I need MFP's Help

frankconnell19

I have been doing really good on my weight loss on my own. I keep my calorie consumption at about 75% of recommended daily allowance.
I realize there are many foods that I have previously enjoyed that I have to give up if I want to hit my goal.
One thing I know through my own research is that if we consume a food that our body doesn't recognize our body will simply file it as fat.
It is for this reason that I only consume natural foods when possible. All this being said, who might have an opinion on veggie burgers.

glassyo

I'm not really sure my body would recognize most vegetables so you might wanna do more research. 😀

The foods you eat don't make you fat. It's eating foods continuously over your maintenance calories that do.

Now, having said that, if you enjoy the taste of veggie burgers, aren't allergic to any of the ingredients, or eat it in a situation where you're going to choke on a bite and die, have at it.😀

cmriverside

I like Boca Burgers for vegetarian burgers.

Why are you under-eating your Goal that you set? You are meant to eat the entire amount. If you used Myfitnesspal to calculate, it had already given you the amount you need to eat to lose at the rate you chose.
Here's the official explanation: https://support.myfitnesspal.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032625391-How-does-MyFitnessPal-calculate-my-initial-goals-

With that said, I agree that whole foods in the optimal combination of fat, protein and carbs makes the process much easier and healthier.

JBanx256

frankconnell19 wrote: »

One thing I know through my own research is that if we consume a food that our body doesn't recognize our body will simply file it as fat..

Please provide peer-reviewed citations for this "research" you have done because that is not AT ALL how it works. Not even close.

cwolfman13

frankconnell19 wrote: »

I have been doing really good on my weight loss on my own. I keep my calorie consumption at about 75% of recommended daily allowance.
I realize there are many foods that I have previously enjoyed that I have to give up if I want to hit my goal.
One thing I know through my own research is that if we consume a food that our body doesn't recognize our body will simply file it as fat.
It is for this reason that I only consume natural foods when possible. All this being said, who might have an opinion on veggie burgers.

For starters, that simply isn't true. And I'm not really sure there is a "food" that the human body wouldn't recognize. The vast majority of additives to processed foods are also naturally occurring, we just don't think about the "ingredients" of a strawberry much...but if we did, it would look like this:



Body fat is just stored energy. Calories are the measure of that energy and consuming energy in excess of what the body needs results in storage (ie you get fat). It's like money...if you take in more money than you need to live and do all the things you do, you have a savings...over time, you can make yourself a nice, big, fat bank account. When you're not making enough money to live on, you have to start dipping into that bank account to cover the deficiency...that's how weight management works as well.

In general, I think a diet rich in whole foods is a net positive nutritionally speaking and also tends to make weight management easier. The primary issue with many highly processed foods is that they are often calorie dense, but nutritionally void, at least in relation to a similar meal with similar calories but consisting of whole foods.

As far as veggie burgers go...I don't really eat them as I'm not a vegetarian, and I don't really see the point. My diet as is consists of a lot of vegetables and a couple of servings of fruit daily. I also make regular burgers out on my grill pretty regularly...I find it odd that so many people think a burger is somehow unhealthy or something to be avoided...it's just beef that has been ground. I also find the notion that turkey burgers are somehow healthier. If you actually look at the nutritional profile of both, using the same % of fat...there really isn't much difference at all...one is just turkey and the other is beef.

At any rate, the veggie burgers you're going to find in the freezer section like Boca Burgers or Beyond Burgers are highly processed foods...so if highly processed are a concern, veggie burgers would also be a concern...regardless of the word "veggie" in front of it. If calories or overall nutrition are concerned, one would do well to look at the nutritional facts of each side by side in determining which would better meet their nutritional needs or preferences.

4 oz Beyond Burger:

Calories: 270
Fat: 20 g (6 g saturated fat)
Sodium: 380 mg
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Fiber: 3 g
Sugars: 0 g
Protein: 20 g

4 oz 93% Hamburger:

Calories: 172
Fat: 7.9 g (3.3 g saturated fat)
Sodium: 75 mg
Carbohydrates: 0 g
Fiber: 0 g
Sugars: 0 g
Protein: 23.6 g

I guess it really just depends on the reasons you are considering a veggie burger alternative. Many people reach for alternatives only to be disappointed when they actually review the nutritional facts. My vegetarian friends have told me that the Beyond Burger is a godsend...but I've never tried one...perhaps I will one of these days. On the rare occasion that I make a vegetarian burger, I've made my own black bean burgers...I think I've done that maybe twice or so.

AnnPT77

frankconnell19 wrote: »

I have been doing really good on my weight loss on my own. I keep my calorie consumption at about 75% of recommended daily allowance.
I realize there are many foods that I have previously enjoyed that I have to give up if I want to hit my goal.
One thing I know through my own research is that if we consume a food that our body doesn't recognize our body will simply file it as fat.
It is for this reason that I only consume natural foods when possible. All this being said, who might have an opinion on veggie burgers.

Are you thinking veggie burgers (as a broad category) are not a "natural food"?

That's incorrect. Some are pretty much lab grown, but some are made out of normal beans and grains and spices . . . so I'd personally consider those latter ones natural, whether I combine the ingredients in my kitchen, or Big Food combines them in a factory.

The more "lab grown" types that are intended to closely simulate meat - like Impossible and Beyond burgers - generally are formulated to come close to the nutrition of beef. (Check labels.) To the extent they do, I'd expect them to have nutritional effects close to beef, too. But I don't eat them: They're yucky, taste like beef burgers (kinda) and I never did much like beef burgers. Haven't eaten one since 1974.

The bolded? No. Not how human bodies work. Please find better sources of nutrition information.

Human bodies store excess calorie intake as fat. Oversimplifying, bodies will preferably store fat intake as fat first if available during calorie excess, before storing other nutrients as fat. Why? Because it's more efficient - less conversion required. We evolved during mostly times of food scarcity. The was natural selection pressure in favor of more efficient food metabolization.

Getting good overall nutrition (macros, micros, fiber, probiotics, beneficial phytonutrients, etc.) is IMO more important than eating all natural food. Natural food is great, but one can eat all natural and still get cr*ppy overall nutrition.

I hope you're not thinking a vegetarian or vegan diet is unconditionally healthier than an omnivorous diet? It's not. And I say that as someone who's been vegetarian for 47+ years.

yirara

frankconnell19 wrote: »

It is for this reason that I only consume natural foods when possible. All this being said, who might have an opinion on veggie burgers.

Can you explain the rational behind this?
Imagine you go on vacation to a country where you only get food your body doesn't know. According to what you claim the body would store all food as fat, and you would starve and die. That's not really a good way to market exotic vacations abroad, right? Or imagine our ancestors migrating out of Africa into Europe and the rest of the world. They'd never have managed it due to food being unknown to them, them storing all food as fat and then starving and dying.

glassyo

Please make me fat on money.

*goes back to read the rest of the thread*

Also, OP, I read your intro post and it's really impressive how you turned yourself around. And I hope it continues going well for you.

Sinisterbarbie1

Seems like what Frank really wants to know boils down to whether as someone who generally prefers to eat natural/unprocessed foods there are any benefits to checking out veggie burgers. @cwolfman13 ’s answer has a good comparison below the strawberry explanation that points out how the two compare nutritionally and I happen to think most freezer section veggie burgers are highly processed even though they contain “natural ingredients” just as potato chips might be made from potatoes, salt and oil, but are still processed foods in my book. There are plenty of recipes on line for making your own burgers from a variety of veggies and grains that do not result in processed foods, but may be more work than you are interested in. Depending on the recipe they may or may not have the combination of macros you are aiming for, so you may end up opting to eat a small, lean serving of meat if you are not philosophically or ecologically opposed to meat products. I also really like marinating a portabello mushroom cap in good quality marinade you would use on a steak and then grilling it or topping it like a burger. (Nothing new, but worth remembering oldies but goodies)

I personally went vegetarian for health reasons for a while when dealing with cancer, but never understood the interest in mimicking meat products for vegetarians who don’t eat meat for philosophical/ethical reasons (the current lab grown meats and beyond burgers are so realistic they bleed and I think would be a turnoff for vegetarians who don’t eat meat for ethical reasons). I also could obtain more than enough protein from dairy like Greek yogurt and other sources like soy products and other legumes. I did occasionally throw some veggie crumbles into my chili to improve the texture (please, no comments from Texans or Cincinati about how sacrilegious my veggie chili is! I am just a veggie lovin’ Yankee.)

wilson10102018

Adopting crackpot theories of weight loss is a form of aversion. An excuse not to just regulate the QUANTITY of food. Try not to sign on to unscientific theories.

kshama2001

Sinisterbarbie1 wrote: »

Seems like what Frank really wants to know boils down to whether as someone who generally prefers to eat natural/unprocessed foods there are any benefits to checking out veggie burgers. @cwolfman13 ’s answer has a good comparison below the strawberry explanation that points out how the two compare nutritionally and I happen to think most freezer section veggie burgers are highly processed even though they contain “natural ingredients” just as potato chips might be made from potatoes, salt and oil, but are still processed foods in my book. There are plenty of recipes on line for making your own burgers from a variety of veggies and grains that do not result in processed foods, but may be more work than you are interested in. Depending on the recipe they may or may not have the combination of macros you are aiming for, so you may end up opting to eat a small, lean serving of meat if you are not philosophically or ecologically opposed to meat products. I also really like marinating a portabello mushroom cap in good quality marinade you would use on a steak and then grilling it or topping it like a burger. (Nothing new, but worth remembering oldies but goodies)

I personally went vegetarian for health reasons for a while when dealing with cancer, but never understood the interest in mimicking meat products for vegetarians who don’t eat meat for philosophical/ethical reasons (the current lab grown meats and beyond burgers are so realistic they bleed and I think would be a turnoff for vegetarians who don’t eat meat for ethical reasons). I also could obtain more than enough protein from dairy like Greek yogurt and other sources like soy products and other legumes. I did occasionally throw some veggie crumbles into my chili to improve the texture (please, no comments from Texans or Cincinati about how sacrilegious my veggie chili is! I am just a veggie lovin’ Yankee.)

I don't think the actual market for Beyond Burger is for vegetarians like @AnnPT77 but for omnivores interested in reducing meat consumption.

https://quinoamarketing.com/beyond-meat-analysis-of-a-successful-marketing-strategy/

kshama2001

frankconnell19 wrote: »

I have been doing really good on my weight loss on my own. I keep my calorie consumption at about 75% of recommended daily allowance.
I realize there are many foods that I have previously enjoyed that I have to give up if I want to hit my goal.
One thing I know through my own research is that if we consume a food that our body doesn't recognize our body will simply file it as fat.
It is for this reason that I only consume natural foods when possible. All this being said, who might have an opinion on veggie burgers.

As others have said, the bolded isn't true. But other arguments can be made to avoid highly processed foods, in which case you'd want to avoid Beyond Meat type veggie burgers. (I'm not familiar with other brands.)

I lived for three years in vegetarian yoga communities, and cooked in a few of them. Dried beans and lentils were a staple for us. Also tofu, tempeh, seitan, etc.

I support ethical vegetarians and am all for people eating more vegetables. My library system has over 2,000 vegetarian cookbooks - a great resource!

Bridgie3

frankconnell19 wrote: »

I have been doing really good on my weight loss on my own. I keep my calorie consumption at about 75% of recommended daily allowance.
I realize there are many foods that I have previously enjoyed that I have to give up if I want to hit my goal.
One thing I know through my own research is that if we consume a food that our body doesn't recognize our body will simply file it as fat.
It is for this reason that I only consume natural foods when possible. All this being said, who might have an opinion on veggie burgers.

When you say you eat 75% of your recommended daily allowance, you mean recommended maintenance daily allowance, or the diet allowance the software gives you after you tell it how much weight you want to lose?

Go through the process of setting your goals, so that you know a real number to aim for, and then eat it all.

I worry that you say there are foods you have to give up - but if they were horrid processed 'food-like products' then yes. frankenfood is best avoided. But there shouldn't be any real food you need to avoid per se, unless you have a medical reason.

Your body only turns carbs/sugars (same thing different protein chain length) into fat. Fat that you eat either gets sent around the body to provide cell walls, and whatever to cells, or is parked at the adipose parking lot for later use. Protein is turned into carb if you eat more than you can use, carb go into the blood stream and are rounded up by insulin and either brought into cells to use, or turned into fat.

So it's not storing things it does not recognise (unless you're talking about fructose, another issue) it's more that it's storing things it does recognise, and wants to use later.

Go for your life with vege burgers. Fry away; but only in olive or coconut oil would be my recommendation. Avoid those manufactured seed oils. Canola, rapeseed (same plant), soy. creepy franken-oils.

Edit: just reading up about that 'beyond meat' - sounds dodgy. I think if you would call it 'franken-meat' then just avoid. Vege burgers at my supermarket are made of things like beetroot and bean paste. They're not made of anything from a test tube or a lab. I would not recommend eating anything made in a test tube.