What about a 4 ft 8 inch vegan who's menopaused & doesn't work out?

[wfpbcanadiangal47]

First things first: Hello all, i am Chantale from Quebec province, Canada.
This is driving me nuts. I need help, for real. So, i'm a passionate vegan, i love it with all my heart. I'm an ethical one, and i'll die vegan.
The thing is, that i've been menopaused lately and that i'm a petite person. To my surprise, i've gained 2 pounds recently just by having a treat or two during the week, like...small ones. I have always eaten the same amounts of food , since i've recovered from anorexia, after a relapse at 40. I didn't wanna give up on being a vegan, i had a nutrition plan made at the hospital where they respected my diet. It took months and months to gain a healthy weight again, i know it was too long. But i made it.

Now i see all the meal prep videos of vegans who are young, training, very active, with all that cashew cream , avocados on everything, tons of nuts and bread and i know what it's like because there was a time when i COULD have eaten like that ( in my 20's) and it makes sense. But i hate training, it makes my heart pound too hard and i feel bad, so i do tai-chi, qi-qong, soft yoga, stretching, i take walks, i dance a bit, but i'm not a training junkie. I got osteoporosis and that's too hard on my legs. The point is, i don't wanna add on the pounds every month, i never did, and it wouldn't be healthy because at my size, it's easy to get overweight. But i'm not. I'm just fine, i just wanna stay fine and healthy.

So now, it's the time to adjust my caloric intake because of my age and activity level, BUT i still wanna meet all the requirements with my nutrition. I can't have one mega bowl with one cup of oatmeal with tonns of toppings like i used to do. I can't just munch on nuts all the time . But i still need to eat, i still get hungry.
Also, it's winter time here and i do walk less because i get too cold easily ( it's -30 too often..i mean, yikes)

I feel there's not much out there for older vegans who are short, and who do not have the same caloric requirement as young ppl.

Let's be clear: I don't wanna be on the restrictive side. It's not what i'm asking. I've been there too long. I just wanna be well fed, just right, without going overboard and having all the nutrients. I'm also on a budget.

I'm taking Vit D and B12 supplements to be on the safe side and my doctor recommended it.
Anything?
Thank you so much!
ps: OH also too many fibers makes me constipated....for some reason.

 

[TofuRobot]

Hello and Welcome!

First - I want to congratulate you and give you a huge hug for being strong enough to recover, and kudos to the people who cared for you and respected your dietary choices and worked with you instead of against you. That doesn't always happen.

I am not as short as you - but I'm 5' 2", female, 54, I weight a flat 98 lbs, which my dr. is fine with. Most of the time I say I weigh 100lbs because people seem to automatically freak out at the number if it's anything under 100 b/c they (meaning the rest of the world are at least 5" taller). I went through what you are going through (the menopause thing) when I was 47-ish. I know what it's like to not need as much food as the pretty much everyone else on the planet. Most people have no idea how 1 lb on a short person is like 5-10 on someone who is tall. Add to that, menopause, and a lower activity level, but loving food... I get it. I would not say I have been anorexic, but as almost any female in the civilized world, I've had my share of body dis-morphia. Interestingly, the easiest times of my life with respect to that was when I was pregnant (age 37), and now, having switching to almost all WFPB. I don't have the strange incessant cravings for sugar I used to have. I honestly believe that all the processed food messed with my emotions.

I don't really have any answers for you, as I've not been in your shoes, but I tend to keep a sense of balance with my weight by - ironically - eating more, rather than less, but eating more nutrient-dense foods. Meaning, if I'm feeling like I've been eating too much, or I'm just "hand-to-mouth" all day, I'll switch to handfuls of greens, or a bowl of frozen berries, or dates, or frozen bananas. Before I was vegan, I used to feel guilty if I ate late at night, but now if I feel like I want to do that, I'll grab some frozen fruit and refuse to feel guilty about it. And then just eat normally during the day. I hope that makes sense. I suppose that might be difficult for you if eating greens by the handful is too much fiber for you... But maybe broccoli is better?

I'm hoping someone else with more experience/education in this area chimes in with some ideas.

Anyway - I'm glad you joined us! Looking forward to your contributions

 

[shyvas]

Hello and welcome.

Do you have indoor gyms where you could possibly walk ? Walking is a easy way of getting excercise and it's good for one's well being.

It's important to eat the right foods to get plenty of necessary nutrients and calories. Planning meals and snacks can be a life saver and there are plenty of useful internet sites that can give you the basic guidelines.
It's also important never to be hungry and allow yourself a snack e.g an oatcake with 1 tsp of nut butter, a handful of grapes or berries, a smoothie with protein powder and berries or hummus with raw vegetables.

https://www.dietitians.ca/Downloads/Factsheets/Guidlines-for-Vegans.aspx

 

[PTree15]

Hello and Welcome!

... I don't really have any answers for you, as I've not been in your shoes, but I tend to keep a sense of balance with my weight by - ironically - eating more, rather than less, but eating more nutrient-dense foods. Meaning, if I'm feeling like I've been eating too much, or I'm just "hand-to-mouth" all day, I'll switch to handfuls of greens, or a bowl of frozen berries, or dates, or frozen bananas. Before I was vegan, I used to feel guilty if I ate late at night, but now if I feel like I want to do that, I'll grab some frozen fruit and refuse to feel guilty about it. And then just eat normally during the day. I hope that makes sense. I suppose that might be difficult for you if eating greens by the handful is too much fiber for you... But maybe broccoli is better?

I'm hoping someone else with more experience/education in this area chimes in with some ideas.

Anyway - I'm glad you joined us! Looking forward to your contributions

I agree with eating more nutrient-dense foods. As older people (I'm 58, though not considered short at 5-6), we don't need to eat the amount of food we consumed when we were younger and more active, but we still need nutrients. I've read over the years that after age 45 people can put on 5 pounds a year without changing a thing in their lives. Menopause doesn't help either. Everyone is different, but when I eat too much bread and pasta, I tend to gain weight. So for me, I try to keep those foods to one serving day. I also have adjusted the ratio of vegetables to pasta when I have that as a main dish. It used to be that pasta was the main part of the dish, but now I just add maybe half a cup to a cup of pasta to a plate of roasted veggies. I used to regularly down 2 cups of pasta with no trouble.

I also agree with shyvas that walking is so good for you if you can do it. It's great for mental as well as physical health. When the weather is bad, I try to do walking videos (Leslie Sansone has some really easy-to-do low-impact aerobics videos that rely on just a few basic movements) or ride my exercise bike in the basement. I will even do a few reps with hand weights while watching TV or listening to music. Every little bit helps.

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

[Emma JC]

bonour Chantale and welcome to the forum

So much good advice already and it appears that you are wfpb and that is excellent. I actually had menopause at 40 (as did my mother) and when that started I started taking black cohosh (simple capsule form) 3 or 4 times a week and I still do. I feel that it has kept my hormones level and had an easy menopause and time period since then. Maybe do some research and see if it might be helpful for you?

More importantly getting onto Cronometer and inputting your food consumption, even for a week or two, will give you a clearer idea of the nutrients you are consuming and/or may be missing.

The great thing about a wfpb lifestyle is that it is definitely less expensive. Lots of potatoes and sweet potatoes, whole grain pastas, oatmeal, rice, beans, peas, frozen berries, bananas, some citrus, veggies etc.

Keep us in the loop and let us know how your Cronometer results come out.

Emma JC
ps it's gonna warm up again soon.... phew

 

[TofuRobot]

Everyone is different, but when I eat too much bread and pasta, I tend to gain weight. So for me, I try to keep those foods to one serving day. I also have adjusted the ratio of vegetables to pasta when I have that as a main dish. It used to be that pasta was the main part of the dish, but now I just add maybe half a cup to a cup of pasta to a plate of roasted veggies. I used to regularly down 2 cups of pasta with no trouble.

I am the same way. I used to eat tons of pasta, but now I look at it as basically a mostly nutrient deficient food (unless, I supposed, you are getting the whole wheat kind). When I make pasta at home, I'll make a big bowl of pasta for my son & top it with veggies & sauce, whereas my bowl is a bowl of veggies topped with sauce and a small handful of pasta. I think of the pasta as a garnish, rather than the main idea.

 

[wfpbcanadiangal47]

Well well, i found the culprit, weeks after. That 5 pounds extra i had gained, is gone. Back to being lean and much more energized. For some reason that i can't grasp, it was redstar yeast. I ran out of it, and i wanted to get some more but, the store had to order it. Since i'm living remote, it takes weeks for them to get that sort of item. I used to sprinkle it on all my meals, basically. Then, right on the first day without yeast, i've noticed that i wasn't bloated. All the rest of my diet was similar, so it wasn't anything else. Then the weight went off, in the next weeks. So now i supplement with B12, and i won't use it anymore. Anyway, i got sick of the taste already, it reminded me of cheese ( and i don't miss the taste of dairy at all) So yeah.........nutritional yeast made me bloat, and gain " weight".
I also cut down my salt intake, it helps as well. I think it might be a sodium issue. I drink tonns of water but i am on the salty side. Whatever it was, problem solved.

 

[Lou]

Well well, i found the culprit, weeks after. That 5 pounds extra i had gained, is gone. Back to being lean and much more energized. For some reason that i can't grasp, it was redstar yeast. I ran out of it, and i wanted to get some more but, the store had to order it. Since i'm living remote, it takes weeks for them to get that sort of item. I used to sprinkle it on all my meals, basically. Then, right on the first day without yeast, i've noticed that i wasn't bloated. All the rest of my diet was similar, so it wasn't anything else. Then the weight went off, in the next weeks. So now i supplement with B12, and i won't use it anymore. Anyway, i got sick of the taste already, it reminded me of cheese ( and i don't miss the taste of dairy at all) So yeah.........nutritional yeast made me bloat, and gain " weight".
I also cut down my salt intake, it helps as well. I think it might be a sodium issue. I drink tonns of water but i am on the salty side. Whatever it was, problem solved.

What? Wait! Do you think the yeast was living inside you? Is this possible? Did your burps smell like bread rising?

Gosh. it's nice to have a simple solution/answer. Yea!

 

[TofuRobot]

Well well, i found the culprit, weeks after. That 5 pounds extra i had gained, is gone. Back to being lean and much more energized. For some reason that i can't grasp, it was redstar yeast. I ran out of it, and i wanted to get some more but, the store had to order it. Since i'm living remote, it takes weeks for them to get that sort of item. I used to sprinkle it on all my meals, basically. Then, right on the first day without yeast, i've noticed that i wasn't bloated. All the rest of my diet was similar, so it wasn't anything else. Then the weight went off, in the next weeks. So now i supplement with B12, and i won't use it anymore. Anyway, i got sick of the taste already, it reminded me of cheese ( and i don't miss the taste of dairy at all) So yeah.........nutritional yeast made me bloat, and gain " weight".
I also cut down my salt intake, it helps as well. I think it might be a sodium issue. I drink tonns of water but i am on the salty side. Whatever it was, problem solved.

Question - isn't nutritional yeast different from baking yeast? And isn't Red Star the brand that makes baking yeast? As much as 1 in 3 people are sensitive to or allergic to (baking) yeast... Are you sure you weren't using baking yeast and not nutritional yeast?

 

[KLS52]

I would die without my nutritional yeast. I absolutely love it. But I do fine with it. When I was doing WW and lost 32 pounds, I had no problem incorporating it into my daily meals.

I’m glad you figured out what the culprit was in sabotaging your weight!

 

[wfpbcanadiangal47]

Question - isn't nutritional yeast different from baking yeast? And isn't Red Star the brand that makes baking yeast? As much as 1 in 3 people are sensitive to or allergic to (baking) yeast... Are you sure you weren't using baking yeast and not nutritional yeast?

It is nutritionnal yeast from my local natural food grocery. Not for baking.

 

[wfpbcanadiangal47]

What? Wait! Do you think the yeast was living inside you? Is this possible? Did your burps smell like bread rising?

Gosh. it's nice to have a simple solution/answer. Yea!

No lol....no smelly burps reported. Just a very full feeling for hours after ingesting it. It's all gone now that i don't eat it anymore.

 

[silva]

Question - isn't nutritional yeast different from baking yeast? And isn't Red Star the brand that makes baking yeast? As much as 1 in 3 people are sensitive to or allergic to (baking) yeast... Are you sure you weren't using baking yeast and not nutritional yeast?

Red Star rising yeast is the most common, but they also make nutritional yeast> I've never seen it in a package, but I know my Whole Foods carries it in bulk bins, and another nfs I went to sold it in bulk.
I have to say it was my least favorite!
It could have been the fortification, as fortified nooch has synthetic folic acid and other stuff. I prefer non fortified.

 

[Lou]

Red Star rising yeast is the most common, but they also make nutritional yeast> I've never seen it in a package, but I know my Whole Foods carries it in bulk bins, and another nfs I went to sold it in bulk.
I have to say it was my least favorite!
It could have been the fortification, as fortified nooch has synthetic folic acid and other stuff. I prefer non fortified.

Ha! I read that as, It could have been the fornication.

Gave me a shock.

 

[Emma JC]

Red Star rising yeast is the most common, but they also make nutritional yeast> I've never seen it in a package, but I know my Whole Foods carries it in bulk bins, and another nfs I went to sold it in bulk.
I have to say it was my least favorite!
It could have been the fortification, as fortified nooch has synthetic folic acid and other stuff. I prefer non fortified.

I agree Silva, I also buy it in bulk and besides being free of additives it is also about 1/10th of the price of the packaged stuff. I could never afford the habit it if I bought it packaged.

@wfpbcanadiangal47 if you decide to try a bit again, do buy it in bulk at a health food store (I pay $8 CAN per pound) and then you buy just pick up a small amount and see if it has any affect on you. If yes, then just throw it out and if not then maybe it was the additives. So I don't count on nooch for my B12, I take it separately.

Congrats on finding the source!!

Emma JC