Vegan, 1300 calories per day, and slow weight loss-HELP!

Feel free to add me if you want, fellow vegan. You could probably eat more calories at your weight. Soy can affect your thyroid with insufficient iodine. I don't eat a lot of salt, so I take a kelp supplement to get my iodine.

I used to eat a lot of soy. Now I drink flax milk instead and use a non-soy protein powder. I don't know whether or not it has affected my weight, as I wasn't thinking about it from that angle, but it has actually alleviated some other hormonal issues that I used to have.

I think relying to heavily on any one thing is no good. After I realized how much soy I was eating (I'm vegan too), I switched to almond milk. I actually prefer it to soy anyway, and I just stock up when it's on sale (it can be a little more expensive).

The two things that really helped jump start my weight loss were - running and ditching sugar. I try to eat as little processed and added sugar as possible. I still eat fruit and other foods with sugar naturally in them, but I try to avoid extra sugars as much as possible. Since you're new to veganism, you might be relying too heavily on pastas and other carbs. This is something that's taken me quite a while to get a handle on, but I try to only have pasta once a week. I use other foods to satisfy that part of my meal - rice, quinoa or lentils.

If you haven't yet - you should check out happyherbivore.com. She also doesn't use oil and has a lot of recipes on her site. I have both of her cookbooks, and the food is really healthy and delicious!

I looked through your diary, and I don't think there's any major red flags- your protein probably could use a boost, and you could use more fat. 1300 calories is probably not enough for you, even if you can't exercise.I think you should ditch the 2lb/wk requirement. Its too high for the limitations on your body right now- maybe when you can exercise more you can get more aggressive.

I personally don't think the soy hype is a big deal, but I think you are relying on it a little too much. The best diet is always going to be a widely varied one. Oat protein is almost as complete as soy, so maybe get some more oats in. Try Tempeh, which is a fermented soy product that supposedly isn't as "dangerous" - but I think it just tastes better than tofu. I think all the veggie burgers and soy meat products are great for a transitional vegetarian/vegan since they fill that gap where you were used to eating meat- but if you're going to make this a permanent change maybe try making a fate-meat free meal 2 or three times a week. Vegans need to look at the whole plate differently- your protein is tied to carbohydrates so you won't have a protein and a starch and a vegetable- the lines between the three get all blurry. Vegetables, whole grains and beans can make delicious and satisfying meals with enough protein without the soy.

I suspect that the bloating is probably from the sudden increased fiber of the vegan diet. Your digestive system doesn't like radical changes- even if they're ultimately for the better.

I echo what someone else said about bloat and increased fiber intake. Sometimes that can mimic weight gain. You might want to increase fat intake with olive oil and avocado if you like them. I am Vegan also, and I didn't experience a huge weight loss at first, your body needs to adjust. You may get a lot of people telling you that eating vegan is unhealthy..some people might even get angry with you. Stay strong, take supplements and enjoy the great variety of food you get on a vegan regime

The problem is weight loss is very slow. I expected with a drastic drop in calories and the vegan lifestyle that it would be a greater loss in the beginning.

why did you expect to a drastic drop in weight by attempting to become a vegan? that right there is part of your problem. it's not a *diet* in the way you were hoping.

On diet:

Wouldn't expect any extra benefit from being vegan and weight loss. It's basically calories in and calories out. Of course the X factor is always metabolic performance...which can be altered to an extent by a number of things. (but I wouldn't worry too much about people yelling about starvation mode and all that fun stuff ruining your efforts -- calorie deficit will eventually win out)

Few items for consideration:

A) Are you indeed only consuming 1300 calories? This is an obvious, simple answer... but if you were too far off you wouldn't be seeing your expected results.

People don't always have a linear (constant) weight loss experience. Often times you'll "stall" out for a while and then overnight will drop a number of lbs. One theory is that as your fat cells shrink they are filled back up by water before finally being dumped. This is why some people that should be loosing weight notice more 'jiggly' fat before finally shedding it. I'm male, weight lift, and see this myself. My weight loss isn't linear at all.

So I'd hang in there. Unless something is else is seriously off with your body you'll likely come around and notice the positive effects of your diet soon enough. It's cliched but true... if you can just make it a habit and a lifestyle -- not thinking too much about the weight loss -- you'll be there before you know it. (on the flip side... you'll torture yourself asking 'are we there yet' on a long road trip)

OP - I would limit soy. Not because of crazy fear mongering, just because a varied diet tends to be a healthier diet. However, some people are sensitive to soy. I'm fine if I eat some, but not if I go overboard. And seitan is wheat gluten. It's the same thing as soy - some people are sensitive to it. Just like dairy. So maybe you should try limiting the consumption and varying your diet - try replacing with other things, more/other veggie/legume things.

Thank you all for your advice.

Just wanted to clarify with Lisa...I agree, going vegan is a lifestyle- not a diet. I wanted to go Vegan after my diary allergy made me think "why not-you're almost there anyway." I have alot of friends who are long time vegans, and when I said I was going to take the plunge...they were pumping me up with the "Oh, it will fall off of you now" so I thought that would be a bonus and believed the hype.... :embarassed: LOL.

Thanks for the information about the B-12, the protein, and the calorie uptake...while I didn't feel hungry, per say, with my 1300 calories a day, I have had others tell me that they thought it was too restrictive. I am going to up the ante a little and see what happens. Regarding the B-12 issue, yeah I have been sleepy, cranky, and feeling unwell for a while, and I now see the connection the more I have researched and heard the stories of others.

I am going to try to diversify my protein more. I will start adding more fats and protein in too-that should round me out. I hope to get cleared for exercise next week. Patience, I suppose.

While B-12 is important to supplement, it's highly unlikely that you'd be feeling effects in a month. A lot of people who ate animals can go quite a long time before becoming deficient. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, just saying it's not common. You'd have to have it tested to really know, of course, so maybe you are. You could also be sleepy and cranky simply due to eating too little, those are certainly side effects.

I peeked at your food diary...and I also say ditch the soy! You might want to get tested for food allergies other than dairy as well. 99% of soy is genetically modified, and it also has one of the highest contamination by pesticides of any of our foods. Soymilk and the soy protein isolate that's in many foods are over processed and very difficult to digest. I believe that clean, organic simple soy foods can be healthy, hey, it's worked for the Okinawan Japanese (he longest living people in the world) for thousands of years, but most of what's available to us in a package is not healthy. I agree that vegans need to mix it up, be creative about your protein sources! PREPARE your own food, get your hands dirty...a great cookbook for really tasty and interesting vegan and mostly raw food is: http://veganfusion.com/best-rated-vegan-vegetarian-raw-food-cookbooks/vegan-fusion-world-cuisine/ their Blossoming Lotus restaurant here in Portland is my favorite...I have a hard time going less than twice a week! BTW, I am not vegan (just eat that way mostly) and am allergic to soy...and wheat and corn and dairy. Good luck and good eatin'!

P.S. Equal/aspartame sweetener is highly poisonous stuff, it is literally made of 3 different poisons; Phenalanine, Methanol, and Diketopierazine, proven to cause brain tumors, birth defects, brain cancer, diabetes, emotional disorders, epilepsy and if that wasn't enough to convince you to eliminate it, it also CONTRIBUTES TO OBESITY. It's true. I am getting my degree in holistic health and nutrition, and several chapters of coursework were dedicated to the dangers of Aspartame.