Possibly going vegetarian.

Yogi_Carl

She probably lost a lot of lean muscle mass. Just keep that in mind when you seek out vegetarian protein sources.

She could also have done the research, found out how to take in enough protein and took the appropriate exercise program to maintain and possibly ven build some muscle while the fat was burned up - just like any other diet choice.

To freyaheart: Hi - there is a vgan group on MFP. You would b most welcome to post your questions there and get loads of support.

Scubanana7

I am not anti-vegan--just reporting what happened to my best friend/family. Her in-laws are elderly. Mom-in-law practices homeoapathic medicine and is a tiny woman. They ate very healthy and were normal weight. They moved to California and in with her son and wife who were Extreme Vegans (can't even cook in same kitchen where meat was cooked by some one else....). So they ended up eating Vegan and BOTH GAINED a lot of weight. ok. end of story.

My friend is a healthy weight, teaches yoga, not overweight, allergic to seafood, has autoimmune diseases. She is a stanch believer in animal rights. All this added to a good idea and proper mindset to go Vegan. It lasted several months, but had to quit requested by her doctor as her health issues increased and as she, herself, decided due to loss of concentration. She was working on a Masters in Family Therapy and noticed her retention skills decreasing.

Again, this is not to be portrayed as an Evil Meateater slamming the innocent Vegan. I just wanted to tell you the absolute only thing I know about folks who tried it. Oh--one more---friend's daughter has become a successful and happy vegan and lost 30 pounds for her wedding. okay, all my stories are told.

Good luck. But I wouldn't go vegan just to lose weight (may backfire). However, doing Vegan days sounds great. I do agree with poster that said you gotta be really really committed. and the really commited Vegans do seem to be pretty sincere and adamant about animal rights.

For me, the animal has the right to be very very tasty! heehee. It's a joke, folks---don't hate on me. Sincerely, I would never eat Tigger or Pooh.

Praisethesun

Keep in mind that a lot of those "mock" dishes and things like vegan cheese have tons of sodium as they are still considered processed foods. A good rule of thumb is "just because it's vegan, doesn't mean it's healthy", so you still have to make smart choices.

RobTheGourmet

And give up lamb, duck and rabbit?

*gasp*

for shame! for shame!

cparter

Hello,

I am a vegetarian and I would like to provide the following advice:

1. Contact your doctor about setting you up with a nutritionist to review your meal plan and provide you so ideas to help you balance your diet safely.

2. Although you may get enough of vital nutrients you may go see your doctor to check for vitamin D deficiency routinely (I had to start taking vitamin D supplements - prescribed).

3. Vegetables and fruit raise other urges so you must avoid sweets or minimize the intake.

4. Get some good recipe books from various cultures; especially Indian cuisine. Variety adds spice and Indian food is great for flavor and they have a substantial amount of vegetarian dishes to choose from.

5. Most important, enjoy it and realize the benefits of going green

Los :blushing:

cparter

She probably lost a lot of lean muscle mass. Just keep that in mind when you seek out vegetarian protein sources.

You can get proteins from vegetables but vegetarians eat eggs and cheese which provides a good amount of protein. Also, the amount of cheese is monitored so it does not become counter productive.

astartig

My sister in law is vegan and she has lost a lot of weight by just changing her eatting habits. I figure they make a veggie subsitute for just about everything so I think I will try it.

I don't know if I'll be able to do it on a perminnante basis but it wouldn't be a bad idea to change out meat for veggies right?

you only want to eat those subs rarely. they are also very high in soy which can mess with women because of something to do with extra estrogen.

so proceed with caution. Beans and rice are a perfect protein and full of vitamins and if you like ethnic you can make some very healthy Thai and indian dishes with Paneer cheese. Egg whites are also very good to keep in for protein. you do need to make sure you're getting enough protein every day.

astartig

I've experienced that people who go vegetarian just to lose weight usually fail. You need to have the heart and passion that animal rights activist usually have, or else you won't be able to resist bacon.

all you have to do to get that passion is to watch a few behind the scenes things at processing plants imho.

I haven't eaten pork or cow or anything red meat like in 25 years.

I eat poultry now. I'd eat fish but I am allergic to shellfish so it makes me nervous to eat anything from the sea because of cross contamination. I don't like the way poultry is treated either but I do think birds have a lesser awareness than other critters. Especially turkey. I try to only buy 4 and 5 step poultry.

I'll never be able to eat mammals again. they are aware. they are smart.

(and I am on a low carb high protein diet) LOL

browncurlz3

I am a ovo-lacto-vegatarian (meaning: i eat eggs and dairy - animal by-products - but not actual meat) 5 days a week. Coupled with going gluten free after recognizing my intolerance to that about 1.5 years ago, I can say I've never felt better.

I say, eliminate meat for a while and see how you feel. Want to go back to meat? Do it! Want to stay veg? Do it! Whatever makes you happy, feel good/healthy. Good luck!

sdpeklo

According to my vegan friend I am a Flexitarian....haven't even googled it so I am not sure what that all entails. But I started out by doing a meatless Monday for a few months for my family. It worked well ...now I do it several times a week.

I don't actively seek out meat or meat products unless I am sensing my body wants something. Usually it is iron based which tells me red meat ...with lots of spinach. ( per my cycle which makes sense, as iron loss occurs). The meat is the side in meals for my family. The vegetables, fruit, beans, grains come first then the meat.

My suggestion is try a meatless Monday ...see how you feel....as others have suggested find an alternate protein source to make sure you get all the protein and fuel yourself well. : )

redraidergirl2009

Don't go vegetarian or vegan for the possibility of losing weight. That magical vegetarian weightloss skipped over me, when when I was vegan for a period of time I did not lose any weight.

Melindhra

You'll have no problem with protein if you decide to go vegetarian. There are lots of non-meat sources of protein, so don't let anyone scare you. There are lots of vegan bodybuilders and athletes out there, so no issue. Personally, I'm pescatarian because I'm not a big fan of legumes or tofu. I prefer to get my protein from fish, and I haven't seen any evidence to say that fish is unhealthy in any way, other than the giant predator fish that are full of mercury.

Please remember that vegetarian substitutions for meat products aren't always healthy. Those pre-packaged veggie burgers, "chicken" breasts made out of TVP, etc are not any healthier than meat IMHO. They are still processed crap. You'll still need to take the time to make your own food if you truly want to be healthy.

Melindhra

I also wanted to say that people seem to harp on protein all the time. But I have never heard of anyone being protein deficient in Canada where I live. Unless you are going out of your way to avoid protein, you should be fine unless you are an endurance athlete (like me) or bodybuilder. Keep in mind that you get protein from more sources than meat, fish, tofu and legumes. You even get 5g of protein from eating a slice of bread, a cup of corn, or a cup of brown rice.

The usual suggestion is about 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight, so someone who weighs 150lbs needs a minimum of 54g and a maximum of 68g of protein per day. Most of us easily hit that number and even more of us go way, way over.

Harvard School of Public Health - How Much Protein Do I Need?
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein-questions/#howmuch

AleciaG724

A lot of the mock meats are high carb (and sodium as stated above). I have been vegetarian for 3 1/2 years & I absolutely love it. I also lost about 12 pounds initially, then nothing. I've recently cut back on cheese significantly due to the high calorie & fat content. You can eat waaaaay more vegetables than meat!

iwantwow

really sometimes i find all this chat about not eating meat a little surprising...dont get me wrong but i am from india ..never ate any meat,egg sometimes like 15 times in my whole life,and in our family ,our ancestors everyone is/was vegeterian..its just the way of living and eating for us..also my side of family and husband side of family everyone is in perfect weight range ..i am the odd one out....but surely u can live ur life on fruits ,veggies ,grains .rice ..the list goes on...u just have to learn to make combinations in cooking and i can tell u i love my vege terian food, never think once that something delicious is missing in my life....

Sporks42

Definitely give it a shot. Even just consuming less meat (especially red and pork) is not necessarily a bad thing.

WTF??? Pork is one of the best meats to eat. Fish, Chicken and Pork FTW!!!!!!! Now red meat, yes you should consume less of that but you don't need to stop eating it, you just need to choose the right cuts.

Pork is in no way one of the best meats to eat. Best tasting? Maybe. And chicken? I'm the vegetarian here, and it seems like I know the healthy meats. Here's an article from 2010 with references:

http://www.draxe.com/why-you-should-avoid-pork/

I try to avoid being snippy, but the comments on that scare me, people will really read one article and stop eating a whole type of food? I didn't see any sources on it, just broad generalizations made with no relevant data. Please back yourself up with a real article, or at the very least don't condemn pork based on the preaching of one man.

To the OP, good luck on your journey!

Melindhra

Definitely give it a shot. Even just consuming less meat (especially red and pork) is not necessarily a bad thing.

WTF??? Pork is one of the best meats to eat. Fish, Chicken and Pork FTW!!!!!!! Now red meat, yes you should consume less of that but you don't need to stop eating it, you just need to choose the right cuts.

Pork is in no way one of the best meats to eat. Best tasting? Maybe. And chicken? I'm the vegetarian here, and it seems like I know the healthy meats. Here's an article from 2010 with references:

http://www.draxe.com/why-you-should-avoid-pork/

I couldn't get past the first paragraph. If a supposedly logical article has to quote the bible to make its central point, it automatically fails.

SJVZEE

really sometimes i find all this chat about not eating meat a little surprising...dont get me wrong but i am from india ..never ate any meat,egg sometimes like 15 times in my whole life,and in our family ,our ancestors everyone is/was vegeterian..its just the way of living and eating for us..also my side of family and husband side of family everyone is in perfect weight range ..i am the odd one out....but surely u can live ur life on fruits ,veggies ,grains .rice ..the list goes on...u just have to learn to make combinations in cooking and i can tell u i love my vege terian food, never think once that something delicious is missing in my life....

Yeah meat in the U.S and other countries like Canada etc are the main focus of meals, and if you don't eat it many people think you're absolutely nuts :huh: I've been pleasantly surprised at how supportive the majority of people on mfp are to vegetarians/vegans but that's definitely not the norm-other dieting forums I've been on are downright nasty to them (and I noticed this as a meat eater!).

xoxobollywood2

Think about it , and do it. My best friend in the whole world has been a vegetarian for six years (!!), and inspired me to be one. I have been vegetarian for two months now, and i've lost 15-16 lbs just by changing my eating habits. As soon as I avoided fish and meat..the lbs just melt away. The irony is that I've been trying to eat clean since January but didn't lose a pound...but when I became a vegetarian, losing weight has been a easy journey for me LESS FAT, LOTS OF FIBER, and to those who say that it's hard to get ur protein have obviously not heard about cheese, eggs, edame, chickpeas, beans ++++

Non-vegetarians are risking their increased chance of getting cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and obesity

KyleB65

There are many sub-categories of Vegetarian. Not sure where I land but, I stopped eating meat at the beginning of this year and the change was not too hard to incorporate into my life. I am slowly working at reducing diary & eggs. Still a work in progress but the journey has not been as hard as I thought.

As for losing weight. I would put going vegetarian to lose weight in the same category as fad diets. (Atkins, South Beach, etc, etc).
I am sure that any major change in eating habits will result in some form of change. But, if you are not making a lifestyle change, the potential to lose then regain weight is high. My move to drop meat from my diet was after I had lost my excess weight. I have tried to inform myself about food as I lost weight and became active. My recent change is just another stage of this evolution.

If this interests you? I suggest trying in small increments. Start with meatless Mondays for a few weeks. Then look at making all your mid-day meals meat free. There are no rules! You can proceed at a pace that suits your life.

Another thing you may hear is that Vegetarians do not get enough protein. I am 7 months into my meatless experiment and my experience says that this is not valid. Yes, I still eat cheese and eggs. Not much and not often but they are still part of my diet. Currently I weight train, I am about half way through a program to get me ready to run my first marathon and I bike pretty much every day. I have experienced no loss of energy or strength. I have lost some upper body muscle definition but this is a recent change that I attribute to my running program (which is intense). There are lots of plant based proteins in things like beans, lentils, hemp, nuts, seeds, etc. (There does seem to be an issue with B12? I am still reading up on this and have not yet figured it all out. As I still eat some dairy & eggs it has not yet affected me).

How ever you chose to proceed. I wish you well on your journey.