Whole Foods Plant Based Diet

Hi my name is James and I am transitioning to a more whole foods plant based eating plan and hAve reduced meat and processed foods, I use meat alternatives but I find I am just getting fatter. I do have hypothyroidism and I take Levothyroxine for it, that causes weight gain and slow metabolism, anyone have a Thyroid problem and have dealt with weight gain on a WFPBD?

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    You're eating too many calories. You need to eat less calories to lose weight

    This. If your thyroid levels are under control with your medication, it's how much you're eating.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I’ve gained 10# in six weeks on a WFPB diet. Calories count.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    Rocbola wrote: »
    It's very hard to overeat calories on a WHOLE foods, plant based diet, given the caloric density of unprocessed plants. If you are eating fake meats, i would encourage you to remember the word WHOLE in WFPB diet. It's very, very easy to slip in extra calories if you are having things like oil and sugar in your diet, as they are more calorie dense than . And fake meats tend to be loaded with oil, and often times also protein isolates. You can make veggie burgers and stuff like that from beans, carrots, sprouts, etc. You can use salsa or guac for a salad dressing. You can sweeten oatmeal with bananas or dates. You can fry stuff in a non-stick pan with no oil.

    HahahaHA . . . no. It's plenty easy to overeat whole foods. I've done it many times, and for decades.

    Fake meats are yucky (JMO), but not black magic.

    OP, well-controlled hypothyroidism leaves you just like anyone else for weight loss purposes. (I'm severely hypothyroid; lost roughly 1/3 of my body weight anyway.)

    Any way of eating that lets you feel full and happy on reasonable calories, and gives you good overall nutrition, will result in weight loss and reasonable health.

    WFPB is not magic. I've been vegetarian for 44 years now, heavy on whole foods, and got fat and then obese eating that way. I stayed obese eating that way for several decades, then, at age 59-60, got thin again eating pretty much the same foods, but in reasonable portions. I didn't even change exercise to lose weight.

    Calories for weight loss, macronutrients/micronutrients for health (enough protein, enough fats, plenty of veggies/fruits), exercise for fitness = best odds of good health.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,222 Member
    Rocbola wrote: »
    It's very hard to overeat calories on a WHOLE foods, plant based diet, given the caloric density of unprocessed plants. If you are eating fake meats, i would encourage you to remember the word WHOLE in WFPB diet. It's very, very easy to slip in extra calories if you are having things like oil and sugar in your diet, as they are more calorie dense than . And fake meats tend to be loaded with oil, and often times also protein isolates. You can make veggie burgers and stuff like that from beans, carrots, sprouts, etc. You can use salsa or guac for a salad dressing. You can sweeten oatmeal with bananas or dates. You can fry stuff in a non-stick pan with no oil.

    HahaHaHA, no. I have no trouble overeating whole foods: It's easy. I've been vegetarian for 44 years, eating mostly whole foods, got fat that way, then obese, and stayed obese for decades, despite being very active. At age 59-60, I lost about a third of my body weight eating the same things . . . just less of them. Didn't change my activity level at all.

    P.S. You know what guac is? Oil, mostly, calorically speaking. Definitely calorically dense. Heh.

    Yeah, fake meat is kind of yucky (IMO), but not magically fattening. Eat it or don't, log the calories.

    OP, hypothyroidism, once properly treated, leaves you equivalent to anyone else when it comes to weight loss. Even if untreated, it's only at most a 5% hit to calorie burn, and can cause some water weight retention, which looks like weight gain on the scale, but isn't fat. The big deal is that, untreated, you're fatigued and move less, thus burning fewer calories. But that can be brought under conscious control: Move more.

    It's calories for weight management, macro/micro nutrients for nutrition (enough protein, enough fats, enough veggies/fruits), exercise for fitness = best odds of overall good health. Take control of these, and you've got it handled.

    Best wishes!