Vegan Forum

[TheGoblinRoad]

I've been morbidly overweight for most of my life, and vegetarian for most of that time. I just went vegan a month and a half ago. I can easily seen how I could stay obese, and even gain weight, regardless of whether I am vegan or not. Obviously, I need to work on portion sizes and cut down on processed food.

Thinking of trying a strict plan to change my way of eating, and then add to it. Wondering if anyone has a suggested method of doing this?

[Kensho]

i would have my thyroid checked, there is something going on with your metabolism, you may have hypothyroidism... if that's the case, selenium would do you good... many times medications you're on can cause an inability to lose weight because they alter cellular... believe it or not even stress can also do it to you... i've been a vegan for about nine months now... within the first five months i lost a total of 65 pounds before my cruising weight weight finally stabilized at 205 pounds... i'm 6foot 2inches tall so i'm very happy at the weight i'm at... i eat ALOT at meal times, strictly fruits and vegetables... occasionally i might eat a little TVP... PeaCe2U my friend...

Kensho

[Kensho]

i was thinking about you after i posted... i left some things out... you may also be thyroid hormone resistant, in which case a typical thyroid test might come up normal... in that case a reverse T3 test is is order... problem is most physicians practicing allopathic medicine don't believe in or know little about the benefits of this test... i would recommend locating a physician in your area who incorporates orthomolecular medicine into their practice, in your area... i had schizoaffective disorder for eight years, i was on every type of psychotropic medication including including the infamous clozaril and still expressed symptoms the entire period... i did alot of reading and discovered orthomolecular medicine/psychiatry... many, including the AMA and APA consider it "quack science"... they fight to suppress scientific literature, using every dirty trick in the book... there are many physicians who lost their medical license to practice only to have it reinstated after proving in courts of law that everyone they were willing to take on as a patients were healed in front of juries of their peers... all i can tell you is that within three months of following the protocols i was off all medication and completely symptom free... and to think of all the hell i went through...

go to orthomolecular.org and look under the resource section in order to locate a physician close to you... PeaCe2U

Kensho

[TheGoblinRoad]

I think you misunderstood, sorry. I wasn't being clear. I meant that I can easily not lose due to the fact that it's not that hard to eat excessive calories, even on a vegan diet. I eat too many calories.

Thanks, though!

[Kensho]

i'm sorry, i misunderstood you... i consume in upwards of 3000 calories a day at times and my body weight remains consistent... do you think your over eating habit is psychological? if it is have you ever considered hypnosis? i've been hypnotized twice so far... the first time was to quit smoking and i was able to immediately quit smoking... the second time was to overcome anxiety i had over competing in an upcoming chess tournament... i went 5 for 6 beating one opponent who was rated 420 points higher then me... if your having trouble controlling your urge to overeat it's your subconscious mind working against you... another solution is to make a conscious effort to eat fruit and vegetables with low calorie index... i reread your post, as a vegan you must eliminate ALL processed foods... processed foods are generally dead calories... out of curiosity how many calories a day would you say you eat?

Kensho

[randelljim]

Several cuisines have fatty greasy deep fried dishes that are vegetarian, even vegan, and I know of several people who would indulge often. A diet that is rich in butters and sugars + sedentary habits is a perfect recipe for getting fat. Other than that, well some people still wont gain all thanks to their miracle genes while others bloat up due to genes/hormones even if they thrive on salads.

[snog]

Goblinroad: Oh, man, I feel your pain. I've been vegetarian for more years than I'd been a carnivore, but I, too, am zaftig. I've eaten primarily vegan the last year, but while my weight didn't increase, neither did it decrease a great deal. Due to having eaten more nuts,oils and nut butters as well as tortilla chips and potato chips, my cholesterol skyrocketed from a healthy 185 to 230! For the last 3 months, I have returned to low fat eating, though. I eat lots of fruit & veg( always have) whole grains and legumes as the base of my diet. I do hope I'll loose weight, even if only slowly. I don't watch portions of the above healthy low fat fare, as I'm often frequently hungry eating a 10-20% fat diet. But, I have to say, my digestion feels much better.

Btw, i used to be slender, but in my mid 30's, I was stuffing myself with peanut butter cups, high butterfat icecream, and potato chips. I don't eat that way anymore, but the weight stubbornly remains. One's metabolic rate goes down as we get older. I do get moderate exercise, but due to fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis, I cannot exercise vigorously.

[VBryan]

The plain and simple answer I feel is to take in less calories each day. What will save your health and your life is the cutting out of processed foods. One thing you may contemplate If you can, is to find some green leafy based salad recipes that you like and can eat and enjoy consistently. There are hundreds of salads that can be made so you should be able to find at least a few you enjoy. Once you have these, you can essentially eat as much as you like – just go to town!
Ultimately if you are filling yourself up on what amounts to largely green leafy vegetables then you are getting the best nutrition for the lowest calorie intake. It will go a long way to providing the best for your body and you may even see a few *** miracles*** along the way in terms of your health turning around. If you are a fan of fruit then I would suggest having only that for one meal. Having a large amount of fruit and a large amount of vegetables in one sitting will not sit well with practically any person.
Ultimately you should look at your day to day meals as what you could contemplate having for life rather than just to lose weight and stick to it