Hi everybody,

I have been eating vegan for about 5 months now (still improving the other parts of my lifestyle from day to day) and I have recently noticed that I was sleeping way more than ever before!

I would usually sleep for 8 hours and feel completely rested, but I now have to sleep for about 10 hours to be good for the day.

So last week, I decided to look further into it by writing out everything I eat in a day on a website. I don't know if the welbsite is accurate, but according to the charts, turns out I only eat about 1500kcal a day instead of the 2100kcal I need.

But the problem is, if I really lack those 600kcal a day, I feel full after every single meal. I even most days feel like I wouldn't be hungry for 3 days!

Has anyone experienced this? If so how did you get to eat more? Am I making a big deal for nothing?

Thank you for reading this and happy new year,
Elyath

PS: I am going to see a doctor for this, and I am quite nervous because eating is really taboo here (I currently live in France) and there is only one vegan-friendly doctor in my area but she doesn't accept any new patient at the moment.

Are you overweight, underweight or just right? Have you been losing weight in the past few months?

If you're not eating enough, I suggest adding calorie-dense food like potatoes. But if you're not losing weight, you probably are eating enough, but maybe not the right things. Several nutritional deficiencies can make you more fatigued, including Vitamin D and iron. I hope your doctor helps.

Charting your diet is a great idea when you're making a dietary change.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/
https://cronometer.com/
I'm familiar with those and recommend them

You don't say how you're eating! Vegan can be anything from raw foods only to bags of chips and soda pop, and processed foods.

This is a pretty comprehensive guide to going vegan, and with basic foods you can get anywhere. I will say if you don't like the kitchen, that's a change you should make! Vegan cooking is far more enjoyable than using animal products-
https://www.vegansociety.com/resourc...ients/overview

You may be adding additional fiber to your diet, so one- be sure to include more water, and two- it's filling you up more. Your body will adjust, but be sure to include higher calorie foods. If you like avocados, they're great for calories, vitamins and healthy fats. Don't try and go low fat either- use olive and coconut oils.
Seeds, nut butters, whole grains, beans and legumes and their products-like tofu, tempeh, and seitan, are as important as much as the veggies.

You will find a wider range of choices, even being in France, the longer you stay vegan.
I will say vegetarian Indian food is a great inspiration, subbing tofu for dairy, and vegan butters and oil for ghee

Oh yeah, I do suggest getting bloodwork done so you have a baseline to judge future changes on.
Supplement B12 for sure-https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/nutrition-and-health/vitamins-minerals-and-nutrients/vitamin-b12-your-key-facts/what-every-vegan-should-know-about-vitamin-b12

I found I was very low in D, although my iron went up in a plant based diet. I simply thought about what I eat, include c with iron foods, avoid caffeine with iron foods, eat a fortified cereal and I use a cast iron skillet for almost everything. I was low eating meat

Eating calorie-dense foods is a great suggestion, but potatoes are not particularly calorie-dense. An entire pound of potatoes only contains 347 calories: https://www.google.com/#q=calories+i...nd+of+potatoes

More calorie-dense foods include nuts, nut butters, and seeds. A single tablespoon of peanut butter contains almost 100 calories: https://www.google.com/#q=calories+i...+peanut+butter
.

Hi ilyath,

Not eating enough calories is one of the most common mistakes made by new vegans. This mistake is very easy to make, because vegan staple foods (legumes, whole grains, fruit, vegetables) are low in calories, compared to most meats. On a low-fat vegan diet, it's possible to eat until you're full, yet still not get enough calories.

Here's how to fix it.

First, use a calorie-requirements calculator to estimate your calorie needs: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...r/itt-20084939

Next, just remember this calorie rule-of-thumb:

One cup of cooked beans/legumes contains about 230 calories

One cup of cooked grains/pasta contains about 190 calories

One cup of fresh (not dried) fruit contains 40-100 calories

One cup of non-starchy vegetables contains 5-40 calories

One cup of nuts or seeds contains 650-1000 calories


For example, I need to eat about 2500 calories per day to maintain my weight. Can you see how much beans, grains etc. I have to eat to do this? I have to stuff myself! Including nuts, nut butters, and/or seeds in your diet is an easy way to make sure you're getting enough calories.

An ounce of seitan is about 100 calories- One ounce of baked skinless chicken breast has 22 calories

Most vegan mayos have the same calories as regular
vegan margarines have the same calories as regular
Dried pasta and most noodles are vegan
vegan bread-same
Oils, sugar, chips, fried foods- vegan versions same as omnis

If you're just interested in low fat, whole foods than beginning a vegan diet will be challenging to get enough calories, which is why they're promoted for weight loss
If you're interested in a vegan diet as in eliminating animal products then it's more of finding more foods you like and preparation.

When I first gave up meat I lost a good bit of weight. When I went vegan I already knew my food choices, and my experimentations in the kitchen caused me to gain more weight than I ever had

There is a theory that calorie restriction slows the aging process in adults, as long as sufficient vitamins and minerals are consumed, so it might be better to consume 1500 kilocalories a day instead of 2100 (if the theory is correct). I read that health benefits and slow aging have been observed in many species of animals as well as yeast on a calorie restricted diet, though it is not clear if humans would benefit from calorie restriction.

Wikipedia lists some potential problems with calorie restriction but they are controversial https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calori...Health_effects . The research section is tagged as needing more medical sources for verification. It sounds like there is a real possibility that calorie restriction improves health, but it is not certain. In particular, children and pregnant women should not be on low calorie diets, and people with a history of anorexia need to be careful about not letting calorie consumption go too low.

Hello, I was reading your post and the part about using a cast iron skillet,which I read about before is confusing. What are the facts behind cooking with a cast iron skillet?

Thank You

The iron is transferred to the food, particularly from acidic foods. Because I only use it for plant foods I feel safe in leaving on my stovetop, letting whatever traces of food burn off and just wiping off with a oil coated paper towel when needed. As long as it has a shiny black sheen it is the best in non stick, and takes well to deglazing with a little liquid. Cast iron can also be used in the oven

Here are some facts and tips on using a cast iron pan--
http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_co...with_cast_iron

http://theirontablet.blogspot.com/20...m-cooking.html

One thing I will add, you here often of getting them at thrift stores for cheap--not any by me! I've actually seen the same Lodge pan I have for more than what the one I just bought my son at Target! I paid under $20. for a Lodge 12 inch.

Thank You

Silva