Just joined -- I'm a vegan

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BRFMcKay
BRFMcKay Posts: 80 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello! I just joined this because I noticed my vegan diet isn't helping me lose weight! I didn't go vegan for that reason (if you want to know why, message me. I'm on year 2 of this lifestyle.)

But I noticed a significant weight gain this past winter, when I slipped into a minor depression. I want to lose weight now, and need to watch my calorie intake. It is so easy for me to slip into bad habits. I work nights, so I am always hungry at night, especially right before bed.

I don't know if my birth control is hampering my weightloss but I need to get rid of this extra poundage!

Thanks. :flowerforyou:

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  • jjcichon
    jjcichon Posts: 3
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    It is because the lipid hypothesis is a bunch of crap and a lot of vegans I know are filling in their caloric gap with large amounts of carbohydrates. Pasta, oatmeal, bread, it all adds up to carbs which is just a sugar. It spikes your blood sugar and your insulin stores it as fat. Heart disease can be just as high in vegans and vegetarians as it is in the general populace. But when your blood sugar spikes and stays that way for long periods of time, depression settles in.

    I'm not sure of the exact answer for vegans because I'm not completely familiar with the diet. This may sound counter-intuitive but lower your carb intake to around 200 and increase your protein and fat intake to around 100. Peanut butter, beans, spinach, and any other dark leafy vegetable will get you quite a bit of protein (and you will get some good fat from the peanut butter). Avocados are always good. From what I understand, quinoa is high in a complete protein and low in carbs which is very rare in the vegan diet for a "grain".

    Beyond that, I'm not sure. The body isn't really meant to be vegan. Not judging. Just saying it will be quite a challenge. But cut down on the soy. You may as well just be drinking HFCS because the body treats them about the same. Whole wheat cereal and soy milk combined has a glycemic index about 20 points higher than a can of coca cola (out of a possible 100).
  • jjcichon
    jjcichon Posts: 3
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    Oh, and there are no conclusive studies that show birth control having any direct relation to weight gain. From best I can tell, it is because the woman starts being able to have more hassle and stress free sex and ends up putting on happy weight AKA relationship fat.
  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
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    i am an ovo lacto veg. vegans, vegetarians, omnivores whatever can all eat unhealthy and can all be overweight if they dont eat the correct healthy foods, or if they eat too much. Its all about calories. And i dont think bcp's themselves cause weight gain, but may make it harder to lose weight. estrogen makes our bodies hold onto fat. being vegan i bet you eat alot of soy, and soy is high in phytoestrogens which also hold onto fat. Doesnt MAKE you gain, but makes it harder to lose. There is nothing wrong with eating carbs, but you need to also be eating lots of fresh veg and beans/legumes/nuts. just remember carb rich foods usually have more calories per volume. But most breads and pastas have egg in them. I dont know what you eat but re-examine your foods and adjust to less processed, more fresh foods.

    a lot of people gain weight over the holidays, we do tend to eat more and workout less since its colder. I also work nights and I make sure to pack my own food to last me the night. It usually consists of a piece of fruit for a snack (apple, pear, banana), a greek yogurt (for protein), then my actual lunch which varies from kashi to amy's or something organic and vegan/veg friendly..although at times I eat lean cuisine,smart ones or healthy choice type meals. I make sure too that i drink lots of water throughout the night. the point is, to pack your own lunch. this will help with planning your meals and calories for the day.

    I also hit the gym after work in the morning. I am not trying to lose weight, but instead increase muscle mass, so i eat calories. I eat breakfast right after work, usually a small amount of oat meal and toast. then when i get back from the gym i pound down whey isolate protein shake. then i go to bed.

    hope this helps.
  • BRFMcKay
    BRFMcKay Posts: 80 Member
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    Thank you.
    I enjoy being vegan, and I try to get a lot of my daily nutrients in. I do love carbs, but I loved carbs WAYYY before I became vegan. I definitely don't use it as a substitute to healthy eating, and usually eat a ton of vegetables that most people won't touch.

    Thanks for the soy tip, xraychick! I never realized it was HARDER to lose the weight. And I am on birth control, so maybe I have a lot of estrogen in my body.

    And yea, I got depressed (anxiety issues tied into my IBS) and now I am resurfacing. I just noticed that every time I tried to work out hard, I never lost weight! But now I am taking a closer look at my diet IN COMBO with lots of exercise. Thanks, xraychick.

    and jjcichon, as humans, we have a choice. We weren't born to be carnivores, or we would eat out meat raw, straight off an animal. Also, there wouldn't be so many other natural places to get protein and all our vitamins if we were supposed to be purely carnivores in this world. Google "vegan myths song" and listen to it, because that helps explain things.
  • LuvLeigh42
    LuvLeigh42 Posts: 47 Member
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    HI and Welcome..I wish I had the dicipline to be a vegan..that's def an accomplishment. If you would like to add me as a friend since u r new ur welcome to:flowerforyou:
  • jjcichon
    jjcichon Posts: 3
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    You can CHOOSE to be whatever you want. The problem is that evolution of the body doesn't just magically comply one day because someone says so. An overwhelming majority of human existence has been as a hunter and gatherer people. They ate meat and whatever they could scrounge up. When humans created agriculture, it affected the body by making people shorter, less hearty, with bad teeth and smaller bone density. Agriculture is mostly carb subsistence (grains, root vegetables, anything to fill the stomach). This is a pretty well known anthropological fact.

    Like I said, I could care less if someone chooses to be vegan. It just adds to a challenge against the human evolutionary trend.

    Though, I'm really not sure what the theory is behind "eating meat raw". I'm pretty sure mankind figured out how to cook it as a partial means of preservation. Raw meat has a short shelf life because of bacteria, worms, and parasites. But most of that can be cooked out which means man wouldn't have to hunt as often. Hunting with spears against much larger game was very dangerous so it was a method of self-preservation. It has nothing to do with just being a "carnivore". Mankind eats vegetables as well because, unlike pure carnivores, we can't synthesize every vitamin and nutrient we need. Evolutionary-speaking, humans existed as omnivores; not carnivores.

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