Weight Loss for New Vegans???

hello vegan/vegetarian friends,

I became vegan 42 days ago after reading Skinny Bitch and havent really lost any weight yet.  I was wondering how long it has taken people to start dropping weight after a switch? I have been working out at least 3x a week for an hour+. I was abroad last spring semester and didnt work out at all there. I am thinking i am gaining muscle but i still feel like i should have lost more weight by now.  I havent been counting cals but i dont eat any more than i used to- I just eat way healthier now. Does anyone know what i could be doing wrong? Suggestions? Thanks so much!!!!!

Kelly

While I totally agree with the "skinny bitch" message that vegan=healthy...I can't say I agree so much with what they choose to fill their vegan diets. I hope you aren't following their 'skinny bitch in the kitch' book for weight loss...it's the totally wrong way to start off a vegan lifestyle. As opposed to incorperating whole and nutritious foods, almost every meal in that book revolves around pre-packaged imitation meats, fake cheeses...you get the idea. The fruits and veggies are more like the punctuation....rather than the sentence itself.

With this in mind, I'd definetly reccomend "Eat to Live" as a way to become better educated on how your body reacts to and deals with different nutrients (or lack thereof). Also, Veganomicon is an excellent Vegan cookbook based around fresh and whole foods. You also have the wiggle room to alter fat content, etc by using less oil in some recipes and baking rather than frying. 

I'd try logging the caloric information of what you eat for a few days and then create a defict based off that while making sure you are still getting the vital nutrients you need.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

I'd also track cals and make sure you're getting close to your resting metobolic rate, otherwise your metabolism could be slowing down.

And as kittysly mentioned, make sure vegan means whole foods and not boca vegan patties every day.  Oreos are vegan, so vegan doesn't always = healthy.  And Veganomicon really is a bad @$$ book to get!

I have been Vegan for about a year now and I too read Skinny Bitch and I liked it but haven't set my diet around it per se. Another book I would reccomend is "You are what you eat" By Dr. Gillian McKeith. Her mantra to healthy living isn't completely Vegan, but I just skip the parts about fish. I definitely think a Vegan lifestyle will not only cause you to lose weight, but it will keep the weight off provided you stay Vegan and continue to exercise. Before adopting a Vegan diet my weight yo-yoed for years. I suggest you look at a VEGAN food pyramid. Make sure the majority of food you are eating are whole grains, vegetables and fruit. Of course we all need protein and a milk alternative (i like almond milk myself) but protein (as you know from reading Skinny Bitch) doesn't have to be forced down with every meal. Here are some other tips that I have found worked for me: Be a grazer/snacker. Eating large meals a few times a day gives your metabolism and blood sugar a chance to dip and hunger strikes leaving you to choose some of the not-so-healthy Vegan foods that are out there. I constantly make sure I eat every 2-3 hours on goods like apples, oranges, chickpeas, pita bread, odwalla bars, baby carrots, nuts, etc if I am away from my apartment. Once home I do cook small meals but being a "gatherer" I have found has helped me lose more weight on a Vegan diet then being a "hunter" of sorts. Stock up on portable foods like these. In addition, try to exercise throughout the day, keep yourself active. Busting your body 3 times a week and the gym and being lazy the other 4 will not do you any good, just like starving yourself 3 days a week and pigging out the other four won't either. Try and also mix up your gym routine, take a new class, use different machines, learn new weight training workouts etc because our bodies so adjust to exercise and your weight loss will plateau. Also remember that muscle weighs more than fat (althought I am sure you already knew that). So the scale shouldn't be your only weight predictor. Try measuring around your waist, upper arms, thighs etc. Also make sure to drink a ton of water and get enough sleep. Hope this helps.

I'm vegan too! :) SO good job making the switch, you will definatly feel so much healthier on a healthy, balanced vegan diet. Just don't eat too much vegan junk food like oreos or chips.

Just make sure you're eating healthy first. Most of what you eat should come from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. For protein, instead of eating processed foods like Boca burgers or other fake meats, try eating whole, natural foods like nuts, beans, tofu, and tempeh.

For weight loss, I go with the plan of eating 6 mini meals a day instead of 3 big ones. This way, you're eating something about every 2-3 hours so you keep your energy levels up and your blood sugar stabilized. Eat something that's got good carbs in it, like fruits, veggies and whole grains, plus some protein like nuts or soy.

One of my favorite snacks is Larabars. They are so yummy. They're energy bars made with dried fruit, nuts, and some flavors have spices. No processed junk. Unfortunatly, they can be hard to find and they are expensive, like 2 dollars a bar. I found a way to make my own though that is super cheap and delicious.

Here's the recipe for 2 bars:

1/2 cup of dried fruit (You can use one kind or a mixture like 1/4 of one kind and then 1/4 of another to get different flavors)

1/3 cup nuts (walnuts are my favorite, you can use any kind depending on what flavor you want, experiementing is fun)

Spices (depending on the flavor you're going for. I like to add 1/4 tsp of cinnamon to make a Cinnamon Raisin flavor, or you can add a couple drops of lemon, vanilla, or whatever kind of extract)

In a food processor, grind up the dried fruit until it makes a paste. Then put this aside in a medium mixing bowl. Then, grind up the nuts in the food prossessor until finely chopped, kind of like a very crumbly powder. Add these to the bowl and whatever spices or extracts you want and mix it together with your hands. (it's really fun!) When its all well comined, shape it into bars about 3 inches long, 1 inch wide, and 3/4 inch tall. Wrap in plastic wrap or a zip lock bag if you're not eating it right away and store in the fridge to keep it fresh.

My personal favorite to make right now is Cinnamon Raisin with 1/2 cup raisins, 1/3 cup walnuts, and 1/4 tsp cinnamon.

I haven't lost any weight since becoming vegan. But then again, I don't really have any weight to lose.

I do, however, feel SO much more healthy.

When I went vegetarian (I was vegetarian 3 yrs before being vegan), I lost 30 lbs with little to no effort! I was so shocked haha.