How quickly can changing to a different diet affect the body?

[ihaveacrushonjesuschrist]

My boyfriend wanted to try vegan so we have been eating a chickpea curry for the past three days. I regularly run 2-3 times a week but have been adding 3 one hour swims in for a sprint triathlon training. Today I went for a run and it felt like something was sitting on my chest and my legs just did not want to move. I normally run a 5k at a 8:30-9:00 pace and am able to recover quickly but today I struggled to run two miles at a 10 minute pace and was out of breath for a long time after I finished. My legs feel shaky just standing and three hours later I still feel like I’m not breathing properly. I’m not sure if it’s the diet or because I’m on my period or a combination of both of something else entirely? TIA!!

 

[starwarsdude]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist Does your chickpea curry have similar macros as your typical diet before the switch? Maybe you’re consuming way less calories than before? Or sensitivity/intolerance to something in the curry?

It took me awhile to figure out how to get enough calories in my vegan diet as it’s mostly whole foods which are not calorically dense.

I never felt a real difference switching to veganism aside from losing some weight and dealing with a few months of my gut getting used to high fiber diet.

 

[ihaveacrushonjesuschrist]

@starwarsdude I honestly have no idea about the macros… he saw a documentary and wanted to try it so he didn’t do any additional research other than googling recipes. It is possible it is a calorie thing, I will do some comparisons with my previous diet!

 

[tiei]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist Sounds like you could have a cold/flu/virus affecting your respiratory performance. A diet switch to something as balanced and healthy as chick pea curry shouldn't cause fatigue symptoms unless it was dramatically lower in calories than your usual meals.

 

[%D7%99%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%99%D7%AA]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist I was on keto for a a year, then moved to PBWF. I used a food tracking app throughout that time, and it was super useful to know my calorie count and macros as I learned to eat completely differently.

I like the app MacroFactor for food tracking, and there are numerous other options available, too, if you want to go that route.

 

[kgerard]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist You may have just been overdoing it a little, especially if you're on your period.

 

[taskmstr]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist Honestly it is definitely the vegan diet. I’ve tried so many times to go vegan and ALWAYS feel absolutely horrendous by the first evening. Even worse the next day. As soon as I eat meat or fish again I feel completely fine and reenergised within an hour. I have read and seen lots of people commenting the exact same thing after subbing out to a vegan meal. My suggestion? Forget exercise, sleep lots and give it 3 weeks. If you still feel like you don’t have energy or don’t feel good give it up and never look back. It could be just a symptom while your body adapts to such a radical change. I am now doing the same but if I still feel as bad as I have done every other time then I’m going back to my delicious steaks. I also don’t see many girls who are vegan and don’t have quite a lot of „fluff“.

 

[sathiya]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist Serious deficiencies wont occur from a matter of days. Could be a result of overexertion if you just recently added add swimming to your routine?

Could be you're overconsuming fiber in a short amount of time when your body might not be used to a sudden influx? I was gagging for half my football session the other day since I had wolfed down pancakes from around 250g of dried lentils 2h before the workout.

 

[annadotson]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist Just make sure your macros and calorie intake are what you’re used to. It’ll take a little bit of an adjustment. But it sounds like you’re just not getting as much protein or carbs or calories as you’re used to. It can be easy to eat less calories or protein than you mean to when switching to a vegan diet without realizing it.

 

[tonya22673]

@ihaveacrushonjesuschrist A vegan diet is restrictive enough that it takes a little planning for optimal performance but to see a significant change that quickly you probably either have an intolerance for one or more ingredients or you are in the early stages of an illness and haven't realized it yet. Extreme calorie restriction might do something similar as well if you normally eat a lot more calories.