milochka

hey yall, so ill be moving to chicago next week - do any of you know of good/cheap organic/health food stores in the city, preferably in the hyde park neighborhood or at least accessible by public transportation. thanks

veganpotter, first of all, could i just make a note and applaud the fact that you're always the first one to answer my posts, sometimes, within minutes i don't really need the milk to be chocolate, because i add dark chocolate to it. i shall try almond milk then

has anyone tried natto? if so, what are your opinions on it? what is the best brand to buy? cheers! <3

hey yall, so i've come to a conclusion that i pretty much detest soy milk *plus i'm trying to watch my soy consumption having previous thyroid problems and all* ahem, so i need your suggestions on the best milk *nut, rice, hemp, etc.* that is the least processed and would make great HOT CHOCOLATE much love and peace! p.s. the way i make my hot chocolate at home is that i get some dark chocolate, heat it up with what used to be at first dairy and then soy milk until it begins to boil, then turn it off and put it in a blender and then pour in a cup *blending it gives it the TASTIEST foam ever* and ENJOY!

thank you all for your suggestions and replies and many kind words. finding balance and inner peace is certainly a challenging journey, but with such support, it seems achievable . god *or whatever you believe in * bless you all!

dear vegan forum members: i've run into several problems when i tried to manage my weight (or rather, reshape my body and get down to certain numbers). for example, i ate pretty clean for most of the summer, yet from a low calorie diet, my academic performance suffered and all i was thinking about was "when is my next meal". yes, i did end up losing some fat ... but then, i had to attend a wedding and they've had all those delicious looking pastries. while i managed to eat vegan during the main course, i simply couldnt resist the desserts - i grabbed like five different pieces to try and poked my fork at some of it - really a bad experience ... then, after i returned home and had to deal with some very stressful situations here, i had a really bad four-day binge. i was like an alcoholic - its really embarassing to admit. also, when i'm "normal" around food - i.e. on a restricted calorie diet and exercising, i eat really healthy vegan. but if i'm not - then i binge and i especially crave things like organic butter, ice cream, NON whole grain breads, pastries and other junk. i really would like to be at peace with my food and body, and not feel guilty about eating. i am seeing a counselor, in case any of you are wondering. should i be taking any supplements or perhaps there is something that my body is lacking? any and all suggestions are welcome. <3

Due to their lifestyle? Or other reasons? Work schedules.. meetings.. un planned events.. & activities.. hmmm, i disagree, i think i would put it as "most people have nutrition on the lower end of their priorities" not in a negative sense but in a sense that when it comes to preparing for exam for school or a presentation for work vs. spending an extra hour preparing food for the next day, most would choose the former. however, it is possible, if one is highly motivated to do so.

whoa, dude, wait up, which ones aren't raw, Nectar or LaraBar or both?

dear veganpotter: i just did some reading on carb cycling and it makes perfect sense to me. the only problem that i have with it is having to eat about 120 g of protein (i weigh about 52 kilos these days). could you provide a perhaps more structured critique of why a low carb diet would not be advised and what one would do instead while "cutting"? cheers!

To TRY and answer your question in as basic way as I can, multiply your goal weight by 12 (so, if your goal weight is 130lbs., you would calculate: 130 x 12 = 1560 kcal you should be taking in daily...sorry, have to convert kg to lb for this calculation!) , and that should give you a daily calorie count to strive for. If you are still not losing, multiply your goal weight by 10...although that is in more extreme cases. Also, increase fruits and veggies and decrease grains a bit. That should help you out. Also...off the calorie subject, one thing that I have incorporated into my life recently is juice "fasting". I did a 5 day "fast" and now "fast" once a week. That really got me over a hump when I stopped losing weight I had put on. You may want to research that a bit. I posted before I started and received some great advice, so it's on the forum. thanks a bunch, kailla! the only question that i have is that i heard that one should keep the body "guessing" all the time in terms of calorie intake, so if i were to *theoretically* eat 1200 kcal everyday *oh, and no way its going to happen if i were to work out on that very same day *, wouldnt my body simply lower its BMR? also, another question, this one goes out to everyone: i seem to be getting conflicting advice, some people say eat more fruits/ others - more whole grains, as the main carb source ... so, where is the truth ? i've also been reading up on the phenomen known as "carb cycling". do you think it would help in my case? <3

thanks, sweety

are you sure you're getting in enough calories? great calorie reduction over great periods of time could lead to amennorhia *spelling?* ---> anorexia

dear veganpotter, i'd love to, unfortunately i do not have the resources at the moment. im in pittsburgh, pa right now and shall be in chicago, illinois hopefully in two weeks, so if anyone knows if either the university of pittsburgh or UofC does it, please let me know. i cannot spend any money on this *since i do not have anything extra to spend hehe*. also, a quick question. how much damage would rowing do to my weight loss efforts? much love and peace! <3 p.s. would you suggest taking measurements of myself instead of relying on tanita?

dear DV: i had my BF measured using a fancy-schmancy machine thingie by the name of Tanita. My BF stayed the same while eating 1700 - 1800 kcal/day over the course of the past month. I trained hard. Now my mind is off somewhere, so I'm trying to get back on track. Good advice is always appreciated

true dat, veganpotter, but i personally don't feel that i should feel deprived in any way on a vegan diet. i tried follow your heart gourmet vegan cheese but spit that piece of garbage right out *no offense to anyone who enjoys it* ... because when i feel deprived, i feel that i'm restraining myself in some way and want more of the "forbidden" even though i'm making a conscious choice *but try telling that to my subconscious* in other ways, i'm looking for positive reinforcement of non-cheese ways and in more than a year of search, i have yet to find one