Vegetarian having hard time getting to calorie goal

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Replies

  • AbsolutelyAnnie
    AbsolutelyAnnie Posts: 2,695 Member
    Hang in there sweetie. Thank you for your willingness to be transparent and vulnerable. This is a journey and some along the way will be more helpful than others. Sometimes humor doesn't always feel very funny, but in my experience honesty is never unkind.

    I have NOT taken the time to look at your food diary, but I suspect that the folks that have looked have made sound suggestions about how to add some good calories without a lot of effort. I am a huge fan of a spoonful of peanut butter. :-) Always try to get enough protein and do what you can to limit carbs that don't have much fiber.

    I wonder if there might be some good vegan/vegetarian websites that have helpful information for folks trying to lose weight. Between a Veg site and MFP you might be able to attack the issue from both directions.

    Best of luck to you.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    Eating meat shouldn't make you feel awful and juice "detoxing" shouldn't make you feel great. You can't eat a hamburger from McDonald's and say all meat is horrible. You should find a way to eat smart, healthy foods, whether vegetarian or not.

    Also, I may be wrong, but I thought vegans don't use any animal products? This means no eggs, cheese or milk.
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member
    So weird... last time I checked, butter, cheese, yogurt, fish / eggs (depending on the type of veggie you are), oil, candy, bread / bagels, meatless meat products, alcohol, peanut butter, nuts, and any combination of the aforementioned foods, can be extremely high calorie. Not sure if I'm buying it.

    Also, based on what others have said, it sounds like you're over calories most of the time. No one wants to offend you, but you probably need to stop making posts like this. They come off as melodramatic and, after looking at your diary, contradictory. If someone were rude, not like myself, they might call you a liar about not being able to reach your calorie goal. Luckily, no rude posters on MFP.

    I do not eat butter, candy, fish or alcohol. I try to limit the fake meats and breads (though I'm not always successful at that), peanut butter I try to avoid due to sodium, and I limit nuts because of their high fat content. I stated that I am usually under 1200 net cals by evening and then end up eating bread, pie, cheese...something high in cals to get me up in cals so I will be a few hundred net cals under my goal. Yesterday after excercise my goal was 1896 by 7pm I was still under 1200 so I ate some cheese, one serving of chips, and a skinny bagel with honey... just to get to 1796 still 100 cals under. I would have prefered to be closer to the 1560 area but I panicked because I was so far under. 1200 by 7 pm. All of the extra put me 568 mg over on sodium which is why I came onto the forums. I am looking for a low sodium high calorie option. I am trying to learn not be "melodramatic or contradictory".
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    you're avoiding nuts because they are high fat, and then falling short of calories. Just eat some nuts - sorted. Fat is not a problem in any way and you get 9 calories per gram of fat.
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member
    Eating meat shouldn't make you feel awful and juice "detoxing" shouldn't make you feel great. You can't eat a hamburger from McDonald's and say all meat is horrible. You should find a way to eat smart, healthy foods, whether vegetarian or not.

    Also, I may be wrong, but I thought vegans don't use any animal products? This means no eggs, cheese or milk.

    I am trying to transition to vegan (not there yet). I do not eat at McDonald's, even when I ate meat! They are just gross! I have always cooked our meals. Whether meat or meatless. Eating out is only done on the weekends and once a week when I go grocery shopping and errand running because it takes half a day to get all my running done. Other that I fix everything that I eat. Regardless of your opinion that was my experience and why I went vegetarian.
  • laurie04427
    laurie04427 Posts: 421 Member
    Brown rice and oatmeal (the real stuff not the diet ones) both have a fair amount of calories (I have to limit them or I go over my calorie quota). And like others said, unsalted nuts.
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member
    It is too early in my journey to know if I am or not getting closer to my weight goal. I have lost 5 lbs, but haven't lost inches. One of my goals is to increase my endurance and strength. On that one I am definitely improving! I can feel the muscles in my arms and legs getting stronger and I can do my workouts with a lot less breaks to catch my breath!:bigsmile: I try to keep that success in the forefront of my mind when I get down about the cloths not getting any looser, but it is hard sometimes so I end up stressing over my food intake.

    It's completely natural in the beginning to tweak your diet. Your diet doesn't look bad, but the two things that stuck out most to me were too much sodium and too little protein. You need to eat enough protein when losing weight to make sure you lose more fat than muscle. It's easy to overeat carbs and be low on protein with a vegan diet.

    Check out Seapoint Farms dry roasted edamame. It's a delicious snack and just a 30g serving (1/4 cup) has 130 calories and 14g protein.

    I would also suggest that you check out some of the vegetarian or vegan MFP groups. You'll likely find good tips there, without all the sarcasm.

    Good luck to you.

    Thank you, I will look for those!
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member
    Hang in there sweetie. Thank you for your willingness to be transparent and vulnerable. This is a journey and some along the way will be more helpful than others. Sometimes humor doesn't always feel very funny, but in my experience honesty is never unkind.

    I have NOT taken the time to look at your food diary, but I suspect that the folks that have looked have made sound suggestions about how to add some good calories without a lot of effort. I am a huge fan of a spoonful of peanut butter. :-) Always try to get enough protein and do what you can to limit carbs that don't have much fiber.

    I wonder if there might be some good vegan/vegetarian websites that have helpful information for folks trying to lose weight. Between a Veg site and MFP you might be able to attack the issue from both directions.

    Best of luck to you.

    Thank you
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member
    Raw, unsalted nuts are the best way to add fast calories. Just 1/4 cup (28.5 grams) of shelled walnuts is 200 calories. Storing nuts for a long time is super easy. Also, they're great for reducing how much pasta you use in dishes. Huge pile of cooked (formerly frozen) veggies, little pasta, light sauce, nuts. Boom- healthy dinner.

    I will def start adding nuts to my diet. I was afraid to eat too many because of their fat content but I know I don't eat a lot of fat so I just have to jump over that hurdle in my brain!
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member
    Brown rice and oatmeal (the real stuff not the diet ones) both have a fair amount of calories (I have to limit them or I go over my calorie quota). And like others said, unsalted nuts.

    I will try that for my breakfast and see how it goes. I really don't like eating eggs everyday. I am going to add more nuts in, just have to make my brain accept that they are ok and not fatty! :wink: Thanks.
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    Brown rice and oatmeal (the real stuff not the diet ones) both have a fair amount of calories (I have to limit them or I go over my calorie quota). And like others said, unsalted nuts.

    I will try that for my breakfast and see how it goes. I really don't like eating eggs everyday. I am going to add more nuts in, just have to make my brain accept that they are ok and not fatty! :wink: Thanks.

    Do you like sweets?

    A scoop of icecream is another easy option. Coconut-based, if you go Vegan (So Delicious is the best brand, chocolate.)
  • doxielover2013
    doxielover2013 Posts: 25 Member

    Do you like sweets?

    A scoop of icecream is another easy option. Coconut-based, if you go Vegan (So Delicious is the best brand, chocolate.)

    I like sweets too much so I don't keep any in the house so I am not tempted. During TOM I allow myself to buy 1 bar of 75% cocoa dark chocolate and have 1 square each day to help with cravings. Other than that I don't keep any sweets in the house. I use fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth. But thanks for the suggestion.
  • MollyWilbers
    MollyWilbers Posts: 1 Member
    I would try adding more high protein, high fiber foods. Frozen food is what is killing your sodium intake. High sodium makes you retain water, also. Instead of a bagel thin in the morning try a slice of whole wheat toast with almond butter on it. Almond butter has just over 100 calories per Tbsp, and it's delicious and filling.. That with some yogurt and a piece of fruit will fill you up, plus be more nutritious than your current regimen. I wouldn't worry about fat content as much as you are. Some fats are good for you and your body processes easily, i.e. nuts, dairy.
    I've stopped buying most processed foods, and I overall feel way better.
    Good luck!
  • acarmelo1
    acarmelo1 Posts: 76 Member
    Eat some Chicken!!!, Your body will thank you.

    You don't have to eat meat to be healthy >>

    Eat Grilled Chicken, with vegetables?

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