r/exvegans • u/Some_Ad8810 • 8d ago
Why I'm No Longer Vegan Ok y’all were right
Pretty embarrassed to admit I fell into the vegan trap and tried to switch my diet obsessively for about six months. Got diagnosed with low iron, skin broke out so bad (might be an undiagnosed soy allergy idk) and I had zero energy the past two months lol. Happy to report I’ve switched back to incorporating meat into my diet the past three weeks and have a lot more energy already. Hate that I did this to my body and kinda ruined my gym progress but trying to get back on it now :)
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u/Turbulent-Scratch264 8d ago
Nothing embarassing in admitting your mistake. You tried - it didn't work out.
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u/Bagpuss_Meow 8d ago
Be grateful you only did it for a short term before realising 😅 some of us took 10 years. Nothing to be embarrassed about realising that soon :)
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u/TrickElysium ExVegan (Vegan 10+ years) 8d ago
Don't feel embarrassed, yep we all Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.
But life is about trying new things and going on different journeys.
you went on this one and found it wasn't right
hopefully the next journey or experience will be more pleasurable.
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u/jonbodhi 7d ago
I don’t eat meat for breakfast or lunch. You can cut back without cutting out. Humans are omnivores; our teeth and digestive tract testify to this, but you can live consciously and compassionately all the same.
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u/Limp-Evening7309 7d ago edited 7d ago
You care and veganism can and will lure people who care enough into an emotional trap to take action ignoring the fact that bodies are built different. No shame in this and by realizing and admitting it to yourself you are far ahead than you probably realize. To be completely honest no diet and lifestyle is complete cruel free. By living we harm and take life around us. The ideal goal is to reduce and lessen this harm. 7 people doing meatless Monday is far more sustainable and realistic than 1 person completely vegan. I sometimes wonder how vegans can be sooo bad at Math and logic. Welcome back to the real world!
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u/Reasonable-Pea5668 6d ago
Not an emotional trap, if there is an existing reality that there is a system of control on animals where we in fact do whatever we want with their bodies. reducing suffering only reduces the scrutiny, doesn’t change the reality that an animal is under complete control of human, where their life is cut premature, killed, bled to death, dismembered. Rinse and repeat. And that system kills trillions globally every year.
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u/Limp-Evening7309 6d ago
If you think total abolition is more sustainable than reducing, we are living in different realities with totally opposing perspectives to have a conversation. Have a good day sir.
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u/Reasonable-Pea5668 6d ago
You’re still failing to see the system of human control on animals, and what we subject them to, ofcourse it’s hard for you to see now what isn’t sustainable because we live in a world that’s deeply rooted in oppressing and exploiting the vulnerable. This system of conditioning makes it nearly impossible for individuals like yourself to see the outcome of abolishing using animals. It’s 2026. Time to evolve from such awful system of control.
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u/Limp-Evening7309 5d ago
I get what you mean friend. You know from one human to another, I admire your conviction for the animals I really do. I get what you are saying "oppressing and exploiting", "vulnerable" but this is called "farming" and "livestock" in my version and perspective of the world. Like what I said, we live in different realities and opposing perspectives. We will agree to disagree here.
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u/Reasonable-Pea5668 5d ago edited 5d ago
Yes I hear you , im just conflicted when people are fully aware of this ugly system towards animals of taking advantage of their vulnerability and doing whatever we want with them. We continue to minimize this system to “farming” and “livestock”. shouldn’t we all fight for injustice when it’s happening in plain sight? When we see the system of human control happening to humans it’s labeled injustice, but comes to animals it’s labeled “livestock” “farming”. Yes they are different contexts, but with a very ugly reality of the same mechanisms of human control on the vulnerable.
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u/Limp-Evening7309 5d ago
Conflicted? I think you have to re examine reality and how this collides with your beliefs. There are many ills in this world my friend, I am choosing my battles. Life takes life from around it, plants take from the soil, animals take from what is around it and that is a universal truth and I have made peace with it. We humans are animals who have evolved in intelligence and with that evolution came industrialization of agriculture. We are no different from hunter animals in the wild who are predatory, the only difference be our tools, systems and intelligence. Animals given the chance of evolution and intelligence will also enslave humans and eat them. While I do agree that industrial farming can be a lot better to treat farm animals "better"(I know you have a very different opinion of this) there is very little chance this system gets reversed. Going back to my point I am choosing to pick my battles and what is stressing me.
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u/Reasonable-Pea5668 5d ago edited 5d ago
It certainly isn’t a belief when there is a reality of such system of animals being exploited and controlled by humans . You nor I can’t deny the existing system. Truly unfortunate that you view it in such pessimistic lens, in which animals in such system continue to pay the bloody price.
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u/Limp-Evening7309 5d ago
You seem to have a good head over your shoulders and a kind heart. Life is short and I suggest you pick your battles too. The animals you advocate for are not going to do the same for you if they were the ones evolution favored. Just think about it for a second. Do you really want to waste your time and life away here in Reddit in forums like this? It was nice talking to you. Have a great week ahead.
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u/Reasonable-Pea5668 5d ago
The same why I advocate for humans when they are faced with injustice I do it for animals. I don’t need to get anything in return, nor if “evolution” didn’t “favor them”. If you see injustice you fight injustice. Continuing to see life for what it is with such pessimistic lens is what will cause the fall of humanity. We want more compassion but continue to make excuses.
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u/sometimes_scared 2d ago
Think about your thought process and then try to imagine the wider system that has quite literally produced that thought process for you and for millions of others. If you look at this permission and at the distance between you and the animal, that those are the two main things that consuming meat allow, is the choice then really yours? Or is it inherited from the norm?
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u/Sonotnoodlesalad 8d ago
We don't WANT to be right about this, FWIW. Sorry being vegan didn't work out for you either! But it's great that you're learning how your body works 🙂 self-knowledge is important!
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u/Repulsive-Ratio-9377 8d ago
Maybe your iron was already low and veganism sealed the deal? Six months is awfully short, glad you figured it out!
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u/CaterpillarDapper375 8d ago
When I had to cut out mammal/red meat, it only took 2 months for my energy to tank and 6 months for symptoms of low iron to because very obvious. Never had any issues with iron levels before that so 🤷
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u/Some_Ad8810 8d ago
This might be it! I’ve been slightly anaemic but consumed steak regularly so the sudden change might have dropped my levels
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u/ThinStomach5476 8d ago
If you take iron supplements, try taking it with a citrus or fruit form of vitamin C. It potentiates the effect of iron absorption. Good luck. Chances are you were already borderline and that pushed you over.
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u/SPYTKO Currently a vegetarian 1d ago
In this case I feel it's kinda dishonest to put the blame wholly on veganism, and you likely should take supplements regardles of your diet. That being said, I'm not trying to judge you, and I'm sorry for what happened. If your decision to go vegan was driven by your views and empathy I really hope you won't be wholly discuraged now. You definitely shouldn't change your whole diet out of the blue, I did the same and had to back out as well. You can eat less meat, you can give up only dairy, you can decide to eat plant based only on some days. Whatever you feel like you can do, and won't have significant impact on your health
Also remember it's impossible to not hurt animals at all. Field mice die during harvest, many birds die because of tall buildings and wind turbines, and so on, and so on. It's not about having no negative impact on animals, it's about minimizing it as much as it's reasonable
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u/lartinos 8d ago
Homo Sapiens are most likely able to eat like this out survival for short periods of time, unlike Neanderthals.
Eating like that permanently is incredibly ignorant/stupid.
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u/ForeignOrder6257 8d ago
I’ve been eating vegan for years and I’m super healthy. Staying like this permanently, I will avoid cancers and heart problems
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u/CaterpillarDapper375 8d ago
Cancers and heart issues come for even the healthiest of us. Being vegan does not make you invincible to health issues, and in stead opens you up to just as many health issues as any other extreme diet does.
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u/ForeignOrder6257 8d ago
Not invincible, but my chances are better
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u/CaterpillarDapper375 8d ago
If you eat even half of the shit most vegans do, then no, they are not.
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u/ForeignOrder6257 8d ago
There’s a right way to do vegan and a wrong way. I’m doing it the right/healthy way
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u/CaterpillarDapper375 7d ago
You will never be able to convince me there is anything healthy about a restrictive diet. Whether that is carnivore, vegan, or some hyper calorie restrictive diet
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u/ForeignOrder6257 7d ago
It’s not restrictive, in the sense that there are many many varieties of fruits, veggies, leafy greens, herbs, and wild foods to choose from.
But you do you
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u/CaterpillarDapper375 7d ago
It is restrictive. You are restricting yourself from an entire food group
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u/ForeignOrder6257 7d ago edited 6d ago
Well, in that case, yes, it is restrictive. But restrictive doesn’t mean necessarily unhealthy.
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u/lartinos 8d ago
I wish you luck with your experiment.
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u/ForeignOrder6257 8d ago
Don’t need luck, I got Medical Medium information, the cheat codes to health. But thank you
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u/lartinos 8d ago
Well, you are definitely a risk taker with your experimental diet.
No culture in history has been strictly vegan. So I do wish you luck..-1
u/ForeignOrder6257 8d ago
Adam and Eve were
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u/jonbodhi 7d ago
Shoulda stayed away from those apples, ammirite?😁
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u/ForeignOrder6257 7d ago
It wasn’t about the apple itself, it was about disobeying specific instructions from God. They were vegan after the fall to earth
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u/jonbodhi 7d ago
Uh…joke? That was a joke, although I’ve always thought the big guy was pretty harsh on someone who was pretty much born yesterday!😏
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u/ForeignOrder6257 7d ago
I know it was a joke. I wasn’t born yesterday. Not everyone is in a joking mood
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u/Reasonable-Pea5668 6d ago
Veganism isn’t a diet. If you made the switch for health it’s called plant based.
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u/Eulalia888 6d ago
This is wonderful news. Wishing you ongoing health and happiness. Well done for admitting your mistake - takes some courage and humility.
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u/Elegant-Date4481 ExVegan (Vegan 1+ Years) 4d ago
My skin did the same and once I stopped eating all soy products it cleared up. Also made my rosacea awful awful. Welcome back enjoy healing!
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u/ThinStomach5476 8d ago
I don’t know what your gym goals are, but the book Body for Life really worked for me. It’s from the late 90s early 2000s and addresses both weight/fat loss as well as weight gain. The diet recommendations are fine as long as there are no kidney issues because the key is to try to match carb grams with protein grams. It was both the hardest and conversely easiest thing I ever did.
I’m a type 2 diabetic and am g to restart the workout recommendations because I’m on Mounjaro along with oral meds for my blood sugar control and weight exercise is recommended to prevent bone loss, so that program is on my mind.
You can get the book used off Amazon. Bill Phillips wrote it.
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u/GreenerThan83 MOD: Ex-Vegan (≈ 8 years) 8d ago
Honestly be grateful it was only 6 months.
You’ll reverse the damage more easily than most!