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Thread: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

  1. #1
    GoVegan2012
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    Exclamation Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Hello everyone! My name is Tara and I joined this forum a week ago. Here is what is going on with me.


    Does veganism assure satiety, or in other words, make my god-awful appetite go down for once in its life?

    I am 240 lbs, 5'7", and duh, very overweight for my height. I eat meat, and not willingly. I am facing a ton of pressure from my mom, whom I now live with. I can't go on a diet of any type without her giving comments like,

    "You know you won't stick with it."
    "You are going to get so tired of that"
    "You know, Tara, that you won't stick with veganism for all of your life."

    and the ever more popular, "Tara, stop obsessing over food! Only then will you lose weight. Eat smart, and control your portions."
    Yeah. get it, mom.

    But I really don't. I have a feeling that certain things in meat, cheese, and egg products are making my appetite huge!

    I am 30 years old, and can make my own decisions. I have gotten to the point where I cannot help but to obsess over food, and veganism is calling me big time.

    I ate as a vegan/fruitarian for almost a week, and experienced the most beautiful feelings I have ever felt in my life; increased energy, way decreased appetite, happiness, closeness to nature, no guilt over meat-eating, and I just felt good all over, but those feelings would change whenever i knew my family was going out for a meal at a restaurant, and I felt obligated to go, even though I knew there was nothing vegan on the menu. All that week, I didn't eat tofu, tempeh, or anything with grain or any dry beans hardly. I kept it simple, but I do not plan on not eating tofu or tempeh. I simply love the taste of them.

    I eat so much right now, it's not even funny. You know those Stouffer's lasagna family packs? My mom and sister had one serving each, and guess how many I ate? Well, let's just put it this way. It was over half the box! yes, it was the meat kind, ugh. I cannot go through this any longer. i hate to disrespect, but that woman is getting on my nerves!

    Um, uh, speaking of....

    i just got an email from her about one minute ago in the middle of typing this message, and it was in response to an email all but begging her to let me go vegan. She responded with telling me that it was sugar that is making me extra hungry, and that is because it plummets and hour or so after me eating it. She also said that she already told me I could eat vegan.


    Um, when did she ever say that? lol

    Now, people, I don't want to focus on the ethical aspects of this way of life, but just the health ones for right now. I have seen the many videos on Youtube about factory farming, and oh, that stuff is atrocious. i could not believe it, and was brought to tears on a couple of occasions, but that is saying a lot for this meat-eater that has become hard-hearted from a number of life circumstances.

    Sorry for such a long, long, loooonnnnngg post, but I need to tell people that this is the gist of what I am feeling.

    Please, please, give me all the posts and feedback that you can, as well as life experiences with meat vs. veg. Thank you so much. It means a lot to a 240 lb gal like me.


  2. #2

    Join Date
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    Adelaide
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    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Well as you said you are 30 and can make your own decisions.
    You obviously know that Veganism will help with the guilt, you will no longer be contributing to animal cruelty, environmental damage or unhealthy living.
    Even if you still eat a lot as a Vegan if you are eating your own foods especially raw you will lose weight healthily.
    Try eating foods with a high cellulose content.
    You have already felt the benefits of Veganism and know that it is for you.
    So make the move..While I did not lose masses of weight. (I don't need to.) I did lose a kilo or two and I am a lot healthier all together.
    Just remember you need to eat foods that will cover you basic needs of vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.
    Try researching the Vegan food pyramid, buy a healthy Vegan cookbook and go for your life!!
    I promise you will have no regrets!!
    Good luck on your path to healthier living!!
    =]

  3. #3

    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Hi Tara!

    Hi Tara!


    Does veganism assure satiety, or in other words, make my god-awfulappetite go down for once in its life?
    Not necessarily. It depends on what you choose to eat. There are vegan foods that are very unhealthy too such as refined white bread, chips and pretzels,desserts, etc and you can still go overboard on fake cheese and fake meats etc. Tempeh and tofu, if bough torganically, can be high quality filling food that is quite healthy and I don’t consider this in the fake meat category. Whole grains (quinoa, millet, buckwheat groats, oats, etc), fruits,vegetables, beans, legumes, are all healthy foods that can be very satiating if eaten in balance and prepared well. They are high in fiber and will fill you up on less than cheese and meat. Cheese/dairy tends to be calorific in that it doesn’t fill you up unless you consume a lot of it because there is no fiber in it.

    Learning to cook and prepare foods (even eating raw takes skill to develop in preparing the foods) can go a long way in helping you to eat well and enjoy food without going overboard.
    And then there are extreme diets taken by people who are vegan that may not be all that fulfilling for your needs either (such as eating nothing but bananas). Your Mom is right in that you still need to eat sensibly and meet your nutritional needs. Keeping healthy snacks around will also help curve binges and cravings for high fat food (even as a vegan it is possible to binge on nut butters and coconut etc trust me).

    I eat meat, and not willingly”
    but those feelings would change wheneveri knew my family was going out for a meal at a restaurant, and I felt obligatedto go, even though I knew there was nothing vegan on the menu”


    As Jeorjette said, you are 30 years oldand you can make your own decisions. No one can force you to eat meat without a gun to your head. There is no reason you need to feel obligated to eat what your family is eating. If you are committed to being vegan and passionate about it you will show it inthe way you live and your family will take you more seriously. If not than too bad for them. You can still do your own grocery shopping and you can say no if they want to go to a restaurant that does not have vegan options that you can eat. What makes you say that you don’t willingly eat meat? Are you trying to please your family or avoid being nagged? I am not trying to be mean or anything I justwant to understand more.

    From what you have described about eating a half a box of meat lasagna, you were also frustrated with your Mom at the time. Are you an emotional eater? Being vegan will not solve this. People think that a vegan diet is a cure to all ills but this is not the case. Have you ever seen a therapist or nutritionist regarding possible emotional eating or bingeing/overeating?


    I have had the opposite issue for a number of years, suffering from anorexia nervosa brought on by a trauma in my life. I have however gone through periods of profound bingeing (3000 calories in one sitting and sometimes more) but that was mostly due to leptin hormone levels being off and my body starving from long term deprivation. I have however used food as an emotional crutch and find that I still binge when I am upset. I also find that I want to binge when I try to diet and deprive myself of nutrients and eating enough. The diet merry go round is a prime cause of bingeing too. I want to tell people to never ever start dieting and thinking about losing weight. Instead focus on eating healthy and giving yourself enough fuel and work on healthier habits like exercise and choosing foods wisely. Dieting or focusing on eating vegan as part of a weight loss plan is still a form of food obsession and wont solve the long term problem. I have been through numerous eating disorder treatments and nutritionists and I have worked with other clients running the gamut from binge eaters and severely obese to bulimics and anorexics alike. I am not an expert but I saw something in your post that raises red flags. The emotional eating and allowing others to control you (or perceiving that they are) is one. Gaining a sense of self respect, personal responsibility, and independence would really help your situation. Just changing your diet probably won’t workwithout these changes.


    I love being vegan and I just feel better on so many levels. However, at times it can be hard because society will challenge you on every level. Veganism is not regarded too highly by a lot of people. You must be prepared to deal with this reality. If you are committed and passionate about being vegan you will find ways to overcome these barriers. If you use veganism as a crutch or a way just to lose weight but you have trouble even standing up to your family it may not work. I hope that you will consider this and maybe consider finding some objective support from somewhere outside of your family to help you (coming here is agood start but you need real time support too).
    Last edited by Robinwomb; May 1st, 2012 at 11:56 AM.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Sorry for all the errors in my post. I typed in Word and transfered it hear and it was a mess. I tried to clean it up but missed some things. I hope its still readable.

  5. #5
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Hi Tara - from what you've said, being vegan might make you feel better in lots of ways, although it doesn't in itself guarantee weightloss, as the others have pointed out.

    I wouldn't bother debating with your mom or yourself. I'd just give it a try and see how you get on. Or if you don't want to do it overnight, just gradually increase your intake of plant-based foods until you aren't eating anything else I agree with Jeorjette that you won't regret it.
    Last edited by harpy; May 2nd, 2012 at 11:25 AM.

  6. #6
    Daffodil's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    I can vouch that it doesn't help weight loss. I am heavier than i've been for years at the moment as I seem to love food so much now. Am always trying new recipes and discovering new weird and wonderful foods that i've never heard of before.
    So I would say, if you're thinking of becoming vegan, then do it for the right reasons, otherwise you wont keep it up.

  7. #7
    Cacique's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Eating vegan will not make you lose weight, but it could help. It all depends on the type of foods you eat, just like with every other diet. The only reason why a vegan diet might make it easier to lose weight is because you're removing a good amount of fat and cholesterol, which I assume could make it easier. Eating a lot of vegetables and fruits, will also help as they're lower in calories than things like carbs and meats but fill can fill you up.

    I went from 300lbs to 275lbs simply by walking everywhere, yet I lived off of fast food for all my meals. After I went vegan, the change was so dramatic compared to all the fat in fast food and even though I was eating the normal amount of food I used to eat, my weight eventually got down to 170lbs (I'm 6' tall). I had to increase the amount of food I ate, added in more snacks randomly and I've gotten up to about 190.

    I'm still working on fixing up my diet better, and trying to figure out a work out routine to get into to get in shape. As I've never really worked out and lost the weight through change in diet, I still feel crappy, but much better than I used to feel on my fast food diet.

    So my advice is that a vegan diet could definitely help, but you'll have to figure out the balance. Exercise is always good to add, don't want to lose muscle mass. Also you are 30 years old, you do not need your mother's permission. You do what is best for you, and if your mother has negative comments, tell her to keep them to herself.

  8. #8
    Vegtastic EpicLibrarian's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    Hello! I want you to know that I have been in a similar situation. I grew up with parents who constantly called me the "fat one" and whenever I tried to do anything about it, would tell me that I was going to fail, even when I tried becoming vegetarian. I think a lot of these emotional issues led me to overeating and having an unhealthy relationship with food. When I got married, my husband and his entire family were overweight, and I fell into their unhealthy pattern initially. I tried vegatarianism off and on, but always went back. I think dairy is one of the most addictive foods. One day I couldn't take it anymore and just stopped eating all animal foods (there were moral issues too, but the horrible way I felt played a role). I was 220 lbs and 5'3, so overweight. Even though the people I live with now don't eat like I do, I still prepare all my food and eat much better. I have lost 30 lbs (I try to mostly avoid processed, but eat tofu, tempeh, lentils, beans, veggies, fruits, and grains like oats, barley and quinoa). I had to set important boundaries so that others understood that I did not need their approval or judgment, because it was my choice. I spent hours reading up on veganism online and in books. This gave me the confidence to cook delicious, balanced meals as well as gave me the tools to fight any attacks. Veganism makes sense from a water, environmental, health , and compassionate viewpoint. I started a pinterest board with my favorite recipes and foods so if I couldn't think of something to make off the top of my head, I just look over it and find something.

    Lastly, vegan food can be easy or time consuming. I found that I can cook with much less effort than when I cooked with meat (I am not sure about raw). I thrown on some beans with spices and whole garlic cloves and let it simmer while I do other stuff on the weekends and I have lunch all week. I work full time and am taking three graduate courses, and for so long I was using that as an excuse. But I have so much more energy now to tackle everything!

    Good luck, and remember that it is always your decision! Empower yourself!
    See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.

  9. #9

    Join Date
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    Default Re: Help! I eat too much! I want to become vegan!

    I am vegan now and I have to say my health has greatly improve . My cholesterol level have dropped dramatically as well as my blood pressure. Iam still overweight but i am getting a lot more healthier.
    My meal consist mainly of carb, vegetable and protein such as bean, pulse, lentil, tofu etc.... . Instead of using fat and salt to bring flavour I use spice and vegan stock.
    I haven't drop any amount of massive weight but i haven't put any weight on, which for me it is really good.
    I am still working to make my diet better and more healthier but i know i am going in the right way

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