Jump to content

Going Vegan is a must, but somehow I feel worse than before


Recommended Posts

Hi everyone. My name is Ashley, I'm 27 and I've been into fitness my whole life. I have always eaten healthy when it comes to processed foods and sugar intake but about 3 months ago I switched to Vegan because of the overwhelming evidence proving animal products are bad for us (the documentaries about the cruelty of the farming industry obviously played a big role as well). I have committed to the lifestyle and my husband is completely on board with me as well. I have gathered hundreds of recipes and tips on cooking vegan and love the meals I have come up with. Now heres the bad part; before, like I said, I already ate healthy and worked out often (we have a pretty sufficient amount of gym equipment in our garage). I weighed 126-127lbs at 5'4". I have a muscular build since my favorite thing to do is lift heavy. Now, 3 months into this diet I am up to 133lbs, I have the worst acne of my life, and I get headaches a few times a week. My husband on the other hand has lost 2 pounds but otherwise feels perfectly normal. I guess my question is, has anyone else had a rough time transitioning and is it normal for my body to go through these changes? I've also been worried about getting enough carbs and protein so gluten free pasta, rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes are the base of most of our meals. I obviously throw in lots of fruits and veggies, nut milks, and soy products like yogurt and tofu. Do you guys think I could be eating too many carbs for a female my size? Keep in mind though, my headaches usually accompany a bout of hunger when I'm at work and can't get to a snack right away, so I try to at carbs to maintain energy levels, but I also feel like they are to blame for my weight gain. I'm just confused, frustrated and need some advice. Please help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi! Welcome to the plant-powered lifestyle! Congrats on the decision, and not just throwing in the towel during the transition.

 

First, with all other things staying the same activity-wise, the weight gain makes me think we need to start there. I don't pay too much attention to the carb/protein/fat ratios, Robert has a guide of 70/15/15 split. Weight gain could either combo of foods or maybe too many calories? With a variety of plants in your meals and sufficient calories I think you're probably over-thinking the carbs and proteins -- esp overdoing the carbs with every meal. Recurring hunger could be lack of fiber? Circles me back to calories per day? Probably need to also think about daily plans to prep and graze during the day, 6-ish meals per day...meal/snack/meal/snack/meal..

 

How is your gym performance? Strength and energy still cranked or having some changes there too?

 

Even with a relatively clean/healthy lifestyle, your body will detox itself once you switch to a plant-based whole foods meal plan. With too much processed carbs your headaches may be linked up to needing to level out your blood sugar. As a 'for example', a smoothie with lots of greens, 1/2 a banana, some soy/almond milk, toss in some spirulena (or get this mix I received for Christmas called SuperFoods SuperGreens to add into my Nutribullet drinks), chia seeds, some ground flaxseeds, and if you're running low for the day or just put in a power workout some sort of protein source (hemp seeds, sprouted brown rice, or pea protein). All those bio-available nutrients, the fiber, Omega 3-s, etc. should keep you satiated and give you a blast of energy that lasts all morning.

 

I just finished reading Rich Roll's book, Finding Ultra and it has a lot of info in it about plantbased nutrition especially for endurance performance. There are some good references in there too I plan to check out, let me look at it later today and get you some info from there too.

 

Maybe list out a typical day's foods would help?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you taking b12 supplements? How about selenium?... it is hard to get in vegan diet, but brazil nuts are a good source. Are you including lots of greens for magnesium? Low magnesium can cause headaches.

 

The fat content in soy and yogurt is pretty high, so you may want to limit those if you are concerned about weight gain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Are you taking b12 supplements? How about selenium?... it is hard to get in vegan diet, but brazil nuts are a good source. Are you including lots of greens for magnesium? Low magnesium can cause headaches.

 

The fat content in soy and yogurt is pretty high, so you may want to limit those if you are concerned about weight gain.

 

I like what she said!

 

At my last checkup at DR, I got full blood panel, thinking I was pretty good to go with varied diet, but alas, I was LOW in Vit-D, and towards the low-end of B-12 (still normal though!). Did lots of research and found bioavailable sources for what I need, and I think selenium is in that vitamin too!!!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...