Craving meat

arifly

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  1. Flexitarian
I am flexitarian and recently decided to try a vegan diet. Its been great so far but today i decided to start going to the gym and found I don't have the same endurance anymore and after a 30 minute work out I am left BADLY craving meat.
Will this go away in time?
 
One of the issues with new vegans is that they just pull the meat or fish out of their diet without replacing it with the same calories and protein from a vegan source.

Until you get your diet in sync, you should get one of the vegan protein shakes, and drink one after your workout to kill the cravings.

These are in America, but I'm sure you have similar sources in England, and it has some info on the best ways to pick out a protein powder.

19 Muscle-Building Vegan Protein Powders That Actually Taste Good



I would suggest one of the vegan meal plans for athletes:

The Vegan Cookbook for Athletes: 101 Recipes and 3 Meal Plans to Build Endurance and Strength



The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts―and the Rest of Your Life


 
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I am flexitarian and recently decided to try a vegan diet. Its been great so far but today i decided to start going to the gym and found I don't have the same endurance anymore and after a 30 minute work out I am left BADLY craving meat.
Will this go away in time?
cravings are very unreliable. Despite all the stories, craving being a real indication of a nutrient or micronutrient deficiency are very rare.

As LoreD alluded to, one of the most common new vegan mistakes is just not eating enough calories.
running out of gas is why you feel fatigued. You need more fuel. Calories

Plant based foods are just not as calorie dense as animal based food. So new vegans are prone to just not eating enough

One good solution is in the transition to count calories. You may need to increase the portion size of your meals to meet your calorie goal. Or you might need to add a snack or two. That protein shake might make for a good extra snack.

I'm not ready to recommend a store bought shake unless you are up to doing some research. Most are full of sugar, chemicals and in many cases heavy metals. Better to make your own. and it's much cheaper.
One cup of soy milk, one banana, and one or two tbsp of peanut butter. Blend. There are lots of good homemade smoothie recipes - many are right here on the VF.

People, even vegans, don't need to worry about protein. Generally, if you are getting enough calories you are getting enough protein.
 
Different kinds of foods definitely make you feel different, and you've been accustomed to the feeling a meaty meal gives you after a hard work out.
I imagine it's a combination of expectation, satisfaction and how you digest the foods?
Maybe trying some tips from Dr Greger, and thinking about trying different things you could make habitual?


Maybe this guy can bring inspiration?
 
Hi, @arifly -

I can't say whether your experiment with a vegan diet is the reason you're having cravings unless you give an idea of what you're eating. For example: I LOVE green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, and romaine lettuce. I won't even turn up my nose at iceberg lettuce, although I do find it to be bland sometimes. But these foods are low in calories, carbs, fat, and protein- so you could eat truly impressive amounts of them and still feel hungry!
 
I am flexitarian and recently decided to try a vegan diet. Its been great so far but today i decided to start going to the gym and found I don't have the same endurance anymore and after a 30 minute work out I am left BADLY craving meat.
Will this go away in time?

welcome to the forum and I hope you find it helpful to be here with us

^^^ what everyone above said and also you could check out Simnett Nutrition Youtube channel - Derek (and his girlfrind Crystal) works out all the time, and has a lot of interesting information, on his channel, that you may find interesting

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com
 
I am flexitarian and recently decided to try a vegan diet. Its been great so far but today i decided to start going to the gym and found I don't have the same endurance anymore and after a 30 minute work out I am left BADLY craving meat.
Will this go away in time?
You say that you "decided to start going to the gym"? How long had you been away from the gym?

Flexitarian can mean a lot of different things. What does it mean to you?

What do you mean by "I . . . recently decided to try a vegan diet"? What did your new diet look like, and how long did you follow it?
 
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One of the issues with new vegans is that they just pull the meat or fish out of their diet without replacing it with the same calories and protein from a vegan source.

Until you get your diet in sync, you should get one of the vegan protein shakes, and drink one after your workout to kill the cravings.

These are in America, but I'm sure you have similar sources in England, and it has some info on the best ways to pick out a protein powder.

19 Muscle-Building Vegan Protein Powders That Actually Taste Good



I would suggest one of the vegan meal plans for athletes:

The Vegan Cookbook for Athletes: 101 Recipes and 3 Meal Plans to Build Endurance and Strength



The No Meat Athlete Cookbook: Whole Food, Plant-Based Recipes to Fuel Your Workouts―and the Rest of Your Life


Really good summary, @LoreD. Well done.