Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Robert,

Agreed on the health part being a major factor in what gets people's attention. I just see it still that if we embrace everyone who chooses to go vegan without being a bit discriminating, we end up getting burned as has happened time and again. For example, look how much damage Drew Barrymore did after being the poster child for a few years, then when she went off the wagon and publicly stated "I didn't want to stay vegan because the lifestyle was limiting me" - I think in the end she did more harm by telling the world that veganism is some form of tough, self-sacrifice that prevents people from getting what they really want than she did in the few years she was trying to be a role model for asipiring vegans. Now, Tyson's no Barrymore, but a man who seems punch-drunk during most normal conversations is a bit of a loose cannon, one I'm thinking may end up eventually come back to haunt the movement one day.

Mike, albeit seeming like he's changed in some ways, is still someone I'd be really leery of using as an example to get attention to veganism in many ways. I hope he's changed, but I still believe in the old saying of "You're known by the company you keep", and some of what he's said/done hasn't been long enough for me to really get over and look past for wanting to be connected to him in any real way. It was only a few weeks ago he was blathering some nonsense during the heat of the Trayvon Martin case where he essentially said in one sentence that we can't judge what happened because none of us were there to witness it, then he followed up seconds later with how he'd wished Zimmerman (the man he just got done saying not to judge) would be dragged behind a car until he died. The man's not playing with a full deck in many ways, not the sort of "he might say/do some batshit crazy stuff at the drop of a hat" thing that I really want to be associated with.

But, that's me, everyone's entitled to their own opinions!

Ryan I totally agree with you, Angelina Jolie claimed 'the vegan diet nearly killed me' complete bullshit but did a lot of harm to the movement, and also natalie portman claimed she needed animal products whilst she was pregnant so once again made veganism look unhealthy and dangerous.
Saying that though good on Mike for making a positive change and good luck to him

Drew Barrymore was vegan? I know she was vegetarian and then started eating fish because her "body was craving protein" (eye roll right here).

Angelina Jolie's statement made me really mad because no one had heard about her supposed veganism until she decided to say it almost killed her.

And Natalie Portman's exact issue was that she was having trouble finding vegan baked goods for her cookie cravings. A millionaire. In LA. Having trouble. But she has always been wishy washy about being veg*n so that wasn't much of a surprise.

Yep, Drew was vegan in the early 2000s, she graced everything that PETA could put her face on, then declared that she was sick of not being able to buy the shoes and clothes she liked and that the "limiting" factors of veganism in the lifestyle she wanted to have was enough to make her give up on it. Sad, but she's not the first to say something like that, and I'm sure she won't be the last.

Fully agreed on how Portman's comment wants to make me bang my head against the wall. If I can manage to help someone in 'middle of nowhere, Nebraska' get vegan cookies and sweets shipped in to fill their cravings, how the hell does a millionnaire Hollywood actress have any grounds to claim that she wasn't able to get what she wanted?!? Incredibly absurd, but that's the world we live in - people these days many times are looking to simply slap one more label on their persona for some extra attention, but when they can't just walk out the door and get the perfect vegan version of something they want, they call it quits and declare the whole thing a failure.

I hope Mike Tyson is a changed man, I don't think it's fair to hold it against someone for life if they claim they're different and don't want to be the same person they once were (so long as they show they're serious about being a better person in the end). But to me, it just hasn't been enough time elapsed to know for sure if he's serious for the long haul, or, if it was simply a PR stunt to get some extra attention at a time when he was falling into obscuity save for a cameo in The Hangover. Only time will tell on that part, looks like we'll just have to wait and see!

Precisely! If it weren't for the simple fact that it seems 3 out of every 4 famous folks who declare themselves to be vegan end up coming back to slander the lifestyle later on, I wouldn't care so much. Unfortunately, there's no shortage of Hollywood types who take to veganism for a short time and end up speaking out against it months or years later (always based on some lame excuse) which has made me quite jaded when it comes to caring much about what famous folks say about our lifestyle and their "connection" to it