Stomach question...

[luvmyveggies]

Hi everyone! I am one week in on my vegetarian diet and feel great! I have suffered from IBS for years and feel it is starting to "clear up." I have on question though... I haven't lost any weight, but I swear my stomach is looking flatter :p Is this just in my head or is this really happening?

[ecolt]

Probably not in your head.

In the first month or two after I switched to vegetarianism, I lost about 15 lbs. In the last month or so I haven't lost any weight by the scales, but I'm looking a lot different as fat and muscle redistribute (and all my clothes are literally falling off me). Remember, muscle weighs more than fat so if things are getting more toned, you may not actually see a change in numeric weight.

And, as someone who has had her share of "digestive issues," some of the change may be to the way your body is reacting. Digestive irritation can lead to bloating, which makes you look bigger. Being vegetarian means you're more likely to be eating enough fiber and good things like that, so that can result in some noticeable changes in how you look and feel.

And if it is in your head, it's clear that your new lifestyle has changed the way you feel about yourself. Even if you haven't lost any fat, you feel better (and when you feel better, you end up looking better too). And feeling better is never a bad thing.

So, yay you!

[RFL1986]

I've heard of this happening before as well and I think it could definitely be possible that it's a loss in fat but not in muscle (the reason for not having significant or any weight loss). That's great news though and a good motivator to stick to vegetarianism for sure!

[ammulu]

Hi everyone! I am one week in on my vegetarian diet and feel great! I have suffered from IBS for years and feel it is starting to "clear up." I have on question though... I haven't lost any weight, but I swear my stomach is looking flatter :p Is this just in my head or is this really happening?

I don't think that vegetarian food would rather reduce your body weight, but it surely depends on the quantity of food and the way you prepare it too. As far as non-veg is concerned I don't think chicken or any other meat would increase your weight if had in proper quantity and exercised well too.

[McKamish]

wow, old thread......
at first, i didnt think i lost any weight. i have always been a runner. but it has been 2 months for me, and i have lost a few pounds. not 15, i dont think..... being a runner, i am somewhat already underweight.

[st_hart]

Hehehe..congratulations on getting flatter abs. I can be real and logic. I myself don't notice any significant change on my weight. I am born skinny and my problem is gaining weight instead of losing it. But I feel much healthier, fresher and stronger after being vegetarian for awhile.

[urs1]

One think many people don' consider is that if your vegetarian choices are healthy (not junk food!) then you are eliminating 99% or MORE of the bad useless fats from your diet. Most of the fats you are taking in now are the good kind that our bodies can use.

However for the first few months your body is used to using fat in a certain way and getting it from certain places. So when you don't take it is, the body goes and burns the old stores that it had.

[frankie1]

Urs is right, it's something people don't usually consider. Plant fats are very different from animal fats and our bodies naturally react to them differently.

[knight]

Normally veggie diet reduces the fat content in the body gradually but I think a week is a very less time for this process to happen. The more probable reason would have been that you are thinking too much about your veggie diet.

[frankie1]

Actually it could be the clearing up of a food or hormone allergy that this person was not aware that they had. They could have been bloated from it and once it has cycled out of their system they look better. That would take about a week.

[frankie1]

Something else just occurred to me. If you are female, it could actually be a combination of premenstrual bloating and an allergy. That would make a huge difference in a week.