I'm a big fat vegan!
*sigh* It's true! I've always been, as cartman would put it "Big Boned" or "Festively Plump" & sometimes I haven't minded & sometimes I have & tried diet after diet. Well Now is another time I mind, mostly because I seem to have put on lately (cold weather I think) & it has to stop.
So why am I telling you this? Well I was hoping that for my sake there may be some other vegans in my situation who want to do something about it, perhaps we could email our progress once a week or something? I'm off to buy a proper scale this morning I'm terrified but I know it's nesseccary.
So firstly I'd like some tubby buddies to talk to & secondly, anyone who has been there & done that I would love to hear how. How do you stay motivated? What did you eat? What did you absoloutly not eat? How did you manage cooking for partners or family?
Oh, I'm also sick of hearing "I thought vegans were skinny?"!!! ???
Opera that's great! I have used sparkpeople for the past 2 or 3 weeks, just simply to use the nutritional tracker to track my protein/carb/fat intake.. and I have ended up losing about 3 pounds because I know exactly how many calories I need and how many cals are in each meal and snack I eat. It really helps to track all of that stuff, so you don't get too few (i used to undereat by accident frequently, being almost fruitarian, and that lowers metabolism) or too many calories.
Yeah - I'm not following their meal plans. I'm just eating what I know is healthy, and I'm tracking it so I really SEE what I'm eating. It helps to know what's going into my mouth! I've also been using the fitness tracker. I'm already moderately active because of all the walking I do on a daily basis. (I live in NYC...) It's motivated me to really step up my exercise, though. Yay!
I'm going to give the unpopular suggestion of fasting! Quick and easy! Not really, but it's working for me.
My roommate and I tried the Master Cleanse about a week ago, making the promise that if either of us passed out or threw up, we'd stop. She threw up on the fourth day, so we stopped. We're failures and quitters. But really, I lost 6 lbs (that still haven't found their way back) in four days and don't need as much to feel full.
I knew I should cut down on dairy before doing it, and afterwards I was hungry enough to eat anything (rocks and sticks were looking nice) so no dairy for me yet. I just added up my calorie intake for the day and it's 590 right now and judging by the fact that the only thing I have in my refrigerator is 2 lemons, it probably won't go up that much by the end of the day. And I'm just not that hungry during the day. Say what you will about the fad fast, but it really does teach you and your body the difference between hungry and content.
(I'm not saying starving yourself is a good and healthy way to lose weight, but I think fasts are okay if you have the right mind set, motivation and expectations. It can be a spiritual experience, as well as a good detox.)
I just did the cleanse for 10 days. Today is the last of the three transition days. I was never hungry, but towards the end I did miss food. I did it because I had a GI thing, but my pants are so loose now that I need a belt or they fall down when I walk. I have no idea if I'll gain it back once I start eating regularly again - you know, my body may decides to cling to every calorie. Either way, it took care of my GI thing.
I know i already said i thought sprakpeople.com was cool, now that i am actually using it i think its the best thing ever!!. I've used online calorie counters before so i could add up my food and exercise, but i never knew if i was doing too much or too little. Sprakpeople tells you your range of calories, fat, protein, and carbs for the day. It also shows you how many calories you should burn that day to reach your goal. You can add your own exercises but it also has a short daily list of a few simple at home reps. Way cheaper than a nutritionist or personal trainer (cuz its free) to keep you on track, and good for those people like me who often stop or give up because we don't see any progress. With this i can look back at the past few days and see i am working towards my goal.
I'm really excited about it too! I've got quite a bit of weight to lose...but I think this will really help me.
Look for me on SparkPeople! I'm OperaChic on there, too.
:D
Okay...So I have been a vegetarian for almost 4 years now (since I was 11. I used to be very pudgy but then I lost a lot of weight...but now I am gaining it back and I don't know why...) and so about a week ago I decided to become a vegan. I am hoping that I am able to lose weight because I, compared to all of my friends, am like a monster and eat probably half as much as them and a lot healthier at that. I work out at a gym regularly too but I just don't know what it is! Ugh!! I don't know what else I can do to lose weight!
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