Considering being vegetarian

dannymayorga78

Although I have struggled with my weight my entire life, I love healthy food, the gym now since I started going and have always played sports, mainly soccer and basketball. I think going with a vegetarian diet is doable at home unless a family/friends gathering where no options are available in Gye or Miami

MelaniaTrump

Consider starting slowly.
Stop eating red meat for a month and see how you do.
Still saying yes to lean chicken and salmon.

85Cardinals

My parents and brother are vegans now. I know it's not for me, but they like it. I encourage and exhort you, original poster. Easing into it definitely sounds like a good plan.

pomegranatecloud

I've been vegetarian for over 5 years and found the switch to be very easy.

Are you in Miami? If so, you should go to Full Bloom. It's vegan, and the food and service are excellent.

dannymayorga78

I live in Miami. Thanks for the tip

spring913

I was vegetarian for a couple years. I loved it. It just wasn't sustainable for me to cook a meal for myself and a separate one for my hubby, I was always taking my own meals to family gatherings and was called rude for it, but would starve if I ate what was served minus meat. It ended up being too difficult for me.

I say go for it. Embrace it, you'll love it.

I do suggest that you do a lot of reading and research. It's important to make sure you're getting your protein. Also, start on a B12 supplement, you won't get enough through a vegetarian diet.

kathryn2130

I tried it for a couple months a few years ago. I didn't loose weight. I gained weight and it made me very sick. I started eating meat again and things got better.

Lounmoun

JanetYellen wrote: »

Consider starting slowly.
Stop eating red meat for a month and see how you do.
Still saying yes to lean chicken and salmon.

And/or start adding more meatless meals to your week and see how you like it for a month.
My family did meatless dinners for May. We ate meat (chicken and tuna mainly) at other meals. There were a lot of meatless foods we already ate regularly and several recipes that could be made vegetarian just by leaving out meat or subbing beans so it wasn't too radical.
You lose weight if you have a calorie deficit. You can do that eating meat or not eating meat.

distinctlybeautiful

Do it if you want, but understand it's not the ticket to an automatically lower calorie, healthier diet. I've been vegetarian for more than half my life but still gained a lot of weight at one point.

NinjaChinchillaNZ

As a vegetarian of 10 years I can tell you now it's not guaranteed to make you lose weight - it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out, though there are other health benefits to reducing meat intake, especially processed meats like sausages and ham etc. There are just as many unhealthy vegetarian options, and high calorie healthy options, so don't go into it thinking just cutting meat out will make you lose weight. Any weight loss will be due to reducing caloric intake, not simply because of not eating meat. You also have to work harder to ensure you're getting enough protein and iron on a vegetarian diet, some people struggle with it as they continue to eat the same foods minus the meat component and don't think to widen the variety of foods they eat to make up for it. I actually put on weight after becoming a vegetarian, but that's because I have a sweet tooth and cake, chocolates, potato chips, ice cream etc. are all vegetarian!

kommodevaran

Stop eating meat for the animals' sake, not for your sake. There are fat vegetarians too.

fr33sia12

I'm trying to become vegetarian too. I never really ate much red meat anyway and have now cut out chicken, which I used to eat a lot of. I'm eating more vegetarian options (I love falafel) and I'm cooking a lot more from scratch. I still eat fish, but maybe I'll cut that out altogether soon too.
I also don't eat much dairy either (just a small amount of cheese) but don't think I could be vegan, but I don't miss meat at all.

melonaulait

It's easy and sustainable. Welcome to the vegetarian life! After the first year (which can be the hardest), you'll be more comfortable sticking to your vegetarian diet even if you go somewhere with no veggie options. Give it time.

melonaulait

fr33sia12 wrote: »

I also don't eat much dairy either (just a small amount of cheese) but don't think I could be vegan, but I don't miss meat at all.

I also thought I could never be vegan, but here I am... Turns out it's even more hassle-free than my previous 8+ years as a pescetarian.

BoxerBrawler

It still comes down to calories in / calories out but I say go for it! Make the change slowly but be consistent! Going vegetarian followed closely by vegan was one of the best things I ever did for my health and wellbeing!

Muscleflex79

there are (many) fat vegetarians and many fit meat-eaters. to me, one has nothing to do with the other. if you want to do it for other reasons, go for it, but don't think that it is a magic factor in weight loss!

Rit1603

Being vegetarian as all of the people said its not guarantee of loosing weight if you still buy unealthy vegetarian food like most prepared packaged foods are very high in calories and salt and I avoid all of those. I did become veg for ethical reasons because I had the guts to watch all those undercover videos of factory farming and how the animals were treated and from there I simply could not accept to put in my mouth such meat. Its horrible to watch you just simply want to stop the video and forget about it and tell yourself that these are just isolated cases but unfortunately they are not. The last investigation in one of the biggest factories in my country of birth( europe) where gestation crates pigs were covered with infected wounds and rats all over. Anyway once I stopped I really never got the urge to eat it back and anytime i am about to grab a piece I simply cant because those images come to my mind. This is just my personal experience though. Good luck!

dannymayorga78

Just to clarify, the transition is not based on losing weight but feel better about the quality of calories intake. I see I dont have enough iron and calcium in my daily diet, but prefer to avoid dairy products. Any suggestions?

bekim123

There are just two words that keep me from being a vegetarian...ribs & bacon

Ginger_Poomkin

I went vegetarian in October 2015, then made the switch to vegan in March. I gotta tell you, I've never felt better. I have lost 16lbs since and my health is so much better (no colds at all in the winter, when I used to catch 3-4 easily per winter, and also no seasonal allergies when I used to almost pass out from sneezing and congestion). Feel free to add me and I'll be glad to give you some pointers.

becky10rp

No harm in trying the Vegetarian lifestyle to see if you like it! I'm a pescetarian - I don't eat meat, but I do eat eggs and milk, and I also eat fish. Been eating like this for 22 years. I don't do it for any political reasons - I just don't like the taste of meat - and I feel you can get your protein from other sources - beans, eggs, etc. Try reducing meat slowly to 3 times a week, twice a week - then cut it out completely. Make sure you're eating your protein - stock up on your beans - check out Morningstar - they make soy-based foods like gardenburgers and faux chicken patties (addicted to these).

_treehugger74

There are a lot of resources out there that will help with ideas to get your iron and calcium without supplements. Forks over Knives is an amazing place to start - it is more aimed towards the plant based vegan diet, but has great information. I have been vegetarian for 10+ years - never had a problem with protein, iron or calcium in my diet. Granted, it is easy to make bad choices too - I mean, Oreos are vegan.

mitch16

Our family was ovo-lacto/pescatarian for about 10 years ending about 10 years ago. Like others have said, becoming vegetarian does not guarantee losing weight. I gained weight when I was vegetarian (had a pregnancy right in the middle of that stretch) and was more successful in losing once I started eating meat and paying attention to how much I was eating; my sister who has been vegetarian for 35 years actually weighs more than I do now (and she is 3 inches shorter)--you still have to mind CICO.

As the primary cook in our household, I found that eating vegetarian required much more menu/grocery planning, and more meal prep--everything seemed to be a casserole. We still eat meatless occasionally, but I really do appreciate the ease of cooking a steak on the grill (and bonus that I like the taste of red meat).

PandaCustard

I'm a pescetarian, which means I eat mostly vegetarian with a meal involving fish about twice to three times a week. It's really easy to keep up with, and I don't miss red meat or poultry at all. I agree with what others have said: ease into it slowly by having a few vegetarian days a week to see how it feels for you.

MelaniaTrump

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

fr33sia12

JanetYellen wrote: »

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

Remember though that milk slows down the absorption.
If taking any vitamin tablets take with something containing Vitamin C like orange juice.

janejellyroll

JanetYellen wrote: »

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

Since B12 is best absorbed sublingually, a multi-vitamin (which is swallowed) isn't a great source for it.

Athijade

Try it. Nothing wrong with giving it a shot and seeing how you like it. I gave it a try and it's not for me but that doesn't mean it won't work for you. I do eat more vegetarian meals now then I used to and I don't eat a lot of red meat (mostly due to cost honestly), but cutting it all out just did not make me happy at all.

fr33sia12

janejellyroll wrote: »

JanetYellen wrote: »

Vitamin B-12 is another important nutrient for vegans.
You can get plenty from a daily multivitamin.
Or look for fortified cereals that contain added vitamins.
This will also provide a bit of calcium and iron.

Since B12 is best absorbed sublingually, a multi-vitamin (which is swallowed) isn't a great source for it.

I'm sure that is taken into account when creating these tablets, otherwise there'd be a lot of vegans not getting B12 when they think they are. But then food is swallowed too (not placed under the tongue) so there's no difference.

BABetter1

A few years ago, I had successfully lost 44 pounds and was officially thin. Started hanging out with a lot of vegan and vegetarian people who convinced me it was the healthiest way to eat. I switched to vegan for about 6 months, meanwhile gaining back most of the weight I had lost. The thing is, vegan and vegetarian food tend to be very nutrient dense, sometimes calorie dense. So, it takes a much smaller portion of food to meet nutritional and caloric needs. Portion control was never a strong suit of mine to begin with, hence the need to lose weight in the first place. I'm not telling you that you shouldn't try it. But, please do not think it will be the magic key to weight loss.

gothomson

Glad to hear you’re going to give it a try. I've been vegetarian for 17 years and for a lot of that time I was really overweight. It’s only when I ate sensibly (still vegetarian mind you!) and did regular exercise that the weight came off and my health got better. And while I'm here can I clarify one thing? If you’re a pescetarian you are NOT a vegetarian; vegetarians eat no meat - this includes seafood - and I can’t believe I still have to explain that to people, but I do.