About Me
My first day of Veganism was 27 August 2013. I'm going to keep this blog as a helpful note for myself and anyone else making this decision.
I'm Lee-anne by the way. I'm 29, and I'm really overweight! I am not sure if Veganism will or will not help with this in a big way, however I think it will ensure I cut down on some of my binges, so that has to be good, right?! I was vegetarian prior to this, and although I didn't have loads of dairy or honey etc, I think the proportion was significant enough that after a while I will notice the absence.
My real reason behind the decision though, was always going to be about the animals. My belief is that we do not need to consume animal products, or animals, in order to survive. So why do we have the right to? I don't think we do, so I am choosing to follow my moral compass the way it's pointing, and try and live a good and healthy life without causing suffering (directly or indirectly) to others.
Today is my 6th day of being vegan. I meant to start this blog on the first day, however it's been a busy week. That's the other thing - my work takes up a lot of my time. I work shifts (currently they fall between 7am-7pm including weekends) and also do overtime. It can be really sporadic so a big stumbling block for me will be if I am not organised.
The Vegan Way of Life
I'd like to combine the way of eating Vegan with the Vegan lifestyle. By this I mean becoming more environmentally friendly in the way I live my life. I had been slowly over the last year replacing all my make up with 100% not tested on animals stuff - basically all from The Body Shop. I know it's not perfect as L'Oreal own them, however at least I know that no animals have come to harm due to what I'm wearing on my face. In future I may change this, but for now I'm happy with that decision.
Apart from that, a big consideration needs to be household goods, i.e. cleaning and things. Not only do I want to make sure that my products are not tested on animals, but I want them ecologically responsible too! You try finding ones that fulfill these criteria in Tesco...oh, and they have to be Vegan too, so no silk, honey, beeswax or whatever. It's nigh on impossible. And no, Ecover doesn't count by the way, because they do test on some kind of really tiny animal and they say they are not animals. So I'm not buying their stuff. I want to see the BUAV logo and the The Vegan Society logo where possible. Household is the area I'm struggling with.
And of course, every time I use something at the moment, I'm thinking, was this tested on animals, or does it have something in it that I don't want to be using? It's driving me a bit mad this week if I'm honest...have YOU ever thought about the environmental impact of your loo roll? Or worse, "ladies products"?!! Me either, but suddenly these issues are rearing their heads! I'll update as and when I find solutions.
The Guide to Vegan Living
I'm approaching this with the attitude that is put forward in The Guide to Vegan Living, which is a great website put together by The Vegan Society to help people making the transition. They have said it's ok to use up your non-vegan (not food!!!) items and then replace with vegan. Obviously not food...
So I'm using up my cleaning products etc and then will replace. Same goes for leather shoes/bags/wallets etc. I'm also keeping an open mind that I may not be able to do this. Currently I see absolutely no reason why not, however I need to keep my options open. So I've given myself 30 days. This is to be seen as a vegan trial. It ends on 25 September 2013. After this point I will consider myself a success and will remain Vegan. I cannot see any reason why I wouldn't. But right now it's my safety net!
My pitfalls will be eating out, also drinking alcohol, but that will be another post, and also when we work late and get food in. I already have a couple of Food Doctor wholesome pots in my drawer ready for when I may need them - they're not great but will do in a pinch!
That's enough for my introductory post so I'll head off. I am planning to do a post on things I've been eating so far and recipes/books. Also a post on alcohol (big topic!) and later on household goods. But mostly this will be about my journey on this lifestyle.
Thanks for reading.
Lee-anne x
PS - I don't know how this is possible as I've been going way over my calories this week, although admittedly all with healthy food, but my scales are saying I've lost just over 3 pounds since Monday. However, this could well be because prior to that I was on holiday and well, we all go a bit mad on holiday, right?! Haha.
