I have two questions about weight and veganism...Thanks!?

Question

1. Is there any instances where someone who's on a vegan 'diet' who stays at the same weight or actually gains weight?

I'm asking this question because I'm curous since I'm starting a vegan diet if the 'you'll loose weight, no problem' thing is true. Im overweight at the moment and have been a vegetarian for a while and am ready to stop contributing to cruelty to animals finally. I just don't want to expect to loose weight while doing that if it's not true.

2. Will eating a lot of potatoes and/or rice NOT help you loose weight while being vegan?

I understand to loose weight you need exersize, ect. but I'm only talking about eating things with a lot of carbs, and if they will hurt you more when your trying to loose weight or if it dosn't really matter as much because your not eating any animals and animal biproducts.

Thanks so much in advance!

Answer 1

1. You can gain weight on a vegan diet. but... if you eat a balanced diet, with enough protein and other vitamins ect. (nothing from animals of course) then you could lose weight.
2. If you eat too much starch or carbs then of course you will gain weight... tooo much of anything is bad.
A great website that has a lot of nutrition for vegans is:
www.veganwolf.com

Answer 2

To answer your first question, YES, I do know people who have gained weight on a vegan diet. I know a couple people who went vegan for 40 days (it was during lent, kind of a religious thing) and they gained a bunch of weight because they focused on eating so many carbs and a lot of sugar, because they didn't really know what else to eat. But I think that if you research veganism and look up recipes and things that will help you eat a balanced vegan diet, your weight shouldn't change. If you do indeed begin to lose weight on a vegan diet, that isn't healthy. It means that your body isn't getting enough nutrients. Instead of trying to lose weight by going vegan, try looking up recipes where you can start substituting the things in your diet that are making you gain weight (for example, if you bake with eggs, use egg whites. That's just an example though, i know you might not eat eggs because you're vegetarian but you know the point im trying to make...)...and yes, rice might help you keep weight on. If you eat a ton of it.

Answer 3

im vegan and have been for a while.... Its not true thar being vegan helps loose weight because when your vegan you eat loads of carbs, and not just fruits and veggies, you eat stuff like rice, potatoe, pasta, bread and these things are very fatty.... I am not over weight but I am certainly not a stick and I havnet loosen any weight from being vegan, the best way to loose weght is to give up fatty carbs like startch things, i.e. pasta, bread, flour products and so on...

VEGANS FOREVER!!!!!!!!! Good luck and make sure that youre getting the essensial vitamins via other things....

Answer 4

I have been not eating meat for years and years. I am overweight. Unfortunately I like breads and carbs. I did do the Atkins diet to loose wight and it dropped off amazingly well, BUT, i hated every minute of it. I am going to try vegan again and also cut down on breads and carbs. Good Luck. Look on the internet for good websites like i just did today for lots of information.

Answer 5

In my local shop the other day, the shopkeeper said to me that usually vegetarian food is lower calories. But I am not so sure.

I had picked up a tub of Hummus and a tub of Taramasalata and said "I wondered what had the most cals?" and thats when she replied what she did.

She was saying Hummus made out of Chick Peas was lower cals.