Weightloss

[Grayveggie]

Well I have been gaining weight since becoming a vegetarian, and transitioning to vegan isn't helping me lose any weight either. Seems like I'm eating too many carbs? I'm slowly starting to exercise but have to be careful because my arthritis has been acting up in my knees and shoulders.
Truthfully, I'm about to throw in the towel and give up....... Anyone else out there struggling with their weight???

 

[Plant Muncher]

I began eating vegan in January 2017 and I have probably lost 35 lbs so far. I don't weigh myself except every 6 months when I see the doctor so my actual weight loss could be more or less than that at this point. My clothes are falling off and my belt is exploring notches it has never known before so I am losing inches if not actual pounds. I really don't think about portion sizes or calories either. I simply eat something if it is from a plant and I don't eat something if it is from an animal. I don't eat a lot of salads, I hate yogurt, I hate mushrooms of any kind, and I can't stand cauliflower, beets, or cashews.

What I do eat is a lot of bean burgers, chili, potatoes, green smoothies, fruit, and most vegetables. I don't know if that helps but I am never hungry and I tend to take very long walks around the neighborhood. You can increase your metabolism with exercise helping to burn more calories. I didn't become vegan to lose weight but it has been a nice side effect.

 

[Grayveggie]

Hi Plant Muncher! I pretty much eat a lot of the same foods that you do. I'm really frustrated and my doctor is concerned about the excess weight on my already arthritic knees.

 

[Plant Muncher]

Maybe your issue has nothing to do with your current diet. I would ask your physician for further tests like thyroid and a battery of blood work.

 

[Lesley]

I track my food using an app. It helps me keep track of calories and nutrients so I can see my protein, fat and carbohydrate percentages. This also help with portion control.
Try to avoid processed food as much as possible and include some low impact exercise.
Don't throw in the towel, you've come this far.

 

[Emma JC]

hi Gray

Are you having any added oils when you eat? like olive or coconut oil?

We have cut out added oils almost completely and stick mostly to whole foods including potatoes and rice and pasta and beans, veggies, fruits etc. We do have some nuts and avocado and a bit of tahini. It is not carbs that add pounds, it is usually added oils.

Good luck, Emma JC

 

[Mark Mywordz]

I began eating vegan in January 2017 and I have probably lost 35 lbs so far. I don't weigh myself except every 6 months when I see the doctor so my actual weight loss could be more or less than that at this point. My clothes are falling off and my belt is exploring notches it has never known before so I am losing inches if not actual pounds. I really don't think about portion sizes or calories either. I simply eat something if it is from a plant and I don't eat something if it is from an animal. I don't eat a lot of salads, I hate yogurt, I hate mushrooms of any kind, and I can't stand cauliflower, beets, or cashews.

What I do eat is a lot of bean burgers, chili, potatoes, green smoothies, fruit, and most vegetables. I don't know if that helps but I am never hungry and I tend to take very long walks around the neighborhood. You can increase your metabolism with exercise helping to burn more calories. I didn't become vegan to lose weight but it has been a nice side effect.

I too love walking, Plant Muncher. I also find that I am almost never hungry when walking and on walks I like to eat snacks while standing - I think this also reduces the temptation to overindulge. I try to avoid the evil carb, sugar. That, I think, is the one that does most harm - worse than smoking, they now say. I like nearly all veggies and salads, potatoes and spicy food with quorn, TVP or beans. Nuts and seeds are important for me too.

 

[clair.ita]

I haven't lost any weight since becoming vegan. But I do feel suuuuper hungry. Any tips?

 

[Lou]

I haven't lost any weight since becoming vegan. But I do feel suuuuper hungry. Any tips?

The thing that helped me came from the WFPB diet world. Their recommendation is a pound of raw vegetables for lunch, and a pound of steamed veggies for dinner. Have your lunch salad with an oil-free sugar-free salad dressing and your dinner with a half cup of brown rice.

Both these meals are low calorie. And they have the added benefit of being super filling. I usually can't actually finish the salad.

 

[amberfunk]

I eat a lot of carbs and I've lost 40lbs since going vegan in May of last year. I do a lot of exercise though so I burn most of what I'm taking in. Just taking walks should help. I've recently started cutting out cooking oil as well to lose more weight.

 

[Veganite]

Chef AJ has some good weight loss advice. Well worth checking out.

 

[Nekodaiden]

I haven't lost any weight since becoming vegan. But I do feel suuuuper hungry. Any tips?

Fiber from whole foods is your best friend for satiety. There is a reason for this, and it is called propionate, a short chain fatty acid that gut bacteria make in response to it's intake. Meat eaters get it from their gut bacteria eating meat, but less of it than vegans do eating more fiber. This is because the gut bacteria in a Vegan's colon differs from a meat eater, and it produces more propionate for fiber than a meat eater gets from animal products.

Hunger can also be caused by not getting enough B vitamins (B complex) and certain minerals. They are critical in getting energy from food and if you're eating/drinking a lot of these things:

- refined sugar
- all of the oils
- alcohol
- coffee
- other refined carbohydrates to some extent

...then they are quickly used up, and the energy intake must be stored until more B vitamins and certain minerals come along to convert them to energy. This can also cause hunger and make you fat at the same time. It's not all about just calories.