Is becoming a vegetarian/vegan worth it?

[SamuelRSmith]

So I was raised a pescetarian (vegetarian who eats fish), in my second year of Uni (about 5 years ago now) I started eating meat.

I gained a lot of weight pretty quickly... but then I was going a bit mad, trying out all sorts that I had missed out on. And it's been a struggle ever since to lose it all again.

About 2 months ago, I stopped eating beef and lamb, cut way back on processed meat (if I have a processed meal, I will often opt for the veggie option if they have one) and cut all high-mercury seafood (I let myself eat seafood off this chart, maybe once per week - http://static1.consumerreportscdn.org/content/dam/cro/magazine-articles/2014/October/CRM_Safe_Mercury_Fish_10-14.png )

Once I leave HK, I also plan to stop eating pork. It's just pretty much impossible here, unless you want to lead a very miserable life. Meaning that I'll be eating primarily chicken, low-mercury seafood, and vegetarian options.

On special occasions I will eat other items on my verboten list, like birthdays, festivals, family gatherings, etc. So it's not gone forever.

For non-meat animal products. I eat eggs, when I leave HK I will switch to free-range organic only (same with actual chicken meat) (again not an option here). I eat honey. Cheese and milk, I try to keep to limited quantities.

All of these decisions have been based on environmental impact, cost, and most importantly my health* - but balanced with what I can maintain for a long period of time. There's no point going full vegan if you end up giving up after a month.

Animal rights does have some part to play, hence why I want to switch to free-range organic. I think when I move to the US, I will assess how easy it is to eat sustainable seafood to see if it's worth introducing that rule.

Other things I'm switching up is cutting back on bread, and switching rice / pasta to brown. Increasing my water intake, and switching out 50% of my soda consumption for ice tea (lemon, with half sugar). I have a fitbit, I try to hit 15k steps on weekdays, and 20k on weekends. I keep my calorie count at a deficit, and I try to do two strenuous things per week (mountain biking, hiking, or hitting the gym). My gf, friends, and parents all have fitbits so we challenge each other everyday to turn it into a game, really helps (as does the achievement system )

* Cancer, heart disease, and weight management.