Is it normal to fall off the wagon multiple times when trying to become a vegetarian/vegan?

My new year resolution was to gradually become a vegan. Give up meat on January 1st, chicken April 1st, fish July 1st, eggs October 1st and finally dairy Jan 1st 2013. But I broke the resolution last night and ate a burger and today I had Taco Bell. I've tried to start eating healthy probably hundreds of times in my life and it never lasts. The longest I went vegetarian was like a year in 2008. Why is it so hard?|||Yes. You can drink coffee and shoot the shi-shi-shi-shizzie with the rest of us at the next Carnivore's Anonymous meeting, if you'd like.



Friend of Chip: I'll bet $2.00 your faarts could knock a buzzard off a shizzle wagon. Whew! Hot Dang.|||because you are making it a chore! Something you are forced to do to be healthy. Like its some kind of punishment.





I havent fallen off of the wagon as you call it since i stopped eating meat because I think its DISGUSTING. Not because "oh, well, im a vegetarian, so i CANT have that delicious burger..." In my brain its "Im a vegetarian because i DONT WANT that disgusting pile of dead flesh." Its not food to me. Eating a giant steak is akin to like, eating a shoe to me. Its just NOT FOOD.





If you cant wrap your brain around that line of thinking, i dont think you can ever really be a vegan. You cant think of it as deprivation.. you have to just.. not want it.





maybe do some more research? I know thats how i became a vegan. Really find out what is on your plate and i doubt youll want it as much next time.|||It's a matter of motivation and priorities. It hurts my heart to think of a living breathing soul as precious as you or I, ending up on humans' plates when the same plate could be full of nourishing beans, rice, fresh greens and mangos, a healthier, disease-free meal.





When you feel the connectedness between the spirits of animals and the spirits of humans, you won't want to buy any more plastic wrapped hunks of bloody flesh on styrofoam plates. You won't want to ingest the suffering into your body, increasing your risk for diseases.|||well it depends what your reasons were for decideing to become a vegetaian/vegan. seems like your setting unrealistic goals for yourself, I would reconsider my plans and reasons for wanting to be a vegetarian. Wouldn be hard if you were totally harming animals.....|||Fell off the vegan wagon a few times but always stayed vegetarian since August 09.|||This is the reason new years reolutions are pathetic. Just stop doing whatever it is you wan tto do now, today, don't wait til some ficitiously impoortant day.





Falling off the wagon shouldn't be used for vegetarian. It's not the same as AA and don't use the same termiinology.


I honestly do NOT understand this whole thing about cheating, sneaking meat, falling off the vegetarian train etc.


Just eat normal food if you want to be vegan You're setting yourself up and it will never work . Your whole new years grandiose idea is less than 4 days old and you've "cheated" only maing you feel bad and guity. Its so stupid to do this NYR thing. Just stop eating meat and dairy, and eat soy milk almond milk etc instead.





Eating junk food is what will always be hard if you want to be vegan. You can only get a few things, namely, coffee and salad. It's pointless.





It sounds like fast food and junk food is in your diet as a normal thing. Daily, or at least 3X a week.





This is where I guess I am lucky, I never ate fast food til I was 15 and hated it, so tasteless and fatty and didn't taste like actual food. I just never got bought fast food when I was growing up and to go out to dinner at a fast food restuarant, in my neighbourhood and life, was incredibly embarrassing, and nobody would stoop so low. That's not to say they were snobs, they would just never be seen eating that slop, it's so shameful!





If you don't eat food like that, being vegan is just really easy.


But since living in the US I've met many many people who, at lunch and dinner time, actually decide where to go based on a list of various fast food places and junk food emporiums. At first I thought they were joking. I was embarrassed for them . Then I realised a lot of people actually consider this food.








It's not. Get out of that mindset immediately. Look at home made foods, or deli foods, or shop-bought food like hummus and pita, baked potatoe and beans, corna nd black bean salad, or vegetable soups and rice as your meals. Once you do that, and drop all thoughts that Taco Bell and Wnedy's can actually give you something to eat, then you're better off.





And drop the new years resolution carp. It's always a bad idea. If it never lasts, as you've said, drop your ways now.


Buy delicious food and make your own fast food sandwiches at home, take them with you. Fry up veggie burgers and eat with ketchup, canned chickpeas with curry and rice ( it's really fun eating chickpeas from a can!) and get used to all the fast food with no crappy ingredients.


Morningstar patties ( they are very processed and almost junky, but they are veg)


Chickpeas


black beans


bananas


peanut butter and fruit jam bagels


baked pumpkin with walnuts and soy cream cheese


baked tofu kebabs with salsa


black bean tacos with shredded soycheese


pressed tofu from the packet with peanut sauce ( peanut butter, soysauce, a tiny bit of red chili)


tupperware with soyyoghurt and dried fruit, some oats and brown sugar.


Wholewheat lavash with raosted peppers, veg cream cheese, herbs


peanut and tofu noodles.








It's not hard. You're making it hard by allowing those janky places to be present in your life. SOme people laugh at people who eat fast food. It doesn't make you look very good, going into one of thise places. I lose respect for people who do actually. Maybe yu need to do that.


Junk and fast food is NEVER tastier than home made food, even made with canned beans and plain rice.|||Yes. I did (I tried in college to be vegan, lasted 2 weeks).


I think it's the approach that does it. Instead of picking a day, and seeing what you're giving up, go for more concrete, positive goals.





When I tried to become vegan, I saw it as giving up dairy. Giving up cheese. Of course I failed.


When I successfully became vegan (well, I'll wait until the 1 year mark, I switched in July), I did it by incorporating more of my goal meals. First started out with alternative b*fast, then on which meals I can simply eliminate cheese, yogurt, etc.





I think that going species by species is a bad approach, because what ends up happening is that you're transferring one type for another. OK, so you stop eating cow, now you'll have a turkey burger. Instead of a turkey burger, you'll have a salmon burger. Instead of the salmon burger, you'll have a morningstar burger which has lots of sodium and eggs in it. It's simple transference, you're not really learning how to become a vegetarian successfully.





Instead, you should have a goal, such as having a vegan breakfast 1 day a week, then 2 days, etc. That way you learn about almond/coconut/soy/rice/hemp/oat milk, and you get to play around and find what type you like the best. Then you can try having a vegan dinner 1-2-3 times a week. So when you give in to your cravings or social pressure, it's OK, you'll make it up the next meal. Then gradually do it so that only your lunches have meat. Then do the same process for your lunch, having vegan lunches only 1-2 times a week, and gradually up that.





This way, you're learning HOW to be a successful vegan, and you're not feeling like you're giving something up. Many times, new vegetarians will be hungry, because they simply don't eat enough, eliminating the meat without replacing the protein. Or they'll eat a lot of carbs (pasta with tomato sauce is a frequent beginner meal), but no protein (beans and nuts). Instead of giving up food and wondering what you're going to eat, you'll have lots of meals in your repertoire.





Upon re-reading your question, I notice that you were successful for a year as a veg. Why did you give it up? Did you feel like you were missing out on something? I used to eat at Taco Bell way more than it's healthy. It's super easy to be vegetarian, just replace the meat with beans. Are you not noticing the vegetarian options, or afraid to modify the menu? Were you eating a lot of mock meats? Or did you truly appreciate true veg cuisine? Some of the worse foods I've ever eaten were ones that used tofu as mock meat instead of tofu as tofu. It may be easier to simply cook at home more often. Do your cooking on the weekend.. It'll take you 3-4 hours, but then you're done for the entire week, and you can microwave your food instead of eating takeout. Eating home meals is the #1 easiest way to keep it healthy and stick to the plan.





Good Luck!