How do you balance your diet?

[sbarsotti]

I am somewhat new to the vegan world as an adult. As a child, I didn't like meat and was severely lactose intolerant. Granted, I ate my fair share of Ritz and popcorn- and was a slightly heavy child... but as an active teenager I maintained my weight well. But somewhere along the lines I discovered I could "handle" dairy again- and meat wasn't so bad... and the weight piled back on. Obviously, I ate other things... but you get the picture.

Then, I did HCG. If you're thinking about it.... DON'T. I lost 25lbs in a very short amount of time, but the restriction spurred out of control binging and constant thought about food. Aaaaand I'm back to square 1!

Well, square one weight wise. I've spent the past few months focusing on self awareness and my HEALTH, not just weight loss. Well, I've lost none of the weight I've gained back- but I have made my way back to my vegan lifestyle.

I've read Dr. Mcdougall's MWL, and have been practicing a high starch plant diet. This has been great for my skin and helping me get back on track- however it's kind of wreaking havoc on my digestive system! A basic day for me includes fruit and oatmeal with oatmilk for breakfast, apple for snack, and brown rice/veggies/beans for lunch and dinner. Usually a salad with oil free dressing thrown in there for fun. Annnd.... I've had a lot of bloating/gas/stomach aches too. Less than ideal! I've been doing MWL for a couple weeks now, with not much to show for it... which seems odd. But my body could also just be adjusting? I walk almost every day, at least 1.5 miles and practice yoga most days as well. Two days a week I take a pilates reformer class, and otherwise I'm fairly active in my day to day life outside of my sedentary job.

I'd like to find a "diet" that is very sustainable for me. Zero fat is a pain in the ass- low fat fine... but zero? I'm married to an Italian man. He can deal with no meat no dairy... but when I stop cooking with oil my home is not a happy place! Haha! Not only that, it almost doesn't seem healthful to eliminate all fats. Not that I want to have a fat fest- but nuts, avocados, coconut oil, EVOO... all feel healthy in obvious moderation. But... can you have a high starch/high fat diet? That sounds like fat city!

I avoid processed foods to the very best of my ability, and consume "brown" products. I am a fruit-aholic! (MWL suggests only two servings of fruit per day.... something I just cannot follow). I have a hard time believing the basic calories in/calories out theory- there simply must be more to it (food combinations? Food types? Ect?)

So... what about the rest of my vegan compadres? What do you do? How do you balance it? Help me find my way to nutritional balance!

[emmapresley]

try slimming world. ive lost almost 5 stones since last november, its totally easy, you can eat masses of good simple vegan food. there is a group on here if you search for it or if i can find it ill link you.

superfree foods (pretty much all fruit all veg)
free foods on green days its pulses, rice pasta, grains, plain tofu

2 x 'a' foods ('dairy' section..soya milk, cheese etc..you gotta weigh it out)
2 x 'b' foods (carby cereal/bready section..you gotta weigh it out)

everything else has a 'syn' value. up to 15 syns a day. a book tells you what stuff has what syn value..the majority of it is for processed food eating omnis who still wanna feel 'normal and not ostracised from their people for being on a diet or something blah blah' and doesnt apply here, but is useful for loads of other stuff.

join a group, join online, dont join, follw the basic principles of it. its all common sense stuff.

up your fruit and veg..high water content, chose unrefined carbs,,pasta, rice. keep active, have treaty stuff in moderation. if you pig out one day its cool just go back to being focussed the next day.

ive tested this SW theory loads..eaten masses of pasta at midnight and still lost weight.
the more stuff i eat, it still loses me weight, you dont go short on food and to my knowledge its the most vegan friendly eating plan/diet/lifestyle plan/agh call it what you will ive come across

[emmapresley]

oh sorry..youre not in the uk??
maybe slimming world doesnt apply. still, those principles work. loads of fresh stuff, fruit veg, cut down on eating crap. i think if youre eating lots of seeds, nuts, unsaturated oils, its gonna be better for you than any other kind, but not sure we need that many?? someone else with way more knowledge and intelligence on this wil advise you better :0)

[sbarsotti]

Congratulations on your weight loss Emma!

Is Slimming World like Weight Watchers for the UK? That's kind of what it sounds like. Every food has a "points" value, keeping you in check both calorie wise and nutrient wise? I briefly joined Weight Watchers, but because so many things are now "free" in points or really low in points, it could be so easy to overeat on WW because it's geared to the "average" American eater.

I'll keep reading up on Slimming World. I just want to find a healthy, balanced, vegan way of eating that doesn't have too much or too little of any nutrient. I don't want to go to extremes! But I don't want to lose weight at a snail's pace either... hmm!

[emmapresley]

i dont know..i guess we have WW over here and the points system. ive heard of people who g to my group who have tried WW groups and they say like youre 'allowed' 29 points..and that by lunchtime theyve no points left and gnawing at their fists in frustration.

i dont know. the SW seems simple and sensible to me *looks utterly confused*

[missbettie]

I'm doing WW right now, I really like it. :) 2 week so far...i've lost 1 pound... i feel a lot better though. :) i'm sure i'd lose more weight if i started excersising. but i'm lazy... :)

[sbarsotti]

Missbettie, I didn't lose weight either. And I found the points frustrating as well. It just didn't seem to add up right for my personal lifestyle. I guess what I'm looking for is more of a guideline, rather. Something that isn't super restrictive either way you push it. Don't exceed X- avoid Y like the plague- make sure to get plenty of Z.

Even though most of my life I was a vegan, I never paid attention to health. So in many respects, I am new! And chubby.... which is less than ideal :0)

[missbettie]

:) I really actually like it, but its just the beginning, I also drink a lot of alcohol so that takes a lot of my points away...

but i'm a little chubby myself, but i always have been :D I'm hoping weight watchers will help me become exactly what i want...

[missbettie]

and I mean its not really restrictive at all, thats why I like it, last night I ate my favorite food, Taco Bell. :D

[sbarsotti]

Yeah, I don't like TOO restrictive.

Taco Bell? What in the heck do you eat at Taco Bell that's vegan?? I wish there was a giant list of all restaurants that showed all vegan menu options or modifications....

[missbettie]

I get their crunch tacos fresco style with beans instead of meat. They actually have a lot of options their beans are good, rice, shells, tortillas...you just need to customize the stuff a little bit. even their chalupa shells are vegan, though very high in fat and calories.... its my favorite place to go with omnis :)

[Ananas]

I think the best thing to do for your body is to eat as little processed foods as possible. So lots of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, avocado, etc, and sometimes grains, but be sure to have the most unrefined ones. And not so many wheaty products like bread/pasta/crackers and obviously cookies and cakes.