[Reflection_Eternal]

About a month ago I made a thread about how I was feeling weird headaches through out the day, most noticeably after big meals (for me it's lunch). I thought maybe am being too lazy and thinking that I don't need much exercise now that I eliminated meat and dairy from my diet (I recently eliminated soy, eggs and honey too). But the headaches got worse.. wayy worse. I dropped 10 pounds when I started and I eat as much as I can to maintain myself but the weight kept coming off and now am 124 and feel like complete ****. I'm not independent so i can't get a check-up whenever I want, that's money I don't have. I've invested on different vitamins but they don't seem to be doing anything. I don't understand what's going on? Every other person says am not doing it right, or am not eating the right stuff or getting the right vitamins. But is it possible that the vegan diet doesn't work for everyone?

Anyway this is what my new daily routine is like now:

Morning: I wake up brush my teeth, stretch, breathe some clean air, drink a cup of water, eat an apple with some oatmeal and a banana with a piece of wheat bread.

mid: I eat some nuts and raisins with a cup of water and then go for jog and play some basketball.

Lunch: (today) red beans with malanga, brown rice, avocado, mixed veggies with broccoli, tomato sauce and a piece of plantain. I took my iron, omega-3, multivitamin tablet with a glass of water.

mid: peanut butter and jelly sandwich (smart balance, polanor, wheat bread).

Dinner: Salad, tomatoes, olive oil, some nuts and a glass of water.

I haven't eaten anything else today i'll probably drink some tea or cereal with almond milk.

is there anything here that am missing? I don't know for how long I can handle these headaches/ nausea and even the ability to stay focused. The only thing keeping me from going back to meat, dairy (never had much of it to begin with), eggs or honey is the thought that I'll get better and that I love my pets so I don't want to inflict pain on other animals or even be part of that by consuming those products. I need help but I can't go to a doctor right now.

I forgot one thing while I was on this diet and that's balance. My father told me i was losing that balance and that sometimes you have to find it with what you are given.. I like to think that I have all the resources to stay vegetarian but maybe I don't.. it will suck going back but if it brings me balance and enough strength to live then I'll have to.

 

[peacefulveglady]

My question is how long do you stare at the computer or laptop screen? I been having nasty sinus headaches several years and i used alot of looking at a screen. Something to consider to look into.

 

[Reflection_Eternal]

recently I haven't been able to but that's because I've been having headaches and nausea, so the time on my computer and listening to music have been cut short.

 

[luxdancer]

Uh... get thee to a doctor. Seriously. It could be migraines, to which the underlying causes are not known - they have several theories. Management of migraines usually involves painkillers, strong ones. There is talk that migraines are "triggered" by stress, fatigue, or hunger (but so can regular "tension" headaches), even MSG has been pointed out as a culprit. Keeping a migraine diary might help track this kind of information.

You really want to do a blood test, see if you are allergic to anything (ie gluten, a very common allergy). I know that you said going to the doctor isn't an option, but this could turn out to be something really serious.

 

[Jinkies]

Track your calories. You're not eating enough if you're losing weight that you don't want to lose. The problem with posting a list of what you eat and your activities is that the amounts can vary. How much brown rice did you eat at lunch? How far did you jog? How long did you play basketball? You'll have to track these things yourself. Note that it's important to eat enough regardless of diet, so this isn't a problem with being vegan. Being vegan just makes it a little easier to do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by luxdancer

Uh... get thee to a doctor. Seriously.

And that. Try to find a way to get to one.

 

[Reflection_Eternal]

half a plate of brown rice and almost an entire plate of beans. if I ate more than that I wouldn't have room for the rest. How much do I need to eat? I can't eat an insane amount of food throughout the day I won't have any money. When i used to eat meat my plates were simple and I had enough strength and no headaches. Could it be possible that the diet doesn't work for everyone? I've been doing research and sometimes it takes longer for someone to transition into the diet and that had me thinking that maybe am not consuming quality products.

I ran four laps around the park am not sure how far that was I never keep with that. And I played basketball for 40 minutes

 

[luxdancer]

Oh, check your multivitamins and make sure you're getting enough b12.

 

[peacefulveglady]

You need to have veggies with the rice and beans, try the California blend veggies they are broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

 

[Jinkies]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reflection_Eternal

half a plate of brown rice and almost an entire plate of beans. if I ate more than that I wouldn't have room for the rest. How much do I need to eat? I can't eat an insane amount of food throughout the day I won't have any money. When i used to eat meat my plates were simple and I had enough strength and no headaches. Could it be possible that the diet doesn't work for everyone? I've been doing research and sometimes it takes longer for someone to transition into the diet and that had me thinking that maybe am not consuming quality products.

I ran four laps around the park am not sure how far that was I never keep with that. And I played basketball for 40 minutes

As I mentioned, you need to track calories. You are 100% burning more calories than you take in. That's how weight loss works. Also, I don't actually need to know how much you ate, but "half a plate of brown rice and almost an entire plate of beans" still wouldn't tell me anything. It's about calories. Your descriptions could apply to 500 calories of food as easily as 1500 calories. The questions I asked are for you. You need to keep track of what you eat and burn so that you make sure you eat enough. Keeping track of this isn't important for most people, but right now it is for you since you're definitely not eating enough.

As for how much you need to eat, that's going to vary based on age, size, metabolism, activity level, and other variables. The easy answer, though, is "eat enough that you stop losing weight." If you're not physically able to eat more food, try spacing meals out and eating more calorie dense food. Also, your stomach will stretch out over time if you keep eating a lot.

Began vegan works for everybody. Some people have medical conditions that make it require more effort, but you wouldn't know if you're one of them unless you saw a doctor. It doesn't sound like you are, though, because people with these problems tend to have severe issues with certain types of food.

 

[whisper]

Could you be allergic or sensitive to something you are eating? Have you started eating something you didn't eat before you got the headaches, including any vitamins/supplements?

For me, eating apples or peanuts will usually (but not always) bring on a migraine.

 

[Reflection_Eternal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by luxdancer

Oh, check your multivitamins and make sure you're getting enough b12.

I take deva multivitamin daily.

Quote:

Originally Posted by peacefulveglady

You need to have veggies with the rice and beans, try the California blend veggies they are broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.

that's exactly what i ate along with a piece of avocado and a piece of plantain

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinkies

As I mentioned, you need to track calories. You are 100% burning more calories than you take in. That's how weight loss works. Also, I don't actually need to know how much you ate, but "half a plate of brown rice and almost an entire plate of beans" still wouldn't tell me anything. It's about calories. Your descriptions could apply to 500 calories of food as easily as 1500 calories. The questions I asked are for you. You need to keep track of what you eat and burn so that you make sure you eat enough. Keeping track of this isn't important for most people, but right now it is for you since you're definitely not eating enough.

As for how much you need to eat, that's going to vary based on age, size, metabolism, activity level, and other variables. The easy answer, though, is "eat enough that you stop losing weight." If you're not physically able to eat more food, try spacing meals out and eating more calorie dense food. Also, your stomach will stretch out over time if you keep eating a lot.

Began vegan works for everybody. Some people have medical conditions that make it require more effort, but you wouldn't know if you're one of them unless you saw a doctor. It doesn't sound like you are, though, because people with these problems tend to have severe issues with certain types of food.

I'm 23 years old (24 in September) and 5'8 . I can take pictures of what my meals look like, it's allot of food. I'm sure I can't eat more than what I eat today. I never had to which is what I find weird.

Yes it works for everyone but you need to eat twice the amount of food (or more) that's twice the money. I previously never ate that much and was still able to maintain healthy weight and able to workout. I mean am trying to but the longer I keep with this diet the more I think, snap when i ate a plate of rice, beans and chicken I had pretty much everything i needed to "feel good". Now the main concern throughout the day is to "eat enough" food... I was 145 pounds with muscle. I'm still kinda ripped but it's just because I lost 25 pounds. I worked out everyday on a mediocre diet and i say that because it had meat in it but i didn't have to eat so much to get all the nutrients and stay fit.. what's going on? Maybe that diet wasn't so bad?

 

[Purp]

I'm with the other poster who said go to a doctor. Get an allergy test done. If you don't have $$--your job doesn't have health insurance, or you're part time, try DSHS (or whatever your state/county/city government has it) for low/no cost health care, or to a low cost clinic. If it isn't an allergy*, you'll at least know, and it if it is an allergy, you'll know what food to avoid.

*You may have to get retested by a specialist instead of a GP--hopefully there is one on the premises. Good luck with everything.

 

[Apocalyptica]

I know it is redundant, but I would also suggest going to a doctor to get blood work and an allergy test just to be safe, but it does seem like you are very active as well so it could be that you aren't taking in enough calories. I had a similar problem last year, so I kept a food diary for a week and it turned out I was only taking in about 1400 calories a day when I needed more than 2000, and I was eating all throughout the day and not trying to diet or anything. So I started being more liberal with my use of oils, nuts, dried fruits, avocados, etc. Condiments like vegenaise or marjorine, or agave nectar/maple syrup will help add calories but without making you full (I can easily add 200 calories to a sandwich just by adding marjorine, vegenaise, avocado, etc.)

I hope you feel better!

 

[lucky_charm]

If you do decide to track food intake you can use sites like sparkpeople, input your daily meals (you will need to be fairly specific on measurements) and it will tell you what you're missing.

I think you can also order online allergy testing kit but this will not be as accurate as a doctor.

Really, with symptoms like this, you need to see a doctor, whatever way you can manage to.

 

[smiling]

I use calorie count .com. It keeps track of calories and nutrients. It will help you figure out what you might be missing in your diet.

 

[SwissMiss]

I think you aren't eating enough for your activity level. I get headaches and nausea when I get low blood pressure (right before a meal). It tends to happen more since I became vegan maybe because i have less sugar reserves?

Have you tried making seitan or something like that? I try and eat it a few times a week and it really helps boost energy.