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Login Here Signup Here Signup using Facebook.... I love lamb, I love french food and especially love lebanese.
However....
after reading about vegans feeling full of energy ....I decided December 9th that i would become a vegan - and try for 30 days. today is day 23 and although I feel good ...vegan input is needed.
i sleep terribly. Almost like I have become a insomniac. Is this normal? Do any other vegans have problems sleeping.
I am 6'5" (196cm) and 225 lbs (100 kilo) I have not lost any weight ... if anything, I seem to be more bloated.
I do not eat any of the processed crap - nearly all my diet is raw, and i have only eaten pasta twice. I drink a lot of miso, a lot of brocoli and various greens.
Am I just going through a period of adjustment?
I must admit, I feel great and enjoy the focus this vegan diet gives me.... however, I would be grateful for your input.
Comments
I have suffered with over sleeping for quite a few months when I was experimenting with raw and eating a healthier vegan diet this meant cutting out many fake meats and of course cooked foods. I attribute the oversleeping to not enough Iron intake and also possibly some B12 deficiency. I did become anemic with raw just because I didn't fully understand the diet and what all I can do to meet my caloric needs and nutritional needs. I now eat a lot more leafy greens and a good little amount of seeds a day for Iron. I do every once in a while eat eggs for B12 (and some iron) but only local free range organic eggs, I don't believe in supplements and I believe B12 is essential.
A tool I have used that has been very useful to me is nutritiondata.com I recommend becoming a member and "track" your foods everyday to see where your nutrition is because you could be suffering from another deficiency I don't have experience from. Also a good note about iron you need 200% for 100% with a vegan diet because the iron is different in plants and is not as bioavailable as iron from animal sources is.
This bloated feeling you have, is your stomach bloated or do you feel bloated all around?
thanks for your reply --
i dont "over sleep" I wake up after just a few hours and lay there wide awake ... like an insomniac.
the bloated feeling is just feeling and looking "fat"
I would have expected to drop loads of weight once i became a vegan, esp since i was a big meat eater, but this is not the case.
your other points are greatly appreciated - thanks
Oh I just glanced over at it at first but you said you love Lebanese food, I do too. A raw diet can still accommodate it but of course a little differently. I am 1/8 Lebanese and 1/8 Syrian so I make Middle Eastern food all the time to make me feel at home. I have made a raw tabouleh salad and raw chana masala (more indian though but I went heavy on the cumin) so far. The basic Ingredients in Lebanese food are Olive Oil, Parsley (I prefer Cilantro though), Lemon, Cumin (good source of iron), Garlic, and Sea Salt.
http://www.goneraw.com/recipe/tabouleh-salad
http://www.goneraw.com/recipe/raw-chana-masala
Just experiment around and have fun with food never limit yourself!
thanks for this.
i just came back from Jordan last night (i live in dubai) .... and yesterday, our friend in Jordan took us to the best lebanese restaurant in Amman .... so i got to have a great vegan meal ... and at the same time watch my wife enjoy potentially the best lebanese food, lamb and chicken I have seen. The lamb kababs were huge chunks of lamb .... but I held strong and only ate the vegan approved tabouleh, garlic, and moutaba.
i will try the recipes -- thanks very much
The bloated feeling might be just the change your body is going through. You are coming from a very acidic diet to a more alkaline diet which your stomach and body must accommodate to. Your body remembers what you eat and is ready for that when you change it your body must readjust. I notice now if I eat something more acidic I get real bloated because my body is used to more alkalinity, I usually will try and balance it out in a meal. This might be the cause of your insomnia because your body is literally working overtime trying to understand what you eat. Calcium and Magnesium (from supplement, soy milk, seeds, greens, seaweed) taken before bed (less than 30 minutes- hour) helps the sleep cycle. I figured that out before I read it helps! Maybe Melatonin would help too.
Your body could still be readjusting to your diet change so it wants to keep the fat just in case. Also the amount of fat you are taking in though it seems you don't consume much might be a factor. You might want to help your metabolism by walking a few miles a day and keep moving especially after a meal. You might also want to eat a deficit of calories so like RDA is 2000 calories, eat 1500 instead or less and let your body use what you already
Coming from a heavy meat eating diet I would suggest a simple fast or detox that can be just a few days or however long. I did a few day one when I went high raw from vegan and I still felt like I got some stuff out of me judging by urine and acne I had. This would be very beneficial to you with all the junk meat leaves behind.
If you went from SAD (Standard American Diet) to mostly raw vegan overnight, it is a huge transition. Your body is accustomed to getting its fuel from fat and flesh and chum, and now you're loading it with fiber and nutrients.
Regarding energy, is it possible you're not getting enough calories? Again, you were eating calorie-dense foods and now your diet is probably much lighter. Other symptoms can be normal detox - sleeplessness, bloating, etc.
Have you considered colon hydrotherapy to help you get rid of what your body is holding onto from your previously poor diet?
Please remember to take nutrition and health advice from strangers online with a grain of salt. I see some things above that are inaccurate or misleading, so you'll always have to do your own experimentation and see how you fare.