Gaining weight after being a Vegetarian

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

I lost 10 pounds with mfp using an IIFYM approach. Then I stopped eating meat, gained a little, and plateaued for months. When I looked back at my diary I could see that I was often eating at maintenance or over, probably because I was focusing on a different eating plan and it was hard to do both at once. I had reasons unrelated to health and weight for my change, that were more important to me than losing, so i stuck with it. Eventually I figured it out and lost the rest of the weight I wanted, but changing my diet so drastically definitely put a temporary halt to my weight loss.

This is why I believe so strongly that we need to keep things as simple and as routine as possible in order to reach our goals. And you have to have a deficit to lose. Patience helps too.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

I think i would go nuts if I had to be a vegtarian -I took the opposite route- I dont really care too much about fat (as long as it is mostly healthy fat) but I do watch my protein so I get enough and I try not to eat carbs that come from white flour, white rice, corn, potatos, carrots etc .... I do allow myself yams though and brown rice on occation - as well as a cheat meal here and there. Has worked for me! I've lost weight and I probably eat more fat than I ever have.

SoreTodayStrongTomorrow222

what is IIFYM

Ophidion

what is IIFYM

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/817188-iifym

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1069278-acronyms-and-terms-for-new-mfp-members-v-6

ColeyBear88

If you are to be a vegetarian, it might be a good idea to get into cooking, as there is a lot of processed vegetarian food out there, including veggie burgers and sausages, that is very high in salt and in carbs. Not that there is anything wrong with carbs, but a vegetarian diet does tend to be more carb heavy compared to a Pescetarian or Omnivore diet and can cause a change in the amount of water your body holds onto. I was vegetarian for a decade, then switched to eating fish and seafood as well. It works for me. 50g of protein is really not an awful lot. I aim for at least 80g, preferably 100g+.

I have been making more homemade meals. I love the feeling of eating clean fresh meals in which I know exactly what is going into them, Thanks for the valuable advice about eating more protein and advising me about the water retention. I appreciate the advice :happy:

CoffeeBugg

I measure everything out that I eat. I eat anywhere form 1300-1250 a day and have been consuming around 50g of protein. I have other reasons for being a vegetarian other than the fat consumption, but I don't think I have to explain every reason to people I don't know, so I'll decide to ignore anyone commenting for the soul reason of criticizing my lifestyle choices.

Are you measuring your food by volume; like cups and tbsp, or are you weighing it with a food scale? Food scales are generally much more accurate and the difference can be up to several hundred calories a day more than you think you are getting when using measuring cups.

ColeyBear88

I measure everything out that I eat. I eat anywhere form 1300-1250 a day and have been consuming around 50g of protein. I have other reasons for being a vegetarian other than the fat consumption, but I don't think I have to explain every reason to people I don't know, so I'll decide to ignore anyone commenting for the soul reason of criticizing my lifestyle choices.

Are you measuring your food by volume; like cups and tbsp, or are you weighing it with a food scale? Food scales are generally much more accurate and the difference can be up to several hundred calories a day more than you think you are getting when using measuring cups.

I haven't been using a food scale yet, however, I don't believe that measuring is the issue. A cup of carrots isn't going to cost me tons of calories if the serving size is measured in oz. . I go by whatever the label says is in the container as far as calorie and serving size of the product. For example, my extra firm tofu says there are 5, 3 oz servings in a container, so I slice the tofu into 5 equal parts and package them separately from each other in single servings so I don't eat more than the 3oz serving (give or take a few grams or so). Most of the food I eat is measured in cups or tablespoons because that's the serving size on the package.

Ophidion

I measure everything out that I eat. I eat anywhere form 1300-1250 a day and have been consuming around 50g of protein. I have other reasons for being a vegetarian other than the fat consumption, but I don't think I have to explain every reason to people I don't know, so I'll decide to ignore anyone commenting for the soul reason of criticizing my lifestyle choices.

Are you measuring your food by volume; like cups and tbsp, or are you weighing it with a food scale? Food scales are generally much more accurate and the difference can be up to several hundred calories a day more than you think you are getting when using measuring cups.

I haven't been using a food scale yet, however, I don't believe that measuring is the issue. A cup of carrots isn't going to cost me tons of calories if the serving size is measured in oz. . I go by whatever the label says is in the container as far as calorie and serving size of the product. For example, my extra firm tofu says there are 5, 3 oz servings in a container, so I slice the tofu into 5 equal parts and package them separately from each other in single servings so I don't eat more than the 3oz serving (give or take a few grams or so). Most of the food I eat is measured in cups or tablespoons because that's the serving size on the package.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

redraidergirl2009

log a day of food you ate typically before you became vegetarian and compare your macros. I added protein shakes and reduced sugar and simple carbs and started to see myself losing more fat. In fact the last time I was at the weight I am now I had a lower muscle mass and was a size bigger in clothes. .I see the best results when I hang around 100g protein. There are many vegetarian and vegan protein options including shakes and bars to help you meet your goals.

redraidergirl2009

Also I am vegetarian and I was not losing weight when I was hanging around 50g of protein a day. I do soy protein shakes and quest bars to keep my protein up since I can't tolerate eggs or alot of dairy. fats are healthy, I looove avocado