Tired of fighting...

Hey guys, I'm new to this site and this is my first post. I've been vegan off and on for almost a year now and I'm having trouble. I'm struggling with feeling balanced. I feel like I'm constantly fighting with my diet in regards to energy and feeling full for more than an hour. I eat lunch which might consist of beans, brown rice or quinoa and loads of veggies only to feel "spacey" or lacking in energy/hungry an hour later. I've started logging my daily food intake on my fitness pal which has helped. I'm really torn on how many calories I should be having. Initially I realized I was consuming way too little and since then I've upped my calories to about 1300 ish a day. I do workout as well. I might do 45 minutes elliptical, turbo fire, some weights, I play hockey 1-2 times a week.I try to workout at least 4 times a week. I try to eat more when I workout to compensate for the burned calories. I recently saw a meal plan by robert cheeke for females and thought maybe I should upmy calories to 15-1700 and see how I feel. I'm so tired of feeling off that I've considered seeing a dietician. I don't know what to do anymore.... =( seriously, I need advice guys. I just want to feel balanced, energetic, well and focused. I feel everyday is a battle that im losing. I'm just tired of it. please help?

B

Try upping it to 2500 and see how you feel then. Your body just isn't getting enough calories!

I know this feeling very well, you need more calories!

For you 1300 makes you spacey, for me it was 2000. After I upped my cals to 3000-3500 that went away. (Note to avoid fat gain up your cals gradually, 100-300 cals more each day until that feeling goes away.

Also are you getting enough nourishment i.e. what are your zinc, Iron, B12 levels like?

Also, are you getting sufficient sleep to recover and repair your body? This is a biggy too!

Hope you feel better and more energised within the coming week!

You should be eating way more than 1300 calories even if you didn't exercise. But playing hockey/exercising four times a week you should eat much more! At least like 2500!

Yeah simply sounds like you're not eating enough. For a girl who exercises regularly you need to be way over 2000. Gradually build up and see how you feel.

Try upping it to 2500 and see how you feel then. Your body just isn't getting enough calories!

Thanks for your imput Fallen Horse.. I appreciate it! I will definitely try that starting today. I've planned my day out so far at about 1700 calories. I just want to avoid fat gain. 2500 would be ideal for a female? Thanks!

I know this feeling very well, you need more calories!

 

For you 1300 makes you spacey, for me it was 2000. After I upped my cals to 3000-3500 that went away. (Note to avoid fat gain up your cals gradually, 100-300 cals more each day until that feeling goes away.

 

Also are you getting enough nourishment i.e. what are your zinc, Iron, B12 levels like?

 

Also, are you getting sufficient sleep to recover and repair your body? This is a biggy too!

 

Hope you feel better and more energised within the coming week!

Thank you Nicholas_weir... I'm so glad you responded to my post! I am just happy that I'm not the only one who felt that way. Its such a difficult feeling to describe! Ah thank you for suggesting a gradual increase in calories. As far as my nourishment, I have a high iron binding capacity which i was told last year. Apparently that is sort of uncommon for a girl. I was recommended to take b12 regardless so I usually do daily and I also take iron but infrequently. As far as zinc, I don't take it? what would that help me with?

Thanks again for your input. I appreciate it.

Brandi

You should be eating way more than 1300 calories even if you didn't exercise. But playing hockey/exercising four times a week you should eat much more! At least like 2500!

Thanks Jungleinthefrunk... It's great to have such awesome support here. I've felt so alone and criticized on my vegan journey. But I'm feeling happier now to know that I have support in this quest. So for a girl, would you say 2500 is an ideal amount? It's a bit of a scary number. I'm not going to lie. I don't want to gain weight but I want a nice lean body with some muscle.

thanks again so much!!!

Brandi

Yeah simply sounds like you're not eating enough. For a girl who exercises regularly you need to be way over 2000. Gradually build up and see how you feel.

hey chewybaws! Thanks so much for your suggestion as well. You guys are great!!!! I'm glad you realized I was a girl, I totally forgot to mention that haha! I guess I will have to play with my calories and see where I feel my best. If I didn't exercise one day, how would I adjust my calories to fit that particular day?

thanks again!

Brandi

I would bump it up to 1800 and see how you feel, but most likely you will still be a bit tired, so maybe 2000 or 2200 is your ideal. You just have to start eating more than you are right now!

i cant give u an exact number....would need your height, weight, age, but i use loseit.com to track all calories in and out and it worked and i got superslim.... it told me to net 1500 cals a day so i was eating 2500 cals a day and burning 1k with exercise. i still track but im eating about 3k cals now with less cardio because im purposely bulking up for bodybuilding so u may not wanna go that high, although hockey sounds intense. if anything loseit will help u get an accurate idea of what u burn thru exercise...sounds like ur underestimating. and some ppl say im eating too much some too little. like robertsbook says 4k minimum for bulking females....but some ppl have told me to stay at 2k so i understand all the confusion.

For zinc my best suggestion would be some almonds each day!

i cant give u an exact number....would need your height, weight, age, but i use loseit.com to track all calories in and out and it worked and i got superslim.... it told me to net 1500 cals a day so i was eating 2500 cals a day and burning 1k with exercise. i still track but im eating about 3k cals now with less cardio because im purposely bulking up for bodybuilding so u may not wanna go that high, although hockey sounds intense. if anything loseit will help u get an accurate idea of what u burn thru exercise...sounds like ur underestimating. and some ppl say im eating too much some too little. like robertsbook says 4k minimum for bulking females....but some ppl have told me to stay at 2k so i understand all the confusion.

ok! That would be great!

I'm 25

5'6

137lbs

i need to tone up my midsection a bit but i'm not looking to bulk. I like muscle but I won't be competing or anything like that.

today I managed to get to 1700 net calories with exercise and I felt alot better. I didn't get as much of the "weird" feeling until night time right after my dinner but it wasn't as bad.

any input would be great! Thanks again

I would bump it up to 1800 and see how you feel, but most likely you will still be a bit tired, so maybe 2000 or 2200 is your ideal. You just have to start eating more than you are right now!

Today I managed to get to 1700 net calories with exercise and I did feel better. I didn't get that weird feeling as much. I will try to hover around that and increase gradually. Should I be watching the amount of grain/beans I eat? For example, I usually have 3/4 cup brown rice with 1/2 cup leagumes at a meal. The rest of the calories come from veggies and some good fats like avacado (max half at a meal). =)

again THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH!!!!!

Do you want to stay at that weight? Well if thats what you want to do loseit.com says you should eat 2056 calories per day before exercise.

Do you want to stay at that weight? Well if thats what you want to do loseit.com says you should eat 2056 calories per day before exercise.

thanks for calculating that for me! I wouldn't mind losing 5 pounds. I'vefelt so much better since I talked to you all about my problem. After increasing my calories and adding some grains into my diet, It's helped so much!!! I am still seeking a professional opinion as far as nutrients are concerned just to be sure. But you guys are awesome and this week I have actually felt a huge difference and I feel at ease with my food. It does take extra time to plan out my meals due to calorie counting ( I use fitnesspal ) but I need the guidance.

Thanks again!!

I think these calorie counters can be way off. If I would eat as much as these counters suggest I would gain weight without end!

In the end it comes down to trial and error.

I think these calorie counters can be way off. If I would eat as much as these counters suggest I would gain weight without end!

 

In the end it comes down to trial and error.

I've been doing trial and error now for what feels like forever and I'm tired of it. I always seem to underestimate the amount I'm eating which leads to the foggy feeling I get.I want the guidance. If that means tweaking here and there on the way to a set plan, then I great... I'd be happy with that. Thanks though