How can i lose weight?

[Rory17]

Hi,
I am a 22 year old female. I went vegetarian at 13, and (nearly) vegan at about 20-21 (I had been eating vegan foods and rice milk, possibly, before that). I did it all predominantly for the animals.
Even though I’m vegan (and I do eat things like vegetables, fruits and, sometimes, beans), I also have a weight issue. I’m on Olanzapine (for anxiety), which can turn off the part of your brain that tells you when you’re full. I’m also on Pregablin (also for anxiety), which can also cause weight gain. I often eat in between meals, even though I do set promises not to. I eat quite a bit of chocolate, sweets and cake (the one that I eat the most of out of those is chocolate). I have cravings and I want fancy chocolate.
Exercise-wise, I go on walks (not every day, as much as I would like to), I have just started doing a yoga work-out following a video on YouTube, I occasionally walk around with my iPod on and I go swimming (when on holiday mainly. I also used to go swimming with my support group, I am on the Autistic Spectrum).

 

[amberfunk]

Cut out the sugar, eat fruit instead when you crave something sweet. It should stop the craving and is way better for you. Exercise more. Go on walks daily for a start. Listen to your music while you walk. These things might help but your medication can also keep weight on. You can always discuss this with your doctor and talk about other options if you want.

 

[Kellyr]

I'm gong to preface this with the advice that you should discuss your weight issues with your doctor and request to see a nutritionist or dietician who advocates a vegan lifestyle.

If you're unable to listen to your body's true hunger queues (meaning you're eating even if you're not hungry - this could be emotional eating), you will need to track your calories daily until you can get in better tune with your body.

There are free web sites like cronometer.com where you can open an account and start tracking what you eat. Just eat like you normally do for the first week or so, tracking everything to get an idea of where you currently stand, then start working on reducing your caloric intake. It's general knowledge that you should not reduce your daily calories to anything below 1200-1500 calories per day (this stresses out your body and also makes it difficult to get all the necessary nutrition you need to function daily.)

Next bit of advice I have is to start familiarizing yourself with healthy nutrition and start learning to cook healthy foods. In general, sticking with whole, unprocessed foods and limiting or completely cutting out sugar, salt, and oil is the way to go.

Sugar has always been a problem for me. I really had to cut out my favorite treats cold-turkey - I can't handle sugar like a "normal" person can (meaning I can just eat a sugary cupcake and be fine with it and not want more and more.) High-sugar processed foods trigger additional cravings in me. I'm okay with the sugar found in fruits, and I'm ok with a piece of really dark chocolate (70% or higher), so I allow those since they don't trigger insane cravings. Everything else I stay away from: cookies, cakes, donuts, candies, candy bars, ice cream, etc.

Finally, at some point, you should work on your emotional health. Most people overeat not just because of a physical addiction to food, but because they're using food to compensate for other things like being bored, feeling anxious, unhappy, tired, etc. If you can stay present enough, keep a food diary for a few weeks and write down what you were feeling before you ate something even though you weren't hungry. It could help you understand were some emotional patterns may be present. If you see a psychologist or psychiatrist, discuss this with them.

 

[Kellyr]

Also, exercise is good - but you cannot out-exercise poor eating. Successful weight management is around 80% what you put in your mouth and 20% physical fitness.

 

[veganDreama]

I’m on Olanzapine

So am I. It makes you very hungry all the time!!!
I'm also asperger as well as being deaf blind and having an under active thyroid which also makes it hard to lose weight.

Somehow I managed to slim down from 14 stone 10 to 9 stone 2.

It wasn't easy but somehow I had to stop myself eating between meals. I get cravings for vegan ice cream, chocolate, crisps and chips. I haven't stopped taking these foods altogether. I just limit my intake so I can look forward to eating vegan junk food sometimes but not as often as I used to and I haven't gained the weight I had.

When you get really hungry try eating a carrot. That's what I do. Other then that I just drink water and herbal tea between meals.

Another thing I do is lock away junk food (although that doesn't work for ice-cream because that has to be kept in the freezer).

I wish you luck.

 

[Caroline]

Hi Rory, weight loss is such a tricky thing but I totally agree with what has been said before really thinking carefully about what you eat and finding a way to exercise that you enjoy. I love clubbercise it's brilliant exercise in a dark room so no anxiety about what you look like - google it. Arbonne are a great company that do a 30 days to healthy living scheme, it signs you up to a brilliant Facebook group so there is always support for you to ask questions. It sends you the meal planners for each week and you use the Arbonne shakes and other vegan products too. Although this is more about helping people make healthy lifestyle choices it is also fab for weight loss. It could be the great starting platform you need. Message me if you want more information as I am a consultant and can support you with your journey. Caroline xx

 

[standalonevegan]

Gluten free Vegan. Even without exercising you will lose weight fast. You don't even have to do it all the time - maybe even plan a day of the week you can enjoy your bread or whatever you're craving. Also you can eat as much fruit and veggies as you like, so don't let that scare you.

I have found that vegetarians tend to eat more dairy/bread products when they cut out meat so often they don't even lose weight but gain it. Just start trying new fruits and vegetables you may have never had, that will help with cravings.