About Melissa Anderson Expertise I have a Bachelor`s degree in biochemistry, researched metabolism and endocrinology for four years, and am currently attending medical school. Ask me anything and everything relating to Atkins and other low-carb diet plans!
Experience I've been on Atkins since 2001 and I'm still going strong!
Education/Credentials Professionally, I have a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry, researched metabolism and endocrinology for four years, and am currently attending medical school.
Question i liked your reply from about a year ago to enzo, the 37 y.o., 169lbs man who had been vegan for 19 yrs and was trying to get rid of his "spare tire". i'm 29 y.o., 5'1" and about 130 lbs and i've been vegan for several years. i'm fairly active (long walks and cycling everyday with sparatic weight training) and have kept a steady weight for years, although not ideal. lately i've noticed that i've been putting on weight and when i incorporate more excersize, like running into my routine, i'm not losing weight the way i used to when i was younger. aside from being vegan and making sure i get enough veggies, and vitamins, mostly iron, i've never paid much attention to what i eat. i love food and have a weak spot for sweets, but now i think i'm getting to the point where i'm no longer able to eat whatever i want and as much as i want without putting on a few pounds. i liked the suggestions you gave enzo (50-112 gms of fat per day, minimum of 86 gms of protien, etc.) because they were simple and i think i would be able to follow something like that, but i'm shorter and don't work out as much as he does, so i was hoping you could let me know how much i should be consuming. thank you.
-mary
Answer Mary,
You're right, your numbers should look much different from Enzo's. Activity level, age, and gender all make a big difference. One thing that doesn't change, though, is please make sure that you do take a multivitamin. While it's easy to get 100% of your daily iron from plant sources, the iron tends to go undigested when it's in plant form, and you only absorb about 1/5 as much as from meat.
The other nutrient of concern is B12. There are no plant sources of B12, so vegans MUST take a synthetic B12 supplement. Generally, carnivores store abouta 5 year supply of B12 in their livers, so after switching to veganism, it can take a long time for deficiency to show. When it does, you'll very gradually start to feel tired, lose energy, and lose your ability to exercise. The energy loss happens over years, so it's really not noticeable until it's gone on for a long time.
Here's an estimate of what you should be eating to maintain your current weight, based on averages for your height and age. The grams of protein is based on very high quality protein like soy. If all of your daily protein came from "incomplete" sources, then you'll have to eat a little more to get enough essential amino acids.
