The Forum's Thoughts on Veganism?

[PureA]

I am interested to know what range of eating habits we have here on the forum.

Having turned vegan around 2 months ago, and around vegetarian 4 month prior it is a change in my life that I never saw coming. Being hugely into fitness/bodybuilding getting the protein in has been a challenge, but is VERY doable.

I believe there are a lot of conventional wisdom myths around eating meat, and that the habit is unfortunately blindly followed (including myself for 20 years).

In my opinion once you know the facts it becomes a very logical and easy choice. Of course, I accept that people may have different views.

If you are at all interested in the subject, I recommend watching the following:

Earthlings
Cowspiracy
Vegucated

You guys at the Fastlane forum are amongst the most 'awake' folk I could possibly find on the net. So, just for a second consider your diet choices, forget everything you think you know and reconsider why you do what you do and the impact of your choices.

There are huge benefits to be had for yourself, others, and the planet.

What's stopping you from going vegan?

p.s. I know I am most likely going to get some shit here but I am very open to a healthy discussion. Be nice.

If unsure of skeptical or vegan benefits please watch:

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[CycleGuy]

Flexible dieting + gym > everything else....

imo

People tend to "feel" good on vegan, vegetarian, etc diets due to the calorie restriction. If someone simply restricted calories on well rounded macro nutrient diet they would also "feel" good. We as a society tend to over eat across the board.

 

[Filipe]

Recently (7 months ago) turned vegetarian. Hoping to hear what people's thoughts on it.

 

[PureA]

Flexible dieting + gym > everything else....

imo

People tend to "feel" good on vegan, vegetarian, etc diets due to the calorie restriction. If someone simply restricted calories on well rounded macro nutrient diet they would also "feel" good. We as a society tend to over eat across the board.

I see what your saying, although I eat exactly the same calories everyday (weighed out) and noticed a difference when I made the switch. Could be placebo, of course.

Besides the feeling good point, what about the abuse and murdering of millions of animals, as well as 51% of greenhouse gases coming from livestock and their byproducts. To give some perspective all emissions from cars, boats, planes, and trains add up to 13%.

This is just scratching the surface, there are many more reasons that one could be motivated to choose a vegan lifestyle.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[CycleGuy]

I see what your saying, although I eat exactly the same calories everyday (weighed out) and noticed a difference when I made the switch. Could be placebo, of course.

Besides the feeling good point, what about the abuse and murdering of millions of animals, as well as 51% of greenhouse gases coming from livestock and their byproducts. To give some perspective all emissions from cars, boats, planes, and trains add up to 13%.

This is just scratching the surface, there are many more reasons that one could be motivated to choose a vegan lifestyle.

Coming from an agriculture based area the "murder and abuse" is highly sensationalized by pro-vegan groups. The "proof" they present isn't convincing when your friends, neighbors, and families all raise livestock and you can see them with your own eyes anytime. The greenhouse gas emission numbers are wrong.

"In 2013, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture accounted for approximately 9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions"

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/agriculture.html
Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2013

 

[marklov]

I tried properly supplemented rawfood veganism and everything declined my hair , my skin, my lifts in the gym and just wasn't an pleasant experience. My aunt is also vegan and is constantly sick with blood and immune system related problems.

I have thought about going fruitarian but haven't committed to it yet.

 

[PureA]

Coming from an agriculture based area the "murder and abuse" is highly sensationalized by pro-vegan groups. The "proof" they present isn't convincing when your friends, neighbors, and families all raise livestock and you can see them with your own eyes anytime. The greenhouse gas emission numbers are wrong.

"In 2013, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture accounted for approximately 9% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions"

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/sources/agriculture.html
Total U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Economic Sector in 2013

For the 51% figure please see...

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294 & http://www.animalfeedscience.com/article/S0377-8401(11)00517-7/abstract

And with regards to my murder comment. I mean the fact that 70 billion animals are killed for our selfish pleasures each year. I would call it murder, you may call it something different, and I have no problem with that, but it is what it is.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Knugs]

I hate that many people think of vegetarism as a healthy diet. I see many patients in clinic who suffer from a different pool of health issues. Personally I consume meat once a week but sometimes more often. Sometimes I dont have any in weeks. What I believe is more important than the meat debate is the culture of overexcessive eating and processed foods. When I was doing research for my dissertation at medical school on the topic of weight loss I came across some historical findings that implied; most health issues started to arise in the ages of industrial agriculture (esp wheat).

The "healthiest" humans were the hunting groups which had slim body characteristics (prob BMI under20), were hypo-caloric most of the times, ate berries and other "gathering foods". They also hunted for whatever animals they could get their hands on.

 

[luniac]

I think global warming might be BS invented to create a carbon tax.

While animal abuse is absolutely deplorable, not eating meat at all seems extreme to me. I do my best to buy the more expensive meats that aren't packed with drugs and possibly cage free, so i do try to vote with my wallet when i can.

I AM willing to eat less meat if it were to make a difference, but not no meat.

I think Gandhi said this maybe, i agree:
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ~The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I know I am most likely going to get some shit here but I am very open to a healthy discussion. Be nice.

Do you truly want to hear our thoughts or are you trying to convince us to your point of view?

Honestly something like this will only turn into a political discussion, flame wars, "F*ck you" retorts (not necessarily from you) and the whole gambit of typical forum drama. It's no different than the Paleo discussion which also had it's heat from various proponents and detractors.

I'll let the thread ride and the discussion continue, but only to watch it disintegrate. <-- see Iike being "right" too!!"

I truly believe this forum is special, but I doubt it is this special enough to keep the debate civil and respectful.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[PureA]

Do you truly want to hear our thoughts or are you trying to convince us to your point of view?

Honestly something like this will only turn into a political discussion, flame wars, "F*ck you" retorts (not necessarily from you) and the whole gambit of typical forum drama. It's no different than the Paleo discussion which also had it's heat from various proponents and detractors.

I'll let the thread ride and the discussion continue, but only to watch it disintegrate.

I truly believe this forum is special, but I doubt it is this special enough to keep the debate civil and respectful.

I respect what your saying.

What pushed me over the edge is that this is probably one of the most densest populations of bright people on the net. Thus, I hope some would be open minded to the idea of veganism. And (in my opinion of course) if I were to spark just one person in changing their diet habits then that would double the effect of my vegan efforts. And from there... well, who knows who they could speak to etc etc.

This is just something I strongly believe in. I'm sure you can empathise. Not looking for arguments, I assure you, just open minded folk.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

BTW in response to the original question, my view is this:

If veganism makes you feel great, energized, and feels right for you, it's awesome. Do it. Try it.

If it doesn't, don't do it.

I tried it years ago and felt like shit.
My GF was a vegan for nearly a decade -- and felt like shit.

If something makes me feel like shit, I'm not doing it. And I don't care what the studies say.

With that said, a paleo aligned lifestyle is the right diet for me insofar as feeling good, energized, and not turning myself into a fat blob or a frail jaundiced toothpick.

 

[Supa]

BTW in response to the original question, my view is this:

If veganism makes you feel great, energized, and feels right for you, it's awesome. Do it. Try it.

If it doesn't, don't do it.

I tried it years ago and felt like shit.
My GF was a vegan for nearly a decade -- and felt like shit.

If something makes me feel like shit, I'm not doing it. And I don't care what the studies say.

With that said, a paleo aligned lifestyle is the right diet for me insofar as feeling good, energized, and not turning into a fat blob.

That's probably the only answer this thread needs, nothing more to add in my opinion

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[mws87]

Don't feel the need to go Vegan (personally) and am kinda tired of hearing about it. Here, in California, everyone makes it a daily goal to make sure they shove their life decisions in your face and try to force their reality onto you.

The way I look at it: If you're Vegan--cool. If you're not--cool.

 

[Kelly C]

I was vegan for 3 years - felt good at first and then everything got bad...I overslept but always felt tired, terrible terrible skin and my running suffered. Everything suffered - no ability to focus on work, my life seemed to revolve around resting! For the first year everything was great...then it was rubbish.

I think it took me another 2 years to recover...I recently started having red meat again (I have never really liked it)...because my iron levels were low as a runner (despite eating a lot of other iron rich foods)....not only did I get a bump in energy it also cleared up my skin!!!

Also I ate a lot of fruit when I was a vegan and although I enjoyed eating it at the time, I realise now it was too much sugar (going by how I feel now compared to then etc).

I don't eat lots of meat now (I eat more fish)...and some days I have a vegan diet...but I will never be 100% vegan ever again. It was the dumbest thing I have ever done and mostly out of fear. The positive out of it was that I discovered some foods that really upset my asthma...so keep them cut out. I feel like I wasted my life away though.

That's my experience and how I feel about it. My body needs some form of meat.

 

[Panamera Turbo S]

I am interested to know what range of eating habits we have here on the forum.

Having turned vegan around 2 months ago, and around vegetarian 4 month prior it is a change in my life that I never saw coming. Being hugely into fitness/bodybuilding getting the protein in has been a challenge, but is VERY doable.

I believe there are a lot of conventional wisdom myths around eating meat, and that the habit is unfortunately blindly followed (including myself for 20 years).

In my opinion once you know the facts it becomes a very logical and easy choice. Of course, I accept that people may have different views.

If you are at all interested in the subject, I recommend watching the following:

Earthlings
Cowspiracy
Vegucated

You guys at the Fastlane forum are amongst the most 'awake' folk I could possibly find on the net. So, just for a second consider your diet choices, forget everything you think you know and reconsider why you do what you do and the impact of your choices.

There are huge benefits to be had for yourself, others, and the planet.

What's stopping you from going vegan?

p.s. I know I am most likely going to get some shit here but I am very open to a healthy discussion. Be nice.

I personally am a vegan and the next level is to be complete vegetarian. At beginning i also had the same problem, where i get my proteins ? Simple! Proteins can be found in eggs, cheese, yogurt, avocado, nuts, brazilian nuts, almonds and i my favorite of all is spirulina. Spirulina is a algae that contains 63% proteins.

Remember that proteins from animal sources get absolved much quicker in both time and quantity by your body than the ones coming from vegetal sources.

Now it's not that easy to become vegan, but it's like a new habit. After a while you will find it easy and normal

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[CycleGuy]

For the 51% figure please see...

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6294 & http://www.animalfeedscience.com/article/S0377-8401(11)00517-7/abstract

And with regards to my murder comment. I mean the fact that 70 billion animals are killed for our selfish pleasures each year. I would call it murder, you may call it something different, and I have no problem with that, but it is what it is.

It's not called murder, it's called being at the top of the food chain. We are omnivores, it is our biology. We eat meat.
A well rounded, calorie restricted, macro nutrient balanced diet is much better for your health than any vegan diet.


Your links are bias and are backed by one lone source who lacks credibility due to their bias. EPA > worldwatch
You can't add Co2 of animals into a study without calculating the human factor of Co2. Also no where did they calculate the amount from humans vs livestock. That would once again over inflate a number for the livestock. They did the same thing with methane released. Once again not calculating methane released from livestock vs non-livestock.
You also can't add deforestation into the total for meat issues when the deforestation can be used in other farming and general urban advance.
That's just a couple things wrong with that source.

They did an apples vs oranges approach and a sharpshooter approach which are logical fallacies.


If you want to crusade against a cause, go ahead and start at the third world countries struggling to feed their children while not having any emissions or very little emission control vs the rest of the modern world.

 

[Filipe]

My point of view is the following:

I don't either eat meat or fish.

It is perfectly possible to be healthy without them. Nowadays, most soy-based foods and whole breakfast cereals have major nutrients (mostly artificially added), and we're not even talking about beans, seeds algae the sort.
Between having the choice of opting to eat animals or not, i choose not to eat them.
With that being said, it is a fact that it's in our nature to eat meat. It is also a fact that we're omnivore, we'vebeen that way for millions of years. That's all true. I'm not denying any of that, because there's no denying fact.
However, we can choose between the different diets, unlike other animals. Their diet is hard wired in their DNA, ours isn't.
I think it boils down to a matter of personal preference. All options are healthy as long as it's done in an informed way. It's not smart to simply remove meat and fish from the diet, it has to be replaced by other things to compensate. Exercise is essential, as in all diets.
There's always guys like Frank Medrano (a vegan) who display that it is clearly possible to follow such a lifestyle in a healthy (real healthy, dude is jacked) way. There's also examples of unhealthy omnivores. There's examples for everything out there.
But, as in everything else, half-assed input => half-assed output. In this specific topic, half-assed results means half-assed health. Not good.
For me, it isn't really about environmental causes and the controversial reasons - it's about inner peace than anything else. Plus, I've found, being vegetarian forces me to watch what I eat, contributing to overall health in the long run.
Besides, there's some pretty darn sweet vegan/vegetarian recipes out there!

 

[Guest34764]

It's not called murder, it's called being at the top of the food chain. We are omnivores, it is our biology. We eat meat.A well rounded, calorie restricted, macro nutrient balanced diet is much better for your health than any vegan diet.

Thank you!

Someone said it finally.

Our hunter instincts are regressing more and more.

Humans kill animals to eat them and it will always be like that.

(Shocker I know)

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Vigilante]

There's two things that have kept me from going vegan :

1. I like meat...the bloodier the better and
2. I really dislike most vegans I have met. Vegans themselves can keep me from ever trying to eat Vegan.

and here's an added bonus for you Paleo fans :

It is not only probable but certain that Cavemen ate grains. They were foragers. That being said, I am totally supportive of my 5,000 friends that are on a significantly reduced carb diet of any sort, including Paleo. I think it works. I think it is more natural.

Happy to have participated in a small way in the degeneration of this thread.

 

[Ninjakid]

 

[AndrewNC]

murdering of millions of animals

Is killing another living being for food inherently bad?

Animals in the wild do it. In some spiritual practices, they say that our soul lives many lives and we choose what happens to us between lives. If earth is just an illusion of the bigger reality, is it really that bad? (will this thread get closed for religion?)

B12 deficiency SUCKS! I warn you to keep an eye on nutrient intake.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[TTG SS]

I did vegetarian for 35 days, just as a challenge. On the 36th day I ate Five Guys after a hike.

I now only eat meat maybe once every other week give or take. I don't really "need" it, and really only like red meat anyways.

I was doing a strength program during that 35 days, and all my lifts kept going up. I'm not the strongest guy by any means but my combined lifts are in the respectable 1000+ range weighing 180-185lbs.

No major differences for me on either diet. If I eat real food and not processed garbage I feel good either way.

 

[wade1mil]

Mark Sisson (I think it was him) told a story about a friend or relative that was a vegetarian — possibly his sister. She was in good shape, but after about 18 months she collapsed and went to the hospital. The lack of protein caused her muscle tissue near her joints to become so weak it nearly killed her. That coupled with his and Dr. Mark Hyman's research has given me the opinion that vegetarian and vegan diets with a lack of protein will eventually kill you. The same research also supports that eating no carbohydrates of any kind isn't bad for you at all, and you would only need to find a way to get the right amount of vitamins that are typically in vegetables.

 

[Guest34764]

Mark Sisson (I think it was him) told a story about a friend or relative that was a vegetarian — possibly his sister. She was in good shape, but after about 18 months she collapsed and went to the hospital. The lack of protein caused her muscle tissue near her joints to become so weak it nearly killed her. That coupled with his and Dr. Mark Hyman's research has given me the opinion that vegetarian and vegan diets with a lack of protein will eventually kill you. The same research also supports that eating no carbohydrates of any kind isn't bad for you at all, and you would only need to find a way to get the right amount of vitamins that are typically in vegetables.

She forgot to eat her lettuce, oranges, and banana peels bro.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Bellini]

I LOVE MEAT

(I looked for a little heart emoticon but couldn't find one ; )

 

[IceCreamKid]

I really dislike most vegans I have met. Vegans themselves can keep me from ever trying to eat Vegan

The vast majority of vegans that I have encountered seem to feel the moral obligation to:

1. Tell me that they are vegan.
2. Tell me why their way of life is vastly superior to mine.

I'm sorry. I love meat. I'm semi-paleo.

 

[Bouncing Soul]

Man has some pretty specific, and otherwise inefficient, mechanisms to prefer harvesting our proteins and fats primarily from dead animals.

Plus, "Pork Chops taste GOOD"

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kallin Trotman]

get your B17 in, you will be good.

 

[TonyStark]

I am interested to know what range of eating habits we have here on the forum.

Having turned vegan around 2 months ago, and around vegetarian 4 month prior it is a change in my life that I never saw coming. Being hugely into fitness/bodybuilding getting the protein in has been a challenge, but is VERY doable.

I believe there are a lot of conventional wisdom myths around eating meat, and that the habit is unfortunately blindly followed (including myself for 20 years).

In my opinion once you know the facts it becomes a very logical and easy choice. Of course, I accept that people may have different views.

If you are at all interested in the subject, I recommend watching the following:

Earthlings
Cowspiracy
Vegucated

You guys at the Fastlane forum are amongst the most 'awake' folk I could possibly find on the net. So, just for a second consider your diet choices, forget everything you think you know and reconsider why you do what you do and the impact of your choices.

There are huge benefits to be had for yourself, others, and the planet.

What's stopping you from going vegan?

p.s. I know I am most likely going to get some shit here but I am very open to a healthy discussion. Be nice.

I work out too much to go vegan. It's not about the meat, as much as it is the protein. I couldn't live without meat, nor would I want to, but since I am a weightlifter, I need to consume a lot of meat.

Funny: