Meat and Dairy

jennpinklady

Has anyone had success with going vegan or vegetarian? Watched Forks over Knifes on Netflix and was really impressed by the findings of eating meat and dairy including oil. I'm going to try this for 30 days. I will come back here to log my results. I'm very Morbidly obese and have many health problems including Fibromyalgia.
Noted that many people are getting great health and weight loss success.
Here I go....

Luna3386

All you need for weight loss is a caloric deficit to lose weight.

jennpinklady

Done that....my body won't lose when I eat low calories.

inertiastrength

I'd rather be fat than give up meat and dairy. Thank God i didn't have to pick.

Old_Cat_Lady

If your body will not lose when you eat low calories, eating vegetarian will not help. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Some people even lose eating MEAT.
There are even some diets where people drink milk to lose weight.

cerise_noir

jennpinklady wrote: »

Done that....my body won't lose when I eat low calories.

How long did you try calorie deficit for? How did you determine how many calories you were consuming?


And, you wouldn't even have to eat very low calorie to lose, either...

jennpinklady

My body is inflamed and sick so I have very little metabolism.

Old_Cat_Lady

There is a group here called Over 100 Without Surgery http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3322-100-pounds-with-no-surgery
This place is full of supportive people. But you have to be honest and log faithfully. Get an accountability buddy and share your diary.

livingleanlivingclean

jennpinklady wrote: »

My body is inflamed and sick so I have very little metabolism.

Plant based foods still have calories.
How long did you weigh your solid foods on a scale and measure your liquids for, whilst logging everything accurately, to determine that counting calories didn't work for you?

lemurcat12

Losing weight is about calories, it doesn't matter if you are vegan or not. That said, of course lots of people have had success with vegan and vegetarian diets, just as many people have had success eating a variety of different amounts of meat. I have lost weight doing both (I wasn't doing them for weight-loss reasons), but for ME (not for everyone) I tend to find it easier when I am eating meat and dairy and eggs as I find them quite satiating foods, and I tend to prefer a slightly lower carb diet.

I do think -- apart from weight loss itself -- it can be really helpful for many people to focus on eating a healthful diet, and that that can make it easier to eat at the right calorie level for you, but a healthful diet can involve eating meat, eggs, and dairy (or some of those) or not, and one reason I hate those kinds of "documentaries" is they try to tell people that eating healthy means "going vegan" or "cutting out all sugar" or "going super low fat" or some such, when the truth is that eating healthfully has more to do with what you DO include and not overeating.

OP, if you are interested in veganism, I'm not discouraging you, but if you are frustrated with lack of success with weight loss, what have you tried?

jennpinklady

I've tries Atkins; weight watchers; grapefruit; cabbage soup; low cal; low fat; one meal a day; mean green juicing; protein shake; Richard simmons ect...
I usually lose weight....initially...then the craving start again. Usually hungry at night. I usually crave protein and dairy products. I make everything my self homemade. I don't use process foods. I use very little salt. And I joined a gym just recently. I think I have a metabolism issue. I'm 48. I have lost 5 lbs in two weeks. I made my own protein bars wit h healthy hemp and seeds with oatmeal and sugar free peanut butter.

wendsg

As many before me have said, a calorie is a calorie. I'm having luck not bothering to change what I'm eating but simply watching my quantities and caloric intake. So yes, I have McDonalds french fries, chicken, burgers, milk and cheese quite often. Right now I'm enjoying a bagel, egg and cheese sandwich (with slices of turkey breast - the ham wasn't open, and I didn't feel like taking that extra step lol).

A calorie is a calorie. Be honest with your logging. For me, that honesty came when I bought a food scale and discovered that my measurements prior to weighing were grossly off. I wish you luck with however you wish to proceed.

Rebecca0224

jennpinklady wrote: »

I've tries Atkins; weight watchers; grapefruit; cabbage soup; low cal; low fat; one meal a day; mean green juicing; protein shake; Richard simmons ect...
I usually lose weight....initially...then the craving start again. Usually hungry at night. I usually crave protein and dairy products. I make everything my self homemade. I don't use process foods. I use very little salt. And I joined a gym just recently. I think I have a metabolism issue. I'm 48. I have lost 5 lbs in two weeks. I made my own protein bars wit h healthy hemp and seeds with oatmeal and sugar free peanut butter.

It doesn't sound like a metabolism problem it sounds like a self control problem. You could always try a non restrictive diet with a calorie deficit. You have to have a calorie deficit to lose weight, I gained weight doing both low carb and vegetarian. Metabolic disorders are not as common as people want to believe but good luck.

saintor1

jennpinklady wrote: »

Has anyone had success with going vegan or vegetarian? Watched Forks over Knifes on Netflix and was really impressed by the findings of eating meat and dairy including oil. I'm going to try this for 30 days. I will come back here to log my results. I'm very Morbidly obese and have many health problems including Fibromyalgia.
Noted that many people are getting great health and weight loss success.
Here I go....

I watched this video and I am a fan of nutritionfacts.org which supports the same guidelines.

No I didn't eliminate meat, but I reduced it (ok maybe not the *bacon*). I cook my hamburgers with veggie patties. I replaced the delicatessen ham and cheese in my sandwiches, with hummus & tofu (don't try it without mustard!). I replaced dairy with almonds milk. I increased eggs, for proteins.

Old_Cat_Lady

Start logging here and you will see results. Set your calories / day at 2,500 and see how you do (for a morbidly obese person this might be ok). Flour products are the worst for me. Tell your doctor about your cravings and have him/her check your iron and thyroid. When a craving hits drink 16 ounces of water and see if that helps.

SABoj

I've been vegan for 30 years & have no issues getting my protein or meeting caloric intake.
Yes, a calorie is a calorie, when counting totals - BUT the quality of your caloric intake goes a long way. The fiber & nutrients from a plant-based diet will keep you feeling fuller, longer. Feel free to add me for support. Good luck!

lemurcat12

jennpinklady wrote: »

I've tries Atkins; weight watchers; grapefruit; cabbage soup; low cal; low fat; one meal a day; mean green juicing; protein shake; Richard simmons ect...
I usually lose weight....initially...then the craving start again. Usually hungry at night. I usually crave protein and dairy products. I make everything my self homemade. I don't use process foods. I use very little salt. And I joined a gym just recently. I think I have a metabolism issue. I'm 48. I have lost 5 lbs in two weeks. I made my own protein bars wit h healthy hemp and seeds with oatmeal and sugar free peanut butter.

I concur with the person who said it sounds like an issue with non sustainable diets (at least for you), not metabolism. If the issue is cravings and then related overeating, then that's not likely going to be fixed by doing another restrictive diet. (If the reason is an ethical one that would be different, as that's an added incentive to stick with it, although you'd have to make sure you aren't overeating still -- I find it very easy to overeat on vegetarian diets. It would be harder for me on a WFPB diet, but without strong ethical commitment I would find that impossible to stick to longer term. I've done 100% plant based for Lent and it was fine for that, but again I had the extra reason.)

Most of what you mentioned sounds like it's a way to avoid counting (cabbage soup, etc., Atkins, even, WW with its points, although that less so). It also sounds like you are doing extreme things -- low carb (which I like personally, but it's not right for everyone and no need to go as low as Atkins to start), low fat, low cal, fab things. Processed foods (which include many nutritious pre made things, cottage cheese, smoked salmon, dried pasta, etc.) is not inherently bad, and for most people neither is salt, although if you prefer not eating them that's cool -- I do mostly whole foods but think having some conveniences can make it easier when things get tough.

The BIG thing is figuring out your calories to lose and maybe focusing on it as a long term change and not something where you go extreme and lose as much as possible immediately but cannot sustain it. I'd get a calorie goal from MFP for maybe 1.5 lb/week and do a sustainable exercise program -- whatever you are finding fun. Then experiment to see what fills you up on your calories.

Including more vegetables is always good and if you want to do less (or phase out) animal products that's something to try, but often keeping protein up (also fiber) helps with satiety. Logging and seeing how different things affect you can be useful.

If you like the protein bars, that's great, but they sound quite calorie dense even though healthy, and that's something to be aware of -- many people assume that if they eat healthy calories don't matter, and that's not true.

Good luck! When you run into struggles with hunger or cravings, posting here or on your feed can be helpful in getting ideas to deal with it.

AnnPT77

There's no magic in veganism/vegetarianism, if you ask me.

I've been vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for 43 years. First I was a thin vegetarian, then a fat vegetarian, and eventually an obese vegetarian. I stayed obese, and vegetarian, for several decades. Then I became a thin vegetarian again a couple of years ago. It's all about CI and CO, vegetarisn or no.

Vegetarianism (or veganism) requires slightly more attention to protein, and to certain other arcane nutritional details, than does omnivorism. It's slightly more socially inconvenient (example: your new non-vegetarian boss invites you to his/her home for dinner).

Unless you have a strong ethical or moral reasons to become vegetarian, i recommend against it. It makes literally no difference for weight loss.

Alatariel75

Hold on, you've lost 5lbs in 2 weeks and think your metabolism is shot? How much are you expecting to lose? 2.5lbs a week is over the maximum recommended loss.

kavahni

Remember too, that sugar-free doesn't necessarily mean low-calorie. That sugar-free peanut butter you are eating, is only 10 cal per 2Tbs serving lower than peanut butter with sugar in it. Seeds are also pretty calorie dense. A nice serving of a lean protein like grilled chicken, or even a nice lean piece of grilled steak is probably more satisfying and less calorie laden than those homemade protein bars. Be sure that you get on the recipe section of the food log, and put in all of the ingredients for your protein bars and the number of servings that the recipe makes. That will tell you how many calories you are actually getting in those protein bars. Proteins sounds great but a lot of the ingredients are fairly high calorie.

dutchandkiwi

jennpinklady wrote: »

I made my own protein bars wit h healthy hemp and seeds with oatmeal and sugar free peanut butter.

Healthy ingredients all of them- Putting them together I see a proteinbar that is very high in calories and fats too.
Healthy does not mean weightloss. A lot of healthy food over your calories CICO will have you gain weight on healthy food

inertiastrength

Alatariel75 wrote: »

Hold on, you've lost 5lbs in 2 weeks and think your metabolism is shot? How much are you expecting to lose? 2.5lbs a week is over the maximum recommended loss.

I wish my metabolism was that bad tbh

CharlieBeansmomTracey

mrsnattybulking wrote: »

Alatariel75 wrote: »

Hold on, you've lost 5lbs in 2 weeks and think your metabolism is shot? How much are you expecting to lose? 2.5lbs a week is over the maximum recommended loss.

I wish my metabolism was that bad tbh

mine too

lemurcat12

I thought her point was that she usually starts out well but then cravings come back and she stops losing (which I'm reading to mean that she cannot stay consistent, and thus it's about calories increasing again).

cerise_noir

Rebecca0224 wrote: »

jennpinklady wrote: »

I've tries Atkins; weight watchers; grapefruit; cabbage soup; low cal; low fat; one meal a day; mean green juicing; protein shake; Richard simmons ect...
I usually lose weight....initially...then the craving start again. Usually hungry at night. I usually crave protein and dairy products. I make everything my self homemade. I don't use process foods. I use very little salt. And I joined a gym just recently. I think I have a metabolism issue. I'm 48. I have lost 5 lbs in two weeks. I made my own protein bars wit h healthy hemp and seeds with oatmeal and sugar free peanut butter.

It doesn't sound like a metabolism problem it sounds like a self control problem. You could always try a non restrictive diet with a calorie deficit. You have to have a calorie deficit to lose weight, I gained weight doing both low carb and vegetarian. Metabolic disorders are not as common as people want to believe but good luck.

QFT.

Stop going on fad and overly restrictive diets. I've failed on fad/restrictive diets, too.

Just eat food. Use a food scale. Log accurately.

srpm

There is a lot of research that shows vegan and vegetarian diets or even WFPB with limited meat intake can help with inflammation and other issues (cholesterol, diabetes etc) .
Many obese people have other health issues in addition to and/or because of the obesity, however by implementing diets that help relieve these issues they feel better and see great results with weight loss and overall health as a result.
CI/CO does work when you are strictly looking at pounds on the scale and you are honest about how many calories you are not only consuming but also burning daily, however if you are looking to address the other issues adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet may be a great option for you.
Just remember - Oreos are vegan, that does not make them healthy. Try to stick to real food and avoid processed/packaged stuff.

Personally-I have never see someone become obese from eating too many fresh fruits and vegetables so if you start to have cravings/desire to binge eat turn towards these options instead of your old vices.

Good luck!

jennpinklady

Thank you all for your comments, most of you had excellent ideas that I can use. I've decided to do pure plant base diet. I count and log all calories here. I keep this log very accurately. I measure and count all calories. I don't believe Oreos are grown in the ground so I won't be eating any of those. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are what I will eat for 30 days to see how I feel. My food cravings at this time have gone away, I feel my body burning up food now. Has anyone seen the China Study? Really interesting stuff.

Alatariel75

jennpinklady wrote: »

Thank you all for your comments, most of you had excellent ideas that I can use. I've decided to do pure plant base diet. I count and log all calories here. I keep this log very accurately. I measure and count all calories. I don't believe Oreos are grown in the ground so I won't be eating any of those. Whole grains, fruits and vegetables are what I will eat for 30 days to see how I feel. My food cravings at this time have gone away, I feel my body burning up food now. Has anyone seen the China Study? Really interesting stuff.

And unfortunately inherently unreliable and has been debunked. He cherry picked results that suited his hypothesis and ignored contrary results to present the picture he wanted.

jennpinklady

I've been over weight for over 20 years, let's see if plant base diet helps me kick the fat off my body.
I also exercise every other day at a gym.

jennpinklady

Also at this time I'm eating 1700 calories a day. But as I lose weight my calorie intake will decrease.

JeromeBarry1

Learn learn learn about macros and micronutrients to do vegan successfully. It's not trivial.