Vegan weight loss

[lunabella]

Hi All,
This is my first post. I searched my topic in this forum, but did not find a thread on the specific the issue I have.

I was a vegetarian for the past 12 years and have struggled with binge eating for the past 10 years. I was gaining weight and became a vegan two months ago hoping to control my weight and be an ethical human.
I have cut out added sugars, most processed foods and my trigger binge foods (nuts). I currently eat: fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, soy. I continue to binge on fruits and have steadily gained weight as a vegan. I currently exercise 6 days a week (walking, running, and weight lifting for an hour) - there has been no change in my exercise. I don't want to have to eliminate fruits from my diet, but I cannot seem to get enough of them.

My current diet:
breakfast: smoothie made of berries, banana, oats, chia sees, and organic tofu
lunch: large salad with a sweet potato and Gardein soy "beef"
snack: fruit
dinner: brown rice, vegetables, hommus, and Gardein soy "chicken"
after dinner binge (despite being full): sesame seeds, fruit, vegetables and hommus

Has anyone had the same problem and found a solution? Thanks for reading!

[Astrid660]

Yes, I do have quite a similar problem. I love being vegan, but holy heck is it hard for me to control my intake around all the delicious food I make all the time! I haven't really found a solution yet, other than not buying things that I know I will binge on. Which is hard. Because if I'm slightly tired from work or hungry or feel I 'deserve' a nice (food) treat, I find myself picking out veg snacks to buy with a guilty conscience.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one! But I would like to find some realistic solutions also!

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Yes, I do have quite a similar problem. I love being vegan, but holy heck is it hard for me to control my intake around all the delicious food I make all the time! I haven't really found a solution yet, other than not buying things that I know I will binge on. Which is hard. Because if I'm slightly tired from work or hungry or feel I 'deserve' a nice (food) treat, I find myself picking out veg snacks to buy with a guilty conscience.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one! But I would like to find some realistic solutions also!

[Barry]

Lunabelle - It could be the fruit binges and too much processed soy that are making you gain weight. Fruit and soy are both great, but, like everything else, need to be consumed in moderation.

Astrid - I hear ya! I've struggled over the past couple of years too. I was stick thin for years as a vegan, but then bad habits started creeping in and I gained a ton of weight.

I've managed to get a handle on it this year though - I've lost three inches off my waist and about 15-20 pounds. For me it was really about simple things like portion size and better food choices. I also increased the amount of protein in my diet and decreased the amount of carbohydrates. Small things like halving the amount of pasta I would normally have.

In terms of exercise - I've gone back to doing weights after a five year absence and this has also seemed to speed up my progress more than cardio exercise did.

[Egesa]

Hi Lunabella, and everyone else. I'm new here too - this is my 2nd post. The foods you've listed seem good. If you haven't already, you may want to consider software which calculates how well your nutritional needs are met by the foods entered - also for planning calorie content and balance of various particular nutrients (e.g. "Cron-O-Meter", which is free, or something else). I've been vegan for about 12 years. There have been times when I've binged on fruit, and I'm sure it was for the energy. Try having more complex carbs during the time of day before the cravings begin, so that you have more slow-released energy, if you suspect that it may be the fruit sugars you're craving. Another thing is that self-control is more difficult when we're tired - we go on auto-pilot when sleep-deprived (executive function via frontal lobes of brain shuts down). Taking a nap beforehand, and getting plenty of sleep, makes it easier to eat with more conscientiousness. ... contientientiousnessnessnesss....

For avoiding too much weight gain, a good general rule is to avoid drinking foods which can be eaten - for example, eat a banana rather than drink it in a smoothie. It's more satisfying, and less conducive to consuming more calories.

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Btw Lunabella, congratulations for becoming vegan!

[lunabella]

Thank you Astrid, Barry, and Egesa for your responses!

Barry, what foods did you substitute for carbs to increase your protein? I have decided to increase weight training, so hopefully that will help like it did for you.

[david.fisher]

I used to be morbidly obese as a veggie and turned vegan 2 yrs ago. Neither choices (ethical) have helped with weight control. I love fatty and high carb foods. I lost weight (6 stone) using a strict diet control social media site called MyFitnessPal.com. This worked really well for me with the easy to log app on my iPhone and the accountability with/from other members. Found that logging my food kept me aware of what I was eating and discourage bingeing and snacking. I still have 1/2 stone I would like to lose, but do not have the motivation to do it at the moment.

The biggest motivational factor for me has been sport and athletics, I sign up for events and then train for them, which requires some discipline in terms of workout schedules and diet planning.


Psychologically I have needed to embrace hunger as a friend in the process of weight loss. Lifestyle has been key for me:

1. Getting to bed early and putting out clothes for early workouts ( and avoiding late night eating / binges')
2. Having good nutritious food available (salad, spinach, seaweed)
3. Avoiding trigger foods (fizzy drinks, nuts, peanut butter)
4. Sticking to a strict macronutrient controlled diet by logging all food and exercise

[Barry]

I lost weight (6 stone)

Wow, good for you!

Lunabelle - I've really just increased the amount of whatever protein is on my plate (pulse, nuts, soy etc.), and decreased the amount of carbs on the plate.

I've also been using pea protein powder. The weight training routine I'm doing is pretty intensive and I've found that pea protein really helps with recovery from it. If you're looking for a good weight routine I recommend checking out one of these - http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/top-...scle-gains.htm

I've been really lucky because I've managed to lose weight and build some muscle at the same time, which is apparently very hard to do.

(Also, I should point out that when I say I cut down on carbs, I mean bread, pasta, rice and potato. Veggies and pulses are obviously carbs too, but I'm still eating loads of them)

[david.fisher]

Thanks Barry... My next goal is to gain muscle bulk thanks for the info

[Barry]

How's everyone in this thread doing with their weight loss?

I'm still going well. I've now lost six inches off my waist and five off my chest. I have no idea what I've lost in terms of actual weight cause I don't use a scales. It's great but it's meant that I've had to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes, including clothes for work. It's costing me a fortune!

[Lilystein]

For the whole three years of veganism I've struggled, first I became anorexic, lost four and a half stone very quickly. Then last year it turned into bulimia and I've done nothing but binge and get fat. I'd prefer to be anorexic again because at least I was happier than I am now. I cannot stand being full to bursting but I cannot stop myself eating everything. I am desperately trying to find a way to control my mind and stop eating ridiculously large portions. I think my biggest temptation is bread and cereal.

[Egesa]

Lilystein, that's definitely something to seek professional support with. You're not the only one on this site struggling with bulimia &/or anorexia. The rest of us can only share our relatively mild struggles with personal health care, which can at best only help to a limited extent.

I am desperately trying to find a way to control my mind and stop eating ridiculously large portions.

Self-control is largely based in the frontal lobes of the brain, as part of the "executive functions", and suffers with fatigue, sleepiness, poor health, stress, and malnutrition. Malnutrition (even if too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right things) is bad for self-control because the building blocks for everything the frontal lobes need to work properly aren't available e.g. the building blocks for neurotransmitters, a steady, even supply of blood sugar, and various other nutrients - so self-control suffers further, leading to worse health, leading to worse control, to even worse health, and so on. This downward spiral needs to be broken, but it may not be possible to do so without professional support, such as a good clinical psychologist. Your local doctor (GP), may recommend one. I definitely would in your situation; I have done so previously for other problems, and I highly recommend it.

[Blueberries]

Hi Lilystein, I hope that you get the help and support you need.

[ellipsisdream]

For the whole three years of veganism I've struggled, first I became anorexic, lost four and a half stone very quickly. Then last year it turned into bulimia and I've done nothing but binge and get fat. I'd prefer to be anorexic again because at least I was happier than I am now. I cannot stand being full to bursting but I cannot stop myself eating everything. I am desperately trying to find a way to control my mind and stop eating ridiculously large portions. I think my biggest temptation is bread and cereal.

I can fully relate to this. *Hugs* your way... I feel your pain. We can both beat this!

[SteveAllen]

Hi friends. I am a vegetarian and have reduced lot of weight because vegetables are best food for health and fitness. If someone needs to lose weight then i suggest everyone to eat vegetables and get so many health benefits.

[CarsonH]

Loosing weight is not an easy task. You diet to have a proper diet as well as exercise regularly to reduce that extra fats from your body. Proper diet doesn't mean you have to starve to loose weight. You must follow some of the basic weight management tips and follow the weight management plan. You can view some weight management tips at http://www.medstorerx.com/weight-man...ment-tips.aspx ;this include from having a proper diet to exercise and all other factors which you may consider for loosing weight.