Vegetarianism..

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  • VeganPanda
    VeganPanda Posts: 582 Member
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    Do it. I'm vegan (not for dietary reasons) but stick to lots of fruits and vegetables and you'll be golden.
  • natalieakyzer
    natalieakyzer Posts: 9 Member
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    I'm a vegan, but I started out as a vegetarian. It's one of the best things that I ever committed to. Will suggest if you decide to become a vegetarian that you be careful about the dairy. I found that when I first started that nearly everything I eat had cheese on it. Just because its vegetarian doesn't make it healthy. Vegan is the same way for that matter.
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
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    the main reason i wanna do it is to clean up my diet. i would only cut out meat though..and im hoping doing this could help me eat healthier overall by eliminating some of the processed crap i eat a lot

    well, having been a junk food vegetarian, you may not get the goal for which you are aiming. what i would say is yes, avoid meat, but more than that, avoid anything with a barcode or a drive through. work on that first, being more flexible with meat until you get the hang of it. then once you "clean up" your diet, you can decide if vegetarianism is the right choice for you.

    i'm all for going veg, it's just that it can be a very strict set of rules that is difficult to just jump into, so first start working on the general and keep honing it until you have it figured out.
  • fitmaa
    fitmaa Posts: 13
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    I have been a vegetarian for a year and then started to eat meat once a month or so (i was pregnant and blamed it on the cravings).

    I was trying to loose weight then and I will say it was not easy to loose weight especially eating out was a little difficult because it diificult to find healthy veg meals unless if it a veg friendly place. if I was eating meat it would have been easy to just order a grilled chicken.

    All that said I lost 20 lbs in a span of 9 months. It just takes a little more effort to come up with new ideas initially. We also don't need exorbitant amount of protein.

    Being vegetarian was "Totally Worth it" My skin felt way better. I ate a lot of veggies. over all I felt a lot better.

    I suggest take it slow and cut down gradually. My attitude was "I am choosing not to eat meat but I can have it whenever I want helped me". If i restrict myself that is the first thing i want to eat :)

    I do believe cleaning up your diet is not just being vegetarian but definitely plays a big part.

    Every step in the right direction is good.
  • Kristhin
    Kristhin Posts: 442 Member
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    If you're considering a vegetarian lifestyle I would suggest going to www.thekindlife.com and www.vrg.org for lots of good recipes and info. Also, try reading The World Peace Diet by Dr. Will Tuttle. :)
  • theMIDDLE
    theMIDDLE Posts: 64
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    I have a real bug bear with people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish. If you eat fish you are not a vegetarian, you are a pescatarian or a meat reducer. I've been vegetarian for over twenty years and still find restaurants that think if you are vegetarian you can choose from the fish menu. No I can't, I'm vegetarian!! Rant over.

    THIS.

    I always want to say "I don't eat animals... what part of that is confusing?"
  • amrita0286
    amrita0286 Posts: 75
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    I'm vegetarian myself, but in all honesty a lot of vegetarians are also over weight. Simply because you cut out meat doesn't always mean your diet will get cleaner. My husband eats meat but makes sure it's not fried, dripped in oil, etc and he's never been over-weight in his life, and no he doesn't have a fast metabolism either.

    I don't eat meat or fish ( I do have eggs and dairy) , but I still have struggled with weight gain since I gave up meat. It definately depends on the quality of meat, veggies, etc that you put into your mouth. If you eat lean meat I'm sure you'll lose and if you incorporate raw veggies then you will lose weight as well.

    I do admit I relied a lot on processed foods and ate out a lot, yes I wasn't eating meat but it was still crap.

    So yes don't think of it as a diet but merely as a change for the good and like some people said already, don't switch cold turkey, ease into it. I gave up meat when I was 14 and it was difficult but I eased into it, and I'm 26 now. I'm still working on my eating habits till date but focus on the quality of food and I'm sure you will lose weight and feel good.
  • Zangpakto
    Zangpakto Posts: 336 Member
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    Try Paleo rather... Seriously...

    Much healthier for you than vegetarianism and easier to maintain and actually is based on scientific proof and blood markers etc than morals as vegetarianism is...

    I tried being a vegetarian, and you know what? It sucked... I didn't miss meat, not at all, however do you realise that if you are actually REALLY into fitness how hard it is to get all the protein you need without getting all those excess carbs?

    I am all for vegetarians when they do it FOR THE MORAL SIDE.

    Claiming your doing it to be the healthier person and hoping for direct weight loss is wrong... Last I checked cookies were on the list.. Now is that healthy? Or chocolates.. Or Sweets etc....

    That is why I am all for vegetarians when they do it for only the moral aspect.. Them I respect..

    Claiming it can clean your diet is incorrect... the bad habits people have while not being vegan etc can still persist... I mean really... Pasta isn't exactly the best option all the time, nor is rice, and soya... man... don't even get me started on that stuff... It is actually BAD for you, rather use lentils, eggs and maybe a bit spice etc mush together and fry and make lentil burgers... Simple and much healthier than soya anyway...

    Losing weight is about food choices. If you enjoy your meat, you aren't really going to stick to it come party evening when people tempt you (And yes... they REALLY do tempt you...) I do feel sorry for the animals, however my performance dropped when I changed diet (And yes wasn't a quick change, it was over 8 months so my body did have time to adapt)

    Seriously, look into paleo, it is a lot better in the long run of things, I mean, tracking and finding out what it did to blood markers for certain illnesses, your hormones, insulin etc, that kind of made me think about it, and I am going paleo at the end of september when I got my marathon as a golden rule is as most racers will tell you, you shouldn't change what has worked before the race (i.e. don't try new things)
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    Don't make the mistake of assuming that cutting animal products out of your diet will result in weight loss - it comes down to calories in/calories out.

    It is, however, the best decision I ever made. I cut out all animal products after doing research on how they are obtained, but even just giving up animal flesh made me feel like a better citizen of the Earth. I'd suggest doing some research before you start this lifestyle change and figure out a reason WHY - becoming emotionally invested makes it much easier to stick with it.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I can't seem to stick to any type of diet/eating plan/lifestyle so I was thinking of giving vegetarianism a shot. What are you peoples thoughts/opinions on this?

    Why not just eat a healthy, balanced diet? Being vegetarian, or cutting out entire food groups, takes dedication and a serious amount of effort regarding planning meals, etc. to ensure proper nutrition. Unless you have some moral reason or health concern for wanting to cut out meat, it seems silly.

    I was vegetarian for over 10 years. It was hard. I didn't do it right and I ate a ton of crap, and gained weight. And knowing what I know now about health and nutrition, I doubt I'll ever go back to that lifestyle. I'll eat less meat than a lot of people, but I'll never cut it out completely. Humans evolved eating meat. It's supposed to be part of our diet.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
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    I'm not a scientist. But here is a true fact. I knew three vegetarians in my life. Two died at age 38, and the other died at age 43.
    I know I won't risk it.

    lol
  • spodnik13
    spodnik13 Posts: 5 Member
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    If you're not sure of it I would suggest trying to start out slowly. Make a meatless meal or designate one or two nights a week meatless, see how you like it. If you do then go ahead and increase the weekly meatless days. If you're doing this mainly for health reasons and not for the animal rights aspect of it I don't see a need to really go with a vegetarian title, that way sometimes if you crave bacon you can have a piece without feeling guilty about it lol
  • SpikeLangenderfer
    SpikeLangenderfer Posts: 2
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    Is there something funny?
    This young lady is asking for advice. I gave my opinion. You disagree with it. I get it.
  • JephaMooi
    JephaMooi Posts: 112 Member
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    :flowerforyou:

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