Thinking about going vegan

[amytug 996]

3 years ago I started eating completely raw vegan and lost 60 lbs in 3 ( correction, 4) months. I lost faster doing that than weight loss surgery. Go figure. Anyway, I'm really sick of meat. Like really really and dairy isn't really my thing either. Craving nuts, Beans, bananas etc. I do take a daily multi Vitamin. My body misses real, whole foods. I don't want to go completely raw, but maybe vegan.

I remember eating large quantities though, with a normal stomach, and don't know that I could get all that my body needs.

I do track on mfp though, and could do a trial and see how it goes

I just want/need opinions. What do y'all think aside (gasp! But your protein!!!! Because I believe we have to eat SO MUCH meat Protein to get our daily needs met because our body has to work so hard at breaking down meat Protein and doesn't use it all, whereas with plant Proteins, our bodies use it all. Or most of it anyway. So either way, I think we get April the same amount. At least w a normal stomach.

Plus, meat is so gross. All the crap put into the animals etc. and it's dead. Ew. Lol

[magpie30 187]

there are plenty of plant sources for Protein, so that wouldn't be a problem. As long as you get adequate nutrition, i don't see the big deal. if you do decide to do it you might want to talk with your nut about it, as they might be able to give you some ideas for getting in the adequate amounts. Do whatever you think will be best for you. My stomach wont tolerate meat of any form right now, so i'm eating a lot of Beans, and nuts and quinoa etc... Good luck!

As for it being dead, plants are dead when you eat them as well and if they are not, you are eating a living being lol.

[amytug 996]

Lol that was kind of an incomplete thought. Sorry about that. I have read so much about the "living raw" diet that I love the idea of "live" food and the enzymes, and no nutrients being cooked out of it.

I also want to speed up the weight loss, that's no secret. "/ and my skin and body looked great. Raw diet with exercise makes for great results! But again, I'm not doing raw. I'm craving Beans way too much for that.

I think I'll switch starting next Sunday. I just bought a bunch of animal food for this week.

Hope your tummy lightens up quickly.

[LonghornNiner 75]

Do you plan on going vegan just for food or do you plan on living vegan in all aspects? Lentils are a good source of Protein and so is soy. I love me some soy burgers!!

[TES 858]

I am a vegetarian (most of my adult life) who generally doesn't eat eggs. I eat Greek yogurt and vegetarian cheese (cheese that isn't made with animal rennet--but it of course is not vegan, because it's made with dairy). I also no longer buy leather and try to live as compassionately as possible in all parts of my life.

I have been getting my Protein from soy products, whey and soy Protein powder, Beans (kind of high in carbs for the amount of Protein you get), cheese, and Greek yogurt. I have very seriously been considering going vegan.

However, if I want to keep my protein up and carbs down, I really think that I will need to drink my protein (plant forms) and then eat veggies as my meals. My surgeon wants his patients off of Protein shakes once we move to solid foods, but I don't think that is realistic for a vegetarian, and especially not for a vegan.

There are very few natural vegan food sources of protein that don't also require that you consume some carbs--and in general, many aren't super-high in protein, and we can't eat the volume needed to get vegan protein from food alone. One example is soy yogurt--it is much lower in protein and higher in carbs than Greek yogurt. I also don't want to overdo it on soy, because female reproductive cancer runs in my family and I am also hypothyroid.

I will be interested to hear what you end up doing and how it works for you. It's good to know someone else is considering a vegan way of eating.

[TES 858]

PS--maybe you could do this in phases, and go vegetarian first (eliminate all meat products but keep eggs and dairy), then eliminate eggs, and then dairy--and see how you do. I meant to mention that I think it's very important to have a registered dietitian knowledgeable about plant-based diets guiding you on this journey. My RD is a vegetarian herself and she is truly amazing. Emails me recipes all of the time, etc. She has one other patient who is a vegetarian and she said that we are both always asking how the other one is doing!

[Evolving 973]

3 years ago I started eating completely raw vegan and lost 60 lbs in 3 months. I lost faster doing that than weight loss surgery. Go figure. Anyway' date=' I'm really sick of meat. Like really really and dairy isn't really my thing either. Craving nuts, Beans, bananas etc. I do take a daily multi Vitamin. My body misses real, whole foods. I don't want to go completely raw, but maybe vegan.

I remember eating large quantities though, with a normal stomach, and don't know that I could get all that my body needs.

I do track on mfp though, and could do a trial and see how it goes

I just want/need opinions. What do y'all think aside (gasp! But your protein!!!! Because I believe we have to eat SO MUCH meat Protein to get our daily needs met because our body has to work so hard at breaking down meat Protein and doesn't use it all, whereas with plant Proteins, our bodies use it all. Or most of it anyway. So either way, I think we get April the same amount. At least w a normal stomach.

Plus, meat is so gross. All the crap put into the animals etc. and it's dead. Ew. Lol[/quote']

Ate u on Facebook-?

There's a site/page called raw beauty, and veganism

They talk a about that subject alot and Recipies etc

Also on FB is farmocology organics and heather Gardner ther raw teacher

There is also a other one-- I can't find it though!! It's one if my favs too! Her name is Kristina a d she had a co op or something like that she's been on a talk show but I'm not able to find it maybe I Can later

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[Nicolanz 1,484]

Eating so much meat is starting to gross me out too. I don't know why lol. I've read about some bad effects from eating entirely raw foods but can't remember what it was. You might want to do research on that and see what you find. Meat substitutes gross me out even more. If you look at the ingredients, the list takes up half the package! It'd be really hard to get adequate Protein with the little amount we're able to eat, but I'm sure its doable. There are other vegan sleevers, I wonder how they do it! Good luck, sorry I'm not much help lol.

[Evolving 973]

There's also a vegan/veg list here- I don't know if its under the recipes or special interest groups of both I believe

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[amytug 996]

Hey all, I am on my phone and can't multiple quote on here, this makes it difficult to answer everyone specifically, but I'll try.

Baby steps. I'm starting with food. Although I do try to be conscious about the products we buy and I definitely don't buy leather. I've watched all the documentaries on Netflix and some on YouTube like earthlings and meet your meat, so I'm aware. It's just always been easier to ignore it in a busy world, it's been hard for me to put (or keep I should say) my priorities straight. I used to watch a girl on YouTube that was vegan for many years and then went raw and she was so b-12 deficient that she started eating meat, so that gives me something to think about. I'm already taking a b-12 (methylcobolamin)sublingual, I'm Not sure of that's sufficient enough or not.

I like the idea about stair stepping and changing gradually. Maybe. I don't have a solid plan yet, gonna think about it all more over the week.

I have pea Protein powder in the cabinet but it site isn't very good. "/

I was just remembering that Dr. Oz said that the only diet he would advocate is one very high in fruits and vegetables, and meet once or twice a week. I may consider doing something like this with free range hormone free meat. This way at least I feel like I'm getting my B12 and the animals aren't being harmed, and lived happy lives. Maybe. I have a feeling ill change my views on things as time goes on. Sounds like life.

I'll add those people on fb. Kristina- rawfully organic Kristina? She's awesome! Love her watermelon juice recipe. Have you watched her video about how much she eats in a week? Reason number 3 why I couldn't do raw again. SO expensive. I used to like Matt and Angela monarch bit they've gone all weird. Er. "/. Are you vegan? Raw? I also like the rawtarian. Especially her Desserts. The "turtles" are to die for! Been craving those too but dates are hard to get where I live. I have to order online or travel.

Thanks all of you for your input. I really appreciate it. <3

[TES 858]

You still need to get Protein in if you are vegan, though--that is the biggest challenge, especially from the standpoint of the volume we can eat with the sleeve, and another layer of complexity if you want to try to stay low carb. That is the only reason I haven't made the move from vegetarian to vegan yet. I am wondering if I will try it sooner rather than later or wait until I am on maintenance. I've been a vegetarian for most of my adult life (20+ years) and have never had any issues with B12 deficiency, Iron deficiency, etc. I have taken a sublingual B12 most of that time, which seems to help, and I get most of my Vitamins (like iron) from veggies such as dark leafy greens. On VSG, the green smoothies are probably more realistic than eating the large volume of salads, etc.

[amytug 996]

I'm all about green smoothies. Haven't been able to bring myself to making them w kale just yet, but I do make kale leaves. I'm sure I could get a ton of those in my sleeve.

When going vegan, I'd want to stick to more whole foods, vs. baked goods and breads etc, and I don't mind those complex carbs.

Oh the more I talk about this, the more I wanna do it now!! I may just have a smoothie for lunch. Here goes my 800 calorie limit, huh? Lol it's all good.

[julfisch831 1]

I just got out of the hospital and they said gallbladder was acting up and they mentioned trying a vegan lifestyle. My husband and I have talked about this a lot and we are thinking of trying. My surgery was back in Oct 2012 and I eat so little I'm afraid I won't get the needed nutrients. I am just so over meat! I want veggies in my life!!!!

[erp 2,016]

Have you tried Beyond meat? 18g protein/serving and the ingredients aren't scary. http://www.beyondmeat.com/products/grilled/

May help bridge the Protein gap.

[O.T.R. sleever 3,386]

I just got out of the hospital and they said gallbladder was acting up and they mentioned trying a vegan lifestyle. My husband and I have talked about this a lot and we are thinking of trying. My surgery was back in Oct 2012 and I eat so little I'm afraid I won't get the needed nutrients. I am just so over meat! I want veggies in my life!!!!

I highly recommend watching the documentary "Forks over Knives". Even Vegan diets tend to have a lot of unhealthy food in them. The best you can do is a plant based whole food diet, or as close to it as you can get. I've gotten to he point where I am about 60-70% plant based whole foods & I can say it has made a huge difference. Now if I could only get the last 30-40% I think I'd be great.