Do you think people stay commit ed to being a vegetarian once they start?

Or do you think once they smell the temptation of the foods they use to eat they will go back?

I stopped eating meat january ,1, 2007. I just wanted to fast from it for a week to start the new year, I was also going to a retreat where all of the food was vegetarian and wanted to get a good start for that. It turns out I didn't miss or even crave any meats after just a week of vegetarian eating. The weekend after I went to the retreat I had some take-out white rice and I remembered that I had leftover broiled eel in the freezer. I figured since some "vegetarians" eat fish it wouldn't hurt, also I didn't want it to go to waste. Now I shall note that I was an avid and rabid fish eater. Watching ocean shows with fishies made me hungry. That said, as I began to eat the eel which had been pure joy for me about two weeks before... it felt off. The taste did nothing for me, the texture...ugh. I did not enjoy that meal. Given that I seemed doomed to vegetarianism(;D) I figured I'd get the remaining fish(only other meat I had) out of the way quickly before I got in any deeper.
The fish was an oden soup/stew kit, and I'd bought it to share with my friend and her kid. So I go over and we prepare the soup/stew, yay social cooking! And we all sit at the table and start the meal. My friend and her daughter are enjoying the food immensely... I'm not. But I keep eating hoping that I'll enjoy the food, which never happened.
The next day was pure pain, from morning 'til my body violently rejected the previous meal, yay!
Now if I accidental get an animal body product(like gelatin) I become violently ill. So I doubt that I'll "fall off the wagon", as they say.
I've recently gone vegan, now even the though of...milk sickens me, let alone eggs(shudder).

Sorry for the long answer.

Hi: I am an long-time vegetarian (over 20 years). However, a year ago, I became anemic. There are lots of different types and reasons for anemia. My anemia was directly related to vitamin B12 deficiency, which is common in vegetarians. Now I eat meat and fish 3 times a week, and I get B12 injections once a month. My blood work shows my B12 levels have increased. When they are normal, I might go back to being a veggie.

Finally, to answer your question, I am sure many veggies stop eating meat for decades or even the rest of their lives. Many veggies will return to eating meat because they crave the taste or they start feeling weak or tired. I don't know the percentages of veggies who continue to avoid meat versus those who go back to eating meat. Maybe there should be a Gallup poll for this!

My experience and hearing about other people's stories convince me that some people need meat to be healthy, while others can do fine without meat.

It would be very interesting to see the results of a study of how many people embark on vegetarianism of various degrees and then "backslide," and to break that group down into various subgroups.
As far as I know, no such study has ever been done. A somewhat similar study on people who join and then leave various religions was recently published, and is quite interesting.

hmm...i wonder lol.

well i guess they might becuase they care about animals a lot more than their health. i'm against animal killing unless its for food. if its for fun then its just sick >__<.
and they might not becuz if they just started,they wont be used to it and might not control their temptation for meat.

I have been a vegetarian on and off for the past three years. (I am commited now, though, and have been for a while.) Since I've been on and off, I have obviously wavered. I think a lot of vegetarians have wavered at one point or another.

Sure. I've been a vegan for 12 years. Admittedly, it's easy for me because I have a problem eating anything that once had a face so meat holds no allure for me. Also, dairy and I do not agree so there's no problem avoiding that, either.

My husband is at 22 years and going strong (until he retires and we have to eat cat food.) Most of the vegetarians I've met have wavered at some point, and I've met LOADS of FORMER vegetarians.

Ive been a vegitarian for 5 years now and it actually none of the foods rlly strike me at this point now
All i see is some poor animal getting slaughtered and thats that =]

for most people, i think that it is the hardest in the biggining, but then its gets easy. obviosly a lot do stay with it though.

I'm a vegan and I am definitely committed. I am never tempted to eat any animal products either because there are so many great vegan substitutes. I will never go back to eating meat!

Well, I've been veg*n for over two decades and the smell of the foods I used to eat is far from tempting.

It is a continuous "process" to evolve further.