I keep on going back and forth. I've settled for abstaining from red meat unless I can't avoid it (holiday meal or something) and especially pork (due to my affinity for pigs). I eat sardines and chicken.

It's difficult. I respect everyone who commits to it. We could use more vegetarians.

I found it easier to do it incrementally, just eat less meat and find other sources of protein. Slowly eat less and less till you're more used to the alternatives.
took me about a month.

I should add i'm not new to being a vegetarian, I started ages ago. I so still eat meat if I'm a guest or something like that. I dont like inconveniencing people if they dont realise

vegetarianism is cool and i tried being pescetarian for a long time in 2012-13 but in the end i'm too selfish and want to eat good meats too much to stick to it

i also make terrible dietary choices in general so discipline is a problem there

yeah do some research on making proper meals cause it can be a bit trickier to get the balance right

I became vegetarian a bit more than 2 years ago. In the preceding months I had begun to eat less meat and get it grass-fed. For the first two months it was really difficult because I had eaten a ton of meat before I started the switch, but now I rarely get cravings. It's was a great choice which led to a healthier diet for me, and I recommend trying it for anyone who doesn't think they need meat to be healthy.

I've been a vegetarian my whole life (except a brief period when I was a little kid when I went to Ireland with my family and they decided I should eat more than just potatoes). It's probably easier for me because I've never known the joy of meat, but it's really not that difficult. There are plenty of meat substitutes, beans have plenty of protein, and you can do some wonderful things with tofu. I suggest quitting cold turkey (heh) and just doing it. Most grocery stores and restaurants are pretty accommodating.

Although you shouldn't ALWAYS listen to House (the tv show), I would advise against going cold turkey vegetarian. Might not be so great on your body. Although I'm sure many have done so and survived.

I am not one because I love my meats, but I've done whole days going vegetarian before for certain holidays. Try doing it a few times a month at first and gradually getting more and more into the habit of eating as a vegetarian.

"Might not be so great on your body. Although I'm sure many have done so and survived."

Lol, it's not like dropping meat from your diet today is going to kill you. It might be annoying for awhile. You might get a touch sick, but there are transition foods for that reason.

I stopped eating meat last November. I was driving and eating a hamburger, and suddenly I became kind of grossed out by the idea that something died just so I could eat unhealthily. I'm not a fanatic or anything, I don't try and convert anyone else or insist that groups dine at vegetarian restaurants or get down on people for wearing leather or anything. I just decided that I did not need to add to the sum of misery in the world.

"I just decided that I did not need to add to the sum of misery in the world."

Woah, so you're also leaving the forum?

One thing though, taking supplements don't work. You just pee them out. So, if you go vegetarian, there are going to be some vitamins you just don't get, like B12. That is the main reason why I can't commit to it.

Wow, that was particularly nasty coming from Semck. I guess Mr. Manners isn't all rainbows and sunshine after all.

I actually have no complaints about Bob, who's always been a fun and reasonable sparring partner when I've encountered him. That was meant entirely as a joke, but I was quickly afraid that might not be clear, and you've now confirmed that, Putin.

I've never seen you joke, hence my response.

Noted.

I don't know that I've ever seen either of you joke before tonight...

I have also been a vegetarian for all my 21 years. I have never even tasted eggs. So, i guess its easy for me. Same is the case with my family members and most of the Hindu families that live nearby. I have friends who eat non-veg, but I don't mind or try to force my ideology on them.
Plus I don't drink/smoke.

Its true that some vitamins like B12 are deficient in most of the veg-diet. But, there are certain local fruits which supplants the same.

"Woah, so you're also leaving the forum?"

+1
I actually thought this was pretty funny. Since we all clearly take some type of amusement from this forum or we wouldn't be here.

I agree with DocOc - take it easy on yourself while switching. I've been a vegetarian on and off my entire life, and most recently settled into a rhythm of mostly vegetarian with the occasional meat.

Your cooking will need to change, so have some patience with yourself on that. If you havent already, you should also try to find (and even research) some good protein substitutes that you *really* like. For example, for me, chickpeas became a staple. Quorn is great too, if you can find it. Just try everything out and see what you like. And if you need the occasional hamburger to inspire you on other days, then don't beat yourself up about it.

@semck

No, that'd be maintaining the current sum of misery in the world. Diplomacy's a zero sum game after all. Also, your mother was a hamster and father smelt of elderberries.

TMOW, have you tried Field Roast? It's the best.

What the fuck is "Quorn"?

Oh, they don't have Quorn in the U.S.

Anyway, thanks everyone for all the advice!

Field Roast looks interesting! Alas, only available in the US.

A shame about Quorn - I figured it might not be available, but it's really awesome.

It's funny, living in Vietnam has made it easy to eat vegetarian, but also made me less principled about it. Vietnamese food is very vegetarian friendly, tons of good substitutes and good restaurants. At the same time, agriculture here is still so basic that I have far less concerns about it than I do in Europe. On occasion you pick out the live animal to have it on your plate a while later, so you can see that it's good meat that had a decent outdoor life. In Europe, you should wonder whether the cow that makes your stake ever saw daylight at all.

TMOW, is Vietnam really as into Nuoc Cham as they say?

Yes, it's everywhere. Yumm. The Vietnamese cuisine may be the first that I am aware of where I eat practically everything with equal enjoyment.

Ah no, the second, I forgot Italian.

Also, I search everywhere for fish mint and I can never find it. I feel like if I were to give up fish, I'd need this.

"you should wonder whether the cow that makes your stake ever saw daylight at all."

If the cow did see daylight, you could be sure it was *not* a vampire, therefore you would not need the "stake" to slay it.