New Vegan on Skinny Bitch diet! Join me!

Hi everyone, I've recently (i.e. 3 days ago) started living the "skinny bitch" lifestyle, which if you haven't read or heard of the book, means vegan, all organic, with no refined sugar, processed foods, stimulants (bye bye caffeine), or food additives. I'm finally treating my body the way I've always wanted to and it feels great! It's hard though. If any of you out there are having trouble dieting or want to share ideas/motivation, please write me! I'd love to give and receive advice- I might be a new vegan, but I've been a vegetarian for over nine years and know ALL the tricks. Good luck to everyone!

Even if you eat nothing but fruits and vegetables, if you eat too many of them, you will gain weight. Just keep that in mind.

The Skinny Bitch might lay out a plan for a great vegan diet, but it doesn't really lay out a plan for weight loss.

Actually I definitely don't just eat fruits and vegetables- but I totally know what you mean about the moderation thing! Just because it's healthy doesn't mean you should eat six pounds of it :-) Are you veggie/vegan?

VegCooking.com has a great 8-week "Slimming Menu" plan for vegans!  I haven't tried it yet, but I've certainly bookmarked it for when I'll have the time and dedication to do it. :)

 

http://www.vegcooking.com/slimmingmenus-1.asp

 

Hope that helps.  Skinny Bitch was the push I finally needed to go pescetarian -- and I'll probably give up fish too, with time.  Best of luck to you!  Remember, don't feel too horrible if you "fall off the wagon" and do what's in your means and what makes you feel good.

 

skinny bitch is great. just watch out for two things; their advocating processed fake meats and uninhibited fruit consumption(in the end,it's still sugar.not that you shouldn't eat fruit.) it's sort of written to show an an omnivore "see, you can be vegan and eat the same stuff" hence the fake meats their sample menus are loaded with.

Hi.  Good luck with following the Skinny Bitch way.  I try but can't give up my cup of morning coffee.  Now I sweeten it with agave instead of sugar. 

I like their recipes but I believe they rely a bit to heavily on fake meat and cheese.  I usually skip the cheese and use tofu instead. 

And personally I don't think you can ever eat too much fruit and veggies.

I think the Skinny Bitch book says that cheese is like Crack for food.

I love tofu.  It is inexpensive, and only 120 calories per serving, or one box.  I flatten it with a spatula, and use peppers.  It's yummy

hi. I'm katie. I've been a vegan for 7 months now and was a vegetarian for over 5 years previously! I bought the skinny bitch book when i first turned vegan and it did help out. I learned the basics of being vegan but i do agree with everyone else. They do use a lot of fake cheese and meat. And frankly, i really don't like them all that mouch anyway! The texture and what not just isn't for me. But i'm always up for trying new things! I like to explore and keep an open mind! I do eat a lot of veggies and fruit and try to stay away from "vegan junk food." but i do have a treat or two every once in awhile. Also i have given up soymilk or atleast have limited my soy intake because it really isn't all that great for u so i have started replacing rice milk for the soy milk. With all of these changes i have noticed a little weight loss so its good. However i would love more advice and give some and further my weight loss journey!

Original Post by glivings:

 I'd love to give and receive advice-

Here's some advice, if your going to follow a diet plan, pick one that was written by someone qualified to give nutritional advice.  Being an anorexic model does not qualify one to give advice on being healthy.

 

Yeah, Skinny Bitch definitely isn't a diet, it's more about making a lifestyle change.  I bought their cookbook and now I'm regretting it -- so much of it doesn't really seem healthy!  Beware.  You're better off going with recipes I posted above.

I love the fact that it's not a diet, that's the best part! The whole point of the book is just to wake up and use your head about what you're eating. Plus I completely agree with the cruelty-free aspects of the book, which is what turns most people off from it. "Floggingsully," have you read the book? Anorexia is not even remotely the point! The fact that one of the two authors has a degree in Holistic Nutrition leads me to believe that they're a bit more than just "anorexic models," in addition to the fact that they have pages upon pages of footnotes referring to things written by people other than themselves. I agree that if one were to start a diet plan, it should be reviewed by a medical professional. But, since I'm using this book to open my eyes and mind to the kinds of food my body needs, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. Thanks though.

The fact that one of the two authors used to be a model doesn't discredit their ideas nor their intellectual capacity. Maybe you should read it, or at least the back cover, and you'd know that.

you cant really eat too many vegetables. the only ones to watch out for are starchy ones like potatoes/sweet potatoes/corn (which you should count as grains, not vegetables) and some squashes/parsnips can be higher calorie.

fruits are sugar and higher calorie so eating 20 apples a day is definately not a good idea... probably 5-7 servings of fruit a day is the maximum... 2-5 is a better bet

ok so how long does it take for the caffeine headaches to stop?? its only my first day but that seems to be the worst part... oh and realizing that even like wheat bread which in theory you'd think might be animal free has milk and butter....

Jassibelle, how much caffeine were you drinking before this? Personally, when I gave up caffeine, I was a little more tired than usual for the first 2-3 days, but after that it's been amazing. I actually feel awake all day long, and seldom get that droopy-eyed "i need coffee" feeling. However, I only drank one small coffee on most days of the work week, if any. And I'd only been drinking coffee regularly for a few months anyway, so I definitely wasn't a caffeine addict. I'd suggest drinking a big glass of water every time you would have had coffee- water is good for releiving headaches, and ice cold water always makes me a bit more alert too!

As for the wheat bread thing, there are tons of brands that do not use animal products- you just have to make sure to read alllll the ingredients. Whole Foods and other organic grocery stores obviously carry the most of them (I like Rudi's Organic 7-Grain w/ Flax bread) but when in doubt, go to an actual bakery where the bread is freshly baked. In these cases, the owners will know the ingredients and usually there will be no preservatives or whey or any other scary oils, etc. Hope this helps!

thanks glivings! I didnt think I was so addicted until I gave it up. I only had a tall cup in the morning at Starbucks but was doing so everyday for the past year. Today is day #2 and the headache is finally gone but wow! I didnt realize how much of an impact it had on me. There is a whole foods close to me I think I need to check it out. I wish there was a universal symbol they would put on the packaging of foods to say vegan like they do for kosher...

Original Post by jassibelle:

thanks glivings! I didnt think I was so addicted until I gave it up. I only had a tall cup in the morning at Starbucks but was doing so everyday for the past year. Today is day #2 and the headache is finally gone but wow! I didnt realize how much of an impact it had on me. There is a whole foods close to me I think I need to check it out. I wish there was a universal symbol they would put on the packaging of foods to say vegan like they do for kosher...

That is an excellent idea!  Trader Joe's has started doing this for their products.  Hopefully other manufacturers will start to follow suit!

Actually, there is for SOME foods! You'll see a little green "v" on many items. Also, underneath the ingredients list and nutrition facts, there's often a listing with things such as "gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, kosher, wheat-free" etc. If it lists vegetarian, but not vegan, probably stay away! Whole Foods also has a little section in their bakery called "safe snacks" that has exclusively vegan treats! It's so helpful!! They pull together all the snack foods (mostly cookies, little cakes, etc.) that are vegan , and often gluten-free, which makes it easy to pick what looks good, rather than picking the ONLY vegan option.

When in doubt, ask someone! Especially at a Trader Joes, Whole Foods, etc, they'll know what they're talking about! Good luck...

Im in, there should really be a vegan thread "moderators" since so many people are trying to get a group together I hope one actually comes to fruition.

Original Post by jassibelle:

I only had a tall cup in the morning at Starbucks but was doing so everyday for the past year.

That's not too bad. The headache should go away within a couple days.  Stay away from painkillers like Excedrin which contain caffeine.  That will only prolong the addiction.

hey there,

i read that book too...pretty motivating.  it pushed me to convert from vegetarian to vegan last year, and i feel alot healthier.  choosing the healthier foods, and smaller portions helped me drop 30lbs since feb.  

havent had refined sugar or caffeine much since i read it, but that was easy for me.  my weakness is carbs.

anyway, good luck on your new vegan diet.