The KInd Life Community Forum

Ive been a vegan since July 2010, It was more a personal choice for me, I was diagnosed with PCOS, so its really hard for me to lose weight, Cutting out meat and dairy seemed to be the right choice, not only for my body but also morally. Im surprised though that my weight has pretty much stayed the same. I am a very picky eater so im not sure if that plays a roll....i eat alot of vegies, and do enjoy brown rice...if anyone has a suggestion on somethings i may be able to try to drop this unhealthy weight id love to here it, by the way Im 5'7 and i weigh about 218

well for breakfast i usally eat a bowl of special K with almond milk, Lunch ill prob eat a sald with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avacado and vegan ranch or olive oil dressing...dinner i like to et brown rice with steamed broccoli.....or a veggie burger....or vegitarian refired beans on a tortilla...i do drink soda still and ik im barley drinking water...

First and foremost - drop the soda, terribly unhealthy, and definitely not good for weight - and drink more water, which it appears you know, but need to do. Your meals don't appear to be as well-rounded as they could be. If you must have a breakfasty type of breakfast, you should really go with whole grains over a processed cereal - like steel cut oats, or even brown rice as a porridge. If you can change your breakfast habits, it would be really good to start the day with some veggies, and add a whole grain if you need it. Lunch - if you want to keep to salad, that's fine, but I would add legumes, and maybe again just a small serving of grains, and I would drop the vegan ranch or olive oil dressing. Dinner - start expanding on different types of grains and veggies, try things you've never tried to get more variety and nutrition. I don't know anything about insulin resistance, which ann ann mentioned, so I don't know how that might change what you should eat. Basically, if you want to be at your healthiest, and lose weight, you should be eating as cleanly as possible - increase your whole foods, especially veggies, and decrease processed foods as well as foods that are high in fat. That doesn't mean you can't have a treat now and then, but I don't think it's wise to eat a processed cereal like Special K everyday, have soda, and eat high calories dressings all the time. I hope this gives you some ideas!

I echo what Hazel said about veggies in the morning - try a green smoothie!! I have one every morning and I really try to vary it

Here's a SAMPLE recipe (again, I change it all the time, but you'll get the idea):

In a blender (this takes me all morning to drink)

-24 oz of water

-8 oz of non-dairy milk (I prefer unsweetened organic soy but almond, rice, or hemp will do)

-1 heaping handful of organic spinach

-1 heaping handful of organic kale (LOVE!)

-some other type of veggie - broccoli, celery, collards are all great choices

-1 banana or 1 apple

-1 cup of frozen fruit (1/2 pineapple 1/2 blueberries is my favorite)

-1-2 tbsp spriulina

-1 tsp maca (vanilla spice)

-sometimes I'll add flax, nuts, or soy yogurt, depending on my mood

Having a green smoothie gives you so much energy and FIBER in the morning. Fiber is so important to weight loss and your approach to healthy eating because it fills you up, lowers your cholesterol, and improves digestion. I know that fruit has sugar and some people really try to avoid that, but the fiber in fruit helps your body absorb the sugars more slowly so it's not the same as eating a candy bar. It also makes the green smoothie taste good, so you're more likely to eat more greens.

Try a green smoothie! It will be amazing - you won't even taste the "green" part. :)

Pending you dont have some disorder which affects metabolism such as a thyroid issue, it all boils down to calories in vs calories expended.

Im not a fan of calorie counting but using a online caloric calculator such as fit day can give you a good idea of how much calories your taking in on an average day.

http://www.amlaberry.co.uk