Extreme lack of appetite after going vegan

[yourgirlallie]

I've been a vegetarian for 3 years and back in February, was diagnosed with hypertension. I ate horribly, didn't workout so I figured, since I was already vegetarian and lactose intolerant, there was no reason for me to not try out being vegan and started right then and there. Blood pressure has dropped significantly in the last month, which is great.

The #1 thing besides the drop in BP is the fact that my appetite has decreased drastically. I'm a bigger person, trying to lose weight, but being bigger I've always needed to consume more food and never really felt full or satisfied and was constantly snacking. Now, even small meals fill me up for hours and sometimes I don't even get 1,600 calories a day according to Cronometer. Yesterday, I had overnight oats (oats, coconut milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, peanut butter) for breakfast; no lunch, wasn't hungry, and didn't eat again until 6:30 pm when I went out to dinner and even then, zero appetite, but I still ate.

Woke up this morning, once again, no appetite. I have long days at work and usually find these days that a mango in the morning and maybe half an avocado with it will keep me going from about 8:00 am to 3:00, and even then I'm not that hungry on my lunch break and never finish what I brought. If I have a later lunch break, I typically will not eat dinner when I get home.

I usually eat oats for breakfast or avocado toast with fruit. Lunches are usually salads, wraps, a cup of soup with crackers, dinners are usually things like a salad with a side of corn, asparagus and steamed red potatoes. If I have more time, I'll make something fun and have buffalo cauliflower or tofu "wings" or banana nice cream or black bean burgers. I try to not eat any frozen meals. Any reason as to why my appetite has suddenly disappeared?

 

[Lou]

So you were vegetarian and lactose intolerant? unless I'm missing something the only thing you cut out of your diet was eggs. Did you use to eat a lot of eggs? Well, that might help explain the drop in BP.

Did you change anything else in your diet? The thing that I found surprising is the role of the gut's bacteria. Those bacteria do have a role in creating hunger and cravings. And the composition of your gut's bacteria changes with diet.

I wouldn't worry about the loss of appetite for now. It doesn't sound like you are malnourished. And if you have some excess weight to lose, keeping your calorie intake around 1600 IS a good thing.

 

[yourgirlallie]

So you were vegetarian and lactose intolerant? unless I'm missing something the only thing you cut out of your diet was eggs. Did you use to eat a lot of eggs? Well, that might help explain the drop in BP.

Did you change anything else in your diet? The thing that I found surprising is the role of the gut's bacteria. Those bacteria do have a role in creating hunger and cravings. And the composition of your gut's bacteria changes with diet.

I wouldn't worry about the loss of appetite for now. It doesn't sound like you are malnourished. And if you have some excess weight to lose, keeping your calorie intake around 1600 IS a good thing.

Nope, never ate eggs. Always hated the texture and taste lol

 

[TofuRobot]

I was just thinking about this today... Since I switched to WFV, I have noticed that since I have cut out the junk, I no longer crave the junk. And I was used to feeling full when I ate. Feeling "full" was what I felt one needed to feel if they were getting enough food. Well, I have lost the desire/need to feel full since I just out the junk. I never feel like I'm starving or hungry, either. I just feel "normal" or 'comfortable' or something pretty much all of the time. It's like I got off the "I'm starving - no I'm stuffed -- now I'm starving" roller coaster or something. So I guess I'm asking you - are you sure you have no appetite, or is it just that you're no longer feeling like you're starving in between meals? Because if it's the latter, maybe that's a good thing.

 

[Lou]

Nope, never ate eggs. Always hated the texture and taste lol

Oh. OK. If you don't mind me asking, how is your diet different now from in January.

 

[Slonaut]

You need less food because you eat healthier. It's logical. When you eat unnatural foods devoidEspecially if you don't sport or do heavy labor. Don't worry about calories, trust your body and listen to it. Counting calories is rather... weird. It's like counting the notes in a song. Just enjoy the song and the food and the fact that your body has become more efficient at using the nutrients you fuel it with.

 

[Lou]

You need less food because you eat healthier. It's logical. When you eat unnatural foods devoidEspecially if you don't sport or do heavy labor. Don't worry about calories, trust your body and listen to it. Counting calories is rather... weird. It's like counting the notes in a song. Just enjoy the song and the food and the fact that your body has become more efficient at using the nutrients you fuel it with.

Counting notes in a song can lead you to a deeper appreciation of the music. It can also indicate the dance steps. Three beats to a bar make it a waltz of polka. Four beats a two-step. Eight beats a swing. How many bars to a phrase? How many phrases to a paragraph? Not knowing which is the first and last beat in a bar makes it impossible to be the lead in a social dance.

Counting calories is an important part of nutritional science. Knowing your calorie consumed and burned is probably the most essential and fundamental part of creating a diet or meal plan.

 

[TofuRobot]

Counting notes in a song can lead you to a deeper appreciation of the music. It can also indicate the dance steps. Three beats to a bar make it a waltz of polka. Four beats a two-step. Eight beats a swing. How many bars to a phrase? How many phrases to a paragraph? Not knowing which is the first and last beat in a bar makes it impossible to be the lead in a social dance.

Counting calories is an important part of nutritional science. Knowing your calorie consumed and burned is probably the most essential and fundamental part of creating a diet or meal plan.

I like to think of calorie-counting/nutritional tracking as a tool... It's great, but it's also good to know when to put it down and enjoy what you did with it, only picking it up when necessary. (That's how I interpret it, anyhow. I might give it a sideways glance once in a while, but mostly - I'm just not concerned about it. ...As long as I'm sticking to unprocessed food and no oil.)

 

[Thabo]

I am not surprised that you do not have appetite. This happened to me when I turned vegan. This is because vegan foods tend to have more fiber than other diets.
This keeps you fuller for longer and you stay healthy doing this