Biggest Loser Teenager: Obese and Vegetarian from birth

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3tmom3t
3tmom3t Posts: 44 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I don't know much about being vegetarian, but I was surprised to see the teen girl who is featured on this season's Biggest Loser who has been a vegetarian since birth and is obese. Jillian said something about too many carbs? Thoughts?

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  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
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    That's probably it, also too many calories. (but I never watch tbl)
  • wluck
    wluck Posts: 11 Member
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    I've been watching this season of BL and I can see why some vegetarians can be obese (ie french fries, candy, sugar, etc)
  • Dee_84
    Dee_84 Posts: 431 Member
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    The nutritionist who checked in with this family said they are more "carbetarians". Too much rice, beans, bread, pasta etc.

    I was not surprised, being a vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean that somebody eats healthy.
  • azalea617
    azalea617 Posts: 109 Member
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    I agree with the person above, veg does NOT mean healthy. Eating whole, plant-based foods makes you healthy, not eating a bunch of processed stuff that happens to be meat-free. I've been veg for 4 years (recently went vegan) and it was only when I started actually cutting back on processed/carbs that I saw any weight loss. Exercising helped too of course. :-p
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,998 Member
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    Too many calories. Lots of societies consume 65-70% carbs and don't have obesity problems.
  • wheelbreaksthebutterflies
    wheelbreaksthebutterflies Posts: 32
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    I am a vegetarian and considered obese (though not all of it is fat; I also have a bit of muscle in my arms and legs from swimming). Cutting out meat doesn't mean that you will lose weight.
  • BlueObsidian
    BlueObsidian Posts: 297 Member
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    I was a vegetarian for 12 years, during which I gained a good percentage of the weight I'm trying to lose (probably about 80 pounds of it came while I wasn't eating meat). French fries are vegetarian. So are bagels, cookies, candy bars, and bean burritos. Add in too much cheese and ice cream and you can start to have a problem very quickly. I wasn't eating a balanced diet that focused on fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains, etc. I was eating mostly junk, just meatless junk.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    It's not carbs. Ugh this makes me think so much less of Jillian.

    You can be fat and vegetarian or skinny just like non-vegetarians. It's just about eating healthy. You can eat chips, cookies, eat cheese pizza all day and still be vegetarians, but you'd probably not be healthy as a vegetarian that eats vegetables, fruits and beans and nuts instead of processed food.
  • AuntieMC
    AuntieMC Posts: 346 Member
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    Being Vegetarian isn't the same thing as eating clean and healthy. Just avoiding meat leaves LOTS of unhealthy, high calorie foods available! People need to emphasize the VEGETABLES in Vegetarian, and of course, avoid the sugars!

    Oh, and being a slender vegetarian doesn't make you healthy, either. You could just be eating half a small pack of french fries, for lunch, for instance. Not too many calories, but total junk.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
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    Heres what I ate for dinner

    Tofu stir-fry

    extra firm baked tofu, french cut green beans and sesame seeds with some teriyaki sauce. (normally I'd have more veggies in there but I'm moving this weekend so not buying extra food).

    That's pretty healthy imo. An unhealthy alternative would be some meat-free chick'n wings with some chips and a soda. There would also need to be a caloric surplus, so eating more than the serving size and going over on calories for the day.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    There are healthy and unhealthy variations in every diet group - people eating balanced vegan/ vegetarian/ paleo/ clean omnivorous/ lower carb/ lower fat diets, and those who could be 'labelled' the same but eating way too much of one thing and not enough of another. I see people all the time on MFP and in real life who just randomly cut out multiple food groups with no thought of how they are replacing the nutrients, it's no more healthy to live on chicken breast, egg whites and salad leaves as it is to live on chip butties (french fries in a bread roll).
  • mckinsey78
    mckinsey78 Posts: 1 Member
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    Thats easy! Vegetarian doesn't mean you eat ONLY veggies....it just means you DO NOT eat meat! Everything and I mean everything else is fair game!!!!! I have known several vegetarians that are fat! BTW I love TBL and excited for this girl!
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    being a vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean that somebody eats healthy.

    Bingo. That is a myth that keeps getting perpetuated. There are many unhealthy vegetarians just like there are unhealthy omnivores. It isn't like vegetarians are eating all vegetables all the time, they eat everything except meat (including cheese, eggs, butter, dairy, etc.). Too many calories makes you fat. Doesn't matter if you are an omnivore or a vegan, same rules apply.
  • seventieslord
    seventieslord Posts: 59 Member
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    not much I can add to this topic. I eat vegetarian and I think I'm healthier. I think that, all things considered, if you're a vegetarian, you're "more likely" to be healthier than a meat eater, but "more likely" does not mean "guaranteed". There is a ton of overlap in the health of vegetarians and meat eaters.

    I dated a vegetarian a decade ago, and (heh, maybe I wouldn't admit it at the time, but) she was obese.
  • elizak87
    elizak87 Posts: 249 Member
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    When i first went vegetarian i put on weight. My protein levels obviously went down and to keep full I did eat extra carbs because back then I had no idea of what protein is and what it does.

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