Going Vegan!

Vegan or vegetarian? big differance and i'm just curious

I'm a vegetarian and almost went vegan at one point. Started buying non-darily cheeses (soy or rice), and such.. just keep in mind that a lot of the soy meat and soy/rice cheeses can be high in sodium and keep watching the calories in them. Try to eat them in moderation!

If you already eat a lot of cheese and meat, the change will definitely have an affect on your body that will most likely result in weight loss, but a lot of vegetarian's and vegan's will end up eating more carbs and sugar because after you cut out the meat and dairy, there's not a lot left. Go easy on the carbs and you should lose weight.

I had trouble giving up the eggs. :-)

I just began eating vegan 3 weeks ago after reading 'The Kind Life' by Alicia Silverstone, and because I have to keep my protein down due to kidney stones. I buy a lot of Amy's frozen foods and have started making some recipes and converting some recipes to be vegan. The only thing that has helped me lose the weight is making better food choices and recording it all on here, period. So I had already lost most of the weight before deciding to go vegan. Alicia has a blog called 'The Kind Life' that has a lot of tips and info. Some people say they have gained weight eating vegan because they were eating a lot of junk and not watching their calories. The biggest drawback to eating vegan so far for me has been the sodium. I have to not only look for non-diary, but also low sodium. A lot of Alica's recipes are high in sodium. I have to limit sodium as well as protein due to my stones. I wish you luck and suggest you check out Alicia's site and or book. I originally borrowed it from my local library, then bought it. :flowerforyou:

Becoming a vegetarian and foregoing dairy has been awesome for me! I definitely feel like it's easier to lose and maintain a healthy weight. I get my protein from tofu, beans, and in moderation some of the veggie substitutes. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it

Hey!

I was a vegan for almost two years and went back to being a vegetarian in the summer of 2009. Now, I am going back to the vegan diet. Being vegan was such a great experience. I felt healthy, vibrant and energetic. My advice to you would be to choose either to go all out and throw away all non-vegan items and start fresh or to slowly grow into it one meal at a time. Whatever works. Just make a conscious decision and stick to it.

Also, watch your processed foods. Like Dan said earlier, Oreos are technically vegan. And there are so many vegan substitutes that are full of preservatives, chemicals, sodium and CALORIES. Just make good food decisions. Add tons of veggies and beans into your diet. And have fun cooking new things!

I think you will really like being vegan! You will see a huge difference in your energy, skin, weight, digestion. Just play the vegan game right. You can do it. I'm trying to do it right now too...so friend me and we can help each other!

Stay strong,
P

There are a few careful considerations that you need to make before going vegan. The largest relate to the following things:
- Protein
- Calcium
- Iron
- Vitamin B12

Just be smart in your decision and make sure you get enough of these things.

I have been a strict vegetarian since March and I toyed with the idea of being vegan for the last few months. I did it for animal rights reasons ( I am completeley opposed to factory farms and the inhumane slaughetering of animals) as well as environmental reasons. I bought The Kind Diet and Skinny B*tch, and as of yesterday I have been following Alicia's Superhero plan about 90% of the time the other 10% I am going to do regular Vegan. I am going to try to stick to being vegan for as long as I can (my family gives me a really hard time about not eating meat can't wait to hear what they say when I give up dairy and eggs too!).


Hopefully I can stick with this though!

Lacto ovo vegetarian here. Just wanted to wish you luck! I am still pretty new to vegetarianism, having started in the spring. I love cooking with vegetables, beans (it's soup season!) and am a huge fan of brown rice and quinoa, which are great protein sources! I have been lazy lately and need to pay attention to my calories again. You CAN have too much of a good thing.

One of the best things about going vegan is it really forces you to read ingredient labels. Past the calorie and nutrition facts part..you start to realize how much non-ingredients are in packaged foods. Someone mentioned the soy/rice cheeses...even those most of the time those have milk derivatives (sign for processed by-product). So you really have to read. A lot of breads (even the ones baked at your grocery store) have these byproducts. It's really ridiculous. You'll find yourself opting for whole foods because it's easier than reading a label

THAT SAID...going vegan won't make you healthier, at least weight-wise. There are plenty of foods that are vegan that are bad for you. These days in any organic store you can find cookies, cakes, ice creams, crackers that are vegan (oreos are even vegan and so are skittles....) so especially if you have a sweet tooth it takes more than just a commitment to non-animal products to lose weight, I think. Although I never fell down the oreo hole, I did learn to make my own bad-for-you treats at home and indulged a little too often. At the same time, if you have problems with portion control you can really eat a LOT of food and still be under calories as a vegan, and your tastes might change as well.

I find it really easy to get my protein, calcium, and iron, but I take a B12 supplement and I try to work in hemp seeds and nutritional yeast so I get omega fatty acids and other nutrients.

It's what you make of it, give it a shot and keep me posted!!

Almost everyone I know who is a vegan is in great shape... however, I may be the only person on the planet who ended up gaining a ton of weight when I was vegan. (40 lbs in 2 months --- and while training for a marathon --- go figure!)

As it turns out, I have hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)..... and apparently, soy + underactive thyroid = disaster. I was getting WAY TOO MUCH SOY when I was eating a vegan diet.

Good luck... there are some great products/Brands out there.... some of them I still miss. (Especially, Morningstar & Amy's)

Have you ever been a vegan or vegetarian before? its usually pretty tough to just become vegan right off the bat. Most people become vegetarian first. And there is a difference. most people think of vegan as never using or eating any animal product what-so-ever. and a vegetarian usually eats eggs and dairy. I am a vegetarian, and dont think i'll ever become a vegan.

Vegans especially have to plan out their diets. There are so many different nutrients and vitamins they dont get unless they do this. Plus its expensive and there arent many, hardly any healthy products out there for vegans. And unless you love to prepare your own foods from scratch it can be tough to eat vegan. Can you be healthy on a vegan diet? yes sure. Would I recommend it? no. why? because of the very reason it is difficult to intake all you need. Vegans must pay attention especially to vitamin d and b and iron deficiencies. And i'd like to point out that just becoming vegan wont automatically make you healthy or lose weight. I am a vegetarian for ethical reasons, not health. Am I perfect? no..i eat *gasp* eggs and cheese. I feel i'd sacrifice my own health if I ate vegan. so i just do the best i can.

I lift and body build. And for me, just eating beans for my protein just wont cut it. Its too high in calories and you have to eat a lot. I cant eat that much. So i get my protein from egg whites, soy milk and whey isolate powder, greek yogurt. Unless you body build you only need about 40-50 grams of protein a day. If you do and want to build muscles you'll need a little more. I try to intake 100 or more a day. To get complete proteins on a vegan diet you must mix different foods, like lentils with oatmeal or something. But eggs and dairy are complete proteins.

Congratulations to all of you making a smart healthy decision!

Dr Troy