I lost 100 pounds over COVID. AMA

[Anonymous]

Did you have weight loss surgery?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did you have weight loss surgery?

No. But I don't judge people who do.

For years I tried all kinds of medications to control cravings and appetite. They all had side effects, and ultimately they didn't work. But I know that feeling that you don't feel you are capable of actually doing this yourself.

Somehow I did. I'm sort of amazed at myself. And amazed my body is so resilient. It's crazy that I can get on an elliptical and work out 80 minutes intensely without any trouble. Our bodies are incredible.

[Anonymous]

Huge congrats!
I hope those that keep saying eating meat is the way to lose weight, take note. Also, people who claim it is all diet, you clearly work out and walk.
Healthy vegan is likely the best way to a healthy weight. Do you still eat some grand other than oatmeal?
At the beginning how hungry were you after the veggie lunches and dinners? Or were you not hungry?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huge congrats!
I hope those that keep saying eating meat is the way to lose weight, take note. Also, people who claim it is all diet, you clearly work out and walk.
Healthy vegan is likely the best way to a healthy weight. Do you still eat some grand other than oatmeal?
At the beginning how hungry were you after the veggie lunches and dinners? Or were you not hungry?

I feel like the vegan diet was really important for me, beyond the weight loss. Before I went plant based, I had all kinds of issues: high cholesterol, high blood sugar, painful joints, hemorrhoids (sorry, TMI).
After 3 months of a vegan diet, I went to my doctor and all my stats were in the normal range. Cholesterol went from 260 to 200. Blood sugar went from elevated to normal. And all the joint pain disappeared (I suspect because dairy and meat are inflammatory). And I had only lost 20 pounds at this point. All the changes were not related to weight loss but to a different diet.

On being hungry, yes, I definitely had a few days of feeling hungry. But I did increasingly find a diet that satisfied me. You can get pretty full on vegetables. It's a different kind of full, to be sure. I used to be able to pack away 2-3 pieces of pie and ice cream. Now I'm satisfied with some blueberries. Obviously it is not the same. But I feel so much better.

[Anonymous]

This is inspiring. Thank you for sharing. We probably have nine more months of this so I will see if I can make a sea change like you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:talk about a glow up! do people know or are they about to be freaking floored?

NP. I love, love this comment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Huge congrats!
I hope those that keep saying eating meat is the way to lose weight, take note. Also, people who claim it is all diet, you clearly work out and walk.
Healthy vegan is likely the best way to a healthy weight. Do you still eat some grand other than oatmeal?
At the beginning how hungry were you after the veggie lunches and dinners? Or were you not hungry?

I feel like the vegan diet was really important for me, beyond the weight loss. Before I went plant based, I had all kinds of issues: high cholesterol, high blood sugar, painful joints, hemorrhoids (sorry, TMI).
After 3 months of a vegan diet, I went to my doctor and all my stats were in the normal range. Cholesterol went from 260 to 200. Blood sugar went from elevated to normal. And all the joint pain disappeared (I suspect because dairy and meat are inflammatory). And I had only lost 20 pounds at this point. All the changes were not related to weight loss but to a different diet.

On being hungry, yes, I definitely had a few days of feeling hungry. But I did increasingly find a diet that satisfied me. You can get pretty full on vegetables. It's a different kind of full, to be sure. I used to be able to pack away 2-3 pieces of pie and ice cream. Now I'm satisfied with some blueberries. Obviously it is not the same. But I feel so much better.

Thanks for answering! I meant grains not grand....
Your story is truly a showcase of your will and perseverance! Thank you for sharing! I think we all need such stories of perseverance and success today!

[Anonymous]

Proud of you OP, and a bit jealous if I’m honest. I need to get out of this deep depression.

[Anonymous]

OP did you base your diet on a specific plan? Sounds like Dr. Fuhrman. I usually eat vegan but don’t know if I could stomach tofu twice a day. Good for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Proud of you OP, and a bit jealous if I’m honest. I need to get out of this deep depression.

It is hard to rally energy to do something like this when you're depressed, I know. Maybe start by walking? (even around the house?). I did not want to exercise when I started. I was so heavy it was uncomfortable to do exercise. But somehow I got myself to start (I don't think I did more than 20 minutes on the elliptical at first, and I had to take breaks to do that much).

Good luck with your own journey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tell me more about the cruciferous vegetables— what exactly and how do you eat them? I’m vegetarian but interested in dropping eggs and dairy. But I get bad gas, so wondering if you have any problem with that?

It was definitely a huge change, and of course the first months I was gassy. But it settled down, and now I actually can't process milk products well. I eat large amounts of kale, broccoli, spinach every day. I usually just throw a few cups into a saucepan every meal. It cooks down to much less. But I definitely use large amounts of veggies as a way to create volume without calories.

A typical day for me now (I am still in weight loss mode so it is low calorie)

Breakfast: oatmeal (about 60 grams, with 30 calorie almond milk)
Lunch: Huge saucepan of kale, onions, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, etc; about half a package of tofu (usually I air fry it with spices to give it texture and flavor); and sometimes some "pretend" cheese for more flavor
Dinner: Basically the same
And then some snacks. Usually fruit. Every so often I'll have something more substantial like non-dairy yogurt with frozen fruit.

OP, huge congrats - that's awesome! To the PP asking about the cruciferous veggies - I love them and eat giant bowls of raw veggies a day with no problems. Like the OP said, I think it's something your body gets used to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Obvious question - how did you lose the weight?

Diet and exercise. I became a vegan in October last year and dropped the first 20 pounds. Then COVID happened, and I started to take it all more seriously. So I started counting calories and working out every day (in addition to upping general activity).

It's been slow and steady.

This is not slow weight loss.

??? She lost like 1.5 lbs a week.

I usually average .5 pounds week. Admittedly, I have been closer to goal weight (usually I just have 5-10 pounds to drop) so 1.5 pounds a week sounds fast.

[Anonymous]

And, yes, Amazing Job OP!!

[Anonymous]

This is amazing, OP. Great job! I’m so impressed. I don’t have the motivation to do this yet, but maybe hearing stories like this will slowly move me in the right direction.

[Anonymous]

OP do you think this will be sustainable post-covid?