Ex-Vegan: (3 Years): I Thought That My Life Was Over

Watch on YouTube · 2019-03-20 · 20 min

0:00 Introduce yourself and start at the beginning, what year it was that you got into veganism and how you got into it and then how it unfolded.

[video] 0:09 Yeah, sure. First of all, thanks a lot for being here. I really appreciate the opportunity. I've been watching some of these ex-vegan videos before when I was transitioning off the vegan diet because I kind of needed these videos to decondition myself from the brainwashing. So yeah, it feels nice to also be part of it and to help other people that are on the edge of like transitioning. So my name is Charles. I'm from Switzerland, as you can probably tell from my accent. I also have a YouTube channel that is called Coach Charles where I document my journey off from the vegan diet. You can also see videos when I was on the vegan diet and now off the vegan diet. You can also kind of read the comments I'm getting which are also kind of funny and interesting. So I became vegan in 2016, almost exactly three years ago because I've met a guy that was vegan his whole life and I've met a girl also that was vegan for a couple of years. And I was always interested in nutrition. I also read a lot. I also coach people.

[video] 1:08 I'm a personal trainer. And I was, yeah, I can probably become even a better coach if I try veganism out for a couple of months. It was just an experiment in the beginning. So then I was like, OK, yeah, let's do it. And I was really into bodybuilding, so I took a lot of like plant protein shakes. I got perhaps like 130, 140 grams of protein a day. So the first year was actually good. I got lean during summer, had a really good physique. I was pretty happy with the diet in the beginning. I was like, yeah, man, this is it. I feel so good. And of course, I started to watch more vegan YouTubers. And I kind of got caught into my own confirmation bias, so I always found new confirmation why my diet is the best and all the diets are not so good. So then I started to watch videos like the conspiracy and forks over knives and everything.

[video] 2:05 So then I was like, okay, it's probably a good diet regarding ethics and a good diet for the environment. So then I got more into it, and I also read some books about health, because I'm also really into health, so I've read How Not to Die, and all these vegan and plant-based books. So at the end I was like, yeah man, this is it, this is the diet, I will probably live longer with that diet, I will be healthy all year long, all my life, and all the people are doing something wrong. So, then I also started to categorize foods as good and as bad. And also, as we know, categorizing food as good as bad is kind of an eating disorder in itself, like people that have anorexia do that, people that have orthorexia do that. And I guess I also had orthorexia around 2017, then one year after I was on this vegan diet. In the second year, stuff started to happen. So I got more cramps and I got some nerve problems. So when I was still, my finger was moving without me doing anything.

[video] 3:05 And I started to become more paranoid and anxious. So I started to Google that. And of course, I guess it was a magnesium deficiency. And then what happened was really scary. To this day, I can still remember the situations I got heart palpitations. So for people that don't know what these are, is when your heart is like, kind of missing half of a beat, and then it's pumping more blood in the next beat, so you feel this heartbeat a little bit more than the other ones. And then I started to get worried, and of course because I was already paranoid, I got paranoid about my heart, because it is normal to have heart palpitations here and there, but it's not normal to have them a lot of times, like multiple times a day, and it's not normal to kind of feel them every time. So then what happened is I was always feeling these heart palpitations like once or twice a day and I started to get worried.

[video] 4:02 I was like, oh shit, dude, what if I have something with my heart? What if something is wrong? And I kind of developed also hypochondria during this phase. So for like two, three months I had like two or three panic attacks where I thought I have a heart attack. So my heart was beating really fast. And I had all the symptoms of a heart attack because when you have a panic attack, you basically have the same symptoms. So I started to sweat. My throat started to like swell and I had problems to like breathe. And I had like two or three times, especially two times where I thought, dude, this is it. Like either I could die right now or I die like in the next five years. Like I was really like almost convinced for a short, but just for a short amount of time, I was so paranoid. I was convinced, okay, in the next five years, I would probably die from something and it was like a scary time.

[video] 4:57 But then I started to take magnesium, I googled stuff, I started to take magnesium, I was like, okay, it got better, I had no cramps at all, heart palpitations were good. And then I got anxious and paranoid about cancer. So I was like, oh shit, what if I could have cancer? I had these heart palpitations, I'm not invincible. I'm still pretty young, I'm in my 20s, so if you're in your 20s it's normal to feel invincible, but this was like the first time in my life when I was like, oh shit dude, something could be wrong with me. And I kind of got into hypochondria, I was still on the vegan diet because of course the vegan diet is the cure for everything, cure against cancer, cure against everything. And then I was like, okay, to decrease my risk of getting any disease whatsoever, I need to decrease my protein, right? Because protein is so bad. Like, I've read the book Proteinaholic by Dr. Garth Davis. And I was like, okay, now I need to decrease my protein. So, of course, it happened then. I got skinny fat.

[video] 5:56 I decreased my protein intake from like 140, 150 grams to...

[video] 6:01 70-80 grams, so before I had quite a good protein intake. I also drank a lot of vegan plant-based protein shakes, which also contain less anti-nutrients, less phytic acid, because as we know, phytic acid will inhibit your ability to digest protein properly. So then I got all my protein basically from oats, chickpeas, not even protein shakes, so I had even less protein in my diet than before. So then I got skinny fat and around 2018 I researched stuff against anxiety because I still had some anxiety going on. I was not able to drink any coffee anymore, I got super paranoid. I started to take ashwagandha and altheanine. Ashwagandha is still a supplement I take right now. It's an amazing supplement to feel like chill and relaxed. I over abused it. I had to take it every day.

[video] 6:56 If I didn't take it, I felt bad and I really got in this weird supplement spiral and at the end I took like around Don't know, perhaps 10, 15 different pills, you know, everything, omega-3, vitamin D, B12, zinc, the whole spectrum. I'm not saying taking supplements is bad in itself, but just taking so many supplements is like crazy to think about. So I need to rethink when I took the decision to come off the vegan diet. It was like at the end of 2018. I was following Bobby's perspective actually pretty closely. I guess you know the guy. Really nice YouTube channel. And then also he got off the vegan diet. And I was like, hmm, that sounds interesting. And then I was just watching his podcast because, I don't know, my unconscious mind was probably telling me, dude, you need to come off that stuff. And I was kind of exposing myself to look at other YouTube channels. So I checked out his interview with Primal Edge Health, like with Tristan.

[video] 7:55 And in this video he said he came off the vegan diet because he was also paranoid and got anxious. And then it hit me, I was like, oh, perhaps it is because of my diet, you know, that I'm more anxious than before. Perhaps it is because of that. So then I was like, yeah, come on, let's just reintroduce fish. During that time, I was also annoyed that I got skinny fat. So I was like, okay, I want to better improve my physique because the problem is I have all the knowledge. I know how to improve my physique. I had a great physique back in the day. So it's even worse than not having the knowledge. So I was like, okay, if I eat animal products again, probably I will reach my physique faster and in a better way. And then at the same time, I can reintroduce animal products and see if my anxiety goes away. So then I remember exactly to this day, or better to say I remember the day when I ate fish for the first time. And for the first day, I planned to eat it, I guess on a Sunday or something, but then I wasn't able to do it. I was like, oh no, it's so bad and I cannot do it.

[video] 8:52 Like I waited a whole day to eat it, like crazy to think about. And then the first time I ate it, I needed some like, I had to overcome some resistance, like some mental resistance. In one of my latest videos, I was talking about the mental prison you are in when you are on a vegan diet. Like something was really holding me back, like somebody would have a hand around my neck and tell me, yeah, don't eat it, it's bad. I had to overcome quite a lot of resistance to eat it. But then I started to introduce fish and I had no problem whatsoever. I actually felt better. And then I was like, hmm, perhaps these books and this brainwashing was really brainwashing and nothing else. So then I got kind of, not resentful, but I was like, hmm, what else is wrong that I've listened to during the last years? So then I started to introduce eggs, chicken, lamb, beef, basically everything. Here in Switzerland, we even eat, how is it called in English? In German, it's Pelt. How do you say it in English? It's Pelt.

[video] 9:52 Horse, yeah, we even eat horse. I talked about that with Germans. They were like, what, you eat horse? When I was in Colombia, I told them, yeah, we eat horse. People were like, what, you guys eat horse? What the fuck? I haven't tried horse, but just as a side note, yeah. Yeah, so that's the point where I am right now. I have way less anxiety. And also the funny thing is my libido is kind of back. I did something called NoFap. I guess you've heard of it. And back in the day, I really struggled to do nofap when I was eating animal products. I was just able to do it perhaps two or three weeks. And I remember on the vegan diet, I did it for like 78 days. And then I fapped again, I masturbated again because I was anxious something was wrong with my biology. I was able to do it for like 78 days without any problem. I was like, dude, what's wrong? And my friends were actually making fun of me like, yeah, your testosterone is so low because of the vegan diet.

[video] 10:50 And I didn't want to believe it, but now I'm like, okay, dude, these weren't just jokes. This was something that was real. And now, after being on this vegan diet for three years, I can still see people that have no problem for three years and more. But I really think the longer you do it, sooner or later, I guess almost everybody will perhaps, I guess, feel something. I'm not sure about the genetics, but I am Swiss. And some of my friends are Swedish, and if you are Swiss, Swedish, and from Europe especially, I guess it's a little bit complicated to be on a vegan diet for a long time.

11:26 Would you say that you did the vegan diet right, so to speak?

[video] 11:30 Oh, dude. Dude, like I was on chronometer. I was chronometer warrior, dude. Like I had everything on point. That's the reason why I had to take so many supplements. I took iodine, zinc, B12, omega-3, vitamin D. I took like everything I needed to take. And then it struck me, I was like, I guess Bobby said that on his channel, he said like, you're basically constructing a fish by taking omega-3, vitamin D, zinc, B12, like why not eat fish, you know? So this also like made me think.

12:01 Did you lose any vegan friends? Did you have any contacts at the time?

[video] 12:05 Not really, not really, to be honest. I'm really glad. I had like four or five vegan friends. I still have them. But now they also text me on WhatsApp, hey, I've seen your videos, and they talk about that. But they are, of course, pretty open-minded people. And I never spoke about my vegan diet publicly that much, so I'm pretty glad I didn't. People don't even know that I was on a vegan diet, I guess.

12:31 Do you regret going vegan now, looking back?

[video] 12:35 To be honest, not really because it didn't fuck me up that strong and now I have more knowledge about nutrition and now when I argue with people on the vegan diet, I'm really strong in my arguments because I tried it myself and I researched both sides of the coin. So I can really go deep. I mean, I've researched the topic about phytic acid for like one week straight and stuff like that. So it may be a better person, trainer, coach. So I hope I can also help people that are like you do on the edge of coming off the bean diet because I think a lot of people need that help because they're so brainwashed. Because Bobby said that pretty well. He said nothing bad will happen if you experiment for one week. Like if you eat animal products for one week, nothing bad will happen. And if nothing happens with your health, you can go back to your vegan diet. If your health improves, you have the solution. So, you know, nothing bad will happen.

13:25 Where do you think veganism comes from and where is it heading?

[video] 13:30 That's interesting where it comes from. I've checked out some conspiracy theories like Tristan talks a lot about that. I don't know where it comes from, but it's made up from the government to make us malnutritioned. But I don't really believe in conspiracy theories. It's just a funny thing to entertain. But where it comes from, I cannot really tell you. Where it will go, I think it will become even bigger in the future. More people will become vegan. It's a huge trend right now. It's in the mainstream, it's in the supermarkets. I go to, like, here in Switzerland, like, they have their own shelf for, like, vegan products. So, I guess it would become even bigger in the future, like, with these artificial meats. I've heard, like, Bill Gates also invested in stuff, so there the conspiracy comes from, basically. But, yeah, I guess it would become even bigger.

14:22 Right, what do you think about those artificial meats, the fake meats, the lab-grown meats?

[video] 14:28 Yeah, I mean, if you would be like truly vegan, quote unquote, you would not even have the desire to eat something that has the form of a piece of meat, you know, that's what I think. I also never ate that stuff when I was on a vegan diet.

14:40 What do you think about parents who put their babies on a vegan diet? And in Germany, they want to do vegan kindergartens also now?

[video] 14:49 Oof, I didn't hear that, man. I don't know, man. I really don't like it. I mean, you know, I know where these parents are coming from. They want the best for their kids. And in their value system, they think veganism is the best. So I can clearly not say they are bad people. But they're just misinformed. And it's scary to think about, to be honest. Yeah, really scary. I believe kids should... I mean, even when I was on a vegan diet, I told myself that if I will have kids when I'm on a vegan diet, my kids should decide themselves if they want to be vegan or not. But what they need to do is they need to be like educated on the topic. But I think every kid should like decide on themselves when they're old enough.

15:28 Right, but they can't decide and that's a problem, right? Babies are just fed plants.

[video] 15:35 Yeah, that's a problem, yeah. That's for me also, yeah. Yeah.

15:40 Anything else you would like to add? Something special that you experienced during the time? Or something you would like to say to vegans also who are watching?

[video] 15:51 Yeah, I mean, what helped me, to be honest, is always kept an open mind. So I hear that a lot, stay or keep the open mind you had when you came into veganism. So what I did pretty early is even watched your videos when I was on the vegan diet, like I'd watch them. Because I always believe if you want to argue your point very good, you also need to educate yourself on the other point. So this is what I also did. And this is also something I want to Can you tell to other vegans? I guess you know Charles Darwin, right? The evolutionary biologist or whatever he was. And he had a term called disconfirming evidence. So if you have a strong point and you think your diet is the best, for example, or any point, whatever, you should always check out the other point and see where your point can be like, how do you say that, disregarded. So, yeah, just keep your mind open and also watch all the stuff.

[video] 16:46 Also watch all the channels that talk about the carnivore diet, for example, just to keep an open mind and also experiment for a short amount of time just to see what happens. This is the biggest thing.

16:56 Right. What do you think is it about vegans that they're not open-minded, that they don't want to hear any other information? Would you say that it's kind of like a cult-like mentality?

[video] 17:04 Yeah, yeah. There's a good book. It's pretty dense. It's called Spiral Dynamics. I'm really into psychology. I study psychology. And the book talks about how our human mind evolves in stages, like our level of consciousness. It sounds super woo-woo. But the veganism is kind of in a specific stage. In the book, he calls it green. And every stage till yellow, which is like one of the last stages, every stage till yellow thinks their stage is like the best. Their mindset is the best. And I think it's human nature that we always believe, okay, our beliefs are the best. Because it's kind of scary to think that your beliefs that you're having since like three years are false. It's super scary to think about. So we have like a psychological mechanism that is keeping us from thinking that our beliefs are wrong. Because back in the days, when we were cavemen,

[video] 17:57 It was not that good if you thought the beliefs were wrong, otherwise the tribe would kick you out. But now these beliefs and these mechanisms are not really serving us. So I believe it's human nature, and it's just because people are lazy and don't want to think for themselves. But it's not something bad, it's the nature of people. Not a lot of people are willing to look at their beliefs and to ask themselves, is this right what I'm doing, because it's kind of scary.

18:19 Were you also into the morals that killing animals is wrong? Did you also believe that we are naturally herbivores or something like that?

[video] 18:26 Yeah. So I don't think we are naturally herbivores. I think some tribes can thrive best on purely plant-based diets, some tribes less. So I don't think we are herbivores. And the thing about killing animals, I mean, I could not, to be honest, if I would need to, I guess I could kill an animal if I would be outside somewhere. To be honest, I don't have a strong opinion on that because I'm not educated enough. It's a hard topic, to be honest. I'm not an expert in that.

18:58 Okay, but at the time when you were vegan, you were not into killing animals is wrong and blah, blah, blah. You were more into the nutrition.

[video] 19:06 I would say health was always my biggest value, yeah. And then killing animals because... I started to take fish oil caps in the middle of 2018. So I was officially not vegan anymore in the middle of 2018 because I was caring more about my health than animals. And my algae oil was like out of stock. So I bought like fish oil like pretty fast. So yeah, I guess I was more in health.

19:31 Yeah, you're lucky that you could keep an open mind. Yeah, you need that. Most ex-vegan stories are not like this. Most get too deep into it and they can't get out of it.

[video] 19:40 Yeah, it's scary, man. It's scary. So that's the reason why I tell vegan guys and vegan people, like, also, like, check out other authors, other YouTube channels. I always tell them not to say that other people are right, but perhaps they know something that could help, you know, they know something you don't know. So, because I believe we're all in the same boat, you know, we all do, like, YouTube, we're into health, into nutrition, why not, like, support each other a little bit and Take something out of the carnivore diet that works. What I want to do is actually eat liver. I got that from your channel and Tristan's channel. So yeah, there I go. Something I've learned. You know what I mean? And then you can also learn something from the vegan channels. For example, turmeric is good for you. Combine turmeric with black pepper and then you can absorb the curcumin. Don't be that closed-minded. Check out all the opinions.

20:28 All right, man. Thanks for sharing.

[video] 20:31 Awesome. Thanks for having me.