hi! MFP n00b, vegan, attempting low-carb and having trouble

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  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    ...now please excuse me while I go eat my English muffin with bacon, egg, and cheese. Extra carbs and animal products for me, thanks.

    i love how stupid this remark sounds :laugh:

    Why does it sound stupid?

    I've been a vegetarian since my childhood and I can't even count how often I've heard something similar. It just annoys me when people feel the need to tell how happy they are to consume animal products. It's perfectly fine if you like your burger/bacon/whatever, but why post it in a thread about veganism? There is just no point to it and that's why I think it is stupid.

    If you're so happy with your vegetarian lifestyle, me saying I'm happy with my non-vegetarian lifestyle wouldn't bother you nearly as much as it clearly does. Sorry, but not sorry.
    IT's more the way you said it, putting it in her face. Was a little rude.

    But THAT right there is the problem... Society has to be so politically correct, it's expected for us to coddle people as well as to never crack a joke, even every now and then. She didn't verbally attack anyone. She's just stating her love for a non-vegan/vegetarian lifestyle in joking manner. There was nothing rude about it. It's called having a sense of humor.
  • tjohnoconnor
    tjohnoconnor Posts: 58 Member
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    There is a defining difference in carbs. Those that are simple and those that are complex. Basically a complex carb has 2g of fiber for every 100 calories. Fiber is a carb in itself but unlike other carbs it wont digest. It passes through your digestive system cleaning up so to say and lowering bad cholesterol. You will burn 7 calories for every gram of fiber you consume, that is another good thing about fiber. Your net carbohydrate is total carbs. - fiber grams. Using myself for an example I consume 180 -200 grams of carbs. a day but my fiber is around 55 - 60 giving me a net carb of about 140. Check out your fiber grams before you get to concerned about the carbs.
  • HerbertNenenger
    HerbertNenenger Posts: 453 Member
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    nuts
  • SlightlyMadman
    SlightlyMadman Posts: 35 Member
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    I've been vegan over 10 years, and while I agree with the sentiment that it's probably better to worry about calories than carbs, I did just want to reassure people that it's not difficult to find vegan protein sources. Most of the great vegan protein sources are even much lower in fat than meat sources, so you should have a much easier time keeping your calories down as well. Beans, lentils, tvp, nuts, the list goes on. These are all extremely cheap and versatile foods that are found across many diets. Even the scoffers in this thread probably eat vegan protein sources every day without thinking about it.
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
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    You should join this group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
    You're more likely to get your questions answered without defensive meat-eaters coming in to express how much they love their bacon.

    As others said to lose the fat it's all about calories in and out - carbs are not the devil, actually it's probably where you'll get most of your energy as a vegan.

    Make sure you have all your numbers straight:
    -calculate your TDEE
    -eat a 15-20% deficit
    -weigh your food so it's logged correctly
    -if you're exercising make sure you get accurate reads of your calories burned - perhaps invest in an HRM. If you're using MFP's calculations they tend to be overestimated so only eat 50-75% of the calories back
    -use measurements of your body to track your progress as the scale can be all over the place

    If you are doing all of this correctly then you will have no probably losing the fat. There is no need to have a troubling low-carb diet :smile:

    Good luck!
  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
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    nuts

    I agree w/this suggestion, however, I had to cut back because of the fat content...I was over-eating my allotted fat grams each day.
  • SlightlyMadman
    SlightlyMadman Posts: 35 Member
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    By the way, I just wanted to point out how much I appreciate threads like this because it lets me fill up my ignore list with everyone who comes in just to make snarky comments about how much they love milk and eggs. Please, speak up now so I don't have to see your comments later!
  • sstolii123
    sstolii123 Posts: 205 Member
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    hi everyone -

    i've only been using MFP for a few days now (you can view my diary, it's public), and it sure is eye-opening to track my intake and see the levels of everything. most of my life i've eaten fairly high carb and not super high protein, and have always struggled with my weight, been up and down the scale several times. i've never tried low-carb before, and figure, if nothing i've done so far has worked in the long run, maybe this could?

    after quite a bit of modifying the numbers, and research about proper levels, i have my ratios at 25/20/55 carbs/protein/fat, at 1,340 calories a day. the last few days i've minorly slipped up (grrr, beans) in terms of my carb percentages, and my protein levels have come in a little lower than i'd like, with my fat levels being fairly close.

    does anyone have any advice for me on maintaining my carbs at 25% (about 84g/day)? i'm finding that with lower carbs i'm hungry a lot more often, even when i come close to meeting my calories per day. i might need more fat, i don't know. i'm not sure if i'd go into ketosis with that 25% carbs or not, but if i can get close, that would be fine.

    First of all I am not a vegan and I do not know the ALL the requirements of being one. I have been following a low carb eating plan this year along with a calorie restriction. I have lost over 30 pounds along the way.

    I think a low carb calorie restriction is a great plan for some people, carbs are super easy for your body to store as fat if you do not burn them right away after you take them in. Keep in mind on an eating plan such as Atkins they count net carbs ( carbs - fiber = net carbs) Keep your net carbs under 25 grams a day. check out Atkins.com for suggestions.

    You are able to eat all of certain veggies you want, try to pick the dark green ones. I eat lots of Broccoli, celery and cucumbers during the day to keep me from getting full. I also start the day off with a protein and a fiber drink as well.

    Eat 6 meals a day to keep fueling the fire, Focus on High Fiber ( fiber helps keep your blood sugar stable which helps you control weight as well as filling you up) I take Barn Dads Ultra fiber DX, low Net Carbs (total carbs - Fiber = Net carbs) and up your exercise.
  • juliafromrf
    juliafromrf Posts: 106 Member
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    But THAT right there is the problem... Society has to be so politically correct, it's expected for us to coddle people as well as to never crack a joke, even every now and then. She didn't verbally attack anyone. She's just stating her love for a non-vegan/vegetarian lifestyle in joking manner. There was nothing rude about it. It's called having a sense of humor.

    You wouldn't want to hear the same joke over and over again, would you? So if vegans/vegetarians react a bit annoyed at "jokes" like this, it's not because they have no sense of humor. It's just that they heard the same joke a 100 times before.
  • michaeljosephmoreau
    michaeljosephmoreau Posts: 9 Member
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    If you want to do low-carb then eat nothing but meats, eggs and dairy. Sorry, but that's the only real way. Vegetables are carbs.

    You have to get your body to switch from burning carbs as a fuel source to protein as a fuel source. Once you do you lose weight very quickly but alas that's virtually impossible on a vegan diet.
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
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    IF you're REALLY determined to do low-carb try focusing on the following:

    non-dairy yoghurts like soy
    tofu
    tempeh
    seitan
    nuts
    seeds
    leafy veggies
    stem & flower veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus)
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    ...now please excuse me while I go eat my English muffin with bacon, egg, and cheese. Extra carbs and animal products for me, thanks.

    i love how stupid this remark sounds :laugh:

    Why does it sound stupid?

    I've been a vegetarian since my childhood and I can't even count how often I've heard something similar. It just annoys me when people feel the need to tell how happy they are to consume animal products. It's perfectly fine if you like your burger/bacon/whatever, but why post it in a thread about veganism? There is just no point to it and that's why I think it is stupid.

    If you're so happy with your vegetarian lifestyle, me saying I'm happy with my non-vegetarian lifestyle wouldn't bother you nearly as much as it clearly does. Sorry, but not sorry.
    IT's more the way you said it, putting it in her face. Was a little rude.

    But THAT right there is the problem... Society has to be so politically correct, it's expected for us to coddle people as well as to never crack a joke, even every now and then. She didn't verbally attack anyone. She's just stating her love for a non-vegan/vegetarian lifestyle in joking manner. There was nothing rude about it. It's called having a sense of humor.

    Thank you! Despite the claim above, there was nothing passive aggressive (or aggressive at all) about my statement. It was a joke. People just need to get over themselves, because I'll be damned if I'm going to censor myself so I don't inadvertently hurt someone's feelings while making a harmless joke. People can feel free to be offended, I don't mind. :)
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
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    ...now please excuse me while I go eat my English muffin with bacon, egg, and cheese. Extra carbs and animal products for me, thanks.

    i love how stupid this remark sounds :laugh:

    Why does it sound stupid?

    I've been a vegetarian since my childhood and I can't even count how often I've heard something similar. It just annoys me when people feel the need to tell how happy they are to consume animal products. It's perfectly fine if you like your burger/bacon/whatever, but why post it in a thread about veganism? There is just no point to it and that's why I think it is stupid.

    If you're so happy with your vegetarian lifestyle, me saying I'm happy with my non-vegetarian lifestyle wouldn't bother you nearly as much as it clearly does. Sorry, but not sorry.
    IT's more the way you said it, putting it in her face. Was a little rude.

    But THAT right there is the problem... Society has to be so politically correct, it's expected for us to coddle people as well as to never crack a joke, even every now and then. She didn't verbally attack anyone. She's just stating her love for a non-vegan/vegetarian lifestyle in joking manner. There was nothing rude about it. It's called having a sense of humor.
    If you think making jokes at the expense of someone elses lifestyle choices is ok then carry on, but dont get your panties in a wad when the target of those jokes retaliates because to them it was not funny, it was offensive and not necessary. It's true, we hear these jokes EVERY DAY, and on a health and fitness website where the thread is about/for vegans, a joke about a bacon sandwich was just poor taste.

    [Edit] and I just noticed this is in the 'introduce yourself' forums. Yes, thats the positive first impression you want to make on someone who is just starting out on this website. Let them think everyone on here will make fun of *oh I mean joke about* her for her choice of lifestyle.
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Thank you! Despite the claim above, there was nothing passive aggressive (or aggressive at all) about my statement. It was a joke. People just need to get over themselves, because I'll be damned if I'm going to censor myself so I don't inadvertently hurt someone's feelings while making a harmless joke. People can feel free to be offended, I don't mind. :)


    No one can censor you but what exactly is your point in coming into threads directed at vegans to make animal-eating jokes? It's funny because there is this reputation that vegans are going around pushing their "vegan-ness" on everyone else - I know some vegans that are like that but I found it is usually the other way around, I constantly have to defend my choices when I don't say a word about what others around me are eating. Even in MFP I rarely vegans going into bacon threads to talk about the abuse of animals in farming practices, yet in every vegan thread someone has to "make a joke" about eating animals. Newsflash (it shouldn't be): vegans don't find jokes about eating animals funny. And then you get offended because no one finds your jokes funny? What did you expect? But you probably already knew that was going to be the case, but as you said you don't care. And now the vegans get to look like the ones "without a sense of humour". Hmm maybe that's how the 'snobby vegan reputation' gets formed and perpetuated... Why don't you go hang out in a bacon thread? This thread isn't for you.
  • farfromthetree
    farfromthetree Posts: 982 Member
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    bump
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    OP I am very sorry that yet again a thread has degenerated into kindergarten. I sincerely wish people on both sides of an eating style disagreement would try to stay in the mature adult range of responses. 3 pages and two of them are people arguing over an egg mcmuffin.
  • internalrhyme
    internalrhyme Posts: 10 Member
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    to (nearly) everyone:

    no need to get into arguments regarding people posting their animal-product-heavy meals. i really couldn't give a damn less what other people eat, meat included. i don't care if they post things like that as it's inevitable.


    to those offering helpful links/idea and encouragement:

    thanks! i'll check them out. and to clarify, i'd had trouble meeting my calorie goals in that i've been coming in under for the most part. my macros yesterday were fairly close to right on, but i'll still be adjusting them.
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
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    to (nearly) everyone:

    no need to get into arguments regarding people posting their animal-product-heavy meals. i really couldn't give a damn less what other people eat, meat included. i don't care if they post things like that as it's inevitable.


    to those offering helpful links/idea and encouragement:

    thanks! i'll check them out. and to clarify, i'd had trouble meeting my calorie goals in that i've been coming in under for the most part. my macros yesterday were fairly close to right on, but i'll still be adjusting them.
    Whenever I'm under I eat a spoon full of almond butter or some kind of snack that is protein and healthy fat heavy.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I'm sorry....vegan AND low-carb? No wonder you're having trouble.

    No doubt!

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