New Vegetarian.....but not loosing weight?

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  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    breanazank....i soooo agree with you! That was the first thing i was worried about was to many carbs. Yes i thought ok i will watch the processed foods & looked at the faux meats and thought uhm these are pretty processed, so i have only had them a few times. I still have lots to learn. I just bought some agave for a wrap recipe i found, i will have to try that. The whole grains has me a little confused when i think of whole grains pasta, rice & cereal come to mind but they seem to have lots of carbs?
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
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    The same thing happened to me. I lost weight very nicely for six months and I just had about four more to go. Then I stopped eating meat and eggs and reduced dairy. I plateaued for about three months. I think my brain just had to ajust. I think I was probably focusing on B12 and protein and new recipes a little more than eating less than TDEE and measuring carefully. After three months I started to lose again and I reached my goal weight quickly. My secret I think is that I just kept believing in myself and I didn't give up.
  • kittiebittie
    kittiebittie Posts: 39 Member
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    Dietician or nutritionist call? They should def be able to help out and help you build meals you will enjoy. :flowerforyou:
  • lbesaw
    lbesaw Posts: 267 Member
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    Vegetarian is not low calorie. It "can be" but you have to read labels. Since you have been doing that I assume you are aware. Vegetarian or non-vegetarian it still boils down to calories in, calories out. It will take awhile for you to get into your groove so I hightly recommend measuring "everything" intially so you can keep on top of it.
    Good luck.
  • SuMcP
    SuMcP Posts: 244 Member
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    I'm a life long veggie, but it is not necessarily the key to a healthier diet; for example, I know lots of veggies who eat no veggies, but live on carbs.

    Log your food, but also ensure you get a good balance of carbs, proteins and fats (yes fats - you need them!) Protein can be tricky, but there is quorn, eggs, cheese, milk, nuts, tofu and beans. Try to avoid processed foods, although if you do need to use ready meals Amy's Kitchen are the best.

    Ping me a friend request if you'd like support. :flowerforyou:
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    BTW all, forgive me if i am not posting or replying properly. I am great with computers but not with blog type stuff. I don't even do Facebook and this is the first time i have ever done any type of messaging. So i see the reply button i type and hit post, hopefully that's all i need to do lol. My posts won't always be so long but i just had to get some things off my chest.

    That's all you have to do... hit REPLY, type your message, and POST REPLY. You don't have to feel obligated to reply to every other poster's reply.... but it's very nice that you do. Many posters, start a thread, and get pages and pages of replies, and never return, or at least never reply in their own thread.

    I'm kind of pleasantly surprised that your Dr believes that changing your diet will help your symptoms. It seems that most Dr's aren't well versed in nutrition, and will automatically just prescribe drugs. That he didn't school you properly in exactly what you should be doing.... that's bad.... but you are doing your own research, and that's good.

    As for weight loss.... IMHO, you have a minimal amount of weight to lose... and because of that, you shouldn't expect it to fall off too quickly.... TV shows like the biggest loser, where the contestants have alot of weight to lose, have caused people to think that losing 10 lbs a week, is normal, for everyone, somehow. If the scale is going down for you, at any speed, that's progress.
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    Quote - I'm kind of pleasantly surprised that your Dr believes that changing your diet will help your symptoms. It seems that most Dr's aren't well versed in nutrition, and will automatically just prescribe drugs. That he didn't school you properly in exactly what you should be doing.... that's bad.... but you are doing your own research, and that's good.

    Sloth3toes....very cute picture! Yeah i was suprised i thought for sure i was headed for a colonoscopy. He pushed around on my stomach, asked lots of questions, then said i don't think you have cancer or anything so for now i want you to change your diet. He really didn't ask what i ate. Alot has changed but my husband is insistant that i still go back for a follow up and keeps reminding me that this was not to lose weight but to try & figure out what was going on. Well i thought i just made a huge overall on my diet had to be better for me and lose so weight to boot and i have just not as much as i thought. My waitress at Waffle House (i know lol) suggested i check into MFP so i did and again i am learning more! TY ok so i messed up doing the quote thing lol
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Quote - I'm kind of pleasantly surprised that your Dr believes that changing your diet will help your symptoms. It seems that most Dr's aren't well versed in nutrition, and will automatically just prescribe drugs. That he didn't school you properly in exactly what you should be doing.... that's bad.... but you are doing your own research, and that's good.

    Sloth3toes....very cute picture! Yeah i was suprised i thought for sure i was headed for a colonoscopy. He pushed around on my stomach, asked lots of questions, then said i don't think you have cancer or anything so for now i want you to change your diet. He really didn't ask what i ate. Alot has changed but my husband is insistant that i still go back for a follow up and keeps reminding me that this was not to lose weight but to try & figure out what was going on. Well i thought i just made a huge overall on my diet had to be better for me and lose so weight to boot and i have just not as much as i thought. My waitress at Waffle House (i know lol) suggested i check into MFP so i did and again i am learning more! TY ok so i messed up doing the quote thing lol

    If you just hit QUOTE to the left of REPLY, it will quote everything from the previous post. Thanks, not too many people tell me I'm cute. Lazy, maybe... but not cute. I think alot of us get hung up on the vanity perspective of weight loss. I'm down from my all-time high, to close enough to my 1st goal weight, to feel a LOT healthier, and for that, I'm grateful.... but, I'm still rather obsessive about the last 10 lbs. I mean, I can swim 50% more laps than when I started... I can walk up the stairs to work without getting winded.... I know I look and feel 100% better than I did 5 or 6 months ago.... but, I'm still bent outa shape over the last 10 lbs.

    Oh ya... I was losing my focus there... the point is.... you're trying to get healthy here. If the diet is helping to correct the symptoms you're suffering from.... that WAS supposed to be the #1 goal here, wasn't it? IMHO ( I'm not a Dr, and I don't even play one on TV ) weight loss often helps relieve alot of symptoms, so, your current diet, can be aimed at both things at once.

    ETA * You might be interested in a book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, called 'Eat to Live.' It is basically his argument for developing a vegan, or as close to it, lifestyle.

    There's also a group, here... who are generally trying to eat the ETL way. That sounds a little more 'cultish,' than it actually is. :wink:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/2061-eating-to-live
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    Your progress on your exercise routine sounds great! The key words in everything you wrote that sticks out to me is "loosing focus" i needed to be reminded of that. I have done an amazing job and have seen great progress i just need to stay focused...TY

    Since your stuck on that last 10 lbs is there an adjustment you can make that will shock your system per say. I feel once the newness of the change our bodies get used to it and adapt and then we may not see much change. Like you i am not a DR just my thoughts :)

    I will check into that book you recommened & the group!
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    Your progress on your exercise routine sounds great! The key words in everything you wrote that sticks out to me is "loosing focus" i needed to be reminded of that. I have done an amazing job and have seen great progress i just need to stay focused...TY

    Since your stuck on that last 10 lbs is there an adjustment you can make that will shock your system per say. I feel once the newness of the change our bodies get used to it and adapt and then we may not see much change. Like you i am not a DR just my thoughts :)

    I will check into that book you recommened & the group!

    And here, I was only referring to 'losing focus' with my post, that is, I was starting to babble. :blushing:

    I actually thought I saw a fairly recent thread about 'Weight Setpoints.... ' but when I searched for it here, I couldn't find the one I thought I saw, and never read thoroughly. I did find an older thread on the subject though. Some people believe that your body may have certain 'go to' setpoints, that it truly wants to be at, regardless ( within reason ) of your diet. I kind of wonder if I am at one of those.

    However.... that said.... I commit one of the cardinal sins of MFP.... I don't log accurately. I know this, yet I do it anyways. I don't weigh my food.... and I'm sloppy and lazy about logging accurately. So, I have no right to complain, that I'm not losing, if I don't know for a fact, how many calories I'm taking in. I also don't know for a fact, what I'm burning through exercise, either. What I do know, is that what I'm eating at the moment, seems to have me maintaining my current weight. So, I could drop some more calories, and in theory, I should lose weight.

    I actually prefer your idea, and have been kind of entertaining the same idea for awhile now. I've just been kind of comfortable with what I've been doing, so, I haven't felt too obligated to make any radical changes. But, that's likely to be my next move. I'm only 52, and I don't plan on dying until I'm at least 100, so time is on my side.

    :bigsmile:

    Oh, and about the book, ETL.... the author does have a website... and he does promote products and stuff on his website... so, most of the 'orthodox MFPers....' will automatically write him off as a snake oil salesman, who is out for the almighty dollar.... I got his book from the library, and I've never sent him a dime. The information is free. What you take from it, is entirely up to you.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    No worries Lua_ i appreciate your advice! Yeah it was a bit of a shock to get up on Monday bring my normal lunch, go to the GI and then get to work look at my lunch...throw it away & say if i don't start this now i never will. I wanted the frustration, bloating, just plan feeling run down and crappy to go away, but very busy life and can't stop. I do feel alot better but doing this has forced to me see food for what it's worth so i am doing the min 6 weeks (actually passed) my Dr asked to see how my intestinal track did....as he put it "i have never had a vegetarian patient on a high fiber, whole food diet with back up issues" ok i walked out shaking my head saying uhm what next he didn't have a sheet of info to help and uhm i have never eaten quite this strick, but TG for the internet!

    Your post is a little hard for me to understand, but from what I've bolded in the quote, there's a chance your problems might stem from gluten intolerance of some level.

    If you're still having those issues the next time you go to the doctor (and assuming you're still eating a fair amount of gluten-containing grains), you might want to talk about that with your doctor and see about getting tested for gluten intolerance/Celiac.
  • breanazank
    breanazank Posts: 44
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    breanazank....i soooo agree with you! That was the first thing i was worried about was to many carbs. Yes i thought ok i will watch the processed foods & looked at the faux meats and thought uhm these are pretty processed, so i have only had them a few times. I still have lots to learn. I just bought some agave for a wrap recipe i found, i will have to try that. The whole grains has me a little confused when i think of whole grains pasta, rice & cereal come to mind but they seem to have lots of carbs?

    Try short grain brown rice (pressure cooked is supposed to be easier to digest, I don't see the difference though lol), red rice, bamboo rice, wild rice, forbidden black rice, pink rice (not making these up!), millet, quinoa, buckwheat, oats, barley, teff, amaranth... possibilities are endless! I try to include veggies/nuts/something in my grains to spice it up and not make it so "plain". But then again there are those days when all I want to plain haha.

    I buy most of my grains/rice, beans/legumes, everything haha here: goldminenaturalfoods.com
    Read up on food products! You'll be amazed at what they can do for you. Food is, afterall, fuel for the body to function. They all have a purpose and a healing power :)
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Going vegetarian or vegan doesn't mean you'll lose weight, some people actually gain weight because there are so many yummy things that are vegetarian. Its about calories and macros. I tend to lose more weight lowering carbs and sugars. I used to make fresh homemade smoothies for breakfast and was staying fat. They were full of fruit. Sounds like it should be healthy, but it was just a lot of sugar. Not that fruit is bad, my body just gets sick and also can't lose weight when I have too much of it. Of course, a piece of fruit is healthier than a piece of cake, but I never was a cake fan either.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    Good morning Giggles, as of last night i am measuring everything since i started MFP yesterday. Your right, things really add up. I went home and evaluated my breakast cause i realized my so called healthy organic cereal with unsweetened almond milk & dairy free coffee creamer really packs a punch. So this morning i switched to an organic waffle & veggie sausage alot less calories. Based on the allowance MFP has set up for me i can almost have no sugar which is pretty hard considering since i started i have not craved any treats been sticking to fruit but again being careful cause i know fruit is high in sugar.

    Thanks for the update on the bananas i saw yesterday when i put it in my food it hits pretty hard on the calories and sugar. I did not know that they can cause constipation...so i will limit them.

    Little by little i am gaining more knowledge. My Dr did not ask me to change my eating for weight but for bloating & intestinal issues, he wanted me to try this before doing any tests. So far the bloating is all but gone and things are moving better. I am glad for this knowledge on food that i have gained and will continue to eat much healthier but i do not plan to never have a piece of steak again but i am enjoying a lot of the food that i have prepared so most i will always continue with. Even my picky daughter has enjoyed it. The way i see it since i have only lost 5-6 lbs i must not have been eating that bad before starting this.

    yes I too have the bloating and intestinal issues and I was diagnosed with IBS first and put on a low FODMAP diet, but that didn't seem to work. It was only accidental that I noticed that if I didn't eat any meat it all stopped. When I spoke to the doctor she ordered some tests and suggested that adopting a vegetarian lifestyle for at least a year and see afterwards. It is quite a learning process, but I am getting there. I eat a lot of bean chillies and dhal and thai currys and laksa. Since going veggie I have less cravings though, so despite having lower protein and fewer calories then I used to, as long as I eat not just salad I think I am getting more of the nutrients that I need.

    One of the problems I encountered that I actually end up with too little salt throughout the day. You need at least 500mgs and I have frequent days in the 300s and then my blood pressure sinks really low and I get headaches. I never thought that could be a problem before I started to accurately log everything :-)
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    Thanks again everyone for all the wonderful, helpful information. I have never considered myself a picky eater but since going veggie i feel like i am. I look at some of the recipes & ingredients and they scare me lol. I wish i could walk into an all vegetarian restaurant buffet and sample a ton of different dishes but to my knowledge there are none around me. Oh well, i will just have to make & try something new each week.

    The Dr did give me something for the stomach craps (use as needed) saying i did have an IBS issue, but since i have been veggie i haven't had that spasm feeling, so i haven't had to take the meds.

    Giggles....you mentioned the salt issue hhm never thought of that. Before keeping track i would have thought i was taking in to much but now i'm not so sure. I had no idea we could have those reactions. My blood pressure seems to always be about the same but there are days when i feel odd and well maybe that could be something i'm lacking? So much to learn.
  • breanazank
    breanazank Posts: 44
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    Where do you live? Maybe visit yelp.com and search vegetarian/vegan restaraunts around/near your area!
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    The weight 'setpoint' thread I was referring to, is here.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1111053-does-your-body-have-a-natural-healthy-weight
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    I am vegan and these links help everybody no matter what their dietary preferences are...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/plant-food-protein-chart.pdf

    http://www.22daysnutrition.com/blog/2013/05/01/15-vegan-sources-of-protein-soy-free-and-gluten-free-too/

    A great plant based diet group...

    Happy Herbivores-http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores

    Probably one of the best groups on here for solid knowledge...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    Try to remember that no matter what your dietary preference is it is a matter of calories in vs calories out.

    Good luck OP
  • angel7472
    angel7472 Posts: 317 Member
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    I'm Pescatarian meaning I eat fish. I had the exact same symptoms you did with the bloating and cramping. I looked pregnant and wasn't. I found that milk was my trigger. If I drink regular 1% milk my body goes nuts. I can still eat cheese and ice cream but I can't go overboard otherwise the bloating comes back.

    Also another key you have to remember is take a supplement. Because you chose vegan you are not getting B vitamins from meat. You need those!

    Also watch your protein closely. I found out that I wasn't even consuming close to the dietary allotment. And don't go by govt guidelines they are way too low estimates. I weigh 130 and my guideline is 100g a day. Quest makes a wonderful protein bar that does not use a ton of sugar alcohol (sugar alcohol can make you bloated and crampy too), low in calories also which is a bonus!
    Good Luck!!
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    Thank you all again for your help! I see above i have lots of things to read up on.

    Does anyone know the best way? I made a meal that i can split into 4 servings but i tried the different food charts here but i need to put like 5 or more ingredients & then divide into 4 servings.

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