I feel so ill

[Timmygnome]

I think it's lack of protein
I'm doing a VLCD ,and I just want to sleep all the time
I'm so tired, and cold so I'm not moving around as much .
I've been vegan a long time , nearly 10 years ,I was vegetarian for most of my life before that ,but only ate cheese different from what I eat now ..
no milk or eggs
Starting to think I'm making myself very ill
So I need some ideas please for low calorie high protein foods .
I wish there was a protein tablet like a vitamin tablet

I'm already doing that as well
I'm on about 800 to 1000 calories a day
But it's mainly salad,bread ,soup soya coffees, sometimes some vegan meat ,but I'm not keen and have to force it down .
In all honesty I probably shouldn't be vegan
But I didn't do it for health reasons

Try vegan protein shakes/powder. They’re pretty good.

I can't have ones with pea protein in it really upsets my stomach pea protein
So again it's a struggle
But I can look on Amazon again and try to find some with out ,

legumes? Beans, chickpeas, lentils? Nuts (higher calorie but good source of protein). Vegan protein powders?
Bread has some protein and so does soy milk but I can see that might not be enough.

What did your dietician recommend protein wise?

Probably not enough,but I'm still here 10 years later
I've recently had bloods done at the hospital and they said my vitamin d was very low ,but everything ok .
So I've been taking extra vitamin d as well as a multivitamin
So it's just some protein ideas I need help with really

She didn't
She told me I needed to know by the time of the op what protein I would eat ,as after the op you don't count calories,you count protein.
She said they don't get many vegan s in her line of work ( WLS)

Did she say how much protein you should be eating per day? Maybe you should be counting protein and overall calories now?

Tofu, chickpeas, beans, nuts, hummus (I know those two are low calorie but they are nutritious. The deliciously Ella app is good, her meals are all quite balanced and you can filter to get quicker and simpler recipes. Can you substitute things like pasta (if you eat it) for lentil pasta?

@Timmygnome hello, vegan here. I'm not sure about very low calorie but vegan protein sources: tofu, nutritional yeast, lentils, beans, soya milk, Pulsin vegan protein powder (can be made with milk, water or into a smoothie), chia seeds (blended up into a smoothie or chia overnight breakfast thing), nuts, seitan.

Make sure you are taking complex B vitamins, incl B12.

could you feel ill due to low calories?

If you’re not doing it for health reasons, but now you’re feeling ill, this would suggest that it’s time to consider your own health rather more.

Could you at least go back to being a vegetarian, and include more cheese in your diet? That would also give you some protein.

What you’re eating sounds like you’re probably nearer the 800 calories rather than the 1000 - could you just up the calories a bit? It seems bonkers to be eating so little that you’re feeling poorly.

It’s really hard to get high protein low cal vegan food.

Tofu and tempeh
seitan (not sure on the cals for seitan)
soya beans
lentils
unsweetened soya milk with protein powder, I don’t think the protein world ones are pea based
broccoli
spinach
mushrooms
put nutritional yeast on everything!
Alpro high protein yoghurt is delicious, but again I am not sure of the cals

How low calorie do you need to be?

Sorry, I just saw 800-1000

Low vitamin D can cause extreme fatigue, brain fog, joint aches and pains, poor sleep. If you can sit outside in the sun for 15mins a day that will help as well as Vit D rich foods.

Pulses, nuts, grains. So things like a chickpea curry, vegetable and bean chilli, black bean stir fry, veg stew with lentils. But you might also consider reintroducing cheese if you are making yourself unwell and you can stomach it.

I read you have to eat more protein the heavier you are ,and yeah
But then I've also read that actually protein isn't as important,as we are made to believe.
I've been vegan 10 years and only started feeling ill with the VLCD ,so maybe I was getting enough protein before,
I read that it's fibre we are supposed to be increasing because of raised rates of bowel cancer.
It's just so hard
You say your vegan ,and people just look ,and ( in my head) they are thinking how is she so fat as a vegan .
I don't know any other fat vegans ,or vegans on a diet

No she didn't

I asked Chat GPT for you (apologies if you against it being used for environmental reasons)

Here’s a very high-protein vegan meal plan for someone on 1,000 calories/day—ideal for cutting or strict dietary goals. It emphasizes complete proteins, low fat, and balanced amino acid profiles.

Daily Macros (Approximate Target):

• Calories: ~1,000 kcal
• Protein: 90–100g
• Carbs: 70–90g
• Fat: 20–25g

Meal Plan

Breakfast

Tofu Scramble & Protein Shake

• 100g firm tofu – 13g protein
• 1/2 cup spinach, onions, mushrooms (sautéed with spray oil)
• Seasonings: turmeric, garlic powder, black salt
• 1 scoop vegan protein powder (pea or soy) with water – 20–25g protein

Calories: ~300
Protein: ~38g

Lunch

High-Protein Lentil Salad

• 100g cooked green or brown lentils – 9g protein
• 1/2 cup edamame – 9g protein
• Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion
• 1 tsp olive oil + lemon juice

Calories: ~300
Protein: ~18g

Snack

Protein Chia Pudding

• 2 tbsp chia seeds – 5g protein
• 1 scoop vegan protein powder – 20–25g protein
• Unsweetened almond milk (~100ml)
• Stevia or cinnamon for flavor

Calories: ~250
Protein: ~30g

Evening Light Meal

Steamed Broccoli + Tempeh Slices

• 75g tempeh – 15g protein
• 1 cup steamed broccoli – 4g protein
• Soy sauce or tamari for flavor

Calories: ~150
Protein: ~19g

Totals

• Calories: ~1,000 kcal
• Protein: ~105g
• Carbs: ~75g
• Fat: ~22g

Want me to make it into a weekly plan with some variation day to day?

@Timmygnome I have been a fat vegan and probably will be again at some point.

https://www.theproteinworks.com/products/shakes/vegan/soy-protein

Try the above protein shake doesn't contain any pea protein.
https://www.theproteinworks.com/products/shakes/vegan
This is the whole range aswell

That wasn’t me offering to do a full mega plan for you, it was the robot

I meant protein works not protein world!

OP, what are the numbers? How many grams of protein did your dietitian say you should be aiming for per day (now or after the surgery). Then we can calculate how much you’re getting now and what combinations of food might work to hit a maximum of 1000kCal and that protein target per day. It probably won’t leave you with loads and loads of different options - you might find you just can’t eat much high carb stuff (like bread) because vegan protein sources (like lentils) tend to come tied up with a significant amount of carbs too.

I know ,I know
Your not the first to say this
You know the dairy industry...I just can't be a part of that .
I can up the calories,

Great minds 😊