I am struggling to get my calories up from around 1000 a day. I am losing weight still but I am worried I may hurt myself in the long run by not keeping my calories around 1200 to 1600. I also find myself with a severe lack of energy and sleeping alot.

Did anyone else experience this when they first went vegan? I am considering getting my iron checked again I did a while back and it was ok, so I am not sure that this is it.

Physically I may be tired, but mentally I have never felt better about myself. Just want to get rid of this wanting to sleep all day feeling.

I'm not sure what you're eating now, but adding soy nuts might be a good thought. I stopped buying them because I couldn't stop at a small amount. Depending on the brand they run about 125 calories an ounce, with a 10-12g of protein boost which is nice.

What are you eating?

I certainly don't have a problem eating a lot of vegan foods. Peanut butter alone...

When I first went vegan I only ate bananas and almonds for a few weeks cause I didn't know what else to eat. I obviously didn't do any research!

What are you eating? Sometimes a little extra protein (nuts, nut butter, tofu, beans) can give you the extra calories you need and boost your energy.

a typical daily menu for me is
(i get up around 10 am take my thyroid meds then wait untill 11am to eat
I work until 1am so that is why I am up so late in the am and eat dinner so late. )
brunch 2 slices of pumpernickel bread with organic pb and jam
11am 1 serv. of cereal optimum health flax with soy milk

dinner 12" wheat subway sand. with mustard and veggies
7pm

snack V-8 or small bag of corn chips
4pm

brunch amys organic pot pie or shepards pie with 2 slices of pumpernickel
bread with margarine

snack 1 ser. of chips with salsa or hummus

dinner steam fresh veggies with brown rice or with a can of amys organic

soup ( lowfat lentil and barley or southwestern bean)

I usually only drink water on occasion I will have the water mixed with 4 oz juice for a treat or will have a cup of coffee or a can of soda maybe once per week.

wow after typing this I see something major lacking....fruits!!~
let me know any suggestions of improvement I need it!

On first impression I suggest more whole foods and good fats and protein. A tofu, veggie, brown rice stir-fry can be made for several portions and heated in the microwave. Use olive oil. The Subway thing is something I see vegans and vegetarians do alot, and it really doesn't give them much lasting nutrition. You may also try your library for vegan cookbooks to give you new ideas. Free and fun. Good luck.

Hi Jasmine,
Glancing at your menu, it looks to me like you might not be getting enough protein. IMO, there seems to be a lot of grains (good grains, most of them, but grains nonetheless) and not a lot of protein.

As others have suggested, you might try adding some beans (for example, you could add a serving of beans to the soup you have in the evening) as well as other good vegan proteins. Boca brand makes a pretty decent vegan burger (it says vegan on it) so you might try warming one up with your Subway sandwich and sticking it in along with the veggies.

For me personally, I've found that not eating enough protein makes me feel very tired and run down. So that might help your fatigue problem if you add a bit more.

I try to make it a rule to eat good fats, carbs, and protein with every meal and/or snack that I have. I find the balance really helps.

Tam

jasmine - That really only adds up to 1000 calories? Like everyone else said, get yourself some beans in there! I usually make a bit pot of bean and veggie soup on the weekends and have some for lunch every day. You could have that along with your subway so you'd at least be getting a little protein. Or better yet, pack your own sandwich made on sprouted grain bread and put something with substance in it! I get the veggie sub at Subway once in a while because when you're vegan and forced to eat fast food it's about the best you can do, but it's still essentially iceberg lettuce salad on processed white flour bread. (FYI - the wheat bread has honey in it, not sure if you're concerned about that though). Making your own sandwich with hummus, peanut butter, egg-less (tofu) salad, un-tuna (chickpea) salad, anything like that is going to be more filling and nutritious than Subway.

It also looks like you're eating kind of a lot of processed food, if you're eating canned soup and frozen pot pies, even though they're Amy's Organic brand and better than many other comparable products, they're still not something I would rely on to fuel my body every day. Same with the corn chips. Hummus and raw veggies are a great snack, try getting some more raw veggies and fruits in at snack time. You can bulk up the calories in those snacks with bean dips or dressings. There's a lot of great creamy dressing recipes that use raw cashews, they're delicious (I've made ranch and caesar dressings) high in good fats and other nutrients.

It sounds like you have a kind of crazy schedule, and I know that can make eating healthy a bit more of a challenge, but with a little planning ahead you can do it! Start swapping out one not-so-good choice with a better one and go from there, and before you know it you'll be a lean, green fighting machine!

Apparently i was having this problem without realizing it; i had been stuck at a plateau, and this weekend i went to nyc to visit friends. We went out to nice vegan restaurants and i had appetizers and tried desserts, and snacked, and lo and behold i finally broke the plateau and lost 2 lbs! I guess my body just wasn't getting enoguh food and was conserving, once i fed it more it sped up again.

I guess add a little bit of nuts and seeds and beans to your daily diet to up the cals, and tofu is good too. Maybe a glass of fruit juice too, and extra glass of soy milk if that's your tipple