Vegan weight loss - help!

[DreamADream]

I've been vegan for about 18 months, initially I lost a stone very quickly as I'd been veggie and very reliant on cheese/pizzas etc. I'm a similar weight to what I was then, but rrally struggle to lose. I think it cos my diet is rrally carb heavy.

Does anyone have any lovely vegan diet meals? I've made a big batch of lentil soup and planning on making some pasta sauces loaded with veg, but then I always eat too muxh pasta with them!

have you got a spiralizer OP?

Thinking courgetti occasionally instead of pasta. Not all the time obviously because pasta is lush. I've done butternut squash noodles as well- they were good.

Despite being a 'never dieting' person due to previous eating disorders I'm having to cut down too, as I refuse to buy yet another size up. It's hard. I've downloaded that my fitness pal app and that helps because it shows you how much protein/carbs etc you should be eating, and I worked out that I needed more protein less bread. And buns. And pasta. Yum though.

I've tried courgetti and it just doesn't do it for me!

It the bread and pasta and chips that do it for me. And possibly wine might have an impact too. Oh and crisps! God I've just summed up how I can lose weight haven't I? !

Can you head more towards rice than the other carbs? And lots of tofu for protein filling? I find they get me through some of the cravings...

I find pulses and beans to be really filling. Maybe a chickpea and spinach curry or a three bean chilli? Good food magazine / website are really good for ideas. I have a teenage vegetarian who doesn't like much in the way of dairy so have been reliant on vegan recipes!!

Highly recommend a Facebook page called Nicki's vegan weight loss cafe.
She gives so much advice.
Not trying to sell anything it's all free.
Amazing!

Came here to ask the same question.

I've been vegan for a month or so purely for the health benefits. The big change in my diet is not eating sweets, cakes or biscuits which were my downfall.

Weighed myself after 3 weeks and had lost no weight whatsoever. I try to keep my calorie intake down to around 1500 a day as I really do want to lose weight but having the opposite effect.

Anyone have any idea what I could be doing wrong? I am about to start on an exercise regime to try and speed up my metabolism. Feeling a bit deflated but don't want to go back to eating meat as I've got over the hump now and it would be silly to go back.

my advice would be to go as simple and unprocessed (keep it to 2 ingredients) as possible.
For breakfast, have oats with dates, or a mix of berries and papaya, or a slice of dark bread with peanut butter. Lunch tomatoes and chickpeas salad or grated carrots and grilled tofu, dinner pasta with olives and cappers tomato sauce, roasted pumpkin with rosemary, pumpkin-carrot soup, risotto with lentils, Kale and tomatoes salad wiht avocado and quinoa, ...
Cut the snaking. If you really need something go for a handful of almond, frozen berries .

Stay away from the bread, rice cakes, crackers. I bake my own spelt bread and a slice is usually the max I have in a day. Or some pumpernickel rye bread.
Go colourful., avoid the potatoes unless cooked and cooled (eat them cold, they turn into resistant starch) . Ditto with breakfast cereals and granola. Stay fresh, tons of veg, edamame, seaweed. Don't buy jars, from vegan curries to jams, just leave them in the shop.
Get rid of all crisps, biscuits, vegan cheese (it is pure fat highly processed) .

Try this for a week. Also try to stop eating after dinner .

Thank you King. I think maybe I'm eating too much bread albeit I only use seeded and buy as natural a bake as I can find.

Typical day might be:
Mid-morning - gluten free porridge made with half soya milk/half water with a teaspoon of walnuts and a small drizzle of honey.
Mid-afternoon - Slice of seeded bread with peanut butter and a banana
Supper - Home made vegetable soup with a slice of bread or something with Quorn e.g. chilli, or perhaps a salad with as much fresh fruit and veg as I have in the fridge.

In the evening, I try to snack on fruit but today, I had a grilled tostada with vegan cheese. I'm not a big cheese fan so I don't miss it if I don't eat it.

I do like some of the Linda McCartney products and if we're really hungry, I might cook something from the range as it's filling.

I've started cycling today and know I have to up my intake of water but can honestly say my diet has completely turned round from how I used to be. I've never been a big eater but would snack on chocolate and biscuits in the evening.

Be gentle to yourself and just give your body the best food you can. So more than food out of a (factory) plant, have a plant and things would go easy.
Everything that is heavily transformed is just convenient but deprived of goodness. whatever you buy, try to keep the ingredients listed on package very short.

Your breakfast is good. In case you don't know it, oats don't have any gluten, so you don't need to buy gluten-free oats, unless you are coeliac and can't risk the oats being packaged in the same place where wheat is also present and could contaminate your oats. I eat uncooked rolled oats because they are prebiotic and good for my gut.

I don't see anything wrong with your diet . Maybe add some chickpeas. My favorite is tomatoes, onion, parsley and chickpeas salads, with crystal salt and extra virgin olive oil. Or celery with oranges, or spinach -avocado-lentils. Extra firm tofu will soon be your best friend. Thin slices marinated in soy-honey-sesame and heated in a pan are yummy.

Just put colours lots of colours. Don't be a 50-shades-of-beige vegan and I strongly believe you will see the weight go down.

To start with can you just change your quantities? So do the same meal but up the veg, and have less of the pasta. Then once you're used to that you can work on having more meals with better carbs/protein so you're still not missing out on things you love but making sure you eat mainly the right stuff.

50 shades of beige vegan had me laughing, that is me, totally! I went vegan 2 years ago, and have become the ultimate junk food vegan. Gained so much weight. Completely stuck in a rut with everything, no inspiration whatsoever.

Tortoise...you and me both...2 bleeding stone on

Agree about the pumpernickel or the "Try Rye" pure rye bread that Waitrose sells is because it allows for all the 'comfort food' cravings, makes gorgeous toast, with olive oil , (not the spreads ) (non palm oil or sugar) peanut butter (and a salad) is filling for lunch. (The thing with 'normal' wheat bread it makes me tired and hangs on to weight).

I lost weight with a seasonal fruit smoothie in the morning.

I use Slim Pasta fettucine - the newer version that has a small number of carbs in. It's 35 cal per serving and if you cook it right it's a decent replacement for pasta.

You do need to look at HOW you eat too. You have to eat slowly and mindfully (not in front of a screen or standing up). I used Paul Mckenna because with his easy rules you can lose weight with whatever you're eating.

Highly recommend a Facebook page called Nicki's vegan weight loss cafe.
She gives so much advice.
Not trying to sell anything it's all free.
Amazing!

Thank you for posting this! I've joined and it's so helpful. The devil is in the detail IMO, so much information out there is really vague, this page gives the detail that I was after.

There is a new year kick start launching for next weekend on the page, again free (well the only 'cost' is your email address but I'm fine with that).