[idrinkcoffee]

Hey everyone,

I have been a vegan for about ten years. However, I am currently 40 lbs overweight. I'm trying to figure out how to change my diet to encourage weight loss. I have cut out soy latte's and white bread/pasta and am trying to eat smaller portions. I'm wondering what changes you all have made to an already-vegan diet to lose weight. To most omnivores, going on a vegan diet IS a weight-loss diet.

[beerab]

Haha I'm not sure what to say but I had to comment- my friend did that- became a vegan and went from being overweight to rail thin. I like meat too much to give it up!

[Darby1]

Hi idrinkcoffee,
I've been vegan for 8 years and although weightloss wasn't my intention when I became vegan, I figured it would be a great side effect. I did lose a lot of weight at first, only because I didn't know what to eat!

I discovered all the vegan goodies that are available and now have about 50 lbs. to lose.

It sounds like you're on the right track. I've done calorie counting, Weight Watchers and the McDougall plan. Any one of those plans would help me lose weight if I would just STICK with it!

If you're interested we're doing a weight loss challenge over on the Veggie Challenge thread. We'll finish our challenge on St. Patricks Day and we're sure to start a new one. I think there are a few vegetarians on the thread, but most of us are vegan. Come over and introduce yourself!

[PeatrixPotter]

Hi, I'm a vegan doing WW. What I do is I eat only whole food vegan--brown rice/whole wheat pasta, fruits, vegetables, organiz soy milk, no processed sugar--within my daily points value. So you could do that within a certain calorie limit. You will notice within a few days of eating this way that there is such a difference! You're right that there is the common misconception that if you are vegan, you are healthy and thin. So not true if you're eating the wrong things! I still eat treats like Uncle Eddie's cookies, etc., but I eat them within my points value and in moderation. Hope this helps!

[vthiker]

Hi
I think processed vegan "junk" foods make a huge difference. Before I fell off the vegan wagon completely, I started to up my intake of vegan "treats" - for me it was mostly tortilla chips. I find staying away from processed foods very helpful.

[nelie]

Vegan junk food is definitely around Eat to Live is a good vegan diet but also weight watchers is good. Eat lots of whole foods as a vegan and it should help with weight loss overall though.

[kelly315]

Actually, I've known a lot of people to go on the vegan diet, and I definately wouldn't say that it's good for weight loss. Most of those people gained at least 20 pounds. It must be the carbs- perhaps you could concentrate on getting lower GI carbs and more protein instead? Even if you don't want to calorie count, maybe try it for a couple of days to see what you're taking in. (Don't cheat! Eat normally...a lot of people eat better on days their counting and then go back to normal after).

[nakedmango]

To me, the basics of eating for weight loss is the same whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or omni: you have to eat less than you burn; and you have to do that while getting enough nutrition to stay healthy. As vegans, we have to make sure that we're getting enough of a few things--vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron--and that we're getting the right balance of protein, carbs and fats. However, vegetarians and omnivores have to do the same things--vitamin deficiency is common among omnivores as well as veg*ns.

There's a co-worker of mine with a very strange attitude towards health and weight loss--he jokingly scorns my being vegan because he thinks it's about health. I keep telling him--there's plenty of foods that are unhealthy and vegan--french fries, potato chips, guacamole (if you tend to eat it by the bowl, like I do), chocolate...the list goes on and on. And as time goes on, I'm discovering more vegan 'treats', that are bad for me when I eat too much. I bought Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World, and found vegan brownies and carrot cake at a health food store 5 minutes from work. Which is dangerous!

Vegans still have to be careful about portion sizes, processed foods, calorie intake, nutrition, exercise, etc. I eat bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar a lot, but I have to be care about how much olive oil I use. I make most of my food, since processed food is iffy nutritionally, expensive, and has some odd ingredients. I eat nuts, but I have to be sure to eat only one portion. I have to be careful about eating out, since while vegan restaurant food is often healthier than the omni options, it still has big portions and often uses too much oil and refined white flour. And I really, really have to be careful not to get caught hungry--if I'm out and I get hungry, I will eat the nearest vegan food I can get my hands on (which is often chips). So I carry 300 calories worth of food (a nut bar and a dried fruit snack) with me at all times, which for me is enough for a small meal. However, these are the same things non-vegan maintainers find themselves doing--portion control, careful restaurant food selection, eating 'clean', and carrying snacks to prevent hunger-motivated bad choices.

Whew! This is a lot post. But providing myself with a healthy vegan diet is something I think a lot about. I hope it's been helpful!

[remee]

Originally Posted by nakedmango

To me, the basics of eating for weight loss is the same whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or omni: you have to eat less than you burn; and you have to do that while getting enough nutrition to stay healthy. As vegans, we have to make sure that we're getting enough of a few things--vitamin B12, vitamin D, iron--and that we're getting the right balance of protein, carbs and fats. However, vegetarians and omnivores have to do the same things--vitamin deficiency is common among omnivores as well as veg*ns.

There's a co-worker of mine with a very strange attitude towards health and weight loss--he jokingly scorns my being vegan because he thinks it's about health. I keep telling him--there's plenty of foods that are unhealthy and vegan--french fries, potato chips, guacamole (if you tend to eat it by the bowl, like I do), chocolate...the list goes on and on. And as time goes on, I'm discovering more vegan 'treats', that are bad for me when I eat too much. I bought Vegan Cupcakes Take over the World, and found vegan brownies and carrot cake at a health food store 5 minutes from work. Which is dangerous!

Vegans still have to be careful about portion sizes, processed foods, calorie intake, nutrition, exercise, etc. I eat bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar a lot, but I have to be care about how much olive oil I use. I make most of my food, since processed food is iffy nutritionally, expensive, and has some odd ingredients. I eat nuts, but I have to be sure to eat only one portion. I have to be careful about eating out, since while vegan restaurant food is often healthier than the omni options, it still has big portions and often uses too much oil and refined white flour. And I really, really have to be careful not to get caught hungry--if I'm out and I get hungry, I will eat the nearest vegan food I can get my hands on (which is often chips). So I carry 300 calories worth of food (a nut bar and a dried fruit snack) with me at all times, which for me is enough for a small meal. However, these are the same things non-vegan maintainers find themselves doing--portion control, careful restaurant food selection, eating 'clean', and carrying snacks to prevent hunger-motivated bad choices.

Whew! This is a lot post. But providing myself with a healthy vegan diet is something I think a lot about. I hope it's been helpful!

Just wanted to say that you gave some wonderful advice that I actually needed to read. Thank you!

[nakedmango]

Originally Posted by remee

Just wanted to say that you gave some wonderful advice that I actually needed to read. Thank you!

Aw shucks! I'm glad I could help.

[Thin4Good]

I am new to the vegan diet but I started South Beach last fall. Since I have been eating a vegan diet I have tried to keep my food along the lines of SB as much as possible. There are lots of things I want to try though, and vegan friendly restaurants I want to visit so I can definitely see how it would be easy to gain on a vegan diet if you aren't careful!

Basically, nakedmango had some great advice I'd have to agree with!

[justducky2]

Upon becoming (almost) vegan last year, I dropped 20 pounds quickly, then found out all the bad stuff you can eat that is vegan! I haven't gained any back, but I've stalled (bread. my bad). Like another poster said, I think using whole foods instead of processed foods as much as possible, and for me, when on-plan, I eat lower carb (about 120/day) and low glycemic (this is due to diabetes, but it helps anyone trying to lower their carb/sugar intake). So when I eat veggies, even, I eat low glycemic ones. Even when eating veggies, I go for the lower-glycemic ones as much as I can. I also try to eat lowfat, too.

Two good vegan/lowfat/lower-carb/low glycemic books are Dr. Neal Barnard's Program for Reversing Diabetes and The 30 Day Diabetes Miracle. Both are geared to diabetics, but the information applies to everyone who wants to eat healthy. Both have great vegan recipes.

Best wishes!

[FatGirlTale]

Don't eat anything with more than 5 ingredients on the package.

Eat more beans, lentils (red are DELICIOUS), whole grains, etc.

Use nutritional yeast instead of fake cheese things.

Cut out white bread. Drink more water. Don't drink juice.

Eat more slowly. Try Weight Watchers (you can do it at home - forget the meetings - just google how many points to eat and find a point calculator on-line).

I'm vegetarian and losing weight and 90% of what I eat is vegan. (I eat egg whites and the occasional yogurt, but that's it.)

[Jacquie668]

When I was a vegetarian I gained a lot of weight, a lot. When I went for being a vegan I kept gaining...and I remember at the time reading about other people who were vegans who were also gaining weight and not loosing. People generally assume "if I'm a vegan then I'm going to lose weight because I'm not eating junk." Totally not true. There is so much junk food out there for vegans. I mean just walk through a Whole Foods and you'll see lol.

My problem was when I was a vegetarian I ate a ton of cheese, high fatty foods, and when I was a vegan I fell into the processed foods trap. It is easy to do on any diet though. Why prepare a meal for yourself when you can get a frozen dinner with a zillion ingredients on the package or worse, order out! haha

To me now, as I merge into vegan raw food, I have learned that nutrition is about knowing your body, getting active, counting your calories, etc. It doesn't matter what diet you're on per say, but I think whole and delicious, fresh foods = good health.

I mean I have this cookbook with a thousand or so vegetarian recipes, got it years ago as a gift, and I swear 90% of the recipes are smothered in some sort of cheese or cream. lol. It boggles your mind. Salad, cheese, breakfast, cheese, dinner cheese, it goes on and on lol. I have a few vegan recipe books and a lot of the recipes in those were overly complicated or trying to make foods be like what one used to eat.

Sometimes I think just simplifying things = success in weight loss.

[dropSoul]

I am a vegan and was 60lbs over weight. Vegan body building dot com is better for this type of question. I can tell you precisely how to do it. Let me know.