Hello,
I have been a vegetarian since February 15th of this year and a vegan for the last week (well, transitioning, I still have some granola bars to finish up that may contain traces of dairy). Overall the experience has been a positive one. I have lost 40 pounds, I feel better, have more energy, and am happier overall. Sometimes I find myself getting overwhelmed when I am grocery shopping because of the lack of vegan products in the areas I used to shop, but I have learned to branch out of my norms and have found getting the necessary food (nutrients, vitamins, etc.) rather easy. My main concerns involve going out to eat and family gatherings. My friends eat anything, and my family always a meal centered around meat. This may prove to be a challenge but I will work it out. Anyways, I look forward to learning a lot of information on this site and hopefully contributing some too. By the way, I just finished reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer and thought it was pretty good - a very thought provoking work on factory farms.
Thanks