Hi again, I have been vegetarian (going vegan) for about two weeks now, and I dont really care how much I weight, just that I am healthy. My problem is, I am gaining weight and I just want to make sure that I am still healthy ( i dont know if you can gain healthy weight, being overweight already ). I just dont know what I am doing wrong. For breakfast I have special K with the little strawberries in it, with a "shot" of bolthouse vanilla chai. For lunch I always have two slices of swiss cheese ( trying to weed that out ) with lettuce and tomato on rye, and a cup of mixed veggies with a half cup of fries ( if they are serving them at my school ). I have some chocolate soymilk when I get home if I am craving sweets, and I have a bag of organic granola mix that I snack on if I need to. For dinner I have been having meals like portabello mushrooms with feta cheese ( soooo goood, but getting rid of the feta ), mac and "cheese" with soymilk and breadcrumbs only, salads, etc. If I get hungry I have blackberries, my granola, peanut butter on golden delicious apples, etc. I have actually had some problems because I dont have enough fat in my diet. I went out and bought avacados to help that. Im not sure why I am gaining weight. Has anyone experienced this before?

:bobo: K

Sometimes, if you are not eating enough calories, your body will conserve the weight it has...but it sounds like you are eating enough without overeating.

Okay...this is very personal, and do not feel the need to respond, I am just throwing this out there for your consideration: Could you possibly be pregnant? If I have crossed the line, please forgive me. :-/

It sounds to me like a rather healthy vegetarian diet... cut out the cheese and you're all set, but you know that already. ;D Personally I'd replace the cheese with a better source of protein- namely, legumes and more whole grains- but that's coming from a die-hard vegan. :P I can't understand why you would be gaining weight, though. How are your portion sizes? Are you pigging out on granola, dressings, cheese, or other high-cal treats? If not... I'm at a loss, lol.

I've made granola before-- it is basically fat, sugar and oatmeal. It was origionally created for quick energy for mountain climers and hikers-- I know it tastes good, but I could see you gaining a few pounds on it depending what you mean by "some" granola. My suggestion would be to switch the granola for a dried fruit and some seed trail mix (no m&ms or youghurt covered candy in it). The dried fruit is extremely good for you, is very sweet, and will fill you up becasue it expands. (eat no more than like 1/4 to 1/2 cup per day or you will need to run to the bathroom all night). Your diet sounded okay other than the granola. Is there a way to get more dark green vegetables? Chard is excellent for Iron, and is good steamed with a splash of balsamic or malt vinegar. More beans and rice may be good too. Do you like Pea soup? It is tastey, low fat, and seems not to cause the kinds of problems that big beans cause. Try to base your diet more on whole grains and vegetables than on bread or potatos or dairy, even as a lacto vegitarian, sometimes when you give up meat you might overcompensate by putting cheese on everything-- and frankly, cheese is more fatning than meat.

Ok......maybe im eating too little then. I am averaging about 1800 cals in the past couple days. if not less on some. I eat the organic granola with almonds, dried rasberries, and raisins. I went out and bought whole wheat bread. About being pregnant, I wish I was, but I dont think I am.....I have been trying for several months but gave up to take care of myself first and my new found lifestyle, vegetarianism. We shall see, I am going to see my nutritionist again this week to see if I am doing something wrong. i think it might have to do with all the juice I have been drinking. Im not sure. Thank you for all the help everyone. :)

:bobo: K

It could be that you have a bit too much grain in your diet? When I tried veganism a few years ago I gained about 20+ pounds. It wasn't until a year or so later when I went vegetarian again that I realized what I was doing wrong. If your family tends to gain weight fairly easily (like mine does), it could just be that you can't eat as much grain as other people can get away with. I can't eat more than about 2 servings of grain a day, which makes it slightly harder on a vegetarian/vegan diet, but it's pretty easy to gradually work in more veggies and tofu and things like that so you won't fill up so much on bread and pasta and other grains. (Just a suggestion - I pretty much leave everything off bread so I don't get my daily grains in one meal.) Anyway, that was definitely my problem, so maybe that might work for you. Good luck :)

The problem is simple: you're substituting the protein found in meat with complex carbohydrates. Since your brain doesn't get the "I'm full" message that you get from protein based foods, you're more than likely overeating in order to feel satisfied. If your are still keeping your portions under control, your body is trying to protect itself by storing everything you eat because it's not getting that protein it needs to maintain lean muscle mass. In much the same way the Atkins diet works, the converse is also true.

I seem to have a similar problem. I've been vegetarian for about a week, and I wish I had weighed myself before starting. As it is, it's been several months since I weighed myself so I only have an estimated guess.

Assuming I'm close, I think I've gained about 5 lbs. this week, maybe a little less. I'm going to monitor my weight over the next week to make sure.

Since switching to a vegetarian diet, a typical day has been:

2 bowls of corn chex w/banana slices in soy milk for breakfast

For lunch a whole wheat peanut butter/banana sandwich, apple, and either another fruit or cheese crackers (I'm weeding the crackers out). I also have another PB/Banana sandwich later in the day at work.

Dinner is widely variable. Sometimes a hummus sandwich and another sandwich with a Gardenburger. A couple times a pasta dish.

A couple times I substituted my morning cereal with a tortilla filled with lettuce and salsa, or lettuce and hummus.

I also snack on nuts, and have tortilla chips with salsa. When I'm thirsty I've had soy milk, orange juice, or V8 vegetable juice.

I've noticed the situation Eat4life has mentioned: I don't feel full, so I tend to munch on snacks a lot. I'm also thinking that I need to increase eating other kinds of foods that will balance out my nutritional intake. Specifically, dark green veggies. Am I right? And do I need to cut down on my eating? I'm currently 160 lbs and have averaged about 150 lbs before I became a vegetarian.

I also snack on nuts, and have tortilla chips with salsa. When I'm thirsty I've had soy milk, orange juice, or V8 vegetable juice

Two things: Try replacing the nuts and tortilla chips, which are high in calories, to raw vegetables, which are filling with much less calories and fat.
Also, when you're thirsty, limit the calorie containing drinks, and make sure you drink between 2-3 litres of water a day. Just pure water. (If you don't like to drink plain water, add a little sugar free squash). Often, we think we are hungry when we actually need water. So if you want to snack, drink a large glass of water, then wait and see if you are still hungry.
Later x

I seem to have a similar problem. I've been vegetarian for about a week, and I wish I had weighed myself before starting. As it is, it's been several months since I weighed myself so I only have an estimated guess.

Assuming I'm close, I think I've gained about 5 lbs. this week, maybe a little less. I'm going to monitor my weight over the next week to make sure.

Since switching to a vegetarian diet, a typical day has been:

2 bowls of corn chex w/banana slices in soy milk for breakfast

For lunch a whole wheat peanut butter/banana sandwich, apple, and either another fruit or cheese crackers (I'm weeding the crackers out). I also have another PB/Banana sandwich later in the day at work.

Dinner is widely variable. Sometimes a hummus sandwich and another sandwich with a Gardenburger. A couple times a pasta dish.

A couple times I substituted my morning cereal with a tortilla filled with lettuce and salsa, or lettuce and hummus.

I also snack on nuts, and have tortilla chips with salsa. When I'm thirsty I've had soy milk, orange juice, or V8 vegetable juice.

I've noticed the situation Eat4life has mentioned: I don't feel full, so I tend to munch on snacks a lot. I'm also thinking that I need to increase eating other kinds of foods that will balance out my nutritional intake. Specifically, dark green veggies. Am I right? And do I need to cut down on my eating? I'm currently 160 lbs and have averaged about 150 lbs before I became a vegetarian.

Don't cut down on your calorie consumption. maybe add in some protein earlier in the day.

how tall are you?

Ok......maybe im eating too little then. I am averaging about 1800 cals in the past couple days. if not less on some. I eat the organic granola with almonds, dried rasberries, and raisins. I went out and bought whole wheat bread. About being pregnant, I wish I was, but I dont think I am.....I have been trying for several months but gave up to take care of myself first and my new found lifestyle, vegetarianism. We shall see, I am going to see my nutritionist again this week to see if I am doing something wrong. i think it might have to do with all the juice I have been drinking. Im not sure. Thank you for all the help everyone. :)

:bobo: K

Granola is a good treat, but if you eat it all the time, whoa its full of hidden sugar, fat and is easy to eat to much of, and very calorie dense. Try replacing that one thing with somehting else. Sounds like other than that you are eating healthy. If that doesnt stop the weight gain, I would suggest upping the exercise rather than dropping the food.

Don't cut down on your calorie consumption. maybe add in some protein earlier in the day.

how tall are you?

I'm 5'10". I also have a fairly physical job (I work in shipping: taking boxes from a conveyor weighing anywhere from 1 lb. to 80 lbs., stacking them on a pallet, and wrapping the pallet manually with shrink wrap).

I'm 5'10". I also have a fairly physical job (I work in shipping: taking boxes from a conveyor weighing anywhere from 1 lb. to 80 lbs., stacking them on a pallet, and wrapping the pallet manually with shrink wrap).

160 -180lbs is fine for you if you are of medium to large framed.

You should be eating well, especially if you have a physical job. I think a bit more protein, especially in the morning would do you good. and honestly, I eat more than you overall and i'm a girl and weigh 130lbs.

you should check out the Healthy Food Log for ideas.

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=53688

guesstimating here but you prolly want to be at 3000 plus calories. maybe you snack because you aren't eating enough.

also even though you have a physical job, your body gets used to that physical job, you still need an exercise program. The same happens with nurses.

K, you might try cutting out some of the processed foods (like the fries, soy chocolate milk, etc.) and substituting more "whole" foods. I've found the less processed food I eat, the better my health is and the less weight I gain.

Tam

Ive been having somewhere around 1500 - 1800 calories a day....is that too little. I am starting to feel more full because I am getting rid of fried foods entirely. I had the most amazing tempeh stir fry the other day...and an awesome spicy squash soup. I need to drink more water though, I know that. I have been doing yoga and pilates everyday and my muscles are much more defined, maybe my body is retaining water because I am working out? let me know what you think. I feel great now though. I look forward to exercising and eating...havent been that way in a while. Another questions, I am really low on some nutrients like Thiamin, Phosphorus, Magnesium, etc. The little ones. Im not sure how important they are but I dont know what foods to eat to get them. THanx in advance...


:bobo: K

^ For a physically active adult? Yep, that's too little.