Wanna stay vegan?

Question

I have been a vegan since Sept 3rd 2007 but I've lost some weight and fat off of my body. I'm 21 years old 5 feet 90 pounds and no matter how much I eat, I've always weighed about the same since I was 12. Well the other day my husband noticed that my rib cage and hip/back bones are sticking out more, and that I've still been hungry 30 minutes after eating a meal. He's worried about my health and wants me to go back to being vegetarian, unless someone has any ideas? The doctors said I might be anemic. I loved being vegan but they're worried about my health. I take vegan multivitamins/mineral supplement, so what's wrong?

Answer 1

Go here and have a look at a proper vegan food pyrimad:
http://www.chooseveg.com/vegan-food-pyramid.asp

At 5 feet, 90lbs seems fine to me. I'm 5'2 and 90lbs and I'm a vegan, but even when I did eat meat I was still this weight.
You are probably anemic because you aren't getting enough iron.
It sounds like you went into this vegan thing not knowing too much about proper vegan nutrition.
The first time I tried to go vegan, I had no idea about proper nutrition so I got really sick. Then I tried it again, and I am in good health.
You should try to read the book SKINNY B ITCH. It is all about being vegan and talks about good nutrition, it even tells you food to eat each day to be balanced.

Answer 2

Veganism is not for everyone. I was vegan in my late teens, and after losing my period, I lost hair on my head, and could barely get out of bed some days. Every body is different, and your body may get on quite nicely with some animal products in. As for cholesterol, there's good (HDL) and bad (LDL). Without knowing which number is very low, I can't tell you what you should do. Your body produces cholesterol in addition/supplement to diet intake, so you could be making too much if your body is out of balance. If you have never had your period by the age of 15, your mom is right to be concerned. If you're underweight (probably a contributing factor to not getting your period, and if your cholesterol is out of whack, then yes, it may be time to see a dietician or specialist doctor to figure out how to get the proper nutrition your body needs - either vegan or not. Remember, I'm a former vegan, and had to include dairy products and eggs to sustain a healthy lifestyle.

Answer 3

You're not eating enough calories. By cutting out all animal products, you have automatically removed a lot of fat from your diet, but you still need some. Are you trying to fill up on just veggies? You need complex carbohydrates from whole grains and protein from legumes as well. If you're anemic you need to pay particular attention to getting lots of iron-rich foods in your diet (and consuming them with vitamin c-rich foods to increase absorption.) There is no reason you can't get enough calories to maintain your weight, enough volume of food to stay full and enough of all the nutrients you need and still stay vegan. You just need to learn more about nutrition. I recommend "Becoming Vegan" by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina for thorough coverage of vegan nutrition. They even have a chapter for underweight vegans. I think you should also pick up a couple of good cookbooks for inspiration (so you're not trying to fill up on salads and wondering why the weight is slipping off.) "Vegan with a Vengeance" and "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz are fabulous and "How It All Vegan" by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer is pretty good, too.

Answer 4

Um, yikes. It sounds like you're really not getting enough nutrition. How much fat is in your diet? Am for (brace yourself) between 20 and 30% of your calories from fat. Start taking in more calories while you're at it. Eat a lot of dark green leafy vegetables. Talk to your doctor, find a nutritionist. It's totally possible to be healthy and vegan, but right now you're not being healthy enough.

Answer 5

It sounds like just a calorie thing (not a vegan thing.) After all, there are plenty of fat vegans out there. (No offense meant to anybody!)

Just eat more. If necessary, go for the grains (though I'm not fond of them, they do pack in alot of calories.) And supplement with Flax Oil. It'll work.!

Answer 6

Well, luv, I don't want you to take this wrong, but please accept my comments as one who has some serious concerns about your health.

It has been my experience that vegetariansim and veganism especially is often a very subtle "reason" that masks an Eating Disorder (ED). ED's are "insidious" and involves not only physical manifestations but distorted thinking as well. ED's are powerful, progressive and life-threatening. They are an absolute "bit*ch" to manage once they are in full bloom.

Without going into details, I can say that in my opinion the way you have written your question, your history and your husband's concern raises significant red flags.

My suggestion . . .and I do hope you take it . . . is to get an Eating Disorder assessment. I truly mean that.

Peace . . . and wonderful that you were willing to share this question.

Answer 7

You're not eating enough, plain and simple. It sounds to me like you eliminated dairy and eggs from your diet and didn't replace them with anything. When you remove something from your diet, you need to increase everything else you eat proportionally so that the total calories stay the same.

Answer 8

i don't know exactly how it works, but i know vegans who stay very very skinny and malnourished even though they eat tons of chips and pasta and seitan and tofu and beans and veggies. then i know other vegans whose weight doesn't change. use your intuition, you know whether you're getting enough food and whether you need other kinds of foods. myself, i have never succeeded as a vegan; i just feel too drained. but i know others who do very well.

Answer 9

You're not getting enough calories. You need to eat complex carbs (beans, lentils, grains), fats (avocado, nuts, oils) and fruits and veggies. It doesn't matter if you vegan or vegetarian- you're just not eating enough PERIOD.

Answer 10

Whatever you're eating you need to eat more of it. Every couple of hours.