Wanting To Try A Vegeterian Lifestyle

JavaJuno

Well, this is my first post, so a "hello, all" is in order. So, hello.
Now that that is done, lets move on to my main point.
I decided to lose weight almost a year ago, but have never really kept to any lifestyle change. I'll do awesome for a few months, then fall back to the habits that got me here in the first place. -_-
I always feel really bad after eating (not like a mental ED kind of bad, a physical bad) and its not that I'm overeating, I just think my body doesn't care for certain meats/spices (I do have chronic stomach issues... Ulcer and whatnot, runs in the family).
So, I was thinking about trying a vegetarian approach to food for a month to "test" the waters and see if I feel better on this eating style.
My question to all you lovely people is, do you have any beginning advice to get me up and going on a good start? Any good, simple recipes that wouldn't scare me off from the whole idea?
I don't have much that would hold me back from being able to do it, just that I live with my parents, but my mother is all for this too. I spend so much money on food as it is, that I don't think this will be any more troublesome on my wallet to switch to.

Kanuenue

I would pick up or peruse some basic vegetarian nutrition websites or books. Depending on how veg you go, there are different nutritional needs that you may miss out on. B12 is a big one but easily supplemented. These info sources will also have recipes that you can find for your skill level and taste preferences.

When reflecting back on when I first went vegetarian, I had no idea how to eat. I carb crashed almost everyday and was an active kid with no cooking skills. Just keep it simple at first pick a protein (eggs, dairy, tofu, substitute meats), some fresh produce, some cooked vegetables and/or grain, and a healthy fat. Voila, a meal! You are just changing your protein sources, most of your other stuff you already enjoy can stay!

Smoothies with protein powder (usually vegetarian based) are great for on the go days. And check the freezer section for Amy's line of vegetarian friendly ready meals, if you are interested in that sort of convenience.

Good luck!

Kanuenue

Also I really like this article, by Mike Danzig, MMA fighter. It's a very realistic approach to a vegan diet.

http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-training/ufc-fighter-mac-danzig-vegan-diet.html

marysidneyherbert

I tried being vegan for about 6 weeks and it didn't work for me. I wasn't recovering from exercise as fast and other little things were going wrong with my health. If you do it, make sure you read up on it first so you know what you are doing. But I decided that for me, personally, it wasn't a healthy way to go.

gigglesinthesun

you might be my long lost sibling :-)

I was diagnosed with IBS 2 years ago and the doctor suggested a low Fodmap diet, which I faithfully did and had some, but not a lot of success with. Then I cooked some dhal (lentil curry) and I was really worried, because lentils are not at all low Fodmap and they produce a lot of gas, anyway, I had them and I was fine, in fact better then fine. So I had some the next day and the day after and no pain. Then 4 days later I had some chicken and I went from normal to looking like I was 6 months pregnant within an hour of eating. It was painful and frustrating. I stopped eating meat and went to the doctor, who to this day can't tell me why I would have such a reaction. In the 5 weeks since eating no meat my energy has returned, I need to sleep less, there is no pain after eating, no bloating, it seems like heaven.

Anyway, why don't you try it for 2-3 weeks and see how you feel. If it brings about an improvement you can start moving beyond simple veggie dishes and ensure that you get the right levels of protein etc. If meat / animal protein really doesn't agree with you, you will see a marked improvement in this time. I started off with simple veggie stirfrys (you can add tofu if you like), indian lentil curry, thai veggie curries, veggie soup, basically dishes I was already cooking just without meat. It worked for me ... good luck :-)