Vegetarian with carb issues....

visforveggies
visforveggies Posts: 4 Member
edited March 6 in Getting Started
Hi, I'm posting because I'm a little confused about my weight these days.
So, I am 5'5" was 2 years ago or less 128 lbs, and then I got into a pretty toxic relationship which lead me to stop caring about my health and shot me up to 153. (I was loading up on pastas, dairy, and breads)
Before him (2 years ago) I didn't diet... I was vegan... and I was pretty happy with my weight in the higher 120's and I still ate pasta and bread more than a couple of times a week.
After breaking up, I managed to lose about 6-7 pounds so I knew my problem was emotional eating, but I had 1) never let myself go like this before and 2) found it much more difficult to shed pounds than in previous years. That being said 6 months later I gained all the weight back after a vacation, like 7 lbs.....

I am a vegetarian and on the border of vegan as I don't eat eggs and try to avoid dairy as much as I can, but I do love cheese and will give in sometimes.

As a result of this, I have a hard time getting enough protein in my diet, and I take supplements to provide my body the nutrients I'm missing out on.

Now, I am starting to feel back to my normal routine of eating the way I used to when I was in a good place weight-wise but things have changed.

I am eating under 1200 calories a day, and I don't feel like I am starving at all... I'm comfortable with my portions and often times I actually forget to eat. That being said, I am not seeing significant weight loss and I'm wondering how this is possible?
I also run 5k 2-3 times a week...

Am I doing something wrong?

I want to do this calorie counting thing right, but if I ate 1200 calories a day I would feel too full and I don't even know what I would eat to get that high unless it was carbs!

Help! :blush:

Replies

  • Runcakes
    Runcakes Posts: 92 Member
    If anything to me it sounds like you need to eat more, eating under 1200 calories a day is too low and can lower your metabolism because your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto whatever fat is has stored for energy. Also, it's great that you're running 5k 2-3 times a week but I would add a couple more exercise days (not necessarily running) into your routine.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    You likely do need to eat more, along with logging and eating back exercise calories (all of them initially, then lower how much of them you eat if you notice that you're not losing ~3-4lbs a month) and properly weighing or at least measuring food. Weighing is most accurate. Exercise is not important for weight loss.

    health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
    exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    Exclude exercise if you want to log and eat exercise cals back (good option if you are new to exercise and still not sure of your routine, or if you like variability/flexibility with exercise), include it if you want to eat a consistent amount every day. Subtract 15% and set that as your custom goal, monitor for a month or two and lower cals if needed. This should get you ~3lbs a month lost. Average out your week - if you walk like 5 hours on Saturday and 3 on Sunday, but only 1 hour on weekdays, then that's 1.9 hours or about 1:50hrs for an average day. Same procedure for the rest.
  • visforveggies
    visforveggies Posts: 4 Member
    Thank you that is awesome information guys! I figured I would probably need to try and eat more... it's hard! What you're saying makes sense though..when I can put it in numbers it helps me to understand how it works better... the links are also super helpful so thank you! I will see how it goes with this information in mind.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    I agree that you should be eating more, not because of "starvation mode" (because it doesn't exist), but because you need a certain number of calories and nutrients for your body to function optimally. Hunger isn't the best way to gauge whether or not you're getting adequate nutrition. Think of it this way -- your car needs a certain amount of gas to drive 10 miles. Your gas gauge can be broken and always point to "Full," but your car still needs you to put gas in it for it to run.

    How long have you been eating at your current intake? It can take 4-6 weeks to see a loss, so just be patient.

    If you don't want to add more carbs or high-volume veggies to your meals, try adding some fats. Nut butters, olive or coconut oil, and avocado are all good ways to get in some extra calories without feeling like you're adding a ton of volume.
  • visforveggies
    visforveggies Posts: 4 Member
    @AliceDark ... I have been eating at this low since school started (so i guess two weeks?) when I get busy with things I often don't make eating a priority. I try to avoid carbs like bread and pasta altogether even if it's gluten free or whole wheat or made out of corn or something magical it's still a lot of carbs, and I feel that when I eat until I'm full it's not necessary for my body ... it can even make me feel tired and unproductive. I was thinking maybe I am not getting enough water or it could be water retention?
    Is it an age thing?
    I think this will be a matter of patience and sticking to healthy choices, but I feel like I'm not budging and I'm hardly eating so I thought what's wrong? Any nut butters you prefer/recommend and what would you usually eat them with?
    Thank you!!
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    avoiding carbs won't help you lose weight - eating less calories than you burn will.

    veggie proteins include tofu (a complete protein), and there are lots of tasty foods made from this. i also like tempeh a lot, as it's easy to cook - i microwave it with a tablespoon of galeo's ginger wasabe and throw it on a slice of bread with mustard, and it's yummy. lentils have a decent amount of protein, and beans and quinoa have lower amounts of protein, but still enough to consider.

    avocado is my favorite healthy fat, as not only can you make guacamole, but you can use it as a spread on a sandwich.

    chances are if you don't weight and measure all your food, you're eating more than you think. that's been true of almost everyone i've known who didn't know why they weren't losing weight - including me.
  • Runcakes
    Runcakes Posts: 92 Member
    Yes nut butters are great source of healthy fats and high in calories! Peanut/Almond butters are my favourite and I usually make my own. I usually eat mine with apples or bananas...that way I get in a serving of fruit too.

    And just to clarify, when I mentioned starvation mode I was referring to the decrease in metabolism that occurs when you are not consuming enough calories to properly fuel metabolic processes and normal bodily functions. So yes, it does exist.
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