I have recently become interested in the atkins diet ... especially to try to prevent muscle loss while losing weight. My problem is, I do not eat meat though I do eat dairy. I also do not eat eggs as a food, but will eat products that use them.

Is there anyone who is a vegetarian or vegan who is on this diet? Is this even possible?

Aw .... that is too bad. I will maybe try to add some fish into my diet, I just have a hard time digesting meat.

Than you so much for the info Jersey Gyrl!

We should be able to scab together a lowish carb type thing if we think hard. What does everyone else think?

I think it could be done, but would be difficult and with very limited food choices. Soy could be used in place of regular milk. Peanut butter for the fats and protein. Protein shakes. Lots of salads and green veggies. But, I know from personal experience that this program is easier for those of us who are big meat, egg and cheese eaters.

Morag - You might try the South Beach diet - As I'm able to follow it reasonably well - I eat fish, eggs and cheese, but because you can have beans and then some carbs back in phase 2 it'll be "lower" carb, but less restrictive therefore you have more food choices

How about protein drinks? I get mine from Trader Joes, WorldWide Protein Shake, 21 gms protein, 2 gms net carbs and 100 calories (vanilla).

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I'm sorry, but this absolute garbage. While it's true that doing Induction-level carbs would be difficult as a lacto-ovo vegetarian, it's absolute BS that lowcarbing (and even Atkins) cannot be done as a lacto-ovo. Do a search for vegetarian low carb and you'll find several links that explain just how to do it. In addition, Rose Eliot's book "The Vegetarian Low Carb Diet" gives a blueprint that is exactly like Atkins and is vegetarian.

I've been on and off lowcarbing for a few years as a vegetarian (currently back on) and I have had no problem doing low carb including dairy and soy products. You can even do it as a vegan, as long as you're willing to go higher than Induction-level carbs (and even Atkins doesn't recommend staying at 20 carbs for the long term). I've tried doing vegan low carb before and was able to get to 60 carbs per day which is still considered low carb.

I highly doubt that Atkins or any other medical doctor would recommend that someone "give up" vegetarianism to do low carb. That's just plain insensitivity not to mention unethical practice in my eyes. Vegetarianism isn't just a food choice, it usually involves much more, such as ethics, health, and environment. It's not just a matter of "giving it up" because you're trying to lose weight.

Incidentally, I just read somewhere that the book "Atkins Advantage" addresses vegetarianism and gives some tips on how to do Atkins as a vegetarianism.

I didn't mean to rant here, but it really annoys me when I read people who obviously have no clue about low carbing assume that it is not doable for vegetarians (and I'm not talking here about jerseygrl who posted the note - I'm talking about the person who wrote it ). True, low carbing has always been associated with a high level of meat eating, but many low carbers don't just rely on meat for their protein. It's similar to the BS that goes around about low carbers not eating veggies. Take a look sometime at sample menus people post on the boards and you'll see that many integrate plenty of veggies.

Tam

While I'm not a vegetarian, I lived with one for many years and learned quite a bit about how to make it work. If there is a health food store in your location, find TVP or TSP. It is a fantastic substitute for meat (which is its primary use) but is also great as low carb substitute for rice, oatmeal, breadcrumbs and lots of other things if your feeling adventurous. Flax is also a wonderful thing. I'm still on the hunt for a flax bread recipe that isn't a glorified omelet (I hate eggs) but its flour like consistency and super high fiber and nutrient content makes it a great addition to any diet. Veggie low-carb is definitely possible, though Atkins low carb might be a little more difficult.

ooo, thanks, these look really good. Especially the zuchinni muffins.

I've been attempting this over the past 2 weeks. It's really not easy. Veggie food tend to be high in carbs, I tried really hard one day and still came out with 65% carbs!!! Not good.

Today is the only day I managed 25% carbs and it was a really high in fat overall. So I don't know whether it would work, to keep it high fat and low carb. But it's really not easy, let me know if you manage it!!!