I've become vegan and I eat an extremely healthy diet, and exercise daily (30-40 min cardio on treadmill and a 40 min brisk walk).

My diet has a lot of fruits and vegetables. I eat Indian food for my main meals (made very healthy, minimal oil, no butter, etc.) and it's basically whole wheat with cooked vegetables.

My diet mainly consists of Indian food, soy milk and cereal for breakfast, and fruit.



And yet, my weight has been stagnant for at least half a year (I became vegan a few months ago). My fat isn't going down either. I keep staying around 140 lbs (I'm 5'2).



What do I do?



EDIT: I eat about 1200 calories a day.

Do you know how many calories you eat in a day? Even healthy foods (especially healthy carbs like fruits and rice) have a ton of calories in them.



Sometimes portion control can make all the difference - even with healthy food.

I agree. Exercise makes you healthy.



Calorie reduction makes you lose wieght.



Keep in mind not all calories are created equal.

Search out vegan on the forums. Ideas have been addressed before, people forget how much fructose is in fruit and that can work against you. It might not be a bad idea to go get a metabolic study done of yourself so you can learn exactly what is required to make a caloric defict.



Don't worry though, progress is made by continuation of trialing out things. Don't give up!

Exactly! It may be as simple as having just one or two fruits a day. Keep up the healthy lifestyle!

If you really only eat 1200 cals a day, you might need to increase your caloric intake. I know it sounds backwards, but that's a very low intake to have, and you could be sending your body into "starvation mode", especially with a high level of aerobic activity. You should definitely look into this topic more, as 1200 cals may be enough for you, but I wouldn't be surprised if you just need more food to kick-start your metabolism.



-Brian

By the way, you need to be *extremely* careful if you're only eating 1200 calories per day. 1200 cals is actually the minimal amount of calories your body needs to avoid eating away at your internal organs for energy. Any less and your body will go after your brain, among other things, to keep your body going.



You're trying to lose fat, not make your internal organs lighter. You can actually burn much more fat eating more than you would starving yourself. Plus, you'll feel better.





Anyway, something that may give you some insight as to why you're not loosing weight at 1200 calories per day...



[Disclaimer: this is just a theory I read. I have no idea if there's any scientific evidence to back it up, but it sounds like it could be possible.]



You know that your body is quite sophisticated, and that it adjusts itself based on your food intake, or lack thereof. The theory says that if your daily food intake doesn't vary by much (e.g. if you eat exactly 1200 calories per day), that your body will adjust itself and become extremely efficient at burning exactly 1200 calories per day and will even accomodate for the amount of exercise that you do. It will know that it can expect 1200 calories tomorrow, and will take that into account when deciding what to store for energy with each of your meals, as well as how much food energy to burn off and at what rate.



The main idea is that you should vary your calorie intake on a day-by-day basis to keep your body "on it's toes"... don't give your body a chance to adjust to a routine. It's a similar theory for working out: when you stall, change-up your excercises.



More info on this can be found at: http://www.stormpc.com/ww/wendie_plan.htm



But yeah, it sounds like your body may be in starvation mode.



I hope this helps,

Mike



P.S. I'm at work, so sorry if this didn't make much sense.

Michael, this is not true. I am currently having 850 calories a day (under medical supervision) and the effects that you mention above are not occurring.

KM - you are only having 850 calories a day? And not feeling any side effects such as loss of energy? What types of foods are you eating to keep your calorie intake so low?

I am on a doctor's supervised plan. I am getting all the nutrition that I need and never feel hungry.... because I am getting all the nutrition that I need. I eat five meals a day...



I have more energy than ever. I used to overeat a lot... it is amazing just how little food we need.



This is a 20 week plan (I am currently half way through it). I then go on another 18 plan to get myself into maintenance mode. I also go to a class for 1.5 hrs per week and learn all about nutrition and having a healthy lifestyle.



It is hard work... but it works.

K M,



Actually, it's completely true: your internal organs need 1200 calories per day to function; a Google search brings up tons of results for this.



It's known that doctor's may put patients on a restricted calorie diet in order to jump-start weight loss, but that type of diet cannot be sustained for long periods of time without expecting some loss of organ mass.



The other thing you should note is that, without various types of body scans, you cannot tell if you've incurred such damage to your internal organs -- not until the damage has become severe enough for you to feel it.



The damage may be occurring at this very moment, you just cant feel it.



Anyway, as long as it's doctor supervised, then I guess 850 calories per day is alright. But I highly doubt that your doctor is planning on keeping you on this diet for a long time. If he/she is, you should talk to them about potential side-effects.



Just be careful please.



I hope this helps,

Michael

Color me crazy but it seems that saying everyone needs "X" because results "Y" happen is a bit short sighted. I think of all the thousands of diets out there and all the people that swear by them. If everything was that formulaic then there would be no need for the diversity.



If you have taken the time to go to a doctor that has performed tests on you to narrow down what you need then it is reasonable to assume that is a good plan to be on. If your not seeing the results that you want and your expectations are reasonable then it is time to change the variables whether that is calorie intake, fiber intake, type of exercise, increasing your protein, etc.



No one else has the exact same needs as anyone else as we all live different lives. Sure needs can be categorized and organized, but it doesn't change the fact that you are the only person living your life.



I say do your research, change small things here and there and see what happens. If your still plateaued then it might be time to think about seeking medical advice.





JAU

Niyati,



Some questions:



-- How do you know that you eat 1200 calories a day?



-- I take it from your message that you are preparing the indian food yourself and know that it does not contain heavy cream, paneer cheese or anything else that might add lots of calories?



-- How much sleep are you getting?



-- How much protein are you getting?



-- How much fruit and how many nuts are you eating? As Andy notes, fruit can contain a lot of fructose. Some fruits such as grapes are very tasty but are not as low calorie as others.



-- Are you drinking fruit juices (usually a hidden source of extra calories)?

My god... i eat 850 cals as a snack amongst my 8 meals.



Niyati - veganism won't do you any favours in losing weight. BUT seeing as you already are, i'd say cut down on the fruits (fructose as Ron says) - stick to lots of green vegetables, lean beans etc

Michael, Yes it is a short term program for weight loss and I will not be on 850 calories per day forever. I suppose there are potential side effects (none of which I am experiencing).



However being 120lbs overweight had more risk than the potential side effects of 850 calories per day. It is not easy only eating 850 cals per day but the results are very motivating.



I ensure that I stay hydrated (64-90oz of water per day) because my liver is working harder than ever as it processes my bodyfat into fuel.



I am on week 10 of a 20 week program (medically supervised... blood work and other tests are fine). I then go on an a minimum 18 week maintenance to bring my meal plan back to 'normal' levels.