Looking for good vegan meal plans that are right around 2000 calories
I am putting on a fair amount stomach fat. I am not really gaining weight, but my stomach is noticeably bigger and I am getting chubby. I am uncomfortable all the time at work sitting at my desk because of it. I'll be 30 in December so I need to get ahead of this. My body is tight all over. When I walk I can feel how tight my hamstrings are.. My diet is garbage. I just want to start getting this under control and also working on developing routines.
What are some good resources on meal plans and what foods / combinations of foods and hat quantity is however many calories?
I am a very simple person. I look these up and it says stuff like
Breakfast: 1 cup Oatmeal, 2 tablespoons Almond butter, mixed in, top with cinnamon, 1/2 cup Blueberries
Lunch: Tomato hummus artichoke salad
Dinner: Veggie Chili - 1/2 cup black bean, 3/4 cup canned tomatoes and liquid, 1/2 cup sliced zucchini.........
I like basic things. I like plain oatmeal and a banana, salad that is basically lettuce carrots tomatoes and no dressing. Some times I just want a few boiled potatoes for dinner (usually about 2 -3 halved making 4 - 6 halves) with nothing on them or an apple and some few carrots for lunch.. That's what I like.
I really don't like to eat a big lunch at work because I sit at a desk all day and I have no way to burn the calories I take in. So I tend to skip eating at lunch since I don't get very hungry anyway..
I am not currently vegan. I want to transition and I just need simple meal plan ideas for about 2000 calories so I can start exercising again and be able to burn more than I take in. I'd like to develop a routine of eating breakfast, lunch and dinner and being conscious of what I am taking in. Even if lunch is an apple and some carrots.
Thanks.
Pescatarian (Veg + Fish) can be a nice transition phase too. Maintaining a good complete protein (all 9 essential amino acids) intake is something a lot of new (and even old) vegetarians/vegans fails to do which can lead to significant health problems down the line. Adding fish to supplement the vegetarian diet is an easy way to make sure you do... especially if dairy or eggs are not your thing.
Worrying about complete protein intake is the reason Soy (beans, milk, tofu, tempeh, etc), Quinoa and Buckwheat are as popular as they are... they are the only real ‘single source’ complete proteins available to strict (non lacto-ovo) vegetarian and vegans. If those aren’t your thing, you can go with multi-source complete proteins, e.g. Red/Black Beans + Rice, Seitan + something with lysine (which seitan is missing) in it like pumpkin seeds or white beans, etc. But as a strict vegetarian/vegan it takes incredible discipline and careful consideration of your diet to make sure you’re getting enough of all 9 essential amino acids, especially since you can’t rely on eggs or dairy like lacto-ovo vegetarians can.
Possibly but IMO it depends entirely on experience. As someone transitioning from omnivore straight to strict vegetarian or vegan OP will not have the repertoire you do in terms of recipes or familiarity with the types of foods available and necessary to fill those nutritional gaps. Not to mention palate, which can take a long time to adjust to vegetarian/vegan diets.
So for you it may seem easy to maintain a balanced diet because you have that experience and knowledge base, but I have seen enough friends try to do what OP is trying and their diet ends up like absolute shit because they don’t have that same base to rely on. As a result they wind up just stuffing their face with carrots, avocados and other “tasty” (i.e. high sugar, high fat) fruits and veg or even eating a ton of processed vegetarian/vegan food because they don’t know enough recipes to keep it interesting for themselves... and then thinking that meagre/unhealthy diet is sufficient without considering their nutritional balance.
p.s. I’m just advising caution is all. I’m not trying to imply it’s impossible to go from omnivore straight to strict vegetarian and keep yourself healthy, just that without research and dedication there are some easy traps to fall into that can be pretty unhealthy in the long run if you don’t avoid them.
It will take research and planning. I don't plan to do this over night. I need the facts first and a plan. I don't get bored easily with food. I eat to survive really. I like any and all vegetables. I don't like avocados. Those are one thing I don't care for. I don't see the transition being overly difficult. A big problem right now is, my diet isn't balanced. I more so don't eat as often as I should, and I don't make sure I am getting what I need from my food. That's more an issue than me eating out (almost never happens) or eating a bunch of candy or sweets.
Thanks for the stuff to think about. Definitely helps with research and planning.
That’s good to hear as diving straight in without proper research and planning first is the biggest mistake I have seen people make.
And if you’re worried about balance in your diet, you should look into Soylent IMO. It’s a meal replacement that tastes pretty bad (like raw pancake batter), but is specifically designed to have 100% of all your requirements. While you’re transitioning from omnivore into vegetarian/vegan it can help make sure you have all your bases covered while you build up your recipe repertoire and knowledge base to ensure all the nutritional gaps are filled.
Thanks.
edit I want to try Soylent but that stuff is pricey haha. I just want to try one.
Yeah it’s not cheap, no meal replacements are (e.g. Boost, Ensure, etc), although the Soylent powder is significantly cheaper than the premixed, bottled stuff. I buy the premixed bottled version just because I drink it so infrequently that I can’t justify making big batches at a time like you have to with the powder.
Thank you. Where does peanut butter fit in for protein? I really like beans and rice. Thanks for the info. You gave me a lot to look into.
Peanuts, like most other legumes (they are not a nut), are missing one or more amino acids needed to form a complete protein, in this case L-methionine, so still need to be paired with something else.
Thanks.
I rarely eat meat now. For me the biggest cut would be milk. I am not saying this all has to happen at once. Step one is being conscious of what I eat and how many calories I am taking in for sure. Right now I don't have a routine. I don't even make grocery lists. So I just eat whatever. I fall into that, "Oh I am hungry, better eat something." And then I fix something quick and easy that isn't great for me. That or I'll eat plain boiled potatoes every night because it's so easy you know.
I might just start with breakfast and lunch and getting those under control. And then just fly by the seat of my pants for dinner fir a bit as long as it is a reasonably healthy choice.
Plain oatmeal is 166 calories per cup. Making myself get up, stretch, and eat some oats and fruit seems like it would get me in more of a routine. I really like fruit and raw vegetables like broccoli and carrots. I hate ranch dressing / dressing in general. So I'll start trying to pack a peanut butter sandwich and some vegetable for lunch. Maybe a piece of fruit too. I really like to eat a small lunch.
To be honest, I think that's the root of your problem right there. In order to not eat too much or too little, you need to be cooking when you're peckish, so that you're eating when you're hungry. If you're prompted to go find something to eat when you're hungry, you'll have to use a lot of willpower to make something decent to eat; you just want to sate your hunger with anything, especially if that's how you're used to living.
You need to have an idea of what you'll be eating before you feel hungry. I know that's what you're already thinking of doing, but I wanted to articulate all of this. If you know what you're going to make for dinner, in the morning, and you have the ingredients in the fridge, and the recipe at hand while you cook (especially if it's quick and easy but also nutritious) you'll be set!
Also, if you find that you don't enjoy cooking, start watching videos of people doing it, like Gordon Ramsey or something. It doesn't even have to be educational; watching a good chef cook is just really inspiring!
As for eating vegan, look up alternatives/substitute charts. If you're not familiar with cooking, that will help you adapt a lot of dishes. Substitutes are easy to handle (and in some cases easier than the original ingredients) and are usually commonly found in supermarkets. Also, eat lots of spinach and beans - your hair will thank you.
Alright, I'm going to preface this was saying but I know very little about vegan cooking. I have a few thoughts related to your post, but sorry for going off topic if you're not interested.
First off, there are many reasons to go vegan. However, if your primary reason for wanting to be vegan is to lose weight, I want to at least mention that there many non-vegan diets that can also be really helpful for losing weight. Also, the vegan diet is not explicitly a weight loss diet by any means.
Also on a related note, I highly recommend adding strength training and stretching to your routine. If you feel yourself gaining fat without gaining weight, that suggests that you're losing muscle. Now is the perfect time in your life to ensure that you have some lean muscle. Having a little bit of muscle can help with injury prevention and things like back pain. Adding in pull ups, squats, deadlifts, and bench press would be a really good start to a full body workout. It can be really helpful to get a few personal training sessions so that you learn good form on all these. Even going once a week would be a helpful start. Also, I highly recommend stretching for about 15 minutes two to three times a week, preferably after some sort of exercise. Sitting all day can lead to hamstring tightness and poor posture, which both contribute to back pain. I throw on Netflix or a podcast every couple of evenings and do some stretches, and after a few months, I saw large increases in my flexibility.
Whatever you decide, good luck getting into the shape that you want!
Thanks. It isn't all about getting in shape. It is also about developing a healthy life style / routine. I am going to start stretching every morning and night regardless. Real eye opener on the losing muscle. That is scary and just proves more to me need to work on my diet (probably stems from not eating enough and just eating straight garbage when I do) and exercise more. I want to go vegan to be more healthy and sticking to one diet type I can be more disciplined and develop a routine easier. I don't mean eating the same things every day. I just mean it'll give me a template to stick to.
Sorry if I conflated getting in shape and having a healthy routine, but they can go hand-in-hand.
Muscle atrophy isn't all that related to diet. As long as you're getting enough calories (which seems to be the case because you suggested that you're gaining fat), you shouldn't be experiencing muscle atrophy at your age. It probably has to do more with your exercise routine.
I definitely understand the desire to have a consistent diet so that you can build a routine and be disciplined. Vegan diets aren't necessarily healthy, though. For instance, sugar is vegan, and there are all sorts of sugary treats that you can eat on a vegan diet.
You're right. They do. And it is important to understand that.
That's true, but I really feel a vegan diet would help me stay focused and on the right track.
Good luck! Maybe meal planning would be a good start. Shop for groceries over the weekend, cook up something big on Sunday so you have a few dinners for the week, and plan out 2 or 3 breakfasts and lunches.
Thanks.