Going vegan!!!

So, I've been dieting and exercising consistently for almost 2 months now. I read a book yesterday about getting more greens and fruits in your diet. After doing a little bit of research, I decided that I wanted to go vegan, at least to try it out.

I'd like to use this post for everybody to share their vegan recipes! Also, how much can you eat in a day with a mostly raw vegan diet? And what about carbs? Do they even matter? A lot of sites say no.

Thank you guys and I hope this thread helps other newbies like me!!! :D

Replies

  • veggiebound
    veggiebound Posts: 78 Member
    Join a popular Facebook group to swap tips and get support etc. I also find Pinterest really helpful for recipes.
  • DisneyDude85
    DisneyDude85 Posts: 428 Member
    Can I have whatever meat you have leftover in the fridge?
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Speaking as a long time vegan, much of the stuff you read on the internet regarding a vegan diet is simply not true in regards to weight loss.

    No matter your way of eating, you cannot consume more than your TDEE in a day (consistently) and lose weight. The quantity and quality of foods will of course have a nutritional impact on your body, but no matter the source of food, if you consume more than your TDEE, you will gain weight, equal to your TDEE and you will maintain, less than your TDEE and you will lose. Being vegan or raw vegan doesn't change that.

    Carbs aren't bad, being vegan you will most likely increase your carb intake by quite a lot. But, barring some medical condition where watching carbs becomes important, it's overall calories in that matters in the long run for any type of weight loss... how you achieve less calories in is, of course, up to you... lots of veggies can lead to an overall lower calorie intake which is why veganism is becoming "popular" for weight loss... but there's nothing magical there that's causing this. So... eat all the carbs you want... as long as you stay under your TDEE, you'll lose.

    You might also look into the groups. There's a few fairly active plant based dieter groups on MFP. This one is the most active that I have found.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores

    Good luck on your journey.
  • Dana_E
    Dana_E Posts: 158 Member
    The Happy Herbivore MFP group has a pinned thread for recipes. I get a lot of meal ideas from the web, and I can't say enough about Lindsay Nixon's cookbooks. As for my experience, my macros are around 80/10/10, definitely carb heavy, but I've been losing 2lbs a week steadily since the beginning of February eating 1800-2000 calories per day (nursing mom). My blood work is fantastic since I made the switch to WFPB diet. I had insulin resistance and pre diabetes last fall, and now my insulin is really low, my fasting glucose is in the 70s, and my A1C is now well within normal range, even with a high carb diet, so I wouldn't worry about the carbs, as long as they're whole. Lots of beans, whole grains, veggies, some fruit, nuts & seeds, minimal sweeteners (dates, maple syrup, coconut sugar), almost no oil. My diary is open.
  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
    So, I've been dieting and exercising consistently for almost 2 months now. I read a book yesterday about getting more greens and fruits in your diet. After doing a little bit of research, I decided that I wanted to go vegan, at least to try it out.

    I'd like to use this post for everybody to share their vegan recipes! Also, how much can you eat in a day with a mostly raw vegan diet? And what about carbs? Do they even matter? A lot of sites say no.

    Thank you guys and I hope this thread helps other newbies like me!!! :D

    If you're trying to lose weight than you need to eat at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals. If you're trying to maintain then you need to eat at your maintenance level calories. Weight has nothing to do with what kinds of foods you eat, it has to do with how many calories you're consuming.