Vegetarians & Vegans Support Group

Hi there!

If you want to lose weight, eat veggies and fruits, nothing else. Only eat grains or nuts if you are starving, try water first. A lot of the time when we think we are hungry, we are really just thirsty.

A person needs 1/2 oz of water per pound of weight. That means if you weigh 150, you need 75 oz of water. And that water will help you lose weight!

I lost 30 pounds one summer on a fruit diet. Totally raw, I put the fruit in the blender, added ice and made one every time I got hungry. I never felt better in my life.

Good luck!


Makiah

For lunch try some kind of sandwhich and a couple of fresh fruits and vegetables.

And for dinner, I usually have pasta (contrary to what most people seem to think, carbs aren't the enemy, if your portions are reasonable) or a vegetable stew.

And I eat a few snacks to keep me from wanting to eat a lot at meals. Usually a fruit around midmorning and a fruit, some vegetables or a handful of crackers or pretzels in mid afternoon.

If you increase your exercise and have a balanced diet, you shouldn't have to worry about dieting to lose weight.

I did not like the old standard ways so I now suggest that we make our own rules and procedures.

Like breakfast, lunch and diner are social taboos but not required.

I only have two (2) meals per day being a late breakfast between 8-10am, then a second meal in the afternnon like 2-4pm and then maybe some snack or fruit in the evening 7-9pm but not always have the snack.

I find that 3 meals a day to be a lot of eating.
When I had a regular 8 hour a day job then I did the 3, but I do not have strict hours any more so twice a day is plenty.

My best advise for losing weight would be to cut out the foods in your diet that are giving you calories without giving you nutrients. That would mostly be anything with lots of sugar or lots of fat and anything processed.
I would not suggest limiting your caloric intake too severely. Cut back by just a little and you will be able to stick to your new diet and not feel deprived. It may take longer to lose the weight but when it finally comes off you will have been eating in a way which you can continue with.
I don't know much about you so I can't say how many calories you need to be getting... however if you are eating primarily vegan you should be getting close to 8 servings of fruits and veggies every day. Try making at least one of these a dark leafy green(kale, swiss chard, collards, spinach), and one a dark orange fruit or veggie(carrots, pumpkin, cantelope, sweet potato, mango etc.)
You should also be getting several servings of a whole grain. So whole wheat pasta, bread, crackers, or any cooked whole grain like quinoa, barley, millet, wheat berries, bulgur, brown rice etc. I always say that eating the grain is better than eating a food that is made from the grain. So eating brown rice is better than eating brown rice crackers or something. You'll feel full longer, plus foods retain their nutrients best when you do the least messing with them.
You should also be getting at least 1oz of nuts and seeds (walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, hempnuts) as well as several ounces of beans (kindney, chickpea, black bean, soy, navy beans)
I'd suggest also eating at least one serving of a fortified food every day. SO this could be a soy milk, helpmilk, other kind of milk, or a cereal, or something else.

Once again I don't know what kinds of foods you like or enjoy preparing so I'll just tell you what a typical day for me looks like.
Smoothie for breakfast (hempmilk, flaxseeds, banana,kale, blueberries.) about 2 1/2 cups total.
snack of 1oz almonds
lunch is usually a soup that has veggies, a grain and beans. salad with avacado and pumpkin seeds with tahini dressing
snack of fruit like grapes or an apple with almond butter
dinner is usually stirfry with lots of veggies, some tofu or tempeh, served over pasta or brown rice.
probably more fruit for dessert or a baked good that i make.
Also try making some beans with tomatoes, peppers, onions and spices. You can serve them over any grain you like. great for lunch or dinner.
I feel like my post is going on forever so I hope it helps you. I have tons of recipes if you are looking for something specific. Feel free to ask, I just don't want to take up tons of space on here posting recipes that no one wants. lol
Good luck!!!

Oh and oatmeal is a great breakfast item! Try adding some chopped up apples or pear when you are cooking it, or some dried fruit, i like cherries, raisins, and apricot. I also like adding nuts and a little maple syrup...yum!

This is a typical day for me.

Breakfast: Whole Wheat english muffin with soybutter and avacado slices
Snack: Red apple with natural peanut butter
Lunch: beans and rice (brown rice)
Snack: banana, or some nuts and raisins
Dinner: whole wheat pasta with stir fried veggies and a bit of tofu.
YUM!

Pick up a copy of skinny bitch. It has great info about eating vegan and eliminating the stuff from your diet that makes you fat. It's a super quick read too packed with great info.