Lost too much weight as vegan(male, don't approve)

[NicholasV]

On March 3, 2009 my cat died in my presence. I immediately went vegetarian after that and after a month or maybe a few, I went junk food vegan. Lately I have transitioned to a healthy vegan diet, incorporating alot of the diet suggestions that Gary Null advocates on his radio show.

 

The problem is that during this period I went from a bodyweight of about 170 lb.(77.1 kg) to one of around 130(59 kg) something currently. At a height of 6'1(186 cm), I am now sickly thin. Alot of the reason I lost weight was because I was used to eating microwave junk food all the time and instead of preparing something simple I just went without eating instead since I am epicly lazy. Also I stopped lifting weights after the death of my cat, figuring I would deal with my depression and adjust to the new diet first which also contributed to the massive weight loss.

 

Now I have started lifting again using the program outlined in the book Starting Strength and it seems I am mostly gaining strength, instead of gaining weight/hypertrophy. I remember gaining weight much more rapidly as a meat eater. I think it may be because I am not getting enough fat and protein.

 

I am starting to believe that I am doomed to be morbidly thin as a vegan.

[darcy]

I'm new here too, but welcome to the forum!

 

First of all, sorry to hear about your cat... My family has always had animals and losing them never gets any easier, especially when it happens right in front of you; my greyhound's heart stopped while he was sitting on his bed in front of me... it was awful.

 

About your problem... You're just not getting enough calories in general. Write down everything that you eat for a few days and then add up the calories... you may be surprised.

At 6'1" and 130lbs, your BMR is likely somewhere between 1500-1700 calories. In order to put on weight, you need to be eating your BMR + calories burned during exercise/work/etc + a little bit of an excess in order to support muscle growth.

If you determine your needs to be, for example, 2400 calories but you're currently only getting 1300, don't immediately add the missing 1100 calories; you need to gradually introduce them over the course of a few weeks, otherwise you'll gain weight, but it won't be the kind of weight that you're after

 

Don't worry, there are lots of good quality vegan foods that will help you put on weight without having to resort to junk food.

[medman]

I used to think the same thing. The truth is, you are rpobably eating fewer calories than you think. Try tracking it, as well as your protein intake. To gain mass, you need a ton of food. You have to cover your energy expenditures (including the exercise), and then eat at least 500 kcal more each day if you want to put on any mass. And starting strength is great...if you follow the lifting advice properly, and eat to support it, you will gain weight like crazy, but only if you eat like crazy.

[Fallen_Horse]

Eat some more nuts and seeds. Healthy and calorie dense

[Free]

Hi, Nic. I'm new here too, and I'm using the same book (and Rip's Practical Programming), and like you, I'm here looking for answers and feedback. So, first off, welcome! Nice to meet you and sorry for your loss.

 

Other posters have already covered it, but it may be that calorie intake is your key. Calories are key (especially for vegans), and many vegan or vegetarian foods have been desperately cutting back on calorie content--a result, I suspect, of attempting to meet projected market demands in a country with a growing health consciousness.

 

I used to be vegan-ish (I ate eggs, but no more than a half dozen a week), and as soon as I started seriously weight training, I couldn't for the life of me make any gains on my diet. I've since started doing egg protein shakes, eating a dozen eggs a day, drinking half a gallon of whole milk every day, and eating at least 2-3 more meals on top. And it's worked. I'm gaining.

 

My main problem is that I'm looking for healthier (more, but not 100%, vegan) ways to do it, so I sympathize with your struggle. Check out the convo in my intro thread and chime in!

[lobsteriffic]

Welcome!

 

 

We have quite a few people on here who have made great progress with Starting Strength and eating a LOT of food! Check out some of the threads in the before/after section.

[el_flaco]

I used to be vegan-ish (I ate eggs, but no more than a half dozen a week), and as soon as I started seriously weight training, I couldn't for the life of me make any gains on my diet. I've since started doing egg protein shakes, eating a dozen eggs a day, drinking half a gallon of whole milk every day, and eating at least 2-3 more meals on top. And it's worked. I'm gaining.

This isn't appropriate advice on a vegan site. I suggest you remove it.

[Free]

I used to be vegan-ish (I ate eggs, but no more than a half dozen a week), and as soon as I started seriously weight training, I couldn't for the life of me make any gains on my diet. I've since started doing egg protein shakes, eating a dozen eggs a day, drinking half a gallon of whole milk every day, and eating at least 2-3 more meals on top. And it's worked. I'm gaining.

This isn't appropriate advice on a vegan site. I suggest you remove it.

 

I apologize if my post was taken the wrong way. What I meant is that although a non-vegan diet is working for me, I don't think it's the best (healthiest, conscientious) way to go about things, and I, like the original poster, and looking for more info/feedback.

[NicholasV]

Ok, I made some progress in adapting the program to healthy veganism. Mark Rippetoe, the author of Starting Strength advocates to get to the point of drinking a gallon of cow milk a day, to get extra calories and protein in!

 

I had to abandon store bought soy milk since it has too much salt and sugar, which is unhealthy. Also it is twice as expensive compared to cow milk last I checked. But making my own strained nutmilk with the Vitamix was way too time intensive. Right now I made one batch of nutmilk with: 1 cup cashews, 3 cups water and 6 dates for sweetener and it tasted great without straining. This saved me alot of time and money. If other nuts are not suitable for the absence of straining, because I know fruits coagulate after time, I can just stick with cashews.

 

This gives me a little confidence I can get extra calories in, because milk was one of my pillars when I ate meat and used this program. Also this is alot cheaper, since I can get nuts real cheap at this Indian store called Subzi Mandi in Parsipanny, Morris County, NJ.

[Ducati]

I apologize if my post was taken the wrong way. What I meant is that although a non-vegan diet is working for me, I don't think it's the best (healthiest, conscientious) way to go about things, and I, like the original poster, and looking for more info/feedback.

 

Ok, you are really starting to sound like a troll. This is veganbodybuilding.com. We don't "think" a plant-based diet is the healthiest and conscientious, we know it.

 

You are not looking for feedback, you are here making unsubstantiated claims based on pseudo-science and propaganda.

 

Please don't promote unhealthy, environmentally destructive, and animal abusing practices. We are much more evolved than that here.

[Lean and Green]

NicholasV, welcome to the forum. Tons of resources and don't be afraid to ask questions that have already been answered in the past. Plenty of support to go around. I am sorry for your loss. Vegetarian/Veganism is a great way to go. You're right, jumping into a diet without knowing your options for consumption can be limiting and confusing. You can surely get all that weight back and them some on plant based nutrition. Whole grains, nuts, seeds, protein isolates (the majority are vegan, they're just not marketed as heavily as whey) and then some. Less processed more unprocessed and adequate caloric intake. Resistance training to keep the mind and body healthy. I look forward to seeing you around my friend

 

@Ducati; thanks for the Nellie Mckay link bc now I know she'll be nearby next month. Missed her last time she was out here

[mysticxian]

I agree with the nuts and seeds. They are calorie dense. They also give you more "good" fat. As for protein, you can always try quinoa, tofu (non-gmo) and beans.

[Marcina]

I found eating big bowls of oatmeal was great for bulking.

Although the weight gains were slow, it IS possible on a vegan diet. You just need to eat as often as you can, and as much as you can. Smoothies are great too (drinking calories! YAY!)

And of course, heavy lifting. It'll drive your appetite too.

[Ted Trendy]

i wish i had this problem of needing more calories...

 

=)

 

welcome.

[robert]

Welcome to the group!

 

Great to have you here.

 

All the best and welcome aboard!

 

-Robert