Vegetarian diet and weight, Help!

[mombrontrent]

For those on here who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet do you find it hard to keep the weight on? People are always telling me to eat a steak and put on a few pounds I have been a vegetarian since I was 17 and I'm 31 now so almost 15 years. I am not vegan and do eat the recommended 2-3 servings of dairy everyday. I eat yogurt, cheese, soy or almond milk and 1% cows milk sometimes on cereal. I eat a wide variety of foods, lots of fruit and veggies, beans, whole grains ect. Within the last year I have cut out most processed foods and try to stick to mostly a whole foods diet. I also eat alot of organic foods. Everything I read about this is positive and is supposed to be better for health reasons and I try to feed my whole family this way (although I am the only vegetarian). I have always been slender and thin boned, as has my mother. However since I have cut out most processed and refined foods I stuggle to keep my weight up. I am 5'5 and stuggle to keep my weight between 105-110lbs. Ideally I would weigh 115lbs like I always did before, it fit my frame perfectly but now I feel like I am too thin. I try to eat nuts or peanut butter everyday, I eat seeds, avacodos, olive oils, butter. I bake fairly often, and even thought it's mostly healthy it still has fats and sugars. I eat 3-4 meals everyday but rarley snack because I just don't get hungry in between meals. I drink a couple cups of coffee a day but other than that I only drink water or maybe a glass of orange or cranberry juice once in a while. I do drink smoothies sometimes as part of a meal though and I give my kids smoothies often. All 3 of my kids are also on the low end of the weight charts (the 5th percentile) for their height. It is obviouly partly genetics but I don't want them to be to thin. They do eat meat but not very much. They eat dairy and lots of produce and whole grains. They rarley eay "junk food" unless at someone elses house or the rare occasion my Dh buys a bag of chips or tub of ice cream. We do order pizza once a month or so but other than that they don't eat at restaurants or fast food. I don't want to push unhealthy foods on myself or the kids simply to gain a few pounds. Advice anyone?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Go on My Fitness Pal, sign up and log in everything you eat. You need to count your calories, fat, and protein.

Log in everything you eat for 2 weeks. You will see your patterns, calories, etc and then you can tweak your diet to up your calories, fat, and protein at meals.

For example, you can drink whole or 2% milk instead of 1%.

Logging your food helps so much. I have lost 4lbs so far by just tweaking my diet.

Go and calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). You need to find out how many calories you need daily just to maintain your current weight and then you add from there.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

If you and your family members aren't nutritionally deficient or having energy/stamina issues there is no reason to eat more or gain weight for the sake of gaining weight. Some bodies have a tendency to maintain a certain weight naturally and it just so happens yours is on the lower side of normal. I wouldn't consider you unhealthily underweight.

 

[VBsHustla]

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[cornflake]

I honestly don't think that has anything to do with vegetarianism.

Has to do with your body and/or what you're eating. Some people are just furnaces and will burn it off. However, I'd also spend a couple days really tracking very closely what you're eating.

A friend of mine, who also thought she was eating perfectly fine, meals, snacks on occasion, finishing a kid's plate here or there, when she was taking a nutritionist class in college had to log like every bite and figured out that she'd make meals but mostly it was fairly low calorie (like for breakfast she'd have coffee and pb on toast but then only end up...) and what she actually ended up eating was even less (not for any weird reason, she'd just get pulled away, have to do something, have to find someone's shoe, etc.), was way low in calories and nutrients, daily. Like surprisingly low.

So you might try that. Even though you've got stuff like pb and I assume full-fat greek yogurt and what have you, if you're counting like a yogurt and apple as lunch and that's 250 calories and then you don't finish it... you see what can happen.

However, may just be your body - I know someone like that who eats meat and a metric ton of sugar. Plenty of people have the opposite problem, heh.

 

[bumbershoot]

If you and your family members aren't nutritionally deficient or having energy/stamina issues there is no reason to eat more or gain weight for the sake of gaining weight. Some bodies have a tendency to maintain a certain weight naturally and it just so happens yours is on the lower side of normal. I wouldn't consider you unhealthily underweight.

Yes.

I honestly don't think that has anything to do with vegetarianism.

Neither do I.

I'm vegetarian, have been longer than you, and I've steadily GAINED weight. As do all of the women in my mom's family, no matter what sort of diet they follow. Grr.

My MIL hates that we are vegetarian (she's Korean and really wants to nurture us by feeding us bulgogi and marrow soups and that sort of thing), and blames our weight on it.

And in the same breath (truly, once it was the same sentence) she talked about how her monk's vegetarian diet is what has kept the monk so slim.




Especially since your family is slim, just look at it as genetics. Make sure you are strong and healthy, and be happy.

 

[cornflake]

I'm vegan and somewhat have similar issues, so I'm guessing that it's normal! If I were actively trying to gain weight and couldn't, though, I'd probably consider getting a blood test just in case. Other than that, do you do any strength training? That definitely might help. If you do lots of cardio, that can also be contributing to burning off too many calories.

I'm 5'8 and weigh a little under 110 pounds, but I hardly eat any calorie dense foods or fat. I don't eat any refined foods, nuts, seeds, or oil. I also exercise 45 minutes to an hour daily, so my weight doesn't feel "off" to me or anything. I do eat pretty enormous portions, though, especially at night after working out. However, my brother really has to eat three meals and two snacks a day, otherwise he is WAY too thin. He's gained a little weight back by adding flax seed to oatmeal in the morning, using coconut milk, and eating daily avocados or olives.

I wasn't going to say anything as it seems as if you know this quite well but... these don't seem to be similar issues at all, no, that is not normal, and you realize that's an unhealthy weight and diet, right? I kind of get that you do and like it that way because you certainly seem to be working hard to be underweight.

However, in case anyone reading thinks that's ok... That's way underweight and an unhealthy diet.

Veganism is a perfectly fine diet. Eschewing fats, nuts, seeds, oils and calorie-dense foods on a vegan diet, however, is not ok and will leave you very seriously nutritionally lacking. Not only does the body need fat to function, it needs fat to absorb certain nutrients.

 

[emer95]

Some people are just naturally thin and have small appetites. I am under 100 lbs without really trying. I happen to be a vegetarian but like others said, I don't really think that has a connection. I was thin before I was a vegetarian. I love food and I like to eat, but I eat very small portions (normal to me, but small to other people). For example, if I go out to eat, I will have about 1/4 of my meal, and then have it again the next day for lunch, then dinner, and by the third day I'm usually sick of the entree so if I still have some left I throw it away or give it to my husband. Also, I eat whatever I want. I don't limit myself (other than meat) in any way, but I happen to love healthy foods. I love cupcakes too.

I'm not trying to gain or lose weight. I think this is a healthy weight for me. I do exercise, more for strength and toning than for weight loss. People comment to me all the time, "You eat like a bird! You're so tiny, go have a sandwich!" It bothers me because I would NEVER comment on a heavy person's plate, eating habits or weight, but people feel perfectly justified to make comments to me because I'm small.

I say if you're healthy, just be happy with your body the way it is!

 

[disfan07]

I wasn't going to say anything as it seems as if you know this quite well but... these don't seem to be similar issues at all, no, that is not normal, and you realize that's an unhealthy weight and diet, right? I kind of get that you do and like it that way because you certainly seem to be working hard to be underweight.

However, in case anyone reading thinks that's ok... That's way underweight and an unhealthy diet.

Veganism is a perfectly fine diet. Eschewing fats, nuts, seeds, oils and calorie-dense foods on a vegan diet, however, is not ok and will leave you very seriously nutritionally lacking. Not only does the body need fat to function, it needs fat to absorb certain nutrients.

I agree with cornflake that 5'8 and 110lbs is WAY underweight. I am 5'2 and 110lbs is on the lower end of normal for me! ( I think normal for my height is like 102-135).

OP, i would first get your nutrients checked (pre-albumin levels, vitamins, etc). If those are all fine, I would not worry so much about gaining weight as long as you are within a normal range and you are overall healthy.


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[VBsHustla]

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[mhsjax]

I appreciate the comments, but I'm definitely not trying hard to be underweight. I don't care about weight. I eat like 2,000 calories a day. The bulk of them just happens to be from carbs, not fat. I'm sure others could easily gain weight eating the way I do, but I just don't. (Here's what I ate today. Breakfast: 1 cup oatmeal, 1 banana, strawberries, and blackberries, Snack: smoothie with spinach/Swiss Chard, oranges, banana, strawberries Lunch: rice, salsa, black beans Snack: carrots, hummus Dinner: salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives and pasta with tomatoes and asparagus Later: dark chocolate) I'm not lacking in any nutrients, and I certainly get far more vitamins and minerals every day than everyone else I know. I do eat fat, but in the form of avocados, olives, and chocolate. I'm allergic to nuts and seeds and consider oil to be a complete junk food. I've researched nutrition, diet, and disease extensively, and this is not just some random eating disorder I've developed. Just wanted to clarify!

As others have stated, I think it is just your body. If I ate what you did, ( I am not vegetarian, but love all the foods you listed) I would be gaining weight. I am currently living the low carb life style, lots of veggies though, but if a carb enter my mouth, the weight is on.