I have been soooo exhausted eating a vegan diet that I have given up! I am feeling out of sorts emotionally about doing this, and want to get back onto a vegan diet for animal welfare reasons, but am not sure how to do this when before I was completely exhausted all the time! Any help would be very much appreciated - thank you!

How long were you vegan for, and what were your typical meals?

About 3 months. I was eating a lot of beans, rice and vegetables.

I was always tired before becoming a vegan. I woke up just as tired as when I went to sleep. I have been on the vegan diet for three days now and I feel better already. I do notice that I need to drink a lot more water though. Almost passed out the first day, but realized I had not drank very much at all. After I had  big glass of water I did feel better. Maybe you are not getting enough water. Sounds like the right things to eat tough.  How are things now? Did you get back on the vegan diet?

I have had issues too.. Glad I am not the only one. Everyone says try it for a month and see how you feel. I did and I got sick halfway through (cold, strep...and hadn't been sick in 3 years).. and honestly after a month I have no energy I have been eating a variety of foods from the book and taking a vegan supplement. It really is disheartening because I have read about how wonderful and alive you feel being vegan but I have personally experienced the opposite. I want to continue to see if it changes but I am discouraged.

Niamh & Angelique...please don't give up! It does certainly take time for your body to adjust, but it will, I promise. It took me moths and months before my skin started to clear, for example, and I found myself feeling a little low too. 

Sometimes I have low days - that is only natural - but I do something about it. I give my body lots of green vegetables and I immediately notice  a difference. Try scrambled tofu with lots of greens thrown in...or a  big green smoothie...

You may need to look at varying your diet more or just tweaking certain areas...keep eating well though, and you will definitely feel better in time. Keep up the hard - but good work and give me shout if you want any further info or help :) hugs :)

Don't give up!  I too experienced low energy for about a month until my body got used to my new and exciting way of eating.  I made sure to eat meals with lots of beans, legumes, nuts, whole grains(not just whole wheat bread) and lots of veggies and fruits.  Actually lots of nuts and seeds and nut butters really kept me on track until my energy rounded out.  In all actuality before i was vegan I was on weight watchers and when I first started the diet I had low energy.  So I think that anytime you change the way you eat you will experience a change in the way you feel.  I also agree with Candy make sure your getting your water and 8 to 10 hours of sleep.  Don't forget your B12 supplement.  Its the happy vitamin.  You can do this.

I've always had a problem with being tired, I had blood work done and found I was lacking in B12 so I take it daily now and seems to have helped a bit.  I also don't really eat frequently and that presents an energy problem.  I really never have much of an appetite.  I've just recently switched to being a vegitarian again (it's been on and off for me since college) but I think I'll make it stick this time!!!  :D

If you're feeling tired, they recommend eating 6 to 8 small meals a day - that gets your metabalism going and helps give you more energy.  Plus take your B12!  If you're having a hard time sticking to the vegan (superhero) diet, Alicia says in her book that it's ok to go back to being a flirt for a while until you get used to it.  There's no shame in it.  You just need to find what works best for you!  And get a full night sleep, you'll wake up feeling like a Viking!

I feel your pain.  I've tried a few times to go totally vegan (am still not there yet, but working towards it) and each time I would be extremely tired and exhausted.  This time I am taking it slow.  Chewing well and eating slowly has helped a lot.  When you eat whole foods, especially when your body is new to them, it has a harder time extracting  everything it needs from them.  For a while, I went back to eating more whole grain products (pasta, bread, etc.) and less actual whole grains, to lessen the stress of digestion on my body, and now I am able to amp up the whole grains again. The great thing about macrobiotics is that it is all about experimenting and finding out what works for your body at any particular time.  So if you have to take a step backwards that's ok, just take two steps forward the next time.  And good luck!

Fatigue and exhaustion can be symptoms of a B-12 deficiency, along with tingling in your fingers and down the outside of your hands and some vision problems. Like the others have mentioned, try taking a B-12 supplement and stick with some good multivitamins and see if it rectifies some of the problem.

Good advice from all. Remember that vegan and 'superhero' are different, so don't feel the need to restrict certain foods if you are not following the superhero plan. Well-rounded meals are important (ie don't eat nothing but carbs for one meal). Drink plenty, like mentioned. B-12 can be a good addition. I would say it's important to look at the whole picture of what you are eating - keeping a food journalof EVERYTHING for even just one week can be eye opening. You might think you are eating a ton of veggies and drinking lots of water, but when you write it down find that you are eating more processed stuff than you thought, not drinking as much as you should, and eating more separate carbs and protein than you thought. Think variety - change up the types of veggies, grains, and legumes you try. Take B-12 or a complex a few times a week. Drink water when you first wake up, before you go to sleep, and several times throughout the day. Good night's rest, adults generally need between 6-8  hours. But really, it's about the big picture. Write it down, reflect on it, and you can probably identify the problems on your own. Or even share a couple of days' meals here and others can identify possible issues for you.

Please check your iron leves.

It could be low blood sugar. That was the case for me early on. Vegan food goes through your body so much more quickly than animal products. You may need to snack more often to keep your sugar levels from peaking and plummeting. I used to carry a little pouch of nuts and dried fruits and it did the trick. LOTS of water too -- very important! Good luck.

I'm going through the same things at the moment and I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one. It seems that all I want to do is sleep at the time. I take my b12 every day and eat every 2 hrs. The journal idea and up my H20 hopefully will help me:)  This place is great for support!

This was all very helpful to know; thanks!