Has your weight changed since going vegan?

[PaganVegan]

I've put on over a stone (14lbs) since going vegan. Too much home baking! It's my goal to lose it again this year as it's making me feel sluggish.

I'm usually 5'5" & 8 1/2 stone & look good like that.

PV x

[ellaminnowpea]

I lost a little weight (around 15 lbs) and really toned up after initially becoming vegan. After about a year, I put some weight back on and lost some muscle, too... so sad. I had quite a good body for a (little) while at least.

[emmy]

I voted down/up, up/down but some of that is anorexia related.
I started off about 8st 2 (114lbs). Found the joys of vegan cheese (never let myself eat cheese even as a veggie) and went up to 8st 12 (124lbs). Freaked out about that, and dropped to 7 st 12 (110lbs) and settled there for ages. I think that is probably my natural weight. I then dropped to 7st (98lbs) but have gained a few of those pounds back.
So it's not really a vegan thing for me. I actually eat all my fear foods now I'm vegan...vegan cheese, milk, marg etc!

[ellaminnowpea]

I think that is probably my natural weight. So it's not really a vegan thing for me. I actually eat all my fear foods now I'm vegan...vegan cheese, milk, marg etc!

I think its not a vegan thing for me either, I kind of settled here too... I also feel much more comfortable eating some of those creamy/ fat/ extras-type foods than before.

[kasitera]

Over the last 10 months since I've been vegan, I've gone from 9 and a half stone to just under 8 and a half.

Still got a bit of weight to lose though!

[techkitten]

Thanks Flower_meanings! I have been a little discouraged that I have not been losing weight yet (been vegan for 1 month) but reading your post I see that my body may need some time to regulate.

Jenn

Not that losing weight was my goal of going vegan, but once it started coming off, that was the only thing i could credit.
i lost no weight for the first 6 months, but over the past 10 months i've lost nearly 50lbs... i think i've bottomed out, now it's just a matter of firming up this "old skin" around my belly

[steven1222]

Thanks Flower_meanings! I have been a little discouraged that I have not been losing weight yet (been vegan for 1 month) but reading your post I see that my body may need some time to regulate.

Jenn

After one month, your body should be used to getting no animal products; it should have "regulated" already. I did lose five pounds when I gave up dairy products, all of it in the first month.

[Aurore]

i am overweight and i lost some kilos quite quickly after going vegetarian. now i'm still losing weight, but slowly. the problem is i'm holding water, so i have to be careful and watch what i eat. in a sense, being vegetarian helps me do that.

[Gwendolyn]

Well, I only started a short time ago, so I cannot really tell. But, I'm pretty sure that I'll start losing. I'm much more 'chubby' than anyone I've read about on here so far, so perhaps I will lose some weight while being vegan. I've been pretty frustrated, since I do exercise. I swim vigorously for an hour straight every day! But, my omni diet was really not doing me any favors, so I decided that going vegan was most likely the best thing to do, after my father suggested it. So, I hope that my vegan (at least 50% or more raw) diet will help.

[xrodolfox]

The only way your weight changes is if you consume less calories than you use.

Going vegan, unless you consume less calories than before, will not help you loose weight.

I swam 90 minutes a day of fast fast swimming for 5 years, well into being a vegan, and I gained 20 lbs. I swam 60 minutes a day of fast fast swimming 5 days a week and I lost 30 lbs.

I've certainly gained weight as a vegan, just as I've lost it. Loosing weight is independent of going vegan. Gaining weight is independent of going vegan. Only a balanced diet with the correct amount of calories will help you either gain or loose weight.

[RubyDuby]

but going veg*n, at least for me, made me much more aware of what I was eating (label reading etc). It took the often held ideas of "healthy" foods in the omni world and replaced them with nutrition facts and ingredients.

I do eat fake meats (mostly veggie burgers, chick'n grillers etc) especially when pressed for time or just not feeling like cooking, but those are most likely less calorific than omni convenience foods.

[Gwendolyn]

The only way your weight changes is if you consume less calories than you use.

Going vegan, unless you consume less calories than before, will not help you loose weight.

I swam 90 minutes a day of fast fast swimming for 5 years, well into being a vegan, and I gained 20 lbs. I swam 60 minutes a day of fast fast swimming 5 days a week and I lost 30 lbs.

I've certainly gained weight as a vegan, just as I've lost it. Loosing weight is independent of going vegan. Gaining weight is independent of going vegan. Only a balanced diet with the correct amount of calories will help you either gain or loose weight.

Yes, I understand this....It's true, but being a vegan is definately helping me become more aware of the kinds of foods I consume. And, if I'm restricted, it's already decided that I cannot have a certain food or a certain kind of food. My mind works in funny ways, I guess. And, I've never gotten proper veggies, until now. I've found that I feel better, and I rather like eating the good stuff.

[prawnsize]

I went from 48kgs to 45kgs

[helloearth]

but going veg*n, at least for me, made me much more aware of what I was eating (label reading etc).

Me too. When I was vegetarian I didn't really have to read labels, because most things are already labelled vegetarian, whereas vegan...well that's a different story!

I have lost a little weight on the vegan diet, though. I feel much healthier.

[busy91]

Slowly going down, I'm a little heavy to start with. So far after going vegan (from vegetarian) I've lost 11 lbs. I also excersise 6x a week.

[Roxy]

That's good busy What kind of exercising do you do?

[VeganDaze]

When I went travelling I ate out all the time and also ate some vegetarian food (not strictly vegan like normal) and it made me put on weight. I couldn't fit into most of my clothes when I got back. That was so depressing that I started exercising and eating only very healthy foods and after a month I was back to normal. Now I have dropped to 7 stone even though I'm not exercising much (not enough in fact....unlike busy91 I am lazy). I feel fine though! And my jeans fit

[busy91]

That's good busy What kind of exercising do you do?

Walking, weight lifting, cardio (mostly belly dance workouts & tae bo).
That's about it, not too exciting.

[Jippia]

I did gain some weight after I became vegan. I drink a lot of soya milk and eat a lot of soya yoghurt, nuts and nut butters, so that may be the cause. I do not work out at the moment. I do not have a car, so I go everywhere by bike. I think it will be better now the weather is improving and I go to work by bike instead of by bus. I work in another town. And I should give up the chocolate.

Mirjam

[Linus]

I have lost weight as a vegan. I am still transitioning to veganism after being a vegetarian for many years, so I still have a bit of cheese in my diet, but I am shrinking slowly. I've lost about 20 pounds so far.

[confusionisben]

I've unintentionally lost a fair few pounds since becoming vegan last year. I'm small anyway, but went from between 8 1/2 stone - 9 stone to about 7 stone 11 lbs last time i checked. Which is cool, but i want to try and pile some weight back on, without becoming a flab.

[bmwslut]

no weight loss...makes me sad.

[buttons]

No real change. I've been vegan an month, and I haven't shifted the scales in either direction! I still weigh 135lbs (I live in metric land, but the imperial dial is easier to read on my scale).

Mind you, I wasn't eating too badly prior to the change - I didn't overload myself with cheese and fried food, and ate an awful lot of vegies and fruit. My poison of choice was, and is, sugar (not good, considering the rate of diabetes in my family!).

Also, given that I haven't increased my exercise level, I'd probably freak out if I lost more than a killo!

[veggiemaya]

yes, my weight has gone up and it is depressing me beyond belief. it is very difficult for me to lose control of my weight and right now i dont know what to do. i am afraid that maybe i have been concentrating so much on the things that i should be eating that i have been eating more. i do intense exercise around 5-6 days a week, which is my only saving grace..and its only been about 5 lbs that i have gained..but for someone like me, its enough to depress me.

does anyone have any tips on how i can eat vegan and low fat, and not feel like i am starving??

[cowgirrlup]

Hi,
My weight went up 6lbs at first and I was totally disgusted & depressed. I started keeping track of everything I ate and honestly could not see any hidden fats or high calorie foods. I then suspected carbs as I was eating a bit more brown rice etc than I was used to eating. Then all of a sudden the 6lbs went away..well not all of a sudden, it took 3 weeks, but I made no changes to my diet during those 3 weeks...I finally decided that maybe it was the carbs and my body just needed to get used to them. Then after the 6 extra pounds went away, I lost 5 more pounds..again, no changing of my diet.

I maintain this weight now, so I still think it was probably just my body adjusting itself to my new way of eating.

Also, and this might just be me, if I do a lot of very intense working out, I gain about 3 to 4 lbs of water weight, due to muscle inflammation. If I knock my workouts down a notch or down to 3 or 4 times a week, the water weight goes away.

[gogs67]

yes, my weight has gone up and it is depressing me beyond belief. it is very difficult for me to lose control of my weight and right now i dont know what to do. i am afraid that maybe i have been concentrating so much on the things that i should be eating that i have been eating more. i do intense exercise around 5-6 days a week, which is my only saving grace..and its only been about 5 lbs that i have gained..but for someone like me, its enough to depress me.

does anyone have any tips on how i can eat vegan and low fat, and not feel like i am starving??

If you do that much physical exercise and all that's changed is that you are on a vegan diet then maybe it's muscle mass that's increased??
Muscles burn calories, even whilst resting, so a short term increase in weight due to muscle increase will mean a long term decrease in body fat to maintain it!

[cobweb]

mine's gone up and up since going vegan, it's a real shame and also gives certain people more 'ammunition' against my veganism, grr.

i think i got quite obsessed with food after going vegan.

[cowgirrlup]

Several of my friends are having the same problem..in their case its cuz they went to the store and bought everything they saw that they could eat..and then they ate it all...in a way it was to prove to themselves they weren't going to be deprived, but it bacjfired..they are now going back to a more normal way of eating vegan...

[cobweb]

yes, i think i did that when i first went vegan a bit and then it all got somehow tied in with treating food as 'treats'.........

[cowgirrlup]

yes, i think i did that when i first went vegan a bit and then it all got somehow tied in with treating food as 'treats'.........

It is so easy to do! I think deep down we worry that there won't be much we can eat that we will enjoy, so we keep treating ourselves to prove we have a lot of variety in our diet.

I do much better with eating a lot of the same foods over and over again and just a little bit of variety as a treat.

Otherwise I'd need a forklift to get in and out of my car! LOL

[cobweb]

I do tend to obsess over food because i never know when i'm going to be able to get xy or z items again where i live and this definitely makes my problem worse. I can see why my extended family have got the idea that it's veganism that's 'made me fat' and i do apologise to other vegans for providing them with this negative notion (*sigh*). This is yet another reason i would love to lose weight.

[cowgirrlup]

I do tend to obsess over food because i never know when i'm going to be able to get xy or z items again where i live and this definitely makes my problem worse. I can see why my extended family have got the idea that it's veganism that's 'made me fat' and i do apologise to other vegans for providing them with this negative notion (*sigh*). This is yet another reason i would love to lose weight.

I am also in an area that hardly ever gets the kind of food I really want..I end up stocking up on things and sometimes really wish I hadn't!

Don't apologize, we come in all shapes and sizes from all over the globe and we are all doing the best we can.

[shparris27]

i have been a vegetarian for a year exactly and i am maintaining 150lbs without exercise, which is 15lbs less than my weight from probably middle school throughout high school. i let go of all animal products in february of this year, so hopefully it will continue to decrease, and i will be able to reach my ideal body weight between 130-137lbs.

[karenann33]

I just started so too early to tell. But I'm counting calories to keep me from going overboard. I did buy a few vegan treats and I can see where they'd totally be used to excess. I'd like to lose 15 pounds.

[Carrie]

Only been vegan for a month but I have put weight ON! All that recipe building and sampling of new foods It's also cost us around £120 in food just for me, as the rest of my family do not and will not eat the same kinds of food as me!

[cobweb]

i must day Carrie that i know what you mean re the weight gain - my family have no choice about food, though as i do the shopping and cooking! (fortunately 1 is vegan now and 1 is nearly-a-vegan).

[bryzee86]

My weight has gone up, and no surprise with the crap I have eaten today as an example. I won't list it, though. I've gone from a couple under 13st at my best to 13st 10lb now. I feel unhealthy, fat and horrid. I know I shouldn't, and it's my own fault, but food is so good!

Anyway I'm gonna try and dip down to 12 and a half stone by my wedding - let's see if I can.

[Carmen]

I am very overweight - that is hard to write - but true. Since becoming pregnant with my third child five years ago I gained 70 pounds. I then became a vegetarian when my daughter decided she couldn't bear to eat meat any more. I told her I would try, too and expected to lose weight as a result. After one month as a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) I hadn't lost any weight. I then read Skinny Bitch and decided to give it a go. In addition to veganism, the book advocates eating no refined foods and nothing with ingredients that are indecipherable. I threw out everything in my kitchen and went to the health food store. Out of ignorance I ate honey at first as a sugar substitute, as I don't believe the book mentioned honey. I am now very careful about how much I eat and I rarely feel deprived. I eat a lot of humus, lentils, brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce, fresh fruit, and lightly sweetened tea. I usually give myself a small treat at the end of the day, like two of Late July's oreo-type cookies. So far I have lost 11 pounds and hope to reach my goal over the next six months. I feel like this is the best diet ever since it really isn't a diet, but a way of life and one that I can feel so good about, too.

[Gorilla]

that's great to hear, Carmen - keep up the good work and stick around here for support if you need it.

[heat13]

Several of my friends are having the same problem..in their case its cuz they went to the store and bought everything they saw that they could eat..and then they ate it all...in a way it was to prove to themselves they weren't going to be deprived, but it bacjfired..they are now going back to a more normal way of eating vegan...

If you know that you are eating a balanced diet and feel good, that's all that matters

[heat13]

I am very overweight - that is hard to write - but true. Since becoming pregnant with my third child five years ago I gained 70 pounds. I then became a vegetarian when my daughter decided she couldn't bear to eat meat any more. I told her I would try, too and expected to lose weight as a result. After one month as a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) I hadn't lost any weight. I then read Skinny Bitch and decided to give it a go. In addition to veganism, the book advocates eating no refined foods and nothing with ingredients that are indecipherable. I threw out everything in my kitchen and went to the health food store. Out of ignorance I ate honey at first as a sugar substitute, as I don't believe the book mentioned honey. I am now very careful about how much I eat and I rarely feel deprived. I eat a lot of humus, lentils, brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce, fresh fruit, and lightly sweetened tea. I usually give myself a small treat at the end of the day, like two of Late July's oreo-type cookies. So far I have lost 11 pounds and hope to reach my goal over the next six months. I feel like this is the best diet ever since it really isn't a diet, but a way of life and one that I can feel so good about, too.

Carmen, that's awesome! Congrats on the weight loss! By the way, if you haven't already, you should try raw agave syrup instead of honey. It's very sweet and comes from a plant so it's much better for you than refined sugar.

[Carmen]

Gorilla - Thanks for the encouragement! I have really enjoyed the site.

[ambs]

for me, i was never overweight, but i wasn't exactly the size i wanted to be.. with going vegan (loosing weight wasn't my reason by the way) i lost about 3 kilo's in the first 3 months, then i started to eat smaller portions, and healthier meals.
i cut out pasta, noodles, breads (except rye), junk foods ect and started to walk along the beach almost daily and i lost another 6 kilo's.

there is still a lot of fatty foods out there that are vegan, so if you 'want' to loose weight, then simply cut out those foods.
go natural, you feel better for it.
i don't crave junk food anymore, if i have a sweet tooth then i'll crave dried fruit, yes still sugary but in my opinion it's better then eating candy.

[Dylan Mulenburg]

No change as far as I am aware, however I do have a lot more energy.

[Hemlock]

My weights gone right up - it's ridiculous! But then I've had some health problems (unrelated to diet) that have stopped me exercising - back problems and the like.

[Linxie]

My weight has changed in the last few months but thats nothing to do with being vegan, more my mood and comfort eating. Need to get back on top of it and back to being healthy!

[songlife]

My weight stayed the same.

Does anyone else find it terribly annoying that people; maybe even people who knew you when you ate meat or cheese; think that you are thin because you are vegan?

I know your post was from forever ago... but...

YES! IT DOES! especially since I didn't lose any weight at all, it pisses me off so much. but since I don't "let" myself get mad with people, I just smile and say I didn't lose any weight. And it's always the overweight people who refer to me as skinny, and that furthermore I got this way by being vegan, because to anyone else I'm slim/normal. One week I'm very slim and the next week I'm only mildly slim and it fluctuates but rarely do I actually get skinny, and I just want to PUNCH them, grr...

maybe I'm just frustrated with the world and these people saying annoying yet innocent things are like the last straw.

[songlife]

I am very overweight - that is hard to write - but true. Since becoming pregnant with my third child five years ago I gained 70 pounds. I then became a vegetarian when my daughter decided she couldn't bear to eat meat any more. I told her I would try, too and expected to lose weight as a result. After one month as a vegetarian (lacto-ovo) I hadn't lost any weight. I then read Skinny Bitch and decided to give it a go. In addition to veganism, the book advocates eating no refined foods and nothing with ingredients that are indecipherable. I threw out everything in my kitchen and went to the health food store. Out of ignorance I ate honey at first as a sugar substitute, as I don't believe the book mentioned honey. I am now very careful about how much I eat and I rarely feel deprived. I eat a lot of humus, lentils, brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce, fresh fruit, and lightly sweetened tea. I usually give myself a small treat at the end of the day, like two of Late July's oreo-type cookies. So far I have lost 11 pounds and hope to reach my goal over the next six months. I feel like this is the best diet ever since it really isn't a diet, but a way of life and one that I can feel so good about, too.

try maple syrup too, it's my favorite! and I think it's supposed to be less fattening than agave syrup.

[xabcdefx]

i gained weight mostly due to the fact i eat wayy more carbs
like pastas and breads.

[tresu]

I went vegan again (I was derailed by a week long visit from an out of town friend) on Friday (it's Thursday night now) and I have lost 6.6lb. I didn't have too much to lose, I'm 5'5 and 140lb now. I'm quite astounded... I have been eating so much, all very healthy food though (at least 2 fruits, 5 veges - raw, lentils, tofu, nuts, olive oil in salad every day) and drinking heaps of water. I have been treating myself heaps though... I've had a soy latte every day, a packet of sweet potato snacks yesterday (they are heavenly, has anyone else tried them?), sushi a few times and I drank almost a litre of strawberry soy milk a couple of nights ago (more of a blowout than a treat!). I'm watching my calories but not really. I'm sure all the water has a lot to do with it, I always lose weight if I start drinking lots of water.

xoxo shannon