sirdle

Hey Compassionategirl, Isn't it kinda late there? The example that I gave was totally hypothetical. I was trying to think of a case in which eating meat would not necessarily be "evil." I totally agree with paragraphs numbered 1, 3, and 4. I have known about these arguments for years, but they never convinced me to change my behavior... I am not sure why. I guess I believed that #1 would affect me only, and #3 and #4 could be theoretically offset with a greater reliance on technology. So there was no sense of urgency. #2 however, is different. Clearly there is a moral issue here, that I could ignore as long as I did not think about it. The more I think about it, however, the more I realize the need to make a decision. (Torture and rape? Are you exaggerating for effect, or is this true?) My neighbor has a dozen free range chickens (no roosters) on her 5-acre property. They seem pretty happy and they are certainly well cared for and protected from predators. I guess I don't have a problem with occasionally eating their unfertilized eggs... but I certainly agree that the corporate chicken/cattle/pork factories are inhumane and, in that sense, evil.[/i]

Hello everybody, I was passing through this website a few days ago, looking for some bodybuilding tips, and got sucked in by the variety of the posts here. I have posted a few replies, myself, and compassionategirl suggested I introduce myself. So here goes: Yeah, that's a picture of me. It's a few years old, though. I am 41 now, but that was the last time I had a killer body, so I thought I'd use that pic. These days I work too much and don't spend enough time with my friends or my wife, but I am working on changing all that. (The son of a friend of mine, who is six, said I am a workaholic. I asked him if he knew what that meant. He said, "That's when you work all the time, and don't have time for a snack! ) I started a nutrition and exercise program 2 months ago: I've dropped my body fat from 27% to 25%; dropped resting heart rate from 57bpm to 51bpm, and spent a week with my wife and one of her nieces playing card games, visiting museums, and eating vegan food. (I am not vegan or vegetarian... yet.) I love good music and I am curious about life, the universe, and everything. If all goes well, my wife and I will have kayaks in a few weeks. Can't wait to get on the water...

Thanks for your thoughtful reply, compassionategirl! No, I am not vegan. Not even vegetarian , but I am thinking about these issues and struggling with decisions in my own life... setting priorities, and working on action plans. Trying to exercise, eat better, work less, and spend more time with my wife and friends. I found this website in passing, looking for bodybuilding tips, and I feel myself being drawn in by the compassion and perceptiveness of many of the posts. My 11-yr old vegetarian niece came for a visit last week. That was quite a treat. (One day she woke up and decided she was vegetarian... Her parents are quite supportive but are struggling to make sure she gets all the vitamins and minerals she needs.) My wife and I spent the week discovering wonderful foods...

Def #1 is probably the most common. Morally bad or wrong... hmm. Why would eating meat be (necessarily) morally bad or wrong? Suppose on snowy, winter night, a doe jumps in front of my car. I hit my brakes, slip on the ice, and accidently kill it. Is the accident immoral? Or was it just an accident? Would I be evil if I cut up the (already) dead dear and ate it? Might some people think that God had provided food for them and their families? I can think of many reasons to cut back on meat in my diet, even eliminating it altogether. But I don't think anyone ever changed their behavior because somebody told them they were evil. Logic and compassion are much better motivators. It is all to easy to hide behind labels and think that others are evil (whether they eat meat or practice a different religion, or dress funny). The real challange is to understand their point of view and be able to explain your own ideas in terms they can understand. Sorry for ranting, but I think we all need to pull together and work towards a common goal, instead of splintering into various squabbling factions. The survival of our race and maybe that of the planet may depend on it.

Hello everyone! I just found this board and I think it is going to be a great hit. I have a question relating protein and this thread. I have read that: 1. It is impossible for the human body to add more than 1 pound of muscle in a week --- that is the limit of the muscle fibers' ability to make protein into muscle. 2. 1 pound of muscle has 100g of protein in it. So a bodybuilder would need to consume 15g of protein each day, beyond that required for cell and tissue maintenace, to allow for maximum muscle growth. Any additional protein is turned into fat and causes calcium excretion in the urine to increase. 3. The U.S. RDA for protein of 44g for women and 56g for men is already twice the value needed by 99.9% of the population. So even if a woman were lactating, or a person had a broken bone, or was active in bodybuilding, then 50-100g of protein a day would be plenty. [i get about 100-150g a day.] 4. Many meat-eating bodybuilders claim muscle growth in excess of 1 pound per week on high-protein diets. It has been suggested that protein is not the cause, but rather, the steroid DES (diethylstilbestrol) that ranchers add to cattle feed to "beef them up" prior to slaughter. Well, so much for what I've read. What I'd really like to know is if any of you can support or refute these findings based on your own personal experience. (Are you vegan... how much muscle have you been able to add in a week... do you take your own body fat measurements). Thanks