New to veganism and needing advice
Honeyacid
Posts: 115 Member
Hello, I'm both new to the group and to veganism. I decided to follow this way of eating to protect and save the animals and out surrounding environment. And while I have absolutely no interest in eating meat from this point on, I'm struggling with staying away from foods that have dairy and eggs incorporated within them (such as chocolate or cookies etc). In addition, I have an extremely bad history of binge eating. This leads me to my second point because I really want to lose weight, and do so by following a Whole food based plant diet. Has anyone lost any weight from only eating whole foods? If so, what did you eat?
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Yes it can be done, but reguardless of what way of eating you follow you still need a calorie deficit to lose. WFPB means you eat minimally to no processed foods. Fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, whole grains are all the cornerstone of this way of eating. I would recommend reading Dr. Greger's How Not To Die and also get the DailyDozen app to help guide you as to what you should be eating daily.0
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I only lost a couple of pounds from the switch to whole food plant-based diet. Our bodies are smart about adjusting to changes and maintaining themselves. I only seem to lose weight when I'm tracking and exercising/training consistently (I'm 39, so not young anymore). That said, I definitely think it's easier to keep a calorie deficit with whole foods because they are more filling and satisfying.
I think the most important part is making sure that the changes are maintainable and something you can see yourself being happy with doing for the rest of your life. Find whole food items, snacks, and recipes that you love. Experiment and try new things. I discovered a love for Hummus, which is amazing on sandwiches, wraps, as a vegetable dip, et al.. For me, it was important to find easy items to make when I don't feel like cooking. Allow yourself treats occasionally (there are lots of chocolate and cookie options if you are shopping at the right places).0 -
People lose weight from eating whole foods when they've had a diet that has been highly refined. Making the switch from refined food to whole food is sometimes enough to help people lose weight on its own, at least for a while, and it also engages the body in a natural detox.
There are lots of really amazing vegan chocolate and cookies out there, not to mention some excellent recipes. I am vegan and also gluten-free, and do a no-refined sugar diet most of the time as well. Nevertheless, there are lots of options for when you want a food reward like that. I would be a careful label reader, however. If you're going to buy baked goodies or candies rather than make them, then opt for foods that have very few ingredients, ingredients that you know and can pronounce, and ones made with as many "whole" (rather than chemical or processed) ingredients as possible. I mean, a cookie is going to be processed regardless, but a cookie made with maple syrup instead of corn syrup is a good starting place.
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