I'm brand new here and just thought I'd introduce myself. I'm David from South Carolina and I'm in the process of going back to being vegan. I've worked out with weights most of my life since my teens. I then stopped and thought maybe that was a good time to go completely vegan, since I didn't need a lot of protein at the time. I was completely and utterly vegan for about a year a few years ago and it was ok. I can't even remember why I stopped, but I did go back to working out afterwards so maybe it was that I thought I needed to up my protein intake with animal products at the time. Anyway, a while back I then went on to experiment with being completely raw vegan. That lasted for a few months and while I was criticized for experimenting with being vegan, I was called "nuts" for trying raw this time around AND working out! It was pretty fun! LOL Unlike the first time, going raw sent me into a detoxing I'd never experienced before and wow did my body have a lot of it to do! I also lost a lot of unwanted fluid and body fat (around 35 lbs) and have never gained it all back. I'm thankful for both experiences and haven't really been long off of "raw" now that I want to go back to being completely vegan, at least. I'm very sick of all the problems I experience every time I've gone back to animal products. Just random "little" things like joint pain, slight skin break outs, dandruff, dry hair, digestive problems, etc. ALL of that goes away eating just plants, seeds, and fruits. I have a lot of questions about vitamin issues and so-called experiments that some meat eaters seem to throw around on the internet to tout as "facts" about being vegan (saying it is impossible and insane). But I will leave those for later, as I'm doing my own research and I may even just find what I need on this forum/site. And BTW I am planning on going vegan permanently this time. That is why I won't be satisfied until my research is absolutely thorough, unbiased, and answers all my questions. Anyway just thought I would introduce myself. Hope this will be the start of something nice! David