we shouldn't be encouraging people to give up meat but to eat less and eat better quality/ high welfare. Completely agree that it should not be all or nothing.
I can go for months eating vegetables, grains, tofu,fruit- a very healthy vegan diet- but do eat really good quality meat every now and again. I feel better and am ill less often than when I was fully vegan many years ago.

Most vegetarians I know (have ever known) eat a lot of bread & cheese. Or pasta & cheese. Or cereal & milk. Only MN does being vegetarian turn complicated & involve lots of lentils & new recipes.

Complicated? It's just cooking

Just eat whatever suits you. Food that feels natural to you. Everyone's different.
I don't think about ethical reasoning when it comes to my diet. I"m aware of food production but not ruled by it.
I seldom eat meat, never use the v-word (it upsets people!) & only have some when it's served to me / or I feel I eed the iron.
It's nobodys business but your own what you eat. So, perhaps stop mentioning it on Facebook...

This is why you shouldnt try to shove ethics and moral judgements on people and encourage them to give things up by emotional manipulation. Youve been sharing round peta vids probably with attached comments about the evils of eating meat, just like someone on my friends list did a few years back. I didnt appreciate the guilt trip from their posts, but after a while the video postings fizzled out. Then a few months later she was doing the posting pics of your dinner trend and half of them had meat in. Absolutely i thought she was a major hypocrite after her pleading posts a few months earlier for people to boycot meat and support peta.

Be prepared to get called out on it and own your hypocrisy, though most will probably judge silently.

Someone upthread mentioned the blood group diet book.

I think there is something to it. I wish it had been written earlier and I had read it as all the stuff it says about type A blood group should be vegetarian rang true in my case.

I gave it to a friend who had about 10lbs in weight to lose and had tried every diet going. She had tried the Special K diet and ended up after 2 weeks not losing a single lb in weight. She was a whisky drinker. She is blood group type B which said to cut out grains as one of the things that didn't process well. Everything else was ok. She swapped the whisky for large glasses of red wine and lost the lot over the next 3 weeks.

Hiphopcat I am not saying that going vegetarian cures loads of illnesses but after even a few days after I gave up meat the change in my health for the better was enormous. I would say I was presenting with what would nowadays be diagnosed as IBS. Within a few days it was cleared.

Having watched Fat Sick and Nearly Dead I can see how after a few months some prescription meds might be adjusted down if people are stopping putting crap into their bodies

I'm vegetarian. I've been vegetarain since I was 6 - so a long time (changed through choice). I rarely eat quorn. I don't eat bread and pasta because I've recently had to give up things with gluten (went through all the tests, it was recommended for health reasons). I do eat quite a few meals with pulses, have tofu relatively regularly, eat nuts and seeds - I do have cheese but not daily or in large quantities. It's hopeless looking at recipies that are designed for meat eaters and trying to change them - much better to learn how to cook vegetarian food properly using suitable recipies. However, if it's not working for you, it's much better ot change your diet to something that you can manage. For instance, my DS declared last s, mmer that he was going to be vegetarian (no pressure from me) but I suggested that he might like to be pescatarian instead so that he could eat fish and seafood as well as vegetarian food - he's keeping this up, much to everyone's surprise.

I was a vegetarian for about 6 months but I am also aneamic and had terrible headaches and dizzy spells. I'm also allergic to nuts and lactose intolerance so in the end I gave up and went back to eating meat. Nobody really noticed tbh (although admittedly I never posted about it on fb)

Eat what you want to eat and stop justifying your choices. Who fucking cares what anyone thinks?

You might better satisfy your principles by eating organic free range meat reared in the UK only, and eliminating milk from your diet. Read about intensive milk production and the slaughter of male calves etc. This might work better for you and keep your conscience clear.

www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/floradix-liquid-iron-formula-60087979

Buy this OP. It's a nicer softer use of iron

I second buying floradix. That stuff is amazing!

@FuckilyDooDah

Every vegetarian who says it's for ethical reasons but continues to eat diary is a hypocrite.

I'm convinced that every poster who comes on these threads and posts this thinks they're saying something original and interesting. It isn't. It's boring and smug.

I stopped eating meat last summer and earlier this year did 6 weeks vegan during lent. During that time I read a lot of 'vegan' literature and at one point decided I would continue following a vegan diet due to what I'd read about the dairy industry. However I then read a few more books about vegan lifestyle focusing on the supplements or special ingredients (e.g. Seaweed) needed to stay healthy and I then wondered how natural and appropriate it was to be completely vegan so I made the decision I'd follow vegan diet as much as I could but I would also go back to including eggs, dairy and also fish in my diet.

Maybe you shouldn't have banged on about your conversion in the first place, it would have been much easier to backslide then.

Sharing PETA films? YABVU.

And an idiot.

Have not RTFT but OP, you do what's best for you. I don't like meat or fish, it's very easy for me to be veggie. I have done vegan spells and sometimes I'm "accidentally vegan" for a day or two because I minimise dairy and love soya milk etc.
I'm very supportive of anyone who does flexitarian/reducing etc as it all helps. Have an organic steak once a week if you must, but please don't eat crappy chicken shop fried chicken 5 times a week. Honestly any contribution is good. I have lots of friends who were teenage veggies and went "back" to eating meat but they all do a meat-free Monday/only eat prepared meat outside of the home etc. I'd love to quit cheese but I'm totally addicted! And dairy is indeed evil as we are often told lately, no matter that I've not eaten a frigging marshmallow in 20 plus years but hey ho. Trying is good.

Have you joined any vegan or vegetarian groups on fb OP?

I've been vegan for 2 months and have 5 or 6 vegan groups on fb and have more vegan recipes and vegan food suggestions than I know what to do with.

I don't cook from scratch although I would like to start doing more, and there's plenty of lovely foods available and there's loads of vegan restaurants popping up all over the place.

Try seitan - fantastic protein source

I've since shared PETA videos on Facebook trying to encourage others to follow suit.

Oh god your one of those people also PETA are so full of shit it's actually funny they are one of the worst animal rights groups going

PETA are far from perfect (some of their ads are sexist/fat-shaming etc) but animal abuse and torture remains a horrible reality.

I also feel very strongly that it's better to ATTRACT people to veganism (as it's delicious, ethical, more environmentally sound, interesting...) rather than scaring them into it with footage of the poor animals being mutilated. I don't watch that stuff. Ultimately, selfishness wins; I'm a diehard (selfish!) vegan, but not for the animals - for me.

(P.S. I eat very little quorn. And i really dislike lentils. There are so many alternative protein sources.)