I went totally vegan in the beginning of December and I have gained almost 10 lbs since then.  I was already eating mostly veggies, whole grains and fruit, so this change was subtle for me.  I exercise vigorously about 4-5 times a week (over an hour of fast swimming on a competitive team).  For whatever reason, I cannot stop gaining weight.  It is SO frustrating.  I do not eat a lot and I don't eat garbage, but taking out all animal products has caused fast and very frustrating weight gain for me.  I don't know what to do, other than to switch back to vegetarian.  Anyone else experiencing the same thing?

FYI, a normal day's food for me is the following: oatmeal with hemp protein powder and cinnamon, one or two pieces of fruit, green tea, salad with veggies and beans (sometimes tofu, no dressing or a splash of red wine vinegar) and dinner is typically a bowl of home-made soup and sometimes some whole grains with it.  Sometimes I snack on carrots and celery with hummus. 

Please help me!

I have no idea how much you are eating but some people actually gain weight if they don't eat enough.  I am one of those so for years I ate less and exercised more and didn't lose weight. Everything you are eating is pretty low cal if compared with animal products. Brendan Brazier explains a lot about this in his book.  I would highly recommend it.  Good luck!  

Hi Annie - I hope things start going better for you but here are a few suggestions to look into.  Watch your fruit intake, stop eating at least 3 hours before bed, stress can cause weight gain, and sometimes when you change your diet the body freaks out a bit holding on to weight.  I did read on another thread about food pairing for weight loss maybe you can find it and I will look for it too.  GOOD LUCK - Toni 

Thanks, ladies.  I'll take any advice I can get...I really don't understand this whole thing.  I used to eat much more as a carnivore, yet now I suddenly weight 10 lbs more.  I'm becoming super frustrated.  What is food pairing all about?

You might not be eating enough given your workout regimen. I work out 3 days a week with an outdoor group and we burn about 600 calories a class. When I first stopped eating meat I felt very weak at my classes. I realized all the good foods I was eating I was not getting enough calories or fat to support my work outs. In the morning I'll eat two pieces of whole grain toast with almond butter or peanut butter. This is where I get my good fat and calories from. I try to always eat an avocado once a day too either in a burrito with beans or add it to my salads. This will also help. I snack on a trail mix that consists of raw nuts and dried cranberries/raisins. I don't count calories or fat I just knew I needed more fuel for my body to keep me from feeling weak.  Hope this is helpful.

Hi Annie, I agree with Sara on the maybe you are not eating enough.  I was frustrated because I was not loosing weight.  I didn't start loosing weight until I began eating a lot of smaller meals more often.  I eat something light about every 3 hours so my blood sugar doesn't drop and stop eating after dinner.  I do cardio (jogging/biking) 3 times a week and lift weights 3 times a week for an hour. I wake up famished but isn't that why it is called break-fast. I also have a lot more energy eating smaller meals more often.   Don't know if that helps.

Cindy

I feel like it's crazy to think that I need to eat more to lose weight.  Is that really possible?  I do snack sometimes, usually with a piece of fruit or some veggies.  Plus, occassionally I'll have a piece of dark chocolate (maybe once or twice a week) or splurge on Thai food dinner (including yummy peanut sauce).  I feel like there is no way I'm not getting enough calories, but maybe I'm wrong...

When was your last routine round of blood work?  If you are convinced it's not related to your calorie intake maybe have your thyroid levels checked.  Thyroid problems are very common in women and are commonly screened for but not always.  It is something worth looking into anyway.  Just a thought.

I wish I had some great advice to share with you Annie - because believe me, I've been there, and I know how frustrating it is!  
I think everyone is different.  But what works for me is eating nuts.  Sounds strange, but I try to eat a handful of nuts before eating any fruit or anything sweet - because I do think it helps to curb the insulin response.  Plus nuts have lots of fiber. I noticed a nice slow and steady weight loss once I started incorporating nuts into my diet.
I usually have 3-4 handfuls a day.  My faves are walnuts, almonds, cashews and pecans. I usually go for the raw/unsalted varieties.
Good luck! Keep us posted.

Hi Annie!

Sounds like you are not eating enough. I workout at medium to high intensity 4-6 hours per week. I went from "omnivore" to "superhero" overnight after reading TKD. I was eating so much more volume eating vegan/superhero, I thought for sure I was consuming far too many calories. I decided to log my food into a site www.sparkpeople.com for a few days and found I WASN'T EATING ENOUGH! I guessed I was eating 1,600+ calories, turns out I was only eating a little over 1,000 calories.

You may want to log your intake on a site like that. It's free and will show you how many calories, protein, carbs you are consuming. You really need to properly fuel your body, especially if you are working out so hard. After my strength training workouts, I have a hemp protein shake (21 grams of protein). I add almond milk, frozen fruit, agave nectar and sprinkle slivered almonds on top.

I have been logging all of my daily meals and how much I've been working out on my "notes" on my TDK profile page. It may give you an idea of how much I've been eating/exercising.

So far I've lost 5 pounds in my first month.

Good luck!

Peace,
Cassi

Hi Annie ~ like the other ladies I don't think you are eating enough ~ When you are not eating what your body needs to be fueled it will hold onto the fat you have stored because it is not sure when you will feed your body again. Good Luck! It is tricky and hard ~ Good Luck in your journey! :)

Hm...thanks ladies.  Perhaps I need to start logging my food.  I think that's a great idea Cassi.  Hilary, I was eating 1/4 a cup of raw almonds or walnuts with my oatmeal in the mornings until I decided that must be making things worse for me and cut them out...maybe I should bring them back?  It's almost like it feels like I'm eating some wrong combination of foods.  I really appreciate that everyone took the time to respond to this.  I love this website!!

Annie, I would also suggest getting your body fat percentage tested by a trainer/at a gym, if that is a possibility for you (there are calipers for home use but I can never get them to read right). Considering your daily intake and how active you are, you might really be at your ideal weight right now.

For bfast I have either 1 cup cooked oatmeal or quinoa, 1/8 cup of chopped walnuts or good sprinkle of slivered almonds, shake of cinnamon, little vanilla extract, drizzle of agave nectar, 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1/2 cup of almond milk. SO GOOD and pretty balanced. Only 300-350 cals and usually holds me till lunch. My lunch and dinner are superhero meals usually 200-250 cals. My hemp protein shake is around 300-350 cals (only have on my high intensity, strength training days) for a snack I have an apple and 20 almonds (about 150-180 cals). I also have a TKD rice crispy treat or 1-2 mini TKD PB cups on the days where I want one.
I just try to keep my cals between 1200-1500, you may need a bit more with your competitive swimming. Swimming burns loads of calories. Are you eating after every workout? It is important to eat healthy proteins and carbs before and after workouts.

Hi Annie, I know it has been a while since you posted but I too gained around seven pounds since going vegan and it has really frustrated me. Then I went on the Kind Diet and gained another two pounds! So I started to read as much as I could to see what I was doing wrong. In the "Hip Chicks Guide To Macrobiotics" is an interesting idea... Macrobiotics was created by two men - men are more "yang", they need more "yang" grain products than us ladies, hence the 60 % grain factor in the diet. Women are more yin therefore we need less grain in our diet and more "yin" vegetables - say 30 % grain and 60 % vegetables. I have tried this percentage reverse and I cut out all bread products. My grains have been millet, quinoa and brown rice which appear at both breakfast and lunch as 30 % of my plate - the other thirty have been beans or another protein and a load of vegetables. I did not eat grains for my evening meal at all and I lost two pounds in two days! This seems to be working for me - so I thought I'd share... Best of luck with the swimming!