At 36 years old, Stefana, lovingly known as Stefy, originally hails from Romania but embarked on a new chapter in Greece just one year ago.
Her educational background is rooted in music, but in recent years, she has embarked on a remarkable transition. Stefy has dedicated herself to the creation of vegan sweets and bodybuilding, all with the goal of being a beacon of inspiration for others to embrace a cruelty-free lifestyle.
The roots of her journey can be traced back to her childhood, where a profound connection with animals ignited a passionate drive within her.
Thoughts of animal welfare and how to combat cruelty have been her lifelong companions, and now, she is taking meaningful steps to make a difference.
Please tell us more about yourself
My name is Stefana, but everybody calls me Stefy .I’m 36 years old and I’m from Romania, but I moved to Greece 1 year ago.
I studied music, but in the last years I transitioned towards making vegan sweets and bodybuilding, because I feel like I can inspire more people to choose a cruelty free lifestyle like that.
Vegan sweets can be as good as the conventional ones and also we can build muscles without any kind of animal based products,and because the majority are still uneducated on the subject, I’m dedicated to show people there is a more emphatic way to live.
Share with us your motivation for adopting a vegan lifestyle
It all started from my childhood actually, I always felt a deep connection with all animals and I used to think a lot about animal abuse and how could I stop it.
I used to analyze the meat into my plate, seeing the veins into the flesh and being grossed out.
But I never took any decision because everybody was doing this around me and I was thinking my feelings are wrong since I’m the only one thinking like that.
The moment I turned vegan was in 2015, when I accidentally founded a health book witch was promoting ditching all animal based products. Out of the sudden I realized I could stop eating animals because I’m having scientific based for my decision and I could show it to everyone that would try to attack me or mock me.Family, friends, everybody thought I gone crazy and the mocking and attacking did come,but I was just holding my position the best that I could.
Even though I gave up all animal products overnight, I learned about animal testing, leather industry and other industries that exploits animals later,in time.
The first year was very hard and because of social pressure I had few times steak and pizza with cow cheese, these mistakes I always regretted and overtime I turned stronger and stronger that is the right thing to do.
What difficulties have you encountered while searching for vegan dining options or navigating social situations with friends who aren’t vegan?
I didn’t faced many cases I wouldn’t find anything vegan, there are almost everywhere fries and vodka:)) I don’t care much what I’m eating as long as it’s plantbased.
On the other side, going out with non-vegan people was a struggle many times, because I would be interrogated, mocked, pressured and so on.
In rare cases people were genuinely curious, and these cases actually made me so happy to overcome all the bad vibes.
What are your sentiments regarding your vegan lifestyle?
I’m very confident into my standpoint and even though I face challenges daily,it’s the smallest price i can pay for exploiting animals all my life before turning vegan.
The only regret I have is not changing sooner.
What are common misunderstandings or myths surrounding vegans?
There are a ton of misconceptions, but the most funny for me is people thinking you can’t get enough protein from plants and I’m very happy to point them otherwise.
I know so many vegan bodybuilders and I find it surreal there is still this idea going on these days.
Just to give some examples: tofu, seitan, nutritional yeast, tvp, vegan protein powder and so on.
What guidance do you have for individuals who are just embarking on their journey toward a meatless diet?
Take all the baby steps you think are necessary and also find vegan people around you or join an online community.
Be prepared mentaly for being hated just for being against violence, in time you will be stronger and you’ll learn to do your own thing without caring about the rest.
This is also a very good trait in life in general.
Stefy Constantin Vegan Fitness 🌱🍑
🦾Vegan gym girl sharing workouts & high-protein goodies🍭🍩🍪🍰
🧛🏻♀️Romanian
all images courtesy of Stefy Constantin Vegan Fitness 🌱🍑
Stefy is the coolest! Amazing interview! Super inspiring 💚🌱