Fat. I’m not seeing enough healthy mono and poly unsaturated fats there. Daily olives are good, but not enough. Most men need about 40-45 grams of fat per day to maintain excellent health.
Got any olive oil on that salad bar? One Tablespoon has 14 grams of fat, almost all of it polyunsaturated.
Your body needs fats to build and repair cell membranes, as well as to absorb the fat soluble vitamins from your other foods. Without enough fat in your diet, your body will scavenge it from your cells - first the fat cells, then the cells that line and support your nerves, then anywhere else it can find it, and things start not working right. Nutritional deficiencies in those fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K) will happen, even if you’re eating them, because your body won’t absorb them well.
It’s really about whether you have convenient access to food; just today I ate two cookies since they were free and given to me … usually I refrain from frivolous sweets especially if I’m paying for them. If you stock your fridge with healthy foods you’ll eat healthy. Well, it makes it easier, since you won’t have much of a choice.
Ah. I’ve been refraining from fats on purpose to accelerate weight loss and if my scale is correct and accurate I’ll have lost eighteen pounds to date. I’m not sure if I believe my scale at this point … I’m actually in the process of finding another scale. I’ve almost started knocking on neighbor’s doors. The scale was accurate to the pound when I put a fifty pound dumbbell on it but still …eighteen pounds. I used to be 180 now I’m apparently 162. Is this real??
Also regarding my weight loss I wish more weight came from my stomach since there is still a bit of fat lingering on the bottom where my pants end up top. That bit of fat is making the six pack a lot less impressive. I know that weight loss generally isn’t targeted but I wish I could lose that.
I also started weight training recently with running, and I’ve always been doing plyo with running; could some weight loss be attributed to muscle gain? Which one weighs more? I’m not much of a distance runner as I do have rather big and muscular thighs.
I don’t see any nuts or flax seed there. You need the “good” fats like omega-3. Almonds and/or brazil nuts are really delicious and will provide those oils. Toasted flax seed is actually pretty yummy as well, and adds a nice crunch on top of a salad. You might suggest these to the cafeteria manager. Most salad bars include sunflower seeds, add those for a start, but try to push for healthier choices.
You could also get those by adding some tuna or other ocean fish into your diet.
ETA: Muscle is heavier than fat. It’s possible to get trimmer without losing any weight at all. It’s a specialty of mine in fact.
I wouldn’t expect there to be much difference, protein-wise, between the typical vegetarian diet and the typical vegan diet. Most of the vegetarians I know get most of their protein from assorted legumes, which are of course also an option for vegans.
Now, B12 is a real issue for vegans, and a healthy vegan lifestyle would probably be impossible without modern supplements. But the OP is getting a fair bit of mushrooms and cheese, as well as the veggie burgers which are probably supplemented, so that’s probably not a problem.
And overall, I’m seeing a lot of variety in general in the OP’s diet. With a list of (non-junk) foods that long, it’s pretty hard to end up with any major deficiencies.
Well then you’d be quite surprised to find out there is. How can you not expect a rather big difference in complete protein sources in diets that contain no animal products whatsoever vs diets that simply contain no meat? It’s easy being a vegetarian, even a healthy one. It just takes a little bit of knowledge and planning. Being a vegan, at least a healthy vegan, can be a real challenge.
Yes, it’s real. No, it’s not safe. Your body is cannibalizing itself for fat. That’s what weight loss is, but in your case, it’s doing it too quickly to be generally recognized as safe without close medical supervision. There’s a reason that all those extreme weight loss shows have doctors on the set - people on very low calorie diets are at increased risk of heart and kidney failure.
Is there a health clinic on campus? Or do you have a doctor? See if you can get hooked up with a Registered Dietician for some customized diet and healthy weight loss advice.
