Plant Based Diet?

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Replies

  • Tricia7188
    Tricia7188 Posts: 135 Member
    You could just try it for a while. Everyone hypes up a whole food plant based diet so much. Just give it a go! I enjoy the Starch Solution way of eating but there are lots of YouTube vids with tips.
  • Nicespice9
    Nicespice9 Posts: 1 Member
    I'm also going to try a plant based diet. I was pescetarian for 11 years before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I tried the low carb thing and added back chicken and turkey to my diet. My a1c went from 7.9 to 6.6, but now I have high cholesterol- a problem I never had before. Its disheartening. I have high hopes for the plant based diet improving my health. I'm 225, the heaviest I ever weighed. For 5'3" that puts my bmi at like 40. Anyway, best of luck to those transitioning/beginning.
  • MarcA1218
    MarcA1218 Posts: 570 Member
    That’s awesome! Thanks everyone- so far after a few days I am more confident in my choice.
  • ltomanek
    ltomanek Posts: 53 Member
    Hi there! I'm not vegan, but for the past 7 months a plant-based focused diet has ruled my life. The desire to eat food closer to it's original state (meaning less processed) was not an overnight decision.

    Like many, I have struggled my whole life with my weight. I started putting myself on diets when I was 12. I work in the healthfield now, so as I grew up, learning more and more about our bodies, how we respond to different inputs, I tried a wide variety of diet plans.
    Some we're so successful; short term dramatic results. However great I felt, they were not sustainable, and I gained the weight back.

    About 3-4 years ago, I had done a boot camp 3 x a week, and the trainer told me about the fruit/veggie cycles he would go on between 1-3x a year. Basically like a juice fast for 30 days. This got me into the world of eating whole food plants more often. I dabbled for the following year, only using the idea of eating only fruits and veggies for a cleanse.

    August 2016 is when it clicked. I had just had my birthday and was feeling awful about where I was physically. So I decided to start calorie counting. It had worked well for me in the past to lose and then maintain. And thus started my current launch into overall body health.

    By February 2017, I had lost 10-12 pounds, but had hit a plateau. July 2017 is when I decided to kick it into the next gear, 90% plant-based. I don't eat meat, but some dairy if it's already in my meal and there's nothing else. But I always try to limit it as it never makes me feel as well afterwards.

    I'm down 20 pounds from my initial weight, and I did it passively: hardly even focusing on loosing the weight, but rather eating well. I eat more calories now and feel amazing. Longer eye lashes, Healthy skin and nails that grow like crazy, better recovery times after my workout, and no stomach aches or sluggishness.

    I would always recommend people to focus on eating more fruits, veg, grain, etc. Good luck!
  • CM_73
    CM_73 Posts: 554 Member
    Good for you for checking our the +/- of Plant Based before jumping in. I'm vegan and love it, but wasn't sure before I switched my diet.

    If you're uncertain, maybe consider doing a day or two a week Plant Based just to see how you get on with it, to get a couple of recipes under your belt and to work out if you're going to really miss anything? It's what I did. In my head I made it a bit like the 5:2 diet, but instead of restricting, I did 5 week-days vegan, then had the weekend 'off'. I did that for around 2 months before making the switch to veganism for good.
    My husband's currently doing the same, just to see what he makes of it.


    Pros
    1. I have so much more energy. I have 2 little boys (aged 2 and 4) who have me up at least twice a night and running around in the day and I work full time in a hospital. I don’t get ‘too tired’ or wish the kids would sit down half as much as I did before, and don’t feel as fatigued after a series of 14-hour shifts. The broken nights don’t seem to bother me as much and I’m less ‘foggy’ the next day.

    2. My skin’s better; less oily and fewer break-outs. My hair is softer and glossier. My breath is better in the mornings and I don’t get a ‘gritty’ feeling on my teeth. And my nails appear to break less often.

    3. I haven't had a cough/cold/virus/bug since making the switch to veganism (nearly 1 year ago), but all of my household who eat a 'normal' non-vegan diet have had multiple sniffles and bugs. And, as previously said, I work in a hospital. With all the sick people.

    4. I've lost roughly 2lbs a month of the past 12months, without having to restrict calories or up my exercise.
    If anything I've upped the calories I eat - I used to have around 1800 a day, now have around
    2500 on a normal day. And I wasn't 'big' either; BMI was 25 so pretty reasonable. (But this is totally not the case of all people on Vegan/PB diets, as most people I know seem to have gained!)

    5. No food-coma type feeling after a big meal.

    6. I now have the perfect excuse to not share Oreos.

    Cons
    1. The amount of people who assume I'm going to try to 'convert them' or tell them what a horrible person they are because they do eat animal products; the assumption that I’m going to preach superiority or try to guilt trip them... Which I don't.
    If people what to know about why I’m vegan or what I eat, great. If not, that’s fine too. I don’t talk about it unless it’s brought up by the other person.

    2. The amount of education it took for me to know what I needed to up in my diet to cover the nutritional stuff I would have otherwise been getting from meat/dairy etc. That was a headache because I'm not really into nutrition.

    3. Lack of choices in shops and restaurants. The UK's a bit behind in most places >_<

    4. I’ve notice my tolerance for alcohol has dropped off massively. I used to have 2/3 glasses of wine with dinner on the weekend with my family. Now I have 1 small glass and I know I’ve had a drink. Might be coincidence, might not...

    Pretty much agree with all of that!
    The other thing I found was that all those little aches and pains I seemed to be getting faded away as well. I certainly lost weight on it, but that was because it was such a massive change for me that it forced me to think carefully about every meal.

    Still, I'm not on it now, purely because it was just too much hassle. Eating out became too prohibitive, and avoiding dairy milk all of the time became a real chore (Yes, I'm lazy!)

    Now, I just eat very little meat, but I do eat dairy. I do wonder if the real benefits come from switching completely though as a mostly plant based diet doesn't seem to have the same positive effect on me as switching completely. I guess we're all different though, and people will respond in different ways.



  • aylerz
    aylerz Posts: 27 Member
    I eat primarily plant based because I'm not a fan of most meat. Just don't like the way it tastes. I do still eat chicken and fish on occasion. I eat lamb once or twice a year as well because my husband is Persian and it's tough to have a meal with his family that doesn't include lamb :D

    The biggest pro for me is that I always feel full, and cooking is creative and colorful, which is fun. The biggest con is that the carb count can get really high, really quickly, so counting calories is essential, and looking at your macros becomes important to make sure you're getting enough protein. Plant-based protein is pretty easy, though. Tons of options.

    I try and stay away from dairy, which can get a little complicated on plant-based (lots of recipes call for cheese - so much cheese), but sticking to vegan recipes that don't call for hard to get or expensive ingredients tends to work for me! Plus, I've found that even if you're trying to stay away from dairy for a non-medical reason, a sprinkle of cheese on a soup or entree every now and then doesn't wreak havoc.
  • mrsthompson662
    mrsthompson662 Posts: 16 Member
    My husband has been eating plant based 1 yr and I have been plant based 4 years. My husband is a weight lifter and since starting has made HUGE gains. I lift and cardio and noticed more energy with my workouts and feeling energized.

    High protein go to foods for use (we both work 12hr shifts so on the go protien is a must)

    Mission wheat carb-control tortilla with 3 tbsn peanut butter gives 20g+ protein roll it up and eat like a protein bar

    Vega protein bar peanut butter flavor 15g protein

    Pro Bar peanut butter chocolate flavor 15g protien

    Vega performance protein powder mixed with silk protien nut milk and water give almost 50-60g protien

    We also love the beyond meat products easy quick meal however you can't microwave them somust cook them at home then reheat for work lunches

    My breakfast this morning was 26g protien kite hill yoghurt with nature Valley granola and chia seeds
    and 4 strips lightlife smoky tempeh bacon

    Let me know if you need more ideas. Add me if you'd like and ypu can see my meals.

    Also, look for plant based muscle...or search fb for plant based lifting to get more ideas and see others who make huge gains
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Hi, there are actually quite a few plant based athletes on here, myself included.

    I always love meeting the newer people because there are so many differing opinions and methods and lifestyles, etc, so welcome to the club.

    That said, there are lots of different ways to eat a plant based diet while staying active, and no one way is more right than others.

    Good luck on your journey, and if you ever need advice about plant based foods or nutrition, don't hesitate to reach out to some of us on here.

  • twinkles4
    twinkles4 Posts: 124 Member
    MarcA1218 wrote: »
    MarcA1218 wrote: »
    MarcA1218 wrote: »
    So, I am thinking of going on a more plant based diet. If you know about this please add the pros and cons below. Also, if you want to join me on this journey also add your weight and goals too we can try it out together!

    You still need to.calorie count.

    Oh yes I will continue using this app and watch my calorie intake as well.

    You need to do more research than watching fear mongers on Netflix

    A TV show isn’t my driving force. Although that show and Rotten were interesting shows, I friends on both a vegetarian & vegan diet and I am thinking of doing this because of my weight and my health. I have been reading up on it and and speaking with people who have also made the change. I was looking for feedback on the pros and cons of a plant based diet not the video. Just want to make sure I make the right decision.

    Sadly, you will receive lots of this type of feedback and not just on forums, irl too. I can't really help you with any pros and cons, but I can tell you that it's not a all or nothing thing. :) You have your own reasons for wanting to try it, so start slowly, swap out a few animal products for plant based ones and see how you feel?

    Simple Happy Kitchen has a great book and some downloadable charts on the different plant based nutrients.
    https://www.simplehappykitchen.com/protein-calcium-iron/
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    They didn't mention pemmican?

    Dietary fat doesn't make you fat. A calorie surplus makes you fat.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    What he mentions that keeps sticking with me is: “The fat you eat, is the fat you wear!”

    Except fats don't make you fat. Excess calories do.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,269 Member
    What he mentions that keeps sticking with me is: “The fat you eat, is the fat you wear!”

    Except fats don't make you fat. Excess calories do.

    Yup, and too little fat is bad for us: We need it for hormone balance, to help avoid constipation, and more. If we choose, we can get fats from plants, no problem.

    Most early humans ate a bunch of plants, sure. Nearly universally, they also ate every bit of meat and/or fish they could kill or catch, including the fat. Exclusively plant-eating aboriginal cultures are very rare . . . but there are some (e.g., people of the arctic) whose traditional diet includes very large amounts of animal/fish fat, at least seasonally.

    I strongly suspect that most early cultures avoided obesity by needing to work hard physically to stay alive, and needing to cope more often with food scarcity than surplus.

    Humans evolved to be omnivores. Other dietary choices can be rational in modern life, but romanticized fantasy anthropology is not required in order to rationalize them.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    I have been moving toward a lacto-ovo pescatarian diet for a while, though I still eat some meat. I have zero interest in moving toward a purely vegan diet. I've known plenty of fat vegetarians, so weight loss should have little to do with the motivation for eating a plant-based diet - whatever the content of one's diet, it's too many calories that make you fat. The main arguments for a more plant based diet in my opinion are ethical and economic, as well as personal health. For me, an ovo-lacto pescatarian diet will be sustainable long term - a vegan diet would not be.
  • FourWindsWalker
    FourWindsWalker Posts: 143 Member
    Ive returned to a pescatarian lifestyle. Slowly deleting dairy from my diet.

    I feel 'lighter' eating fish vs other meats. As far as dairy, Ive noticed huge improvements concerning my year round allergies. Yes, I still take allergy meds daily yet have not had any upper respiratory issues as in years past. (I would have sinus infections/upper respiratory infections, etc every two-four weeks, depending on the season.)

    Ive been a huge vegetable/fruit eater all of my life.

    Enjoy the journey. Do what works for you.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    MarcA1218 wrote: »
    That’s awesome! Thanks everyone- so far after a few days I am more confident in my choice.

    Cool -- I found this an interesting thread.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    What he mentions that keeps sticking with me is: “The fat you eat, is the fat you wear!”

    Except fats don't make you fat. Excess calories do.

    Yup, and too little fat is bad for us: We need it for hormone balance, to help avoid constipation, and more. If we choose, we can get fats from plants, no problem.

    I find it so funny when people replay Susan Powter. I suppose not everyone is old enough to remember (although McDougall is and I think he's ripping her off).
    Most early humans ate a bunch of plants, sure. Nearly universally, they also ate every bit of meat and/or fish they could kill or catch, including the fat. Exclusively plant-eating aboriginal cultures are very rare . . . but there are some (e.g., people of the arctic) whose traditional diet includes very large amounts of animal/fish fat, at least seasonally.

    Yep.
    I strongly suspect that most early cultures avoided obesity by needing to work hard physically to stay alive, and needing to cope more often with food scarcity than surplus.

    Humans evolved to be omnivores. Other dietary choices can be rational in modern life, but romanticized fantasy anthropology is not required in order to rationalize them.

    And yep.

    I respect veganism (and vegetarianism, of course) as ethical choices and totally agree that how humans historically ate doesn't demand that we continue to eat that way, regardless of choice, given that we are now able to make other choices (have the privilege of options).

    But the claim that eating meat and cutting starches is why we are fat and that cultures that don't won't get fat (given the lack of scarcity and sedentary lifestyles many have) is as wrong (absurd, really) to me as saying that the reason people get fat is "processed" carbs (meaning white rice, pasta, all bread), which I just read someone saying in another thread.
  • Stacyines
    Stacyines Posts: 72 Member
    A friend of mine did this and lost 20 pounds as well did her spouse. Unfortunately, she gained it all back because her mindset implemented it as a diet. Basically deeming it only necessary to reach a particular target weight.

    If you’re meaning to make the change permanently than you may find success in this. You also have to take into consideration that there is an obvious change in taste from your regular food palette. If you choose to do this, I highly suggest looking into Vegan support groups for food substitute recommendations.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,428 MFP Moderator
    Nicespice9 wrote: »
    I'm also going to try a plant based diet. I was pescetarian for 11 years before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I tried the low carb thing and added back chicken and turkey to my diet. My a1c went from 7.9 to 6.6, but now I have high cholesterol- a problem I never had before. Its disheartening. I have high hopes for the plant based diet improving my health. I'm 225, the heaviest I ever weighed. For 5'3" that puts my bmi at like 40. Anyway, best of luck to those transitioning/beginning.

    If you are diabetic, you will still want to keep carbs low. And how are you defining high cholesterol? Are you talking total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL?


    OP, just make sure your eating is align to your goals. You can definitely do it plant based on non plant based. It just may require more thinking than other methods.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    I used to be a vegetarian and was a vegan for 3 years. I have been an omnivore for the last 18 years. (I'm 52). I was veg and vegan in my late 20s early 30s. I was ok with both vegetarian and vegan when I had a rather tranquil life and was able to prepare all my meals. When I moved, changed careers and had to eat out and be on the go, I returned to eating meat. Being a vegan was not sustainable for me--I was eating poorly because I couldn't make my own food. That was nearly 20 years ago and there are more restaurants and also meal delivery services that are vegan. I was veg and vegan for both health and ethical reasons. It came down to either me or the animals, so I had to go with me. I eat meat and fish now but I always buy local and/or humanely raised and organic. My health is good whether I eat meat or not--what has proved problematic for me is weight gain (due to overeating) and stress. You can have a good/healthy diet whether you include meat or not. I don't believe that a vegan diet for me, even when done right (which is hard to do), is healthier than an omnivore diet that is balanced.
  • DaddieCat
    DaddieCat Posts: 3,643 Member
    Ways of eating are just that... ways of eating. Whether taken on for ethical, religious, health, or other issues.

    All WoE have the potential to be healthy and unhealthy depending on so many factors.

    I heartily agree with the above:
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Nicespice9 wrote: »
    I'm also going to try a plant based diet. I was pescetarian for 11 years before I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I tried the low carb thing and added back chicken and turkey to my diet. My a1c went from 7.9 to 6.6, but now I have high cholesterol- a problem I never had before. Its disheartening. I have high hopes for the plant based diet improving my health. I'm 225, the heaviest I ever weighed. For 5'3" that puts my bmi at like 40. Anyway, best of luck to those transitioning/beginning.

    If you are diabetic, you will still want to keep carbs low. And how are you defining high cholesterol? Are you talking total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL?


    OP, just make sure your eating is align to your goals. You can definitely do it plant based on non plant based. It just may require more thinking than other methods.

    Eating should align to your goals, especially in a situation where there is a health risk involved. Ultimately, it seems that most want a way of eating that will provide them with optimal health and optimal sustainability.... if this is truly the case, then the way of eating that most aligns with your goals and your health needs would meet that while still varying from individual to individual.

  • chancie72
    chancie72 Posts: 270 Member
    I switched to plant based last summer..thought it would be hard but was surprisingly easy. Facebook has alot of great pages to help with recipes and questions. https://www.facebook.com/groups/WholeFoodPlantBasedDiet/ is my go to if I have any question and they post new recipes daily. I feel better, look better, am off of my acid reflux medicine. oh and have lost 76 pounds in the last year- about 50 of them since going plant based in July.. :)
  • happyfitr2d2
    happyfitr2d2 Posts: 53 Member
    Lemurcat12:
    “I find it so funny when people replay Susan Powter. I suppose not everyone is old enough to remember (although McDougall is and I think he's ripping her off).”
    Hi Lemurcat12,
    I hope you are doing well! Afterall, we all need one another and this thread os a great place to learn. Thanks for inspiring me!

    I remember Susan Powter! But McDougall is a medical doctor who has been doing this since the 70’s and treating patients with this concept since the 80’s. He was inspired by the Dr. At Duke University in the 1940’s who treated people with the rice diet.
    It makes sense for me, mostly vegetarian and previously vegan to omit oils and fill up on potatoes, corn, brown rice, and brown pasta/ bread with my 5+ a day veggies and fruits. Before I was eating cheese (loaded with fat; not a plant), dark chocolate, red wine, and nuts(full of fat). I will be omitting these for 66+ days and seeing if I can make it a way of life; not just a diet.
    I need foods that satieate and before, avoided potatoes, pasta, corn, rice, or at least limited them and found myself cheating with fat laiden foods to fill up.
    I don’t have any experience with Dr. McDougall’s plan. I was also eating a lot of Amy’s (fat) and perhaps learning how to cook healthy with potatoes, rice, corn etc will fill me up and not send me running for nuts, cheese, and Amy’s which were filling me with fat. And certainly more sodium.
    I will check back here around 4/15; tax day... that’s about 66+ days!
    Drmcdougall.com IS worth a look if there’s a hope to reverse or lessen arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol...
    It is solely plant based!
    I want to stop taking Ibuprofen as I suffer from osteoarthritis. I want to stop taking Clairtin D for chronic sinusitis. I have hypothyroidism and respect that Dr. McDougall doesn’t make any claims to see me off that prescription. Let’s see if this improves my quality of life. Isn’t that why we all are here?
    The Starch Solution looks so doable and his wife Mary has excellent videos showing how to eat and teaches some great tips on cooking without oil that I am excited to try! I love seeing his “stars” give testimony to reversing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes on his videos. I love that they know you are going to crave some sugar and some salt and don’t state you have to totally eliminate it. That would make me give up!

    Loved the article on maple syrup here a MyFitnessPal showing all the nutritional benefits of a great sweetner... plant based!
    I have a lot to learn and I am excited about the journey!
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    Lemurcat12:
    “I find it so funny when people replay Susan Powter. I suppose not everyone is old enough to remember (although McDougall is and I think he's ripping her off).”
    Hi Lemurcat12,
    I hope you are doing well! Afterall, we all need one another and this thread os a great place to learn. Thanks for inspiring me!

    I remember Susan Powter! But McDougall is a medical doctor who has been doing this since the 70’s and treating patients with this concept since the 80’s. He was inspired by the Dr. At Duke University in the 1940’s who treated people with the rice diet.
    It makes sense for me, mostly vegetarian and previously vegan to omit oils and fill up on potatoes, corn, brown rice, and brown pasta/ bread with my 5+ a day veggies and fruits. Before I was eating cheese (loaded with fat; not a plant), dark chocolate, red wine, and nuts(full of fat). I will be omitting these for 66+ days and seeing if I can make it a way of life; not just a diet.
    I need foods that satieate and before, avoided potatoes, pasta, corn, rice, or at least limited them and found myself cheating with fat laiden foods to fill up.
    I don’t have any experience with Dr. McDougall’s plan. I was also eating a lot of Amy’s (fat) and perhaps learning how to cook healthy with potatoes, rice, corn etc will fill me up and not send me running for nuts, cheese, and Amy’s which were filling me with fat. And certainly more sodium.
    I will check back here around 4/15; tax day... that’s about 66+ days!
    Drmcdougall.com IS worth a look if there’s a hope to reverse or lessen arthritis, diabetes, cholesterol...
    It is solely plant based!
    I want to stop taking Ibuprofen as I suffer from osteoarthritis. I want to stop taking Clairtin D for chronic sinusitis. I have hypothyroidism and respect that Dr. McDougall doesn’t make any claims to see me off that prescription. Let’s see if this improves my quality of life. Isn’t that why we all are here?
    The Starch Solution looks so doable and his wife Mary has excellent videos showing how to eat and teaches some great tips on cooking without oil that I am excited to try! I love seeing his “stars” give testimony to reversing high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes on his videos. I love that they know you are going to crave some sugar and some salt and don’t state you have to totally eliminate it. That would make me give up!

    Loved the article on maple syrup here a MyFitnessPal showing all the nutritional benefits of a great sweetner... plant based!
    I have a lot to learn and I am excited about the journey!

    What's wrong with fats? You need those to absorb certain vitamins.
This discussion has been closed.