I read somewhere on here "veggies before beans, beans before grains..." how do y'all get your veggies in and still feel full? This is a typical menu for me so far:

Post-workout: Carrot-daikon tea

Breakfast: 1/2 c rolled oats, 1T chia seeds, 1t vanilla, 1 pc fruit, 1/2 c water, 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

Lunch: 1c tomato soup or other veggie soup with a slice of bread and T of Earth Balance OR a veggie burger with a small salad

Snack: Apple with peanut butter OR 2T hummus with veggies

Dinner: Veggie burger (if I didn't have one at lunch) (these are usually homemade) OR 1c pasta with veggies and sauce OR udon soup, with 1in mochi if I'm still hungry.

I feel so poofy AND my pants are tighter?! I tried breakfast smoothies, but even with soy protein powder, they don't keep me full until lunch!

Hello

I have experienced weight gain as well. I am always hungry on this diet and I even do light exercise, and I still have a hard time not gaining. I really dont have any advise to give you but wanted you to know that you are not alone on this matter!

Not sure if this helps but I notice whenever I eat alot of carbs such as spagetti, I tend to gain weight. I eat spagetti once a week and then focus more on salads and rice/beans and veggies. 

Focus on WHOLE foods, so foods in their absolute most pure form. No pasta, no processed anything etc, it worked for me. Just vegetables, beans/lentils, and grains and a bit of fruit and nuts. I thought I couldn't loose wight on this diet until I followed eating vegan foods in their most pure/whole form. I guess pretty much super hero, but it's a bit too complicated for me, I just go with whole foods, it's easier. Hope this helps!

Be concious of how much sodium you're taking in, and what kind of sodium it is.  Example, table salt is bad and seasalt is good in moderation.  Soups, sauces and other condiments tend to have a lot of sodium. 

Peanuts aren't the best for you.  Try almond butter, it's more alkaline forming and higher in many nutrients like calcium.

They say veggies before beans before grains because veggies are more nutritionally dense.  Do research on which veggies have the most nutritional value and you'll find that you can eat less and feel satisfied. Veggies are also great for alkalizing your blood to keep you healthy.  The less work your body has to do to process your food, the less stressed it will be and the less cortisol that will be released into your bloodstream.  Weaight gain could be a symptom of too much stress (caused by quantity or quality of food or otherwise). 

Wholefoods, lots of greens.  Try hemp protine instead of soy protein.  It has a much better amino acid profile. 

My breakfast smoothie is generally:

half a cucumber, a banana, 1T ginger, 1T molassas, 1T flaxseeds, 2T hemp protine, 1/4 cup almonds, 1/2 cup water, 6 large icecubes.  (kale is also great for smoothies)

I find the Thrive Diet book invaluable.  Check it out. 

Hope that helps!

I agree with Thearesa.  I try to limit pasta to once a week as it makes me feel 'chunkier'.  I don't do veggies at breakfast (yet), and most days just stick to Alicia's Apple, cinnamon and raisin oatmeal recipe from TKD.  For lunch and dinner, try making half your plate clean green veggies, and split the other half into whole grains and beans.  Maybe cutting out the bread at lunch and replacing it with whole grains could  make a difference, as the whole grains are very filling. 

Also, when I first read about chewing more, I was skeptical, but it really does work!  If you focus on chewing heaps before you swallow, it really seems to fill you up more.  Give it a try.  Sometimes if I forget to chew properly, I find I'm hungry an hour after a big meal.

Hope this helps!  I'm trying to cut out my mid-morning soy cappacinos and really struggling.

Cool, thank you. Pasta's a rarity for me, I just have a hard time getting full on mostly greens! I'll try the chewing more and splitting my plate half and half. Thanks y'all!

hellodarling - To me, it doesn't look like you're consuming very many calories, and your meals couls be more well-rounded. I've lost 40 pounds, and I have never measured anything. I hate measuring and counting calories, but some people need to do it. 

As already mentioned, whole foods are what's most important. Bread at lunch and dinner (w/soup and veggie burger) is too much if you want to lose weight. An ideal plate is something like 1/2 veggies, 1/4 beans/lentils/protein, 1/4 whole grain. Depending on your lifestyle, you may not even need a separate 'protein' at every meal, but everyone is different. As John said, if you're eating packaged soup, you may be consuming too much sodium. On the occasion when I have a veggie burger, I don't eat it with bread. I put mustard and greens on it, and have a side of greens as well. I would reduce the carbs (but you still need the good ones!) and up the veggies and beans. With more well-rounded meals, you'll feel full for longer.

Also, if you haven't been at it for long, you don't say, it can take some people time to adjust to the extra fiber and you may be bloated; a lot of people are really hungry the first couple of weeks, even though they may be eating clean the whole time and eating a lot, just because your body is adjusting to absorbing nutrients from a cleaner source. It goes away, and you may find yourself eating less because your body has adjusted. Sometimes I have to force nyself to eat just to get enough calories!

What I was told was, add more protein and more essential fats, like those from nuts and avocados, best you you!

hello hellodarling,

I thought your sample menu looked OK and would think that it should work for you to meet your goals. I was wondering how long you have been doing it? Maybe if you keep going as strict as that, you will start to see results.

If it has been a while, you could consider skipping dinner a few nights per week. You will definitely drop the weight then. If that is too extreme, the other advise on the page is excellent.

Justin