Weight reduction advice

[philfox]

thanks for the support i am quite lucky, i enjoy salads without dressing, though i do like to chuck a yellow pepper in the food processor every now and then for a sweet dressing (nothing added) my main weakness is alcohol, and i think a kick up my backside to stop me drinking will help :S i've also started using water or lemon juice to fry in aswell, for dishes such as curries and bahji etc. falafels are good in the oven.
i've been good this afternoon and only had a carrot and hummus snack whilst doing uni work. i've had approx 437 calories today so far, i'd like to try at aiming for 1200 cals a day for a week and see if it makes a difference.
not drinking water is a big problem for me, although i find filling small bottles and chilling them makes water more palatable, and i no longer drink coffee and tea (i have a coffee occassionally at my mothers). i think i know enough to eat healthily, i just give in to temptation a lot i love cooking too and baking. its one of the reasons i get annoyed with omnis saying 'as a vegan you must be so limited to what you can eat' er i wouldnt be such a porker if i was limited, i suppose thats one good thing about being a chunky veg*n, people cant say your pale and wasting away
i have managed to get into some size 16 trousers today, how ever i am conscious of my butt crack, i wonder if they are dissapearing up it sorry too much info XD

edit to add:
ak! i managed to go to 2 pubs tonight and have only soda in one and a lime and soda in another. i didnt realise till entering on fitday how blinking fattening lime cordial is. plus i had two glasses of ginger ale, thats bad too. i had some fresh vegetables with pasta for tea and i had it quite late too. *sigh* but i think i hit around 1846 calories (i did have some white bread with tea as well) i think i should just drink water and herbal teas from now on. to be honset i never drink fizzy drinks apart from soda water, so im blaming it all on my partner. his fault kidding, but im glad i didnt succumb to the tempation of alcohol.

[herbwormwood]

Philfox, may I ask if you take any medication which could be affecting your weight? I ask because you say you are hungry a lot of the time. Anything with prednisolone type drug in can cause false appetite and weight gain and disturb blood sugar levels. Maybe you could look into the side effects of any medication you take.
I see you are in the UK so you could look into the prices of local authority run gyms. They often do cheap sessional fees which are cheaper than joining as a member. Or talk to your GP about getting exercise on prescription, which is subsidised or free at gyms. If you are worried about hurting yourself during exercise because of your epilepsy, gyms are ideal as staff are trained to deal with any problems or accidents.
Exercise is great for depression and there is a positive social aspect to gyms.
As for what you eat. Try eating more wholefoods. Cut out refined carbohydrates and sugars. Avoid sweets, biscuits, patries, cakes, crisps, pop and alcohol.
Eat wholegrains and lots of fruit and veg. Avoid processed foods.

[LuC]

I’m sorry to hear you are having such a hard time philfox. I don’t think it is enough to just count calories. You definitely should limit the amount that you eat and try and avoid any junk food of any kind. I think that should include any refined sugars and flours as things to avoid. Eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and try to cook your own meals. More importantly you have to increase your level of activity. You need to exercise as often as you can. Cardio will remove the weight and some weight training will build muscle, which will increase you metabolism. You start off really slow, like 10-15 minutes a day and then work your way up. This has always been a very successful approach for me. I wish you the best of the luck.

[Hemlock]

I have the same problem so I'm really sympathetic Philfox. I have a craving for junk food (vegan of course) but if I give in and eat that packet of crisps every day I find I puff up very rapidly so it is obvious to me that there is something in junk food that causes some of us to have some kind of an adverse endocrine reaction.
I can put on 14 lbs in less than a month if I don't watch what I eat. Seriously for some people junk food is akin to consuming poison.
I find I can keep my weight under control only by cooking and eating freshly prepared food only. I have to eat a lot or I get faint as my job is very strenuous and involves a lot of rushing about.
In order to keep going and control the junk cravings I will have something like homemade soup and homemade bread (never shop bought), chick pea casserole with a large amount of casserole on a very small amount of brown rice, or a potato cake or a "fish" cake with a large mound of assorted cooked veg like parsnips, carrots, red cabbage etc and a low calorie tomato relish and something raw such as chopped tomatos, followed by an apple or orange.
I have to prepare next days food the night before or I will go out and buy junk food for lunch and feel ill all day as a result.
I have recently put on a stone in weight due to ignoring my own rules so am now back on my no junk healthy eating plan - it really does work.

[philfox]

thank you everyone, your repolies mean a lot. i was really good last night and only had less than one glass of wine at my mothers. herbwormwood, i am on epilepsy medication and have been for the duration of my weight gain, although it doesnt mention it in the side effects. they are the only meds i take. apart from crisps, junkfood isnt something i worry about too much. from my food diary, it appears that portion sizes and the ammount of hidden oil is a massive cause, not the only one, and i am certain that i need to do at least 50 mins of exercise at least 3 times a week. ive been walking a friends dog, and i feel so good after i get back, unfortunately she is elderly, so i am restricted on how far i go with her, but my confidence to run around and be mental increases ten fold wheni hang out with her. i hyad two bags of crisps today, after not eating them for a week (i blame my mother ) and i had some biscuits too, something which ive not had for months and months. i'm thinking about joining slimming world or something, and definately going to keep an accurate food diary, perhaps plan ahead what i will eat the night before and stock up on healthy snacks. i love carrots and hummus, so maybe that might be something to do. if i had a freezer i would definately make large batches of soup, but my pan is only big enough for two meals worth anyway. i think exercise is a massive issue, i really need to get out more. i was hoping to shift the weight before my birthday in july, but if i can shift half the ammount i need to lose i will be happy. i managed to fit into some size 16 jeans today, which were to tight a few weeks ago, so the biscuit slip up today will be just that. its my fault. i wouldnt have had them if i hadnt read the ingredients, lol
thank you once again to those who have read my ramblings and to those that have offered advice. i am taking it all on board. and i will take positive steps. big housework day tomorrow, so hopefully that will get me sweating,

[ladyaprille]

size 6 ?? - how tall are you philfox? are you sure you need to lose weight?

[emmapresley]

size 6 ?? - how tall are you philfox? are you sure you need to lose weight?

i think she meant 16??

[philfox]

ladyaprille: i did indeed mean 16, believe me, if it was 6 i would be dancing round the trees all night lmao!!!! going to edit that post right now

[Monday]

Hi Philfox

I am trying to lose weight and am finding putting what I eat into fotday really helps as I can see exactly what is in what I am eating and it is becoming clear to me which meals are lower in calories and which are higher and helping me balance my eating. it is also making me think before I eat.

Could you get your partner to go running/walking with you? I can't afford the gym but decided I wanted to try running. i wouldn't be comfortable doing this on my own (in fact i don't like going out on my own at all, but that's another story). So when my husband gets home from work we go running one day and walking the next for about 20mins. Then we go for longer walks at weekends - we go with the dogs but you could do it without the dogs!!

To burn extra, I try to do some housework everyday and have added in sit-ups before bed and first thing in the morning - I have one of those sit-up things woth a little head cushion and handles. I just do as many as I can and try not to think about the fact that i don't want to and after a couple of weeks I don't mind - it is just part of my routine.

My next plan is to add in some skipping everyday.

I figure if I just add in little things it will all addup. I could happily eat lots of junk so i try not to have it in the house. Porridge is filling and if you add some nuts and seeds it's even better for you. Frozen potato waffles can be cooked in a toaster and are 95 cals each - with baked beans and mushrooms they make a filling lunch. Thick veg soups are filling and have hardly any calories!! If you eat this sort of thing then there is space for the odd glass of wine.

I sympathise - I know it is hard - I suffer from depression too and I know it makes everything harder.

Keep us updated.

Monday xx

[philfox]

thank you monday, sorry it took a while to reply.
i am getting into the habit of puting what i eat in fitday, plus any exercise, i know they seem to think we use about 2000 calories from base living but i am ignoring that
i've decided to try and help myself with a 'diet' plan, i am best when i say i am going to follow something, so i've decided to try raw food eating. i have been inspired by it a bit, so thought i would give it ago. it will be about 95% raw though, as i am finishing off the extra virgin olive oil before buying cold pressed, and the only nuts and seeds i can find around here are in packets, so i asume they are roasted/toasted?
exercise is hard. i mainly take my friends dog out as company when i am out. its raining a lot today, but i hope to walk with my partner to his works tomorrow, its a 2 mile walk, so hopefully i can get 4 miles in about 2 or 3 times a week plus. i think i better make the most of being unemployed
skipping sounds fun, although i am quite embarrassed by stuff like that now, it might be an idea for something to do at mums, as she has more space/garden etc. i've decided to forgo alcohol completely for the short term, perhaps a month or so so i can lose the bloat from it :S
thanks again for the support

[puffin]

Sounds like your doing great. The walks sound like plenty of exercise

[Monday]

Hi philfox - it sounds like you've got a good plan. Let us know how you get on. I know what you mean about the calorie allowance. I'm sticking to around 1600 calories although it is a bit higher on some days and a bit lower on others so i think it evens out.

The walking sounds great and should make a big difference. Regarding the skipping - just do it when you are on your own and then you don't need to feel embarrassed - that's what I do.

Monday xx

[philfox]

not being able to find un toasted seaweed sheets, i got the toasted today, another less raw ingredient. sigh. but i made two sheets worth of sushi, with blended carrot, greenbeans, garlic and ginger, with a little molasses (again not raw) with some cashews in it, and used courgette as the filling. i loved it so much i ate both lots (one was supposed to be a snack for later ) although with my breakfast, i've had 829 calories today and can't even begin to wonder about my tea tonight. maybe a chunky salad? i might make some spinach hummus mmmm......

[philfox]

yesterday for dinner i had some more sushi, with some raw veg, like mini corns and sugar snap peas. made the same as above. i did go out for lunch and had olives and sundred tomatoes in a salad bowl. i did have a glass of wine later in the afternoon hehe, but it makes a massive change from the pints i used to drink. i've decided if i am going to have wine, then on a weekend is the only time i will allow myself, but i will try and hold off. some days i do feel a little like a borderline alcoholic don't know what to eat today though...
Does anyone know where i can get vit B12 from? or should i just include some fortified foods or is it better to take a supplement?

edit : argh! what a horrid day. i went out, and had 2 bags of crisps and 2 half pints, plus 3 glasses of beer (i went out twice, not all in one sitting, but still) i even had pasta for tea. i feel so fat, i had 2300 calories yesterday, i feel like a failure. guess i can just climb back up again, but i hate being so wek willed. why cant all crisps have whey in them ?!?!

[Ginger]

philfox, I really sympathise with you. Some days start out so good and healthy then WHAM! it all goes to pot. Like you (forgive me if I'm wrong),my eating the wrong things starts with a drink or two . Then the crisps or peanuts start calling and my willpower is out the window .
You have to really focus on all the positive steps you have taken so far and how much healthier your food choices have become. We all have bad days (some more than others, I know). For me personally, I need to try to have slightly smaller portions, not the same size as my very active 6' other half!
I also need to exercise a LOT more .
Good luck, and keep us posted.

[philfox]

thank you ginger! well yesterday i didnt have alcohol (for me that is a shock horror!) but i did have cooked pasta and sauce, the sauce was left over from the night before so it was made from fresh tomatoes and had no sugar/salt in it, however i did chuck some soya chunks in. it was so cold in the flat and i was so down but i didnt enjoy it at all. however i did only have 1500 cals yesterday and part of that was a glass of ginger ale so i hope i can keep the cals the same today. i dont know if im weak willed but i find raw food hard in such a cold flat, so i might have a jacket potato with hummus for tea tonight, i know im a lightweight and should have tried to be raw longer, but well, maybe im not ready yet? but i'm certainly eating more raw foods and only had 2 hot drinks in the last week, so i am getting a little better. thanks again for the support, im going out tonight so dont want to be tempted by the crisps and peanuts

[Ginger]

You've made me wonder if there are more raw vegans in warmer climates
When it's cold, grey, windy and pouring with rain (like today) I think a lot of people find comfort in hot, carbohydrate filled food. Or maybe it's just me
Enjoy your evening out!

[philfox]

hehe carbs are the devil XD
well, i had 4 glasses of wine and on the way back i got fries and a spicy tomato bread, so in all ive had 2060 cals today. not great, but not so bad
tomorrow im determined to make some raw ravioli from turnips which i saw on a recipe site and for lunch have a salad. get back on track. im just happy i can go crazy, have 4 redwoods sausages and 4 glasses of wine and some junk food and not go over the goverments recommended allowence. ok im never going to lose weight by it, but at least i know i shouldnt feel so guilty. sigh, but im starting too.....

[!!]

don't feel guilty about what you eat philfox, it'll just make you and more likely to think 'oh, bugger this'. If you have an off day, don't feel guilty- think of it as a boost to your metabolism- if your cals go up-down your body wont go in to starvation mode

[philfox]

goodness me, my diet is out of the window. ive gone over 2k cals so much this week, sigh. there must be a better way for me to do this. i start really well and it goes down the pan as soon as i go to the pub etc. my own weakness of will. i think i was feeling better eating raw, even though id crave hot foods, its better than seeing food as a free for all (vegan of course) so i think tomorrow i'll be going raw, for sticking to it this time. i have some grapefruit and strawberries in, ill have those for breakfast. i'll go and get some veggie tomorrow and stick with it :S

[Ginger]

Good luck with your raw diet philfox . What sort of things will you be having for dinner (or will you be grazing on raw stuff throughout the day)? I'm really interested in raw diets but don't think I could hack 100% raw myself. Maybe it will be easier when the weather improves .
Don't get down about it when your diet doesn't go to plan, you just have to decide not to give up completely. It just means it will take a bit longer to get where you're going . Keep us posted.

[philfox]

when i did my 3 full days "raw" i tended to graze through out the day and have a meal when my partner came home from work. i was hoping to get through the greenchefs recipes, one an evening (apart from those that required dehydrators/unobtainable ingrediants etc) as they are quite easy to make. also for quicknes i do enjoy stir fries raw, so they make a good quick meal and i can easily heat them up for my partner (got to look after him lol)
having wine tonight as a final fling. worked out i will have had about 17k cals today, so not so awful, not great but not awful. i'm off to look for some interesting raw food ideas for dinner tomorrow

[hazelbunny]

Congrats on eating raw foods for 3 days!!! I tried to eat raw food, but my body wouldn't have it - it was like you WILL eat cooked food - where did all my willpower go...?

[philfox]

its just that the uk is soooooo cold! and a delicious lentil dahl is very tempting on such days. its not really a question of will power, more of 'central' heating

[Mr Flibble]

i've lost a couple of inches this year (having put a couple on last year through lots of dessert and cake recipe attempts ) through switching from bad junk food to dried tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, plum etc). It's expensive (i probably eat £2-£3 a day) but is fat free and really does taste fantastic. I eat pretty much constantly when I'm at work, so fruit and a few nuts is a lot better than cake and a few sweets

[veganlinda]

I got lots slimmer last year by taking ricecakes to work ... they taste so much like cardboard you can't eat a whole packet even if you want to ... and by taking apples and carrots in. I eat vegan yoghurt if I want a treat but if I want a vegan sausage sandwich I have one just not too often and just try to reduce temptation by not having too much unhealthy food in the house.

I also find it easier if I am organised to make soups in bulk so that there is always something that is quick and easy to eat and I am tempted less to snack at home.

I also joined a running club a few weeks ago to balance my eating with exercise ... is much easier to run with other people ... have made some new friends and have set myself a goal of running races for the Vegan running club as an added incentive to keep going. Is not fun running with a hangover so is also an added incentive to keep my alcohol intake down : )

[Ginger]

Good ideas Mr Flibble and veganlinda, thanks.

[Ara]

Linda: is the vegan running club in Leicester? I'm looking to do something to get fitter lol

[philfox]

i love ricecakes!!! with maple syrup on XD haha!
some great tips everybody. i'm going to start walking more, by chosing the supermarket furthest away and trying to get up in a morning to walk my boyfriend to work. i was going out on thursday and forgot my purse, i ran home to get it and i felt fab, it really put me in a good mood for the night. i am quiteself conscious about it, so i will keep an eye out for a club.

[RedWellies]

its just that the uk is soooooo cold!

Good for weight loss though... you can shiver it all off!!

[hazelbunny]

its just that the uk is soooooo cold! and a delicious lentil dahl is very tempting on such days. its not really a question of will power, more of 'central' heating

lol! its just not the right time of year for salad...

[Annie]

I've been trying to lose weight for 6 years now. I run 6 days a week and try to work in some weight training every once in awhile. I eat healthy pretty much every day with the occasional chocolate bar.

I used to have junk days...where I'd binge all day long after eating perfectly for the entire week. I stopped doing that and thought I'd lose a bunch of weight but nope...

I'm so angry and frustrated. I work so hard and I feel like my body is just stuck! Any advice?

[absentmindedfan]

Are you eating enough? A low fat wholegrain vegan diet is very low in calories, and my body just wont lose weight unless I eat enough. I run regularly and exercise but if I don't eat tons of low-fat carbs when I'm hungry I wont lose a pound.

I wouldn't restrict your calories below 1300 at the lowest. 1400-1700 would be about right I'd guess. A typical day's food for me would be:

Big bowl porridge with rice milk, agave nectar and blueberries
Cereal bar/small bowl cereal for a snack
Lunch - usually dinner leftovers e.g non-fried curry (the only fat is in the curry paste) and wholegrain (brown) rice
Banana/fruit and rice milk smoothie for snack
Dinner - lots of wholegrain carbs, some protein, lots of veg
Dessert if I feel up to it - chocolate oatmilk

I was eating less than this a few weeks ago and running 3m a few times a week as well as going to the gym and didn't lose a pound. Started eating this sort of diet this week (basically eating carbs whenever I'm hungry) and my metabolism has speeded up - I'm warmer, have more energy and have lost some weight visibly.

ETA: are you sure you need to lose weight? Are you a healthy size for your height? I'm never going to be skinny my body isn't built that way, so I eat well, exercise and let my body settle into the size it feels best with.

[Annie]

I def eat enough...I probably eat 2000 or 2500 cals a day. I'm about 5'5 and weigh around 130 lbs. I just hate that my stomach jiggles and that my arms jiggle and bleh.

[absentmindedfan]

Well you sound like you're fine for weight, it's just toning you need. Try a basic sit-ups and push-ups routine, or start doing yoga especially the strength poses. Headstands keep my arms nicely toned.

[puffin]

130 lb sounds just right for your height. As Amy said it sounds like you need to do some toning exercises. There is loads of good advice online and i would recommend Pilates for toning. An hour 3-4 times a week. I have a dvd and the time goes so quickly when i am doing it.

[Want2BVegan]

How are you doing Philfox?

[puffin]

I have put on weight < not a great deal but i couldnt fit in a skirt i bought last year. I have been eating far to many cakes so from tomorrow i am on a "no cake and biscuit diet" and i am going to exercise a lot more like i used to. I have got lazy and been enjoying eating far to much

[Kevster]

I've told you before, every time you think of cake, you have to bake one and send it to me.

Now if anyone who is trying to cut back on such things and has a cupboard full that 'needs to be got rid of first' just send them to me. I'll deal with it.

PS. Running/cycling/x training/rowing seems to work for me. Though i have to say i do quite a bit of cycling and have just started to go to the gym twice a week again. I don't have a car and don't like catching buses so it's cycling/walking mostly.

PPS. I've also cut back on cake intake a little.

[Kevster]

PPPS. I've just been reminded i ate almost a whole bar of chocolate last night, though it was The Cocoa Tree fruit and nut, which is my favourite. And i wouldn't usually buy it just it was on special offer at Animal Aid.

Hope you find a method for losing some weight that works for you.

[twinkle]

I keep getting the urge to bake sweet stuff at the moment but it's just me and my housemate living here and he really doesn't eat cake unless I almost force it on him. Maybe I need to start posting it out to willing recipients

[absentmindedfan]

Yes! Me!

[RedWellies]

I'll have everyone's spare cake and chocolate! Just to help you out of course. I'm nice like that.

[puffin]

I've told you before, every time you think of cake, you have to bake one and send it to me.

Now if anyone who is trying to cut back on such things and has a cupboard full that 'needs to be got rid of first' just send them to me. I'll deal with it.

As usual Kev you have a heart of gold. My thights will be super slim in no time with you on my side.

[Kevster]

I try

[Wishes]

Weight can sure be a problem. In fact it's one of my major problems. While I've never done drugs, rarely drink alcohol and stopped smoking at 25, I have battled my weight most of my life.

Finally going vegan 1 1/2 years ago has helped. There are still many vegan high fat foods and snacks and I LOVE sweets! I too stress eat and will comfort myself by eating in front of the television if I am upset.

I'll never be petite but I'd love to get some of this weight off. I lost some gained some of it back and I'm not really happy about that right now. It's a constant battle.

Yes, I'm a fat vegan.

[lizzieb]

weightwatchers worked for me - i lost 4 st - its based on a points system which is much easier to work out than calories (and i have lost weight using calorie counting before) - my problem is that i lose it and then gain it again - dont know why - cant get rid of the bad habits - i wouldnt go back to weightwatchers again but do use points counting still to help - its based on the amount of saturated (bad) fat there is in food - so as an example you can eat unlimited amounts of veg - they provide recipes especially for no point foods which are really filling (and a lot of them are vegan) - they also do an online service for people who cant or dont want to attend classes - my sympathies are with you - but good luck - you can do it!!!

[Robert]

My approach to weightloss has been that yes, I am following the 'Eat to Live' 6 week challenge but at the same time I have hatched a cunningly devious plan - every weekend I bake cakes, brownies, etc and feed these to my housemates and colleagues at work. The idea being that if I lose even a bit of weight, and they gain a lot of weight eating all that sweet stuff, I am going to look super slim standing next to them...

[harpy]

You probably all already know about this but I just came across a reference to the "V-plan" diet http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/guides/v_plan_guide.pdf

I don't really do diets myself but FWIW I find that activity levels make a huge amount of difference to weight - even a small amount of exercise makes a big difference; must be to do with metabolic speed or something.

[fiamma]

That's a great link harpy, thanks for that.