Vegan Forum

My wife and I have been preparing to become vegans for a long time. Currently aspects of our diet that are not vegan are a little bit of low fat dairy and tuna fish. I am currently on a diet that is low in fat and high in protein in order to lose weight. So far I have been successful with it. I feel great and I am shedding the pounds. I have lost 30lbs so far but I need to lose 80 more. My exercises include relatively intense weight lifting and aerobic exercises (walking and bike riding).

We want to transition to Veganism but we want to do it right. I am looking for my diet to only have about 10-20% of its calories from fat and have plenty of protein from multiple sources (soy, wheat gluten, beans etc...). To make things worse, we live in a small community in the Southern US and it is difficult to obtain vegan groceries. Does anyone have any suggestions, or vegan cookbook recommendations geared for dieters? Thanks in advance!

In my experience, eating very low fat didn't help me loose weight. It did lower my cholesterol. However, I was always hungry. To keep full whilst eating a 10% fat intake, I'd carbo load. Sure, said carbs were whole foods. But too many calories as well as bloating my stomach a lot. Now, I eat vegan most days and I eat nuts, nut butters, avacodoes , and a small amount of oil. I eat all the nuts I want, which ends up not being a lot, because the fat content in nuts does lend a good deal of satiety. Anyway, I think I eat less overall, now. I felt so deprived on the very low fat diet. Eating lots of fat free icecream isn't good. A lot of sugary calories. Much better to eat a handful of nuts. You'll be fuller for a lot longer. So, myself, I won't advocate a sparten low fat diet. Been there, done that. Plant based fats are healthy for us, really.

Hi Dirac! Welcome to the vegan forum... Try to explore the site, you might find some useful inputs that may surely help your problem... you may try eating loads of these food... Enjoy!

Legumes
Legumes,often low in fat and calories, include baked beans, lentils, baked falafel, a serving of natural peanut butter and hummus.
Tofu and Tempeh
Tofu contains little fat and 10 grams of protein per serving, while tempeh, though higher in fat, provides 31 grams of protein per serving.
Vegetables
Protein can come in surprising packages, such as asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and watercress, as well as okra, sweetcorn and tomatoes.
Baked goods
Many baked goods, such as bagels and crackers, contain high amounts of protein - usually eight to 10 grams. Be careful to select low-calorie, low-fat options to get full health benefits.
Nuts and seeds
Foods like almonds, cashews, and sunflower seeds are very high in protein, but are nutritionally dense, so eat small (and unsalted) servings for a big protein boost.

I wouldn't recommend a high protein diet. High protein intake leads to kidney failure, and several studies have been done proving that people in developed nations get too much protein. You only need around 10-15%.