Should i turn Vegetarian???

RuchikaPal

Sry if this topic has been discussed before.....but i had to ask....

In the past, i asked a lot of my skinny friends about how should i lose the extra fat in my body... most of them asked me to quit non veg.....(not that i eat it that much...i just eat chicken 2wice a week or so) .... and co-incidentally all the friends who suggested me so were vegetarians themselves....

now im not sure.... does this really work or they just want me to turn a vegetarian like them.....

no offence to vegetarians ofcourse..... but should i actually quit non veg for a while or its really not gonna help me lose much weight?????

plz HELP!

erickirb

no, there are overweight vegetarians. It mostly comes down to calories in vs calories out regardless if it is meat or not. If not eating meat is what you need to do to hit your calorie goal then it may help, but that is the only reason it will help.

morganadk2_deleted

no, there are overweight vegetarians. It mostly comes down to calories in vs calories out regardless if it is meat or not. If not eating meat is what you need to do to hit your calorie goal then it may help, but that is the only reason it will help.

this

bitterbrownie

if you like eating meat, then stick with it you can lose weight anyway as long as you follow calories in < calories out

just try and eat a balanced diet, with lots of fruit and veg, and enjoy it

melaniecheeks

Absolutely no connection between being vegetarian and losing weight. Your chicken 2-3 times a week sounds very healthy, and not the sort of thing that would hinder weight loss.

I'm guessing its their portion sizes that keep them slim, not what they eat.

jamiesadler

I agree its doesnt matter what you eat as long as your calorie intake is less than your output. Set a goal for calories and just try to stay away from rice and pasta etc. Your body needs protein and while you can get it from certain grains you need meat. LOL Good starch substitutes are Quinoa, brown rice, whole wheat pasta etc. I like to slice cabbage very thin and use that as noodles. If you need noodles you can also try miracle or shiritaki noodles. They are basically a free food.

jbudge1

Only you can answer that question. Personally I could never be a vegetarian. I enjoy meat too much and love to barbeque. It is possible to be fat and be a vegetarian as well. Just watch your calories and eat sensible.

lawkat

I have been a vegetarian for 18 years and have struggled with my weight. I can easily gain weight because there are a lot of really bad foods that are vegetarian. It takes a lifestyle change to eat healthy that matters. Not giving up meat. I think your vegetarian friends just want you to become vegetarian to be like them, not to lose weight.

IamEric

I've become a weekday vegetarian (mostly). Since Saturday is my "cheat" day, and I love to barbecue and smoke meat, I save my "meat calories" for the weekend. I have noticed a change in my waist as well as in my wallet.

jraps17

not a good reason to turn Veg - this from an overweight vegetarian. That alone will not guarantee weight loss. sorry, only hard work will.

anvacarz

I'm a vegan/vegetarian (ovo/pesc). French fries are veg, cake is veg, cookies/chips/candy/etc are all veg. Becoming a vegetarian doesn't magically drop the pounds. As the other poster said- there are overweight vegetarians. Just watch your diet. I recommend vegetarianism as a lifestyle/moral thing, but never necessarily to drop pounds.

asyouseefit

When I was a vegetarian, I relied mostly on carbs and cheese. Needless to sy, I lost weight when I started to eat meat again!

hazelmae123

I was vegetarian for 20 years and during that time both thin and fat. It is about healthy eating and calories no matter what type of diet you have. I know LOTS of former vegetarians who have gone back on the meat wagon. It's just a personal choice. I find myself and others I know find a happy balance with a 75-90 vegetarian diet. Also, keep in mind whenever you tell yourself something is taboo and off limits, you are automatically going to go into rebellion and want it. I never make anything off limits, if my desire for it is high enough, I eat and get rid of the desire, rather than eating my weight in rice cakes and still never getting rid of the craving!

BigDaddyBRC

Like juicy tasting Beef, Pork, Chicken, Turkey....ANIMAL? Then no.

Espressocycle

A great diet includes lots of vegetables and a protein source with very little in the way of starches and refined carbs. That diet can include meat, or some other source of protein. A healthful vegetarian diet includes a little extra work, especially avoiding overreliance on high-fat dairy as a protein source. Lots of vegetarians are picky eaters to begin with, and actually eat a terrible diet, with too much bread and processed meat substitutes and other soy products.

That said, the human body will run on just about everything.

Gigi_licious

I have been a vegetarian for 18 years and have struggled with my weight. I can easily gain weight because there are a lot of really bad foods that are vegetarian. It takes a lifestyle change to eat healthy that matters. Not giving up meat. I think your vegetarian friends just want you to become vegetarian to be like them, not to lose weight.

^^ This. My aunt has been a vegetarian for 20 something years, she ended up having Lap Band surgery 3 years ago, only lost 12lbs with the lap band. She is now exercising regularly and making small healthier changes and the weight is slowly starting to come off. Vegetarian doesn't always = skinny/healthy.

***NOTE: This post is NOT bashing vegetarians.***

g0rg0ri

If you follow a balanced diet, including proteins, carbs, fat, sugar, etc, in the right amounts and you keep your calories intake controlled (ie, the calories that your body requires), then everything will be fine, no matter where you get those nutrients. Our body knows how to take care of himself, our brain is the one who's playing games with us

heathersmilez

I went Vegan for a month after reading the Kind Diet and expected to feel all cleansed and wonderful as apparently experts say will happen. NONE of that happened!

Going vegan was easy since I don't like cheese, eggs I can go without easily and switching to soy milk was no big deal. Of course I avoided honey, gluten etc so I was in fact being true to vegan lifestyle (other than tossing out my leather furniture, running shoes, silk and wool clothing) but even though I still got about 70g of protein a day, I felt lethargic and keeping carbs down was very hard since "high-protein" vegetarian items like beans and nuts are high in carbs too.

I felt so much better once I started eating chicken again (I eat low-fat burgers maybe 5x a year so I'm pretty much 99% chicken-only).

There are a lot of unhealthy heavy vegetarians out there eating mostly potatoes. Eating vegetarian to lose weight is like going to Atkins, you cut out an entire food group and when you eventually come back to the real world weight gain often happens. Coming back to chicken actually has made me more successful but I'm just letting you know, feel free to give it a shot but I don't endorse vegan/vegetarianism for weight-loss reasons.

ilookthetype

no, there are overweight vegetarians. It mostly comes down to calories in vs calories out regardless if it is meat or not. If not eating meat is what you need to do to hit your calorie goal then it may help, but that is the only reason it will help.

this. You can be a veg who lives on butter noodles and crisps. If you go veg do a ton of research and be prepared to make a lot of effort to hit protein and iron

VeganGal84

Only go vegetarian if you really want to. Don't let anyone pressure you into eating or not eating something.

I went vegan around the same time that I started Weight Watchers, so it's tough for me to know whether or not the veganism had anything to do with my weight loss, or if it was all portion control.

Do what's right for YOU.

lor007

French fries and ice cream are both vegetarian friendly foods.

Just a thought.

ABetterBalance

no, there are overweight vegetarians. It mostly comes down to calories in vs calories out regardless if it is meat or not. If not eating meat is what you need to do to hit your calorie goal then it may help, but that is the only reason it will help.

^^ This.

I'm not saying that being a vegetarian is a bad idea, or the wrong choice to make. But, it's not the only way to eat a healthy diet and lose weight, either. And "going vegetarian" is a lot more complicated than a lot of people realize. It's not just about cutting out meat, it's altering your entire diet to be sure you are getting the protein you need from other sources.

AdAstra47

I have respect for people who have moral objections to the eating of animals. It takes a great deal of conviction & discipline to give up doing something enjoyable, and to stick to your principles when there's no personal gain (and even some societal bias against it).

However, with that said, I would never go vegetarian for health reasons. Human beings evolved as omnivores: look at your teeth, or at your digestive system, and you'll see that both are designed to process *both* plant material and meats. There are vitamins & minerals & nutrients that your body is supposed to get from meat; that's just the way we're hardwired, biologically. So if you eliminate meat from your diet, you will have to do some research and find alternative sources for all of those things. It takes forethought and work; so it should not be done on a whim, or you will end up being *less* healthy than when you started.

Everyone's metabolism is different. I know people who are vegetarians and vegans who are perfectly healthy. I also know people who follow the Paleo or Primal lifestyle and are perfectly healthy. Personally, I have a carbohydrate-intolerant metabolism so trying to eat vegetarian would probably kill me. But only you can decide what lifestyle & dietary choices work best for you. There's no one-size-fits-all plan.

Good luck to you in figuring it all out!

KindleBlossom

I agree with the first few posters here, but let it be said that going without meat is easier on your digestive system and is wonderful for your long term cardiovascular health. In addition, there's the fact that the vegetables, grains, and legumes from which you would get your protein, should you cut meat out, are much better for your health than the meat they would be replacing. All of this is on top of the fact that meat is more calorie dense- 400 calories worth of steak fills about half of your stomach, but 400 calories of beans and rice will fill your stomach easily (not to mention that they're much cheaper than the steak). There's a reason vegetarians, in the aggregate and with their food choices taken as an isolated factor, live about 6 years longer than the average non- vegetarian. If you're talking weight loss, you're right, you can eat meat and still lose weight, but if you're talking health, vegetarianism is a better choice.

RuchikaPal

Great!!!.... thnx guys

JNettie73

no, there are overweight vegetarians. It mostly comes down to calories in vs calories out regardless if it is meat or not. If not eating meat is what you need to do to hit your calorie goal then it may help, but that is the only reason it will help.

I am a perfect example of one of those overweight vegetarians. I am actually obese :embarassed:

Like many others have already stated, being vegetarian/vegan does not = skinny. It really does come down to calories in/out and quality of foods you are eating. Before I was vegetarian I ate only chicken or turkey (plus veggies and grains of course) and worked out every day. In 4 months I went from a size 14 to a size 4/6. Years after becoming vegetarian I sky rocketed up to a size "OMG I am HUGE!". This is because I didn't watch my portion sizes, ate cheese all the time and ate a lot of junk food. Years of bad choices have gotten me to where I am today. It's nobody's fault but my own. :ohwell: I am the one who decided what I was putting in my mouth. I am still a veggie and would never go back to eating meat, but I am working on becoming a healthy veggie. (I am a veggie for ethical reasons and my personal beliefs.)

My point being that you can be thin if you eat a well balanced healthy diet, regardless if you eat meat or not. You have to do what is best for you and not what anyone else is trying to tell you.

I have been a vegetarian for approx 15 years now. I do not believe in forcing my beliefs on others. I get really upset when I hear that other vegetarians do this. I could be wrong, but it sounds like this is what your friends are doing to you. If you want to become a vegetarian do your research then do it for the right reasons, because YOU want to do it. NOT because a few of your "skinny" friends are trying to convince you that being vegetarian = being skinny.

Hope this helps you with your decision a bit. Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:

ak_in_ak

if you do not believe in the principles of being a vegetarian, then there is no point. Vegetarian does not mean healthy, chips and candy are vegetarian, but still just as bad for you, try eating a clean diet and measure everything, do not guess.

kh79

No, if that's the only rsn u wanna do it, u shouldn't. U should find a way that u actualy can live with every day!
A vegetarian diet needs extra proteins and types of fat that is not gained from meat/fish through f.ex. nuts, so u will 'need' those cals anyways.
I think u should find a line that u can be happy with every day, if not, the risk of failing will be higher- and then again failing is a biiig downer and demotives u.

But ofcourse, if u think u CAN do it as a lifestyle, then go ahead, just be sure u get all the nutrience that u need

maura5880

I'm a vegetarian & I love it, but it's not for everyone. If you want to try it out, you could start w/some meat substitutes. I love the Morningstar "chicken" patties, and Smart Dogs. These products have less fat than real meat, but also less protein. If you like meat, there's really nothing wrong w/grilled chicken breast..as long as you're not having Big Macs all day!

JNettie73

I have been a vegetarian for 18 years and have struggled with my weight. I can easily gain weight because there are a lot of really bad foods that are vegetarian. It takes a lifestyle change to eat healthy that matters. Not giving up meat. I think your vegetarian friends just want you to become vegetarian to be like them, not to lose weight.

I agree with this 100%

I've become a weekday vegetarian (mostly). Since Saturday is my "cheat" day, and I love to barbecue and smoke meat, I save my "meat calories" for the weekend. I have noticed a change in my waist as well as in my wallet.

There is actually a term for this. You are a flexitarian! :flowerforyou:

A great diet includes lots of vegetables and a protein source with very little in the way of starches and refined carbs. That diet can include meat, or some other source of protein. A healthful vegetarian diet includes a little extra work, especially avoiding overreliance on high-fat dairy as a protein source. Lots of vegetarians are picky eaters to begin with, and actually eat a terrible diet, with too much bread and processed meat substitutes and other soy products.

That said, the human body will run on just about everything.

I disagree with your statement "Lots of vegetarians are picky eaters to begin with". I actually know quite a few of vegetarians who are far from picky. I, for one, was not a picky eater before I turned veggie. I turned because of ethical reasons, not because I was picky. I only know 1 "vegetarian" who is a picky eater. She is a vegetarian because she thinks eating meat is gross and eats nothing but bread, mac and cheese and baked ziti. But I agree with you 100%, when you say a healthful vegetarian diet takes extra work, avoiding overreliance on high-fat dairy as a protein source. That is exactly what I did that got me to where I am today. :frown: