From Atkins Diet to Vegan Diet
May 18, 2007 by joyfulvegan
My journey to veganism was primarily food based at the start. I was raised in a lacto-ovo vegetarian home, but once I went away to college I hit the hamburger stand full-force. Fifty pounds later, I scaled back to healthier standards, but remained a meat eater, primarily because I didn’t know anyone who was a vegetarian besides my parents, and they didn’t voice objection that I had left the lifestyle. That, and I was going to school in Chicago, home of deep dish pizza.
Many years later I did the best (and worst) thing possible for myself, and it changed my life. In an effort to lose weight, I went on the Atkins Diet for a year. I ate cheese and beef jerky and scrambled eggs and processed deli meat and cottage cheese and Jell-O EVERY DAY. If I had a sweet tooth I sucked Readi-Whip from a can. That was my diet 24/7. And I lost 20 pounds. I also got horrible acne, was constipated on a regular basis, felt lethargic and logy, and began having problems with my “fluid” tract. My doctor was concerned about my kidneys and used the phrase, “possible damage and eventual shut-down” if I continued to consume high fat, high sodium foods. It was permission to quit, and going off the diet was a
relief.
After the Atkins fiasco I decided to go back to my lacto-ovo vegetarian roots. I felt better almost immediately.
Then Mad Cow Disease hit in England.
A girlfriend of mine was dating a vegan at the time, and we had long discussions about why we were at a greater risk than he as far as contracting disease or being effected by contaminated food sources. I started to research veganism and animal production. Embarrassing as this is, it wasn’t until then that I put beef and dairy in the same category. I had always
separated the chicken and the egg. However, I pushed my thoughts away for several years because I witnessed how vegans were treated. “Freak,” is the term I remember most.
Then, during a stint where I became very concerned about my health, I decided to adapt a vegan diet 100 percent. I went cold turkey. And I continued to read. As a result, amazing things happened to me.
I love to cook, and learning a new method was an exciting challenge. Two years into my veganism I STILL get a tremendous charge from having someone rave about a bread or dessert that I bring to work, and watching their face change when I tell them the delightful taste is courtesy of tofu!
I’ve also lost weight and kept it off. I still hit the gym and get as much exercise in as possible, but it’s just easier, even though I’m getting older.
However, my greatest gift has been a re-connection with the animals. My sweet kitty cat, Mo, was always a friend, but now she is a true companion. I can’t imagine life without her because I see her as an equal, not just a house pet. And I revere other animals with the same respect. That attitude only surfaced after becoming vegan.
Veganism has made my life come full circle, in a sense. I am one, yet I am part of a community - a huge community of people and animals. It is humbling to be part of such a large family where every “one” is different, yet equal, unique and special.
~Colleen in St. Paul, MN
It’s amazing to hear your story! I too have felt a reconnection with animals. I would feel weird saying this to anyone other than another vegan, but I feel like even the ducks at the park can tell what I’m all about… it’s cool to walk through a park & see the animals & feel that deeper connection.
I’m also glad to hear someone else tout the insanity that is the Atkins “diet”
I am baffled by the philosophy behind the atkins diet. By putting your body in a state where it must burn its own fat to survive . . . you are essentially starving yourself.
My mother in law and father in law (who is a doctor, no less) both lost over forty pounds on the atkins diet. Chugging down aspartame loaded soft drinks and carrying a little baggie with chunks of boneless ham and slices of prcessed cheese for an “on the go snack” disgusted me even when I wasn’t vegan!
My father in law has put back on more than the weight he lost from doing this over 4 years ago, and has never revisited the diet. My mother in law revisits this diet over 4 times per year, as is recommended in “Dr.” Atkins’ book (I am reluctant to call anyone who endangers the health of millions of people just so they can “shed a few pounds” a doctor). Recently, after being on and off the diet more than 10 times, nearing the end of the 6 weeks she is on the diet, her bones and joints become stiff, achy and sore, she becomes tired and lethargic, and yes, before even hitting 60 years old, at the tender age of 58, she has had an episode of angina and was sent to the hospital for tests on her heart.
What baffles me most is their ignorance. Feeding their grandchildren these meals of overly refined wheat pasta smothered in a tomato sauce with fat loaded ground beef and homemade meatballs . . . YUM! (not!) To drink, these children’s parents make the stubborn claim “My kids just don’t like water . . . all they ever want to drink is chocolate milk” . . . not realizing that often the milk that is not suitable by itself for human consumption is sold with chocolate syrup in it to mask any discoloration or undesirable flavours. For dessert they each sit in the livingroom watching a movie while licking a large cone of ROLO Ice Cream and various egg/dairy and gelatin laden desserts prepared for their naive tongues.
I often wonder where this world is heading when people “do” the atkins diet just so they can lose weight, only to quickly put it back on after they reintegrate normal foods into their diet. They are missing the secret . . . life is too short to be concerned about just your weight! I am currently overweight, but the weight is very gradually going down being vegan . . . and I wouldn’t have it any other way.