Exaustion..

[bekahbooh]

I recently transitioned to veganism from an omni diet about a week ago.
Up untill 2 days ago I was still eating a few things with hidden milk or eggs in them, but have been eliminating them as well, and I don't eat or drink anything that I know is not vegan now.
I have been reading that most people who turn vegan on here have had an increase of energy, have been sleeping better, and have had more energy to work out.
I'm finding that I'm the opposite. I can't seem to sleep, i'm always exausted and have no energy. I'm going to list a few of the normal thing's i've been eating and if anyone can help me by telling me what I may be missing that is causeing this, i'd appreciate it.

Brown rice with stir fry veggies
Black bean burritoes with pico, lettace, onion, and some other viggies on whole wheat tortilla.
Whole wheat bread and penut butter.
Apples
Almond Milk

[veganosie]

i don't know what your diet was like before but it's likely that if you're eating a lot more fibre you may feel sluggish because of this, or have you cut out a lot of fat/refined sugar? maybe try incorporating some exercise into your daily routine too, that may make you sleep better and therefore have more energy :)

[Mymblesdaughter]

A Vegan diet can't possibly have caused any deficiencies in a week. I would say you need to look at other things, are you stressed, are you suffering from a virus?

I was a vegetarian before turning vegan and didn't notice any difference in my energy levels but it wasn't something I had a problem with. I sometimes have problems sleeping but that's due to stress nothing to do with my diet.

It's difficult to tell without a bit more detail of things you are eating but I would say the things you have listed look fine to me.

[Risker]

Are you sure you're eating enough calories?

[bekahbooh]

I do believe I'm eating the right ammount of calories, maybe a few less than I used to, but about the saame. It could possibly be due to stress. =) I'll see how i feel over the next few weeks.

[Mordechai]

Bekabooh, be sure to get enough calories if coming of a high saturated fat etc diet. If you'd like to be energetic, and you have come from a diet of calorie rich foods (pushing 3,900+) then you could try maintaining that same calorie intake now just with wholefoods, grains, nuts and fruits will be your easiest option, and be sure to have a salad a day, big green leafies! Also how is your water in-take? Are you getting approx ~3L?

Namaste

[Risker]

.

[Mordechai]

It is sort of the norm home in Australia, lots of sun, lots of sweats and lots more running and even hot Yoga!

[Risker]

It is sort of the norm home in Australia, lots of sun, lots of sweats and lots more running and even hot Yoga!

Sorry, when I read it for some reason I thought of 3 x 2L bottles since that's what I drink my water from. Brain not functioning properly, probably need more water. :)

[Mordechai]

It's okay Risker, heat-stroke can be gnarly, cacti become your best friends, and you start drinking sand.

Bekahboo as a morning regime, have 2-3 glasses of water (~1L) before any meal as your 'wake-up' coffee replacement ;)

[bekahbooh]

I think i tend to only get around 1,800 to 2,000 calories a day. But I think that's a good range for me. I'm a 5'5" 150lb female.
I've been trying to drink a lot more water. I dont drink soda or anything anymore. Just the occasional coffee if i'm really sluggish, water, and soy or almond milk.

[VT Winter Veggie]

In my experience the lack of energy is just from such a huge shift in diet. Omni to vegetarian is usually easier than omni to vegan. Your body has to adjust to not only getting nearly all of its calories from plant foods, but it also has to deal with the massive amounts of fiber you're eating (massive in comparison to what you most likely used to eat). Your system has to switch itself over, as with any major diet change.

My opinion is to give it some time, as going from meat and animal products to purely plant foods is a big switch. Keep up with the drinking water, make sure to drink enough, and when you're hungry eat good whole foods whenever possible, if you're not hungry don't force yourself to eat. It's not about counting calories, it's about how you feel physically and mentally, let that guide how much you eat.

Just my opinion. Hope things work out for you soon.

[Korn]

I have been reading that most people who turn vegan on here have had an increase of energy, have been sleeping better, and have had more energy to work out.
Yes, that's quite common...


I can't seem to sleep, i'm always exausted and have no energy.
..and if you can't sleep, you will necessarily lack energy and feel exhausted. But fortunately, we don't need animal products to sleep well. :-)

I don't think this has anything to do with eating vegan as such. On a balanced, vegan diet, yu actually get more of some essential nutrients than you would do on a standard, non-vegan diet. Non-vegans are usually deficient in various nutrients, as discussed here (http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?24-Nutrient-deficiencies-more-common-in-meat-eaters-than-in-vegans).

Make sure you get enough protein from your food, and see if there are any other changes in your life which causes the sleep problem/energy problem. Do you drink more tea/coffee? Are there things in your life which happened before you wnt vegan which may also have caused changes in your energy levels? Could you simply see sugar withdrawal symptoms? Where do you get your protein from? Maybe you could see if your energy is affected by your wheat intake? Good luck! :-)

[bekahbooh]

I think I'm going to start keeping a food log and also log my stress levels throughout the day and see if anything clicks with maybe what might be keeping me up.