Confused Former Vegan page 3

[HilaryJ]

I'm confused now though-- should I not be focusing as much on meat? For example, for breakfast I scrambled together eggs, salmon, peppers and onions, for lunch I had a spinach salad with olive oil topped with avocados and some grass-fed beef, for a snack I had an apple and some almonds, and for dinner I plan on having some chicken and more green veggies. Should I be adding more fat? More vegetables? Less meat?

This sounds spot on to me! We are all really an experiment of one so what works for one person may not work as well for another.

How do you feel? If you are feeling great and have no cravings (other than chocolate ... which I figure why not have something you enjoy??!!??), you are doing just fine.

[BennettC]

I have an addiction to 90% dark chocolate sounds like your eating plenty of meat though

[magicmerl]

Hope I'm quoting this right....so would you suggest adding more olive oil/nuts/avocado to increase fat? I need to get more calories but I'm having trouble, I'm not used to meals filling me up so much.

Yup, that quoted right. Olive Oil and Avocados are both awesome sources of fat. Our go-to fats for cooking with (usually a stir fry) are from coconuts and cows. Olive Oil and Avocado are the best 'on plate' fats.

[otzi]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I don't know how to quote multiple people on here yet (I'm still pretty forum-challenged) but @otzi- I was never much of a grain-eater as a vegan and tried to do the whole gluten free thing when I did eat grains so phasing all that out isn't going to be an issue for me. It's mostly just the chocolate addiction I'm going to have trouble breaking hah. I am at a healthy weight already (actually a bit underweight) and I'm not trying to add in unnecessary starches or anything. I'm confused now though-- should I not be focusing as much on meat? For example, for breakfast I scrambled together eggs, salmon, peppers and onions, for lunch I had a spinach salad with olive oil topped with avocados and some grass-fed beef, for a snack I had an apple and some almonds, and for dinner I plan on having some chicken and more green veggies. Should I be adding more fat? More vegetables? Less meat?

Wow--yer hawt! Seriously, though--do what you were doing, minus sugar, veg oil, and flour of any kind (even almond and coconut at first). Eat meat with the fat attached. Eat seafood. Eat liver. Eat as much or as little as you like. Eventually you will find your sweet spot and likes/dislikes, but if all you eat is boneless, skinless chicken breast you are 'doing it wrong' as they say. Read all you can that Mark has written, there is a good 'getting started' section in here somewhere. It's easy. You got the veggie part down, now learn to eat some meat and ditch the bad stuff.

Good luck!

[primal_alex]

Hope I'm quoting this right....so would you suggest adding more olive oil/nuts/avocado to increase fat? I need to get more calories but I'm having trouble, I'm not used to meals filling me up so much.

One of the (many) great advantages of this fat approach is that you can eat less in terms of quantities and have the same calories. Fats have 9 Kcalories per gram. Sugars, just some more than 4.

When I was a grain eater I always ended up my lunches with my stomach filled to the limit: I felt slow, heavy and tired, just wanted to go to sleep (la siesta). Then, after 2-3 hours I was hungry again. In order not to become fat I had to do chronic cardio: I used to spend my days eating and running.

Now I eat less in terms of volumes and feel more dynamic: I could go sprinting soon after eating my foie gras (I guess it is 60% fats, 35% proteins and 5% carbs). And of course, no need to eat in 3 hours from now. Fats burn evenly during the day.