Does anyone have some good advice about being a vegetarian, but also a low-carb veggie? I want to ease up on the amount of protein I eat, but I find that I lose weight easier when I have a higher protein to carbohydrate ratio.
I went vegan in December of 2008 and did it for 6 months. I lost 40 pounds eating whatever (vegan) food I wanted, but I didn't watch my nutrition carefully enough and had a sever iron deficiency that I found out about when I tried to donate blood and they wouldn't take it. If you're careful and take vitamins, a vegan diet can do wonders! I couldn't handle the constant research that went into everything I ate. Some habits I retained from my vegan stint are drinking soymilk and using fake cheese when I can, and now I only buy local eggs.
However, to go full vegan is INCREDIBLY difficult if you're used to eating out or buying food that comes in boxes. Nearly everything has some milk derivative. On the other hand, if you're going vegan for health instead of animal-rights reasons, it will be relatively easy to avoid dairy and eggs. Just know that most things have some animal products, just not enough to matter for your diet.
I admit I'm kind of carefree about my vegan diet. I just eat a variety but don't worry too much about specifics and I take a multivitamin every once in a while.
My lab results are great though and I don't have any deficiencies. I eat a lot of whole foods though and refrain from eating a lot of processed stuff.
I've been a vegetarian for five years now~
But here's the thing, until three and a bit months ago, I was chubby~
Simply because, even though I was a veggie, I was still eatin the wrong kinds of food; so if you think that being a vegetarian is a quick way to lose weight, you couldn't be more wrong :/
Obviously, now my eating habbits have changed, so as opposed to eating high cal, high sat fat veggie ready meals most days of the week, my diet is very strict. Vegetables are the base of my evening meal every day, fruit is my breakfast every morning; and lunch is normally a mixture of vegtables and fruit; sometimes with soup or something similar.
For me, eating more than my five a day of fruits & veggies has become the norm, and as a result, I've lost quite a bit of weight~ but it wasn't so much about being vegetarian, just being smart about what I chose to eat
I personally think any diet (vegan / vegetarian / omnivorous) can be fattening or thinning (does the word even exist? :P ) it's really how much and of what you choose to eat. I am a vegetarian and I have been since before starting losing weight.. of course I would not have lost this much weight had I chosen french fries everyday even if they are vegetarian food xD
I personally don't believe in changing your eating credo just to lose weight.. you eat what you feel is the right thing to eat, and in any lifestyle you can choose a diet that will make you lose weight so no need to try vegan or vegetarian as if it were a magic strategy.. to me it's something deeper :3
Vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean weight loss. Initially you will lose because of the drastic diet change, however in the end it all comes down to calories in and calories out. If you load up on pasta, fats, sugars and other high calorie foods you will gain, even if you are vegetarian. Like any eating program you will still have to make smart choices, e.g., low cal, high fiber, and watch portion size. The nice thing about being a vegetarian is that the unprocessed foods will keep you full longer because they tend to have higher faber content. I also remember feeling very energized, I presume becaule less of my energy was being spent digesting slow-moving, heavy foods. The other downfall that I experience many years ago when I was a vegetarian, is that I got bored. Long-term vegetarian living -at least for me - required an investment in cooking and finding interesting meals to eat. You can only live so long on salad, veggies, rice and beans. Although I no longer am vegetarian, and clearly am back to being really heavy, I now follow WW/combined with the Rice Diet and follow a plan that largely is grain, vegetable and fruit based with occasional very small amounts of protein in the form of meat (for me chicken, turkey, fish and cheese) and dairy. It seems to be working and is very filling. Good luck.
Personally, I'm vegan and I think it is easy to find interesting meals to eat You should see my bookshelf of cookbooks which I don't always use but tons of ideas. I try to keep meals pretty simple though so look for things to cook fairly quick.
I am an eater of only local meat, which means I end up eating a lot of vegetarian food. I personally don't get bored - I love my spice rack, beans, grains (more than rice - try quinoa or barley!) and I love vegetables. I've recently lost about 5 pounds, but the first 25 I lost a few years back I kept off by eating a high veggie, high fiber, low fat diet as a vegetarian. (And learning to love running.)
I sometimes forget that vegan doesn't always equal healthy. For instance, I found a great local vegan bakery, and they make vegan ho-hos and vegan chili dogs. Delicious and not as bad for me, but still ho-hos and chili dogs.
I find it easy to be vegan (that is, easy to cook and easy to find interesting things to eat). It is no harder to lose or maintain weight loss than it was when I was an omnivore, even when I eat gluten or added sugar.
milliondollarbbw i eat low carbs and mostly vegetarian just because i was a carb fiend before my diet and i knew that restricted some things might cause me to go crazy over bread, and i noticed it makes me feel weighted down and loose energy etc.
i stopped eating potatoes (which i use to have everyday), stopped having sandwiches, stopped making pasta, don't eat pretzels and crackers, don't do processed foods (including the boca burger and morning star company). the only time i do carbs is occasionally i'll have one slice of whole wheat bread for a day, either as a snack (and put something tasty on it) or with breakfast. you could also get oats and have some oatmeal for breakfast or cereal and thats it for the day, or some rice for dinner.
but if you don't want much wheat things there are a lot of vegetable that have a good amount of carbs...potatoes, carrots, butternut squash. i've heard there are also some fruits with carbs and beans have them.
but my diet includes veggies and fruit at every meal, usually beans or tofu once a day, a serving of nuts or seeds once a day, almond milk everyday, and usually one slice of whole wheat bread a day (and sometimes not)...
make sure you get complex carbs when you eat them, not simple ones like things made with refined sugar and white flour.
I have lost some weight being almost-vegan (I am not religious about checking for dairy/eggs in some things - like bread, etc.) but more extraordinary is the amount of FAT I've lost! I've always had thunder thighs that rubbed - my whole life - no more! I've always had a very fat back - no more! I can feel my butt bones when I sit down!!! My belly is not as big! NO MORE WIDE SHOES!!!! Can you imagine what I could do if I REALLY counted calories/carbs, and REALLY exercised (besides the 2 miles walking/day I do now)???? I LOVE this way of life!!!! I have been almost-vegan for 2 years now. It is NOT hard at all. I have not dieted.
Being diabetic now, I have to low-carb. I eat low-glycemic veggies and fruit, lower-glycemic bread (ezekial bread, rye, pumpernickel), lower-carb grains (and watch portions, choose higher-fiber). If you read up on Dr. Neal Barnard, he offers a low-glycemic, low-carb, plant-based way of life plan. The name of the book is Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes, see here and get some good recipes: www dot nealbarnard dot org/diabetes_book dot htm . You don't have to be diabetic to have success with this - it is a lower-carb plant-based plan.
Last edited by justducky2; 04-12-2010 at 01:58 AM.
