Why do some vegetarians quit?

This post isn't about new veggies... I know how hard that can be. But what's up with long-time vegs who go back to the dark side? I knew someone who was a staunch vegan for 4 or 5 years. She helped convince not only me but at least a half dozen others to think about diet. Recently I found out that she's a meat eater again because "she just didn't have the time" to stay vegetarian. Funny thing is, her husband (whom she converted to veganism) is still going strong. What a weird world this is.
"Nothing once begun should be abandoned unless it is proved to be morally wrong." - Gandhi

 

eh, all i can say is that people change. importance takes different routes.
it's the same for everyone, to different extremes. i'm a vegan, and every day i think i'll try to implement more raw into my diet, less wheat, less sugar. every day yields different results.
maybe something in this girl's life changed, so her eating habits changed too. maybe she's hangin round meat eaters, and the smell appealed to her. who knows?
just do what's best for you!

 

One of my very good friends turned back to eating meat during her pregnancy, she had terrible cravings for chicken. She still eats meat, but just very little.


A bunch of others quit being vegetarian for health reasons. After questioning them a little more, I found out that these guys didn't research properly, and ended up basically eating terrebly onesided.

 

That reminds me of the Friends episode where Phoebe (pregnant) can't control her cravings, so she starts eating meat. That episode bothered me, because (at the time) I was like: no way, that would never happen in real life. I'm so naïve.

But I guess like kayte said, "people change. importance takes different routes." One day, you value animal life as if it were your own... the next, you value your time more than animal life. But man, this is the kind of stuff that makes us look like hypocrites, isn't it?

 

some people are hypocritical and selfish, its the easiest thing in the world to remain veggie, people who make exscuses and return to meat consumption obviously regard the pleasure they recieve from flesh as more important than life.


bizarre.

 

Because she realized that by not eating meat, she never actually stopped animals from being killed. You not eating meat makes no difference, as most people still do eat it, and that's what companies want. No matter what you're told, you do not make a difference. It makes me want to eat even more animal.

If you truly want to save the animals, then make a law saying it is illegal to kill and eat animals. Oh wait, that will never happen.

 

Easy answer. WHy do veggies quit? Well, why do they start? A change in personal morality and Ideaology. Not saying its good, just how it is.

 

well you see the point is meat... tastes good.... we watch these videos and feel satisified...MMMM MEAT!!

 

Ya, I can understand if it's truly a change in belief. But when it's for convenience ...well, that's just "weakness" in a different form, imo. But hey, we're all fallible.

What an interesting point. I always wondered why some veg trolls are so adamant... as if they're trying to convince themselves more than anyone else. They make rational points, but they always fall back on nihilism & cynicism as an excuse for quitting. Example:

FTT, you're too intelligent to buy that. You're right; eating a hamburger will not make a difference to the world. But it's not about changing the world; it's about perfecting yourself in spite of the world. Give it a try, man. The fact that you're taking the time to think about it shows that you have a good chance of succeeding.

 

Let me explain something...


I was a vegetarian from fourteen to sixteen. Then I quit. I don't honestly know why I quit back then. I used the excuse, since Ironically I was a good catholic at the time, that Jesus ate meat...

So yeah, it was both an excuse or a lack of Will Power. I became a vegetarian again a few months ago and as you know I am seriously thinking about going vegan. I am not ashamed that I quit. if there is one thing I learned its not to be ashamed that you made a mistake.

When Vegetarians quit, they make a huge mistake. However, has anyone ever not had their beleifs tested so much that they want to just give in? I think we all have at one point. Not many are willing to give up cold comfort for change, if you get what I am saying. Right now, there is a huge anti vegetarian prejudice. A funny simpsons episode can't do much except for sell Greedy Paul McCartney's vegetarian meals (sorry. hate mccartney. greedy sob. Moving on). And alot of people are willing to just give in.

Aren't they allowed there mistakes? Many, like myself, realize the mistake and do better next time.

 

One of my friends was a veggie for years and then got talked into trying a chicken leg at his 18th birthday party, and he's never looked back since. It's sad, but of course it's up to the individual. And people's moral opinions can always change.

 

Perfecting yourself? If you want to look at it that way, then go ahead. I don't see how that perfects you as a person, as it does not change your personality, just your diet. It brings a feeling of disapproval towards the world, which inevitabally leads to thinking negatively about the world in its position.

If I stopped eating meat, would I act any differently towards women? No. Would the way I treat people in general change? No. Perfection as an individual comes from the way you treat people, not your diet.

So if you think that you can perfect yourself by thinking negatively about the world, then be my guest, go ahead.

 

Right. Diet alone doesn't lead to perfection, but it's one of the critical elements (along with exercise, philosophy and discipline) that leads to the behavioral excellence you're talking about. And if you don't think diet has an effect, I challenge you to eat Big Macs for a month, and see how crappy you feel physically & spiritually. Don't b.s. me; I was there once

I can tell you that since I've begun refining my diet down to the basics, I've become much more lucid, aware, and--believe it or not--tolerant of the world. Not everyone becomes negative & spiteful like you say. And I guarantee: as your body becomes purified, so does your mind and emotions. Like detox. There's a long road ahead for all of us. A head start always helps.

 

I am not stupid, eating Big Macs for a month will make you feel like shit. I know this. That is because it is fast food. Try eating a nice juicy steak for dinner for a month, I would love that. I have meat for dinner every night, I love it. I feel great.

In fact, when I cut down on meat during the winter for weight reasons, I felt worse.

 

Fuck

No matter what you're told, you do not make a difference. It makes me want to eat even more animal.


What a sad outlook on life maybe you need a change of diet? -)

If you truly want to save the animals, then make a law saying it is illegal to kill and eat animals. Oh wait, that will never happen.


Never is a long time. If enough people in a democracy pass the law it would be passed.

 

It's the path of least resistance. I'm an "almost" vegetarian, and by that I mean that I'll eat meat when it takes a particularly difficult effort to eat a vegetarian diet.

Traveling by Greyhound means that you have to go to particularly great lengths to avoid meat. The cafeterias in the bus stations--where there actually *is* something more than vending machines--are worse than most fast food places. Add on the fact that you've got only a few minutes to choose and to eat, and it gets nasty.

I'll be the first one to say that I feel better when I keep food from dead animals out of my diet, but I also feel rotten when I can't find much more than french fries and chocolate bars. I do OK when I'm at home, and I can generally handle airports and lots of other places like that, but I'm not perfect. I am still learning, and I make mistakes.

Maybe people who quit being vegetarian or vegan are following a path of least resistance.

 

Jah, when you put it that way, I understand. Last year I decided to give up salt entirely. It was easy enough when I was at home, but then I took a cross-country Amtrak, and as you can guess the menu was zilch. I made up my mind to fast for 2 days, but when someone left a pack of salted peanuts in the lounge car, I totally lost it. Tore into it like some sort of crazed predator beast. lol.

 

Sad outlook on life? How did that apply to me. I said that being vegetarian to stop the "murder" makes no difference. People will eat meat, you cannot change that.

 

Diet and dogma don't mix well.

I was a vegetarian for some time, also and endurance cyclist. When my miles began to increase and the intensity of my workouts, I began to loose too much weight and was suffering muscle atrophy. The protein combination in meats was the best solution and my performance levels recovered.

It's more important to match your diet to your lifestyle than to be dogmatic. I know a lot of really unhealthy and very overweight vegetarians.