How a Plant Based Lifestyle Helped Me

sandrita0706

Hey everyone,

My name is Sandra and I've decided to be back on the MyFitnessPal app to track my nutrition intake. In the last 8 years I've lost between 25-30lbs. Back in high school I didn't live a healthy lifestyle. My diet consisted of burgers, pizzas, cookies, brownies and LOTS of boba...aka garbage. As I graduated I developed Body dysmorphia, I began to compulsively exercise (6 days/wk, 2hr/day) and binge eat. When I realized something was wrong with me, I knew I needed to change my lifestyle so I began to learn about nutrition. Along with that, I learned about the appalling and cruel agricultural food system (that's a whole other topic) so I turned to eating a vegetarian diet. However, my compulsive habits continued. I thought being vegetarian meant less meat, therefore more cheese and bread. For 5 years after, I suffered with my disorder. I allowed the scale to be a determinant of my self-worth and my confidence fell to its lowest. Until 2 years ago (2015), I finally transitioned to a 100% Plant-based lifestyle (no animal products). Immediately, I noticed great changes both in my mind and physical, and I began to heal. My transformative process allowed my body to take its natural shape as I became more mindful of what I was eating and more compassionate with how much I exercised. The best part of eating plant-based foods is you don't really have to ever watch what you eat bc you're eating mostly whole non-processed foods! The benefits of whole veggies, fruits, nuts, legumes are incomparable to any supplement or fad diet out there. Today, I can confidently say I'm happy with who I am and how I look. I now have a new goal in mind as I use this app. I want to maintain my weight, make sure I'm consuming enough nutrients to do so, and hopefully gain muscle as I balance my diet with my fitness. Thanks for reading!

mgbond21

This is so awesome! I just started with this app and I'm really excited about reaching my goals! Your story is amazing and inspiring! Thanks!

skinnycow1234567

Thats awesome..
You can help me then.
For the 40 days of lent i went vegan.... My problem is that i do body building and with this vegan diet i find it very hard to keep my protein up and not go way over on carbs.
P.S ....I cant handle the texture of tofu..
Any suggestions would be great.
Thanks

sandrita0706

@skinnycow1234567 Thank you! I can totally relate with your tofu comment lol. It's definitely an acquired texture that took me some time to get used to. Though, that doesn't mean you must acquire it. There are plenty of other yummy protein sources, tempeh and seitan are two of my favorites! You can season and flavor them however you'd like and they'll provide you with a great amount of nutrients. Other wonderful protein rich foods are lentils (black beans, all beans, yummy!), nuts, greens, whole grains (brown rice, pasta), and the best one of all, quinoa!

sandrita0706

Thank you so much for the love and support! You will definitely reach your goals with your positive energy. Get it girl! @mgbond21

sandrita0706

@skinnycow1234567 For some reason the last part of my comment deleted! I recommended you look up vegan athletes with the body type you're aiming for or trying to maintain and see how they eat. One great example of plant based and muscular is Vegan Olympic Weightlifter, Kendrick Farris. Maybe he has a few articles or answers on how he achieves his physique. Or David Carter, aka the 300lb vegan, an NFL Defensive Lineman. I also recommend using hashtags on social media to see if you come across a page you find resourceful. #veganweightlifter, #veganfitness #plantbasedmuscles, etc. Hope this helps!

skinnycow1234567

@sandrita0706 ...Thank you so much for taking the time to explain. Wish i met you when i started this.
I have only 1 more week to go... Will still keep a clean eatiing lifestyle,but i REALLY need to add some non-vegan items back to my diet.
Thanks you rock...

sandrita0706

Good job for committing all the way through. Of course, it's all about balance, Best of luck! @skinnycow1234567

Hornsby

Awesome! Glad you have your issues under control and have found a plan that works and is easy for you to keep an energy balance.

3bambi3

I'm glad you found something that works for you. However, there are plenty of processed vegan foods and, just like any other way of eating, if you consume more than you expend you will put on weight.

sandrita0706

Absolutely! I still enjoy munching on vegan donuts and other vegan pastries here and there. Nobody is perfect and we all deserve a little treat! @3bambi3

janejellyroll

"The best part of eating plant-based foods is you don't really have to ever watch what you eat bc you're eating mostly whole non-processed foods!"

This was true for you, but it's not true for everyone.

sandrita0706

It can be true for everyone BUT it does require some research and understanding of what your body's needs are! It's ultimately all about balanced and incorporating as many fruits and veggies into your diet, regardless of following a plantbased lifestyle or not. Best of luck @janejellyroll

3bambi3

sandrita0706 wrote: »

Absolutely! I still enjoy munching on vegan donuts and other vegan pastries here and there. Nobody is perfect and we all deserve a little treat! @3bambi3

Agree! When I went vegan for health issues, oreos were my guilty pleasure

Hornsby

sandrita0706 wrote: »

It can be true for everyone BUT it does require some research and understanding of what your body's needs are! It's ultimately all about balanced and incorporating as many fruits and veggies into your diet, regardless of following a plantbased lifestyle or not. Best of luck @janejellyroll

Regardless, some still will overeat on a plant based diet just like any other diet.

sandrita0706

Omg, don't get me started with Oreos. My weakness

sandrita0706

That's why, it's all about balance. Fitness gives you that flexibility. No fitness, no excuse to over eat and that's not a plantbased problem, that's a like-disorder like the one I suffered. I'm here for moral support for anyone going through that ❤️ @hornsby

janejellyroll

sandrita0706 wrote: »

It can be true for everyone BUT it does require some research and understanding of what your body's needs are! It's ultimately all about balanced and incorporating as many fruits and veggies into your diet, regardless of following a plantbased lifestyle or not. Best of luck @janejellyroll

I disagree with the assertion that research would be sufficient for everyone to be able to eat at maintenance without watching what they eat. Some people, sure. But not everyone has the ability to eat intuitively like that, even with research.

You don't need to wish me luck, I've already found a method that works great for me (counting calories). I've been maintaining my weight loss since summer of 2015. This is the easiest and most stressfree method I've ever tried, including my attempts to do a WFPB diet without watching what I eat.

I posted in this thread just so that people reading it wouldn't get the impression they're a failure if they try this method and don't lose weight. It won't work for everyone.

sandrita0706

I think people are wise enough to understand that this is me sharing MY journey and that everyone has their own. Just like your method works for YOU. Don't go around telling people what they need to feel, say, or think. If you don't like positive affirmations then you don't need luck. You need a mind shift change. Be positive, and respectful of other people's journey @janejellyroll sending you all the positive vibez that this universe has to offer you. ✨✨✨✨✨

janejellyroll

sandrita0706 wrote: »

I think people are wise enough to understand that this is me sharing MY journey and that everyone has their own. Just like your method works for YOU. Don't go around telling people what they need to feel, say, or think. If you don't like positive affirmations then you don't need luck. You need a mind shift change. Be positive, respect other people's journey's and most importantly DONT TAKE THINGS PERSONAL. @janejellyroll sending you all the positive vibez that this universe has to offer you. Whether you like it or not. ✨✨✨✨✨

If you think "Don't go around telling people what they need to . . . say" is good advice, I suggest you adopt it regarding my responses to your post. You can control your own words. Accept that you can't control mine.

And as for the advice to not take things personally . . . it's great advice. Consider applying it in your responses to what I'm saying here. Me saying that your method won't work for everyone isn't a personal attack. I'm just offering an alternate POV, one based in my own experience. This isn't an attack that you need to silence.

sandrita0706

earlnabby

sandrita0706 wrote: »

I think people are wise enough to understand that this is me sharing MY journey and that everyone has their own. Just like your method works for YOU. Don't go around telling people what they need to feel, say, or think. If you don't like positive affirmations then you don't need luck. You need a mind shift change. Be positive, respect other people's journey's and most importantly DONT TAKE THINGS PERSONAL. @janejellyroll sending you all the positive vibez that this universe has to offer you. Whether you like it or not. ✨✨✨✨✨

Since you say you are doing a plant based lifestyle (not a plant based way of eating) I am curious how you were able to eliminate animal products in your personal care products and household stuff. I am trying to reduce my usage of animal based products and am finding it difficult to do because so many colorings and scents are from animals and beeswax is such a common ingredient, especially lotions and makeup.

macchiatto

Glad you've found something that works well for you!

sandrita0706

Yes, absolutely! Thank you for asking and catching that. So I began reading nutrition labels when I studied nutrition in college. Then pursued a food science degree which helped me understand the more technical terms in household and body products. However, I understand the general public needs a more efficient way of reading/understanding labels, I personally use Google whenever I have my doubts or need clarifications. It can definitely be time consuming but well worth it seeing that you're more aware of what you're putting on your body and into the environment. Check out EWG.org , it's very resourceful. @earlnabby

janejellyroll

earlnabby wrote: »

sandrita0706 wrote: »

I think people are wise enough to understand that this is me sharing MY journey and that everyone has their own. Just like your method works for YOU. Don't go around telling people what they need to feel, say, or think. If you don't like positive affirmations then you don't need luck. You need a mind shift change. Be positive, respect other people's journey's and most importantly DONT TAKE THINGS PERSONAL. @janejellyroll sending you all the positive vibez that this universe has to offer you. Whether you like it or not. ✨✨✨✨✨

Since you say you are doing a plant based lifestyle (not a plant based way of eating) I am curious how you were able to eliminate animal products in your personal care products and household stuff. I am trying to reduce my usage of animal based products and am finding it difficult to do because so many colorings and scents are from animals and beeswax is such a common ingredient, especially lotions and makeup.

Not OP, but I have some suggestions.

Not sure where you live (I'm in the US), but I LOVE the Pacifica Brand for lotions and makeup. I use their facial products and they are all vegan. They also make mascara without beeswax and it's the best I've ever tried. Their lotions smell so good too. And they have shimmer lip balms without beeswax, a huge find for me! Alba Botanical is another brand of lotions and personal care that I like. They have a lot of facial products like lotions and masks and cleaners. If you like fancier makeup, Urban Decay has marked all the vegan products on their website with a little paw -- last time I checked, they had a bunch of stuff (I get almost all my eye shadow from there).

For cleaning products, I usually stick to the Method brand (all vegan). Barkeepers Friend is a powered cleaner that is great for bathtubs, sinks, and pans with stuck-on food. Also vegan.

http://www.urbandecay.com/featured/vegan

(once you look up what is vegan, you can check it out in person at a place like Sephora if you prefer)

http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/ultimate-guide-to-cruelty-free-makeup/

(This is a huge list, haven't tried many of them)

sandrita0706

Thank you! @macchiatto

Hornsby

Pacificas face oil is the absolute best. Yes, I'm a guy but I don't care. Lol. Love it.

sandrita0706

Thanks @janejellyroll

Hornsby

Also, thanks to whatever mod combined these threads.

janejellyroll

sandrita0706 wrote: »

Thanks @janejellyroll you have a lot of time on your hands!

Given that I already had the links and knew my own product preferences, that only took a minute or so. But you're welcome.

LittleBrownLamb

Hey there! I'm very new to the plant based lifestyle and have a couple of questions if I may. First of all, I don't own a juicer so I'm using my blender to make smoothies instead of juices. Kinda bums me out because I think I'd incorporate beets and other veggies I didn't like (which are few) if I had a juicer. My hubby just doesn't see the point...yet. I do realize that I'm not using as many veggies in the blender as I would be in the juicer, but aside from that, as I doing myself a disservice? Also, I'm not pumping myself full of fruit, white potatoes, or anything bad, but yesterday I went over my carbs by 3. Should I be worries about my carb intake if this happens regularly? It's hard to hit 1000 calories sometimes but easy to hit the carb number. Thanks!

PS, You look wonderful! Thank you for sharing!