30 Day Vegan Challenge - Feeling Rubbish :-(

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Nakeshia88
Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm taking part in a 30-day vegan challenge (Vegan Easy), primarily because it's something I've always wanted to try, and too see if a vegan diet makes me feel any different. Well, I certainly feel different - I'm currently on day 6 and for the last couple of days I've been feeling awful! I'm bloated, cramped, seem to be retaining fluid and lacking energy. Despite being conscious to include plenty of fibre and protein in my diet, and drink lots of water, I still feel rubbish.

For the first 3 days I felt great. I had more energy than normal, my stomach was flatter and I just felt lighter. Now, it's the opposite! Has anyone else had similar experiences when starting a vegan diet? Please feel free to review my diary and give me any tips/advice you think I need! I'm fairly terrible at logging consistently these days so just ask about any gaps.

FYI - I'm taking a multi-vitamin, magnesium, a probiotic and Mintec to help with the digestive issues I'm having (blaming that on beans and my IBS).

Replies

  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
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    Yep! Been there, done that! It's a bad diet, period! Try paleo. The way we were MEANT to eat!
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Your diary is only open to friends.

    Most of the issues experienced by newer vegans fall into these categories: not enough overall calories, not enough overall fat, not enough overall protein, increasing fiber intake too quickly, side effects from cutting other things unrelated to veganism (example: eliminating caffeine). Could one of these be the issue? I looked at the meal plan you're following (I hadn't heard of it before) and it looks like it might be kinda low in calories (depending on your portion sizes).
  • withoutasaddle
    withoutasaddle Posts: 191 Member
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    If this is a drastic diet change for you, it should not be a surprise that there are some side effects. Happens with caffeine, happens with carbs, happens with cutting almost anything from your diet, and veganism is a big change too. That's how it usually works- a high, then a low. It seems to usually last about 1-2 weeks for others with changing diets in my experience. I wouldn't worry too much yet
  • esmesqualor
    esmesqualor Posts: 85 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Your diary is only open to friends.

    Most of the issues experienced by newer vegans fall into these categories: not enough overall calories, not enough overall fat, not enough overall protein, increasing fiber intake too quickly, side effects from cutting other things unrelated to veganism (example: eliminating caffeine). Could one of these be the issue? I looked at the meal plan you're following (I hadn't heard of it before) and it looks like it might be kinda low in calories (depending on your portion sizes).

    I agree with this- could be multitude of changes all at once. Increasing fiber and reducing fat can make you very bloated and gassy (and sometimes constipated), especially if you really increased your insoluble fiber (the skin on the beans, the skin on many veggies). Make sure you are getting healthy fat (avocado, olive oil, seeds and nuts), but not too many nuts as they can cause gastric upset if you eat too many, and eat lots of easy to digest veggies (leafy greens/salads, sweet potatoes). Good Luck! I eat this way about one week out of the month and it makes me feel pretty great!
  • Nakeshia88
    Nakeshia88 Posts: 119 Member
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    Thanks all, made my diary public :-)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Nakeshia88 wrote: »
    Thanks all, made my diary public :-)

    Your calories look a little lowish (although not sure what you were eating before), but it also looks like your diet is pretty high in fiber. Were you eating a lot of fiber before? Many, many people report that increasing fiber a lot makes them feel terrible -- bloating and cramping are common complaints. As your body gets used to having more fiber, these symptoms go away. You can either wait and see if that happens or you can reduce your fiber and see if that helps you feel better. It sounds contradictory, I know, because fiber IS so good for us. It's just when we change quickly, it can throw our digestion into a tizzy. That you have IBS is a factor to consider too. I don't have it, but my mom does -- and she is a vegan -- and she has noticed that lots of fiber can irritate her symptoms sometimes.

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