Vegetarian diet/weight loss tipps

sportynad9

Hi everyone,

I turned veggie about 7 years ago, and ever since I have been starting to gain weight.
I used to be one of those annoying, low maintenance body people up until I was about 28. I was skinny even though I ate a lot of rubbish food and would hardly put on weight. Then I turned veggie and began a much healthier diet in general, and still I gained about 8 kilos within 5 years. I'm still not overweight, but very much out of shape, with quite a bit of belly and thigh fat going on now, and I am not happy. I used to feel very attractive, and now I definitely don't.

Obviously, with age it seems to be easier to put on weight and harder to lose it, this could also be a reason for the weight gain, but I feel like since I have stopped eating meat I replace the protein with carbs or other unhealthy stuff. It takes me much more food to feel satisfied as well.

Do any of you have any advice, awesome and satisfying veggie meal ideas which are low calories or other tipps at all?
Anyone having the same issues as well?

Thanks so much,

Nadine

tinkerbellang83

Same tips as for everyone else, being a veggie and your age don't make it harder to lose. You just need to set a sustainable calorie deficit and log accurately.

If you're not feeling satiated by carbs (they aren't unhealthy by the way) look at increasing your protein intake with some plant based sources like tofu, grains, beans and nuts or supplement with a protein product such as bars/shakes if you are really struggling.

LuzTheWeightDani

I'm probably going to tell you things you already know, but here are my suggestions-

Do meals that incorporate one or more of the following: Tofu, edamame, lentils, quinoa, chia seeds (in smoothies or juice), nuts, flax seed mill, tempeh, seitan.

Try to reduce your dairy intake. Get yourself used to drinking soy/almond milk (there are unsweetened versions).
Bump up your omega 3 intake. If you're going to have fats, it should be the good fats.
Use olive oil in your cooking (and don't cook at extremely high heat)
If you're not exercising, you have to exercise no matter what your diet is. No way around it.
Carbs aren't a bad thing to have, but more so you have to be careful with the sugar that comes along with it.
Up your fiber intake a little bit. Fiber makes you feel more full, just make sure not to have too much cause it can make you feel bloated.

Also check your sodium intake. Sodium can make you bloated as well when you have too much of it or don't have enough potassium to balance it out.

I am somewhat of a lazy person when it comes to cooking tofu. I have a non-stick pan and I cut a tofu block up into small cubes. I set my pan a little under medium heat. I add lemon pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and a little bit of seasoned salt to the mix. I let the tofu cook for about 30 minutes or until it seems the majority of the water has dissolved. I add in some earth balance butter or olive oil at the end and let it fry a little bit (to add in a little bit of fat, you can skip this part if you want). Quinoa and broccoli is great to add to this.

You can make a lentil soup with your favorite veggie broth and add other vegetables to the mix.

Experiment.

ItsyBitsy246

I'm not a vegetarian but I don't eat much meat (mostly seafood if anything). I like Trader Joe's meatless italian sausage. I dice them up into marinara sauce, or slice into strips or circles and sear them. Great with eggs, or I cut them a bit smaller then mix in with veggies and rice. Very tasty, very satiating.

I'll put 100 grams of cooked quinoa on top of spring mix or arugula. Top that with diced cucumbers and tomatoes marinated in red wine vinegar and sprinkle on some feta cheese. A huge bowl of that with some crackers is really filling.


Dairy helps me feel and stay full, so I sprinkle feta on a lot of things, or a dab of sour cream, a bit of low fat shredded mozzarella or some farmers cheese.

sportynad9

Thanks so much everyone, that's some very interesting and helpful advice!
I'm getting a lot better with the exercise now (especially since I bought the Nintendo Wii with a lot of Wii Fit and dancing games, can highly recommend to anyone who struggles with going outside to do something after work) and will make sure to eat more tofu, beans etc. to up the protein.

Thanks a lot!

nowine4me

Vegetables, like everything else, have calories. You need to count those calories and stay in a deficit to lose weight.

My tip of the day: set up your fruit and veggies in your diary by gram (ex. Banana 1 cals/gram). Then when you weigh and log your banana, there's no math. Just put it in at 81 grams (or whatever the exact weight is) and boom, 81 cals.