Weight

[veganblue]

Your body has ways of adjusting to changes in diet that preserve the status quo unless it is really stressed out - fever, loads of exercise, psychological stress or weird diets like Atkin's. If your food intake is a close approximation to the amount of energy you perviously consumed you will most likely not have any change in weight. If you reduce the fats and simple carbohydrates you *may* experience some weight loss but it will not be significant in the short term. I would keep a weekly or monthly record of your weight but ignore daily fluctuations. Purely weight is not a great indicator since it does not take into account lipid distribution and muscle volume.

Basically eat a good variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, wholegrain products, legumes and nuts and cut down on excess salt, refined sugar and generally most things that are overly processed and it is hard to go wrong. Of course regular exercise should be part of any health maintenance system - not even speaking of weightloss.

I don't recommend trying to lose weight - I recommend learning to live healthily and developing good lifelong habits. Your body will let you know if you are on the right track :)

[MandaPea]

i'm just being impatient! :) i'm of "normal" weight and height 5'5" and 138 pounds .. i'm just wondering if it's normal to not lose any weight after drastically altering your diet.

[veganblue]

I recently went ten days without food and lost 3kg...I regained it very quickly after resuming food - the body is quite remarkable. :)

[Leigh]

My boyfriend and I both went vegan in May. He has lost a bit of weight over that time, but not a drastic amount. I was already quite slim for my height and I have found that I've also lost a couple of kilos since May, but that changes if I go to the gym because I build muscle. Not that that's been the case over the last couple of months!! If you're already average for your height you shouldn't be concerned about losing any weight. What I do find though is that I need to eat all the time now because whatever I'm putting into my body obviously gets used up pretty quickly, so if I don't keep replenishing I really feel the lack of energy.

[MzNatural]

I did not see too much of a difference, perhaps a pound or two? I did not pay too much attention. I went from vegetarian to vegan. I do have more energy and I feel so much better. I have noticed that my energy is 100% through my entire workout.

[Roxy]

In the first 6 months or so, I lost 17 pounds. This is because before I went vegan, I had very bad eating habbits. Once I cut out the cheesey pizza, burgers, hot dogs cakes, pies, pastries, cheesy goods and eggs, I found that my weight plummeted.

I still am losing some weight little bit by little bit, and that's because I'm always trying to improve what I eat.

By the way, I was kind of chubby before going vegan. Now I am a lot happier with my weight - although there's always room for improvement with me! :)

[eve]

Going vegan is no guarantee that you'll lose weight - there are plenty of overweight vegans. As Roxy shows, it depends what you were eating before. If you were eating heaps of cheese and eggs, pastries, etc, then you may lose some weight. But if that's the sort of food you are into, then you may find yourself seeking out vegan cakes, vegan chocs, vegan cheese, vegan burgers, etc. No weight loss. If, however, you change your diet to one where 80 percent of what you eat is vegetables and some fruit, and the rest some grainy bread, lentils, beans, mushrooms, etc, well it won't be just the nonhuman animals who benefit, but you will too! :)

[tails4wagging]

I wish, I could lose weight!! I've been vegan now nearly two years and I am 2 stone overweight!!!.

[tails4wagging]

for a vegan diet that will help me to lose weight!!!!. I find many vegan recipes are loaded with fat and many vegan essential nutrients are fat based ie, nuts.
Anyone got a good diet they could recommend???

[PinkFluffyCloud]

My husband has lost 2 stone recently by eating almost nothing except fruit and veg, and limited amounts of bread (1-2 slices a day), and cereal (say, 1 bowl of Porridge per day).
Typically, he has soup for lunch (homemade of course - by me!), and salad or a Veg dish at night.
He also has an Avacado every day because, like you, Tails, he is very Arthritic, and this is said to help.

[harpy]

Hi T4W - I've lost over 2 stone this year as a side effect of a healthy living regime to lower my cholesterol level - was quite pleased to lose the excess weight as well though.

I haven't really dieted but I have cut out junk food such as crisps which I have a weakness for, and pastry. I did also cut down a bit on carbohydrates as well, or ones with a relatively high glycaemic index. I find if I watch the GI of my meals I get a lot less hungry later on, and so I end up eating less. I already used brown bread, rice and pasta anyway but I now have a bit less of them and increase the amount of veg. I eat to make up for it, and I usually have rye bread instead of ordinary wholemeal. I make sure all the meals have some protein and fat with them (e.g. if I have a meal that's bread-or potato- based I make sure I have some nuts with it). I have been taking a bit more exercise as well, but only brisk walking, nothing too strenuous :D

If you're interested, there are books about GI "diets", but you may be able to find out enough on the web by searching for "glycaemic index" and "glycemic index" (the US spelling). Some of the sites for diabetic people are quite helpful.

ETA if your recipes have too much fat in them, maybe you could experiment with using a bit less - many recipes will still work fine. Or you could post the odd sample recipe and I'm sure people here will be able to suggest substitutions.

[celtic rose]

Definately try following the GI diet. Should really be called healthy eating plan rather than diet because that's what it is. It is so good, lots of fruit and veg and legumes and the weight just fell off.

[tails4wagging]

Thanks for info, will look the GI index up.

[cedarblue]

dont forget tails, that everyones metabolic rate and body is different, what works for someone may not have the same effect as everyone else.
it also depends on how active you are etc etc

[harpy]

By the way it's a good idea to read about the glycaemic load as well, because if you look at the glycaemic index in isolation you get some odd results, like the idea that carrots ought to be banned (which I think they are in someone's batty low-carb diet :rolleyes: ).

You're right, cedarblue, that everyone is different, but there are some people at least who think that limiting the glycaemic index/load of what you eat is a good idea for everyone - that Dr John Briffa who writes in the Observer is always banging on about it (in a not very vegan-friendly way unfortunately!).

This article http://www.50plus.org/Libraryitems/2_5_glycemicload.html explains the difference between glycaemic index and glycaemic load (and you don't have to be over 50 to read it :D )

[PinkFluffyCloud]

It's just common sense really, isn't it? (Something I know about but have not being putting into practice lately!). :D
Refined foods, white flour, sugar, hydrogenated fats - these are basically unhealthy and fattening, and play havoc with your blood sugar levels, whereas wholegrains break down slowly and give lasting energy and more nutrition per bite!

[harpy]

I agree it's mostly common sense but there are some things I hadn't realised until recently.

For example, a meal based on a jacket potato is not good news for me (unless I have an unfeasibly large quantity of baked beans with it - :) ). Nor is a salad sandwich, even if the bread's wholemeal - add a some nut butter or tahini and it's OK though.

I feel some of the dietary advice that used to be given to vegetarians, in particular, until recently may have been misleading - the idea that you should base your diet on starchy foods embellished with the odd vegetable (as per the old "food pyramid") , instead of the other way round. Even if you have wholegrain everything, I don't think that works very well for a lot of people.

[Vanaenae628]

I like to substitute oil (for sauteeing veggies) with tomato sauce or pineapple juice - tastes great too :)

[feline01]

I never looked as becoming vegan as a solution to my weight problem. I did it for the animals and the environment. I'm still extremely overweight but my cholesterol has dropped by 30 points since becoming vegan, my blood pressure is normal, I had a very healthy vegan pregnancy carrying twins and I have much more energy than I ever did. I'm back at the gym (since last week) so I anticipate some weight loss within the next few months but I'm not stressing about it. I am healthier as a vegan than as a non-vegan and know I'm doing the right thing so really that's all that matters. In other words, if you lose some weight-fine but if you don't, why bother stressing.

[foxytina_69]

it would be so hard for me to do the GI diet. i love potatoes and bread and all those kinds of things.

[John]

You haven't lost any weight in 9 whole days? What's wrong with you? :rolleyes:

I've put on at least 20 lbs after becoming vegan. Don't worry about losing weight, go to the gym and put on some muscle.

[foxytina_69]

i lost weight at first, within the first couple months. it seemed as if i was just wasting away, but now that my body is used to the diet, ive gained it back. i do want to lose weight but whatever. vegan food is just too yummy!!!!

[eve]

My doc told me not to bother weighing myself, but just to check the waist measurement at least once a month, that it doesn't increase.

[eve]

Well, you makes your choice! By the way, this is an excellent book to keep as a guide: Foods that cause you to Lose Weight by the vegan doc, Neal Barnard MD. :)

[tails4wagging]

Eve, do you know where I can get this book?. Does it have a ISBN number and publisher details?. Thanks :)