I have recently decided to become a vegetarian. I was just curious as to how you all made the transition to omnivore to herbivore. What was the hardest thing for you to give up and how did you cope with it? Thanks!

Congratulations on making such a healthy and ethical choice. For me, it was all about the animals. This makes my choice easy. Any time I'm tempted to eat meat, I look at my kitten. Would I want to eat him? Not so much. Or I watch a PETA documentary online. The hardest things to give up were big macs, tacos, and hot dogs. However, becoming a veggie now is way easier than when I did it twelve years ago. Morningstar Farms makes cruelty-free versions of nearly every meat favorite. Plus, they list their exchanges right on the box! That makes it extremely easy to add into the Jenny diet. Good luck. If you need any help, I am more than happy to provide some.

Thanks so much! My biggest meat to give up is chicken. It's just so yummy! Anyway, how long did it take you to make your transition? So far I've tried the Smartdogs and they were gross. But I will give it up to Morningstar. I had their corndogs which were amazing! Any tips on how to keep going in the right direction? And I know a lot of times I just have a huge craving for meat. Do you have that? And if/when you do, what do you do for it? Thanks again!

I actually went cold turkey (pun intended), but I know a lot of people who transitioned into it gradually. Yeah, the smart dogs are gross; I like the morningstar dogs way better. As for chicken, I love the morningstar chicken nuggets and the chicken strips. 12 of the chicken strips (they're not breaded) count as 3 lean meat exchanges. I cook 4 for a meat exchange and marinade them with ff italian dressing. I hope that helps with the cravings.

Thanks! Also, I have a hard time eating out as a lacto-ovo veg. Everywhere I seem to go you have to eat meat in some way or form. How do you get around this?

I have definitely had the same problem. I have just found a few restaurants that have foods I like and regularly go there. Most places have salad, but salad gets boring. I will break down my suggestions by genre:
American--the toughest one. I normally order sides: like a side of rice, sides of veggies, and a side salad.
Italian--Minestrone soup and salad, cappellini pomodoro, spaghetti with marinara sauce. I have one piece of bread with no butter and always have a salad.
Indian--the best option! I was always scared of Indian food because of its appearance, so I had it for the first time just last year. I'm hooked! I like benghan barta (eggplant) best. They have a ton of vegetarian options; just avoid anything with cream.
Japanese--I always order cucumber rolls or vegetable rolls with edamame and miso soup. High on the sodium but delicious.
Chinese--Steamed veggies with rice or Moo Shu Vegetables.
Mexican--another tough one. Everyone knows this is the most fattening cuisine. I allow myself 4-6 tortilla chips, and I order 2 vegetable enchilladas ala carte with no cheese.
Let me know if there are any other genres I missed, and I'll tell you what I have.
I ate at cheesecake factory yesterday, and I split a salad with my sister. I had the localorie mustard vinagerette. For my entree, I had the grilled portobello sandwich with no mayonnaise and no cheese. I had asparagus instead of fries.

Another Veggie here....i am new to it (i didnt know going to the circus would have such a life changing effect on me) i am moving toward being a vegan, but the choices of foods etc in my area is quite limited, but the more i shop the more i am finding as good alternatives.
anyway back to the point i have been on jenny for a while and have lost 50lbs. I am getting worried about the higher fat content of the veggie foods. i have moved to soy milk,this has a high fat content too..
do you guys have any suggestions of food to look for etc for me as i really want to continue with loosing weight and not eating meat.
thanks for your help...

As I said earlier, I really like the morningstar products because the exchanges are on the box. They are also really low in fat. I am not a vegan, so I can't give a ton of help there. Here are what I think are vegan low-fat options:
Breakfast: Dairy Free Waffle (trader joe's), meatless breakfast sausage (trader joe's, "eating right" [safeway brand], & morningstar farms are all options), fruit, soymilk or ff yogurt
Lunch and Dinner: Morningstar Farms "chicken" nuggets, morningstar farms hot dog, spaghetti with morningstar farms sausage, any chicken recipe with morningstar farms "chicken starters" substituted in; there are soy dairy alternatives, such as soy cheese
Like I said, I'm not a vegan. I feel morally compelled toward vegetarian, but I can justify my intake of the ovo-lacto. However, I applaud your choice. I hope this is of some help. I am sorry that I am not overly informed. I do, however, think you can keep the weight off as a vegan.

Hello.

I have been a veggie most of my life. I am a Lacto-Ovo. Most people don't even know what that is. Even the JC people. I did not even eat much meat as a child.

It mostly started for me as a kid. My uncle asked me if I liked the chili I was eatings. I said yes. He pointed up to a deer mounted on the wall and said to meet who I was eating. Ouch. And I used to love these sausages- I don't think they make them anymore- can't remember their names but they were like little fingers and frozen in a box of like 10 or 12 and they were like minute sausages. You fried the frozen things. Mom told me they were made of pigs. I flipped out.

It is mostly a texture thing for me and the fact that I know I am ingesting flesh. Grosses me out. Chicken wings really upset me because you pick them up and they "hinge" back and fourth. Yuck. I haven't had meat in 13 years.

It is really easier to eat out now than it used to be. But it is still challenging at times.

I love Boca Burgers better than Garden Burgers. They don't fall apart and you can grill them and they look more like hamburgers especially at parties. They are made of soy protein. The Morning Star Corn Dogs are fabulous! I love them, love them. The chicken nuggets are good too. The brats are gross. Bacon is marginal. There is in the veg isle in the cold section and wrapped like hambuger meat a soy protein "crumbles" that is great for tacos, chilli and things like that.

You know, whether what kind of decision a health thing, a taste thing or an ethical thing you just make the choice and do it. I cannot stomach meat and I bet if I would eat it I it would come back up. I love the smell of BBQ and some cooking meat but don't want to eat it. I guess it would be like a diet. You control your life. Or maybe you can tramatize yourself. - just kidding.

Good luck