I Used to be an Obese Vegetarian - Yes it's possible

aedan77
aedan77 Posts: 11
in Introduce Yourself
I used to be obese, i lost some fat and now I'm looking to trim down for the summer, I've had mfp before but kept going on and off, hopefully this time i'll stay! And yes, it is possible to be a fat vegetarian and no I don't eat salads all day lol

Replies

  • Motria
    Motria Posts: 54 Member
    I believe it! I was overweight when I went vegetarian in college. Also not a fan of salads, so it was lots and lots of carbs and junk food. I've been an omnivore for years now. Actually thinking of going vegan, but this time I'll be careful to make healthy choices!

    Good luck to you in your quest for fitness!
  • aedan77
    aedan77 Posts: 11
    Vegan sounds incredibly difficult! Not sure how to cope without milk, cheese, PIZZZA!!!!!!!! lol
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,861 Member
    And yes, it is possible to be a fat vegetarian and no I don't eat salads all day lol
    No doubt about that. I've never been a vegetarian but I am near vegetarian. People say that if you eat healthy you won't be fat. I have eaten healthy foods for a long time but when I ate too much healthy food, I got fat.
  • setaseba
    setaseba Posts: 11
    I've been vegan for about 19 years now and yes...it can be challenging. Especially when your favourite food is pizza!

    Getting out of shape and chunky is easy if you don't watch your portions. A truck-load of anything will add to your spare tire - even if it's broccoli or tofu :)
  • aedan77
    aedan77 Posts: 11
    I've been vegan for about 19 years now and yes...it can be challenging. Especially when your favourite food is pizza!

    How the FUDGE DO YOU DO IT??? (fudge...nutella...CREPES *insert picture of homer simpson drooling*)
  • mohanj
    mohanj Posts: 381 Member
    Yes it is possible to obese being vegetarian if one does not control the carbs intake. I am a vegetarian all my life but obese. I am doing better now once I changed my diet to low carb. No I don't eat salads every day. There are lot of other vegetarian options besides salad and soup.
  • aedan77
    aedan77 Posts: 11
    yea i know what you mean dude, i ate ALL carbs chips and drank lots of soda
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,861 Member
    yea i know what you mean dude, i ate ALL carbs chips and drank lots of soda
    What's even worse is that I became overweight, within a pound of "obese", without junk food. Yep, you can get fat on plants if you eat enough of them and my appetite is huge.
  • jenniferrr127
    jenniferrr127 Posts: 44 Member
    Being vegan was a great experience but it was tough for me because I lost sight of WHY I was doing it and began to replace with processed soy products and overdid the nuts. Now I eat MOSTLY plant-based and I drink Shakeology, have a HUGE salad at lunch, and snack every so often on nuts/veggies and also drink lots of smoothies!
  • miamiink89
    miamiink89 Posts: 103 Member
    Haha same (well, technically I am still obese but not for long!)
    I used to be so embarrassed about being veggie because of my weight, people do assume veggies are skinny. Dont get me wrong I love cheese, pizza etc but I did used to eat so many vegetables which were usually roasted so had loads of calories from oil! Who knew cutting down on veg could make me drop the pounds.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    You can be a fat anything, really. If you eat over your calorie limit with nothing raw broccoli, you're still going to gain weight. My biggest issue when I first became vegetarian many moons ago was the belief that I could eat as much of anything if it was "healthy" - whole grains, avocados, bananas.

    Being vegan sounds a lot more difficult than it is, and honestly, it makes my soul feel really good. I never feel deprived because there are so many vegan milks, cheeses and delicious pizzas out there for me to enjoy!
    Vegan sounds incredibly difficult! Not sure how to cope without milk, cheese, PIZZZA!!!!!!!! lol
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
    A lot of vegetarians turn into cheeseballs. I was a vegan for 6 months last year and gained 5 pounds. Some of us are just good at gaining weight, whatever.
  • setaseba
    setaseba Posts: 11
    A masochistic streak helps LOL

    but seriously, it's only difficult sometimes. I wouldn't say vegans obsess about food any more (or less) than anyone else. You just have to maintain your focus when it's time to pick what to eat at meal time

    ...and resist the siren song of the junk food aisle in my case
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    Hey - I was an obese vegan. Chips are vegan....so there's that. :laugh:
  • KettleTO
    KettleTO Posts: 144 Member
    I also was an obese vegetarian. Now I am an overweight vegetarian. I liked my carbs A LOT.

    There is a lot of vegetarian sources of sugar and junk out there. If anyone is looking for directions....
  • Fancyfit
    Fancyfit Posts: 13
    In the past few weeks, I have basically going meatless. I thought that was the best way for me and I really don't mind because I love vegetables. Have you any tips from foods to stay away from. This is also my third or fourth return to MFP. It will work if we would just stick with it. Good luck.
  • SneakyBat
    SneakyBat Posts: 55 Member
    Vegan sounds incredibly difficult! Not sure how to cope without milk, cheese, PIZZZA!!!!!!!! lol

    I managed to hit morbid obesity whilst being vegan (go me!)..I'm still vegan but now 'merely' overweight, hoping I'll get to a normal weight this year.
    I still miss cheese but luckily we have a fantabulous local pizza place who make the best vegan pizza ever!
  • lobo_a_gogo
    lobo_a_gogo Posts: 265 Member
    I've been vegetarian for about 8 years, and I'm obese (though MUCH less obese than a year ago ... current BMI 31.6). You know what kind of things are vegetarian? Onion Rings. Potato skins (hold the bacon). Quesadillas. All kinds of delicious fried things. It's easy to gain weight as a vegetarian... Look at it this way: all of our protein either also has carbs (beans) or lots of fat (nuts). It is also possible to lose it. I'm down a total of about 35 lbs, on a major plateau (only about 5 of that has been lost since September) but I'm still trucking. Good luck, and welcome!
  • setaseba
    setaseba Posts: 11
    In the past few weeks, I have basically going meatless. I thought that was the best way for me and I really don't mind because I love vegetables. Have you any tips from foods to stay away from...

    My weight has yo-yo'd most of my life. I am a life-time member of weight-watchers but thought I'd try this on my own with the knowledge I've picked up. I used to be a body-builder and I've been a martial artist for many years. I've been more-or-less vegetarian for most of my life and vegan for the last 19. I have learned a lot about what is healthy to eat but being the glutton that I am, I've only gained weight when I let my portion control get out of control LOL

    So to answer your question: I tend to avoid processed veggie products and stick to lots of root vegetables. I come from a farm background so I grew up eating parsnips, turnips, beets, carrots...that sort of thing. you almost (almost) can't eat too many root veggies as they are supremely good for you and low in calories in general. Although pigging out on carrots can really add to your daily sugar total

    I say almost because eating too much of anything adds up to more calories than is good for weight loss

    I also eat lots of stalk veggies like broccoli & cauliflower. Raw is better but steamed is fine. I eat a variety of fruit but again, you have to be careful of eating too much fruit in a day as the fructose can pile on the calories. I try to limit myself to 2 portions a day

    Personally, I avoid processed veggie cheese "foods" as well as unfermented tofu products. There is some discussion that tofu is bad for men overall due to the high levels of estrogen precursors in them but for a woman that shouldn't be an issue. Having said that: veggie burgers are chock-a-block full of fibre & protein which is vital for healthy weight loss

    I highly recommend a handful of nuts per day and also a variety of seeds. Chia, pumpkin & sunflower come to mind. Make sure that the nuts & seeds are unsalted though. Although you need a good supply of potassium from the nuts & seeds, your sodium intake should be half that or less. The nuts & seeds will also give you quite a bit of the vital omega's & good fats you need

    hope this helps you on the road to veggie-ism. good luck!
  • D00623095
    D00623095 Posts: 5 Member
    Oh im so happy to have found you all! i get this ALL the time, Im a vegetarian and people always assume that just because i dont eat meat... i should be thin?? like its just meat that makes people overweight??

    My biggest struggle is carbs. I love bread, I love pasta, and i tend to eat cheese with anything!! Ive only been at this for 2 weeks now, but im 100% committed to making a change this time and sticking with it. skinny jeans here i come! :)

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