A Fat Vegetarian?
 

I don't know if this has been posted before, and I apologize if it has, but since I am new here, I would like to address the vegetarian/vegan community:

Have any of you ever experienced someone's shock that you are a vegetarian/vegan and fat?

I find that when I tell people I am vegetarian and have been for the last four years (before that, one year of being vegan), they are shocked that I am so big. Of course, many of them don't come right out and say that, but I'll get the passive-aggressive approach instead: "I thought it would be easy to stay in shape if you ate only vegetables," and the like. I'm easily hurt by these comments (I didn't get a thick skin with my thick thighs!), but I try to laugh off their comments with, "Onion rings are vegetarian, too!"

Anyone else dealt with this stereotype of very fit, healthy vegetarians?

No, not really, but maybe they weren't that rude about it.

I personally think that people are pretty dumb for thinking that not eating meat = skinny. You see it every day, for some reason they think that being a vegetarian means that you're skinny and fit because of the stereotype that comes with people who are typically vegetarians..... the hippie environmental, outdoorsy types, which for the most part, is pretty true. But still, it is annoying.

Yeah, I got that a bit when I was more toward the vegan end.

I'd ask for vegan dishes and they'd assume it was for my tall, lean spouse, and the crazy meat ladden thing was for me.

A.

In my experience, I have always known slender vegans. But, all the vegetarians I have known have been overweight. .... leading me to the ultra-silly expectation that vegans are always slim and vegetarians are overweight!

Maybe there are SO few vegans and vegetarians that we have actually met, that we form the stereotype rather quickly - much quicker than if we had met 100 vegans and 100 vegetarians....

Another funny stereotype - I remember when the Atkin's revolution had just started. My parents were on it, EVERYONE's parents were on it! They would all eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, cheese and meat for lunch and a big roast and possibly an egg salad for dinner. I still 'unfairly' associate Atkin's people with this stereotype - eating extremely rich, fatty, greasy, yucky foods that are terrible for environmental sustainability ..... I also associate Atkin's people as being somewhat middle-aged, wanting to lose weight somewhat quickly..... in the beginning they always think "I will eat this way forever", but then they eventually cave, eating bread again, and gaining it all back plus more (just like my parents did - x 3)

Thats unfair for me. For example, maybe there are "Vegan Atkins" people that eat NO meat or cheese?? Ok.... now I am rambling.

I never had this association with vegetarians because my sister went vegetarian when I was in elementary school and she gained weight from the diet. Then when I went vegetarian in high school my parents reminded me to be careful of my diet and not start eating fast food all the time like my sister did. And I haven't known too many vegetarians throughout my life. I did know two vegans while in high school and one of them was super skinny but she had always been that way and the other one was a normal weight and I had known her a long time before she went vegan and she didn't appear to lose much weight.

I did fall for the super skinny sickly looking vegan stereotype once when I was watching a tv show because she did kinda look sickly and way underweight and my mom and I were like wow vegan is not healthy. for shame to me!

I think the stereotypye comes from people thinking that vegetarians/vegans choose this lifestyle to be healthy. That is what I always thought. But now, as I realize there are so many overweight vegetarians/vegans, I think they must be making the choice because they just don't want to be harming animals.

LOL! My vegan daughter is not fat or skinny. Just average. And she eats plenty of junk, just not animal junk. Potato chips fried in veg oil are vegan...and the wacky cake recipe that I used to fix when the kids were little...no eggs, no butter, but plenty enough of sugar and oil! She still makes it. I'm pretty sure she is into the environmental stuff, footprints, animal rights, sustainability and all and not trying to be necessarily *healthy*

Barb

When I first started to abstain from the meat, I actually gained weight. I had been on the South Beach, and I have never lost down to that weight since. There are plenty on bad options for veges and even vegans. But, I wouldn't go back to meat again even if it guaranteed 30 pounds weight loss tomorrow!

I've never experienced anyone being openly shocked, but when I tell them that, that's always running through my head. I think it's irrational for people to think vegetarian=skinny. It's like, hey guys, vegetarians don't only eat raw celery!!

On another note, I was vegan for 6 months (ended up going off it on a trip to Germany and never went back :( ) but during that time I lost about 30 pounds, and I was not restricting calories or portions at all. It's harder for vegans to be fat, in my opinion, because you can't really eat out much or eat a lot of packaged foods unless you're living on Swedish Fish and Oreos.

I stopped eating meat in January, and when I went home for a visit in March my mom asked me if I was still a vegetarian. I said yes, and her first question was "well, how much weight have you lost?" UGH. I didn't become a vegetarian to lose weight. I lost 110 pounds a few years ago eating plenty of meat, and I'm struggling to lose a single pound now. Meat has nothing to do with that. There are so many other reasons not to eat meat, some of them health reasons but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

I remember when I gained a bunch of weight from being vegetarian. THE CULPRIT? Grilled-cheese sandwiches.

And then when I went vegan, gained some more weight. THE OTHER CULPRIT? Tofutti everything. Me and cream cheese had a love affair we just couldn't break off.

Just reading that post gave me a major Tofutti craving!! I love the Cuties and the pints of chocolate...yummm

I really think that uninformed people assume that you only eat salads when you're a vegetarian. Ummmm, chocolate is vegetarian!!!!!!! lol

losing weight has definitely be harder; well at least food has been harder to deny. My problem is I went vegan and when I was looking up vegan things online its like everyone is trying to make the fattening things vegan (muffins, brownies, then lists of treats that are vegan) to prove that vegan food is just as good but it really caused me to want bad things more. I get excited about something being vegan like dark chocolate and can't help myself. Or I want to bake vegan things to see how they turn out and I do! I have still been losing weight but it has been a little more difficult since going vegan for sure.

I have been a vegetarian my whole life (I just dont like the flavor of meat) and honestly I can say that it hasnt effected me losing or gaining weight...I gained weight because I ate all the time and I ate unhealthy food...and outsiders couldnt understand how a vegetarian could be fat...I think our best bet is just to talk to ppl and help them understand how being a vegetarian works.....

it was so much easier for me to lose wieght as a carnivore then a veg. I guess it was chicken breast and veggies everynight for supper. or eggs for breakfast. It got easy to eat alot of breads/starches and casseroles now im losing weight again and yes, i am the heaviest vegetarian ive ever met, so i do think that most people think that vegetarians are thin. Well i eat cheese so pizza is still a food group.

YES! Where I'm from being vegetarian is still not very common (it's actually so hard I have to eat fish from time to time so I won't have to survive on cheese and unhealthy-but-vegetarian food because it's near impossible to find a meal that doesn't include meat or fish).

Whenever I say I don't eat meat, no one has ever said anything to my face but I do have a feeling they're thinking "and why are you so fat?"... they often ask how long (about 6 years) I guess to find out if I just "turned" vegetarian as a diet (which I haven't and I didn't... my stomach was upset very often and not eating meat makes me feel better).

btw, I just found out there's a "vegetarian chicks" subforum! yay!!

Hi, I just wanted to throw this is. I've been vegetarian for a while, and went vegan in January. I only stayed vegan about 2 months, and gained 20 of the 30 pounds that I didn't need to begin with.

Having a reluctant but willing husband to go vegan with, I made pastas, breads, lasagnas, veggie pizzas with soy cheese, all sorts of unhealthy vegan dishes trying to make them taste as good or better than the vegetarian stuff I used to cook. They tasted great, and with a false assumption of "Well, with all the veggies and soys, its can't be that bad", I ate more than my share and gained weight.

I don't tell people I gained weight as a vegan for fear of exactly what this thread is about, but I feel your pain : )

I get that alot, but attribute it to people not understanding what a vegetarian is. For example, someone asking my if a veggie burger was made out of Turkey. Ha. But cheese and chocolate are vegetarian friendly... i think the people the understand turley isn't a vegetable forget that part.

Yep. My doctor even said it. I think he would know better. But he was testing the cholesterol levels in my blood, and he was like "wow your cholesterol is lower than normal, good job, been cutting down on the junk eh?" ... I said, "No doc, i'm a vegetarian." he replied with, "if you were a vegetarian you would be skinny." OMG i was mad but I didn't say anything else, I've been a vegetarian for 3 yrs. I was pretty offended!

heh, I always say the hardest season for me is not winter but summer. All the yummy fresh produce. I make WAY more food in the summer and it is so good that I eat way more as well. I look through my CSA basket and the next thing you know Tuesday night dinner is a 5 course meal. All healthy, no preponderance of cheese/starch etc. but just way way too much.

I portion control junk food much more easily. Unless I am hating myself I wont over do crap too often. But a beautiful roasted eggplant casserole and a lovely fresh veggie stirfry?

When I am eating a vegan diet - I actually have no problems maintaining my weight, which gives me peace of mind. I don't have to count calories. I can really put on weight when I am eating the normal meat and cheese.... it makes me a nervous wreck.

That being said, on a vegan diet, I only cook whole foods.... no fake cheeses or meats or what-have-you. I love the food, but I don't feel the need to overeat it (for example, I feel the need to overeat cheese pizza if it is there).

But, to lose weight on the vegan diet, even if I am only eating whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, I still have to cut down my portions and eliminate all artificial sugars.... I abused my body so bad in my 10 year 'dieting game' stunt - it never wants to lose weight. I have to create a noticeable deficit.... that is not always so comfortable and takes real planning.

What a great thread to find.

I am here because I am a fat vegetarian, and yes, people do judge you. I got fat because I ate a ton of carbs, icecream and other fattening foods, and way too much of them.

Now I'm on Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet. I was eating way too much sugar and flour and this is a great way of improving my nutrition.

But yeah, IMHO folks definitely judge, always equating vegetarianism with healthy eating, which is not the case.

I'm a fat vegan! Probably the fattest vegan I've ever encountered. It blows my mind that I can be so overweight as a vegan. I'm sure my issue is portion control...

I hate to tell people that I'm vegan because images of me sitting in the dark eating secret cheeseburgers will inevitably flash through their minds. That's probably just me being super self-concious, but really.

I think my overconsumption of sugar and simple carbs are to blame. It's easy to eat too much of that when you're cutting out so much other stuff.

I have gotten that a lot. I've been veg for about 4+ years. Often when I say that I am a vegetarian people say things like "Oh, I thought all vegetarians were skinny". I think people associate veganism/vegetarianism with health, fitness, all-natural living, etc. This is because it's the way the media portrays vegetarians.

missgordon, I'm right there with you. I've often wondered what I would do if sugar and simple carbs weren't vegan. Would that solve my weight issues for good? Or would that be the end of veganism for me?

I think in general vegans are smaller than vegetarians and vegetarians are smaller than omnivores. I have yet to meet a overweight vegan, but I have met many overweight vegetarians.

Unfortunately, pretty much all my friends are vegetarians (including me) and smaller than me.

I have been a vegetarian for 20 years (since I was 16) I was slim for a few years, hit my mid-20s and started to gain. Early 30s and I was 186.2lbs and I'm 5'8.5". I was a fat vegetarian - most chocolate bars are vegetarian lol. I joined weight watchers and eventually was 135lbs, I hadn't been that skinny since I was 20! Anyway, I'm 160lbs+ now but I'm pregnant and can't stop eating :/

I am vegan and overweight...however I didn't gain weight as a vegan. I gained weight as an omnivore, and now that I am vegan I am slowly losing weight. I didn't become vegan as a diet, but it is a nice side effect :)

OMG missgordon, you have described how I feel exactly. I have been vegetarian for almost 8 years and vegan for the past 6 months or so. I avoid telling people that I'm vegan because I get very strange looks and maybe I'm just being paranoid but I feel like those looks are saying " hmm, if you're REALLY vegan then why are you so fat?" There have even been the occasional comment of "Really? I wouldn't have guessed that..."
I didn't choose a veggie/vegan lifestyle to lose weight, I chose it because I love animals.
My entire life I have always gravitated towards fruit and vegetables, unfortunately I also love bread, and chocolate and tofutti. No shock to me that I haven't lost weight, and have in fact gained weight, especially since I hit 40.

I've been a vegetarian since I was 14 and when I was 20 I became vegan.
My weight then was 165 and I thought turning vegan would help me loose some pounds.
I thought I could eat lots and lots of organic cashew butter, pasta and tofu and still be skinny..... Turns out I couldn't. I actually gained 33 lbs and developed soy allegy.
Now I'm half right again (aka ovo-lactose vegetarian)

<3

I've been some variation of vegetarian for about 10 years now, and strangely enough the years I was practicing a vegan diet (probably close to 4 years) were when I was at my heaviest! I don't blame veganism at all - I was the one practicing a diet of french fries, vegan burritos, and toffuti cheesecakes. I've been following an ovo-lacto diet for the last 4 years, and find that for me it's much easier to get a balanced, healthful variety of foods this way. Sometimes I wonder how I ever went so many years without cheese! Or yogurt! Kudos to those that make a vegan lifestyle work - it takes a lot of planning, cooking, and creativity to do it right!

Hi asharksrevenge,
I'm vegetarian since I was born and I over weight...people doesn't know. Vegetarian food has lots of carb. And there are many people a bit sensitive with carb... don't be so sad...I'm struggling too.
And have to exercise every single day...still I'm over weight

I understand perfectly what you mean. My weight has more to do with eating disorder binges than anything else but when people find out I'm vegetarian they look me up and down. I'm vegetarian for animals and the environment more so than for health, but as a plus, meat doesn't appeal to me anymore. It hasn't for a long time.

I've been comforting myself with food since I was a child. Being vegan hasn't stopped me from wanting to sit in front of the TV eating chips. Being vegan has helped me mentally though. It's one of the things I think of when the world gets me down. "I"m so grateful to be vegan"

So yes, there are fat vegetarians and vegans. I'm a fat vegan. Always working on it and really trying now which is one reason I joined this forum.

I'm not too tolerant of taking grief from people because I'm vegan. Or fat.

I'm a fat vegan too. I just like bread, okay?!

Back when I was a vegetarian, I remember a guy who was dating a friend of mine saying 'How can you be a vegetarian and be so fat?' I wasn't as confident as I am now, and I remember locking myself in a toilet cubicle and crying for AGES. I just got so sick of people looking at me, noticing I was overweight, and thinking that meant they could be as rude as they wanted.

Even now, I still think of that incident (among many others) and use it to spur myself on in losing weight.

I have been there too. I would eat all this processed stuff that had no meat or dairy but it did not mean it was good for me. My doctor even thought I may have a tyroid issue becasue I was an over weight vegan.

Oh God, being a fat vegetarian is so embarrassing. I'm fat because I eat far too much chocolate (honestly, a shameful amount) and I LOVE bread and cheese, but I'm always sure people must think I'm stuffing myself with meat on the sly.

Earth to omnivores - vegan and vegetarian diets also contain carbohydrates and fats!

Fortunately since I came to university I haven't really experienced too much body discrimination, though I did audition for a musical and hear the people say on the way out that it was a shame about my 'look.' D:

I think a lot of new vegans do this. I did. I now avoid most processed vegan foods and they are a rarer treat now. I can't go through life NEVER having a veggie dog again! :)

There has been a lot of controversy about the isolated soy protein contained in many substitute foods. So while I don't think I'll ever not eat them. It's going to be a few times a year type thing.

Everything in moderation. And I don't worry considering how much better I am for myself and the planet eating a vegan diet.

It highly depends on what type of vegetables and fats you eat instead of the animal ones.
If you change lean chicken into peanuts or soy, you might find more calories in your food. Vegetable oils are just as calorie rich as animal fats for instance, but olive oil has more calories than goat butter for instance.
And then come the ammounts you eat. If you eat lentils covered with oil it is just as fattening as eating hamburger and chips.