Switching to vegetarian diet

normadavy3

I reached my target weight several years ago using this site. My food log showed I had been eating way too many carbs and once I sorted that the weight was easy to shift and has stayed off. I don't log any more as I have learned my limits. I have decided to become vegetarian but a lot of the recipes I have found are very carb based and I'm worried about gaining weight again. I avoid bread and pasta as much as possible as for some reason they seem to go straight to my hips. I'm also worried about getting a balance of everything I need while I learn a new way of eating. It struck me that I might be able to use the food log as the totals at the end of the day would show any areas of deficiency that I need to work on. I just wondered if anyone had tried using it this way and if it worked?

Old_Cat_Lady

The only carbs that make my hips big seem to be the FLOUR products. Carb foods like sweet potatoes and brown rice are 100% loved in my home. I make sure I get at least 46 grams of protein a day, so this place works for that.

estherdragonbat

Carbs don't make you gain weight. A calorie surplus does. I'm vegetarian, dropped 65.2 lbs, 58.8 to go. And eating carbs all the way, but sticking to a deficit.

amusedmonkey

It would be wise to start logging again for a little while. Switching your eating pattern means needing to learn your limits again. By default, a vegetarian diet is higher in carbs unless you are very careful and meticulous with your choices, not how you would want to live. Keep experimenting with dishes and see which ones fill you up for a reasonable calorie count. It's work, but it's worth it if you are serious about the change. You will make things much easier for yourself in the long run if you establish a foundation right away for what would be a sustainable diet within your calorie limits.

nowine4me

There's no getting around higher carbs on a vegetarian diet. But I think you'll find a big difference between --for example -- zoodles vs paste or Ezikiel bread versus bagels. Give it a whirl!

DanyellMcGinnis

I stopped eating refined grains (white flour, white rice, etc.) and switched to whole grains, and that helped decrease my triglycerides and upped my fiber intake. But, I don't track macros.

I've been vegetarian since August of 1993 and right now, I probably eat like 60% carbs. But I am a size 2. And my BMI is in the low, low 20s at the moment. I've also been heavy eating a lot of carbs. It really was only calories for me.

AnnPT77

*Low* carb & vegetarian may be a challenge, but vegetarianism doesn't require crazy huge carbs - at least ovo-lacto doesn't. Maintaining on around 2000, I get 200-275g on a typical day. It could be less, if I cared, without any great suffering or effort. (I don't make any special effort to avoid them.)

Bread and pasta are definitely optional: I don't enjoy them enough to make them worth their calories, so just don't wat much of them. Just eat lots of actual veggies, or protein foods, instead.