Vegan Diet: Good Way To Drop The Baby Weight?
I’m not going to lie. I’m really worried about how much weight I’ve gained (and where!) during this pregnancy. Nearly sixty pounds so far. I gained fifty with Violet, but it all seemed to be in my stomach and I lost nearly half of that about a week after her birth.
This time I just got fat everywhere. EVERYWHERE. I feel so unhealthy. And while I want to enjoy the time after I give birth I also want to slowly begin the loooong road to losing weight and gaining muscle.
That’s why I was so intrigued when The Oprah Winfrey show aired an episode today where she and her 378 Staffers go vegan for a one-week challenge. Kathy Freston is a vegan and author who shared her thoughts on what you should know about the food you eat, and Lisa Ling gave the audience a look inside a beef processing plant.
I’ll be honest, I skipped the Lisa Ling segment. Because while I’m interested in the one-week vegan challenge and I definitely see the merit in being vegan, I don’t really think being vegan is a lifetime goal of mine. I’d rather emphasize plant-based foods and try to limit my animal product consumption.
Still, Kathy Freston wasn’t raised vegan. She apparently grew up on chicken-fried steak and cheesy grits, and loved nothing more than BBQ ribs and vanilla milkshakes. She didn’t embrace the vegan lifestyle until her thirties. Hell, if she can do it, maybe I could give up burritos, right?
Naaaaaah.
But I would be interested in a vegan cleanse similar to the one Oprah went on in 2008 when she went on a 21-day diet that not only excluded animal products from her diet, but also caffeine, sugar, alcohol and gluten.
From what I understand about the vegetarian diet, it obviously has less fat content. One pound of fat takes a rigorous workout for about an hour at gym to get burnt completely. You’re naturally eating less fat but not necessarily restricting calories, ya dig?
Just as Kathy Freston’s book Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness was the inspiration for her 2008 attempt at a plant-based diet, Freston’s new book plays a key role in inspiring Oprah’s new one-week vegan challenge. Freston’s Veganist touches upon why a plant-based diet is not only good for the animals and the environment but also for your physical and spiritual well being.
Sounds like exactly what I’m looking for. Not just weight loss but a healthy diet that strengthens your body. I’m ready to try anything. What about you? How did you lose the baby weight? Tips? Suggestions?
YOu can find 10 Vegan Recipes on The Family Kitchen.
Just make sure you get vitamin B12. Apart from that, as long as you follow commonly accepted nutritional guidelines, a vegan diet is generally fine for most people. Take a look at Vegetarianism for Dummies in a bookshop or something.
And yes, I think limiting consumption of these things is a great and achievable goal for everyone. You don’t have to give up entirely. If everyone just cut down, all sorts of great things would happen, to individuals and the world in general.
I think the concept of cleanses in general are a bad idea. Whatever you do, don’t do the Master Cleanse – completely insane, dangerous, ineffective and just bad science. I really don’t understand why these people don’t just eat 1500 calories a day of actual healthy food as opposed to junk (which is what a diet based on maple syrup is). Why on earth don’t people just make healthy lifestyle changes? Following some crazy diet for a limited amount of time is just going to get you more fixated on food and/or probably have you fainting in the grocery store or something.
I was vegan for about five years before I got pregnant with my first daughter, and then all I wanted was meat/cheese/gross shit, and ended up gaining 70 pounds. Went back to vegan after I had her, lost it all in about five months (without exercising, so I’m sure it would’ve come off faster if I had). This pregnancy I haven’t been vegan either, but I haven’t eaten too much crap – still gained 55 pounds though. I’m going straight back to vegan after she’s born – I feel awful having this much extra weight on my body and eating meat/cheese always just makes me feel fat and slow. It’s a great way to drop weight and get healthy after having a baby, even if you don’t want to stick with it forever.
I’ve been vegan for nearly 14 years and I’ve never lost weight eating this way. That said, I’m currently 7 month pregnant and having a very happy, active, and easy time of it so far. While I wouldn’t recommend being vegan to lose weight, I would recommend it to feel better and have more energy. And of course for the environmental and global benefits.