Yoga and Vegan Eating

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alexianicoles
alexianicoles Posts: 5 Member
edited January 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

So I have been working out/eating healthy for almost two years now. I have been running, strength training, and doing yoga. I have also been vegan for a little over a year. I'm not sure how accurate this is, but I took a test a few weeks ago and it said I have 24% body fat. I am trying to lower that number. I generally eat pretty healthy on a vegan diet, but I think my main problem is overeating and portion control. I don't want to stop eating whole grains such as pasta, bread, brown rice, etc. all together because I would have 0 energy and it would also cause me to be even more hungry which would make it more likely that I'd binge. I also made the decision a few days ago that I am going to stop running and strength training for a while and focus on yoga as my workout for 6 days a week. I am doing hot vinyasa flow yoga for an hour daily. I did a lot of research on it and I believe if I eat healthy and continue yoga, my body can still be sculpted and weight can still be lost without running. I am just looking for some tips for weight loss and tips for eating and how to control my portions with whole grains so that it doesn't interfere with my weight loss.

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  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
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    How much protein are you eating daily? That's going to be a huge factor. Also, don't give up weight training since that's going to help retain your muscle more than yoga will.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I lost over 40 pounds as a vegan -- most of that I had gained through poor portion control.

    I still ate pasta, bread, and rice when I was losing weight. I just made sure that I was accurately measuring and logging my portions. A food scale was a huge help with this. For things like pasta and rice, I bulked up my meals with lots of vegetables and some higher-protein foods (usually beans, tofu, tempeh, or seitan). I also began accurately measuring my sauces -- I tended to prefer sweeter or higher calorie sauces (like teriyaki or tahini) that were higher calorie. I still eat these, just in smaller portions. As I continued with my weight loss, I personally found that these foods that had been staples for me didn't seem to be as "worth it" as they were before. I eat them a lot less now. This may just have been a personal shift.

    Another thing that helped me was adding more soups to my diet. Rice and pasta go a long way in a big bowl of soup. As long as you're mindful of the ingredients, soup can be a huge volume of food for a reasonable amount of calories.

    For your weight loss, it's just going to come down to the calories you consume versus what you're burning. Running is a good way to burn some calories, but it certainly isn't essential for weight loss.

  • kristenveganvixen
    kristenveganvixen Posts: 87 Member
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    24% is actually well within the healthy range for body fat percentage in females- if you have seen lower body fat percentage charts, those are for males.

    It's great that you've found a form of exercise you enjoy in yoga, that's the most important thing! Running probably causes a greater calorie burn but it's far better to do something you enjoy :)

    For portion control I just use a digital scale to weigh out the recommended amounts of things. HTH x
  • alexianicoles
    alexianicoles Posts: 5 Member
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    @galgenstrick not enough... That's why I'm using my fitness pal, so I can be sure to meet all my nutrient needs because I haven't been. I'm most likely going to continue weight training because I do enjoy that workout, but I am also looking to get longer, leaner muscles with yoga.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Eat at a moderate deficit by accurately & honestly logging your calories in. Input your stats here, with a goal to lose .5 or 1 pound per week. But the accuracy & honesty of tracking your calories consumed will determine whether or not you lose weight.
  • doittoitgirl
    doittoitgirl Posts: 157 Member
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    Do you eat more on running days and less on rest days? This may help if you feel you are fatigued on your heavy exercise days and you don't have to give up your workouts.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    edited January 2017
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    tapwaters wrote: »
    Hi there :) I have been a vegan for over a decade now and I have lost 118lbs over the last year and a half.

    1. What test was it that told you this bf%?
    2. Are you happy with where you are, or is it this number that makes you want to change?
    3. How much and what are you eating?
    4. I disagree with the above post that this is related to the protein you eat daily, as vegans have zero problems with protein, but it might be related to your overall vitamin/nutrients, or lack of eating enough.

    I have an open diary for friends, and I would be happy to help you out via PM's if you would like to either take a look at an open vegan diary from a long-term vegan, or if you want someone who has been through losing and veganism successfully. Jane, above, is also fantastic.

    Please elaborate on "vegans have zero problems with protein." I see a lot of vegans on these boards struggle to get enough protein. My vegan friends in real life make a point of having higher-protein plant-based foods such as legumes the backbone of their diet. Online, what I see is people stop eating meat and dairy, and either not thinking about protein at all or thinking they can get adequate protein from nuts (while not overconsuming nuts and so losing weight.)
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
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    Weight training will definitely help with getting more the look you're going for. As for the rest, get enough protein....yup.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    Yoga doesn't give you long lean muscles, that's a myth. Genetics mostly dictates muscle shape and contact points to the skeletal system.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    tapwaters wrote: »
    Hi there :) I have been a vegan for over a decade now and I have lost 118lbs over the last year and a half.

    1. What test was it that told you this bf%?
    2. Are you happy with where you are, or is it this number that makes you want to change?
    3. How much and what are you eating?
    4. I disagree with the above post that this is related to the protein you eat daily, as vegans have zero problems with protein, but it might be related to your overall vitamin/nutrients, or lack of eating enough.

    I have an open diary for friends, and I would be happy to help you out via PM's if you would like to either take a look at an open vegan diary from a long-term vegan, or if you want someone who has been through losing and veganism successfully. Jane, above, is also fantastic.

    Please elaborate on "vegans have zero problems with protein." I see a lot of vegans on these boards struggle to get enough protein. My vegan friends in real life make a point of having higher-protein plant-based foods such as legumes the backbone of their diet. Online, what I see is people stop eating meat and dairy, and either not thinking about protein at all or thinking they can get adequate protein from nuts (while not overconsuming nuts and so losing weight.)

    What you're seeing is anecdotal evidence of people self diagnosing, self reporting, and a disproportional number of people with whatever problem compared to the wider population who, in the first world, no matter what dietary preferences, rarely have a problem with protein.

    Virtually no peer reviewed study finds vegans have greater protein deficiency than other dietary preferences. Though vegan protein intake may be lower, lower does not mean deficient, and failing to meet a macro every day does not mean deficient. Deficiency is a medical situation which can only be conclusively found via blood tests and an actual diagnosis.

    That said, vegans may have problems with B12, calcium, and D if they don't pay attention.

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