a fat vegan?

I'm vegan and have been for almost a year, which is not very long, but i'm young and just getting a sense of self within these last couple years. I'm slightly overweight, and i don't think i should be! Being vegan, you cant eat THAT terribly, maybe like some frenchfries or chips, maybe a soda but that's really the worst i could do. I don't eat chip because they taste gross, fries make me feel too lazy, and soda is too sweet and too bubbly. I feel like i am way overweight for the way i eat, and i work out every night practically. Granted, they are not long work outs, because i am in school and work and have a relationships, but it's there! i just don't have much time. any ideas of why i can't lose the weight? anyone?

How many calories are you having a day? Maybe with the change of diet, you dropped your calorie intake dramatically and are actually not eating enough. Or maybe, the opposite is happening, and you are underestimating how many calories you're eating. For example, it is very easy to underestimate how many calories we eat from nuts, soy products like tofu, yogurt, etc.

I intake roughly around 800-1000 calories a day, some days not even, maybe around 600- it depends how fat i feel and who i'm around i guess. I try not to inatke so much, because i don't have the time for intense work outs, i know i can work off some with a light work out before i get to bed. i don't just know

Actually, at such a low intake you don't even need to worry about working it off. On days that I don't work out I eat about 1400 cals, and when I do work out 1500-1600, and I am losing body fat and weight.

You may consider increasing your calorie intake slowly. There are several forum threads where people posted they had reached a plateau, and increasing their calorie intake helped them go back to steadily losing weight.

I think you may need to eat more!
You shouldn't go below 1000 cals per day. Maybe your metabolism has slowed or you've dipped into "starvation mode" - where the body clings onto fat in an attempt to survive. There are many threads here about leaving starvation mode - have a look, and a try. If you get fatter, that may not be the problem. You may then need to look at other things like health problems, and the balance of what you eat.

I'd venture to guess that you aren't overweight at all. Have you checked your BMI?

I used to be vegan and came across a lot of young women who opted for veganism to sustain their eating disorder. Unless your doctor tells you that you need to lose weight, I would suggest that you up your calorie intake to the 'safe' range of at least 1200 cal a day.

You can also go to veggieboards.com for information and support regarding being vegan and living a healthy lifestyle.

Hi a29hast,
I'm a vegan too and I have to say when I was eating mostly natural, non-refined vegan foods (veggies, fruits, legumes, etc.) my body was much healthier and weighed less than when I started eating the refined & pre-packaged vegan foods.
Definitely increase your calorie intake, the others are right about that, but if you do it with whole foods your body should react in a very nice way.
Good luck!
-A

If you're eating 600 cals a day AND your vegan you're headed for fun things like malnutrition and your hair falling out really fast.  You shouldn't jump into veganism as a way to lose weight.  You CAN be vegan and be as healthy (or in my opinion, healthier) than ovo-lactos and omnis, but you have to be very conscious of what you're eating.  You need to eat a varied diet with lots of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts.  If you do that and only eat the pre-packaged processed stuff once in a while, you'll be fine. 

And just because you're vegan won't make you skinny.  We generally consume less fat than the general populace, but as everyone on here will tell you - a calorie is a calorie.  You can be a vegan and eat 3000 cals a day and gain weight, and frankly, it's really not that hard.  I'm here because I gained 16 pounds in 3 months.  There IS vegan junk food.  Many "fake meats" are high in calories and dangit if the chinese food place around the corner from my apartment doesn't make a mean vegan general tso's chicken.  Again, it's all about nutrition and knowing what you're doing.

If you're vegan just to lose weight, I would recommend that you try a different route, because it is not the easy weight loss that everyone thinks it is.  The images on TV of the skinny, willowy vegans with hemp clothing and dreadlocks aren't all true.  However, if you're exploring veganism for ethical/moral reasons, or you just want to reap the amazing health benefits, I would recommend http://www.vegweb.com or http://www.goveg.com for information and recipes. 

A little off track...

Star it's funny you say that about generally consume less fat because I am actually one of those who has trouble keeping my fat intake low. That's because of all the nuts, olive oil, tofu, etc.

But yeah... a29hast, you should definately consider increasing your calories. If you're afraid that will make you gain weight quick, browse on the forums, because there were lot of people (like I mentioned before) that got out of plateaus by increasing their calorie intake. So don't let fear of gainining weight get in the way of your health.

What medications are you on? Medicines can cause weight gain that you can't do anything about while you are on them. Review your medicine list for clues. Also what was said about not eating enough - the body needs fuel to perform its functions, including metabolism. You have to add fuel to the fire to make it burn.

No meds, i try my best to keep myself off of any medications, i try all alternatives before i even result to an asprin! :-)

I second... you should eat at least 1200 cals (or more if you work out) :)  I have been the most successful when eating more calories than less.  If you eat too little, your body thinks you're starving and it's harder to lose. 

Also, make sure to eat enough fruits & vegetables.  I never used to do this, but it does make a difference.

Luna - that's why I said "generally" :)  I tend to get up there sometimes with my nut, olive oil, and avocado obsessions as well, but when you put it all into perspective (as in, the perspective of realizing that the average American scarfs a Big Mac or equivalent at least 3 times a week and has probably more than one portion of animal flesh at each meal), I think we still probably undercut the general population in that area.

Then again, there are those days where I rationalize that I have to eat ALL of the huge bowl of homemade guacamole because it just doesn't keep well in the fridge :P

Actually, now that I reread what you said let me rephrase what I said. You're right... vegans will generally consume less fat because of the high fat content in meat and other animal products.

I forgot to consider the fact the average person is WAY off on the recommended amount of fat intake. =P so yeah... less, but in my case still not less enough to fit the recommended haha

I've actually never tried guacamole... hmmm...

The fattest I ever was was when I was a vegan.

Damn Tofutti Cuties.

Omg!!! I have just recently discovered Tofutti Cuties!!! They are soooo good.....

omg, try guacamole.  Avocados are high in fat, but also in omega-3s, and if you stretch your guac with veggies like fresh tomatoes and chopped onions, it's actually really low calorie.  It's a completely raw food too :)

I have to second the guacamole recommendation!
It is the best,most delectable creation ever and I just LOVE the fact that you have to eat it all almost as soon as you make it! :o) What a great excuse to get all your Omegas~ Yummmmmmmm!

I've never even tried an avocado o_O

I just found a recipe on vegcooking, and I'll definately give it a try this coming week.

What do you guys eat it with though?

It's usually served with tortilla chips or in a burrito, but it's also great with veggies and as a substitute for mayo or mustard on a sandwich. So good!!  :o)

I like to cut my avocados in half, discard the seed, then squeeze a wedge of lime over one half and sprinkle a pinch of salt, then using a spoon eat the top part, then reapeat the lime/salt thing and continue till I reach the skin.

I loves that.