Carbed Up Vegan Losing Weight???

tt231

Any other vegans? I count my calories as a vegan, not recommend, but hey, what can ya do.. My macros are all over the place. The amount of bananas I eat, I'm consuming a lot, a lot, of carbs. I limit my bread and pasta intake, if I eat those foods, I make sure it's whole wheat. Kind of new to this whole weight loss thing. I've always just maintained my weight. Btw I get my protein so don't say that if I need to lose weight I need protein, I get it in soy milk, PB, veggies, etc.

VintageFeline

Calories are what matter for weight loss, not macros. Why is calorie counting not recommended for vegans? Vegans aren't magical........

TavistockToad

tt231 wrote: »

Any other vegans? I count my calories as a vegan, not recommend, but hey, what can ya do.. My macros are all over the place. The amount of bananas I eat, I'm consuming a lot, a lot, of carbs. I limit my bread and pasta intake, if I eat those foods, I make sure it's whole wheat. Kind of new to this whole weight loss thing. I've always just maintained my weight. Btw I get my protein so don't say that if I need to lose weight I need protein, I get it in soy milk, PB, veggies, etc.

If you want to lose weight you just need to eat less....

tt231

VintageFeline wrote: »

Calories are what matter for weight loss, not macros. Why is calorie counting not recommended for vegans? Vegans aren't magical........

I suppose it's your standpoint of dieting. Many people swear off carbs because it'll make them 'fat' and many vegans lower their fat intake. Fruits are caloric dense so you can eat 3-4 apples and still not be full but calories will be high if you do that. Same with bananas.

rileysowner

tt231 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

Calories are what matter for weight loss, not macros. Why is calorie counting not recommended for vegans? Vegans aren't magical........

I suppose it's your standpoint of dieting. Many people swear off carbs because it'll make them 'fat' and many vegans lower their fat intake. Fruits are caloric dense so you can eat 3-4 apples and still not be full but calories will be high if you do that. Same with bananas.

Carbs do not make people fat. Too many calories make people fat. Fat does not make people fat either. Again, it is too many calories that make people fat. I know quite a few fat vegans, so they need to count calories as well.

You and I must have a big difference in what we define as calorie dense. Apples for me, would not fall in that category. Nuts and avocado would.

kshama2001

I spent three years living in vegetarian yoga communities. There were a lot of fit, healthy vegans there. None of them worried about their carb or fat intake. They focused on protein and ate a lot of legumes and seitan.

TavistockToad

tt231 wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

Calories are what matter for weight loss, not macros. Why is calorie counting not recommended for vegans? Vegans aren't magical........

I suppose it's your standpoint of dieting. Many people swear off carbs because it'll make them 'fat' and many vegans lower their fat intake. Fruits are caloric dense so you can eat 3-4 apples and still not be full but calories will be high if you do that. Same with bananas.

Fruit isn't calorie dense... peanut butter is calorie dense - 100 calories for a teeny tablespoonful.

tarynopolis

If you're doing a fruititarian '30 bananas a day' type diet, I wouldn't recommend it. Fruits are very high in sugars, and it's very difficult to feel satisfied without eating copious amounts. Seitan is great protein and filling.

Whole grain foods can also be satiating in smaller portions. Key words! Smaller portions.

I'm vegetarian with a slight lactose intolerance, so it can be hard for me to get enough protein at times. My diet is high carb and after using this app I found that my portion sizes were unreal. It's been a stepping stone limiting my intake.

I used to tell people my reason for being veg was so I could eat more!

tarynopolis

And just throwing in my personal opinion here... try to limit your soy intake. Replace soy milk with almond or coconut milk. Too much soy has a possibility of being detrimental, as soybeans have a nasty habit of absorbing chemicals from their environment (pesticides, etc).

VintageFeline

if your problem is not feeling satisfied then reducing carbs and increasing proteins and fat can help. That still doesn't make carbs evil or causing fat gain if calories are controlled. Again, it's calories, not what you eat that will dictate fat gain/maintenance/loss. I'm an omnivore but I don't eat much fruit because it's not terribly satisfying to me, either in macro content or from a sweet treat perspective. I'd rather have an equivalent calorie piece of chocolate.

At the end of the day, you eat what fits your ethical and personal preferences whilst keeping an eye on calorie intake. That applies to everyone in all ways of eating.

cwolfman13

tt231 wrote: »

Any other vegans? I count my calories as a vegan, not recommend, but hey, what can ya do.. My macros are all over the place. The amount of bananas I eat, I'm consuming a lot, a lot, of carbs. I limit my bread and pasta intake, if I eat those foods, I make sure it's whole wheat. Kind of new to this whole weight loss thing. I've always just maintained my weight. Btw I get my protein so don't say that if I need to lose weight I need protein, I get it in soy milk, PB, veggies, etc.

Carbs don't have anything to do with weight management. I also don't know why counting calories as a vegan isn't recommended. Consume less energy than you expend and you lose weight.

CattOfTheGarage

tt231 wrote: »

I count my calories as a vegan, not recommend, but hey, what can ya do..

Um, you do realise this is, you know, a calorie counting forum?

I mean, not everyone on here counts calories, but as it's kind of the whole basis of this site, we're hardly going to criticise you for it. There's no need to come sneaking in whispering it like it was a bad word.

kami3006

For the love all that's holy...read the stickied threads:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

janejellyroll

I've been vegan for ten years and I've never heard the recommendation not to count calories from a legitimate source.

If you want to lose weight, counting calories is simply the most efficient way to do it. Why would this be different for vegans?

sarahgreensandthings

When I cut out meat and other animal products I was all freaked out about my ratios. Just make sure you're meeting your macronutrient and calorie goals! Also, feel free to add me!

sarko15

I'm vegan-ish, always vegetarian. Other than that I'm not entirely sure what your question was?

MeiannaLee

Hey! Im a vegan with an open diary. Go ahead and add me if youd like.

lady_ghost

I've seen youtube videos of vegans gaining a ton of weight. There's this carb till 4 trend going on where they say if you eat a huge amount of fruits and veggies all day you will be skinny but it's all a lie. Many have tried it and have gained 30 plus pounds.

hbarnes1216

Try to plan your meals the day before. That way you can try to hit your macros starting with protein then fill in the rest. Some people start planning and logging their dinner then the rest.

MichelleLea122

And she's gone. It's a shame, that people give up so easily.

snickerscharlie

MichelleLei1 wrote: »

And she's gone. It's a shame, that people give up so easily.

It usually means they weren't really ready to hear the information they were given.

Either that or they only wanted to hear their own opinions in a different voice.

When this happens - even though the OP has left the building - the hope is that people who are merely lurking and learning can get some benefit out of the discussion.

beautifullybrokken

Plant based here, just putting in my two-cents. I thrive on a high carb, moderate protein and low-er fat diet. Lots of cooked veggies(8-10c daily,) 3-5 servings fruit, 4-6 servings grains/legumes and 2 servings nuts and seeds. I cook with oil half the time and water the rest. I'm not satiated on a high protein/high fat diet and it flairs my IBS up so badly. Find what works for you, read the 'China Study' and know what you're putting in your mouth is doing incredible things to your body; both good and bad.

Sabine_Stroehm

tarynopolis wrote: »

And just throwing in my personal opinion here... try to limit your soy intake. Replace soy milk with almond or coconut milk. Too much soy has a possibility of being detrimental, as soybeans have a nasty habit of absorbing chemicals from their environment (pesticides, etc).

Citation?