Since becoming Vegan
earlier this year, a lot of people have approached me and tentatively asked
whether they can lose weight by going vegan? Does being vegan make you thin?
Well I'm afraid the
short answer is NO. Vegan does not automatically mean Thin.
Don't get me wrong
here, I love being vegan and I really enjoy my food. I cook all my meals from
scratch as far as possible and use all kinds of exciting flavours, and I have a very healthy and nutritious diet.
Yes, it is
very easier to avoid saturated fats, and you tend to gravitate towards fresh fruit and vegetables which helps you to make smart choices, but it's not a quick fix for being overweight.
I find it incredibly sad that almost every woman I
know is unhappy with her weight or appearance for some reason or other.
However gorgeous she
is, most women think if only they could lose a few more pounds or have fuller
lips or a smaller waist... Sound familiar?
The
"beauty" industry seems to do everything it can to make women feel
inadequate in order to make them buy their products.
Air brushed models
grace page after glossy page of every magazine, pushing an unrealistic and
narrowly defined image of female beauty. Sadly, women and girls are coerced
from an early age into trying to achieve this unrealistic target by TV,
magazines and the so called "celebrity" culture that is shoved down
our throats.
At the same time, we
are surrounded by ever more restaurants and fast food outlets selling us
unhealthy lifestyles as "cool" and "fun." Are you lovin'
it?
It's no wonder that
the Diet Industry is so huge in the Western world & we're all so obsessed
with size.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I get asked this question so frequently, because I am vegan and pretty thin. Everybody's looking for an easy way to feel better about themselves, but going vegan probably isn't going to do that.
I became a vegan on ethical and moral grounds, because it felt right and authentic for me, not because I wanted to try yet another faddy diet and lose weight.
So I'm afraid that I
have to announce that no, going vegan isn't a magic diet to make you thin,
despite the hype.
It may help you to
adopt a healthier lifestyle, but to be honest it's very easy to be an unhealthy
junk-food vegan, and I know plenty of vegans who are overweight.
Being vegan will not
make you skinny - only you can do that.
Love this: "Being vegan will not make you skinny - only you can do that." Thanks for an insightful post.
ReplyDeleteYou've very welcome Kristin! xo
DeleteVery nice, thank you Helen!
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DeleteGlad you enjoyed Berthe!
DeleteI've had similar questions about just being vegetarian -- and many have assumed that I made the change (hmmm, over 15 years ago, now) in order to be skinny. The truth is that I read a book ("Diet for a New America", John Robbins) that just made meat unappealing for me. But here's the thing: if you make a decision about your food that feels congruent for you in whatever way.....maybe being skinny won't matter quite as much. And that's even better than BEING skinny, if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right Jessica, self love and self acceptance are key to happiness, not the size of your waistline!
DeleteI know some very unhealthy,overweight vegans myself.....but your post made me think that I associated being vegan as being healthy.Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI regularly go on a vegan forum to chat and there are plenty of overweight vegans, as you say! I thought it was time to bust another myth!
DeleteIt's a great question to answer in a blog.. so many misconceptions around this and sometimes it seems people try on raw or vegan as another diet (or form of disordered eating) in hopes of mastering struggles with weight/eating..
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
xox
Thanks Lisa, I also felt it was important that Veganism shouldn't be trivialised as yet another fad diet.
DeleteIt's a compassionate lifestyle choice that I take very seriously, not a quick fix to get in a bikini!
I always love this myth buster type posts, Helen. We all have our preconceived notions about the choices everyone else makes in their lives and it's so good to hear your take on choosing to be Vegan.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It is always a good reminder that there are NO quick fixes, but I don't think it stops any of us for looking for one.
ReplyDeleteI actually was considering doing a prescription pill. Like seriously seriously thinking about it. And then I realized that maybe making smarter food choices and moving my butt might work better, and make me feel better about myself in the long run...
Thank you for such a great post, and great reminder! When I went vegetarian a few years ago my grandparents somehow thought I was going on a diet. I had to remind them that I was changing my diet, not going ON a diet. There are still a lot of misconceptions around going vegetarian / vegan thanks for busting this particular myth!
ReplyDeleteLoving this Helen. I was a vegetarian (for spiritual reasons) for 20 years and slowly put on weight. As soon as I gave it up, I lost weight. There are many reasons to make lifestyle changes but our current cultural obsession to 'lose weight' does seem to influence our impressions. I've recently noticed that people are putting my gluten-intolerance into a 'diet' box. Keep busting these myths baby!
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