Has your weight changed since going vegan?

[VT Winter Veggie]

Initially I dropped from ~145 pounds, to 127 or 128, over about 4 months (I am 5'8 btw). Then I started weight training right around the time I reached my lowest weight. Since then I've gone back to 144-145 at a body fat percent of about 4 at the moment.

Gaining muscle and not fat is incredible on a vegan diet. Omnivores can say all they want about skinny vegans, but they usually have very high bodyfat, and are far from lean.

[VeganAthlete]

Over time I went from 142 lbs to 128 lbs and then up and down between 128-140. My weight fluctuates a lot for some reason. I have a 2.5 body fat. I am male and I am 6 feet tall.

[Risker]

I have a 2.5 body fat. I am male and I am 6 feet tall.

Athlete or not, that is dangerously low!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_fat_percentage

[VeganAthlete]

Athlete or not, that is dangerously low!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_fat_percentage

Yikes! According to the info, I am below 'essential' body fat. I eat like anyone would...grains, legumes, etc. When my trainer first checked my body stats she was kinda freaked out...but I mean I feel okay for the most part. Thanks for the info btw! I'll ask to get checked again just to be sure. I've gotten the test done by different people and different equipment and it all comes out the same. With only decimal point differences.

[AaronM]

I'm surprised there's so many downs, did a lot of people go straight from omni to vegan or something? I lost a load going vegetarian, but practically nothing going to vegan since there was so little change left to make from there, it barely had any effect on my diet.

[missbettie]

maybe you didn't eat that much high caloric things to begin with? I know a lot of people gain with vegetarian because they supplement the meat with cheeses and pastas, saturated fat and refined carbs....or maybe you didn't have a lot of weight to drop in the first place?

I orginally lost ten pounds, and then after a few months gained it back and then some.... oopss......

[VeganAthlete]

Well not just that but when one transitions from vegetarian to vegan, more whole/exotic foods are introduced to take the place of dairy and eggs in order to obtain enough nutrients. Obviously consuming seaweed and kale is not the same as milk and cheese. The body initially reacts to the change of diet and you either go hungry and eat more or just wait to adjust and lose the weight. I was at a low healthy weight when I was still vegetarian, but soon after my transition to vegan I did dip into unhealthy low weight (BMI was too low). I dragged my butt to WholeFoods and Sprouts (Sun Harvest) to purchase supplements, vitamins, LOTS of yummy grains I had never tried before and lots of beans! My weight is normal now...for the most part. With the occasional fluctuation.

This is odd...but one of my vegetarian friends was telling me that I might have a sodium deficiency. I always cook for myself but when I order out or have one alcoholic drink I will literally put on 10-12 pounds over night. I'll lose it within a day or two. And you can't really tell...but I can feel it.

Hang in there missbettie, you can beat that weight. Well maybe after the holidays. The holidays are the battles of the bulge!!

[missbettie]

I'm not sure I want to beat my weight....but i'm am on my way to being healthier....but I will never been a thin person.

[RubyDuby]

Well not just that but when one transitions from vegetarian to vegan, more whole/exotic foods are introduced to take the place of dairy and eggs in order to obtain enough nutrients. Obviously consuming seaweed and kale is not the same as milk and cheese. The body initially reacts to the change of diet and you either go hungry and eat more or just wait to adjust and lose the weight.

When one transitions from vegetarian to vegan, one may not start eating kale and seaweed in place of dairy and eggs.

There are still oreos, candies such as skittles, french fries, vegan cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, pastas and oil, vegan buttery spreads, breads, potato chips, vegan cakes and cookies, etc etc etc.

It's all about the choices you make and nothing to do with being vegan, in my experience.

[RubyDuby]

double.

[missbettie]

^ that was kind of my point.... I totally eat more now that i'm Vegan, because i'm discovering foods i've never had before and i'm enjoying cooking. Granted, its better quality, and for the most part nutrient dense...but I mean, my breakfast of almonds this morning had 17 grams of fat....

[RubyDuby]

Ya, i was elaborating.

It sounded like VeganAthlete was speaking for everyone, but I personally hate seaweed and only seem to go through kale phases, unfortunately.

[VeganAthlete]

Ya, i was elaborating.

It sounded like VeganAthlete was speaking for everyone, but I personally hate seaweed and only seem to go through kale phases, unfortunately.

Oh no RubyDuby, I was speaking from my own personal experience Some of the vegans that I know in my hometown do include oreos, keebler club crackers, nut butters, lays potato chips, etc. But personally I can't eat that kind of junk food (esophageal something or other) Can't remember what my GI said. I basically should avoid junk food and other things I can't list off the top of my head. I do have my Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish phase once in a while, but I limit it to avoid trouble. Seawead and kale are part of my staple...along with all sorts of grains. According to my cal counter I consume about 10-15 grams of fat per day on average so I try to incorporate other sources with fat when possible.

[Purepsycho]

I thought I'd loose weight when I went veggie but that never happened, I found all the fatty veggie foods and treats! As I've only just started eating vegan I've not done the poll yet.
I am hoping to loose some tho I must admit, as I'm about 3 stone overweight for my height. Not being able to eat 'regular' chocolate will hopefully make a big difference for me!! We shall see how the next couple of months go

[Maître]

Just stay away from vegan baking in that case Purepsycho, I went almost 5 years without touching any kind of cake and didn't even miss it, then I tried baking a vegan chocolate cake one time and realised that it actually tasted better than any 'normal' chocolate cakes I'd ever tried. Now I usually bake atleast once a week and have to rely on my house mates to save me from eating it all to myself.

[Purepsycho]

Hehe I'll try Maitre, my OH is already talking about baking vegan cakes tho, which is lovely as he is omni but it may not help me! lol

[erezzo]

I put on a few pounds since going vegan (from omni without dairy or eggs) about 5 weeks ago. I almost never weigh myself, so I don't know exactly how much I put on, but I'm guessing about 4-5. The reason is that I was initially very worried about getting enough protein (because I can't eat any grains except GF oats and corn). So I had been eating more than I normally would and counting grams of protein... But now my mind is more at rest, and I think I have the protein stuff figured out, so I am slowly returning to eating less than I have been. I am guessing I will eventually go back to the weight where I started. I don't imagine I will lose beyond that point because I was fairly comfortable there to begin with, and I like eating fatty stuff like avocados and nuts. Otherwise, I don't get the energy I need... and I am quite physically active, running, cycling, swimming, etc.

[Puska17]

I weighed myself today and have lost nearly a whole stone since changing my diet a couple of months ago. I'm hoping the weight loss will stop soon as it's a bit scary.
I eat well and have never worried about my weight its always been pretty static.

[airalien]

I lost about 30kg in roughly a year. I am not eating as much as I should.

[Crusty Rat]

When one transitions from vegetarian to vegan, one may not start eating kale and seaweed in place of dairy and eggs.

There are still... candies such as skittles

I thought Skittles had cochineal in? Or is that just in the UK?

Edit: they appear to be vegan, though I found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars,_I...ated#Criticism and it reminded me that Mars Corp are part of the reason I went vegan! I was veggie when they started putting rennet (calf stomach lining) in their chocolate, so I stopped eating it, but in researching rennet I discovered it was a byproduct of the milk industry.

Which led to me not eating animal products or binging on milk chocolate, and thusly I lost a fair bit of weight.

[Hotspur]

I said up/down, down/up: I initially gained weight when I became vegan, but that's because I wasn't taking care of myself before that (mild eating disorder). I got back to my high school weight, then lost a couple pounds three years after that. I don't attribute my weight changes to veganism, though: it's other lifestyle factors for me. Now, after nearly four years as vegan, my weight is stable, I'm active and pretty muscular and doing quite well.

[Blueberries]

Over time I went from 142 lbs to 128 lbs and then up and down between 128-140. My weight fluctuates a lot for some reason. I have a 2.5 body fat. I am male and I am 6 feet tall.

In the politest way possible, the first thing I thought when I read this was that you, when at 9s 2lbs (128lbs), weigh the same as I do but are nearly a foot taller! You're like me stretched out :P

[arian]

I've maintaned the same weight since I was fourteen.. 84 lbs. Once I got up to 89 lbs when I was a vegetarian, but lost it (still as a vegetarian.) Since switching to veganism I haven't changed (maybe a pound or so, but that's been the case all my life.) I'm trying to gain weight currently. Ideally I'd like to be about 92 lbs. I don't look terribly thin or anything, I'm only 5'0", but I'd still like to gain some weight.

[bekahbooh]

I've gained 2lbs in the week i've been vegan (i kn ow.. not long at all yet). But I know that's because I eat a brownie almost every day.. just because it's vegan and it's the only thing that is even similar to what i used to eat.. so it's like comfort food. This week I'm going to buy more whole foods and less brownies and see what happens. =)

[Robinwomb]

age 39 I became vegan in February 2011 and weighed 106 lbs at the start. I dropped to 100 lbs within six weeks even though I ate the same calories as before just different variety of food and then became quite worried because I am in recovery for anorexia (lowest weight 89 lbs 5'6" in 2009 but underweight in the 90's for years as an omnivore until my third recovery attempt in 2010 where I gained to the 106 lbs for the first time on my own and not forced; I have clinically diagnosed osteoporosis from being underweight for years so even though I dont feel like I look that thin I need to take my health into consideration). I was doing quite well until the unintended weight loss that retriggered something in me. At first I gained back four of the lbs just by experimenting with so many different vegan foods and recipes and truly allowing myself to eat when and what I wanted but then I felt an awful triggering guilt at the weight gain and started restricting for a while. I'm so ashamed to admit this because being vegan is NOT about weight control for me at all and I actually get frustrated when veganism is advertised as a quick weight loss fix and equated with the diet industry. I think the initial weight loss for me was because I became vegan so quickly and passionately without a lot of preparation or transition. Once I learned how to eat appropriately as a vegan the weight loss and weight gain stopped. Now any loss or gain is my own doing. I feel like I am finally coming around again with regaining some balance and equilibrium in how I am eating and have maintained where I am for some time now but deep down I know I need to gain. I know exactly how to gain too (and its just as easy to gain as a vegan as it is being omnivore) but I am struggling mentally with it. I just wish on a deeper level that I could accept my body. I am far from at peace with it.

[Hotspur]

I know exactly how to gain too (and its just as easy to gain as a vegan as it is being omnivore) but I am struggling mentally with it. I just wish on a deeper level that I could accept my body. I am far from at peace with it.

I wish you the best on your recovery. My ed was mild, but even years later, I still get the guilt and the desire to go back. For me, it was for the feeling of power rather than body image: I wasn't even aware that I looked any different, but I felt so much stronger and in control. I have some small idea of what you're going through, and if you ever need to talk, I'm here.

[Robinwomb]

I wish you the best on your recovery. My ed was mild, but even years later, I still get the guilt and the desire to go back. For me, it was for the feeling of power rather than body image: I wasn't even aware that I looked any different, but I felt so much stronger and in control. I have some small idea of what you're going through, and if you ever need to talk, I'm here.

Thanks Hotspur very much appreciated!

[gyepitokki]

In a week of being vegan i have found i've lost at least a few pounds (i've visibly lost weight but i haven't got a pair of scales!) I'm quite pleased though, since I do eat quite a fair bit. Though, I did eat a lot of cheeses etc so it's not really surprising

[fondducoeur]

I think I initially lost weight, but then once I realized how much I loved cooking vegan food (and graduated from college and hence had some time to cook), I gained it and then some.

Over the last year however (after being vegan for 5 years), I have lost 30 pounds (160-130) via exercising and making healthier choices. I find that when I make an effort, it is much easier for me to come up with lighter meals that are still tasty than it was before I was vegan. But that is just because I am familiar with so many more foods and methods of cooking.

[VeganAthlete]

In the politest way possible, the first thing I thought when I read this was that you, when at 9s 2lbs (128lbs), weigh the same as I do but are nearly a foot taller! You're like me stretched out :P

That is so funny! Yes, we are the same weight. My weight has actually remained stable for the past 2-3 months. I am 128 lbs exactly! We weight the same just distributed a tad bit differently :P

[Blueberries]

We weigh the same just distributed a tad bit differently :P

Haha, that's definitely true! Although I have a healthy BMI, so I'm happy, even if my bum is bigger than yours :P

[JaneSky]

Initially I lost a fair bit of weight, despite similar calorie intake, I was the only vegan in the house, and eating mostly fresh produce; potatoes, fruits, veg, salad (including avocado) and nuts, I never went hungry, the bulk/quantity I was eating was the highest I've ever regularly consumed, and I had no junk food cravings at all. I didn't buy any soya/rice milks having disliked them in the past, nor did I buy any other 'substitutes'... Then, upon finding out more, my kids started transitioning to veganism, and vegan convenience food and treats crept on to my shopping list by way of encouraging them (and stopping my omni husband and step-daughter from claiming they're 'deprived'!)...

I'm cooking lots of really tasty, more-ish meals, buying vegan chocolate, wine, 'milk', cheese, nut butters, pate, meat substitutes, 'yogurts', deserts, biscuits (ha! I never ate biscuits as a vegetarian!)... I feel like I've got something to prove, to my family, and to their friends, that a vegan diet can be just as delicious and 'indulgant' as their previous diet, I want my kids to feel no sense of deprivation that might put them off - and so far it's working... It is however working it's way back on to my hips (again despite similar calorie intake!), so I'm trying to remind myself that my perpetually skinny, fast-growing, active sons can get away with a lot more 'easy' calories than I can, and am trying to choose more raw nuts and seeds on salad, with bananas for desert, and less humous and fake cheese sandwiches with a chunk of chocolate to finish!

It's definitely got a lot more to do with the types of food (I presume how easily we digest them?) than just the calories though.

[roninway]

For the last 7 months, I've been about 65 lbs above what I'd like to be, thanks to a medication I had to take that caused me to put on a lot of weight. I've been off the medication for the last few months, and vega. For three of them. I lost 5 lbs the first two months, the in the last few weeks, 15 lbs so far! I was already eating pretty healthy, yet stepped it up a lot about a week ago, and have been exercising regularly for the
last month. The lbs are just flying off now. this week it's been about a lb or half a lb a day, and yesterday was two. I still have 50 to go to reach my target weight, yet I'm very optimistic.

[VeganAthlete]

Haha, that's definitely true! Although I have a healthy BMI, so I'm happy, even if my bum is bigger than yours :P

I can't argue with you there :P I have no bum (sad realization). My bum is as flat as paper. My jeans literally slide right down...no bump in the back at all. I was looking into the BMI calculation thing online...and realized my BMI is probably not very "healthy"...17.2 or 17.3. I think it's genetics though.

[begreendee]

I have been slim all my life even before I became a vegan 10 years ago. My weight is more or less static. I am 'lucky' in that I can indulge in chocolate and sweet stuff and still weigh the same whereas my vegan friends are also watching what they eat as they tend to put on weight very quickly.

[Blueberries]

I have no bum (sad realization). My bum is as flat as paper. My jeans literally slide right down...no bump in the back at all

Aww, we may have to all chip in and buy you a belt

[VeganAthlete]

Aww, we may have to all chip in and buy you a belt

If my co-workers and peers read this, they'd probably chip in too! I think I sport the "thug" look on some days when my jeans don't necessarily stay where they should :P Adds the "swag" factor! You can't miss something you never really had tho

[MamaBee]

I went vegan 6 months ago and initially lost around 3-4lbs. Being unable to binge on milk chocolate was probably the main reason for that initial weight loss. As I began to get into my stride with the vegan diet, hoewver, I discovered vegan baking :/. I baked at least once a week - cupcakes, brownies, blondies, you name it - and ate most of the stuff myself! I also found out which sweets and chocolate bars were vegan and bought them all the time. I quickly put that 4lb back on.

I'm on Slimming World now, and have gone from 10st3lb to 9st8lb in about 3 weeks. I'm hoping to get to 9st, which at my height (5"6') is still healthy. Fingers crossed! xox

[namaste984]

I actually lost 7 lbs in my first week of going vegan. It wasn't my intention to do so, but since I'm overweight by a fair bit, it is a side effect I can live with.

[Argonaut]

Well I went vegan when I was 22 and weighed about 8 stone; I'm now 45 and weigh getting on for 10 stone, but hey I've done weight training since I was 27. I look at it that if I were not vegan then my gradual weight gain which has come with ageing may have been greater. I managed to keep my weight steady at just under 9 stone from my late 20's to my late 30's, when giving up running through injury and and living too far from work to be able to cycle regularly slowed my metabolism down. My weight seems to have levelled off for the past year or so thankfully. I hope I can keep it down at 10 stone until well into my 50's and longer. I think that a vegan diet can slow down the weight gain associated with ageing but it cannot stop it.

[NEvegan]

I have lost 30 pounds since going vegan...but this was something very slow- it happened over the course of six years. However, I could still stand to lose another 30 pounds.

[Muvesz]

In the first two months after going vegan, I dropped 20lbs (from 140 down to about 120). About a month ago, I checked again and saw that I was down to 114. I am between 5'4 and 5'5.

[Milady Froggy]

+ 10 Kg in 2 years of veganism !!! (just the oppositte of most people would expect)
I went from slim to ... well ... less slim !
But working at home now doesn't help lose weight ...

[hedgehoglovely]

I really don't know is the answer to that question. I've no set of scales and have never really known my weight anyway as numbers don't really make much sense to me. I've been told that I do look a lot healthier since going vegan by my family but I think that has to do with generally eating better, looking after myself and listening to my body more.

[EpicLibrarian]

Hello! I lost about 15 lbs and I am about a month into it. I lost the initial 10 lbs the first week (the whole water weight thing/detox I guess) and then I have been steadily losing 1-2 lbs a week since then. I had lost 15 lbs before that due to just cutting back on eating out (hard for a full time worker and full time grad schooler, but cooking is a fun hobby, so woo-hoo!). The best part is that I just feel a lot better!

[Lilystein]

79.9 kg to 52 kg in less than a year - Hell yeah! Bye bye big flabby bum, hello toned pert bum lol.

[Bjorn]

(Non Vegan) I lost round 10kg since June 2011 through a different approach to the relationship to food and emotions, (inappropriate reponses to emotions leading to overeating/eating disorders- analysis and understanding + choosing to reeducate oneself)

One month 1/2 back vegan, my weight is stable. I exercised lately less and slightly overeats, so I'm expecting to loose again once I calm down (atm stress at work and home+ like to try loads of vegan recipes/baking which doesn't help)

[splodge]

I think people sometimes lose weight when they first go vegan, firstly because of not knowing what to eat, secondly because of paranoia about nutrition and preconceptions about "vegan food", causing them to hit the rabbit food straight away, and lastly because the empowerment from beating their flesh/dairy addictions making them realise that they can also overhaul their health.

I first tried veganism when I was 14 (I was always vegetarian). I have always been underweight due to swallowing and chewing difficulties because of a jaw deformity, and hereditary bowel and metabolism problems. I had body dysmorphia at that age and my skinniness bothered me so much that I used to obsessively force myself to eat at least 4000 calories a day despite the discomfort, and yet at 1.67 m I still only weighed 7 st 12. When I went vegan I didn't know what the hell to eat so I just cut out everything with animal in it. I stayed vegan for about 8 months and only lost 5lb, despite eating half of what I used to! So it was obviously better for me. It wasn't long after that that I was vegan for good, and my new deeper understanding of the world helped me be at peace with my appearance, despite other people's vocal judgement.

However, since then I have had my jaw stretched and grew taller. Now I work to stay at 7 stone at 1.695m tall, because I only have one tooth that touches another and can only eat soft food and it still gives me a belly ache because it's all half-chewed and swallowed with lots of air However, my periods have been like clockwork since I was 13, I still have a soft layer of fat on my body, I have prominent breasts and bum for the size of my body and no bones stick out anywhere at all, and I feel quite normal. I just look like I've got a weird, lanky, awkward shape. I personally don't feel I look that underweight. So I think that, for someone with my problems, 7 stone seems to be the weight my body wants to be, although 7st 6 was better. The only thing I worry about is my unfortunate appearance being blamed on veganism, so I have yet to fully come out as a vegan 6 years later!

So I'm not answering the poll because it's not straight forward for me, or directly related to plant-based diet or not. But I thought I'd share my story here anyway

[stirfry]

I have lost weight, but because I'm a college student, it's probably more to do with the poverty diet than the vegan diet.

[Ontheverge]

I've been suffering from a ruptured achilles tendon for the last two years which meant my physical lifestyle turned sedentary overnight. I was already a little heavier than I wanted, but gained 15 lbs in a year of inactivity. I've struggled to lose the weight but with an insane restriction on exercise, this proved incredibly difficult when I was an omni. I was keeping my calories to 900-1000 a day or else I'd gain weight.

I switched to vegan and the weight MELTED off in the span of 3 weeks. I lost 10 lbs the first 3 weeks, despite eating close to 1500 cals a day which is something I hadn't done in almost 2 years. All in all, I've lost close to 20 lbs. I want to lose about 10 more and I'll be back to my high school weight. I'm still currently eating close to 1500 cals a day and still losing weight, just a little more slowly than in the beginning. None of my non-friends understand how I can eat so much and still be losing weight. I love that when we go out to eat, they're the ones ordering salads and I'm eating pizza (vegan, but pizza nonetheless).