Any busy vegetarians out there losing weight?

skinnyEmilijah

Hey guys,

I'm a 26-year-old pescatarian. I lost a lot of weight a while back, but now I'm working full time and in school and I have had a problem with the weight creeping back.

Obviously, I need to make more time to exercise, but also I think I need to cut back on carbs. I have been eating lots of quick/convenient foods like bagels, fries, etc etc.

Any vegetarians/pescatarians have some good suggestions for healthy on-the-go meals that will keep me more happy and full? I've been very low on inspiration lately... Lol.

moondazed

I'm a pescatarian at the moment, and gained weight pretty fast as well once I started school again. These past two weeks I've made a huge change in my diet and have been feeling a lot better and losing weight easier. I'm a terrible chef and so everything I eat is very basic and usually only takes me minutes to make.
Some of my favourite meals are eggs (literally eggs with EVERYTHING), protein pancakes (eggs, banana, + protein powder), huge salads with some sort of protein (I like yyves selection of veggie meat), stir fry with tofu and eggplant pizza. I'll eat some cottage cheese, greek yogurt, or coconut oil with almost every meal and it helps me stay full.

When I have to go out somewhere, I'll usually bring a big bag of carrots and some fruit or make something fast like pancakes and put them in a container. Also home-made smoothies are awesome and packed with protein, and will keep you full for quite a long time. I find that as long as I'm eating lots of fibre and protein I can stay full and have lots of energy throughout the day.

Feel free to add me or look through my diary, it's open!

skinnyEmilijah

Thanks for your reply I will have to try the yves "meat" and also buy some cottage cheese this week

rbiss

I just started out on this site, but in the past lost 60 pounds just keeping it healthy and not tracking anything. Right now its much harder, I am very busy, and my meal plans don't always work out. I am keeping gardein sliders in the freezers for emergencies, I freeze soup, and try to have 5 meals that I know always work. Last week I was super busy so I just threw a can on beans on some salad with pre cut veggies and store bought hummus. It wasn't the best thing I've ever eaten, but it was fine.

I am doing alot of the processed "meats" that I will eventually work back out when I have better habits but right now are okay.

This is my first week back and I lost 3 lbs so far just logging everything.

RawIndian

You could try loading up on fruits and veggies for on the go snacks. Also use smoothies for quick meal.

karinajean2388

I'm a vegetarian with an open diary. I tend to do pretty boring, easy meals and snacks.

AntiSocialyte

Eggs, especially hard-boiled since they're portable, cottage cheese, apples and peanut butter.

Also, I like to cook so usually I make big batches of something like vegetarian stew or curry and then take the leftovers with me to work for lunches.

mellifluous_baker

I tend to shoot for as much protein as possible in each meal (and i still usually don't hit my protein macro >.<), but my go-to meals are also eggs with everything (like poached on top of polenta and pesto. YUM), black beans + avocado + salsa + cheese salad (protein + fats and delicious), greek yogurt (I have 3 flavors in my fridge currently from trader joe's) and hummus with veggies. My diary is open, too, I think. Feel free to friend me too!

charming12u

Vegan here, but vegan or not, check out fat free vegan' s blog, and happy herbivore' s cook books and blog for ideas. I've been using HH meal plans and cookbooks for the most part, and down 28 pounds since Christmas.

takumaku

Since you stated pescatarian ... can of tuna or a can of sardines, grapefruit, banana, and a piece of cheddar cheese or container of milk is a very quick meal to make.

skinnyEmilijah

Thanks everyone. These sound like great ideas.

I will definitely have to make some hard boiled eggs and look at those vegan blogs.

mabbzie

Busy vegan. I eat tons and tons of fruit (apples, oranges, and bananas are my staple) and almonds. When I don't have time to cook I eat PB2 with rice cakes. For snacks I have fruit, baby carrots & hummus, and more fruit. For breakfast I always have plain oatmeal with a dash of brown sugar and blackberries (I look forward to it every morning because I looooove blackberries).

When I have time to cook I like to really load up on the veggies, because despite my carrot sticks with hummus I don't get a ton of veggies in the morning or afternoon. I do, however, reaaaaally love the Fruit + Veggie Outlast Bars (they're like fruit bars, yummy and only 60 cals).

mabbzie

oh, and I don't really eat a lot of bread or pastas. That was a decision I made purposely... when I eat a lot of carbs I get into the drunk-on-carbs mindset and just want more, more, more. My carbs mainly come from fruit. I'll have something now and again (for example, I just had a small bowl of tortilla chips) but I never buy chips, bread, ect. If I do it's for a recipe I'm making... and that's rare.

Don't get me wrong, I love my chips and pasta. Truly. But making the decision to cut back a lot makes me feel better on the inside and out. I notice now that when I do eat pasta or bread or tortillas I feel uncomfortably bloated and sleepy and yucky.

But that's just my personal experience. Do what works for you.

ewrob

I lost over 180 pounds in about 13 months by going vegan. I'm down to a BMI of 23.7 and I'm probably done losing weight. I did not limit carbohydrates at all beyond avoiding processed grains like white bread and white rice, favoring whole grains.

I do not consider pescatarians to be vegetarians at all - I consider them to be omnivores. Would you consider someone who only eats chicken or only eats beef to be a vegetarian?

https://www.vegsoc.org/fish

skinnyEmilijah

oh, and I don't really eat a lot of bread or pastas. That was a decision I made purposely... when I eat a lot of carbs I get into the drunk-on-carbs mindset and just want more, more, more. My carbs mainly come from fruit. I'll have something now and again (for example, I just had a small bowl of tortilla chips) but I never buy chips, bread, ect. If I do it's for a recipe I'm making... and that's rare.

Don't get me wrong, I love my chips and pasta. Truly. But making the decision to cut back a lot makes me feel better on the inside and out. I notice now that when I do eat pasta or bread or tortillas I feel uncomfortably bloated and sleepy and yucky.

But that's just my personal experience. Do what works for you.

Thanks for your reply, I, too, am a carb-a-holic so I think it would be a good idea to try to cut back.

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skinnyEmilijah

Obviously, I need to make more time to exercise, but also I think I need to cut back on carbs. I have been eating lots of quick/convenient foods like bagels, fries, etc etc.

I think you listed the problem in the last part of the sentence. Not the first part!

Don't think of things like fries and convenience foods as "high carb" foods. They are not. They are HIGH FAT foods!!! Therein lies the problem. Fat is very calorie dense, and not everybody can sense how many calories they getting from fat.

Take a look at the nutrition info for fries. These are Wendy's fries, it's just one example, i'm not trying to pick on one restaurant over another.
http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-wendys-french-fries-i56283

Out of 582 calories, 256 are from FAT! That is a high fat food!

Shoot, you're right! And bagels = lots of cream cheese, so more fat... I will have to watch out for that more often.

I think that cheese is another one of my downfall foods. I always want to eat more and more of it..

ValeriePlz

I think it is all about planning.

For example, this week I got some wild sockeye fillets at Whole Foods and sauteed them, then portioned it out into 4 oz. servings and mixed each with 1/2 cup of black beans for an easy taco filling I could take to work or make at home. I have done the same thing with tempeh (layered with polenta, roasted red peppers, and parmesan) and other meals.

hbm616

ehhhh mostly vegetarian (I do eat fish occasionally) but all of my work lunches are vegetarian. As were my school lunches last year. If you don't mind lugging around tupperware salads are a great option. Add beans, eggs or baked tofu for protein. Veggie sandwiches or wraps on whole pita with hummus, peppers, cucumbers etc. The brand Joseph's Pita has a lavash bread that is low 50 calories per serving, so 100 calories for the entire giant wrap. Kind of low on taste but you can add in delicious veggies and condiments for flavor. Raw veggies and hummus or greek yogurt are pretty portable snack options. My school had a couple of buildings with microwaves so I sometimes brought dinner leftovers (like bean chili) and heated it up in between class.

Hope this helps!

Rainboots80

I am a vegetarian and have lost 35 pounds since January 31st on a low carb diet. Feel free to check my diary for ideas.

redraidergirl2009

Im lazy as **** when it comes to cooking. I make a simple salad. Thr kind that has all the lettuce and carrots and junk. Then eat a lean cusine or bowl of beans or chili. Easy. Little prep.