Hi, I'm new to this particular forum. My name is Lori.
I have tried everything to lose weight, and while some of the diets did help I found that they had issues. I thought the South Beach was the perfect choice but it is high in fat and also sodium! I just returned from my Dr. and she recommended more plant derived, vegetarian diet. So, I'm new here and checking out your suggestions as well as checking out the web.
Edited to add this paragraph.... I have several other issues other than obesity, I also have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of concentration, lack of energy, extreme hunger, as well as open sores that do not heal correctly. (yes, my dr. is doing blood work for diabetes).
I do eat a salad almost every day for lunch, but I do have egg for breakfast and meat for dinner, and sometimes a sandwich for lunch. I've tried tofu in the past and did not care for it. I do eat beans on occasion, especially garbanzo beans in my salad.
So, anyone have suggestions to a brand new kid on the block that is still weighing in wether to take the plunge or just dabble for the most part in the vegetarian lifestyle?
First of all, welcome to 3FC! You've made a great first step by simply joining here...everyone is so helpful and insightful and it has been a wonderful tool for me on my journey.
I was raised a vegetarian (in a Seventh Day Adventist home) but started eating meat (in large quantities and frequently) once I became an adult. I had a pretty passionate love affair with meat and swore I could never and would never deprive myself of it again!............
Fast forward six years: I just recently re-adopted the vegetarian lifestyle (as in two weeks ago) and could not be more pleased. I decided to become a vegetarian again because I strongly disagree with the inhumane treatment of animals who are raised for slaughter, but the health benefits I have reaped are astounding. I lost a couple of pounds pretty quickly, I'm discovering new veggies and fruits and ways to use them, and I really just FEEL healthier. It's crazy.
I hate tofu too. But I LOVE "fake" meat...the Morning Star brand soy based meats are the best. It might take some getting used to, but you can find all kinds of soy or vegetable meat replacements....wings, bacon, sausage, hamburger patties (Boca Burgers are great), chicken...anything! Just give it a try...you will love some and hate some, but they will help in this transition. It would be difficult to go from eating meat on any sort of regular basis to eating absolutely nothing but fruit and veggies. I think so, anyway.
Anywho, didn't mean for that to be so long...I'd suggest start looking for ways to gradually eliminate the meat out of your diet...try your usual salad without the grilled chicken, have cereal instead of the egg or a whole wheat pasta dish instead of a meat dish. There are a lot of options and I'm a true believer in the power of a vegetarian diet! Good luck!
It took me quite a while to cook tofu only because it scared me a bit but I love it but you don't have to eat tofu to be vegetarian. You might want to check your local library to look for books on vegetarian diets. I've heard Becoming Vegan is a really good book and there is also one called Becoming Vegetarian. There is also something called the Vegan Sourcebook and you might want to see what 'dummies' books are out there on the subject as well.
I eat lots of veggies, beans, fruits, some nuts, etc.
South Beach diet concentrates on lean meats- yes it IS a slightly higher fat diet- but that's because you are making up your carbs with more protein and fat. Contrary to popular belief not all fat is bad. A great majority of my daily fat comes from Olive Oil (extra virgin) and avocados. I also do not have a problem staying under 2300 mg of sodium with SBD.
If you really wanted to try South Beach I think you can still do it and stay away from too much sodium. The fat will be at a higher percentage but it's not something like 50%. My calories seem to spread 30-35% carb, 30-35% protein, and 35% fat. It's the only diet that has worked for me because of my PCOS and insulin resistance issues.
I suggest starting with adding veggies to your diet. for snacks have vegetables/fruit, and add a vegetable to lunch, dinner, and breakfast. since you have eggs for breakfast, try them with peppers and onions or mushrooms and tomatoes. for lunch, a salad is already getting the veggies, if it is a sandwich put lots of lettuce on it and maybe something other veggie you like (onion, tomato, peppers, zucchini). And then for dinner have a really large portion of a vegetable and eat as much as you can, don't just put it there for show. i do asparagus and french green beans a lot. make it the biggest part of the meal and do a smaller portion of meat (if you want to keep eating meat or want to ease into not eating it).
Thank you guys for the tips! In the past when I consumed mainly low GI foods I felt better. Given this, I believe I have a good chance at doing well on the Vegetarian diet and may even go Vegan (No dairy or eggs). The one thing that I know will have to happen is keeping my interest up, ie. keep from boredom of the same things everyday.
There are several vegetarians doing South Beach right here at 3FC ( Lori)
I limit meat substitutes to about 5 meals/wk (less than once a day), rarely eat tofu but do eat a lot of beans, some free range eggs (real free range, as in drive into the farm and dodge the chickens), and ff Greek yogurt. My daily fat % is usually 20-25%, almost no saturated.
Hi and welcome! I'm a vegetarian and I try to avoid a lot of the processed foods such as the Morningstar or Boca burgers. I do have them on occasion, but they are far from a staple of my diet. I have steel cut oats, made with high fiber unsweetened (brown) rice milk, every day for breakfast. This combination provides 10 grams of fiber, which keeps me full until lunch time. I mix it up by putting strawberries, blueberries or pineapple in it. I also "season" it with generous helpings of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
I love both beans and brown rice, so I will often have some combination of that for lunch. Black beans are my favorite, and I like to top the bean/rice combo with fresh salsa, or sauteed veggies, put it in a high fiber wrap or just eat it out of the bowl. Today I went to Subway and had a 6" Veggie Delight, no cheese, but every single veggie. I promise, with all those veggies, you won't miss the meat.
Snacks are apples, carrots, pears, celery, oranges or if you can do nuts in moderation, I like to have a small handful which can be very filling. For dinner, I usually have multiple veggies, a grain like quinoa or couscous, or sometimes a large salad.
Being a vegetarian is no guarantee for weight loss. There are lots of fattening foods -- think candy and potato chips -- that are vegetarian, but not what we should be eating in excess.
Best of luck to you!
Last edited by VeggiePowered; 05-27-2010 at 01:42 PM.
Reason: spelling error.
Hi I'm newly working towards vegan. I have been vegetarian in past. I agree a vegetarian diet isn't necessarily the way to weight loss(as so many yummy things are vegetarian) all the time but if you research and learn all you can about macrobiotics and do it the healthy way it can be a great tool in weight reduction I'm hoping, anyway.
The list of symptoms you posted sounds like it could be linked with omega 3 deficiencies or other of the essential fatty acids. Primarily these things can happen(especially the lack of concentration and low energy I take it) when we get the wrong balance of omega 6 to omega 3 which also counts towards increases in cholesterol levels too. Mine for instances isn't necessarily high as I have always had a slight aversion to the taste of meat and hence have not ate a lot of it. I have never had a problem control meat portions really. Its quite scary when I learned that my cholesterol was high. I knew my triglycerides have been high in past and my total is fine but HDL is low at times. I haven't seen my primary Dr. since the bloodwork she found it "high" so I have yet to get actual numbers on it. I will ask her when I go next because I want to come in 6 months and get the labs redrawn after reducing the cholesterol I eat and see what improvements happen.
I am also going to try to eliminate wheat as well as white flours and a lot of sugar. I'm trying to stick to about 80% or so raw diet which means breakfast and usually lunch is raw fruits or veggies. I eat fruit on empty stomach only. It was recommended in a book I read so I try to stick with it. I ate that way for about 2 weeks straight where about 5-6 days of the week my lunch was raw(salads with avocado for good fats to help boost my HDLs and sunflower seeds for calcium). The wheat is more to do with a family history of Chrohns and probably celiacs. I'm most interested in seeing if it improves a skin condition my 6 year old has had for years now. Oh and she sometimes complains of tummy aches after dinner and especially when her tummy is bloated which happens more often with pasta dinners than other times.
Quinoa and millet I have found are lower carb options these are the good grains. I just haven't tried them. I have been looking for the perfect recipe to introduce quinoa to my daughter. I hope she likes it.
I love both Quinoa and millet!! Millet is so good and quinoa as well just as they are. Millet, you can use as a hot cereal but if you toast it before you cook it, it stays firm and tastes so good.
I did not do this, nor am I recommending it. Just letting you know it is out there.
Hum...won't let me post the website.
Search "vegetarian South Beach diet".
Dr. recommended Vegetarian diet
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Lori)
