I am fairly new to the vegan diet but am getting a bit concerned about actually GAINING weight as I transition into being 100% vegan.  I have only tried a few of the recipes from the book and would love to start trying to make the desserts, but am a little concerned about what the calorie content is in some of this stuff. 
A little back story: I work out 3-4 times a week and am literally on my feet all day at work and I am looking to loose about 30lbs.

Has anyone ever not lost any weight or actually gained weight while transitioning?

I have been doing it for about 2 months now. I have done perfect with the no meat, and fairly good avoiding dairy. I slip here and there. I haven't lossed any weight yet. I just cut out diet pop a few days ago and am aiming to drink much more water. I think you just have to watch how big of portions you eat. I tend to over eat almonds and almond butter so I have to be careful about those things . I am hoping that if I watch my portions better I will notice a weight loss. Good luck!

The authors of Veganomicon are working on a vegan diet book. I'm really looking forward to it.  I don't know when it's going to be published, but it can't be a day too soon for me lol.

Just remember that if one of your goals is to lose weight, you should try to go as superhero as you are able to without feeling deprived as you make the transition. That means most of the desserts in the book should be only ocassional treats, and you should try not to eat eat too many processed vegan foods. As Alicia mentioned, even though the desserts are overall more healthful than other desserts, they are still desserts with sweetener and calories.

I personally only make the desserts rarely. I also try to watch my intake of all that good fatty stuff - avocados, oil, nuts (it's the little things that can get you). If I really want dessert, sometimes I'll just have some dalfour jam on a whole grain cracker with some tea. It's enough sweetness to satisfy my craving. I would suggest you just try to make sure you eat as many veggies as possible with grains, but make veggies the main portion of the meal. Drink lots of water (I also drink 2-3 cups of tea a day). I have lost 20 pounds in about 6 weeks. I have slowed down to about 1-2 a week, but that still makes me happy!!

Of course we're all different, but these things work for me. Just try different things out, if something's not working, you can always change it!

Hazel's got it goin' ON!  it is important to remember that sweets are sweets and almond butter is almond butter....organic and vegan or not!  Another note - diet soda actually makes you GAIN weight!!!  Everyone I know who stopped drinking it lost about 5 pounds......Good luck everyone -- I just had such a delicious meal of the sicilian collards (with some raisins and pumpkin seeds), kidney beans and a sweet potato that was so good I ate it skin and all - afterward I did not even crave sweet - and I used to be queen of the sweet - but honestly, the less sweet I eat, the less I crave it.  Two or three times a week I get a yummy desert - and I'm not even trying to lose weight, I'm just trying to be healthier- the transition is hard, but once you are there its worth the trip!

Thanks so much for the advice.  Once I find out what dalfour jam is, I'll try it.  I gave up soda of any kind last October and have always drank lots of water (at least 60oz/day).  I'm glad you said to make veggies the main part of the dish, cause that's what I've been doing because grains (other than brown rice) scare me to try and cook.  TKD is the first time I've actually been cooking in the kitchen, so I don't make lots of sweets, unless it's for a special occasion. 

I've noticed that I love rice milk, but it has a lot of calories.  Any advice about lower calorie milk that's not soy.   (I'm from Wisconsin, we love milk- that's a habit that will take longer to change for me).  Soy makes me gassy and bloated, but how is almond milk??????

Almond milk is awesome! :) And I have the unsweetened kind, which is only 40 calories per cup!

Jen - Dalfour is a brand of jam that is fruit sweetened. It's really good. I also prefer almond milk, but try to limit my daily consumption of processed foods as much as I can. If you have a store near you that sells bulk, that is an inexpensive way to try small amounts of different grains. Have you tried different types of brown rice - if you haven't they all have a slightly different taste and texture. Quinoa is also really easy to cook and is a great one to use just as you would rice.

Just switch things up so you don't get bored and then discouraged. I love making nori burritos from TKD, and I have put all sorts of ingredients in. You can also make more traditional burritos with Ezekiel tortillas, also in  the book. These are some nice variations that get you veggies and grains in a yummy, easy package. I try and think of these as my 'convenience' food. Good luck with the transition!

I made the trek to Whole Foods tonight at it was great! I wish I lived closer.  I bought some flax seed and seitan and tempeh.  I forgot about the Quinoa, but I know they have it.  When I go next, I will make a point to get some Dalfour jam (thanks Hazel!) and some Quinoa!
And thanks for the tip on Almond milk. I'm excited to try some!

Thank you for your advice. i'm also concerned about calories. so i drink tea everyday. my favorite is green tea, i heared that green tea can prevent hear attacks.

I am going low-fat, non dairy vegan and pretty much not counting calories or carbs. I find that making a goal of 40 grams of fiber a day (this is pretty hard actually) will pretty much kill your appetite long before you can eat too many calories. Have lost 5 pounds already. I never feel hungry or deprived. I haven't duplicated a single dish yet (except for eating leftovers for the following day's lunch)  as I am trying to keep variety front and center so that I do not ever get bored.