ShannonL

Hi I have been vegan for about a year and a half, and vegetarian for two years. Absolutely the best decision I have ever made. I highly recommend it. I thought the same before I went vegan; that it was going to be too restrictive. And it was easy to think so before I had started to cook with ingredients that I'd never really used before. Once you stop consuming meat and dairy, you realise just how big an aspect of our lives those foods are, which is why it can seem impossible to drop them. At first you might feel it's restrictive, but as you feel your way through, you'll find that it's easy and seems totally natural. When I first went vegetarian I had Bulimia Nervosa, so my entire relationship with food was out of whack. So it's difficult to say whether I found it hard and craved animal products, because I was craving food all the time anyway. I would definitely say though, as a rule, a new vegan/vegetarian will always go through a stage where they crave animal products. Studies have shown casomorphin, a product in cow's milk, is as addictive as crack cocaine. No wonder it takes people a while to wean off it. Just stick at it and you'll be fine. A year and a half vegan (which isn't really that long) and I have 0 cravings for any animal product. You could dangle pizza in front of my face and I'd be unfazed. That said, it doesn't work for everybody. Contrary to what a lot of vegans say, the whole world can never be vegan. Some people just don't gel with the lifestyle, and if you find yourself one of those people, don't worry about it. Just try to make good decisions with where you source your products. Purchase your meat from local farmers and try to do your best not to contribute to big-time animal agriculture. Climate change, deforestation, species extinction and water shortage (which all result from animal agriculture primarily) are not fun for anyone! :/ Good on you for asking these questions Good luck with your veggie journey. Hope it all goes well. And here's a quick apology for any bossy, haughty and mean vegans you might meet along the way. We're not all like that! PS, I can't stress the importance of dropping dairy over meat. Meat has some health benefits, dairy has none. Do your research about dairy really. It's not good for you at all. We're not supposed to drink breast milk once weaned, let alone the breast milk of another species. We're the only animals who do it, and it's not natural at all. Don't ever be 'vegetarian'. I would much sooner encourage you to consume meat and vegetables only, and no dairy, rather than vegetables and dairy with no meat. Good luck

I am 17 years old, am 5’7.5”, and weigh 147 lbs. My BMI is 22.7, meaning I am smack-bam in the middle of the healthy weight range, and I have no major illnesses or allergies. I am completely healthy, as far as I know. I eat well most of the time, with a high intake of vegetables and I consume no dairy. I do light exercise several times a week. However - I have a huge belly. To put this into perspective, my boobs are DD. If I relax my stomach, it sticks out further than my boobs. I kind of look like someone who is 4-5 months pregnant.. only, it’s all fat. And it is kind of shaped like a capital B. Like there are two pockets of fat, upper and lower, that stick out. I’ve had this belly for maybe 3 years. I did have Bulimia between the ages of 13-16, but was cured some time ago and as a result my body weight seems to have settled in all areas - except my belly. I feel like I’ve lost some weight in all areas except my belly. Would I be a suitable candidate for a liposuction in my belly area? I don’t want to loose any more weight in other areas of my body, because it is healthy and I like it, but I feel I would have to get extremely skinny to get rid of the belly. What can I do about this? I really would like to look into surgery.

Thank you all for responding and being very lovely I understand teenage girls have the tendency to be very pedantic about their appearances and can often see faults that aren't truly there. However I've been thinking about this for several years, and wouldn't get any procedures done until I had saved the money myself (giving me time to make sure I'm serious about it). I appreciate your nice comments! But in the 2nd photo I feel there's a distinct lack of symmetry between my chin and nose. Maybe it's just me haha, but I can't understand how someone could look at the photo and not see that I will take your advice and book a consultation with a surgeon, who can either encourage me to get the surgery - or convince me that you are all right and everything is fine!

Hi all For the last few years I have felt incredibly self-conscious about the structure and harmony (or lack thereof) of my face. I'm 17. I have always felt that my nose is too big for the rest of my face, and everyone I know has told me again and again that I don't have a big nose. I even went on another plastic surgery forum and the surgeons told me I didn't have a large enough nose to qualify for a rhinoplasty. So, I assume the problem could be the ratio between my nose and chin. Looking at these photos, would I be a good candidate for a chin augmentation (implants) procedure? OR - is my nose actually the problem? Should I get a rhinoplasty instead? In in my opinion the structure of my profile is really off balance and I would like to do something about it. Please let me know what you think! Would this surgery improve my facial features?