Trying to lose weight, vegan, and feeling weak

ldrosophila

Look into a high quality vitamin supplement make sure it has adequate B12 calcium, and iron. Are you predisposed to any anemia? Double check that your soy milk is fortified with Vitamin D and calcium. Personally, I think soy is the closest compliment to dairy milk but it still needs to be fortified.

You may also want to look at increasing the fat in your diet add some dressing to you salad, nuts, avacodos, seeds, soy cheese, and some oils.

More protein sources also remember that bean and rice or bean and grains is equal to a full compliment of protein ensuring you get all 8 essential amino acids. Do you like the taste of TVP? It's easy and a quick way to add protein. Nutritional yeast isnt bad either and I havent tried it but Braggs makes a protein liquid (not sure if it's vegan) that is supposed to taste as good as soy sauce. Remember plenty of nuts and nut butters to add additional protein and fat.

Continue to portion control, measure, and log you food.

BaconMD

You are not eating nearly enough. Giving a rough estimate to what you listed, I think you are eating under 900 calories a day. For someone working out for hours a day.....you are likely burning off almost all of that. So....what exactly is your body running on? Nothing. That's why you are weak and tired. You need to log your calories and I definitely think you need to eat more.

She needs to eat more, I agree. But why does she need to log? She's already at a healthy weight.

jenlarz

You are not eating nearly enough. Giving a rough estimate to what you listed, I think you are eating under 900 calories a day. For someone working out for hours a day.....you are likely burning off almost all of that. So....what exactly is your body running on? Nothing. That's why you are weak and tired. You need to log your calories and I definitely think you need to eat more.

I agree with this. From what you list I don't see how that could be 1500 calories. Adding some healthy fats would also be a good thing-nuts/avocados etc.

sar24

Another issue I see is that you are not eating nutrient dense foods. Yes, you have limited yourself b/c you are vegan however eating whole, unprocessed foods will be best. Also, soy protein is horrible, especially for women. My suggestion other than eat meat for a better all around diet is to remove most of the grains your are eating, find a better source of protein and eat a lot more.

Missmuffins

I am no nutritionist, just someone trying to loose weight as well. I cut out carbs at night (bread). Maybe try to switch the salad to dinner and your dinner to lunch and see if that works? Lighter meals before bed are better.

k_winder

You are not eating nearly enough. Giving a rough estimate to what you listed, I think you are eating under 900 calories a day. For someone working out for hours a day.....you are likely burning off almost all of that. So....what exactly is your body running on? Nothing. That's why you are weak and tired. You need to log your calories and I definitely think you need to eat more.

She needs to eat more, I agree. But why does she need to log? She's already at a healthy weight.

She needs to log if she wants to understand that she is NOT eating enough. I don't think she gets it. She is eating far too little and working it all off with exercise. Maybe seeing the numbers will jolt her into realizing she is eventually going to do damage to her body, if she hasn't already started to.

aldousmom

Try eating a little more, especially in the form of nutrient dense foods. Forget the calories, just get a handle on being vegan.
I try to log most of my food, if you want to check it out. I'm an ultra-marthoner (trail runner) and try to eat about 1800 calories per day. I don't specifically target protein, as it's in every.single.nutritious.food, even if in small amounts.

If you're getting enough nutrient dense calories, you'll get enough protein. Maybe trade your daily toast for a sweet potato topped w/ a nut butter or refried beans? with a nice kale salad on the side?

I think my first couple of months as a vegan I ate a ton of tacos! they were so easy to fill w/ refried beans, black beans, or baked tofu and topped w/ yummy veggies. Corn tortillas are easy to heat up, too.

Good luck, you'll figure it out! Jeff Novick (on facebook, all over the web) has good ideas for healthy, super-fast nutrient dense meals/recipes, which might help you a little. He's got DVDs you can buy, too.

BaconMD

You are not eating nearly enough. Giving a rough estimate to what you listed, I think you are eating under 900 calories a day. For someone working out for hours a day.....you are likely burning off almost all of that. So....what exactly is your body running on? Nothing. That's why you are weak and tired. You need to log your calories and I definitely think you need to eat more.

I agree with this. From what you list I don't see how that could be 1500 calories. Adding some healthy fats would also be a good thing-nuts/avocados etc.

She needs to log if she wants to understand that she is NOT eating enough. I don't think she gets it. She is eating far too little and working it all off with exercise. Maybe seeing the numbers will jolt her into realizing she is eventually going to do damage to her body, if she hasn't already started to.

She's feeling weak. That's her indication she's not eating enough. No logging needed. Eat more, feel better.

You're very probably right, though. She likely doesn't "get it."

Its_All_Gongfu

Try eating more animals. They have the Vitamin B12, full spectrum amino acids, and saturated fats you're likely missing.

Also, they are delicious.

Ah.....There he is: the attention-seeking, emotionally-stunted 11-year old who inevtably appears in the veg forum discussions. ...The bully who just MUST vomit his mean-spirited "humor" on the clearly stated (and valid) path of another person.

Lib_B

i used to be vegan but am not anymore. you are not eating enough of the right foods. you need to be incorporating beans and legumes, tons more spinach, etc.

you should also be taking a b-12 supplement and you may need an iron supplement - though if you eat a handful of raisins and plenty of spinach, kale and dark leafy greens, you should be able to pick up your requirement.

i really recommend doing some research on healthy vegan eating. i applaud you for choosing this lifestyle, but you need to make sure you've done your research. just based on your sample entry you provided, i don't think you are choosing from all the groups you should be.

also, my sister is still a practicing vegan, but she does allow an animal protein source here and there (which doesn't mean she's 'vegan' but she lives the vegan lifestyle about 98% of the time). when she 'strays' it's for locally sourced cheeses, cottage cheese, dairy, etc. that may not work for you, but you need to learn where you should be getting all your nutrients from.

additionally, again, based on the sample menu you gave, i cannot fathom that you are coming close to 1200 calories unless you are eating a MASSIVE amount of fresh veg in that salad.

Its_All_Gongfu

Your ethical path is sound, but you must eat enough food. Avail yourself of some of the many vegan / sports medicine / bodybuilding / yoga /itness literature out there. Good effort.

erikmsp72

Remember that you need to eat not just 1200 calories, but 1200 *net* calories.

That is, log what you're eating in MFP;
AND log what your exercises are, and the calories burned during your exercise, in MFP.

At the end of the day, on the top of your MFP "front page", you should have eaten enough that your NET CALORIES number is at least 1200.

And yeah, a multivitamin every day. Please skip the laxatives. And it would be really smart to schedule a meeting with a nutritionist at your doctor's office. Eating vegan has its challenges, as noted by yourself and others, so you want to be eating vegan with all the information as accurate as you can get it.

petstorekitty

Hey Mary,

Good for you for trying out a Vegan lifystyle. It's nice but you really do need to learn as much about it as possible in order to stay healthy.

check out some of the vegan groups on here and some websites to find things you can eat to get the nutrition you need.

So yes, you're defo not eating enough.
if you get the rite oils and fats into your diet you won't need the laxatives (which is good - your body can get used to those and you DO NOT WANT THAT :) Coconut oil and avocados are a good start.

Find some vegan peeps on here and check out their diaries!
Most people who eat vegan are more than happy to assist anyone else in that journey.

Good luck and go have a snack!

ahamm002

You need to be aware a vegan diet will not help you with losing weight or being healthy. It's a diet that is only based on ethics (not nutrition!).

If you're having issues, then you should strongly consider switching to a vegetarian diet until you get your weight and eating under control. You can always go back to being vegan later when you're not trying to lose weight.

BamaBreezeNSaltAire

Simple, you are not eating enough.

ahamm002

I'm not a vegan BTW but I used to live with one and he got pernicious anaemia and was really very ill - both mentally and physically.

Yep, it can also cause permanent neurologic damage!

Willowana

B-12 is only produced by bacteria. Granted, animal meat does have bacteria-synthesized B-12.... the same kind our own body makes. But unwashed/un-sterilized veggies contain B-12 too.

We live in a much more sterile world than we used to, and I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing. But, most B-12 deficiencies occur in meat-eaters (myself included). B-12 deficiencies are on the rise, and it's just a first world problem, really.

Take a B-12 supplement, and be sure you are getting a wide variety in your diet. If you are living off of Boca burgers and Amy's bean burritos....STOP IT. There's nothing worse than a lazy vegan.

stargazer008

Just eat more.

Carnivor0us

Try eating more animals. They have the Vitamin B12, full spectrum amino acids, and saturated fats you're likely missing.

Also, they are delicious.

Ah.....There he is: the attention-seeking, emotionally-stunted 11-year old who inevtably appears in the veg forum discussions. ...The bully who just MUST vomit his mean-spirited "humor" on the clearly stated (and valid) path of another person.

This isn't a vegan forum, and while I don't think his response is helpful, calling him 'emotionally stunted' is a bit much.

bokchoybaby

Since you say that you only think that the meals you eat total 1500 calories I'm going to go out on a limb and say there's no way you're eating that much. Most of the meals you describe seem to total 400 calories each and that's if I'm being generous and assigning you a cup of chickpeas and half cup of peas for lunch (since you don't give totals). You also don't mention snacking. With your exercise you may only be netting 1000 calories or so which would definitely contribute to feelings of fatigue. Maybe try adding something like scrambled tofu, seasoned beans or sauteed tempeh to your breakfast. Add some nuts, seeds or avocado to your lunch salad and/or have a piece of fruit on the side. You don't have to skip salad dressing and some fat will better help your body absorb the nutrients in the veggies you're eating. You can make really tasty dressings using almond or other nut butter as a base. I even sometimes mix plain, unsweetened soy yogurt, hummus, lemon juice and spices for a simple dressing. Your dinner seems OK in terms of calories as long as you're eating two pieces of bread but from a protein and micronutrient front you'd do better if you mixed things up a bit (vegan chili, beans and greens soup, tofu and veggie "quiche," etc.) Alternatively you could try adding snacks throughout your day: hummus or bean dip and veggies, apple or banana with nut butter, an ounce of nuts or seeds, nondairy yogurt and fruit, etc.

As a general point I think it's wise to add a multivitamin while you're still learning the ins and outs of vegan nutrition. A well-balanced diet will provide for most people's needs but figuring out how to do this can be challenging in the beginning. Good luck.