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

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!

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.

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!

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

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

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....

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!

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!