Tell someone you are vegan and they will look at you like you swore in their face. People assume a lot about vegans: they are iron deficient, don’t get enough protein, eat bland meals and can’t go 15 minutes without telling someone that they are vegan. Why I would subject myself to a life of people asking if I survive on salads or how I manage without bacon you may ask? I did it for the betterment of my health.
Body image is something that most — if not all — people struggle with. Growing up I was always heavier than the other kids. “Big-Boned” my parents liked to call it. Despite playing soccer competitively on the school team and a year-round travel team for most of my school career, I continued to carry around all this extra weight. Being overweight had never bothered me until I broke up with my first high school boyfriend. It was my first real relationship that also made it my first heartbreak. As one could imagine, as a sixteen-year-old girl, the split had taken quite a toll on me and as a result, I had lost interest in a lot of things I used to love, including soccer.
Food became a comfort I indulged in fairly often. Before I knew it, it was the middle of junior year and I had finally stepped on the scale again for the first time in months. I was shocked by the number. Could it even be possible for me to gain a whole 30 pounds and not notice? From then on it was like all the filters I put on myself had been stripped. Being determined to lose some weight and be a little healthier, I made a rigorous plan to diet and work out. However, hours of cardio and calorie restricting only set me back. I was constantly grouchy, hungry, and fatigued from lack of food and intense workouts. The back and forth of strict dieting to overeating caused my weight and my confidence to yo-yo. I knew there had to be a better way, but I didn’t know how to go about it.
Fortunately for me, I found myself falling down the YouTube rabbit-hole one day this past December. Amidst the clutter of New Year’s resolution videos I had been watching for weeks was a video from a vegan YouTuber, Jess Beautician. Jess’ videos made vegan food look delicious and (more importantly) easy. (Check out her most recent video here!) The discovery of this new part of YouTube was enough to get me excited about cooking and eating healthier. I began to cut out meat, limiting myself to chicken and turkey breast so that I was eating fewer calories until I decided to go for it and cut out all meat. The vegetarian stage didn’t last very long because I compensated for the lack of meat with a lot more cheese and dairy. When my skin and stomach became my new enemies, I struggled to keep the lifestyle change I had made. A little tough love from my little sister kept me on track and inspired me to cut out dairy, too!
Choosing to become vegan has been one of the most influential decisions I have made in my life. Not only has this change affected my health, but it has also changed my mindset when it comes to being eco-conscious. Losing weight and being healthier is a great thing to come out of this, but thankfully my journey doesn’t stop there. Veganism has opened a door for me to lessen my carbon footprint in all aspects of my life, not only in my diet, and I plan on exploring those paths further in the future.