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I decided to try going vegan, not so much for weight loss, but because I am increasingly becoming disgusted with animals and the treatment they go through in factory farming and the impact it has on our earth. It was an experiment to last 4 weeks and then I would evaluate. I am a firm believer in not omitting food groups for dietary reasons having done Atkins and then experimenting with going lower carb because I was believing all the hype. Both times I was miserable, not to mention totally disgusted with all the meat and fat I was eating.
I have been doing vegan for 6 weeks now. I would say I am about 97% vegan at this point.
So far it has been nothing but positive.
1. My energy is through the roof and my workouts are great.
2. I am not missing any kind of animal protein (I thought I would).
3. I have lost 7 pounds
4. My skin and hair have never been healthier.
5. I am regular for the first time in YEARS!
6. My conscience is clear!
I will continue to eat this way because so far it has been nothing but benefits, but I may not follow it strictly. I will be happy if I can be at least 90% Vegan.
I decided to try going vegan, not so much for weight loss, but because I am increasingly becoming disgusted with animals and the treatment they go through in factory farming and the impact it has on our earth. It was an experiment to last 4 weeks and then I would evaluate. I am a firm believer in not omitting food groups for dietary reasons having done Atkins and then experimenting with going lower carb because I was believing all the hype. Both times I was miserable, not to mention totally disgusted with all the meat and fat I was eating.
I have been doing vegan for 6 weeks now. I would say I am about 97% vegan at this point.
So far it has been nothing but positive.
1. My energy is through the roof and my workouts are great.
2. I am not missing any kind of animal protein (I thought I would).
3. I have lost 7 pounds
4. My skin and hair have never been healthier.
5. I am regular for the first time in YEARS!
6. My conscience is clear!
I will continue to eat this way because so far it has been nothing but benefits, but I may not follow it strictly. I will be happy if I can be at least 90% Vegan.
Good for you! I eat a plant based diet and I am truly healthier that I have ever been. The weight falls off and I am full of energy. The false information regarding carbs is astounding. The only thing different for me is I crave cheese. A lot. I have a cheat meal once a week in order to satisfy my craving. If I didn't do that, I would probably not have the craving, but I haven't been able to shake it at this point.
Welcome to the dark side; we have non-dairy-carob-chip-chia-seed-cookies . Seriously though, been eating this way for 28 nonconsecutive years, feel young and spry, and am still rocking a size 0 after three babies. As long as you don't fall into the trap of vegan junk foods and over-relying on meat analogs, it can be a very healthy lifestyle. Just listen to your body and don't feel guilty about eating vegan "only" 97% of the time; no one will track you down and remove your vegan tattoo with a cheese grater.
Pro tip: if you do start to crave meat, a blob of peanut butter makes it all go away.
Welcome to the dark side; we have non-dairy-carob-chip-chia-seed-cookies . Seriously though, been eating this way for 28 nonconsecutive years, feel young and spry, and am still rocking a size 0 after three babies. As long as you don't fall into the trap of vegan junk foods and over-relying on meat analogs, it can be a very healthy lifestyle. Just listen to your body and don't feel guilty about eating vegan "only" 97% of the time; no one will track you down and remove your vegan tattoo with a cheese grater.
Pro tip: if you do start to crave meat, a blob of peanut butter makes it all go away.
Thank you! So far no vegan junk food, but I have never been one for any kind of junk food/prepackaged garbage. My husband did this with me, and he is at about 80% but that is because he loves his dairy.
I have been trying to get back to 125 lbs (size 4) for the past 4 years and every year it creeps up another pound even though I do eat very healthy and I love working out. I just thought at 55 its time to face the fact that I may never see that size again (hovering around 135-140). Now I know its possible because the weight is coming off pretty effortlessly. I am not even trying to watch my calories because I just do not eat those calorie dense foods anymore with the exception of nuts and avocados (love em!).
I've been eating strict plant based diet since October and I feel great too and have finally lost weight. My skin is good, I can run faster and I really enjoy the foods I make and eat. It's not be the least bit depraving.
I have some questions then. First, what are you doing to ensure adequate protein intake in the context that vegan proteins are poorly digested (~20-25%) compared to animal and dairy proteins? Also, vegans are often deficit in creatine, carnosine, B12, and iron (especially important for a woman in middle age) so what are you doing to safeguard against that?
I have some questions then. First, what are you doing to ensure adequate protein intake in the context that vegan proteins are poorly digested (~20-25%) compared to animal and dairy proteins? Also, vegans are often deficit in creatine, carnosine, B12, and iron (especially important for a woman in middle age) so what are you doing to safeguard against that?
You can get more than adequate protein from plant sources.
I am going to go on how I feel, which is a lot better than when I was consuming animals products, especially dairy. I have more energy, sleep better, have great workouts, my skin is clear, I am regular, etc... So far it has been a revelation as to how good I feel. I have also lost 10 pounds that would not budge for the past few years. I am 55 years old, I have a good knowledge of nutrition and I have always eaten whole foods, staying away from fast or pre packaged foods. This was an experiment I took on after seeing a couple of documentaries on how meat consumption is harming the planet. I was impressed by the people that switched over that said they loved it.
I went into this expecting to go back to my normal way of eating after 4 - 6 weeks. I may some day go back to being an omnivore, but for now I just do not see any benefit of doing that.
You can get more than adequate protein from plant sources.
While this is true, it requires more to get the same level of intake. For instance, my daily protein requirement is about 200 grams. If I was using the vegan staples of soy and rice protein, I'd need about 250 grams to account for the decreased digestibility.
How are you accounting for that?
Quote:
I am going to go on how I feel, which is a lot better than when I was consuming animals products, especially dairy. I have more energy, sleep better, have great workouts, my skin is clear, I am regular, etc... So far it has been a revelation as to how good I feel. I have also lost 10 pounds that would not budge for the past few years. I am 55 years old, I have a good knowledge of nutrition and I have always eaten whole foods, staying away from fast or pre packaged foods. This was an experiment I took on after seeing a couple of documentaries on how meat consumption is harming the planet. I was impressed by the people that switched over that said they loved it.
I went into this expecting to go back to my normal way of eating after 4 - 6 weeks. I may some day go back to being an omnivore, but for now I just do not see any benefit of doing that.
You should consider getting a complete blood panel in a couple months and posting the results.
I have some questions then. First, what are you doing to ensure adequate protein intake in the context that vegan proteins are poorly digested (~20-25%) compared to animal and dairy proteins? Also, vegans are often deficit in creatine, carnosine, B12, and iron (especially important for a woman in middle age) so what are you doing to safeguard against that?
All legitimate concerns, although I would also say that any diet carries the risk of deficiency if it isn't planned out and supplemented as needed. Here's my take:
I'll start with B12 because I have firsthand experience with deficiency, and that is was prompted me to start meeting with a dietitian. This was all my own fault because I neglected to increase my supplementation while I was pregnant and/or nursing for 8 straight years. The trouble with B12 deficiency is it creeps up very slowly, and isn't generally symptomatic until you're dangerously deficient. But, between a good quality multivitamin and B12-fortified foods (breakfast cereal, plant milk, tofu) and nutritional yeast flakes, I haven't had B12 issues since then.
Iron: My multivitamin contains 100% of the RDA, and I also pair vitamin c-rich foods with iron-rich foods
Protein: This is another area where a good dietitian is important. The one I met with adjusted my protein recommendations upward to account for the difference in digestibility. Some days I hit the target, some days I don't.
As far as creatine, it is my understanding that unless a person has an underlying metabolic or genetic disorder, it's very difficult to be deficient because the body makes small amounts of creatine. Yes, vegans and vegetarians have lower levels than omnivores, but that doesn't necessary indicate a deficiency. But, I'm open to other information if I'm wrong.
FWIW, I'm also a bit unconventional in my views, in that health comes before ideology. If a person isn't able to follow a balanced, nutritious vegan or vegetarian diet (sometimes food allergies or aversions prevent a person from eating properly) then by all means, add some animal products back into your diet if you need to. When I was B12 deficient, it was hard at first to get my level back up through supplementing alone, so I ate a lot of fish in order to make that happen. I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if I needed to, but thus far it hasn't been necessary.
Last edited by Ginge McFantaPants; 02-13-2017 at 08:26 AM..
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. Seriously though, been eating this way for 28 nonconsecutive years, feel young and spry, and am still rocking a size 0 after three babies. As long as you don't fall into the trap of vegan junk foods and over-relying on meat analogs, it can be a very healthy lifestyle. Just listen to your body and don't feel guilty about eating vegan "only" 97% of the time; no one will track you down and remove your vegan tattoo with a cheese grater.
