Nutrition & Diet Pls help! Gaining so much weight!

Rosemcg123

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  1. Vegan newbie
Hello! Really hope you can help / offer some advice.. I’ve always felt awful about the animals... & I’ve always battled with my weight... & I suffer from depression (so when I feel uncomfortable in how I look or feel like weight gain is out of my control it brings a huge negative spiral 🙈)
Any way.. so I finally decided enough was enough & Iv been fully vegan for almost 2 weeks... Iv been exercising regularly... watching my calories... Iv had the odd blip where I probably are a few too many crisps... but nothing out of the ordinary, overall healthy... Iv not been eating too many processed meals... Iv made things like chickpeas spinach stir fry... if I have pasta it’s a vegetable made one... my weaknesses are crisps & biscuits! But I count the calories.. & according to my fitnesspal I should be losing a lot of weight!

First few days I bloated so much it hurt... but I powered through & now body feels good... & I’m ok with it... but I am gaining so much weight... my tummy is always slightly bloated... I can feel excess fat around arms, shoulders n thighs... I don’t know what to do? Do I start eating less than 1000 calories..? Do I give up a crisp n biscuit (but I love & feel should get treat or do I give up & feel constantly deprived) my clothes are feeling tighter... I hate how I look... I really want to keep this up so I don’t know what’s next? Does anyone have any ideas or tips or similar situations?? Thank you, any help is greatly appreciated x
 

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I so highly recommend downloading this on your phone, or just printing out. This way of eating is a whole days nutrition, and as written, about 1200 to 1400 calories so you can adjust as needed..

Dr Gregers book How Not to Diet is fascinating! Not just weight loss, but the finding of so much research into how food plays into humans lives, from evolution to genetics and pyschology

BTW, I also have weight issues, and depression
 
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I don't know much about Fitness Pal, I have never used it. I do know it is super popular.

Looking at your screenshots the thing that struck me is that your goal seemed too low, your food intake seemed too low, and your calories burned seemed too high. (700 calories would be like running 7 miles). Where does it get those numbers?

I've never heard of any issues with Fitness Pal being inaccurate. So I'm wondering if maybe there is some level of user error.

But anyway, a few days is too few to see results and too few to draw any conclusions. Keep doing what you are doing and see what happens after a week or two. In the meantime, try to be more careful about putting stuff into FitnessPal.
 
It seems very strange to be gaining a lot of weight when the calories in/calories out equation is heavily tipped in the other direction. Bloating is one thing, but actually gaining weight is another. I wonder if there is something wrong in your calculations? One trick I caught myself doing was buying the biggest bananas I could find, but still counting them as one banana = 100 calories. The big ones are probably double that. And since I eat 3-5 bananas a day, that's an extra 300-500 calories I was not counting on my calculators.

I also grab a handful of my seed mix (sunflower, pumpkin, etc.) once or twice a day, and for a nice palmful I figure 1/2 ounce, about 100 calories. But....when I'm hungry it's easy to double that (big hands); twice a day, that's another 200 calories I'm not counting.

Anyway, maybe just make sure you're not giving yourself the benefit of the doubt on these things as I was. It's something to rule out anyway.

And by crisps I assume you mean potato chips...ouch...I can't even buy them because I love them so much; if I have them in the house I eat nothing else until they are gone (like breakfast cereal, Ben and Jerry's non-dairy, etc.). For me, it all starts at the grocery store (don't go when you are hungry, don't go when you feel thin!).

Good luck.
 
In my experience, weight loss is rarely a steady slope downward. For me it comes and goes in steps. Down a smidge, up a smidge, down a good amount, up a good amount, but over time gradually decreases. Two weeks isn't very long, and your body does need to adjust to a new way of eating. Last year, it took me nearly a year to lose 15 pounds. So try to go easy on yourself. You're headed in the right direction!
 
Hey! Thanks for all the replies! The calories burned come from my health mate watch... I wonder if cause mainly walking... rather than high intensity? or I’m eating too many starchy carbs? Yeah potato chips... I love 🙈 & digestives! I’m gonna try go more protein base / greens... & weigh the crisps 🙈

really appreciate all the messages... I’m gonna try stick with it.. 💪

thanks xx
 
Probiotics might help with the stomach discomfort. Drink lots more water while your diet adjusts. A vegan diet tends to be higher in fiber. If you notice this is a sudden weight issue then I always suggest getting your thyroid check as that is an indication of low function, along with hair loss and a constant cold feeling. I love myfitness pal, but try not to go under 1200 calories per day as that can cause starvation mode where your body holds onto more. Exercise is good, try to get in all forms of exercise, stretching, cardo and strength. Yoga can combine stretching and strength.
Remember it takes 3, 500 calories per lb (0.453592kg) to loose or gain.

Edit. Sorry. I have been out of work for a while. The math is divide lb by 2.2 to get kg, and multiply kg by 2.2 to get lb.
 
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Probiotics might help with the stomach discomfort. Drink lots more water while your diet adjusts. A vegan diet tends to be higher in fiber. If you notice this is a sudden weight issue then I always suggest getting your thyroid check as that is an indication of low function, along with hair loss and a constant cold feeling. I love myfitness pal, but try not to go under 1200 calories per day as that can cause starvation mod where your body holds onto more. Exercise is good, try to gt in all forms of exercise, stretching, cardo and strength. Yoga can combine stretching and strength.
Remember it takes 3, 500 calories per lb (2.2 kg) to loose or gain.
I understand the gut flora of those eating plant based are different from omnivores, but what about probiotic capsules? I mean, are there strains that vegans should avoid?
A few years back I got some probiotics intended for my son with digestive issues, but wouldn't take them. I don't have issues, but figured I'd take them, cause they were all the rage. I got horrid bloating, smelly gas, and soft poop! I haven't had smelly gas and bloating since giving up meat! I always wondered if the strains I got were what meat eaters had in their gut flora?
 
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I have been taking digestive enzymes for some issues. Those are vegan with probiotics and prebiotics. The ones I take have enzymes from real fruit and vegetables. I am no where near an expert on the subject. Food products could be included in probiotics. Fermented foods as kimchi, sourkrout, pickled foods.
I need to research strains more. I would think in your case your gut health was fine and your own gut flora was attacking the invaders.
The 7 Best Vegan Probiotics in 2020 [For True Vegans]
 
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I understand the gut flora of those eating plant based are different from omnivores, but what about probiotic capsules? I mean, are there strains that vegans should avoid?
A few years back I got some probiotics intended for my son with digestive issues, but wouldn't take them. I don't have issues, but figured I'd take them, cause they were all the rage. I got horrid bloating, smelly gas, and soft poop! I haven't had smelly gas and bloating since giving up meat! I always wondered if the strains I got were what meat eaters had in their gut flora?

I used to take probiotics but the more I learned about them the phonier I think they are.

Our guts have hundreds (thousands?) of different species of bacteria. They are as complex an ecosystem and you can find. Some bacteria compete with each other. Some even eat others. They have different roles, niches, and food preferences. But the typical probiotic has maybe a dozen different species. There might be some benefit after taking a regimen of antibiotics. Kind of like jumpstarting the ecosystem. Maybe like seeding an area that had a forest fire with wild oats and pine trees.

But you are right about gut flora being different in different people. Studies have shown that the gut flora of vegans IS different from meat-eaters. But I doubt that the probiotic brand had "meat eaters" strains. Although most probiotics do contain strains that digest lactose. It probably had more to do with just messing with your already established flora. But even that seems like a long shot. A probiotic may contain a few million live bacteria. Your gut has hundreds (thousands?) of millions of bacteria.
 
My math was wrong. I correct myself. I have not been working and my brain did the opposite numbers. The math is divide lb by 2.2 to get kg, and multiply kg by 2.2 to get lb.
I am sorry.
 
Starches are not the issue, it is the fake butters and oils that we put on them and the sugars that we mix with them.

Eat whole starches... potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grain breads and pastas, add lots of veggies, greens, berries, fruit and beans and lentils and tofu etc. Enjoy!

Emma JC
 
Do you find bloat when more carbs?? or more just like feeling heavy?
It depends on the portion size and what I am eating it with. A half cup of the carbs is best with some vegetables and water.
I am wondering also if this could be an IBS issue.
As I have said before the thyroid is a huge component. I would get that checked. It is largely undiagnosed.
Disclaimer. I am not a Dr. I do have an AS in nutrition.
 
I will communicate as others for having whole food and avoid processed food, from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. With this way no oils need to be added, to have what is healthiest for us, just vitamin supplements, or something fortified for them, certainly for vitamin B12, also vitamin C, and you might need vitamin D if you live further north than I do. This very helpful site shows how to have this healthy way, even for weight, with recipes, www.forksoverknives.com.
 
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