Vegetarian and have excess carbs every day

astronasrin

Hi everyone;

I am vegetarian and everyday my carbohydrate consumption exceeds the recommended goal. I was wondering if it is normal for a vegetarian diet or not. Any ideas?

Jeff92se

I think it would be diffcut not too. Espeically if you're cutting dairy out also.

njitaliana

Yes, that's typical. I did a vegan diet for 6 months and my carb count was high. But, I lost weight very well.

Jezebel_Barbie

Espeically if you're cutting dairy out also.

Vegetarians don't cut out dairy, just meat. Vegans cut out dairy products though.

OP I'm veggie and am usually under my carbs. Don't know if I'm typical or not though.

astronasrin

I am not fully vegan, but I have reduced my diary consumption. I usually eat beans, lentils and rice which have high levels of carbs.

getting_fit

I am a vegetarian too...but I eat wheat bread instead of rice..and I eat more protiens at every meal ..cheese,greek yogurt and that is more filling than carbs.

Eat one serving of rice per meal and not more.Also eat vegetables...and not beans as much..

I eat 2 slices of wheat bread with 2 slices of cheese,tomato,little avacado,onions,bell-peppers for lunch and eat rice for dinner but only a cup of rice ..I add salads to my dinner..sometimes just cut cucumber slices if I have no energy to make a full fledged salad and sometimes an apple or another fruit , if salad is boring

You can do a sandwich like I do and add fruits for lunch and a salad and rice for dinner.

I eat eggs ..so I end eat 2 whole eggs for breakfast every morning instead of cereal or oatmeal.

Cutting down on cards is not that difficult.You just have to substitute it with more protien.

LaurenAOK

I'm vegetarian and pretty much never go over my carbs, but I can see how it would be more likely with a vegetarian diet. Maybe try to focus a little less on grains and a little more on veggies (not potatoes though )

LottieLou13

I'm well over my carbs every day...between the bread, rice, pasta and wraps I find it hard not to

deineira

I have not been a vegetarian since I joined MFP, but I was for 16 years, and my diet was extremely carbo-centric. That was one of the problems for me and why I was so heavy. When I started eating meat again and cut out the carbs, or cut them down to one serving of starchy carbs per day, I lost weight very easily. I'm not suggesting you start eating meat, by no means!! I'm just sharing my experience. One thing you could try is to eat more vegetarian sources of protein, like tofu, or if you're in to the meat replacements, the protein can be more filling, and that will enable you to lower your carbs without starving. You can always increase your veggie ratios in your meals too, like a small serving of starch, but more vegetables, beans, etc.

cyclerjenn

I'm a veggie and I have changed my goals to a 50/30/20 - C/P/F. I seem to stay with in range with this mix.

degausspdx

Maybe modify the way you count your carbs as low carb dieters and diabetics do? EG dont count fiber or sugar alcohols in you NET carb total? It is work but it may give you a truer idea on the effective carbs you're consuming.

determinedbutlazy

I have a mainly vegan diet, and my carbs are always super high

schpanks

When I was a new vegetarian, my meals tended to be very carb-centric with rice, pasta, bread and potatoes. Now I try to prepare more veggie-centric meals and am actively incorporating more protein. It's easy to fall back on the carbs because they tend to be easier to fix and require less creativity. Check out vegetarian times. It's a magazine (also a website) and they have fabulous, creative, healthy vegetarian food you wouldn't even be able to imagine. With practice it becomes easier and more natural.

prettythinlove

Yes, that's typical. I did a vegan diet for 6 months and my carb count was high. But, I lost weight very well.

Have you kept the weight off? I have been vegetarian for just over a month now and haven't noticed any dramatic changes yet.

CosmicBella

I'm always way over on carbs every day and I've lost 50 pounds so far.

TClanceyOzes

I'm a vegetarian, and am seldom over my carbs. However, I'm usually over my protein limit! How I do it: I eat (and highly recommend) the morningstar and boca products, specifically the morningstar breakfast sausage patties (original and spicy), corn dogs, mini corndogs (though the larger are more satisfying), and the boca spicy chik'n patties. I can't vouch for the other stuff, but these are my go-to foods, since I don't have much time to cook.

With the boca chik'n patties, I used to make Wendy's style sandwiches with a whole wheat bun and light mayo, but it came to 300 calories and a whole bunch of carbs. Now, I prepare one patty, cut it in strips, and serve it over a salad with low-calorie dressing (a tangy ranch or Cajun inspired sauce is best, not a vinaigrette). Hope this helps, fellow veggies!

Chester_1

Yes, that's typical. I did a vegan diet for 6 months and my carb count was high. But, I lost weight very well.

Have you kept the weight off? I have been vegetarian for just over a month now and haven't noticed any dramatic changes yet.

As a (soon to be formerly) fat vegetarian, I can tell you simply not eating meat didn't help me lose any weight.

In my personal experience, I found I ended up eating a lot more often because I didn't stay full as long. I was the only one in my family who didn't eat meat, so I would usually eat sides instead of a proper vegetarian meal. Eating salads and sides is a terrible way to stay full! Once I moved out and had to fend for myself at dinner time it was a lot easier to make a real vegetarian meal.

Just keep an eye on what you're eating. If you're taking in the same number of calories as you were before you made the switch then you won't see a dramatic result.

For the OP, my carb intake is higher than MFP suggests, too. I try not to worry about it. Going over on carbs doesn't seem to make a difference to me when it comes to weight loss so I ignore it for the most part.

maddiey

I'm a vegetarian and it's really hard to not eat a lot of carbs! When everyone else has meat, we have pasta, no?

ByrdMessy

At the moment, I'm a pescetarian and have only gone over carbs twice since I started a few weeks ago. I also don't eat fish every day. My diary is open if you want to take a look.

Leiki

Try cauliflower rice instead of regular rice with some meals.

imkegoal

I'm a veggie, and i I go over on anything it tends to be carbs. as other said; it doesn't matter too much as long as you see results. I have been loosing a steady 1 pound per week with my diet, and I am happy with that.


If you are still bothered by it though, have a look in some of our diaries to see what we eat, as it may give you some ideas of what meals you could eat that are low on carbs. (if you check out mine, you will see I have gone over on Protein yesterday, not carbs!) You also may find it helpful to track your own diary for a few weeks to see what days you didn't go over on your carbs, and what meals are particularly high on carbs, which you therefore want to avoid.

If you are loosing weight, don't beat yourself up about the carbs. You are seeing the results, enjoy eating your usual diet!

swinginchandra

I can see how it would be easy, but I agree with the others that it's not necessary. I eat vegetarian, and unless it's a day when I'm biking 100+ miles (fairly common, actually), I usually eat fairly low carb as well.
There are a few important things to note:

1) NET carbs. Most vegetables are very fiberful, which ups the carb count, but not the effective carbs. Net carbs = total carbs - fiber.
2) lose the bread, pasta, and rice. It sounds restrictive now, but you can get used to it. Salads replace sandwiches, rice is unnecessary - just a filler. Make carrot or spaghetti sqash pasta.
3) LOTS of vegetables. Broccoli, zucchini, spinach, chard... you're a vegetarian. EAT vegetables!!!!


Not that I particularly think carb count is that important. I do think lower carb is a useful tool to moderate calories though... if you want to do it, you can!

ByrdMessy

You can make your diary public by going to "FOOD" and then "Settings". It might seem invasive, but I've found people are very constructive and celebrate your treats as much as clean foods.

astronasrin

Yes, that's typical. I did a vegan diet for 6 months and my carb count was high. But, I lost weight very well.

Have you kept the weight off? I have been vegetarian for just over a month now and haven't noticed any dramatic changes yet.

I think becoming vegetarian might not be enough. If you still keep on eating diaries like cheese, ice cream or cookies it's not gonna help. I think most of the fattening foods are vegetarian!

humblestumble

I'm reviving this post to say that I am also vegetarian and get close to over my carb count everyday. I don't eat pasta or any gluten (wheat flour) based foods. I am also cutting out my processed foods and refined sugars.

I eat very little rice (maybe once a month??)

Today I have only eaten two main means (with snacks like a handful of nuts) in between. Is this a bad thing for weight loss? I am trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet too.

I ate black beans, green beans and peas for lunch. Raw Chia "pudding" was breakfast.

grimendale

I have been a fat vegan and a skinny vegetarian. It’s all about portion control. As for carbs, I usually meet or exceed my protein and fat goals for the day, which usually puts me under on carbs. If you pay attention to protein when you shop, it makes it a lot easier to hit your macros (boca vegan burgers are a godsend for hitting protein goals).

Edit: Curses, didn't realize this was a zombie post.

Zylahe

Are you insinuating vegetarians are zombies?.:bigsmile:

And to get my 2 cents in, i lived for years on just carbs ( noodles and bread)
But now i eat a lot more protein, it does help to keep me fuller.
Though i can never seem to hit my goal

redraidergirl2009

carbs aren't bad, just eat the right kinds and plenty of fiber.