Vegetarian Questions I Often Get Asked

These are the questions I get asked most when someone finds out I don't eat meat. I hope I didn't miss any! I can also add more, too :)

How long have you been vegetarian?
      I stopped eating meat sometime in the Spring of 2009.

...So you ate meat before?
      Yes. I ate everything under the sun.

Why Did you stop eating meat?
           Lots of reasons: I wanted to lose weight and as I read more about healthy eating and taking care of your body, my focus shifted more to being healthy rather than just getting skinny. I read a few books that went into detail about where our food comes from and everything that gets put into animals. I read a lot of assumptions (not enough actual studies to provide tangible 'evidence') about a correlation between steroids and hormones put into animals we eat and how children are hitting puberty at younger and younger ages. Which means, I also stopped eating almost ALL animal products (I went vegan). I cut out as much artificial sweeteners as possible. I am not this strict anymore. I eat cheese, eggs/egg whites, and the occasional diet pop. *guilty*

Do you miss it/is it hard?
         Not really. I have had some grilled chicken but I don't struggle with it. I rarely crave chicken, and if I do, it's always lean and grilled. I do not think I could eat a steak. It use to gross me out, now it doesn't. I will cook it for my husband, I will even use the same fork to flip meat and stir my veggies. I'm not anal about that. But I don't want to eat it. I really think it works well for me - I don't think others would be able to stop eating meat as easily.

Did you lose weight?
          Yes ....and no. When I stopped eating meat, I made a LOT of changes. I think it helped me lose weight in the way that ANY fast food I ate completely stopped. Rarely would I go to a fast food place JUST for french fries. That cut out SO much fat!! I had been working out and I can't think of any changes in my workout schedule at that time. BUT - I am very into fitness and love reading about all things fitness. I am constantly changing my routine, setting new goals, and switching up workouts. I get bored easily, so this is mostly preventing my getting burned out. When I stopped eating meat, I stopped eating most junk food. I tried to eat ONLY healthy food and ONLY things that are GOOD for my body. So, yes, when I stopped eating I lost weight - about 15 pounds - but I also was also eating really healthy.
   To better clarify- I still don't eat meat, but I have gained weight in the last two months. (I'll never tell how much :) hehe) I cancelled my gym membership, my workouts outdoors have decreased along with the weather (I HATE the cold), and I have been eating more sweets, cheese & crackers, and alcohol. So my calories burned have decreased along with increased caloric intake = weight gain. All without meat. I have met women that are chubby and vegetarian. Think about all the food that doesn't have meat in it- donuts, potato chips, coke, chocolate, cookies, etc...

Do you feel better?
         YES. I feel BEST when I do not eat ANY dairy at all. I feel AMAZING. Not to mention, vegans have THE BEST skin. I really should stop eating dairy again! ;-)

BUT, OMG, WHERE DO YOU GET PROTEIN??!!
         I use to get super annoyed when I got asked this. But then it dawned on me - I didn't know, either, until I read about it. Generally speaking, it is recommended that people have between 10-35% of their calories come from protein. It's higher with certain populations, like athletes or pregnant women. Long story short (without calculation & explanation)- I should eat a MINIMUM 50 grams of protein a day. A normal day for me is:
breakfast of 4 egg whites =20g 
                   low fat cheese = 7g
snack                   almonds = 3g
lunch boca burgers           = 38g
dinner whole wheat pasta = 7g
              veggie crumbles  = 15g
post workout whey            = 20g
various vegetables
    throughout day               = 10g
TOTAL OF 120. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese is also high in protein, but I haven't been eating those as much lately. The average American consumes TOO MUCH protein. Heck, some days I eat too much without any meat, so I can't image what those eating meat get!

Innocent

From a Christian woman perspective written toward other Christian women:

I won't name names. I don't need to. We all know women and/or men like it.
Those who live by "look, but don't touch."
Lately, I've come into contact with women reading "50 Shades of Grey" and watching "Magic Mike" and I have done a poor job of explaining why I won't read or watch anything like it.
I've jokingly said, "I'm a married woman!" or something vague about how I would not like Steve looking at naked women or strippers and so I show the same courtesy by following that same request.
I've made it seem like it was some sort of mutual contract Steve and I made. He doesn't look, so I don't look. We look at each other.
I am not saying that this is false, or untrue.
But - it's not the whole story.
I didn't want to watch or read that stuff before I got married.

And I am embarrassed that I've created this cop-out excuse that I don't because I'm married.

Lord, forgive me.

The real reason is I am a God-fearing woman.
If, by chance, the idea of porn being bad offends you, just stop reading now.
The Bible is VERY clear about sexual sin and even lust:

1 CORINTHIANS 6:18

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-5

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;

MATTHEW 5:28

But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman [OR MAN] with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

THIS is the REAL reason I don't look.

I want to be closer to God. I want to follow Him, love Him with ALL MY HEART, SOUL, & MIND. And SERVE Him. 


1 Peter 5:7-9 Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

So. There's my little confession.
*DEEP SIGH*