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My biggest challenge has been to give up cheese. I started by switching to just feta and goat cheese and I am slowly eliminating that!

My biggest challenge continues to be cheese. I have introduced a variety of soy cheese and vegan cheese into my cooking or recipes, but I still have the crutch of using "real" cheese. This is the only area that continues to challenge me - so help: what have you found to be the best of the non-dairy cheeses? or is it just a matter of getting over it and being satisfied with bland fake cheese?

Yep, I completely understand the cheese issue and you, Juh1029 and Lois are far from being alone. There are addicting ingredients in dairy cheese which can make the transition quite difficult. Without those ingredients in "vegan cheese" it can be even more of a challenge! Locally, we have Daiya (have you tried the Havarti Wedge?) and a few others on the shelves at Whole Foods and Dierbergs, but there are also cook books out there with some great recipes if you feel like experimenting. The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook: Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses and Classic "Uncheese" Dishes by Jo Stepaniak is one that comes to mind. Also - I've been reading about Tal Ronnen's company Kite Hill for a while now and his cheeses are getting great reviews. Available only in Whole Foods Markets, they are slowly filtering in to the Midwest market.

I fix too many vegan sweets. Just because it's vegan doesn't mean it's always a good choice.

I have had two challenges:
1) half & half in my morning coffee (as you know)...I now use unsweetened vanilla coconut milk and a fraction of the half & half in my coffee.

2) Getting my kids to make the change...I keep trying new vegan recipes and let them vote which are "keepers". My son was raving that he loved the chicken (aka tofu) in my stir-fry! Now, they don't even ask where the meat is for dinner.

My biggest challenge (besides cheese!) has been finding quick recipes for just 1-2 people. I don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen and finding quick easy meals with just a few, easy to find ingredients has been challenging.

I have been a vegetarian for about 23 years and a vegan about 5 or so. The biggest challenge was never meat. For whatever reason, once I gave that up I never missed it or craved it. My most challenging obstacles were continuing going out socially with friends and not feeling like I was a pain because of my dietary preferences. I soon found that most places offer something that can at least be modified to be vegan, such as leaving cheese off of a salad. I also found that just letting friends know I still wanted to be included was good. I wish more restaurants would offer vegan options but that is truly expanding. I have been able to scout out black bean burgers at several restaurants and portabella mushroom burgers as well so that is improving. Cheese was a big challenge as well. Other dairy products didn't phase me as much but have always liked cheese. Fortunately there have been huge improvements in the vegan cheese department as well and that has allowed me to really enjoy many cheeses again. Still looking for a good vegan brie cheese though! Also, PETA's 'Accidentally Vegan' list opened my eyes to some foods that I did not realize were vegan and would not have thought were so that was a big help. Veg News magazine gave me inspiration to continue with my veganism when I felt weak and I have even gone so far as to 'renew' my veganism commitment at times. All in all, I'm pretty well adjusted to it and don't have too many issues when I really feel tempted since there is a vegan option now for nearly everything..

I was actually dairy free first, because I was lactose intolerant. I thought it made more sense to me to just not have dairy at all instead of having dairy and then taking a supplement to deal with the digestive discomfort. Then came the "Meat Free Monday" trend, where I was learning about how to prepare a lot of veggie rich dishes, and I really enjoyed expanding my repertoire of foods. Then I started watching a lot of documentaries: Food Inc, Vegucated, and finally, "Forks Over Knives". Plant based every since!

My biggest challenge was giving up cheese and ice cream. Dairy is definitely addictive! Finding vegan "cheeze" recipes and banana "ice cream" have been my biggest saves. :)

they biggest hurdle (not met yet) is getting my husband to all plants. He loves the stuff that I cook but won't go completely meat free

My biggest challenge is and has been fast food. I am a teacher, which is very stressful, and I have found myself, even though I do not want to, in the drive thru line at a fast food restraunt. It's just so simple, easy, and a injection of salt, fat, and sugar to stimulate the dopamine in my brain.
I have done a medically supervised water fast for 8 days and 2 weeks later I have not had any cravings for fast food and am hoping to keep it that way.

I have been a vegetarian for about 7 years and I have begun making the transition to a vegan lifestyle in the past year or so. My biggest challenge was sticking to the decision I made 7 years ago while I was in high school. I came from a family who was very much the 'meat and potatoes' type, and they had a hard time understanding my dietary transition. I also had no friends who were vegetarians, and as a high schooler, this was tough for me because friends mean the world to you during that phase in your life. I was constantly defending my choice and dealing with well-meaning but still hurtful jokes. I overcame this obstacle by starting to stand up for my decision, rather than continuing to laugh it off or smile sheepishly. I began educating my friends and family on the health facts I had learned, as well as environmental and humane facts. I started sharing recipes with my mom, who was easier to convince than the rest of my family. I invited my mom to one of Caryn's classes back in 2011 at Whole Foods, and she was amazed at how delicious vegan food could be. After Caryn's class we experimented with my family...using Caryn's recipe for vegan nachos. My dad was completely fooled and astonished when he realized he wasn't eating fround beef or real cheese. So funny! My family now has does a "meatless monday" even without me living in the house, and every Sunday my mom and I cook a new vegetarian or vegan recipe for the whole family to try.

My biggest challenge is all my friends and family are major meat eatters. I have been eatting more vegan foods on my own as I get older. I want to make the transition but they make it harder and I'm kind of unsure and scared for some reason. I have over come most of it so far by making my meals myself and making most of them vegan.