Slight weight gain
Before being completely veg i had a slight eating disorder and although i eat very healthy now i found myself gaining a few pounds...I know its from the carbs...i love these whole wheat wraps with everything in them..I was just wondering if anyone felt that way.
I guess i should just put out there what a typical day of eating is...
breakfast - plain oatmeal with blueberries
lunch - large salad and soup.
snack - veggie pizza on small low carb wrap
dinner - varries but around 400 or so.
and something sweet..maybe a small bowl of cereal with soy or a tofutti fudge pop hah.
what i do know is that i have a lot of beans in my diet, all whole grains, lots of veggies...im wondering if its just the time of day i eat...i do admitt to eating late at night from my hectic work/gym schedule...and when i do drink on the weekends i find myself whipping up conconctions in the kitchen...haha so sad...
Hmm, it could be the carbs, but sometimes your body just settles into your ideal weight.
you definitely aren't eating all that much so i wouldn't worry about gaining weight in a bad way right now. you probably are just getting back to a healthy weight for yourself which is great :).
maybe..i was wondering if anyone maybe gained a few rather then losing when going vegan from vegetarian.
or if they feel bloated more often from all of the fruits and vegetables.
is it just me?? perhaps
i think i stayed about the same weight. i definitely did not lose any weight!
and yes, sometimes i feel bloated because of all the fiber! i used to get soooo much fiber, i have been trying to cut down!
I have only been vegan since April 30th of this year but I have noticed some strange differences in my body. It has been a little alarming but when I really look it seems that my body is systematically using some fat store here and there. I am noticing more of a slimming in my legs, but only below my upper thighs and slimming in my arms. My hips are going down but strangely only in the area of my hip bones.
I do not know how much I weigh. I have always gone by how I look and feel and not by the numbers so I cant honestly tell you if I weigh more or less. I believe that given time I will though.
As far as bloating goes I have always had issues with it because of my monthly cycle :( so I cant help you on that one.
haha oh deffinitely..i dont weigh myself...but i do get way too much fiber. i should cut down for a week or two and see if that helps....
mmm blueberry oatmeal. easy at work.
Has your activity level changed? Remember it's not just what you eat it's how much you move around. If you're on summer break, for example, and taking things easy, you could gain if you're eating the same amount you ate when you were more active.
thats true, i do work in an office during the day, and used to work at a faced paced resturaunt and on my feel all day...but i go to the gym atleast 3 days a week...i just have to relax with all the fiber ive been eating. i used to try to up it so much now i cant really keep it down...i need to take advantage of the nice weather and swim some laps.
I'd guess that there are a few factors affecting your slight weight gain. You mentioned that you often eat late at night due to your schedule. This can definitely add weight. I've heard fitness experts say that you shouldn't eat anything 2-3 hours before bed. The change in jobs is also likely playing a role in your weight gain as well.
I gained a little weight after becoming vegan. I eat so much healthier now (whole grains, lots of veggies, beans), and i exercise regularly, so I'm not quite sure what I'm doing wrong. I don't mind the weight, aside from my love handles (i could really do without those!)
*eek*! i just experienced this phenomnon too! The first two weeks i lost a pound a week, now this week my scale tells me I gained 3 pounds in one week brining my weight higher then then my pre-vegetarian weight!!! I know I should't freak out, but I ate realy, really health this week, l totally thought that I had lost 2 lbs so I am a little upset over the whole thing! :'( :'( :'(
The poundage on the scale doesn't tell the whole story about weight and health. I have lost slowly over time since going back to strictly vegan. All in all? 25 lbs, but it has been very close to a year and it was NOT my goal in any way. My thighs, I am thrilled to report, no longer try to bruise one another when I walk. I have to be about 168 to 172, my guess because that is the point where my thighs keep their own space. I am 5 feet 9 inches and I know that there is nothing wrong with my weight that being 2 inches taller would not fix.
What is remarkable is where it has come off. My thighs are thinner, my calves are thinner, my arms are thinner, but alas, but gut is not. I'll live with it, you don't have six kids and not have a gut on your afterwards. My waist is thinner and I am bony in places I had forgotten I had. It is nice, but not something I sought.
What I was seeking was a way to feel better, keep my lupus flares down and have more energy. That I did accomplish. I still need chronic steriods for the lupus, but I think when we get to the lower doses over the next few weeks it will be a very small dose because of the veganism. It was and is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT that I feel that I am well nourished physically because I feel more nourished emotionally too, when I eat right. Having more energy means I move more and I get out and walk, especially now because I have very limited pain. Exercise is as important as what you eat. If you are eating well, exercising, doing the things you want to do and feeling positive about your life and your choices, does it matter if the scales have a couple of extra pounds? In the end, no. You are likely more healthy physically, emotionally, mentally, not to mention eating in a spiritual way (which being vegan is) than a counterpart of the same height and frame, but with a lower weight.
Besides, if one were following expert opinions about balance of fruits, veggies, grains, beans and in the recommended amounts, there is no way you'd also be an ideal weight with moderate, regular exercise!!!
you add really good insight. . . thank you! ive definitely become more "ok" with my body changing. I just feel like some days i feel thinner than others..but there leads many factors. 6 kids by the way??? Look at you! I hope all is well.
I'm still only a semi-vegan (working on it! and no, I do not label myself as vegan to others) but yes, I've gained weight recently too. It may be that I fell into the trap of thinking, "it's all healthy food, I can eat as much as I want", or it may just be because I started lifting weights again. I know that I generally like the appearance of my body, so I'm not stressing it. However, I did decide I would like to healfully loose a couple pounds and joined sparkpeople.com to help me track the amount I'm eating. It's free and you plug in the mount of wieght you would like to loose by what time and they recommend a basic number of calories each day as well as amount of carbs, fat, and protien. So far I relaly like it.
maybe..i was wondering if anyone maybe gained a few rather then losing when going vegan from vegetarian.
or if they feel bloated more often from all of the fruits and vegetables.
is it just me?? perhaps
*raises hand* I was vegetarian for 8 years and over a year ago went vegan. I've gained probably 10 pounds just in recent months. I attribute my weight gain to my renewed interest in cooking and trying new recipes. My cooking skills have improved sooo much that I end up overeating alot of the times. What bothers me most in the lower belly bulge. I'm not overweight by any means I just feel "funny" with the extra pounds. :D
weight gain and loss has to do only with calories consumed vs calories burned. If you eat more cals than you burn then you gain weight and vice versa. Though many diets train you to think differently (like it being about carbs or such) this really isn't true. The reason SOME of the diets APPEAR to work is because you are really just cutting calories by avoiding certain food groups.
The reason you probably gained a little weight is that you are eating the same amount with a reduction in calories burned by working in a office all day compared to being on your feet.
You want to be careful when trying to loose weight by NOT restricting calories too much or your body will enter into a "starvation mode" where your body holds on to the fat and starts consuming muscle; not a good thing. A 500 calorie per day deficit is healthy and efficient (equal to one pound per week - 3500 calories = one pound). You can do this by either (1) eating 500 fewer calories per day (2) burning an extra 500 calories per day (about 5 miles running or 45 minutes in the gym) or (3) a combination of calorie reduction and more exercise (this is by far the most effective).
Also, going from vegetarian to vegan often includes a greater use of olive oil which is 100% fat and 120 calories per TBSP, so keep that in mind and use the OO sparingly. Also, 500 calories of carrots is just the same as 500 calories of cheese (though you would be much more full with the carrots), so just because a food is "healthy" doesn't mean that you can eat all that you want (though more than likely you can eat a little more - which is nice if you ask me!). This is not to say that 500 calories of cheese is nearly as healthy, just the same when looking at weight and calories.
I hope this helps. If anyone wants more technical specifics I can surely give you those, but didn't want to fill the board with a bunch of jargon.
Kris
Kris is right, it's important to manage calorie intake. Sparkpeople.com has an amazing nutritional tracker, and it will tell you the best amount of calories for your size. It tells you the protein/fat/carb content of anything you enter, as well as a goal number for each according to your size, so you can plan out a day's food based on calories and these factors. The tracker adds everything up for you, too. It also helps as incentive to shoot for a balanced day's worth of food.
Also, a few pounds (5 or so) can easily be attributed to water retention, or muscle gain. It's best to not worry about small amounts of weight if you are healthy and active and don't eat junk food.
Kris ~ that info is so very helpful! And I second the sparkspeople.com website. Someone else here on the boards mentioned it and I joined right away. I was totally suprised to see how many calories I was consuming on an average day and since have cut back alot. I've also started walking 3 times a week at 15 minutes per mile, walking a total of 4 miles. I have some health problems that I have to keep in mind when exercising and walking seems to be the best fit for me right now. :)
I just feel like some days i feel thinner than others..but there leads many factors. 6 kids by the way??? Look at you! I hope all is well.
first off, I completely understand where you're coming from. I have days when I feel so bloated and like I gained 10 pounds over night. But in reality, I may be a little bloated, but my jeans still fit, I have a bit of an extra bulge cause of what I assume is bloating from the day before but really, I DIDN'T gain 10 pounds. It is also HUGELY affected by how close/far away my time of the month is. I think it is just normal to not be exactly the same number everyday.
I stopped weighing myself a few months ago (although recently I've started again.. I'm trying to kick the habbit. It really isn't good.) but instead I use a meaturing tape (like one used for quilting, not one of the yellow ones you use in construction haha) to measure areas like my hips and waist. It is a much better way of gauging yourself because it, unlike weight, gives you a more realistic picture of what's happening and WHERE it is happening.
hope that this helps, mostly though, if you think your'e eating well and you are comfortable with your activity level, then it is most likely, as others have said, just your body finding your ideal, healthy weight. And that is fabulous :)
this is confusing.
i've been vegetarian for 3 years and went vegan like in january, and i've lost a LOT.
but i also worked my booty off to do it, i wanted to.