[jessicado22]

I'm not sure if it is okay to post on here, but I didn't see a place for vegetarian chick intros. If this is in the wrong place just let me know and/or move it!

Anyways, I am so excited to just see this thread! I am the only vegetarian I know in my life, and I haven't really found alot on vegetarian dieting online, so stumbling onto this thread today was awesome! I didn't even think a vegetarian group existed on here, so I didn't even think to look! It seems that vegetarians are supposed to all be skinny or something. I would probably fall into that category more if I didn't pile the veggies on a cheese laden pizza that I then dipped into a tub of garlicky butter sauce or put them in a alfredo pasta with a loaf of bread on the side. I think you see my point. Stupid yummy carbs....

I have been trying to lose weight for awhile now. Long story short, I gained 100 pounds during my pregnancy. After my daughter was born 2 years ago, I was told that the weight would come off during breastfeeding....which did not happen. I ate sensibly, but kept it around 2000 cal a day, as that was what I was told you were supposed to do when bf. Even with a bunch of exercising, nothing happened, so I got discouraged and went back to pizza and ice cream. Finally, I couldn't handle being this overweight anymore, so about 5 months ago, I tried lowering my calories to 1500, still with hardly any results, even though I was bikeriding every day while towing daughter in a trailer. Last month, I decided daughter had been nursing for over 2 years, and I really needed to do something drastic, so I cut calories to 1200-1500 and FINALLY started seeing results.

I have lost about 40 pounds so far since June 22 and have gone from a size 24 to a size 20/22. I was wondering if other vegetarians who are dieting with success or are now maintaining have any tips? I have read that soy can deter weight loss and was wondering what others know or have experienced? I do alot of soy during the day, and don't want this to come back and bite me in the bum in the long run. I know the basics--eat lots of fruit/veggies, avoid too much fat, etc. But was wondering what else you veggies got!

[rileyozzy]

First of all, I am not a vegetarian, but my DH is a very strict one and so I only eat meat if I am out with friends. We eat a lot of beans, garden burgers and I usually eat egg whites at least 2x a week. Cottage cheese has a lot of protein too. I did add a protein shake this summer and it is a filling and yummy breakfast.