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

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Replies

  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Where do you live? Maybe visit yelp.com and search vegetarian/vegan restaraunts around/near your area!
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    Being a vegetarian or a vegan is not going to help you lose weight. It is a healthy lifestyle and can improve your health... but to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in. You have to have a calorie deficit of 3500 calories to lose 1 lb.
  • ZiezieO
    ZiezieO Posts: 228 Member
    I know plenty of unhealthy vegetarians. Look at what you eat and how much. Bananas have lots of carbs and calories. They're good for you, not knocking bananas, but you can't GO BANANAZ and expect to lose weight just because you aren't eating animal products. Be smart about food.
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    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.

    You can use MFP to make recipes, go to the food page on the website and then click "recipes"
    You just have to have 2 ingredients to create a recipe, it lets you put in all the ingredients and then choose the number of servings and name the recipe and all that.

    You can even figure the recipe out yourself with good old pen and paper!
  • meeper123
    meeper123 Posts: 3,347 Member
    follow the vegan food pyramid and practice good food combining some things don't really sit in the gut well together also are you eating more "products" than food if so eat more fruits and veggies and stick with a balanced diet. Also work out some and don't do the same thing everyday. :)


    baeta_vegetarian_food_pyramid.jpg
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    If you are eating more than your TDEE in vegetarian food, you will not lose weight. That is all. Vegetarian, pescatarian, carnivore, vegan, or skittlestarian it's just a numbers game. Get in it.
  • merecard
    merecard Posts: 56 Member
    Someone said it earlier, it's a numbers game.
    I always think that the body has to get used to things
    When you first start working out, your body isn't used to it and you lose more weight than when you have been doing it for 4 weeks. I feel that it is the same with food, you need to change it up to keep your tummy guessing. Now you have some symptoms that will make it difficult for you to try different things and move on.
    Now this is right down to basics. When you are introducing new foods to an infant/toddler, you do the same thing for a couple of days, wait for reactions and if no reactions occur, then keep with that and add more. But to add a bunch of stuff at once you will never know what is making you feel unwell.

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