Vegans and Ex-vegans

[oshare]

I come from quite a rural area, I recently moved to a city but I don't know many people here apart from the few I already knew before moving here. I don't know any other real life vegans. I don't even know anyone who is vegetarian. If I were to cut out all non-veggie/vegans, I would be all alone in this world.
What kind of life is that?
I think we can hold onto and practise our morals and at the same time engage with those who do not share out views. At first I struggled with it, but after years I have come to realize it's most important to not force your diet and morals onto someone else when they are not open to it. In stead, I have learned that it means more to slowly and lovingly bring my values and views to them. I gently tell them how I feel about certain things and I have noticed that throughout the years a lot of people around me have changed their views a little bit. I see they are much more gentle when it comes to animals and I have noticed they have become open to eating vegetarian or vegan meals once or twice a week. It may not be a lot, but I see it as progress. For example, my dad would kill any animal in his sight at first, but now I notice he doesn't anymore. He used to refuse to even try to eat vegetarian or vegan meats, but now he has a couple he thinks that are "alright" (alright = high praise for my dad, he is not easily impressed when it comes to food lol). The same goes for my brother.
I have baked vegan cakes or banana bread for my friends in the past, and I even got a couple of them asking for recipes because they or their partners (very very much non-veg) liked it so much.

I know on the big scale it's not a lot of change, but I see it as progress when people become more open-minded about it throughout the years and understand/accept it more.

When I got really angry and upset with people I noticed they closed off pretty quickly and wouldn't listen to what I was saying.

It's a difficult world to navigate isn't it?
It's difficult to do the right thing when so many people think it's wrong what you are doing. I just don't understand how they think what I am doing, not harming animals, is NOT the right thing to do and that harming animals IS the right thing to do.

As someone who is very ill, I frequently get emails or articles mailed to me why I should quit my vegan "diet" because they are sure it's the cause of my illness. Sorry but what do you even know? They have no idea what I eat, what I consume, what I do. Also, I got ill way way before I went vegan, so that doesn't even hold up. But when I tell them, they still tell me it would be better to just eat animals again. No, it's not. The things I'm dealing with don't even have anything to do with the food I do or do not eat.
It's just weird that at this point all my doctors say it's totally fine to eat vegan yet people around me think they are some kind of doctor telling me to quit being vegan because that sure as hell will solve all my issues
Anyone else here ever dealing with this? People blaming all your life problems on you being vegan?

 

[purple-rain]

Anyone else think that Miles actually eats only one meal per day as he is not exercising at the moment etc? Idk, I just feel like he is hiding something.

I'm always worried about commenting on these things because you never know what's going on behind the scenes, but I've been feeling worried about Miles too. I used to really like his content and found him refreshingly no-BS and cynically hilarious in the vegan YT space. I've never watched or followed Jill's content but yeah, from what I've seen on Instagram, she seems very problematically ignorant. I'm always also a bit wary when people make a huge show of being obsessed with certain foods or hyperbolically talk about the portions they eat like Miles does with peanut butter, overt fats, fruit, salads, etc. and it makes me wonder if there are any other issues behind the scenes, or if he's struggling with the effect of weaning off medication... Either way I hope he's alright.

 

[Marj24]

On the subject of raw vegan, has anyone seen Freelee the Banana girl? A nasty piece of work and totally crazy

 

[Millennial Pink]

He should really rename his channel since he's neither healthy nor cool. 'Crazy' has some connotations I'm not completely comfortable with in a youtube channel name.

 

[Lionsden]

Veganism unfortunately attracts a lot of people with pre-existing EDs because it's very restrictive and has a reputation (not always earned) as being the best for weight loss or control. Freelee, who is batshit insane, was seriously anorexic before she invented her batshit insane 'vegan' banana diarrhoea diet. Fancy, a person who is obsessed with being very very thin, inventing a laxative fruit diet that causes bowel purging. Shock!

It doesn't shock me either that so many vegan YTers turned to other batshit diets, like going full bore carnivore, raw meat-eating, total plant-hating, fibre- eschewing stuff. One, it's extremism and outrage that drives the algorithm and gets the clicks. Secondly, people looking for diets as cure-alls tend to bounce from one extreme and restrictive option to the next over the years. I know someone like this IRL. Years of bowel issues, probably some form of IBS, and she has gone from growing her own beansprouts ethical and health-obsessed vegan to full on raw milk-obsessed, raw meat eating, plant hater in the past three years since following some carnivore loons on YT and now claims the all-meat diet is the only one for all humanity and all disease is caused by wrong diet, specifically plant-based ones. She tends to extremist positions on everything though, so it's simply a reflection of how she deals with reality, needing tight little boxes to feel secure. People with this mindset seem to always need a highly prescribed, prescriptive diet that is 100% out of tune with mainstream food cultures to feel special and secure for some reason. It's a cultish mindset. Food and diet as defining social identity.

Miles had a pretty good (vegan) diet for years. He ate mainly whole foods in sufficient amounts, paid attention to nutrients, and looked great. It's only since Jil showed up that things started to change. Miles said, it was due to medication-withdrawal that he lost so much weight. He still seems to eat well, but I don't watch him regularly and we can only see what he shows us. Jil followed a very fruit-based diet for years. She has the type of body that carries weight on the thighs and hips. It took years for her to lose the last traces of fat from those areas and I think she achieved this with a diet extremely low in fat and protein. But I'm only speculating. She's a beautiful woman but I think her lifestyle has aged her skin prematurely (she suntans a lot, too). Again, Miles used to look amazing (he's older than Jil, but looks like the younger of the two) and used to eat plenty of good fats and protein. Now, I find him emaciated and dangerously thin. I'm worried that their relationship is not as healthy as they claim.
The vegans I know in real life are all pretty normal. They are vegan for the animals and / or the environment and they eat normal food in normal amounts. The only freaks I have seen are on Youtube.

 

[emm]

No period for 'many years' means not enough oestrogen in your body to perform all the normal protective tasks, let alone keep your fertility. She's 99% likely to have the bones of an post-menopausal, old woman, thin and brittle, and other associated internal damage. Once you lose your period and do nothing to regain it ie. gain enough fat to menstruate, you need not to be out in public pushing any diet, because anything you're pushing is fuelled by your own disordered thoughts and frankly insane priorities.

I truly hate the fact that YT is full of these idiots pushing malnutrition under the guise of being healthy and girls fall for it because they want to look thin and pretty too. Doesn't matter if it's veganism or omnivore, these people ultimately have zero qualifications or business telling anybody how to eat and no knowledge worth a shit about the human body. Most of them have profound mental issues that disqualifies them from giving anyone advice. They clearly just rely on their looks to influence their very gullible viewers, who connect those looks to whatever form of picky eating they're obsessed with.

it's very interesting to me how many stupid, uneducated women make a living pushing utter garbage diets because young girls can't see past the genetically blessed faces or family wealth that allows them to fuck about with certain luxury lifestyles.

Totally agree, I am glad youtube wasn't a big thing when I was growing up, I had enough issues with food as it was ,I dread to think what could have happened had I had these influences, I really wish youtube would put in more controls on content like this

 

[lokiofasgard]

I don't know, why, but I feel like Jil doesn't eat at all. Miles is always cooking only for himself and I, tbh, doubt, he eats all that he makes? Also justifying losing weight doesn't sit right with me, he actually looks hella malnourished.

 

[Millennial Pink]

Oh God, I've just made the mistake of going over to both of their Insta accounts. They're both looking like their not eating very much. You can hide behind volume quite easily with vegan food. Clicked off Jill's at the point of the menstrual blood facial. I'm all for normalising periods, but WHY!?

 

[emm]

Miles had a pretty good (vegan) diet for years. He ate mainly whole foods in sufficient amounts, paid attention to nutrients, and looked great. It's only since Jil showed up that things started to change. Miles said, it was due to medication-withdrawal that he lost so much weight. He still seems to eat well, but I don't watch him regularly and we can only see what he shows us. Jil followed a very fruit-based diet for years. She has the type of body that carries weight on the thighs and hips. It took years for her to lose the last traces of fat from those areas and I think she achieved this with a diet extremely low in fat and protein. But I'm only speculating. She's a beautiful woman but I think her lifestyle has aged her skin prematurely (she suntans a lot, too). Again, Miles used to look amazing (he's older than Jil, but looks like the younger of the two) and used to eat plenty of good fats and protein. Now, I find him emaciated and dangerously thin. I'm worried that their relationship is not as healthy as they claim.
The vegans I know in real life are all pretty normal. They are vegan for the animals and / or the environment and they eat normal food in normal amounts. The only freaks I have seen are on Youtube.

I hadn't followed Miles for ages and just checked his instagram, he looks so gaunt, very worrying

 

[Miss polar]

Paul is a rather nasty piece of work. I didn’t see it in the beginning, and although not vegan or even veggie, I liked their shopping hauls, and occasional meals out vlogs.

i actually found them on utube when I was searching for holiday vlogs.

It’s become apparent over time though, that despite all the talk of them being lovely humans (as they love being called), they are anything but, and are basically out for what they can get. Paul is extremely reactionary and thin skinned, and it’s become very obvious as time goes by.

Paul has a new vid up! Haven’t looked at it yet, but the title suggests it’s more whinging and preaching about covid. Change the fucking record love.

 

[Tom_Nook]

I think I need to unsubscribe from Vegan Beauty Girl. It seems like every vlog and podcast she has to mention that she loves being called and influencer and half her what I eat in a week videos are her posing at the camera. Probably just me but it's a bit grating. Also, unrelated but I'm not sure how she's wearing mini skirts and crop tops in the middle of Winter!

 

[DietGossip]

I like cheaplazyvegan but I hate the way she says "okay" every two minutes. Her recipes are so good but I hate the way she says that word

 

[Lionsden]

I watched that Miles video about trans women in sports and while he had some valid points, the way he talked about how much he 'loved' women gave me the creeps. I've heard similar from creators before who end up being abusive. Not saying Miles is, but that section of the video made me uncomfortable.

Jil is all about feminine energies, feeling your menstruation, being a "receptacle", etc., so Miles probably got into that too. With that opinion you're always "honoring the goddess" in every woman, while actually perpetuating the biological determinism we have been trying to get away from.
I don't know if Miles would be abusive. But Miles and Jil have both not been in relationships for ages before meeting each other. There are definitely reasons for that and definitely some skeletons in the closet. Jil often writes about how painful their relationship is and how much she cries, but she sees it all as part of a transformative process. They are healing each other on a spiritual level by confronting their dark sides (I have no idea what they might be), according to her. It just looks like an unhealthily symbiotic relationship to me.

 

[Lionsden]

Could you recap?? I’m at work and can’t watch rn but would love to know the tea!!

Miles took Kratom (alongside diazepam and marijuana) for about 18 months to mitigate severe nerve pain. He became addicted and increased his dosage to the point of almost killing himself. He filmed his videos during the short highs / pain-free periods. He lost weight because his body could no longer absorb nutrients. He spent February in rehab. He is better now. He is still with Jil.

 

[emm]

I feel this so much. I sometimes talk about this with my parents actually, how much I miss my grandparents but that often I'm somewhat glad they are not here to see this, indeed. Like N*zi salutes on national television to people refusing to get vaccinated. My grandparents would have no words for it honestly, just thinking about it I can just feel their disapproval, sadness and frustration with the deep deep selfishness of this world.

People like Miles are getting more and more extreme right by the month, it's worrying.

Exactly, sorry for derailing everyone, but I cannot imagine my grandad who fought in ww2 watching someone on US TV doing the nazi salute, let alone at a presidential election

 

[oshare]

Literally makes 0nsense, on the scale of conspiracy theories (and there are some that I get do seem believable) this is up there with the flat earthers

Definitely, but my question was for real though. Like vaccination is he even talking about? ALL kinds or ... ?
I mean, there are loooooads of vaccinations. From national health programs to addition stuff you can get (like Hep B for example). The flu shot..
I'm so tired of people demonizing vaccination when it has literally saved so incredibly many people. I'm sick and tired of people not caring about people like me, who have an immunodeficiency. I am insanely grateful that, as a child, this wasn't the case yet and I got all the important stuff. My friend is a teacher, she keeps mentioning how these days there are kids with the most scary illnesses because their parents refuse to get their kids vaccinated, leaving them permanently disabled etc.
I remember when I was young, there was no question about vaccination yes or no. You just went. I remember at elementary school we had 1 child who couldn't get vaccinated due to being severely allergic to one of the ingredients, so I remember our parents talking about it a LOT that everybody HAD to get vaccinated in order to protect that 1 child. I remember parents telling their scared children that we had to do this, not just for themselves but also to protect that boy, because we had to take care of each other. Our parents taught us important lessons back then. No questions asked.

Sorry for the rant. I'm just so tired of people spreading this nonsense and I'm so tired that some of these vegans with a large platform do this. It gives us such a bad reputation when literally they are the only freaks, most of us are insanely normal and just keep quiet/to ourselves.
I'm tired.

 

[ILikeToWatch]

I think I need to unsubscribe from Vegan Beauty Girl. It seems like every vlog and podcast she has to mention that she loves being called and influencer and half her what I eat in a week videos are her posing at the camera. Probably just me but it's a bit grating. Also, unrelated but I'm not sure how she's wearing mini skirts and crop tops in the middle of Winter!

The pouting while eating thing is soooo annoying and off-putting. It’s like the target audience is pervy old men rather than people with an interest in vegan food.

 

[Lionsden]

Such a shame, always liked him not keen on him and jil
Also did I make this up or did he used to have clients as a nutritionist and work for the NHS? Or was he private? Either way, not sure if he still does that but hope they're getting good advice.

I have no idea. Miles says, they work all the time, only the videos look like an endless holiday. I really don't know what this work consists of though.
Jil is getting worse. She says, she can tell who is vaccinated because of the radiation this person emits. And there's a big plan behind it that "they" are orchestrating. I feel sorry for her but I'm also angry. She has a reach and she is doing harm. People have even commented about it under Miles' latest video but some people claim their comments were deleted.

 

[Lionsden]

I'm vegan and cook meat for my partner who eats a stereotypical 'western' diet. How does this mean I'm not vegan?

Handling and cooking animal products is basically condoning animal exploitation and abuse. I understand that it's tricky when those close to you are not vegan, but it's still hard to understand why you would do this. If you kill an animal but don't eat it yourself, you still killed it.

 

[oshare]

Miles uploaded a Q&A video in which he basically says he doesn't watch the news, doesn't believe mainstream media, and will never believe anything he hears on the news again. He advises others to "stay true" to themselves and trust their intuition. He claims the current situation is not about a virus and protecting people from it. He claims not to be a conspiracy theorist but a "grounded, level-headed" person. He "believes what he believes" and claims that freedom of speech is taken away at the moment. The way he uses his platform for this bullshit makes me sick. He denies scientific observation and probably believes all that trash Jil shared on her Instagram (she reposted the worst of the worst, really crass misinformation and blatant lies). And he's so smug. I'm worried people will believe him. He gets a lot of affirmation in the comments, although there are a few rational comments as well. And he looks bad with his hair. I remember years ago, when Jil said she wanted to stop lightening her hair because it was unnatural and toxic, and now she is encouraging Miles to bleach his hair regularly because she doesn't want to have a dark haired boyfriend. They both make me sick.

I'm unsubscribing and I suggest others to do so as well, no need to give this man a platform. I'm so disappointed. I already had a feeling he is (lowkey) anti-vaxx but this is just too much.
Also him claming not to be a conspiracy theorist but just a critical thinker and grounded and "level-headed" just screams "i'm not like other conspiracy theorists" to me. He's so arrogant and smug.

Do you guys think Jil started this or pushed this agenda? I feel like it has gotten a lot worse since he's with her. He also suddenly stopped all medication when she started living with him. I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all actually, I do think people sometimes need to take a critical look at medication they are taking daily and see if they can or need to make adjustments but just an observation.

I saw someone here questioning whether or not he eats everything and I firmly believes he does. If i look at how much I eat on a day (small, inactive woman) compared to him (active, healthy man -> just look at those legs!) I really believe he eats somewhere between 2500-3000 calories, doesn't seem absurd to me at all.

I feel like with his weight loss he lost a lot of his cute charm. The weight loss aged him a lot, he always looked really young.
The way he keeps re-pronouncing words in this weird accent is so irritating and he keeps making these weird mouth-noises, too, that I can't stand. How can Jil be around someone who constantly makes those weird noises with their mouth :S

What do you guys know and think about Jil. I don't really know her at all, I do find her very beautiful and I see why he fell in love with her, she's hard to take your eyes off but I don't really know her at all.