Hi from Newbie....to both!

[Kelle23]

Hi guys, glad to be here. I am a 41 yr old woman from the Atlanta area. Currently I am a morbidly obese omnivore. I am ready for all of that to change. I have been working out for about 2 months now and am really enjoying it. I am very confused about all the conflicting information about how to strength train, but have decided to not be so uptight about it and listen to my body. Right now I'm doing 2, full body work outs per week, on Tuesday and Friday. Cardio the other week days. I do high reps, low weight on Tuesday and low reps, high weight on Friday to give some variety.

 

I am on a path to becoming vegan. I have been vegatarian in the past, but never in a healthy way. I ate a lot of cheese, convenience foods, etx. I had gastric bypass surgery in 2004 and had lost 270 pounds at one point, but have put 50 back on. My concern about protein intake has kept me from going vegan up till this point, but I can't ignore this voice that keeps telling me I have to give it a shot. I am interested in veganism both for health reasons (as cited in Forks over Knives, Food Matters, etx) and for ethical reasons. I am not going to throw away the food I have in my house now, I can't afford to. But as I buy new groceries, I will be slowly increasing my vegan recipes, dishes and staples.

 

I look forward to talking to some of y'all and sharing this journey!

 

Kelle

[VeganBadass_CO]

Hi Kelle!!

 

Glad you're hear and you've done the 2 hardest parts....1) listened to your body and 2) taking that first step. The rest is easy especially with support.

 

As you're already working out, I'd say stick with that while we help get your food sorted out. No need to worry about nutrition or your protein...we'll help! And wanted to acknowledge what you said -- it's just as easy to be a junkfood vegetarian or vegan as it is to be a junkfood omnivoire...most of weren't really taught much about nutrition and just did as we were raised or how our friends/family were doing.

 

I've been vegan for almost 4 years now I think, vegetarian for 8 years before that. AND, the me I see in the mirror at 45 in 2014 is SO much better than the me from 3 years ago. All down to keeping learning, questioning and making more connections in our local vegan society. Check out Meetup.com and see if there's a group in your area.

 

Nice thing with some friends, locally or online, we can share recipes, suggest options/changes and help each other. Amazing!

 

AND rest assured, there are pretty much plant-based alternatives to whatever your favorite foods might be. And if you can get in with a veg group, I'll say that I have NEVER had a spoonful of anything at one of our potluck gatherings that wasn't awesome! So yeah, we get to have it all....delectable foods with lots of nutrition and none of the bad!

 

So...welcome!!! Now bedtime for me!! haha!!!

 

TGIF to tomorrow!

[C.O.]

Hi and welcome. Let me know how ATL is for being vegetarian/vegan for things like restaurants? One of my good friends is thinking about moving there.

[Kelle23]

I'm not sure about the vegan restaurant scene, though I know there is one. There are a lot of options for vegetarians and lots of good places to eat in general here. Atlanta is the most progressive of the large southern cities, but there tends to be more acceptance of diversity in lifestyles in the metro area than there is further out in the country. Access to vegan/vegetarian resources will depend on where you're living.

[The PhytoAthlete]

Welcome kelle,

 

Scott Shetler is a vegan personal trainer near Atlanta and he has a training blog on this forum. If you want a personal trainer, definitely look him up.

 

As far as getting enough protein, it isn't a problem, so don't let that concern you. I made a vid which is available on my website going over a couple daily meal plans to show just how easy it is, check it out if you get a chance.

[C.O.]

Thanks for the info Kelle, that all makes sense. Oregon is a lot like that too. In Portland its pretty great, but the further away from the city you get the more redneck it becomes, but there are a few hippy towns to balance it out a little like Eugene, Corvallis, Bend and Ashland.