New Vegan and Not Losing Weight
hellonikki123
Posts: 13 Member
If anyone here could give me some insight, I'd appreciate it. Over the past year I've been under a trendmous amount of stress. Between the stress, a decrease in exercise and poor eating habits, I've gain around 10 lbs. On January 1st (because I am totally cliche) I began tracking my food intake very diligently (I use a food scale for accuracy) and exercising. It's been almost 3 weeks and although, I feel great, I've lost no weight. I recently switched from vegetarian to vegan and my diet has been mostly plant based. Has anyone else had this experience? Any insight as to what I am doing wrong? Should I just be patient or do you think I need to make some kind of change?
Any help, advice or even support in the form of friends would help.
Any help, advice or even support in the form of friends would help.
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Although I am not vegetarian or vegan, I do have a few friends that are. I have one who switched because she thought she would lose alot of weight, but she has actually gained. The problem for her was that she was eating alot of starches (pasta, bread) and she would go overboard on the vegan cookies, sweets and treats.... That may not be your problem, but that's a suggestion!0
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I gained weight when I transitioned to a vegan diet. Give it time, logging accurately and consistently. You don't have a lot of weight to lose, it's going to take time.....
PS it's not the 'carbs' it's too many calories.0 -
Did you really think you were going to lose weight because you are vegan now? Honest question.0
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Laurend224 wrote: »
I love the fact that people who start eating "healthy food" think they that is going to make them lose weight automatically.
OP - You can gain on "healthy food" just like you can with what 99.9% of MFP call junk. Food is food.0 -
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Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, keto. Ect is a lifestyle choice, you lose fat by consuming less calories then you burn. Regardless of what those calories taste like.0
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I've been vegan for years and in that time I've been obese, overweight, healthy weight and overweight again! People seem to think vegans just eat grass or something, you can still have lots of high fat, calorie laden foods as a vegan. Going vegan in and of itself will not make anyone lose weight, as others have said, though there can be other health benefits. I'm not assuming that you, OP, just went vegan because you thought you might lose weight, I'm just saying some people do and it isn't the case, at all!
I think you are doing everything right, just give it time, and don't give up! If you are burning more than you're taking in you will lose weight. Also think about the other 'non scale victories' - eating well and moving more help you to feel more vibrant and energetic, de stress, improve your health, lower cholesterol and maybe take some measurements as well? I know in the past where I have incorporated a work out programme whilst also cutting calories, I found the numbers on the scale really slowed down compared to when I was just dieting alone ( in total I lost around 70lbs over two years or so), and sometimes even went up, but I felt smaller, fitter and stronger. It was very disheartening and confusing. Now I don't obsess so much about the numbers on the scales. After a very stressful year myself I also put on some weight (thankfully not all of it just a stone or so!) and restarted this whole weight loss thing on new years day too
I just want to fit comfortably into my (UK) size 8-10 stuff again, after working so hard to get there in the first place!! But maybe leave longer gaps between weighing yourself, also are you logging your exercise and eating back all the calories? Maybe don't eat back all of them, the app isn't amazingly accurate in terms of calorie burn. Hope that helps! 0 -
Did you really think you were going to lose weight because you are vegan now? Honest question.
My reason for becoming vegan actually has nothing to do with my weight. It was completely an ethical issue for me and something that's been weighing on my heart for a while. I've been a vegetarian (no meat, no fish) for 17 years. Reading Jonathan Saffron Foer's Eating Animals just gave me that final push. I guess I should have stated that upfront. I was actually wondering if this decision was making it harder to lose weight which is why I proposed the question.
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You're going to need to open your diary if you expect to get meaningful advice...0
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If you're maintaining and assuming you're tracking your calories accurately, then you're activity isn't set right and/or you aren't tracking your exercise calories correctly. the difference inbetween slowly losing, maintaining and slowly gaining is a real fine line. like as low as 100 calories a day.0
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Laurend224 wrote: »I gained weight when I transitioned to a vegan diet. Give it time, logging accurately and consistently. You don't have a lot of weight to lose, it's going to take time.....
PS it's not the 'carbs' it's too many calories.
Thanks!! And thank you for a kind response.
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ButterflyMyles wrote: »I've been vegan for years and in that time I've been obese, overweight, healthy weight and overweight again! People seem to think vegans just eat grass or something, you can still have lots of high fat, calorie laden foods as a vegan. Going vegan in and of itself will not make anyone lose weight, as others have said, though there can be other health benefits. I'm not assuming that you, OP, just went vegan because you thought you might lose weight, I'm just saying some people do and it isn't the case, at all!
I think you are doing everything right, just give it time, and don't give up! If you are burning more than you're taking in you will lose weight. Also think about the other 'non scale victories' - eating well and moving more help you to feel more vibrant and energetic, de stress, improve your health, lower cholesterol and maybe take some measurements as well? I know in the past where I have incorporated a work out programme whilst also cutting calories, I found the numbers on the scale really slowed down compared to when I was just dieting alone ( in total I lost around 70lbs over two years or so), and sometimes even went up, but I felt smaller, fitter and stronger. It was very disheartening and confusing. Now I don't obsess so much about the numbers on the scales. After a very stressful year myself I also put on some weight (thankfully not all of it just a stone or so!) and restarted this whole weight loss thing on new years day too I just want to fit comfortably into my (UK) size 8-10 stuff again, after working so hard to get there in the first place!! But maybe leave longer gaps between weighing yourself, also are you logging your exercise and eating back all the calories? Maybe don't eat back all of them, the app isn't amazingly accurate in terms of calorie burn. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your response. Congrats on losing 70lbs. I will try eating back less of my exercise calories. This might account for some of the slowness.
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hellonikki123 wrote: »ButterflyMyles wrote: »I've been vegan for years and in that time I've been obese, overweight, healthy weight and overweight again! People seem to think vegans just eat grass or something, you can still have lots of high fat, calorie laden foods as a vegan. Going vegan in and of itself will not make anyone lose weight, as others have said, though there can be other health benefits. I'm not assuming that you, OP, just went vegan because you thought you might lose weight, I'm just saying some people do and it isn't the case, at all!
I think you are doing everything right, just give it time, and don't give up! If you are burning more than you're taking in you will lose weight. Also think about the other 'non scale victories' - eating well and moving more help you to feel more vibrant and energetic, de stress, improve your health, lower cholesterol and maybe take some measurements as well? I know in the past where I have incorporated a work out programme whilst also cutting calories, I found the numbers on the scale really slowed down compared to when I was just dieting alone ( in total I lost around 70lbs over two years or so), and sometimes even went up, but I felt smaller, fitter and stronger. It was very disheartening and confusing. Now I don't obsess so much about the numbers on the scales. After a very stressful year myself I also put on some weight (thankfully not all of it just a stone or so!) and restarted this whole weight loss thing on new years day too I just want to fit comfortably into my (UK) size 8-10 stuff again, after working so hard to get there in the first place!! But maybe leave longer gaps between weighing yourself, also are you logging your exercise and eating back all the calories? Maybe don't eat back all of them, the app isn't amazingly accurate in terms of calorie burn. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your response. Congrats on losing 70lbs. I will try eating back less of my exercise calories. This might account for some of the slowness.
That might be accounting for all your slowness, especially if you're using MFP's exercise burns. They are notoriously iffy. I've heard so many warnings about them and exercise machines on the forums that I'm leery of eating back any of mine even though I know I should.
What sort of exercise do you do? Depending on the type, heart rate monitors can be a good indicator of calories burned.
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hellonikki123 wrote: »
Perfect ! The proof is in the pudding as they say. How much fat have you lost so far ?0 -
I feel like honestly any major change in diet can stall your weight loss, make you bloated, mess with what your digestive system is used to. This happened to my mother as well. She made a conscious effort to eat more fruits and veggies and cut back on junk food and it totally messed with her digestion and bloated her out. It went away eventually it was just a transitory period. I know it doesn't really help much but I thought it might be nice to hear its happened to other people too. You can feel free to add me if you like, it'd be nice to have a "new" vegan as a friend. My fiance and I are finishing up the last of the dairy in our house (we'd feel bad throwing away all that food) and have a D-date of February 1st when we're gonna make the transition!0
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I feel like honestly any major change in diet can stall your weight loss, make you bloated, mess with what your digestive system is used to. This happened to my mother as well. She made a conscious effort to eat more fruits and veggies and cut back on junk food and it totally messed with her digestion and bloated her out. It went away eventually it was just a transitory period. I know it doesn't really help much but I thought it might be nice to hear its happened to other people too. You can feel free to add me if you like, it'd be nice to have a "new" vegan as a friend. My fiance and I are finishing up the last of the dairy in our house (we'd feel bad throwing away all that food) and have a D-date of February 1st when we're gonna make the transition!
Thank you so much! Hearing that does actually help a lot! It gives me hope. 0 -
Fellow vegetarian here - but not quite vegan. This group might be interesting for you: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores0
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mamapeach910 wrote: »hellonikki123 wrote: »ButterflyMyles wrote: »I've been vegan for years and in that time I've been obese, overweight, healthy weight and overweight again! People seem to think vegans just eat grass or something, you can still have lots of high fat, calorie laden foods as a vegan. Going vegan in and of itself will not make anyone lose weight, as others have said, though there can be other health benefits. I'm not assuming that you, OP, just went vegan because you thought you might lose weight, I'm just saying some people do and it isn't the case, at all!
I think you are doing everything right, just give it time, and don't give up! If you are burning more than you're taking in you will lose weight. Also think about the other 'non scale victories' - eating well and moving more help you to feel more vibrant and energetic, de stress, improve your health, lower cholesterol and maybe take some measurements as well? I know in the past where I have incorporated a work out programme whilst also cutting calories, I found the numbers on the scale really slowed down compared to when I was just dieting alone ( in total I lost around 70lbs over two years or so), and sometimes even went up, but I felt smaller, fitter and stronger. It was very disheartening and confusing. Now I don't obsess so much about the numbers on the scales. After a very stressful year myself I also put on some weight (thankfully not all of it just a stone or so!) and restarted this whole weight loss thing on new years day too I just want to fit comfortably into my (UK) size 8-10 stuff again, after working so hard to get there in the first place!! But maybe leave longer gaps between weighing yourself, also are you logging your exercise and eating back all the calories? Maybe don't eat back all of them, the app isn't amazingly accurate in terms of calorie burn. Hope that helps!
Thanks for your response. Congrats on losing 70lbs. I will try eating back less of my exercise calories. This might account for some of the slowness.
That might be accounting for all your slowness, especially if you're using MFP's exercise burns. They are notoriously iffy. I've heard so many warnings about them and exercise machines on the forums that I'm leery of eating back any of mine even though I know I should.
What sort of exercise do you do? Depending on the type, heart rate monitors can be a good indicator of calories burned.
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My exercise routine is very mellow. I take a 20-25 minutes walk at work most days for fresh air and do an 1-1 1/2 hike every Sunday with my best friend. Otherwise it varies from yoga (which barely burns any calories but I love) to Zumba (which Id guess has inflated numbers on here) to doing the elliptical and exercise bike at the gym (not sure how accurate that is). I do rely on the exercise machine at the gym for calories and thought that was accurate.... Maybe that's a mistake? Opps. Thanks for your input. Maybe I need a heart rate monitor.0
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Your ticker shows you only want to lose 15 lb. This is going to go VERY slowly. Like if you manage 0.5 lb per week it's a HUGE victory. 1 lb a month would be a reasonable expectation.hellonikki123 wrote:It's been almost 3 weeks and although, I feel great, I've lost no weight. I recently switched from vegetarian to vegan and my diet has been mostly plant based. ... Any insight as to what I am doing wrong? Should I just be patient or do you think I need to make some kind of change?
I started with 110 lb to lose, and while there are weeks I've lost 5 lb, and weeks that I've completely stalled, over the last year I've averaged 1.5 lb per week. If I can lose the last 35 in 2015, I'll be happy. Heck, if I'm down to only 10 to lose in 2016 I'll be OK with it.
Basically, what you're doing wrong is 2 things:
- being impatient
- eating as much as you're burning (You mentioned that you eat your exercise calories; stop that, completely. Ignore exercise calories, unless you're doing really really high levels of exercise, then you might want to eat part of them.)
Being vegan or vegetarian is no guarantee of being healthy (either internally or in weight). I have a friend who's vegetarian and she's probably at least 150 lb overweight. Sad thing is, her girls are already fat too.
ETA: take measurements too; if you're exercising, especially weightlifting, you could be losing inches (or in your case, fractions of an inch) because you're losing fat but getting some gain in muscle. Some of the times I've been stalled for several weeks I've been extremely frustrated, until I did my measurements (every 2 weeks) and found that I was smaller.
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Another possibility is that you might be gaining muscle as you're losing fat. Thus, the scale might be staying the same as you get more fit. Try tracking measurements instead of pounds. Go by how your clothes fit.0
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You could be losing inches around your body instead of actual "pounds". Also, if you eat your exercise calories you will simply maintain your current weight. Calories in and calories out will always be the key to losing weight. That being said, 500 calories of fruits, veggies and whole grains are a lot more nutritious and filling than 500 calories of fast or processed food. Therefore, staying within a calorie limitation can be a lot easier without feeling "starved".
My husband and I have been vegan for about 7 months now. We limit the extra "fats" in our diet, even "healthy" fats like olive oil, coconut oil etc.. Fat is fat. We don't need that much. I try to maintain a goal of less than 10% fat in my day.
I had a baby 12 months ago, so my weight loss numbers are high cause I lost extra "baby" weight. Anyway, in 7 months I have lost 30lbs, 6 inches off my waist and hips. My husband lost 35lbs and he didn't exercise at all. We stay away from processed foods and like I said limited oil. I actually don't even cook with oil at all. I was never "fat" and either was my husband. I'm 28yr old, 5'5" and 145lbs currently. My husband is 32yrs old, 6'0" and 200lbs.
If you are looking for more information on healthy plant based diet there is a documentary called "Forks over Knives" and a book called "Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease" "The China Study" great information!
My husband and I no longer "live to eat", we "eat to live."0 -
CEGrant501 wrote: »Another possibility is that you might be gaining muscle as you're losing fat. Thus, the scale might be staying the same as you get more fit. Try tracking measurements instead of pounds. Go by how your clothes fit.
Nope.0 -
Keep on logging. Sometimes I'd lose nothing for a few weeks, then Bam, down 2 lbs. Its called a "whoosh".0
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Laurend224 wrote: »I gained weight when I transitioned to a vegan diet. Give it time, logging accurately and consistently. You don't have a lot of weight to lose, it's going to take time.....
PS it's not the 'carbs' it's too many calories.
CARBS 4 LIFE. Dont fear carbs OP, they rock.
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