Trying to leave meat.

I've been trying really hard to convert to vegan but i always end up scarfing down a burger. What types of vegatarians are there? How did you guys conform? How do you put up with criticism? Advice Please

 

• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat meat "by-products," like milk, eggs and honey, but no flesh.
  
• Vegans eat neither flesh nor any of these meat by-products.
  
• Pesco vegetarians eat seafood (fish, crustaceans, etc.) but no other flesh.
  
• Crusto vegetarians eat crustaceans but no other seafood.
  
• Semi-vegetarians eat relatively small amounts of various kinds of meat.

I am a pesco vegetarian, have been for over 16 years. I quit eating meat because I didn't like the taste of it to begin with. I also have a huge compassion for animals & have seen enough grotesque videos to make me never want to eat meat again. Although I eat fish, I am extremely picky about what types of fish I eat. I do not eat shrimp or lobster, mostly the mild tasting fish.

This is a good thread: http://www.hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72604&highlight=meat

 

I think I could make the change easier if I was a pesco-vegatarien

 

Well, I would like to argue that eating fish is still meat and not really vegetarian but I can't argue with you only eating fish. For a long time, that's how I was. I just loved the taste of seafood way too much. If anyone asked me if I was vegetarian, I woud reply "no, because I still eat fish". I would sometimes call myself a pescatarian, but not a pesco-vegetarian. Meat is meat. However, I think you should do whatever is right for you, even if it's cutting most meat out. If you need help with the whole burger thing, try Boca burgers. They probably won't taste the same as hamburger but with enough dressings you might be okay.

 

boca burgers are great I think they're better than hamburgers, a lot better

 

Actually I had a problem with the boca burgers at first because I thought they tasted too much like meat. They're a great substitute.
As far as the switch from meat eater to vegetarian....the reason behind why I was switching (animal cruelty) was so important to me that giving up meat didn't seem like a big deal. I had cravings for a while but just as someone on here told me...they do go away with time. At this point I can't even stomach the smell of real meat and eating dead carcuss seems so foriegn to me. You don't have to convert overnight. Some people do it little by little, day by day and just reach a point where things get easier to completely make the switch. Maybe start by cutting out red meat or chicken (or both). And if you keep in mind WHY it's important to you to make the change than that can become bigger than the issue of a steak dinner. It's breaking the habit of meat eating...which was easier for me than I imagined it would be. I've never really faced any criticism (seen some from meat eaters on these forums) but other than that people tend to either really respect my decision or just not be vocal about whether they disagree. But even if someone were to criticise me for my decision (I wouldn't see why though) it's my life -my choice - and I don't have to justify it to anyone. Get yourself educated....do some reading on vegetarianism...with more information it might make the change easier.

 

See my reason is animal mistreatment. If they treated cows better and actually let them out in the sun, that would be better. At least the would've had some happiness before they die. That's why I'd stick with fish because they don't trap fishes in little cages with no where to go and no sun. Fish are caught in their habitat, they aren't beaten. Sure getting hooked can't feel good, but at least the aren't beaten, burned alive, or pumped with hormones.

 

I used to loooove lobster (and I still miss it sometimes) but I can't forget one instant where I saw a poster with a cartoon lobster that was saying "being boiled really hurts" and I thought about how I used to see lobsters being boiled alive and before that how they are kept in a tank where they crawl all over each other. It makes me sad.

 

actually, more than 30 percent seafood consumed now are from factory farms...check out http://www.fishinghurts.com/FishFarms.asp

and as far as leaving eating meat, i just told myself it was a terrible thing to do for a bunch of reasons and just stopped, stopped thinking about and never looked back, and am yet to have any kind of problem with it... same thing with veganism which im changing over to now, i just decided im going to do it and am yet to encounter any problems....

 

I dunno ...

About 9 months ago, I made the change directly from omnivore to vegan (that is, no meat of any kinds, no eggs, no milk, no animal products at all; basically, the strictest "vegetarian," according with kindwoman's chart. I honestly didn't find it challenging to switch over by any means, but ... well, that's me. I'm probably the anomaly, the weird one in the crowd, haha. =P

Personally, I don't like terms like pesco-vegetarian, etc. ... saying that you're a pesco-vegetarian is somewhat tangent to calling yourself a snowboarder after you learn your first trick ... pesco-vegetarians aren't vegetarians in any way, so the term is misleading. Lacto-ovo-vegetarians should just be called vegetarians, in my opinion, and that should be the only kind of vegetarian there is (excluding vegans of course).

I like that though ... pescotarian. That's a nifty word. =)

Anyway ... for me, I think what helped me make the transition to vegan is ... instead of thinking, "I can't eat that anymore," the best thing is to start thinking, "I can't eat that." (Period.) Forget that you ever ate meat, just realize that you can't eat meat. At all.

Hope that helps. =) Good luck, we're rootin' for you!

 

Its all about self control....do a little at a time....so what if you scarf down a burgur in the beggining, by and by ween yourself off of it, and eventually you may forget about it. I alsways feel proud when with a group of friends and I'm like "no thaks, I'm a vegeterian" and as for the critism, what cant kill you will only make you stronger, its your personal choice. I get critisized a lot, but I tend not to let it bug me (theyre just jealous anyway ) Try garden burgers and Chick'n nuggets and Chick'n patties...they are the best

 

You forgot a few:

• Pepperonians are usually vegetarians but they'll eat anything if it's on a pizza.
• uninfantarians refuse to eat small children under any circumstances, and they're often very preachy about it.
• spamivores are otherwise vegetarians but occasionally indulge in a can of spam.

 

for me i realized i was craving meat because i wasn't eating enough filling stuff to begin with... eating whole grains will really fill you up. i like to get some brown rice and veggies, add spices or whatever, or have veggie sandwiches, pasta with veggies, etc etc... make sure you're getting all your vitamins and so you're not lacking in energy or starving yourself. also, yeah, gardenburgers/veggie burgers/etc are really tasty if it's the actual burger you're wanting... just add whatever toppings you like and a whole weat roll (don't forget the grains, seriously, they're so much more filling than just veggies) hmm.. yeah. hope that helped.

 

Haha!!!

I'm a vagitarian. No explanation needed, I hope.

Seriously though, you just need to find some good ethnic restaurants in your area. I especially love Thai and Indian food, most of which is veggie.

 

I pretty sure I'm going to start abstaining from meat. Criticism is hard though. iill live at home and my parents find it weird that I want to be a vegan. I also wonder if it's more expensive. I looked at Wendy's menu and the fruitbowl and good sized salads cost $3-$4, whereas a burger or chicken nuggets only cost a buck. How do I cut down on profits and still eat fruits and veggies?

 

Yeah eating out can be expensive, but as a rule the food is any more expensive. Or at least not by a lot.


cok.net has a fantastic vegetarian starter kit. Covers all the basics.
vegweb.com/food is great for recipes.

There are also great FAQ sections of animal rights sites that help with arguments. Not that I argue any more, just get on with it. Takes people a while to get used it to, but then it's just a given.

Good luck

PS To join in PriceCheck's fun:
My brother is an...
Ovo-lacto-pesco-pork-bovine-sheep vegetarian.
He doesn't eat any kind of meat that can't be bought in Tesco

 

yessss crabs are boiled alive!! i suppose there isnt an easy way to kill them before hand though...or maybe people just like to see them squirming in their tongs before they eat them

 

grow your own tomatoes and chives; easy stuff like that. tomatoes never work out for my family though... they always die or turn up just one decent tomato the whole year =\

 

I haven't eaten any meat fro 7 days now! I feel good. I have eaten some dairy though. But I figure baby steps to start.

 

Yay that's great news, keep up the good work.

Soon you'll wonder how you even considered meat edible.