Hunger

[bejapuskas]

Hey guys, I have been recently trying vegan and vegetarian diet for health, but I always get hungry. How do you guys manage that? Can you please give me an example of what you eat in a day or a week?

 

[RabbitHole]

1 hour ago, bejapuskas said:

Hey guys, I have been recently trying vegan and vegetarian diet for health, but I always get hungry. How do you guys manage that? Can you please give me an example of what you eat in a day or a week?

 

I know the feels, been there, first when transitioning I lost almost 10kg  Now I've finally found my perfect meal plan, only to warn you - I eat everyday same meals as It's easy and gives me all my body needs, It also sustains also my high intensity endurance workouts. Sure I miss some things and I don't include some small stuff I add to meals, but this works great for me and I feel better than ever.  I am 6.6"/2m tall, weight around 85kg and do intense workouts where I spend from 2000-4000 calories thats without maintenance needs without them. Feeling great, progressing in trainings. I also included quantity, but no one who is not working out hard needs that much food, so my average day looks like is:

I eat musli/granola (oatmeal with dried fruits, seeds) with milk in the morning. 200g dry.

For lunch rice with veggies, regular kidney beans and soybeans (for protein). 200g rice, 150g of each beans, and a loot of veggies, both frozen and fresh (avocado).

Before workouts I might eat some bananas or bread with peanut butter, or musli again.

Dinner/after workout again rice, just maybe even bigger quantity.

After that I eat looots fruits or musli If I feel like It, yeah I eat like 500g of musli daily  

Troughout the day I eat a lot of wholegrain cookies, they taste like sand to be honest, but are high in carbs and calories. I eat 500g package daily.

*Edited. I also use spirulina powder as It contains most vitamins and minerals we need. Sure I still miss some, but I feel better than ever so not really worrying about that.

This averages around 5000 - 6000 calories daily. I bet you need half of that. Basically eat more grains, they will fill you up and boost calorie intake.  Then just add a lots of veggies, beans, peas or some other protein source and receive gratitude from your body, animals and environment in return. 

You could also write what you eat and I could suggest some products to add, I could bet that you are not consuming enough calories (most new vegan problem), also If you just went vegan your body will need to adapt as It's working as hard to digest food as before and It needs some time to adjust and use less energy to digest food. Once It will do that, you will feel less hungry and have more energy. Now It might be processing food too fast (as meat is very heavy for digestion) and that's why you feel hungry shortly after eating.

Edited September 3, 2018 by RabbitHole

[bejapuskas]

@Feel Good @RabbitHole Thanks for replying! I cannot really define what I eat on my average day, since my family doesnt really care about diet that much and I dont have money myself to buy stuff. (15 years old at grammar school) I am also just trying to break the bad eating habits, I am not like neck-deep in the process, but I think that I am more conscious of my body than an average teenage boy.

I surely need less than you, I am about 6 feet tall and weight 65 kilos... 

The grains might help probably, yeah... One more thing I am concerned about is the B12 vitamin, it seems to pop out everywhere if you search for veganism. Is it really that much of a problem? 

Is it a problem to eat the same things every single day other than that I could have issues with being annoyed with the taste after few weeks?

 

 

[RabbitHole]

21 minutes ago, bejapuskas said:

@Feel Good @RabbitHole Thanks for replying! I cannot really define what I eat on my average day, since my family doesnt really care about diet that much and I dont have money myself to buy stuff. (15 years old at grammar school) I am also just trying to break the bad eating habits, I am not like neck-deep in the process, but I think that I am more conscious of my body than an average teenage boy.

I surely need less than you, I am about 6 feet tall and weight 65 kilos... 

The grains might help probably, yeah... One more thing I am concerned about is the B12 vitamin, it seems to pop out everywhere if you search for veganism. Is it really that much of a problem? 

Is it a problem to eat the same things every single day other than that I could have issues with being annoyed with the taste after few weeks?

 

 

Don't worry about bad habits too much, most people are unconsciouss about their diet entire life, If you start now, then in few years you will know everything you need to know about nutrition etc. I can't give too specific examples as I adjust It for performance, that's why such big amount of food.

You need around 2400 calories per day, slowly start paying attention to how much you consume and make sure you hit this target every day as this is amount that your body needs for sustainability. 

About b12, It's true, It's really hard to consume It as vegan (only seaweeds), but many vegan products contain It, I get It from plant milk. Why is it needed? It's for healthy neural system. Does It means your will be damaged If you don't consume It? No, but is It needed for optimum performance? Yes. I suggest to get It in pills form and It really doesnt cost much, especially on internet. Taking It or not doesn't make noticable difference, but yes, you should supplement It.

About eating same food. It's not a problem at all, I do It to save time, energy and money. I don't need to think about what Im going to eat, I spend little money as I buy only what I need, prepare for next day so less cooking. I'm just minimalistic and I changed my meals few times until I got to these that do make me feel great and sustain my lifestyle. I am not even annoyed by taste as I care only about getting right and enough nutrients and calories, but sure most people can't handle that.

I can just tell that you can be really grateful for having understanding parents as many young people struggle with having parents accepting their choice. Try consuming more grains as they are high in carbonhydrates (bodys source of energy) and pretty high in calories. There is a reason why I eat that much carbs when endurance training, they are fuel for our bodies.

Hope this gave some useful insights, if you have questions, I will gladly help you out

[bejapuskas]

@Feel Good  That sounds yummy, I am actually pretty close to that, if we overlook the supplementation, on my ideal days, when I feel good! 

 

[bejapuskas]

@Feel Good Yeh, I feel great on these days. I dont use supplementation, but I know that when I get some smoothie (more than you said usually, because my brother and dad dont drink it), then oat meal with nuts and berries/fruits and in the evening I can eat something like beans with vegetables and salad... Good to know I am on a good way.

[Michael569]

Check out some of Simnet Nutrition's videos on youtube. He has many titled "what i eat in a day". The guy is an epitome of thriving on plant based diet. 

Lots of tips on recipes, sauces, nutrition and working out by an extremely humble and likeable dude  

[bejapuskas]

@Michael569  Good! Gonna check that guy out, thanks for your recommendation! Do you think I can copy some of his recipes, but in lower quantity, as I am smaller guy than him?

 

[Michael569]

@bejapuskas of course you can. A Remember that on plant-based diets, the number one problem so many people struggle with lack of energy and hunger is simply not eating enough. Also maybe look up Derek's video called "tips for new vegans" that goes through a lot of struggles people face on plant based diets. 

Meat and dairy are calorically dense foods and when you take those away and do not replace properly, your energy levels will suffer potentially triggering a cascade of signs & symptoms eventually leading to iron-deficiency or B12/B9 deficiency anaemias , hair loss, weight loss and anxiety. 

Lots of great tips by @Feel Good above, make sure to consider those as well. Good luck !! 

[bejapuskas]

@Michael569 @Feel Good @RabbitHole  What do you guys think about that guy from south of Africa, who does callorie restriction, one meal a day and veganism, all at the same time while performing well in body building? I have tried watching his videos, but my English isnt quite there to understand all the advanced terms. I dont know if he is legit, but he seems kind of similar to Wim Hof, who I admire.

[RabbitHole]

8 hours ago, bejapuskas said:

@Michael569 @Feel Good @RabbitHole  What do you guys think about that guy from south of Africa, who does callorie restriction, one meal a day and veganism, all at the same time while performing well in body building? I have tried watching his videos, but my English isnt quite there to understand all the advanced terms. I dont know if he is legit, but he seems kind of similar to Wim Hof, who I admire.

I honestly don't believe he's legit. Well, somewhat is, but I believe that he gained his strength and muscle mass on regular diet and only then transitioned to one meal a day and that crazy calorie restriction. It's impossible to gain that much muscle mass without calorie surplus, body simply has no "material aka food" to build Itself from. Sure he might be using nutrients more efficiently, but now way he built that body on this kind of diet. What he is doing is probably sustaining his body, but I don't believe he will be gaining any more weight/muscle. It's very possible to get stronger on low calories, but not bigger size - wise. Sure those are just my thoughts and my experience on this, maybe I just lack knowledge to understand how It works, but from my perspective It goes against all natural, biological laws.

[bejapuskas]

@RabbitHole @Michael569 @Feel Good  Yeh... I just thought that he is very smart and obviously had sacrificed a lot of his time getting experience in his field. What do you guys think of Steven Gundry? I just stumbled upon him when watching videos on youtube.

[Michael569]

@bejapuskas not a fan of his work This guy bashes on lentils like a madman. His audience are people with digestive issues that haven't been diagnosed and fixed properly. It is an elimination diet that takes away some of the most powerful category from the plant kingdom but does not fix the underlying issue. Not to mention he is a pill-pusher for Lectin shields and all sorts of crap. 

Of course many will benefit from eliminating lectins but the research clearly demonstrates that these foods prolong life and protect from a lot of chronic diseases. 

[Igor82]

If you want to get enough calories, just drink oil every day!

Jk, but staying satiated is complicated, really! I mean, you have a lot of kinds of satiation:

• You are satiated because of fiber (you are still hungry but you feel full)
• You are satiated because of indigestion (You won't crave any more food, because that would mess up the digestion even more, this is a more unpleasant satiation)
• You are satiated because of sugar (This is what the body needs, but cannot be satiated without certain volume, the body needs sugar, thats why you crave dessert after nonsugar tasting meals)
• Tricky one: You are satiated with time, as the body has time to identify how many calories you have eaten. (Its easy to chug a soup, but you will still be hungry afterward, but if you consume the soup over a long time, you will feel more satiated then the one chugging it at the end, this is because that you chew more)
• You get satiated with volume (Water-rich foods rather than dried foods)
• You get satiated when you have consumed enough nutrients (if you are deficient in a certain nutrient, no matter how much you eat, if you are still deficient, you will still crave food)

I satisfy my hunger with Volume, fiber and sugar, and enough vitamins, and in my opinion, that is the best kind of satiation, and I have experienced about all the different satiations that are listed above. The next best thing is indigestion + All you need (Sugar, vitamins, protein)+ volume (Fiber+Water). Its about as pleasant as the most pleasant satiation, but you can feel the difficulty of digestion, like gas, bloating, minor fatigue, etc.

The important difference between getting all you need through hard digested meals (like combining beans and rice) vs easily digested meals (Monomeal fruits), is the digestion time. The digestion process is the most calorie taxing process the body goes through, and if you eat meals with the same nutrients and calories, but one is more digestible than the other, then technically, you have more calories to use on another activity when your food is more digestible. This is the final secret source of energy.

I try to eat mono meals (one thing at a time), but if I combine, I do it according to food combination rules, good example: http://www.raw-food-health.net/Raw-Food-Combining.html

Banana smoothie on morning and lunch (sometimes mixed with berries and a little bit of oil (for nutritional purposes)), unfrozen Sweet peas or steamed potatoes/sweet potatoes+vegetables (Steamed broccoli, cucumber, spinach). I also like to add alot of dried basil to my dinner, to add fiber, nutrients, and taste.

I supplement with D3, Omega3, Vitamin E, Iodine, B12, and sometimes Zinc. I feel great!

Edit: @bejapuskas   @RabbitHole

Edited September 6, 2018 by Igor82

[bejapuskas]

@Igor82  Thanks for advice man! Is there any food I could just eat every single day and not be defficient? (with the right supplements)

 

[Igor82]

@bejapuskas Yes!

Here is a video that would explain what I would try to explain here in words:

I must admit, this guy is all you need

The best staple foods are fruits, you could really survive on tropical mangoes for your whole life ^ 

[Fuku]

If you're having a really hard time you could try meat substitutes as a transition. (I still do eat them from time to time but I don't crave for it at all, but I think the helped me during the first year or so)

[bejapuskas]

@Fuku Thanks for your recommendation! I also sometimes eat them, but they arent a must anymore...  

@Igor82 That video is very interesting! I personally feel the best when I eat just fruit in the morning and then when I eat other things, the good feeling kind of runs out... But as other people suggested, I tried to use cronometer, and it says that eating a lot of these can bring up some dangerously high numbers... (500 %) I am confused, can you advice me, what kind of numbers should I be looking for? What do you eat in a day? Do you follow this guy? 

[Igor82]

@bejapuskas Nutrients becoming dangerous is a complicated thing, yes you can overdose on certain vitamins and minerals such as iron or K2(I think). A rule of thumb is that If you are eating fruits or the best roots/tubers then the nutrients in ratio of the calories you also get is never gonna lead to overdose.

I do follow this guy almost on point, as I live here in Sweden, its the best choise, but I eat Swedish Sweet peas for lunch/dinner sometimes. I had a couple of blood tests and the doctor said that It was all fine.

I feel great following his diet, I really do. So far, Ive had no problems with defiecencies or any bad sympthoms whatsoever. If I eat optimally, I usually am very capable of hard work (feeling motivated more). Many thing pays in to this, but following his advice has not proven to be causing problems for me atm. 

Here is another important video closely related to your question: 

 

What I eat is:

Breakfast: Banana smoothie (around 12-14 bananas) Sometimes I add frozen berries for flavour (and nutrients), I usually add some oil to the smoothie according to the advices in the video.

Lunch: Banana smoothie same as breakfast (Sometimes I dont eat lunch, sometimes I eat sweet peas for lunch, it varies) 

Dinner: Sweet potatoes or regular potatoes + Vegetables (Cucumber, broccoli or spinach) Or; Huge bowl of Sweet peas. Some additives are sometime Ajvar or Hummus, salt (common), soy sauce (rarely), sweet chilli sauce (rarely) and dried basil (commonly)

I eat until im satisfied, and if im moderately active, then my calorie intake would average out at 3000 calories or something, I have not counted it though. If I eat breakfast and lunch, I would feel full when calories are met at dinner, even if I could eat much more with stomach volume.

[bejapuskas]

@Igor82 I was wondering how many bananas do guys like him and you actually eat... 25 isnt the number I was thinking about, it seems like too much, but maybe I can try it for a while... I tried to measure what you eat on cronometer, and here are som outstanding numbers: Manganese: 700 %, Copper: 500 %, B6: 1000 %, C: 900 %, A: 2600 %, K: 2700 %. I am not a nutrition expert, the other nutrients look kind of ok, but isnt this too much? Explain please.