Stopped eating vegan and want to go back: where to restart
Starting to eat vegan and then stopping partway is very common, and nothing to be uneasy about. But going back the same way as before has a good chance of producing the same result.
The first thing worth doing isn't picking a start date — it's working out why it broke down last time.
Four common reasons it breaks down
1. Feeling tired and hungry all the time
Usually not a serious deficiency but simply eating too little energy. Vegan food carries fewer calories per unit weight, so dropping meat while keeping the same portion sizes means quietly eating less.
Signs: getting hungry earlier than usual, flat afternoons, losing strength during exercise.
What to change on return: increase the protein and the starch, not just the vegetables. Vegetables fill you fast but don't replace energy.
2. Inconvenience — the most common reason
Not a loss of interest, but nothing edible near work, colleagues choosing restaurants without vegan options, coming home too tired to cook.
This reason gets discussed least and ends the most attempts, and it can't be solved by resolve.
What to change on return: find three places you can eat near work and home before starting. Three known places covers most situations.
3. Pressure from family and friends
The family meal becomes a daily explanation, gatherings become a series of refusals. It wears down and then it stops.
What to change on return: pick the approach that disrupts other people least. Cook a vegan base and split it two ways; eat at home before a gathering. This cuts the number of explanations sharply.
4. Aiming too high from the start
Going straight from an ordinary diet to fully plant-based is a big jump: a new way of eating, plus learning to read labels, plus asking questions every time you eat out. Several new things at once is easy to exhaust.
What to change on return: start lower and hold it, rather than starting high and stopping.
Restarting so it lasts
Pick the level that fits your life, not your ideal
- Periodic — two days a month, barely affects the routine. A good starting point if inconvenience ended it last time.
- A few vegan meals a week — more flexible than fixed days, because you pick convenient ones.
- One vegan meal a day — lunch, for instance, often easiest because it's eaten out.
- Year-round — once the levels above have become habit.
No level is "properly vegetarian" more than another. A level you keep means more than a level you abandon after two weeks.
Three things to set up first
- Know three places you can eat near work and home, with their opening hours. A late-opening one is worth knowing if you work shifts.
- Keep protein in the house — tofu, dried pulses, soy milk. Without it, a tired evening means choosing whatever is easiest, and the easiest thing usually isn't vegan.
- Tell whoever cooks at home, and say which level you're at. Saying it once beats explaining ten times.
Don't treat one missed meal as failure
This is the big difference between an attempt that ends and one that lasts: treating one lapse as ruining everything makes stopping easy. One lapse, then carrying on, still adds up to far more.
When to ask a doctor first
Pregnancy or breastfeeding, long-term medication, a chronic condition, or having stopped last time because of prolonged fatigue — in these cases ask a doctor or a nutrition professional before going back, especially if the plan is year-round.
Five shops, all open 24 hours: 38 Le Thi Rieng, 15B Nguyen Thi Minh Khai, 2B Tran Hung Dao, 148B De Tham (District 1) and 210 Bui Van Ba (District 7). Call 0923.183.183.
Quick answers
What's the first thing to do when going back?
Work out why it broke down last time, rather than picking a start date. Restarting the same way has a good chance of producing the same result.
Why does eating vegan often feel tiring?
Usually because of eating too little energy rather than a serious deficiency. Vegan food carries fewer calories per unit weight, so dropping meat while keeping the same portions means quietly eating less.
What ends most attempts?
Inconvenience — nothing edible near work, restaurants without options, too tired to cook. It can't be solved by resolve, only by knowing three places you can eat beforehand.
What level should I restart at?
The one you can keep, not the highest. Two days a month, a few meals a week, or one meal a day are all reasonable starting points; year-round once those are habit.
Does one missed meal mean starting over?
No. Treating a lapse as ruining everything makes stopping easy; one lapse followed by carrying on still adds up to far more.
When should I ask a doctor first?
Pregnancy or breastfeeding, long-term medication, a chronic condition, or having stopped previously because of prolonged fatigue — especially if the plan is year-round.
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