Newby needs advice

[HighVoltage89]

Hi,

I am a 27yo female vegetarian with a massive sweet treat and cheese addiction - I used to think this was a joke when I said it, until I stopped eating them - I have decided I would like to try and incorporate a healthier diet into my life, so I decided to go vegan for one month.

Currently only on day two **breaking into a nervous sweat** I didn't think it would be so hard. admittedly I didn't do too much research before I started this venture but how hard could it really be to give up snacks and dairy....most vegetarian foods are suitable for vegans too..are they not?!

On my last minute shopping trip to buy lunch stuffs for the next day I was in awe of how difficult it was to source the vegan options, I mean I knew it wouldn't be extremely straightforward but I didn't think I would spend 30 minutes staring at the shelves looking for crackers I could eat!

I have purchased more than my body weight in fruit and veg but on my first day, my lazy usually snack eating-self found even eating these raw too much effort. I spent my first day snacking on pumpkin and sunflower seeds, pistachio's cashews and vegan popcorn accompanied by four cups of sugarless tea, for my lunch I went all out eating two slices of wholemeal bread with peanut butter and two slices of toast for dinner (not an unusual combination of poor lunch and dinner habits) but without the backup of bars of chocolate, handfuls of chewy fruit sweets and packet after packet of crisps, by the time I got home from work..I was spent, I fell asleep as soon after I ate my toast and sat down.

Today was an interesting day, I walk to work most days but it took me longer today..I felt like my limbs were somehow slower than normal then put this down to the lack of nutrition the day before. I got to work and set my desk up as usual - making sure all my snacks were in reach and drinking two small glasses of water. About 10 minutes into my shift things all changed, my slow but happy mood turned into constant thoughts about cheese....of all things at that time in the morning!!

As the day went on my head was full of thoughts about food....but only because I could feel my body craving it, my hands were shaking, my mood was low and I was shattered more than I have been since I was a child being woken up for school in the morning. Although I knew I had my snacks to hand I couldn't face eating them..not because I don't like them, I finished them all before I finished my day..I just couldn't get an appetite for them. I wanted something and it rhymed with please.

Okay so rant over..partially because im knackered again, if you managed to read this far down then thank you !

I am looking for some guidance. I know it will be different for everyone but I need to know roughly how long to expect these symptoms to last (if anyone knows) the hand shaking I can deal with, but the fatigue, sitting around like a zombie..I cant handle that, I just want to sleep all of the time and its ONLY DAY TWO!! Also, any snackish suggestions or habit advice would be greatly appreciated

I know long run this will be good for me but I don't really know if I am going to have the will power to get through it - Full respect to everyone of you out there who can.

 

[liv]

I'm no expert in terms of nutrition but you can't survive on bread and nuts alone! From the sounds of it you're not consuming any fruit or vegetables in a day which means you are lacking in many of the vitamins and minerals that are essential for a healthy vegan diet. You should also focus less on snacking for energy and more on filling meals with complex carbohydrates (like sweet potato and wholegrains). You also need to make sure you are eating beans and pulses which will help to keep you going. It sounds like your diet relies on fast-release energy which will not keep you going healthily. You really need to focus on your diet and research how to stay healthy or veganism won't be a healthy option for you.

This chart may help - I find it's a really useful day-to-day tool. https://www.lizcookcharts.co.uk/nutrition-chart.html

Please look after yourself and stay healthy, good luck with your transition, and let me know if I've got anything wrong or misinterpreted your post, I'm fairly new to the world of nutrition also. xx

 

[Mona]

Make sure you are eating and drinking enough. I get most of my recipes on pinterest, so maybe you could get some good ideas on there. Also, make sure your eating enough carbs and not just protein rich/fat rich foods. Nuts and seeds are mostly fat and protein, which is also important but you also need good carbs for energy. Some good carbs would be things like potatoes, rice, fruits, etc. For a easy meal you could cut up some potatoes and other veggies and bake them in the oven. I usually season it and than eat the potatoes and veggies with ketchup or a yummy sauce. Cheese can literally be addicting because it has some component(I think a protein) that acts in a similar way as opiates on the body. With time the cheese cravings shouls go away. There are lots of vegan cheese alternatives so I would look into those.
Hopes things get better for you. Also, perhaps you have a deficiency?