Vegan weight loss thread

[DepuisToujours]

Hello!

Is there a weight loss thread for vegans / plant based / nearly vegans etc, on the go already please? If not, would anyone be interested in joining me on here?

I am in need of some healthier eating habits and a bit more exercise etc. I'm not doing a crash diet or anything extreme, but I'm trying to eat more healthily and no snacks in the week, except fresh fruit and veg if I'm desperate.

I'd love some company, if anyone would like to join me.

[lastqueenofscotland]

I’m vegan :) just trying eating sensibly and moving more

[DepuisToujours]

Hi @lastqueenofscotland! Yes, same really. I've gained a few extra lbs recently and I think it is entirely due to junk food . I think if I cut out the extras, like crisps in front of the tv of an evening and biscuits etc, I'd probably find the weight comes off!

[footprintsintheslow]

Can I join please. I'm pregnant at the moment but after I give birth I'm going to need help.

I lost a stone before pregnancy. I just had three meals a day. Snack were allowed but only fruit, nuts and seeds. Then no food after the main evening meal.

These were my own made up rules.

[DepuisToujours]

Of course @footprintsintheslow .

How exciting that you're expecting soon !

[PurpleDaisies]

I’m vegan and currently on an eating sensibly and exercising kick to shift a few extra lockdown pounds. I think it’s quite easy to get reliant on vegan junk food and convinced yourself it’s healthy! I’m 1.5kg out of 2kg down now. Would love to share ideas for food and encouragement.

There’s also a great thread (vanity pounds) you might like too. That’s got a slow and steady, do it healthily and be positive vibe.

[DepuisToujours]

Oh thanks Purple. I will check it out.

Yes, I'd definitely like somewhere to share vegan-friendly weight loss tips, with a fairly relaxed approach.

The vegan convenience foods, while I know they are dreadful for the waistline...I'm still so happy they exist! But I do need to reign it in a bit...or, a lot.

[footprintsintheslow]

And whenever something is veganised you must try it...a lot

[DepuisToujours]

@footprintsintheslow

And whenever something is veganised you must try it...a lot

This is all too true!

I went out for some healthy bits today...you know veg etc. Came out with a bucket of 'chicken' and a Bosh lemon drizzle cake . I checked the use by dates and they were long though, so I'm putting them away in the fridge / cupboard. We can have them as a treat. Reminding myself these are NOT every day items, just because they are vegan !

[Crocodilian]

I am in the same boat as @footprintsintheslow - pregnant and know I'll need help losing the weight postpartum!

Was vegan pre-pregnancy for several years and am currently nearly vegan. Currently living off instant noodles and all of the vegan baking! I think it's much easier to justify junk when it's vegan junk!

Good luck, @DepuisToujours!

[DepuisToujours]

Thanks Crocodilian! Good luck to you too . I remember being addicted to chip sandwiches on white bread when I was pregnant. They were all I wanted, for weeks at one point! Used to glare at DH for daring to eat anything else in front of me, as it made me nauseous. Poor dh. I think he's forgiven me!

[PurpleDaisies]

The vegan convenience foods, while I know they are dreadful for the waistline...I'm still so happy they exist!

Oh me too! I had pasta with fake meatballs for dinner. Was very nice (and cooked by dh which was a bonus).

[footprintsintheslow]

@DepuisToujours I lived off oven chips and white bread for the first three months as anything else made me sick. This is the opposite of what I usually eat.

Tonight is chickpea and spinach pie here. I do try and cook from scratch mostly. Does anyone here have the Anna Jones or Bosh books?

@Crocodilian good luck, when are you due?

[Crocodilian]

@DepuisToujours I spent the entire first trimester on potatoes and bread - jacket potato, chips and toast, all with baked beans. It nearly broke me as cooking/baking and eating are my biggest passions in life but don't go very well with constant nausea!

@footprintsintheslow I'm due on the 27th of this month! So not long at all to go for me now! How about you?

I have the first BOSH book and use it all the time - done the guacaroni, the sticky toffee pud and the cauliflower wings in the last week alone... Don't know the Anna Jones book(s), though - would you recommend? I use a lot of Áine Carlin and Katy Beskow.

[OgwdihwO]

The green roasting tin is a fab book. Nice easy, healthy recipes for the time poor

[PurpleDaisies]

The beet bourgignon from the green roasting tin is one of my favourite Sunday lunches.

I’m also a lover of that Bosh book too. I made a double batch of ultimate chilli on Saturday. My freezer is full of deliciousness. Those cauliflower wings are like crack. Can’t stop eating them once you’ve started. Have you tried doing them with sliced new potatoes? That’s a good change up.

[DepuisToujours]

Omg, this all sounds delicious. Even if I don't lose any weight on here, I know I'll enjoy the food chat . Cauliflower crack wings sound amazing. I once ate an entire head of cauliflower in one sitting, (I was ravenous and I'd made a big pan of cauliflower fried rice). I did not feel well after that actually . Do not recommend.

I've hesitated to buy the Bosh cookbook, because I have so many already, but I love their recipes. The cake I just bought from their line of baked goods looks phenomenal and it really wasn't that expensive. I know, I'm a greedy fatkins, and maybe shouldn't be getting so excited about cake , but it really is amazing, the difference in what is available now, even compared to a couple of years ago.

[Crocodilian]

@PurpleDaisies Doing them with sliced new potatoes sounds genius, will have to give it a go! I've got the Green Roasting Tin book but have never done the beet bourgignon –my fave is the gado gado but it's not exactly low calorie!

@DepuisToujours Sorry! It's not very helpful to come onto your weight loss thread and start talking about cauliflower wings! If you like cauliflower though, you'll LOVE them. The recipe calls for them to be done in hot sauce but my husband is a bit of a softie when it comes to spice, so I do mine in sweet chilli instead and they're a real show-stopper!

On a healthier note, my food plan today is as follows:

Had porridge with flax seed and a teaspoon of crunchy peanut butter for breakfast.

Snacked on an apple and a handful of dates.

Have leftover chickpea, quinoa and turmeric curry for lunch (from Deliciously Ella Every Day; it's a really tasty one).

Going to do Butternut squash and sage macaroni for tea (from Katy Beskow's 15 Minute Vegan).

Where it will all go wrong for me is all the unhealthy snacks I'll fit around the edges (at a guess, chocolate, instant noodles, and chilli heatwave doritos) and the fact I can barely get off the couch...

[DepuisToujours]

No, please don't apologise! I love food and food chat. Everything in moderation and all that.

Yes, healthy plan today is:

B: granola, soy milk and chia, with small glass of juice
L: I was planning a harissa aubergine lentil salad thing. Not sure I will have time to make that, but if I don't, I've got a backup of brown bread sandwich with caramelized onions hummus and cherry tomatoes. Some fruit or carrot sticks or something with that.
D: tomato and chickpea curry (bbc recipe) with rice
Sn: this is my problem area! Will stick to fruit, veg and nuts, only if I really want them. My meals should be filling and nutritious enough that I don't need to snack, but we will see.

[PurpleDaisies]

I’ve just looked up that green roasting tin gado gado recipe and it looks fantastic. That’s definitely on next week’s food plan.

Today breakfast has been toast and marmite
Lunch (small portion) leftover sweet potato mole with a small avocado and a couple of Richmond meat free sausage
Dinner is a Greek summer stew with potatoes, green beans, olives, courgettes and lemon.

Snacking is my big downfall.

[Crocodilian]

@DepuisToujours did you go for salad or a sandwich for lunch in the end? Hope it was good either way! Sounds like you had a lovely healthy plan for the day.

@PurpleDaisies the gado gado is so good. Really hope you enjoy. Like the sound of your dinner (although it does sound very summery for November! )

Seems like snacking is a common downfall! I know it's mine! I'm greedy so like tasty treats, and am in the habit of reaching for something tasty every evening, and am always hungry (even when not pregnant!) so justify it to myself! Have had success in the past with having very healthy snacks pre-prepared for the evening, like a big bowl of cucumber sticks and a pint of squash just to feel like I've got a treat. And I love Alpro yoghurts for when I'm snacking from actual hunger.

[DepuisToujours]

Hi croc!

I went for the sandwich in the end. Very nice it was too.

I've done alright with snacks today, which is a good start! Have a bit of a headache now. Wonder if it's snack withdrawal 😂😬?

[Coconut80]

Hello ladies can I please join you. I've recently gone vegan after 35 yrs vegetarian. I also have 2 stone to lose. I mainly cook from scratch and my 3 meals are good but I suspect my portion size is huge, same size as DH who is a hill runner. My downfall like so many of you is snacking so easy to hoover a nature bar or vegan chocolate. Today I have had

B overnight oats, oat milk and tbsp peanut butter
L soup and 1sl seeded bread
D lentil, leek and coconut bake

Snacks 1 large bar of chocolate
4 crackers, 1 nkd bar

Delighted to have found this thread xx

[footprintsintheslow]

@Coconut80 was it a vego bar? They are my favourite?
Portion size is an issue here too I'm a huge eater. Much more than my husband.

I'd recommend the Anna Jones book. It's not all vegan which I normally find annoying but our regular recipes come from there. I'll send pictures later.

[Coconut80]

Hi there it was a choc naked bar divine although I've yet to find a crunch bar I don't like. My portions are too big too but really don't want to start weighing out stuff might need to fill plate less xx

[DepuisToujours]

Oh Vego is amazing stuff. The hazelnut one is my favourite.

I'm still in bed . Dh is very kindly doing school run, so the toddler and I are hanging out in our pjs.

Plan for today will be:

B: some sort of smoothie with fruit veg, soy milk and chia
L: avocado on toast
D: lentil and sweet potato cottage pie
Sn: try to stick to fruit, veg and nuts again

I feel as if my portions are ok, but then, I don't have much to compare at the moment as always eating at home! Maybe I should look at that.

Welcome Coconut! I need to lose about the same as you do. Sounds daunting, but it'll soon come off I bet.