Gaining weight as a VEGETARIAN (or vegan)
piffster12
Posts: 9 Member
Hey y'all I'm new to myfitnesspal and I've been a vegetarian for 6 months due to health reasons. I have been underweight for a while (even before I was vegetarian). I am currently looking for tips on how to gain weight as a vegetarian. Are there any other vegetarians or vegans out there gaining or trying to gain weight while being vegetarian or vegan? Any meal ideas? Any tips would be much appreciated!
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Replies
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Nut butters, protein (I like Vega), tempeh, huge veggie stir fries, cashew yogurt, sweet potatoes. There are so many great vegan options out there now. Best of luck to you!4
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Some ppl are bad vegetarians and eat wrong. They're already limited so it's hard.
You might have to rethink the vegetarian thing.8 -
I’m vegetarian and could easily gain weight if I tried. Eggs, full fat dairy, beans, avocado, tempeh, oils, nut butter, and of course, more vegetables.3
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MostlyWater wrote: »Some ppl are bad vegetarians and eat wrong. They're already limited so it's hard.
You might have to rethink the vegetarian thing.
Hmmmm, Im not 100% sure about that. I do feel healthier it's just about finding balance for me. Thanks tho!4 -
tuckahoe88 wrote: »Nut butters, protein (I like Vega), tempeh, huge veggie stir fries, cashew yogurt, sweet potatoes. There are so many great vegan options out there now. Best of luck to you!
Cashew yogurt...I've never heard of it but I'll look it up! I generally eat soy yogurt. Thanks for the tips1 -
I’m vegetarian and could easily gain weight if I tried. Eggs, full fat dairy, beans, avocado, tempeh, oils, nut butter, and of course, more vegetables.
Thanks for the tips. I will def try and add more beans and butters. I'm lactose intolerant so I generally stick to dairy alternatives.0 -
I'm not a vegetarian, but adding calorie dense options to get your cals up like nuts, nut butters, granola, seeds, oils, avocado, coconut milk is amazing (you can add to stir fries, noodle dishes, soups, curries etc), legumes, beans, potatoes, pasta, noodles, breads, rice, fruit (especially bananas, pineapples, mango, dried fruit), juices, chips etc.2
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piffster12 wrote: »
Cashew yogurt...I've never heard of it but I'll look it up! I generally eat soy yogurt. Thanks for the tips
You're very welcome! I'm a (very) long time vegetarian, mostly vegan and I find it quite easy to gain, to lose, and for the past couple of years, to maintain
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I use a Vegan protein shake to get extra calories. It tastes so good. I have to be dairy free primarily but it’s called ‘weirder vegan protein’. I’ve used the chocolate brownie flavor. Don’t like it mixed with water but with milk substitute it’s lovely0
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Quinoa and tofu/tempeh - protein, filling good fats! Lots of veggies of all kinds - stir-frys and soups are the easiest- one pot. (Also have an instant pot which makes cooking seitan, squashes, potatoes, beans, etc soooo much easier). Been veggie for thirty years - it's not hard to gain for sure. Especially with so much available and so much info these days! I do supplement a protein powder a few times a week to easily up the intake without lots of extra food and calories. You can do this - no problem! 1
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I've gained, lost and maintained as a vegetarian. (I'm ovo/lacto, so I eat eggs and dairy). The primary principle of weight gain -- intake more than you expend, and it's easier to do that when you incorporate high-calorie foods that aren't filling -- is the same no matter what you eat. Look for foods that are higher in fat -- avocado, nuts/nut butters, olives/olive oil and grains like rice or quinoa are all vegan. Dried fruit is good, as are roasted vegetables with oil.2
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I eat meat probably twice a week now (and I'm gluten and dairy free). I'd describe myself more as Flexitarian more than Vegan. With not eating gluten, it's probably just as tough with what I do as Vegan.
I only went this way because my wife had Chronic pain. I strongly believe that Vegan (if done right with supplementation) is the best way to eat with her condition, so it made sense for me to do it with her (and I do the cooking at home).
I also train pretty hard, so I was concerned (not for her) for me going more WFPB (whole food, plant based). It hasn't been an issue. Like others have said, if you eat cleaner (not loading up on empty carbs but more on fresh veggies), it's a great way to live. I also use nut butters and Vegan Protein powder to supplement. I have not lost weight or muscle mass since going more plant based and I feel healthier too. I have more energy and less inflammation.0 -
Textured vegetable protein is a go to at our house. Lots of protein, 150 calories for half a cup dry. Hummus, beans, nut butters, coconut cream... yum.
We're so limited lol2 -
It's fairly easy to gain weight as a vegetarian, eat lots of carbs, though it won't be healthy for long term.4
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As a vegan you have a better advantage to gain quality muscle over the vegetarians and animal flesh eaters because plant base protein is utilized so much more efficiently than animal protein. And everybody says muscle weighs more than fat, but that's just based on density. In actuality a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. They are both a pound. Though it's easier to gain that pound in fat, I don't think that's the weight your looking to gain. Definitely go with quality muscle weight obviously for the health benefits. Here is my secret weapon for a high quality protein source. It called Juice Plus Complete protein and it is by far the best available on the market. Mix with Silk protein nut milk for extra protein and richness
42 years old
6' tall
201 lbs
And Vegan AF
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Juice Plus Protein has tons of sugar (though natural) and Xanthan Gum. If I want to fart for days, I'd use it. I prefer SunWarrior much better. It's much cheaper and has cleaner ingredients. Juice Plus also has Soy Protein. Others I prefer (over JP) are many. RawFusion is another good one. I have to avoid Xanthan Gum at all costs and my wife also reacts terribly to it. Many of the JP products also have inferior vitamins in them (just my opinion but it's also typical of MLM -- multi level marketing products). I'd rather use one sweetened only by Organic Stevia personally.
I like that SunWarrior has "Warrior Blend", without grains (or soy) and if you're OK with grains, they use Sprouted, Fermented grains (far superior in terms of digestion) in their Classic Plus variety.1 -
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Been a vegetarian for over 10 years. I can attest that you definitely can gain, loose and maintain on this diet. The thing to be careful of is what foods you use to do so. In college I ate vegetarian, but crappy food (think cheese pizza, sugar cereal, etc etc). I first lost and then gained weight and didn't feel well throughout all of it. Now i eat vegetarian by focusing on good quality food. You can of course incorporate some treats, especially if you are gaining, but still best to eat the good stuff. I have maintained for 5 years, and now am looking to loose a bit, and find all of this very easy on a vegetarian diet. Good luck to you!3
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piffster12 wrote: »Hey y'all I'm new to myfitnesspal and I've been a vegetarian for 6 months due to health reasons. I have been underweight for a while (even before I was vegetarian). I am currently looking for tips on how to gain weight as a vegetarian. Are there any other vegetarians or vegans out there gaining or trying to gain weight while being vegetarian or vegan? Any meal ideas? Any tips would be much appreciated!
The key is to cook. No one can fuel your body like you. All those foods people already mentioned are good. And just like herbivores in the wild, you have to eat A LOT of what you do eat. As in, there always needs to be something in your face, because plant based foods don't typically have a lot of calories. Pretty much all legumes & starchy vegetables are highest in calories. Nuts, peanut butter are good. And aim to eat at least 6 times a day because you have to eat a lot and it can be overwhelming. Don't go more than 2-3 hours without a snack.
I noticed someone recommended protein powder but if your anything like me that stuff is atrocious and hard to get down so
What really helps me is to make a high calorie fruit smoothie with almonds or nuts in general, peanut butter, avacodo, flaxseeds, and of course berries and banana. Use juice as the liquid. I don't have a big appetite so this tricked my mind into thinking it wasn't that much. It's a good 1000 calories alone if you do it right. Of course you adjust to how many calories you want.
Most importantly, try to consume only wholesome & high quality food.
That's all I can think of at the moment but I hope this helps!
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onehotjeep wrote: »As a vegan you have a better advantage to gain quality muscle over the vegetarians and animal flesh eaters because plant base protein is utilized so much more efficiently than animal protein. And everybody says muscle weighs more than fat, but that's just based on density. In actuality a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. They are both a pound. Though it's easier to gain that pound in fat, I don't think that's the weight your looking to gain. Definitely go with quality muscle weight obviously for the health benefits. Here is my secret weapon for a high quality protein source. It called Juice Plus Complete protein and it is by far the best available on the market.
And Vegan AF
Animal protein is more bioavailable than any plant based protein for humans.1 -
Not a vegetarian but I love meal planning. Try starchy carb based meals like potatoes, sweet potato, kohlrabi, turnip, winter squash and yams. Be generous with the olive oil in salad dressings, sauces, drizzled on baked vegetables and stir fries.
Add smoothies to your day using bananas and ice as the base and add any fruit and veggies of your choice.
Add nut butters to your wraps. Bread is handy.
Getting in enough protein is often a challenge but if you are trying to get enough calories in a day this shouldn’t be too difficult. There’s eggs and tofu.0 -
Protein and carbs have 4 calories per gram; fat has 9 calories per gram. If you make sure you're getting enough protein and increase the good fats in your diet you should be able to achieve a weight gain. Calories are calories. Here's a great site for vegetarian recipes - look for the recipes with higher calorie content:
https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes0 -
What weight are you trying to gain, muscle or fat?0
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If you trying to gain muscle weight, eat more sprouted buckwheat, homemade almonds milk and sesame milk before workouts. Eat at least 1 avocado a day, 3-6 cups of spinach... I don’t do supplements and I gain muscle weight like crazy...5
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In my 20s, I turned vegan for nearly a decade (I'm 60+ now and fully an omnivore, although I'm happy for a few days at a time with lowered-meat and or veggie meals).
My goals back then weren't weight-related; I was a big guy (high school football, shot put and discus and adult scuba instructor nights & weekends while being a full-time computer programmer). I didn't lose weight, much, and didn't gain much either with that full activity level (2-3 nights a week in a pool, plus 3 wkends a month, 10 months a year in the ocean or large lakes). This was with a "70s-style" veggie diet - lots of grains, nuts, legumes, etc., in a "Diet for a Small Planet"-type approach (think "50 ways to do a veggie casserole," LOL). I'm fairly sure a determined person could gain weight this way, but there'd be a lot of food bulk involved.
Due to a lot of life issues, I'm now looking to lose a substantial amount of weight. CICO, MFP-style combined with a lower-glycemic approach seems to be working for me. Opposite that, I'd gain. Plus have all sorts of health probs resulting. Be careful on how you try to gain; there is such a thing as bad gain to risk your health and well-being.0 -
This is completely false. Animal proteins are much more bio available and stimulate muscle protein synthesis at much lower rates as compared to plant based proteins, since animal proteins have much higher levels of Leucine in them; whey protein being one of the best sources, followed by meat and eggs. To maximize MPS, you can do so with about 25g of Whey protein. To get the equivalent of plant based proteins, it would be about 40g.onehotjeep wrote: »As a vegan you have a better advantage to gain quality muscle over the vegetarians and animal flesh eaters because plant base protein is utilized so much more efficiently than animal protein. And everybody says muscle weighs more than fat, but that's just based on density. In actuality a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. They are both a pound. Though it's easier to gain that pound in fat, I don't think that's the weight your looking to gain. Definitely go with quality muscle weight obviously for the health benefits. Here is my secret weapon for a high quality protein source. It called Juice Plus Complete protein and it is by far the best available on the market. Mix with Silk protein nut milk for extra protein and richness
42 years old
6' tall
201 lbs
And Vegan AF
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@psuLemon that depends entirely on the plant protein you're comparing it against. Soy, for example, actually has high levels of leucine, roughly comparable to eggs (and more than beef) per serving. Pumpkin seed protein, while quite a bit lower than soy, is also pretty high in leucine per 100g.
Plant proteins have a wide variety of amino ratios, so you can't make very many sweeping generalizations.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000082000000000000000.html0 -
fuzzylop72 wrote: »@psuLemon that depends entirely on the plant protein you're comparing it against. Soy, for example, actually has high levels of leucine, roughly comparable to eggs (and more than beef) per serving. Pumpkin seed protein, while quite a bit lower than soy, is also pretty high in leucine per 100g.
Plant proteins have a wide variety of amino ratios, so you can't make very many sweeping generalizations.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000082000000000000000.html
So essentially, you either eat food or take a soy protein supplement.
ETA: https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/high-leucine-foods.php
Doesn't completely jive with your list, but soy is up there.0 -
ejikslonik wrote: »If you trying to gain muscle weight, eat more sprouted buckwheat, homemade almonds milk and sesame milk before workouts. Eat at least 1 avocado a day, 3-6 cups of spinach... I don’t do supplements and I gain muscle weight like crazy...
The dreaded "I easily gain too much muscle" level of muscle gains of a preworkout diet of three very specific ingredients...and one very specific fruit...and one very specific vegetable.
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