Thanks for posting to r/Vegan! 🐥
**Please note:** Civil discussion is welcome, trolls and personal abuse [are not](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/wiki/rules). Please keep the discussions below respectful and remember the human! Please check out [our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/wiki/beginnersguide) first!
**Interested in going Vegan?** 👊
Check out [Watch Dominion](https://watchdominion.org/) and watch a thought-provoking, life changing documentary for free!
**Some other resources to help you go vegan:** 🐓
Visit [NutritionFacts.org](https://NutritionFacts.org) for health and nutrition support, [HappyCow.net](https://HappyCow.net) to explore nearby vegan-friendly restaurants, and visit [VeganBootcamp.org](https://veganbootcamp.org/reddit) for a free 30 day vegan challenge!
**Become an activist and help save animal lives today:** 🐟
* Find volunteer requests to support and help animal on [VH: Playground!](https://veganhacktivists.org/playground)
* Developer, designer, or other skills? Volunteer at the [Vegan Hacktivists](https://veganhacktivists.org/join)!
* Join our huge Vegan volunteer community [on Discord](https://discord.gg/vhplayground)!
* Find local activist groups using the [Animal Rights Map](https://animalrightsmap.org)!
* Get funding for your animal rights activism, [apply here](https://veganhacktivists.org/grants)!
*Last but not least, join the [r/Vegan Discord server](https://discord.gg/animalrights)!*
**Thank you!**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vegan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
26 pounds in 10 weeks is fast, but probably not a cause for concern yet. Like you said, the water weight loss is part of that number. And as you lose weight, the weight loss per week will slow down just because it takes fewer calories to maintain a 180 lb body than it does to maintain a 226 lb body so your calorie deficit will shrink while eating the same diet. When I was on a diet, I kept a log of my weight once per week and I could see the trend I am talking about. Maybe you could do the same to set your mind at ease.
If the weight loss does not slow down after a while or you get symptoms like frequent tiredness, it might make sense to start thinking about how to bump up the calorie count of your meals in a healthy way. (Adding more liquid oils, eating nuts/seeds, etc.)
I struggled with my weight for years before going vegan. I had been doing Carnivore/Keto and ballooned up to 240 lbs.
Once I swapped to a whole food, plant based diet - around 11 years ago - I started shedding weight without effort. Like yourself, I was eating full meals and snacks and still losing. I did use a tracker to ensure I was getting adequate nutrition for the first few months to ease my mind.
Now, I'm 114 lbs -have been for 7 years - and am simply eating well, doing yoga, and working my farm.
The hormones in animal products and the ingredients in processed foods can both be inflammatory. And like other folks mentioned, vegans tend to eat few calories and more fiber, which can lead to greater satiety and lower total caloric intake.
Thank you for sharing this. I know there are plenty of vegans with weight loss stories and their own struggles, but so many people that have given me health advice throughout my life have been people that have never struggled to lose weight, or they were people who were raised eating right and cannot relate to me. I was raised on a terrible American diet, and everyone in my family struggles with weight and health issues related to it, even though no one in my family looks obese or extremely overweight. The weight loss has been insane, and even my family that was skeptical of me going vegan is amazed.
I've gotten a calorie tracker app and logged what I ate yesterday and it was about 1600 calories, which is a hundred or so calories less than I used to eat for weight loss, so I am in a deficit and could stand to eat just a bit more. I'm not used to being satisfied by food like I have been, so I've just not felt very hungry. I'll drink more of my probiotic juices and kombucha and have a bit more protein with those extra calories. Insane what a difference actual good food makes. When I was eating junk, 1600 calories made me feel like I was STARVING.
You are probably experiencing what many vegans experience when they first switch. Which is trying to just switch out what you arte before with a vegan version. This is not really a problem but be aware that many vegan products just have less calories due to their nature. If you want to maintain your weight you might want to eat either more, or switch some stuff out for more calorie dense foods. Funnily enough I actually gaines about 5 Kilos (~10 lbs?) because I ate pretty fatty foods when I switched and therefore actually increasing my caloric intake. Now I switched to mostly WFPB meals, lots of bread, occasional fatty stuff and other junkfood. It's not optimal but it tastes good and keeps my weight steady. If you then want to reduce, your best bet is exercise.
I've been vegan for almost 20 years. I've never struggled with weight. I cook professionally, but I have also always cooked wholesome meals at home. My partner and I moved from Seattle to Portland for her school a while back. I prefer a WFPB diet but she is super picky. In Portland vegan junk food and is very accessible. There's literally a restaurant called Vegan Junk Food. She was so busy with work and school and our schedules didn't line up very well. So she would just tell me to order out almost every night. (it got pretty fucking expensive) So, between Next Level Burger, Vegan Junk Food, Veggie Grill, and Black Water Bar at least 4 times a week we weren't eating very well. I'm only 5'10". I got up to 190 pounds. I walked everywhere and rode my bike to work everyday. I was drinking a lot so I assumed my weight gain was due to that. We broke up and she moved out. In two months I lost nearly 20 pounds. Without changing my exercise or commuting routine. I also didnt change my drinking habits at the time either. I was finally able to eat better now that I didn't have another person to consider.
I share that because I think it's important that we realize how important diet is to our bodies. Processed foods are loaded with sugar and unhealthy oils. Listen to your body. If you're full than you're full. If you're hungry than eat. Just try to eat the right things. I only had minimal nutritional training in culinary school, but I know a little. Unless you're training I'd just focus on getting your macros and micros before getting hyperfocused on counting calories. It's likely you're shedding weight because you were eating poor food. Dairy, eggs, and meat are horrible for our bodies. Take care of you and as long as you're feeling energized, focused, awake, and strong than you're probably doing something right. Often time in veganism we know it's for the animals and for the environment. There is no reason it shouldn't be about ourselves too.
Thank you so much for this. My partner has been vegan for 6 years and has been amazing through this. Losing weight has been very emotional for me, and they have talked me through that side of weight loss. Even before I was actually overweight as a teen, I was being called fat as a kid. I have never known what it was like to just shed weight effortlessly or have a healthy relationship with food. I had only accepted my body being the way it is in the past few years since I couldn't seem to shed the extra weight, and now I am losing weight like crazy AND feeling full with the power of plants lol.
Having heavily researched weight loss prior to being vegan, I am just trying to be aware of what could potentially be unhealthy. I avoid all the fad diets and such and have tried to make lifestyle changes before, but being vegan actually has changed my life. None of my foods before were nutrionally dense, and I barely enjoyed meat at all (literally only ate chicken, which is good because plant-based chicken is AMAZING), so I was barely getting protein with the dietary knowledge I had before. I do not want to trade a binge eating disorder for anorexia or anything, so I have been focused on making sure I eat enough and get more nutrients as my body lets go of weight.
Thanks again for your input! I'm going to track what I eat just to make sure I'm not accidentally barely eating anything, but I feel pretty good about it. Like I said, I've not felt starved. I don't even crave fast food anymore. I relapsed a couple weeks into being vegan when I had a bad day, and the feeling of biting into real meat made me sick to my stomach. It tasted like sour chemicals and felt like I was just biting right into a chicken. Never again 🤢 I have to travel about half an hour to get to a fully vegan restaurant, so I've been mostly eating at home. My partner and I occasionally splurge and get Rapid Fired Pizza because they have vegan cheeses and meats, but I'm eating at home 99% of the time.
I put on weight when I went Vegan because I was relying on linda mccartneys sausages and pies back then. I honestly don't believe going Vegan alone has any specific impact on weight, weight is about calories. You can lose or gain weight eating anything.
Pay attention to calories and adjust as needed. If you're losing weight, you are in a calorie deficit. I'd say increase your calorie intake if you are at your ideal body size, and if not, keep it up.
26 lbs in two months sounds like a lot, but it's normal to lose weight more quickly when you have more weight to lose. Only when you've got just a bit left to lose should you be concerned about losing drastic amounts of weight.
As you started off quite overweight this is a reasonable weight loss - to be honest this is not too quick given there's a reasonable amount to lose. A healthy diet *should* result in your weight normalising.
Certainly 200 is still obese although much improved and still 180 lbs would be overweight. I wouldn't even start to think / worry about it until you are getting to more like 150-160.
Maybe it won't go that low. But you are likely doing your health the world of good coming down to a more sensible number. Check your vitamins with a blood test to make sure your nutrients are ok. I presume you are taking a B12 loaded multivitamin designed for vegans and omega 3.
Well done both on the veganism for the animals and the weight loss for yourself. You should be very proud of yourself.
I've been vegan for just under a year. I'm 175cm and was always around 57kg, so quite lean. For the first time I'm starting to lose weight and I think I need to look at more calorie dense foods! I'm finding it a bit of a struggle otherwise as I'm not a big eater.
track your calories, losing or gaining weight is thermodynamics unless you have some rare nutrient absorption problem which by your description doesn’t sound like the case. if you know your bmr and how much you want to lose in a certain amount of time, making that happen is as simple as tracking your calories. i should add that vegan foods often are less calorie dense than the non vegan counterpart so you probably are used to estimating how full you are and how many calories you’re eating on a scale that doesn’t apply anymore.
+1 to this. I’ve also found using an activity tracker (in my case, Apple Watch) has helped me adjust for my activity in my intake. My Fitness Pal helped me at first, but I’ve found Cronometer to be much better. Also, please consider seeing a dietitian. I’ve found it helpful to check in to make sure I’m being nutritionally complete. You can even bring in your food tracking and they can give you advice.
My husband has dropped 50lb just by going vegan. Me (f) haven't lost a damn thing, not an ounce.
We started this for health reasons but the weight lost was a great surprise to him. He's now back at a healthy weight.
It is not muscle yet, and I only weigh myself out of curiosity. I don't want to define myself by a number. I feel good. I just got scared that I had lost so much weight so quickly, because I have never even been able to lose weight when I was actively trying to. I am doing yoga to strengthen my body as I lose weight. I don't really want to be super muscular. My goal is to be more flexible and just have the strength to be able to lift myself and hold my own weight more effortlessly. I've also been walking a lot more with my dogs. My partner has moved in with me and is 6 years into their vegan and health journeys, and it is so much easier to be healthy when someone shows you how and holds you accountable. Thank you for your input! The mirror has definitely been interesting to look in lol. My pants are starting to fall off my ass 😂
There are people who can't process vegetable protein correctly and I would be careful with that if that were the case. It's not usual but it's a possibility
Could be you're not eating enough calories and not enough protein so you're losing muscle mass quickly.
Could be diabetes.
Either way schedule a checkup with your doctor run and get routine blood work.
I went from vegetarian to vegan and dropped 20 lbs. It's very common simply because you can eat your go to snacks/comfort food. I would stay away from vegan junk food as long as you can so you can enjoy the health benefits long term. There is a lot of unnecessary fat and calories in meat and dairy.
No one is going to be able to tell you except a doctor and/or registered dietician. Unexplained or unintended weight loss should be brought up with a medical professional
I’ve lost 45 lbs going vegan. Unless you’re a strict vegan junk food eater, it is healthier and overall less calories. If you’re not hungry, it’s all good! Anyone a bit overweight is going to shed excess pounds. It might be concerning if you were underweight but this is just your body doing exactly what it should. There’s a whole bunch of ways to calculate it you can search, but because I’m actively trying to lose more weight I aim for 80-100g protein a day. It’s pretty easy with minimal effort even without protein shakes. Besides that I just try to make sure everyday that I eat vegetables and fruit, protein and some healthy fats along with my carbs, and try to choose whole grains for the most part.
And I do believe inflammation is a huge part of it too. Try measuring yourself with a tape measure. And have you noticed a reduction in general aches and pains and arthritis etc? For me within 2-3 weeks every single ache and pain I had was vanished it was unreal. Totally solved mh lifelong battle with acne too.
Thanks for posting to r/Vegan! 🐥 **Please note:** Civil discussion is welcome, trolls and personal abuse [are not](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/wiki/rules). Please keep the discussions below respectful and remember the human! Please check out [our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/wiki/beginnersguide) first! **Interested in going Vegan?** 👊 Check out [Watch Dominion](https://watchdominion.org/) and watch a thought-provoking, life changing documentary for free! **Some other resources to help you go vegan:** 🐓 Visit [NutritionFacts.org](https://NutritionFacts.org) for health and nutrition support, [HappyCow.net](https://HappyCow.net) to explore nearby vegan-friendly restaurants, and visit [VeganBootcamp.org](https://veganbootcamp.org/reddit) for a free 30 day vegan challenge! **Become an activist and help save animal lives today:** 🐟 * Find volunteer requests to support and help animal on [VH: Playground!](https://veganhacktivists.org/playground) * Developer, designer, or other skills? Volunteer at the [Vegan Hacktivists](https://veganhacktivists.org/join)! * Join our huge Vegan volunteer community [on Discord](https://discord.gg/vhplayground)! * Find local activist groups using the [Animal Rights Map](https://animalrightsmap.org)! * Get funding for your animal rights activism, [apply here](https://veganhacktivists.org/grants)! *Last but not least, join the [r/Vegan Discord server](https://discord.gg/animalrights)!* **Thank you!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/vegan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
26 pounds in 10 weeks is fast, but probably not a cause for concern yet. Like you said, the water weight loss is part of that number. And as you lose weight, the weight loss per week will slow down just because it takes fewer calories to maintain a 180 lb body than it does to maintain a 226 lb body so your calorie deficit will shrink while eating the same diet. When I was on a diet, I kept a log of my weight once per week and I could see the trend I am talking about. Maybe you could do the same to set your mind at ease. If the weight loss does not slow down after a while or you get symptoms like frequent tiredness, it might make sense to start thinking about how to bump up the calorie count of your meals in a healthy way. (Adding more liquid oils, eating nuts/seeds, etc.)
I struggled with my weight for years before going vegan. I had been doing Carnivore/Keto and ballooned up to 240 lbs. Once I swapped to a whole food, plant based diet - around 11 years ago - I started shedding weight without effort. Like yourself, I was eating full meals and snacks and still losing. I did use a tracker to ensure I was getting adequate nutrition for the first few months to ease my mind. Now, I'm 114 lbs -have been for 7 years - and am simply eating well, doing yoga, and working my farm. The hormones in animal products and the ingredients in processed foods can both be inflammatory. And like other folks mentioned, vegans tend to eat few calories and more fiber, which can lead to greater satiety and lower total caloric intake.
Thank you for sharing this. I know there are plenty of vegans with weight loss stories and their own struggles, but so many people that have given me health advice throughout my life have been people that have never struggled to lose weight, or they were people who were raised eating right and cannot relate to me. I was raised on a terrible American diet, and everyone in my family struggles with weight and health issues related to it, even though no one in my family looks obese or extremely overweight. The weight loss has been insane, and even my family that was skeptical of me going vegan is amazed. I've gotten a calorie tracker app and logged what I ate yesterday and it was about 1600 calories, which is a hundred or so calories less than I used to eat for weight loss, so I am in a deficit and could stand to eat just a bit more. I'm not used to being satisfied by food like I have been, so I've just not felt very hungry. I'll drink more of my probiotic juices and kombucha and have a bit more protein with those extra calories. Insane what a difference actual good food makes. When I was eating junk, 1600 calories made me feel like I was STARVING.
You are probably experiencing what many vegans experience when they first switch. Which is trying to just switch out what you arte before with a vegan version. This is not really a problem but be aware that many vegan products just have less calories due to their nature. If you want to maintain your weight you might want to eat either more, or switch some stuff out for more calorie dense foods. Funnily enough I actually gaines about 5 Kilos (~10 lbs?) because I ate pretty fatty foods when I switched and therefore actually increasing my caloric intake. Now I switched to mostly WFPB meals, lots of bread, occasional fatty stuff and other junkfood. It's not optimal but it tastes good and keeps my weight steady. If you then want to reduce, your best bet is exercise.
I've been vegan for almost 20 years. I've never struggled with weight. I cook professionally, but I have also always cooked wholesome meals at home. My partner and I moved from Seattle to Portland for her school a while back. I prefer a WFPB diet but she is super picky. In Portland vegan junk food and is very accessible. There's literally a restaurant called Vegan Junk Food. She was so busy with work and school and our schedules didn't line up very well. So she would just tell me to order out almost every night. (it got pretty fucking expensive) So, between Next Level Burger, Vegan Junk Food, Veggie Grill, and Black Water Bar at least 4 times a week we weren't eating very well. I'm only 5'10". I got up to 190 pounds. I walked everywhere and rode my bike to work everyday. I was drinking a lot so I assumed my weight gain was due to that. We broke up and she moved out. In two months I lost nearly 20 pounds. Without changing my exercise or commuting routine. I also didnt change my drinking habits at the time either. I was finally able to eat better now that I didn't have another person to consider. I share that because I think it's important that we realize how important diet is to our bodies. Processed foods are loaded with sugar and unhealthy oils. Listen to your body. If you're full than you're full. If you're hungry than eat. Just try to eat the right things. I only had minimal nutritional training in culinary school, but I know a little. Unless you're training I'd just focus on getting your macros and micros before getting hyperfocused on counting calories. It's likely you're shedding weight because you were eating poor food. Dairy, eggs, and meat are horrible for our bodies. Take care of you and as long as you're feeling energized, focused, awake, and strong than you're probably doing something right. Often time in veganism we know it's for the animals and for the environment. There is no reason it shouldn't be about ourselves too.
Thank you so much for this. My partner has been vegan for 6 years and has been amazing through this. Losing weight has been very emotional for me, and they have talked me through that side of weight loss. Even before I was actually overweight as a teen, I was being called fat as a kid. I have never known what it was like to just shed weight effortlessly or have a healthy relationship with food. I had only accepted my body being the way it is in the past few years since I couldn't seem to shed the extra weight, and now I am losing weight like crazy AND feeling full with the power of plants lol. Having heavily researched weight loss prior to being vegan, I am just trying to be aware of what could potentially be unhealthy. I avoid all the fad diets and such and have tried to make lifestyle changes before, but being vegan actually has changed my life. None of my foods before were nutrionally dense, and I barely enjoyed meat at all (literally only ate chicken, which is good because plant-based chicken is AMAZING), so I was barely getting protein with the dietary knowledge I had before. I do not want to trade a binge eating disorder for anorexia or anything, so I have been focused on making sure I eat enough and get more nutrients as my body lets go of weight. Thanks again for your input! I'm going to track what I eat just to make sure I'm not accidentally barely eating anything, but I feel pretty good about it. Like I said, I've not felt starved. I don't even crave fast food anymore. I relapsed a couple weeks into being vegan when I had a bad day, and the feeling of biting into real meat made me sick to my stomach. It tasted like sour chemicals and felt like I was just biting right into a chicken. Never again 🤢 I have to travel about half an hour to get to a fully vegan restaurant, so I've been mostly eating at home. My partner and I occasionally splurge and get Rapid Fired Pizza because they have vegan cheeses and meats, but I'm eating at home 99% of the time.
I put on weight when I went Vegan because I was relying on linda mccartneys sausages and pies back then. I honestly don't believe going Vegan alone has any specific impact on weight, weight is about calories. You can lose or gain weight eating anything. Pay attention to calories and adjust as needed. If you're losing weight, you are in a calorie deficit. I'd say increase your calorie intake if you are at your ideal body size, and if not, keep it up. 26 lbs in two months sounds like a lot, but it's normal to lose weight more quickly when you have more weight to lose. Only when you've got just a bit left to lose should you be concerned about losing drastic amounts of weight.
As you started off quite overweight this is a reasonable weight loss - to be honest this is not too quick given there's a reasonable amount to lose. A healthy diet *should* result in your weight normalising. Certainly 200 is still obese although much improved and still 180 lbs would be overweight. I wouldn't even start to think / worry about it until you are getting to more like 150-160. Maybe it won't go that low. But you are likely doing your health the world of good coming down to a more sensible number. Check your vitamins with a blood test to make sure your nutrients are ok. I presume you are taking a B12 loaded multivitamin designed for vegans and omega 3. Well done both on the veganism for the animals and the weight loss for yourself. You should be very proud of yourself.
This is true. I have started eating vegan about 60%-70% of the time and my wife and I have lost a lot of weight.
Well from what I know - when you have a lot of weight to lose, you'll lose a lot of weight (and vice versa for gaining weight).
I've been vegan for just under a year. I'm 175cm and was always around 57kg, so quite lean. For the first time I'm starting to lose weight and I think I need to look at more calorie dense foods! I'm finding it a bit of a struggle otherwise as I'm not a big eater.
track your calories, losing or gaining weight is thermodynamics unless you have some rare nutrient absorption problem which by your description doesn’t sound like the case. if you know your bmr and how much you want to lose in a certain amount of time, making that happen is as simple as tracking your calories. i should add that vegan foods often are less calorie dense than the non vegan counterpart so you probably are used to estimating how full you are and how many calories you’re eating on a scale that doesn’t apply anymore.
+1 to this. I’ve also found using an activity tracker (in my case, Apple Watch) has helped me adjust for my activity in my intake. My Fitness Pal helped me at first, but I’ve found Cronometer to be much better. Also, please consider seeing a dietitian. I’ve found it helpful to check in to make sure I’m being nutritionally complete. You can even bring in your food tracking and they can give you advice.
cronometer is my lifeline💪 gained 35 lbs this year by tracking my calories on cronometer and going to the gym consistently.
My husband has dropped 50lb just by going vegan. Me (f) haven't lost a damn thing, not an ounce. We started this for health reasons but the weight lost was a great surprise to him. He's now back at a healthy weight.
14 stone is still overweight, unless it is muscle. Take exercise. Eat a healthy diet. Start using a mirror not scales to judge your weight.
It is not muscle yet, and I only weigh myself out of curiosity. I don't want to define myself by a number. I feel good. I just got scared that I had lost so much weight so quickly, because I have never even been able to lose weight when I was actively trying to. I am doing yoga to strengthen my body as I lose weight. I don't really want to be super muscular. My goal is to be more flexible and just have the strength to be able to lift myself and hold my own weight more effortlessly. I've also been walking a lot more with my dogs. My partner has moved in with me and is 6 years into their vegan and health journeys, and it is so much easier to be healthy when someone shows you how and holds you accountable. Thank you for your input! The mirror has definitely been interesting to look in lol. My pants are starting to fall off my ass 😂
You are not a number. You are a vegan man.
Being vegan turned them into a man?
Prisoner
Make sure you eat plenty of starches, they are very satiating for low calorie, healthy too.
There are people who can't process vegetable protein correctly and I would be careful with that if that were the case. It's not usual but it's a possibility
Could be you're not eating enough calories and not enough protein so you're losing muscle mass quickly. Could be diabetes. Either way schedule a checkup with your doctor run and get routine blood work.
I went from vegetarian to vegan and dropped 20 lbs. It's very common simply because you can eat your go to snacks/comfort food. I would stay away from vegan junk food as long as you can so you can enjoy the health benefits long term. There is a lot of unnecessary fat and calories in meat and dairy.
No one is going to be able to tell you except a doctor and/or registered dietician. Unexplained or unintended weight loss should be brought up with a medical professional
Should note that there arent really any vegan sources of creatine so that would explain the water weight
I’ve lost 45 lbs going vegan. Unless you’re a strict vegan junk food eater, it is healthier and overall less calories. If you’re not hungry, it’s all good! Anyone a bit overweight is going to shed excess pounds. It might be concerning if you were underweight but this is just your body doing exactly what it should. There’s a whole bunch of ways to calculate it you can search, but because I’m actively trying to lose more weight I aim for 80-100g protein a day. It’s pretty easy with minimal effort even without protein shakes. Besides that I just try to make sure everyday that I eat vegetables and fruit, protein and some healthy fats along with my carbs, and try to choose whole grains for the most part. And I do believe inflammation is a huge part of it too. Try measuring yourself with a tape measure. And have you noticed a reduction in general aches and pains and arthritis etc? For me within 2-3 weeks every single ache and pain I had was vanished it was unreal. Totally solved mh lifelong battle with acne too.