u/Electrical_Pattern19

Sorry for the long post, trying to keep it short.

I was vegan for 3 years, now vegetarian for 10 years. I’ve been and animal lover my whole life, and a huge empath. I love animals, so so much I can’t even see roadkill without feeling awful and thinking about it all day. I went plant based solely for animal rights and the environment. I’ve held strong, and haven’t wavered at all, not once. Being surrounded by meat eaters and even feeding my dog raw (tried everything and he wouldn’t eat it except raw), and I cringe inside every time I feed him.

Now, this is my crisis. The last 3 years of my life have been the worst. I got diagnosed with late stage Lyme disease, herniated disks in my spine, HPylori and Gerd. I’m in pain, every, single, day. I’ve done treatment for both, but I have lasting chronic pain now. I’m also a stress eater, and have so much going on in my life personally, and I’ve gained so much weight. I’m struggling with food, and it’s been this way for years.

I am somewhat coming out of this 3 year depression, and I so badly want to get my life back on track, most importantly my health. I’ve spoken to quite a few trainers, dieticians, and have been doing a lot of research, and it feels so hard, almost impossible to get healthy on a vegetarian diet, which is the opposite of what I’ve learnt and what I’ve believed the last 13 years. Our only source of protein that has no fat or carbs is egg whites, and I’m finding myself repulsed with tofu lately, I don’t know why. I don’t want to just be a junk food veggie, but I need to get heathy and for the first time I’m considering eating chicken and fish again.

The thought of this actually makes me sick to my stomach, and morally it hurts my heart. I know how chickens are treated probably the worst out of all animals, but I would find free range (not that it makes it any better). I just don’t know what to do, and I hate myself so much right now for considering eating meat again. I’ve always put animal welfare in front of my own wants and needs as I never not liked the taste of meat.

I don’t know any other vegetarians, and I haven’t made a decision, and my whole life is around animal welfare and the planet, my business, everything. It feels like I’m betraying myself and the animals even considering this, but I just want to be healthy again. I’ve started back at the gym, but I need to fix my diet and I need to eat clean, and I don’t know what to do anymore. Please no judgement, I’m already judging myself hard enough right now.

Has anyone else gone through this, questioned their choices and how did you deal with it? What was your outcome?

Sorry for the long post, trying to keep it short.

I was vegan for 3 years, now vegetarian for 10 years. I’ve been and animal lover my whole life, and a huge empath. I love animals, so so much I can’t even see roadkill without feeling awful and thinking about it all day. I went plant based solely for animal rights and the environment. I’ve held strong, and haven’t wavered at all, not once. Being surrounded by meat eaters and even feeding my dog raw (tried everything and he wouldn’t eat it except raw), and I cringe inside every time I feed him.

Now, this is my crisis. The last 3 years of my life have been the worst. I got diagnosed with late stage Lyme disease, herniated disks in my spine, HPylori and Gerd. I’m in pain, every, single, day. I’ve done treatment for both, but I have lasting chronic pain now. I’m also a stress eater, and have so much going on in my life personally, and I’ve gained so much weight. I’m struggling with food, and it’s been this way for years.

I am somewhat coming out of this 3 year depression, and I so badly want to get my life back on track, most importantly my health. I’ve spoken to quite a few trainers, dieticians, and have been doing a lot of research, and it feels so hard, almost impossible to get healthy on a vegetarian diet, which is the opposite of what I’ve learnt and what I’ve believed the last 13 years. Our only source of protein that has no fat or carbs is egg whites, and I’m finding myself repulsed with tofu lately, I don’t know why. I don’t want to just be a junk food veggie, but I need to get heathy and for the first time I’m considering eating chicken and fish again.

The thought of this actually makes me sick to my stomach, and morally it hurts my heart. I know how chickens are treated probably the worst out of all animals, but I would find free range (not that it makes it any better). I just don’t know what to do, and I hate myself so much right now for considering eating meat again. I’ve always put animal welfare in front of my own wants and needs as I never not liked the taste of meat.

I don’t know any other vegetarians, and I haven’t made a decision, and my whole life is around animal welfare and the planet, my business, everything. It feels like I’m betraying myself and the animals even considering this, but I just want to be healthy again. I’ve started back at the gym, but I need to fix my diet and I need to eat clean, and I don’t know what to do anymore. Please no judgement, I’m already judging myself hard enough right now.

Has anyone else gone through this, questioned their choices and how did you deal with it? What was your outcome?