Vegans truely are the *best* people....

I just wanted to take a second to respond to and thank the folks who left comments regarding my earlier post on 'Hefty Herbivores'. I was feeling despondant when I wrote it and just having Anonymous, Poookie, Anonymous, Sara and Zucchini Breath take the time not only to read it but to identify and to post comments really gave me the boost I need. And so to your points:

Anonymous aka 'Cybermomma' - you know I only planted the seeds for you and you have made them bear fruit all by yourself. I am terrifically proud of what you have achieved and what you will go on to achieve and I really believe that the changes you've made will keep you with me longer. And that HAS to be good. Right?!?!

Poookie - **you** inspire me! Not only have you lost a ton of weight but you've gained a ton of insight! Yes, we are all unique and we didn't arrive at our sizes overnight, so it's a matter of time and patience. Oh, and consistency...as you say. Thanks so much!

Anonymous - you are definitely NOT alone. And at a size 14 you are gorgeous! :) I hope I might get down to that size at some stage...even while eating the odd vegan donut or two! LOL

Sara - yes, you too hit the nail on the head when you said 'Sure, the occasional indulgence in the vegan cookie or cupcake, but that's the key..occasional.' As I look back over my blog posts, I see a distinct bias towards baked goods and a real lack of balance. I need to correct that. Oh, and I also need to say kudos on YOUR awesome blog - check it out, guys...The Innocent Primate Vegan Blog.

Zucchini Breath - I lurked around your blog too and the pix you post are in no way 'chubby'! 57 lbs since June?!?! - you are my new hero!!!! Love it, love it!

A, P, A, S and ZB - thanks again.

More soon.

And stay vegan, my Friends!

Vegan on the Cheap - not a moment too soon...

Browsing idly around the blogosphere this lunchtime I was struck by two pieces of news that seemed, in my perhaps warped mind at least, somewhat linked. The first is a report regarding the eating of raccoons - apparently given the collapsing economy, folks have taken to ambushing wildlife behind dumpsters, clubbing the unfortunates to death and offering them for sale as human food. The going rate is anywhere between $3 and $7 per raccoon. My, my, doesn't that tempeh look good in comparison....(Thanks to The Informed Vegan for this piece.)

The second nugget of news is that Robin Robertson - author of, I think, 19 veg*n cookbooks to date - has lodged another with her publisher and has yet another in the works. According to her brand spanking new website,

Vegan on the Cheap [is a book whose time] has come. With the economy in a slump and everyone looking for ways to save money, I’m excited to be working on a cookbook devoted to recipes and ideas for eating cheaply (and well). I’ve just finished the first draft of Vegan on the Cheap, and the recipe testing begins soon. I don’t know the publication date of this book either, but I’ll let you know when I do.

So you see folks, there is hope. Even in this economy there is no need to resort to eating freakin' raccoons! Sheesh!!

On 'hefty herbivores' and other such fabled creatures.....

Finally.

I finally did it.

I went to the gym this evening on my way home from work. For the first time this year.

And it was tough. I really felt it and wondered, for the umpteenth time, how the hell it is that I am still so fat?

I have been vegan now for 15 months and I haven't really lost any weight. Now, I should say up front that weight loss and health reasons are not why I went vegan. Not in the least. I made the change from my previously largely omni diet when I discovered the truth about the animals - how they live and how they die, and I could bear no further part of that.

However, whenever I catch myself thinking of 'vegans' in the abstract, perhaps of the stereotype, I think of slender willowy types with glossy shiny hair, perfect teeth and toned bodies.

I do not, in short, think of me.

OK, so I am rational. I am perectly able to see that it took 30+ years for me to get to this state and it's going to take a while to put things right. But I can't help but feel discouraged and disappointed because I have the impression - right or wrong - that the vegan diet is naturally healthier, lower in all of the bad things and higher in the good ones. Is more sustaining, nutrient-dense and calorie-poor and that a healthier body is an inevitable by-product of a healthier way of eating.

And no, it's not a case that I 'cheat' from time to time, secretly gorging on hot dogs and cheese pizza. Because I do not. I would as soon snack on a hot dog as I would on my own dog. To me, the hot dog is not food; it is the desperate remains of a once beautiful, intelligent, sensitive creature whose desire to live matched my own. The cheese on the pizza is little more to me than the product of a grief-stricken mother whose baby has been stolen from her. So, no, I do not 'cheat'; I have no interest in those things.

But the question persists: am I the only fat vegan out there? Am I the exception that proves the rule when it comes to plant-based nutrition? We are so bombarded by images of svelte gorgeous vegan women and I am beginning to question the underlying assumption that veganism = slenderness. (There are, after all, svelte and gorgeous meat-eaters out there, folks who wouldn't know a snowpea if they tripped over it on the way to the steakhouse.)

So, in tandem with committing *once again* (sigh) to regular stops at the gym on the way home, I am launching a study: where are the 'hefty herbivores'? the 'portly-plant eaters'? the 'vegans of size'? Am I in a club of one?? Or are there kindred souls out there, sheltering behind their autographed copies of Skinny Bitch?

Watch this (somewhat substantial) space...

...oh, and Stay Vegan, Friends.