Week one. Mass be weight gain and bloating!

[whatacarryon2018]

Hello all!
I went vegan a week ago. I've really enjoyed what I've been eating and have definitely eaten much better than I did before and less calories.
However, the bloating is horrendous and I've gained 7lbs. Can anyone tell me if this is normal?! Or send any kind of help!! I feel like I need to be wheeled out of my house....

[greenelephantscarf]

have you been drinking enough?
have you had bowel movements?

[greenelephantscarf]

bloating is normal if you consime more fibre than used to.

[whatacarryon2018]

TMI but pooing all the time. Possibly not drinking enough water. I honestly
Feel Horrendous but reallydont want to give up...

[KingIrving]

What have you been eating. Do not focus on what you haven't been eating (animals) but on what you are eating. Are you eating the veg part of VEGan or just loads of pasta, bread, chips, nuts, fakes (fake sausage, fake yoghurt, ..).

Can you give us example of what you are eating?

[Frosty66611]

Certain things like raw veg, beans and lentils can cause a lot of bloating and gas in people who aren’t used to eating them or have something like IBS. Hopefully it will settle down for you soon.

[moodyblues]

Was just coming on to ask how people were feeling.

My hair is greasy, skin too, have gained weight.

I’m eating no meat substitutes, not much soy/almond/oat milk but a bit of each. Lots of steamed veg, pulses, nuts and a bit of tofu.

I feel crap!

[whatacarryon2018]

Sorry for the delay in replying. I'm filming in Prague and have just seen the replies.
So, I'm out here which hasn't helped as I can't cook for myself but this is what I ate yesterday
Breakfast - toast with avocado and chilli
Lunch - vegetable soup
Snacks - apple, banana, handful of grapes
Dinner - vegetable curry with noodles
Also ate some sesame snap crackers!

Any help would be appreciated!!

[KingIrving]

I think you might underestimate a lot the calories you are eating. A veggie curry with noodle has roughly 800 calories, a vegetable soup, depending what is in it (potatoes, lentils, croutons ?)can also be worth far more than one would think. Banana and grapes are the richest fruits with the higher sugar and calories, so not an ideal snack, in addition to an apple AND crackers.

A vegan trap is often the fat you get from nuts, coconut milk or cream in curries, or olive oil in stir fries. Soups in restaurant are sometimes very rich
Eating out is tricky because you don't really know what is in a dish. I tend to eat several sides, so a green salad, green beans, ... some countries are better than others when it comes to veggies.

In the mornings I have oats with grounded linseed and a couple of dates slices, lunch will usually be salads, and evening is when I have lentils, tofu, or quinoa, and my cooked vegetables. Be very mindful of snacks, try to have a cup of green tea instead. We are used to eat in the afternoon, not because of hunger, but habit. If you have out 7lbs on, it is from excess food.

To moodyblues I say careful with the nuts. 10 almonds/cashews/walnuts should be your maximum. You don't need that many protein to have tofu and pulses, you should aim at 0.8 gr of protein/kg of your weight and have 30 gr of protein in one setting. Not all pulses are the same. A can of baked beans is indeed a pulse base meal but processed with sugar and additives it actually doesn't do much good (an example, not from something you have eaten).

Dressing, sauces and condiments can really triple the amount of calories. So steamed veggies are nice and healthy, add a vegan mayo and the balance is shifted.

[whatacarryon2018]

@KingIrving thank you so much for your reply! Yes, completely understand what you're saying. I must be eating more than I thought! Will keep a close eye this week.

[KingIrving]

Changing the way we eat is a learning curve. I have done errors myself, mostly with making sure I get my calcium, iron, iodine and so on right.

By the way, are you taking Vit B12 supplements? And unless you are eating a fair amount of seaweed, you might need iodine drops.

I put on weight if I eat nuts so I still have them but a lot less. Not all food work with me. I prefer couscous to quinoa, spelt to wheat, I put coconut on my hair and skin but never in my mouth, everybody is different.

You will soon find out what works for you. Add some green tea or hibiscus tea in between meals.

Have a nice day @whatacarryon2018 filming in Prague sounds very exciting!!

[whatacarryon2018]

@KingIrving thank you so much for your advice. Yes, I have started some b12 and I will be sure to watch the iodine.
Really appreciate everything you've said. It's such a learning curve and it's also learning what your body does and does not like!

Have a great day! I'm currently in a wig and 17th century very corseted dress (thank god) 😂

[KingIrving]

@whatacarryon2018
Exciting indeed! Have fun!
Maybe that's why you are feeling bloated! Crushed intestines, how charming!
Try to have fruit only at breakfast and not after that and pick the simplest food, something someone from the 17th would recognise! Go easy on the bread/crackers and avoid the fry / greasy food and it is ok to leave a bit in your plate.
It is 9.40 pm in Australia and I putting devices away for the evening! Let me know tomorrow what you had for lunch/dinner

[whatacarryon2018]

Will do! Thanks again. Goodnight and I'll let you know tomorrow!

[Whatsnewwithyou]

You may have a bit of a tummy bug, though - I'm trying veganuary and my experience has been totally different. I've even lost a pound and my digestion has been much improved. Good luck!

[whiteroseredrose]

Reading your post has made me realise I'm not bloated any more!

I went (largely) vegan last year and was bloated for weeks. Like you I avoided meat substitutes and had lots of pulses and tofu. My DSis reassured me and it looks like my body is more used to the fibre.

Not lost weight as nuts with G&T is very calorific ☹️.

[whatacarryon2018]

@whiteroseredrose thanks for your input!! Glad to hear your bloating has gone down. Praying mine does!!

[theredjellybean]

Oh no
I on day 1...not that keen but doing it to support teen dsd who wants to try.
I dread weight gain... I have to eat quite a low calories diet to maintain a normal weight, and think that a lot of vegan recipes are quite stodgy carb heavy,... Trying not to be a negative belly.. Please tell me it is possible to not gain weight.

[whatacarryon2018]

@theredjellybean
Don't panic! I'm sure it's possible...I'm praying it's possible. I'm going to be really virtuous this week and hope I go back to normal!

[moodyblues]

Thanks for the advice KingIrving, that’s really helpful.

Eating way more nuts than that! I shall put them away.

[Scifi101]

I stopped after four days as I felt hungry all the time. I've gone back to low carbing.

I was doing it as my adult daughter is vegan but she didn't give me any encouragement with it despite numerous lectures in the past about how cruel the dairy industry is.

[theredjellybean]

Well just eaten our first vegan dinner... Lentil and vegetable shepherd's pie.
It was amazing, so yummy, low calories and I feel so full.
I'd make it again over meat version any day

[whatacarryon2018]

Hello all,
Wanted to give you an update. Managed to lay my hands on some probiotics yesterday. I was explaining the predicament to the wardrobe lady and someone from sound overheard. She's vegan and had something with her called Optibac extra strength probiotic. Took two instead of one and have woken this morning with no Bloat!! Hooray!!

[KingIrving]

You see , the vegan community will always be there to help with tips and powders!!

[theredjellybean]

Your right I went to our local health food shop today and two vegan ladies doing shopping were a wealth of help. Didn't get huffy when I said we were just trying it and it seems a bit of a fad for teens.
The shop assistant also older lady vegan did give me some dubious advice that my menstruating 17 dd did not need iron or vitb12 supplements... Umm... I thought they were recommended for all vegans and especially menstruating teens.
Apparently eating a varied diet will be fine... Um... No... She is taking the iron or no vegan experiment.
I have had another good day, almond milk is like putting amaretto in my coffee and spinach and cauli curry was lovely.
But I am very bloated... Going for a 10k run tomorrow.. Will move everything along 😳

[whatacarryon2018]

Interesting about health food shop. I got back yesterday and went to planet organic. They were fabulous but did try to talk me into £150 of vitamins...
Ended up getting a probiotic, some b12 and iron.
Day ten now and definitely feeling better. 7lbs has dropped so I'm wondering if it was perhaps more to do with the flying and stress about job etc?! I don't know but the bloat has gone down!