fast weight loss switching to juice & vegan lifestyle?

ak_honda

I'm perplexed. Either my scale has gone completely crazy, or with this being my 3rd week drinking green juice for breakfast and adopting a more vegetarian/vegan lifestyle (can't cut chicken out, but we buy it fresh cut from local butcher) has actually caused a serious amount of weight loss in little bit of time.

Here's the timeline according to my "crazy" bathroom scale.

10/25/11 207.8
11/09/11 206.8
11/12/11 205.4
11/20/11 207.4
12/06/11 207.0
12/12/11 203.8
12/15/11 198.4

See the crazy drop!! I haven't even started using my exercise bike more than once a week for like 30 minutes at a time. I feel great, not catching any colds that anyone at work has, and am generally happier. My jeans, which I bought a pair brand new a few weeks ago do feel quite lose even after washing.

I'm set to see my Dr in february for follow-up bloodwork regarding my thyroid, and if I really am losing weight she will be very pleased with me (as long as my bloodwork is still great as well).


Has anyone else that switched to a juice and more vegan type lifestyle experienced quick weight loss at the beginning with very minimal exercise? I'm just so skeptical of my scale and had been stuck around 210lbs for the past 4-5 years.

KemaVA

I am thinking about juicing but not necessarily for weight loss. I see you said you are going to see your doctor about your thyroid. Do you have hypothyroid (or hyper) symptoms? If you do have symptoms I was wondering have you seen any improvement since you began juicing?

I have dry skin & hair, depression & anxiety, difficulty losing weight, feel cold all the time, fatigue and dry eyes. I am seeing a doctor for thyroid testing in January. He has me charting my morning temperature until then.

BobbyClerici

Juicing turned my health around; I started when I was at my fattest, and everything just started to improve though slowly.

lor007

You could be living off of chocolate ice cream and Twinkies and still lose weight while maintaining a caloric deficit.



Also, how is it a "vegan lifestyle" if you are eating chicken?

tjpinch

Possibly water weight or bloat? Meat, especially red meat, is higher sodium. Have you cut out a lot of dairy? Dairy effects me really negatively.

sara709

That's 10 lbs in almost 2 months - that's not crazy. You're consuming less calories but I'm assuming eating better quality food. Sounds like you're doing good

merie08

this happened to me too , i lost 10 lbs right off the bat when i cut out all red meat and pork.the only meat i eat is fish and chicken and i rarely do that. I also cut out dairy too, its a great lifestyle and red meat makes you feel so sluggish and you dont even want to eat it after awhile, it actually can make you sick if you dont eat it for so long.

4HealthyMe

Sounds like you've found something that works for you. That's great. I have only one question: are you willing to eat like that for the rest of your life? I am sure there are many on MFP would say "Yes". And that's wonderful if this is something that makes you look and feel great. There are those who eat like this all the time & love it. My thing is, some people eat like this temporarily to lose weight, then gain it all back when they miss their favorites. I try to eat well most of the time. But I make room for fried chicken & mashed taters :bigsmile:

Hey, whatever works for you, right?

Kamalka

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

mrs07312012

I myself eat this way. I did not start doing this for weight loss or animal cruelty reasons, it started when I read a few things and became concerned with the chemicals being injected into our cattle , poultry and even vegtables. The growth hormones , antibiotics and a few other things I will not state (don't want to upset those who enjoy eating meat) is very troubling to me. If this is a life style in which you would like to adopt a couple of movies I suggest are Food Inc. and Forks over Knives. The two of them affirmed what I had been reading and opened my eyes to some other things as well. I am pro vegaterain lifestyle . (Vegan means that you do not eat any thing that basically would have a mother or comes from an animal , no fish, no poultry, no dairy , no red meat, nada) lacto vegartarians can with choice drink and eat dairy. These are all just lables though. It doesn't matter what you or any body else want to call you it's your lifestyle and I think a excellent choice in becoming healthy. I get questioned all the time and it always turns into the topic of conversation all the time ( I don't bring it up , they see the lack of meat on my plate and start asking questions, it's amazing how observant other people are when it comes to food) I myself at times just say I'm a vegatarian because it's a safe explanation and not a long discussion. I don't eat red meat, I do not drink milk or eat cheese , I do eat fish ( and everyone comes back to me about our oceans being polluted) I only eat free range, no hormone no antibiotic no byproduct chicken ( everyone also states that the FDA regulates the hormones that are injected into chicken, unless you have done your research I don't want to hear it) And as much as possible espiecally when it's the time of year for the farmers market I eat as much organic as possible. Basically I take it back 100 years before we were beefing up all of produce , cattle and poultry to make it , prettier, more appealing to the public. My fruit might have blemishes but that's all that has been altered in it. Okay so my "rant" is done for now and I do believe what your doing is a fantastic life style. If you ever want to swap some green juice recipes contact me!!!

mrs07312012

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose muscle!!

reaolliemama

Also, how is it a "vegan lifestyle" if you are eating chicken?

It's not!!!

Jugsie23

I myself eat this way. I did not start doing this for weight loss or animal cruelty reasons, it started when I read a few things and became concerned with the chemicals being injected into our cattle , poultry and even vegtables. The growth hormones , antibiotics and a few other things I will not state (don't want to upset those who enjoy eating meat) is very troubling to me. If this is a life style in which you would like to adopt a couple of movies I suggest are Food Inc. and Forks over Knives. The two of them affirmed what I had been reading and opened my eyes to some other things as well. I am pro vegaterain lifestyle . (Vegan means that you do not eat any thing that basically would have a mother or comes from an animal , no fish, no poultry, no dairy , no red meat, nada) lacto vegartarians can with choice drink and eat dairy. These are all just lables though. It doesn't matter what you or any body else want to call you it's your lifestyle and I think a excellent choice in becoming healthy. I can questioned all the time and it always turns into the topic of conversation all the time ( I don't bring it up , they see the lack of meat on my plate and start asking questions, it's amazing how observant other people are when it comes to food) I myself at times just say I'm a vegatarian because it's a safe explanation and not a long discussion. I don't eat red meat, I do not drink milk or eat cheese , I do eat fish ( and everyone comes back to me about our oceans being polluted) I only eat free range, no hormone no antibiotic no byproduct chicken ( everyone also states that the FDA regulates the hormones that are injected into chicken, unless you have done your research I don't want to hear it) And as much as possible espiecally when it's the time of year for the farmers market I eat as much organic as possible. Basically I take it back 100 years before we were beefing up all of produce , cattle and poultry to make it , prettier, more appealing to the public. My fruit might have blemishes but that's all that has been altered in it. Okay so my "rant" is done for now and I do believe what your doing is a fantastic life style. If you ever want to swap some green juice recipes contact me!!!

That could've just come straight from my mouth!

I adopted a raw vegan diet two years ago when I was having terrible digestive problems. I couldn't believe it. I lost 12lb in the first week and after only 6 weeks had dropped 21lb. I had more energy, no stomach pain, my headaches went. It was a revelation. I had to also do a bit of research into hormones and the bad stuff in our food these days, not for my own sake but to answer the questions from the doubters.

I gradually introduced dairy back into my diet when I was pregnant and craving cheese. The weight crept back on, so did the stomach problems. I haven't eaten meat in two years and I don't ever see myself going back to it. I do eat fish though.

I'd like to go back to a raw vegan lifestyle. It took a lot of time and preparation which I don't have right now with a toddler but one day I would love to go back to it as I felt mentally and physically clean, lean and energised. I try have days where I cut out dairy and it's amazing the difference it makes to my well being, moods and energy levels. I need to start cutting it completely I think. It helps the weight loss for sure!

servilia

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose muscle!!

When trying to maintain a calorie deficit, the protein content of meat/fish beats the amount of protein you get from fruit, veggies, beans etc.
1 cup of cooked chicken breast = 211cals and 41 g of protein
1 cup of kidney beans = 210 cals but only 13 g of protein

I aim for 100g of protein a day. If I were to try to get that from a veggie diet it would be hard, if not impossible, to stick to my cal goals. Edited to add: I WOULD be able to do it if I suppemented with whey protein shake (which I do already) but I'd have to have like 3 scoops of it daily...
Just curious also about what fruits and vegetables have sufficient amounts of protein?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blast veggie diets, to each their own. But I wouldn't go around comparing the protein content of fruits and vegetables to that found in meat.

reaolliemama

So you tell people you're a vegetarian, but you actually eat fish and chicken? Why not tell them the truth? I don't "like" red meat or what have you?

tjpinch

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose muscle!!

When trying to maintain a calorie deficit, the protein content of meat/fish beats the amount of protein you get from fruit, veggies, beans etc.
1 cup of cooked chicken breast = 211cals and 41 g of protein
1 cup of kidney beans = 210 cals but only 13 g of protein

I aim for 100g of protein a day. If I were to try to get that from a veggie diet it would be hard, if not impossible, to stick to my cal goals. Edited to add: I WOULD be able to do it if I suppemented with whey protein shake (which I do already) but I'd have to have like 3 scoops of it daily...
Just curious also about what fruits and vegetables have sufficient amounts of protein?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blast veggie diets, to each their own. But I wouldn't go around comparing the protein content of fruits and vegetables to that found in meat.

100 grams on how many calories?

servilia

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose muscle!!

When trying to maintain a calorie deficit, the protein content of meat/fish beats the amount of protein you get from fruit, veggies, beans etc.
1 cup of cooked chicken breast = 211cals and 41 g of protein
1 cup of kidney beans = 210 cals but only 13 g of protein

I aim for 100g of protein a day. If I were to try to get that from a veggie diet it would be hard, if not impossible, to stick to my cal goals. Edited to add: I WOULD be able to do it if I suppemented with whey protein shake (which I do already) but I'd have to have like 3 scoops of it daily...
Just curious also about what fruits and vegetables have sufficient amounts of protein?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blast veggie diets, to each their own. But I wouldn't go around comparing the protein content of fruits and vegetables to that found in meat.

100 grams on how many calories?

1200-1500 depending on the day.

mrs07312012

So you tell people you're a vegetarian, but you actually eat fish and chicken? Why not tell them the truth? I don't "like" red meat or what have you?

I do not go around telling anyone anything, most assume first and for most. Second I do not care for labels I don't call myself anything to people that I feel it could benefit or just have the time to explain I will explain. I did not state that I do not "like" meat. I use to be very fond of certain things, my is a mind set now , when I see a piece of meat I do not see what most see I have other visions in my head. 9 times out 10 I do explain my logic so that it may also educate others as well (not in the sense of I think that their eating meat is wrong, just that there is other options out there as well and unless they are explained this then they may never know) that 1 time out of 10 I just give up and yes yes I am a vegaterian because unfortunetly that's all some understand. I will be at a company event and not have chicken on my plate, I than get hammered with 30 people asking me why there is no chicken on my plate , I kindly explain that I do not eat most chicken, the questions are asked , I explain further on my issues, most do get and understand my reasoning for they are educated people, but there is always the odd ball who just can't grasp the concept and ask repeatively , oh so your a vegarterain and finally I just state, yep your right that's what I am and walk away. Than there is other times when I am in a rush or a hurry with something I'm doing and someone takes note, and ask if i'm a vegarterain , than I just agree because the timing is an issue. I think that you are focusing to much on a label and what the real discussion is about , but that is very common in our society.

mrs07312012

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose m
When trying to maintain a calorie deficit, the protein content of meat/fish beats the amount of protein you get from fruit, veggies, beans etc.
1 cup of cooked chicken breast = 211cals and 41 g of protein
1 cup of kidney beans = 210 cals but only 13 g of protein

I aim for 100g of protein a day. If I were to try to get that from a veggie diet it would be hard, if not impossible, to stick to my cal goals. Edited to add: I WOULD be able to do it if I suppemented with whey protein shake (which I do already) but I'd have to have like 3 scoops of it daily...
Just curious also about what fruits and vegetables have sufficient amounts of protein?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blast veggie diets, to each their own. But I wouldn't go around comparing the protein content of fruits and vegetables to that found in meat.

I 100% agree comparing the proteins of meat and veggies and how much calories you are intaking at the same time. This is a struggle. Protein Shakes as you have stated are an excellent go to, to help. Soy beans are very rich in protein, this is something I try to incorporate some form into my daily diet. Whether it would be raw soy beans them self and tofu are a huge help. Roasted soy beans have 39g of protein per 100 g. Seeds !! I love seeds and eat them as a snack 33g of protein per 100g thats about 70 some g per half cup. Peas have 9g per half cup. 1 serving of spinich has 13g of protein. This is still not the same as meat of course but there is options for those of us who choose this way of doing things.

bloodbank

Just under 10lbs in 7.5 weeks isn't crazy at all - that's just over a pound per week, which is a nice, slow, healthy amount.

servilia

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose m
When trying to maintain a calorie deficit, the protein content of meat/fish beats the amount of protein you get from fruit, veggies, beans etc.
1 cup of cooked chicken breast = 211cals and 41 g of protein
1 cup of kidney beans = 210 cals but only 13 g of protein

I aim for 100g of protein a day. If I were to try to get that from a veggie diet it would be hard, if not impossible, to stick to my cal goals. Edited to add: I WOULD be able to do it if I suppemented with whey protein shake (which I do already) but I'd have to have like 3 scoops of it daily...
Just curious also about what fruits and vegetables have sufficient amounts of protein?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blast veggie diets, to each their own. But I wouldn't go around comparing the protein content of fruits and vegetables to that found in meat.

I 100% agree comparing the proteins of meat and veggies and how much calories you are intaking at the same time. This is a struggle. Protein Shakes as you have stated are an excellent go to, to help. Soy beans are very rich in protein, this is something I try to incorporate some form into my daily diet. Whether it would be raw soy beans them self and tofu are a huge help. Roasted soy beans have 39g of protein per 100 g. Seeds !! I love seeds and eat them as a snack 33g of protein per 100g thats about 70 some g per half cup. Peas have 9g per half cup. 1 serving of spinich has 13g of protein. This is still not the same as meat of course but there is options for those of us who choose this way of doing things.

Cool, thanks for those veggie ideas And I do realize not everyone needs to get 100g of protein, it's just something I try to do for my specific goals

reaolliemama

whatever works for you is cool...I eat very similar to you and when people ask, which is rare (you must hang with nosier people than I do) I just say "I don't care for any chicken, thanks!" It never sparks any further discussion, I don't know why. Not sure where you're from, but maybe it's just different norms in different regions or something...

bhartoo

main purpose of being vegetarian is to be ' humane ' with no selfish reasons. See the slaughter of animals videos online, any sane person will be aghast at what they are financing by purchasing meats of any kind. HOWEVER one is automatically rewarded with EXCELLENT health by being vegetarian. I lowered my cholesterol from 236 to 165 in 3 months with no medicines and the same exercise of 45 minutes walk 5 days a week. I feel wonderful full of energy and 10 years younger. I do have milk and a lot of different varieties of lentils with brown rice and off course a lot of fruit ..Reducing weight is not my only goal, getting good nutrition for a better physical as well as spiritual well being is my goal.

fitnessgoddess17

You could be living off of chocolate ice cream and Twinkies and still lose weight while maintaining a caloric deficit.



Also, how is it a "vegan lifestyle" if you are eating chicken?

She said MORE vegan, which is just a much easier way to explain what things you are now cutting out MOST of the time.

xtinalovexo

You could be living off of chocolate ice cream and Twinkies and still lose weight while maintaining a caloric deficit.



Also, how is it a "vegan lifestyle" if you are eating chicken?

She said MORE vegan, which is just a much easier way to explain what things you are now cutting out MOST of the time.

yep, i think she was just trying to describe that she is starting to eat more veggies and fruits and less meat.

captain analyze!

CRSE1214

I'm not a vegetarian or vegan ... I like my dairy, fish and chicken WAY too much to give up. But I recently seen the documentary Forks Over Knives and it makes you really reconsider your food choices especially red meats and processed food. If any of you reading this haven't seen it I would highly recommend it

mrs07312012

I live in Central PA were most ( my apologies to those from the area, not ALL ) are very closed minded and when something is different from what they are use to it seems to be a BIG deal. Mostly I come into contact with most of my discussions in the work place. I work for a very large corporation, I am constantly meeting new people and this usually happens with lunches , dinners, parties and gatherings of some sort mostly involving food ( reasons why I am here and on my weight loss journey). Being a female in a male dominant demographic automatically draws attention and than what is on my plate is something that comes up at each an every event I attend. It's very tiring , and the same story over and over becomes very bland. I have to be nice and pleasant and make sure not to speak out of turn but at times I just want to say " mind your own business"

Kamalka

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose muscle!!

Do not misunderstand me...I meant HER weight loss because she did not exercise. it seems we follow the same life style, or at least for the same reasons. I have seen these reportages, added a few scientific studies (the very few independant ones) and I can not eat such things since I realized that. Most of my proteins comes from fish, lentils, beans...and white meat. I went through a report comparing proteins and these source are very close to red meats (and without cholesterol). My vegetables, eggs, milk and white meat are organic (here we say "bio", I mean labelled not chemicals, additive whatsoever) and my varied type of food even give me too much proteins to run 2 hours/day 6 days a week. I eat more and more vegetarian (from once a month we are at 2/3 times a week, maybe we will jump to 7, who knows?). I can tell I nerly folow athletic trainings and meat is not necessary at all, that is for sure. Carbs are much more important to me.

3dogsrunning

You could be living off of chocolate ice cream and Twinkies and still lose weight while maintaining a caloric deficit.



Also, how is it a "vegan lifestyle" if you are eating chicken?

She said MORE vegan, which is just a much easier way to explain what things you are now cutting out MOST of the time.

yep, i think she was just trying to describe that she is starting to eat more veggies and fruits and less meat.

captain analyze!

Except being vegan is more than just about what you eat. Vegans avoid animal products and animal by-products (like honey, eggs, even though the animal was not killed), period. Whether in clothing, soaps, whatever. And there is usually very strong ethics behind the vegan lifestyle.
More vegetarian - ok. I could see that describing a diet with less animals products.
But more vegan - you either consume animal products or you don't, you're vegan or you're not.

mrs07312012

So you lost muscles, not fat...I see you look forward using your bike. Keep on maintaining proteins...any time you will get them back, your weight will come back anyway.

There are more healthy ways to obtain protein, most fruits and vegatables provide Healthy protein, Watch the movie Forks over Knives it explains about veggie proteins. And being on this sort of diet does not make you lose muscle!!

Do not misunderstand me...I meant HER weight loss because she did not exercise. it seems we follow the same life style, or at least for the same reasons. I have seen these reportages, added a few scientific studies (the very few independant ones) and I can not eat such things since I realized that. Most of my proteins comes from fish, lentils, beans...and white meat. I went through a report comparing proteins and these source are very close to red meats (and without cholesterol). My vegetables, eggs, milk and white meat are organic (here we say "bio", I mean labelled not chemicals, additive whatsoever) and my varied type of food even give me too much proteins to run 2 hours/day 6 days a week. I eat more and more vegetarian (from once a month we are at 2/3 times a week, maybe we will jump to 7, who knows?). I can tell I nerly folow athletic trainings and meat is not necessary at all, that is for sure. Carbs are much more important to me.

Sorry for the misunderstanding than. Afer reading and researching the different additives in our meat products, I can't even look at non organic items the same. If you have not watched it yet I mentioned it earlier but the movie Forks over Knives gives an excellant explanation (not that I feel you need it , but it's a fantastic study) on other ways of obtaining proteins , not just from animals, and the effects when comparing the two were very fasinating.

susanswan

I'm not juicing or anywhere near vegan, but by upping my green plants, cutting back on grains, and cutting back on oils and animal proteins I am noticing the very same thing! Loving it! Feeling great! But it is a process and YES I am willing to forsake the "good" food for better health and longer life. I figure I've eaten enough junk and sugar to last me the rest of my life! I feel horrible when I eat "party" food now! Dr. Joel Fuhrman calls it a "nutritarian" diet in his Eat to Live book! I'm jumping in and not coming back! You guys can have my sugar, salt, processed food, fast food, dairy, animal proteins, and oils! I'll be over by the fresh veggies and fruits, nuts & seeds, and beans! Bye!