Vegan but so many Carbs!!!

So I'm a vegan and find myself on the food analysis with a butt load of carbs.  I know pretty much everything has carbs.  Do you think a lot of carbs will slow down my losing weight process?  Also how healthy do you think the vegan frozen food section is? I eat the Amy's line of food and everything is organic? I'm sure fresh is always healthier but when I'm so beat at nite and already cooked my son and hubby food I don't want to prepare another meal.  Do you think it's ok? I don't eat it every meal. Usually just dinner.

Original Post by jerichocheyenne:

So I'm a vegan and find myself on the food analysis with a butt load of carbs.  I know pretty much everything has carbs.  Do you think a lot of carbs will slow down my losing weight process?  Also how healthy do you think the vegan frozen food section is? I eat the Amy's line of food and everything is organic? I'm sure fresh is always healthier but when I'm so beat at nite and already cooked my son and hubby food I don't want to prepare another meal.  Do you think it's ok? I don't eat it every meal. Usually just dinner.

I'm 4'11" and 90 pounds, and my diet is full of carbs, and this is not an issue.  Personally, I don't touch the Amy's line of frozen foods because they are full of sodium, and you just won't get enough fresh veggies and fruits if you eat that way.  If you want to lose weight, it is important to focus on eating large volumes of food in the form of vegetables and fruit, because they are relatively low in calories and provide the kind of volume that it takes to feel full without over-eating on calories.

I was wondering about the amount of sodium in stuff. I find there's a lot of sodium in the lightlife products as well.  I love them but I'm just trying to figure out how bad too much sodium is.  I know your body requires some salt but just how much is too much.  Do you know how many mg they say not to exceed?

I was getting way too many carbs lately and not enough protein.  So I changed things up a bit and just the small increase in protein has made me feel better.  I was feeling lazy and sluggish even though I was eating healthy carbs, it was just too many. (I'm vegetarian, not vegan)

I *think* the RDA is 2500mg or less of sodium, I stick to 1000-1500mg daily.  I also drink 2 liters of water per day.  Unfortunately, most processed foods are loaded with sodium, even the veggie/organic kind!  Sodium is my worst enemy, it makes me bloated and I'm up 2-3lbs on the scale after a super salty day.

How about on the weekends you prepare several meals for yourself that you can re-heat during the week when you don't have time to cook.   That way you are not relying on frozen meals.

I'm thinking about doing that. I have a vegan chili waiting for me at home in my crock pot.  I'm excited. I'm hoping it's way yummy.  It'll atleast be lots of fiber.  I do need to cook on the weekends.  I just get so caught up in getting everything else done it's hard to cook.  I LOVE to cook it's just so hard to find the time.  That'll be my next challenge.  Atleast I'm getting all my workouts in.  I've officially been vegan for a month now. No enriched flour, no bad sugars, no caffeine, no soda, nothing.  Only healthy stuff.  Yay! It's amazing that time went by that fast.  I feel so much better.

You could also try a vegan lentil nut loaf, great reheated with some steamed broccoli or asparagus.   Lots of good vegan recipes here....

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/

http://www.theppk.com/recipes/

What have your percentages been?

First, congrats on being vegan for a month!  Its only going to get easier and easier from here....  I have been for 4.5 years now, and I remember the first few months were hell.  I didn't know what to eat, except for the frozen, or overly processed crap, or carbs, carbs, carbs!  Salads are my staple.  I guess thats sort of a stereotype about vegans, that we can't eat anything good, only salads...but let me tell you, my salads are the BOMB! 

Anyway, lately I've been really busy, so I make a couple big batches of soup or chili on sunday, and then eat that all during the week.  Or, if I'm really in a rush, hit the salad bar at Whole Foods (not cheap, but yummy).  Soups are great, because you can freeze them.  So if you have a free day, make a bunch of soup, and freeze it; you won't have to cook on a busy night,  and you'll have in on hand for months, in case you just don't have anything else to eat. 

Also, I'm guessing your husband and son aren't vegan, so you're preparing seperate meals?   Maybe prepare yummy veggie side dishes that you can eat.  There are plenty of delicious recipes out there, and I bet they won't even tell the difference if you aren't using cream, butter, or cheese. 

Good Luck!

Carbs are very good for you and are a staple of any vegetarian diet.  As long as you are eating whole grains and foods, and not tons of refined sugars like juice and white rice, bread, etc then you should lose weight.  The lo-carb diets are extremely hazardous to your health and even lead to kidney failure.  They are popular because you lose weight fast, but it doesn't work in the long run.  The problem with all frozen meals is that they are loaded with sodium, loaded.  Why don't you try cooking meals that you can enjoy as well, just not add meat to your portion?  It seems a little ridiculous that you aren't taking care of your own needs...

The actual guidelines in the US for sodium are to try not to exceed 1200 mg sodium per day.  Frozen meals and processed foods are loaded with sodium as a preservative, especially since they have to put trans fat on the labels now.  

A really good alternative to frozen meals are vegan, no sodium added soups.  They are cheap, healthy, and filling and you can just pop them in the microwave.  My fav are health valley brand, which I can only find in the health food store but its worth the trip.  

I completely understand where you are coming from... I have been vegan since Jan 1st and I have only had a couple of slip ups with cheese.  I have found out that salads for lunch and keeping soup on hand for dinner is essential.  I went and bought several small portion containers so I can freeze soup and make my own frozen meals and it seems to keep me from going the Amy's route.  I will pass along any good recipes I find.  Good luck.  

I am certainly finding my way.  I for sure feel much better being a vegan but I still don't think I'm eating as nutritious as possible.  I'm finding after the first 30 days of vegan now I'm trying to focus on overall nutrition even more.  I don't eat enriched flour, or bad sugars, soda, caffeine none of that yucky stuff.  But I've just had this feeling even if I'm having healthy carbs I'm having too much bread during the day.  I'm trying to stick to only 2 slices of bread.  If I have flour mixed into something else it's ok but I try not to have bread as the main course twice in a day.  Now I'm worried about sodium. I was watching the Today show and they said you could have 600mg in a main entree item and like 400mg in a side dish.  So what is the recommended intake of sodium in a day.  I'm confused.  I'm for sure going to get away from the freezer section.  It's easier but way costly and high in sodium.  I'm gonna just find time on the weekend to cook. I did make a vegan chili this past weekend that was great. low sodium and tons of fiber. yay!  I never salt anything so I'm sure my sodium intake will be much lower.

Eat to live recommends that you have less than 1000mg of sodium per day.  Less is definitely preferred.  The suggestion is to cook with no sodium and salt your food if you need to.  You're more likely to taste the salt that is right on the food so you can use less of it.

I knew what they quoted on tv was way high.  I'll for sure lower my sodium intake than.  I have some frozen dinners I paid for so I'll consume the rest of those just because they were so god awful expensive but from hear on out I'm gonna suck it up and cook even if I am tired.  What's 3 dishes to clean, right?  It's a good thing I had y'all to turn to and get me back in line.  Frozen or canned foods are convenient but not great for you.  Thanx everyone!