Losing Weight On A Vegan Diet?

Today's blog post is about losing weight on a vegan diet. Many people turn to veganism for health reasons. No matter why you turned vegan, welcome and congrats!! You've made an important and fantastic change to your life. It's not always going to be easy, but you know it's the right thing to do and for that you deserve to feel proud!

Anyway, I disgress, as per usual....when you watch videos on youtube or read about these unbelievable transformations that people make after turning vegan, you're all pumped up and ready to go and, after 2 weeks of eating plants-based, you're not feeling energized, you haven't lost any weight and all of a sudden you're starting to doubt yourself. Well, I'm here to tell you DON'T!!

For many people, myself included, it doesn't happen right away - especially if you don't have a ton of weight to lose. When I turned vegan, I felt like shit at the beginning. I was tired, had massive mood swings and also ups and downs in energy. Some day I would wake up and feel like running 10k and other days I wanted to sleep 12 hours straight. Yes, I was eating enough, yes, I was getting all of my nutrients (tracked them on cronometer.com like a good little vegan) and I was eating very clean. Now some people might say you're detoxing or your metabolism is healing. I call bullshit - you don't detox for months and I don't believe in a minium 'must-eat' of calories. To me, that just promotes listening to a number instead of your body. We are all very different, some more active than others, with a very different body composition. A small woman with a sedentary lifestyle won't need that many calories. Eating towards a number without considering how much you really need or burn isn't what you should be aiming for - see it as a guideline instead.

Back to my start as a vegan. I put on a couple of pounds initially. Not a lot but I certainly didn't lose any. I believe one reason is that I allowed myself to eat anything I wanted as long as it was vegan and moderately healthy. If I wanted another burrito, I would have it. I benefitted from that in many ways:

1.) I didn't crave any non-vegan food ever - Because I was so full and hit all of my nutritional needs, I didn't have a craving for animal products. My body simply had everything it required.

2.) I stopped craving junk - This was definitely a slow process, BUT it happened. From eating chocolate and sweets every day, I now crave fruit 9 times out of 10 and if I want a muffin, I'll eat it. My tastebuds have changed over time and most things taste overly sweet to me now. 

After around 3 months, I started becoming more aware of my body and its needs. I experimented with food, found out that masses of fruits don't work for me and that I prefer lighter meals. I now recognize hunger, can easily pinpoint what satisfies me or what my body needs and, hello, I started losing weight. I didn't even realize it at first, it just happened naturally. Then it stopped for a while and now I'm slowly losing a pound here and there again. I feel much more balanced and have embraced intuitive eating. Having the connection to my body that I do now is the greatest gift veganism has given me so far. 

As always, the moral of the story comes last. Well, all I want to tell you is, not everyone miraculously loses weight and feels amazing right away on a vegan diet. For some it takes time, it takes experimenting a bit and finding out how your body ticks. Don't give up, embrace the journey and be proud of the decision you've made!!

Cookbook Spotlight: Vegan For Fun by Attila Hildmann

"Attila Hildmann is the star of vegan cuisine and the most well-known vegan cook in Europe. The aspiring physicist and fitness fan has demonstrated to millions of people on numerous TV shows that cooking without animal products is not only healthy, but most importantly, also really delicious. His cookbooks have consistently been Number 1 on the bestseller lists in Germany, which is the second largest book market in the world. They have sparked a megatrend that led to many of the products that are called for in the book being sold out for weeks. Attila is even able to easily conjure up hearty flavors like those you are familiar with from meat. And his recipes are often incredibly simple.

Many of the recipes work well as snacks or for the office, and they'll add healthy variety to your diet. After trying recipes like vegan burgers, spaghetti carbonara, cashew ice cream, pralines, and tasty smoothies, people with a normal diet will soon become fans of healthy foods that don't contain cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics, flavor enhancers, or other additives. With his non-dogmatic views, Attila Hildmann represents a new generation of people who want to eat healthy foods that are free of factory farming and products manipulated by the food industry. He believes that everyone who eats vegan one or two days a week or has one vegan meal a day will experience significant health benefits and a greater quality of life.The best example of the healthy benefits of a vegan diet is Attila Hildmann himself. He went from being a significantly overweight young man, who as he today says lacked motivation, to a model athlete full of energy within just a few years."

When I first started adding more plant-based foods to my diet, I explored the world of vegan cuisine with my first vegan cookbook, Attila Hildmann's Vegan For Fun. I received this as a birthday present and while I probably never would have picked it up myself, I'm really happy I received it as a gift. It can be inspiring, especially if you are struggling to make a change and need to feel connected through personal stories to find the motivation. 

Vegan For Fun starts out with the author's health journey, how he discovered veganism and the tips and tricks he picked up along the way. I almost want to say that this was the most informative and helpful part of this book for me. It brings home the point that food is fun and experimenting can be a very rewarding experience. 

The recipes in this cookbook are all fairly easy to accomplish. You should have a basic understanding of cooking, but there is no advanced knowledge necessary. Attila Hildmann also gives tips and ideas to substitute certain ingredients in every recipe. 

In my opinion, Vegan For Fun is great if you are looking for recipes to entertain friends and family, especially if they are not vegan/vegetarian. Dishes like Tofubolognese, Tex-Mex Burger, Baked Potatoes, Pizza, Crêpes or Tofunuggets are great if you have friends over or are cooking for a crowd or dinner party. They all mimic dishes that normally include animal based products or ingredients and taste very similar to the original. This is great if you have a favourite dish you really miss on your vegan diet and want to find a vegan alternative without giving up flavour and texture. One of my all-time favourite dishes is spaghetti bolognese. The tofu version in this cookbook is just as good, if not better, than the original, and I've made it numerous times!

One thing I was not happy about is that many of the recipes have tofu or are tofu based. I, personally, don't digest tofu very well and only have it in small quantities and very rarely. Most of the recipes are not something I would cook on a regular basis. However, if you are looking for original recipes and want to convince a non-vegan crowd that plant-based food can be really delicious, you should give Vegan For Fun a try!

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Favourite recipe: Spaghetti Tofubolognese, p.36
Price: $9.99 (9.99€) for the ebook, $25.82 (24.95€) for the hardcover
available at: AMAZON  B&N (only hardcover version)

Cheat Day?!

If you have a healthy, varied and nutritious diet, cheat days are unnecessary. Your diet shouldn't be so restricted that you need a cheat day at all!

I'm 3 weeks into my health journey and I'm feeling great. I shouldn't really say 3 weeks because I started making changes to my diet months ago, but nothing has been as effective as my current diet...and I use 'diet' very loosely because I'm not dieting. I eat a mostly vegan diet and only have fish or meat occasionally. My dairy intake is very low to non-existent, simply because it doesn't become me and I don't digest it very well. Especially milk makes my skin break out and causes bloating. (TMI??)

Anyway, I'm rambling again, one of my very favorite things to do in the world!

I read an article on popsugar.com today about the benefits of 'Cheat Days' to achieve a certain body goal, be it weight or health, or athletic ability. Having a cheat day can help you stay on track and stay focused in the long run. For some people that might work....for me, it never ever would.

Evidence #1

Last week, I bought a pack of Oreo cookies which are now vegan. I feel amazing with my new 'diet' and workout routine and thought I'd be able to have two cookies as a snack and leave it at that. My biggest problem is regulating my intake of sweets which is why I never have them in the house. Problem solved!

Let's just say, I wasn't strong enough to withstand the call of the Oreo. They are just too delicious, and even though I don't want to eat them, I've never been someone to stop at one cookie, that's why I'm here in the first place. Cookies are my kryptonyte, they get me every time which is why I never ever have them. Ever!! Back to the Oreos, well, there weren't any left after only 2 days. 'Nuff said!

I have gotten to know myself better these last few months and I know that I can't do Cheat Days. I go overboard and it is incredibly hard for me to get back to that focused and disciplined stage where I easily regulate what I eat without having to count calories or starving myself, but still being healthy and energetic. If you can't live without your favorite 'unhealthy' dish or snack, here is what I recommend:

1.) Keep it to one meal only - don't make a full day of it, but restrict yourself to one meal and have that meal outside of your house! Do not make the unhealthy snack or dish readily available in your home so you can go back for seconds. Go out to a restaurant and treat yourself with your favorite food, but don't have an unlimited amount lying around to binge on!

2.) Find an alternative! Since I can't do the cheat days because they'd turn into a cheat week, I try to find healthy alternatives for my favorite foods. I switched to dark chocolate for example. I know, it'll never taste as good as milk chocolate, be as creamy or sweet. It takes some getting used to, but I've really come to like it and it hits the spot when I really need it. I went from eating a piece every day, to a few times a week. Instead of ice cream, I blend together frozen banana and berries to make a home made fruit-based but very delicious and creamy ice cream alternative. It satisfies me and my craving without going for the real thing. 

My favorite brand of dark chocolate is actually from Aldi (plain 70% on the left, dark chocolate with almonds on the right)

Let me know your thoughts on Cheat Days, whether they are part of your routine or a no go. I'd love to know!

What I Ate Today: vegan edition + recipe

Just as a foreword, I'm not a vegan, nor am I a vegetarian. I eat meat occasionally but very rarely, and I'm trying to decrease my intake of animals products more and more. My aim is to make as many of my meals vegan as I possibly can. Some substitutes are really easy to make, and I've never been a big fan of dairy or eggs anyway. Regularly, I try not only to eat one vegan meal a day, but to have a complete vegan food day. Eating vegan just makes me feel good mentally and physically. My energy levels are much higher, I don't get tired after a meal or bloated, and my headaches have become less. On top of that, it is so much easier to keep my weight in check and I find I can eat more vegan food and feel satisfied and full, than if I were to eat a regular meal. At this point I don't think I'll ever be 100% vegan, but my aim is to consume more clean, plant-based foods and make them a priority in my diet.

Breakfast: 1 spelt flour roll with hummus and veggies + 1 cup of peppermint green tea

I had a very simple breakfast today, consisting of a bread roll which I picked up from my local bakery. It was done with spelt flour (lower gluten level than wheat), carrots and sunflower seeds. I put some hummus spiced with ginger and curry on both halfs and topped one with red bell pepper (my favourite), and the other with cucumber and a little bit of black pepper. Delicious!! 

As a beverage, I had one cup of peppermint green tea by teapigs, which is quite rare for me as I don't tend to drink something hot in the morning. I also had a glass of water right after I got up today.

Lunch: Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding with coconut and almonds + 1 banana

Around 1:30 pm, I was hungry again and had lunch. I'd prepared a chia seed pudding the day before as I knew I'd be in the mood for something chocolat-y. I can't go a day without some kind of chocolate and this is one of the healthiest ways to have it. Around 30 minutes after, I also had 1 banana and 1 tall glass of water.

If you're interested in the chocolate chia pudding, here's how I made it:

2 tbs of chia seeds

3/4 tbs of cocoa powder or to taste (make sure it's the baking kind, no added sugar)

120 ml light soya milk (or your milk of choice)

1 tsp of flaxseed (optional)

sweetener to taste (I used stevia)

toppings (optional): 

4 almonds

shredded coconut

Mix your chia seeds, flaxseed, cocoa powder and sweetener together and add 120 ml of milk (you can use more or less than 120ml depending on how thick you want your pudding to be). Stir until the cocoa is disolved and the chia seeds evenly distributed. I added 2 drops of essential orange oil, but I've also done it with peppermint oil or cinnamon before. The possibilities are endless! Refrigerate overnight, or for at least 2 hours. 

(Recommended: After 1 hour, I usually give it a stir as the chia seeds like to seperate from the liquid sometimes.)

Top with your favorite toppings. Today I used shredded coconut and almonds, but any type of nut works here. I often make this as a breakfast option as I can put everything together the night before and it's ready to eat in the morning. For breakfast, I make a larger portion and use more liquid, so it's runnier and top it with fresh fruit.

Snack: 1 serving on LantChips Original

As a snack between lunch and dinner I had one serving (25g) of Lant chips. I like the original kind which is lightly salted. These chips are organic and only have 3 ingredients: potatoes, sunflower seed oil and salt. You can actually taste the potatoe and they are slightly thicker than regular chips from the supermarket. I get these from my local organic grocery store, but I've heard they are also available from IKEA.

Dinner: Falafel with salad

I wasn't too hungry because the chia seed pudding was very filling, so I fried up 5 falafel in some coconut oil and made a salad to go along with it. The salad consisted of carrots, bell pepper, cucumber, mushrooms, greens including cabbage and a dressing of lemon and olive oil.

I hope you enjoyed my first 'What I Ate Today' post. If you want more of these, let me know.

 

Becoming healthy again!

 Getting Back To Healthy Eating!

I'm on a diet! 

Well, not really a diet, but I'm trying to get back to healthy eating. I've always been pretty good with my diet but somehow I started to get into all different kinds of food and ways of eating. All this threw me off and my routine became a routine no more. 

Two years ago, I went to Italy on vacation and I gained around 2-3 pounds, as you do on vacation, especially when the food is as good as in Italy. I mean, is there anything that doesn't taste good in that country? Anyway, I never lost those 2-3 pounds and here and there, over the last two years, I gained another one and another one....you get my drift. It all amounted to around 10 pounds that I gained. I was at a really great weight, so I'm still not overweight, but I don't feel comfortable in my skin anymore and I think that's the most important part -

As long as YOU feel good, 2 or even 5 pounds more are fine. If you don't feel good anymore, it's time to make a change.

I'm making that change. I've tried different diets and even tried eating as much raw food as possible. Nothing worked! I gave up on the different diets because they were too strict or didn't fit into my schedule. Then I stumbled upon Anna Saccone's (www.annasaccone.com) youtube channel and I watched her What I Ate Wednesday videos. Finally, I remembered how I used to eat, which is very close to her concept. Nothing is forbidden but it's about moderation and choosing the healthy option 80% of the time. The other 20% you can sin in moderation. Her videos are really inspiring. She eats regular food and just uses her head on what choices to make when it comes to her diet. I needed the help of her videos to get back into a routine that feels good. A regular diet in which I eat healthy food but allow myself a small treat every day. I did count calories at first, just wrote them down on a sheet of paper, to keep track of my meals during the day and to get an idea for what is okay to eat and what would be too much.

I've only been back to a good, healthy diet for one week, but I feel great. 

I won't be doing 'What I ate' posts every week, but I plan on doing them once in a while. If you need some inspiration and are interested, check out Anna's website and youtube channel! It's really made a difference to me.