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I'm here 'cause I don't know what I'm doing


antibarbie
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My name is Sarah. I certainly don't look like someone that should be part of any sort of bodybuilding forum...yet. Over the last few years I've gotten very out of shape. Right now I'm 5'3" and 149 lbs. yuck.

 

I'm a little bit scared about posting on a vegan forum. For people that choose a compassionate lifestyle because of their respect for life, the vegans I've found on the internet sure do seem to come off mean in my experience. Here's the weird part of my even being here. I'm not vegan right now. I'm working on it though. I'm really bucking convention among everyone I know by even considering it. I only know one vegan.

 

I became lactose intolerant a few years ago, that combined with my weight problem have lead me to learn about what I eat. More and more I find that the idea of consuming animal products to be distasteful and the claimed benefits of such products to be either vastly exaggerated or just plain false. So now I'm at the point that I want to be vegan, but I have no idea what to eat. I know vegans don't just eat vegetables. I bought a few vegan cookbooks that have recipes in them that I think I can handle. As of yet I haven't found many recipes that suit the dietary requirements that I want in order to lose weight.

 

After trying all kinds of different things to lose weight I think I finally have it figured out what works best for me. I know I need to exercise, but for the time being that is on the back burner. I gain muscle and strength rather easily, but due to my poor diet for so long combined with fatigue caused by depression it's not something I'm quite up to yet.

 

So anyway, I was doing a diet based on this program www.triaxiomfitness.com. It actually worked fantastically for me. I lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks. The only reason why I quit is because I want I don't want to eat animal products anymore. The program is relatively simple and doesn't leave me feeling hungry. It's a carb cycling diet. All I have to do is eat 5-6 times a day at semi regular intervals through the day. 30g of protein at every meal, 30g of carbs with each meal every other day, and I can eat all the vegetables I want. But if you look at the approved foods list on the site, you'll notice that it isn't very vegan friendly. I'm here because I'm hoping that I can get help from people here or through other resources to get a meal plan together that will help me to lose weight and remove animal products from my diet. I have faith that the changes to my diet will help to improve my health to the point that I can have the energy I need to enjoy life again and become more athletic.

 

I would appreciate it if anyone has any suggestions for me or references to information that might help me.

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Welcome Sarah!

 

You will find this community to be very friendly, caring and supportive. If you find it to be otherwise, let me know and I'll work to fix it

 

Great to have you here. No worries, you're not the only non-vegan on the forum. Others come here, just like you, to learn about the vegan lifestyle, learn what we eat, and learn about health and fitness too.

 

Please check out the Nutrition section. You will find loads of programs, food lists, meal programs, etc. There is also a recipe section if you are into making your own food.

 

We thrive on our support-based community. We all like to help each other and pick each other up and assist whenever we can.

 

Enjoy your time here and post questions in whichever category they best fit anytime.

 

Welcome aboard! -Rob

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Hi Sarah!

 

I went on that triaxiom website, and I was suprised that beans were listed as a carbohydrate! I used to do the South Beach diet, another diet that breaks down into phases to boost weight loss, and I used beans as a protein all the time. I wasn't vegan at the time, but I was leaning toward fewer animal products. I have re-done phase 1 of South Beach since being vegan, and used beans for a protein without issue, lost alittle weight especially around the waist. I guess my point is maybe you can take some of the concepts from that diet and bring them into a healthy, well balanced vegan lifestyle?

 

Sorry that you had rough experiences with other vegans, I can assure you that you've found a friendly place here! Welcome!

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I agree with yogita chiquita - just replace the proteins with vegan protein sources and the dairy with vegan calcium sources. For starters:

 

Some great protein sources: Soy, tempeh, seitan, tofu, nuts, chick peas, beans, seeds.

Some great calcium sources: Soy milk, rice milk, almond milk -- (experiment with different brands until you find which kind you like), Silk soy yogurts (which taste great) are just a few.

 

Good luck and welcome !

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Hi, and welcome!

 

Here is a site with a LOT of free, incredible recipes, most of which are lowfat -- and I mean it; these recipes are great. Bryanna's Vegan Feast Blog is also fabulous.

If you come across any of her cookbooks, I can confidently tell you to get them; they are all beyond good.

 

Here are more Lowfat/Fatfree recipes. Let me know if you want more lowfat recipe sites or a vegan version of most any recipe -- I have tons of recipes saved.

 

And thanks for choosing Veganism!

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Welcome antibarbie.

 

It sounds like your choice of moving towards veganism is also motivated in part by compassion and respect for life. All i can say to that is:

 

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I initially went vegan exclusively for ethical reasons, but soon thereafter reaped tangible health benefits from it.

 

It makes so much common sense that if you consume death (i.e. the corpses of tortured animals) for an entire lifetime, you are more likely to die sooner. There is no better feeling for me than to know that, as somebody else once put it, my body is no longer a graveyard for tortured animals.

 

Welcome.

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