Just transitioning need help balancing....

[400lbman]

my meal plan for the next month i am literally in the process of cutting out all meat and dairy from my diet. i have read alot and decided that most WFPB diets take alot of work food prep wise and im to lazy for that, also i have no experince what so ever cooking greens/ veggies unless its in a stew form. So i lean twords stews/soups. for the first two weeks starting tomorrow i plan on doing only stews for lunch and diner with long cut steel oats for breakfeast with fruits the stew im planing will contain the same food with mostly just seasoning changes. it will be made with lentils, potatos, carrots, cellery, onion, garlic. will possible serve it on rice if i find i need the filler. will that be balanced vitimen and nutrition wise? would like to stick with stew style foods for at least the first 2 months before i try and branch out to other styles of food prep/cooking. if you can think of any other foods that would help round it out or make it a more nutritional meal please feel free to let me know i joined this forum strickly for this reason to help me in transitioning from a mostly meat baised diet to a full WFPB diet with no meat or dairy. any stew type recipes or comments on how to improve this within the confines i asked would be vary help full



P.S. i am over 400lbs and am also starting a work out/calisthenics witch is why im worried about balancing this out properly because i have read alot about first timers/noobs running in to problems balancing the diet

 

[Lou]

Sounds like a very good plan.

Not sure you should stick with it for 2 months before changing it up. but you can decide that after just a few weeks.

One of the fundamentals of any good plant-based diet is eating a large variety. It's about the easiest way to make sure you get all the micronutrients. But that is one of the good things about stews and soups. You can put all kinds of different things in them.

Another advantage of stews and soups is that you can make large portions and then freeze them. I will make a couple of quarts and divide them up into single or double servings and store and freeze them in Tupperware or jars. When I use up one portion I just take out another from the freezer. It's a bit challenging to make sure you don't end up eating the same thing every day - but it's manageable.

I bought an Instant Pot last Christmas and it is very helpful in making large portions of stews and soups. You can even make steel cut oats in it. then you can freeze them too. The night before you just put them in the frig to defrost. you can add some soymilk and nuke them. the WFPB diet suggests a serving of berries every day. You can add fresh berries or just raisins. The WFPB diet also suggests a serving of seeds every day. You can add a tbsp of ground flaxseed to your oatmeal. It is also a good source of Omega 3s.

For breakfast, I alternate between oatmeal, breakfast smoothies and bagel sandwiches.

For lunches, I alternate between last nights leftovers, sandwiches, burritos, and salads.

For dinners, I alternate between Cuban black beans, soups and sandwiches, soups and salads, stews, and stir-fries. Sometimes I'll make a pizza or just make some pasta.

There are several kinds of stews and soups you can make.
Three bean soup, split pea soup, butternut squash soup, and lentil soups are my favorites. Some of these you can buy in stores. I'll include a few links at the bottom to some of the recipes I use.

One good stew I make is a Lentil Vegetable. Served over sweet potatoes.

Another one of my favorite stand bys is Cuban Black Beans over Rice.

I would encourage you to learn about making vegetable stir-fries with tofu. It might take a while to learn and master it but once you have it figured out it is a very fast and easy to make a meal. And very easy to make just one serving at a time. Tofu is one of the best protein sources. And you can use just about any kind of vegetable. Just take it easy on the sauce.

think about including salads in your meal plan at some point. There is some chopping necessary but even that can be mitigated by buying the pre-chopped veggies in the store. or buying a slicing or chopping gadget. A really big salad is a great way to curb appetites and get lots and lots of nutrition.

And don't forget to have a handful of nuts and a couple of pieces of fruit every day.

Here are some good recipes. A lot of them are instant pot but most will give stove top directions. or you could just look up a different recipe.

https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegetarian-lentil-soup-recipe-low-fat-3377999

https://www.veganricha.com/2018/11/lentil-mushroom-stew-with-mashed-sweet-potatoes-instant-pot.html

https://www.thenaturalnurturer.com/blog/instant-pot-cuban-black-beans

http://www.brighde.com/blog/5-minute-split-pea-soup-recipe-vegan-wfpb-instant-pot

https://minimalistbaker.com/tofu-that-tastes-good-stir-fry/

 

[Lou]

Oh! If you haven't already seen your doctor and get his advice please do so ASAP. Especially about the calisthenics. At 400 lbs it might be easy to injure yourself and that would be a major setback. Some health insurance companies will chip in to pay for a visit to a Registered Dietician and/or a physical therapist. Some will even pay for a gym membership. so check with your health care provider, too.

Also, I think a checkup right now could establish a benchmark. Then in 3 months or 6 months, you could really check your progress. Although the scale and the tape measure are good benchmarks, cholesterol levels and blood pressure are even better.

The last thing is I think you might want to get familiar with Cronometer and start keeping a food diary in it. I think, for beginning vegans it is invaluable.

Here is a good intro to Cronometer.

 

[400lbman]

thanks lou you have been super helpful today and im sure ill have more questions as i go on this road of change. and yeah i can still do squats and push up just not alot so i do some light jogging with walking when i need to and push ups at sets of 5 right now.just taking it light and keeping heart rate up for an hr. thanks again for everything got a feeling over the next few weeks i might pester you to oblivion with questions about this diet and what not. and this is a life long change for me i plan on getting on this food change and staying on it.

 

[Slonaut]

Raw food is healthier, faster and easier. Wash, cut, done! Embrace salads and dried fruits.