No more lurking.

[nitagurl]

Hi all. I'll just be frank. I'm looking for any and all experiences that differ from my own.

I stopped eating meat and became a vegetarian last year, losing 30 pounds without exercise. I plateaued at 140 pounds and decided to become a vegan (assuming, at the time, that the remaining weight was probably due to dairy). 6 months later I'm now 125 pounds - the same weight I was before I had my three daughters. And I still don't exercise.

I don't claim that becoming a vegan will make anyone lose the same amount of weight. Hell, I don't claim that it will make ANYONE lose ANY weight. Especially since my younger sister essentially "taught" me how to live on a plant-based diet and she can't seem to lose any weight at all.

I've just come across so many veggies that are actually struggling with their weight (actually gaining weight since eliminating meat) that I wanted to know what your experience has been like. Honestly.

1.What do you like (and hate) about eating plant-based?
2.OR What interests you about the lifestyle?
3.What question do you wish you had answered?

Feel free to blab away and add "unnecessary" information. I hope to become an informed resource on this topic one day and it helps to know what people are actually thinking.

 

[Grayveggie]

Hi there! I have a question: I'm very obese and a vegetarian. I plan to transition to vegan very soon. Should I be eating a low fat diet now as well as giving up dairy, portion control, etc? I'm so used to eating full fat everything because years ago when I was a meat eater that's what they encouraged us to do. I ate lowcarb high fat and lost a lot of weight.
So I'm wondering if I should be eating more low fat now that I'm vegetarian?

 

[nitagurl]

Hi there! I have a question: I'm very obese and a vegetarian. I plan to transition to vegan very soon. Should I be eating a low fat diet now as well as giving up dairy, portion control, etc? I'm so used to eating full fat everything because years ago when I was a meat eater that's what they encouraged us to do. I ate lowcarb high fat and lost a lot of weight.
So I'm wondering if I should be eating more low fat now that I'm vegetarian?

Hey Grayveggie. Quick question, did you feel good when you were eating low-carb, high fat? I mean, did the weight loss and everything make you feel energized and healthy? I only ask because I'm curious to know why you feel better about the idea of changing.

I read this article that I HOPE can give you more of an informed (without sounding science-y) answer in regards to the carb/fat topic than I can:
https://nutriciously.com/high-carb-low-fat-vegan-diet/


My diet is on the reverse; I eat high-carb because I get headaches if I restrict my intake - but fattening (vegan) foods like fried avocado tacos make me feel a little fluffier than usual after a while. So, it was a no-brainer for me to eat as many (nutrient-dense) carbs as I want. HOWEVER. My baby sister is about 5'4 and around 180 pounds from the same high-carb diet. Apparently, high-carb doesn't work for her as well as it does for me. So I'd be an idiot to generalize.

2. If you've already been eating a high-fat, low carb diet and the weight is still clinging to you then i would take that as a hint that my body is personally giving me and, first, see what happens when doing the reverse (low-fat, high carb).

If you don't experience any weight loss after 2 to 3 weeks then I'd see if dairy is the culprit and eliminate it - especially since you plan on becoming a vegan anyway.

If THAT doesn't work, I'd ensure that I don't have a gluten intolerance but eliminating gluten from my diet. You don't have to be diagnosed with Celiac disease to still have an intolerance for gluten just like you don't have to be prescribed with an Epipen in order to recognize that you still have minor allergy symptoms.

I'm not suggesting a series of disconnected tactics. "Stop eating this. Oh, that didn't work? Then stop eating that! No, no I mean try eating this!" Each elimination allows you to build onto another (without starving yourself of course or hating every meal). And, in this way, the idea is that you start to experience improvements that are traceable back to the last thing you changed. Then you can determine what your body doesn't agree with and, if you want, re-introduce some things you previously nixed simply because now you know it was never one of the problems.

I did a lot of talking just now.

I'd try high-carb, low fat. Give it a minute. And then take further investigatory steps from there.

 

[Emma JC]

short answer... YES

longer answer... whole food, plant-based, minimal to no added oils/sugars and salt to taste after the meal is ready to eat

I just wrote a whole article today about fats versus oils and I may post it on the site a bit later.

For now you can read it at http://cooljoy.com/fat-versus-oil.html

All the best with your journey to health!

Emmma JC

Hi there! I have a question: I'm very obese and a vegetarian. I plan to transition to vegan very soon. Should I be eating a low fat diet now as well as giving up dairy, portion control, etc? I'm so used to eating full fat everything because years ago when I was a meat eater that's what they encouraged us to do. I ate lowcarb high fat and lost a lot of weight.
So I'm wondering if I should be eating more low fat now that I'm vegetarian?

 

[Grayveggie]

Thank you both!!!

 

[JoannaM]

Great articles and advice ladies. I've not lost any weight since going vegan. But.. my weight is very stable, which is not something that I've ever experienced before. I'm going to think about my oil consumption.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

nitagul, I've found it easier to lose and maintain weight with a vegan diet. Although it is an added bonus since I think ethical reasons are the most important ones for choosing a vegetarian/vegan diet/lifestyle.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Hi there! I have a question: I'm very obese and a vegetarian. I plan to transition to vegan very soon. Should I be eating a low fat diet now as well as giving up dairy, portion control, etc? I'm so used to eating full fat everything because years ago when I was a meat eater that's what they encouraged us to do. I ate lowcarb high fat and lost a lot of weight.
So I'm wondering if I should be eating more low fat now that I'm vegetarian?

I suggest no dairy is a good idea. Plant foods have little or no cholesterol which is a bonus. If you are very obese you will need to do more than just eliminate dairy of course. You will need to find ways to reduce the total amount of food that you eat. Such as no snacks in the 2 hours before a meal, smaller portions, don't eat when you are hungry, and reduce/eliminate junk/processed/addicitive foods like crips and biscuits.

Also increase your exercise.

Also, don't expect magic overnight results. Be realistic. Also commit to a way of eating that you can sustain indefinitely. Rather than reaching for a target weight and then hitting it and binging and going back up again. Good luck!

 

[Vegan Recipes Lover]

First of all, congratulations on your brave decision to convert to veganism!

Great question. Ultimately, as a certified personal trainer, I can tell you that the art of weight loss has very little to do with the foods you are eating and more to do with the quantity of what you're eating. This is where the idea of "flexible dieting" that you see in the fitness world has stemmed from. It really all boils down to energy in versus energy out. Are you eating less than your body needs to maintain its current weight? If so, you will inevitably shed pounds. It all boils down to the law of thermodynamics.

The book referenced in my signature, The Vegan Cookbook: 200 Healthy & Delicious Recipes for The Beginner Vegan, has a whole section designed to show you how to calculate the number of calories you need for your unique body to lose weight and then offers up 200 different delicious recipes that list the calories, protein, fats and carbohydrates in each.

I hope it helps!

 

[Sally]

When I became a vegetarian I put on lots of weight as I was eating so much dairy. But then I went vegan and the weight just dropped off, It did this for about a stone or so, then stopped. So I cut back on oat milk and it started moving again, now I have lost another stone and a half and still going. I'm still a couple of stone overweight but it should go I think, it's slowed down and I've been vegan for three years now, so hope to be a healthy weight in a couple of years time. It's been a nice side effect that I hadn't considered. But since I no longer eat cakes and biscuits it's bound to happen I suppose. I think about what I want to eat, instead of eating mindlessly. If you listen to your body it will tell you what you need.

 

[Tamsingray89]

So i been able to cut out meat for 1 week now, i have also been able to cut out dairy and honey and eggs, i had two slips with chocolate but thats behind me now and have found vegan chocolate! ( heaven sent!) I havent lost any weight yet but i feel my body changing , i dont feel as bloated and flabby. Any way i have thus far struggled with heartburn and i am not sure why but thats about it, i feel lighter and better as a person knowing that each day i progress at transitioning to veganism i am saving and not contributing to animal suffering.

 

[shaun]

it's a pity beer puts on weight

 

[Breadandwine]

Hi folks - great thread.

Well done on the weight loss, losers!

I've been a vegan for 14 years, now, but it was only when I began intermittent fasting (5:2 method) that I began to shed some weight. It took me 8 months to lose 24lbs - which I didn't know I had to lose. WW had me at 10.10 for many years - now I'm just over 9 stone, and I've maintained that for 4.5 years.

The best advice I can give anyone is to watch 'What the Health'. It's available both on Netflix and YouTube - and it puts everything into perspective.