To the Vegetarians Out There...

towardthesunshine
towardthesunshine Posts: 56
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm toying with the idea of going vegetarian, for a few reasons, but mostly to improve my overall health.
For those of you seasoned vegetarians (haaaa get it), how have you noticed being a vegetarian has impacted you? Financially, physically, mentally, time-wise?

I'm curious :)

Replies

  • alexveksler
    alexveksler Posts: 409 Member
    Same here. Have been reading Dr. Fuhrman and trying his diet past few weeks. Noticed I am consuming less and less animal protein. Weight is amazingly coming off and I am eating good 2K cals per day. Still looking forward to some comments.
  • karakreature
    karakreature Posts: 79 Member
    I personally am not vegetarian and don't see myself becoming one but one of my best friends is. She changed prob about 4 years ago. Lost 60 lbs. She did alot of research. She know exactly what veggies provide the protein she needs and what veggies are considered super foods. She still eats eggs and cheese but aside from that, no other meat by products or meat. I admire her for it but it's definately not for me. I'd recommend doing the research before hand and make sure you don't just eat a bunch of carbs. Good luck and hope it works for you!
  • aepdx
    aepdx Posts: 218 Member
    I love being vegetarian! Making meals are quicker for me. Meat took forever to cook and it was always over or undercooked. I was always worried about getting sick! You don’t have to worry about that with veggies. It is cheaper by far. TMI alert! I had an intestinal issue for 10 years and doctors couldn’t figure it out and they gave me all these medicines and still nothing helped. As soon as I became a vegetarian, it was all better! I was super thrilled. I will never eat meat again! Don’t get me wrong, meat tastes great. But, it is expensive, cruel, hurts the environment and doesn’t agree with my stomach. You should try it out for a week or two. You could save some animals and the earth : )
  • Kyledrums
    Kyledrums Posts: 56 Member
    I've been veggie since I was 18 and wasn't healthy. I am being healthy now though but I don't think being veggie will make you healthy. Just make sure you eat a balanced diet and you'll be fine. Plus animals will be better off so everyones a winner :)
  • towardthesunshine
    towardthesunshine Posts: 56
    Thanks for the thoughts! I know being vegetarian can sometimes lead to more unhealthy eating, hopefully going to try and avoid that... I just did my first "vegetarian" shopping list and avoided junky foods at all costs :)

    Gonna do my research & make sure I'm getting all the complete proteins and just eat a huge variety. Try it out for a while, see how it goes :)

    Would love to hear more testimonials! :flowerforyou:
  • msleanlegs
    msleanlegs Posts: 188 Member
    I went vegan a month ago. So not really a seasoned vegetarian (har har - like your joke :)). But for what it's worth...

    Financially, it's been a money-saver at the grocery store. Physically so far, I have more energy, less acne breakouts, and brighter whites of my eyes. I'm averaging just under 2,200 calories a day and averaging a loss of 1 lb every 4 days. (It surprised me that I could actually lose weight eating well over 200+ grams of carbs a day. I had believed all the hype about carbs being bad for weight loss.) Mentally, I feel like I'm doing something good for other species by not contributing to their harm and that brings me some peace of mind. Time-wise, the food preparation can be as difficult or easy as I make it - not any different than my old eating habits. Even with take-out you have to drive and wait in line for the food, so chopping a few vegetables isn't really a big deal.
  • towardthesunshine
    towardthesunshine Posts: 56
    Props to you for going vegan! I like the idea... but I'm literally in love with greek yogurt and cheese. Meat is whatever though :) Glad it seems to be working for you!!
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    I went vegetarian at 7 years old. No one else in my family is vegetarian so my mom had to make me separate meals when I was younger but it's easy to cook vegetarian. I just eat a ton of egg whites for protein and basically everything else a non vegetarian eats except meat.
  • theycallyoumister
    theycallyoumister Posts: 222 Member
    I experimented with vegetarianism for 3.5 years in the late 90s and that was after several unsuccessful attempts at it because I was always getting sick when I tried. I managed to stick it out though and I didn't eat anything that used to have a face. The weight was stable, however, near the end I just didn't feel healthy or that energetic (i.e. whole plate of fries for lunch! Hooray, I'm vegetarian!). I felt I could get more quality protein etc. in smaller quantities going back to meat. The first time I ate meat after this length of time (turkey dinner at Christmas), I ended up yakking in my in-laws washroom! :sick: Interesting reintroduction...I'll never say never and there is a far superior variety of food options now :smile:
  • Cr01502
    Cr01502 Posts: 3,614 Member
    If you want to be vegetarian go for it.

    But don't think that not eating meat is somehow going to improve your health.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15927927
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1768992
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22445367
  • sineadlpb
    sineadlpb Posts: 59 Member
    Hello :)

    I've also been vegetarian for my whole life, my parents stopped eating meat a few years before I was born and I was brought up the same way. I've always been pretty healthy, the majority of what I eat is cooked from scratch so I know exactly what I'm eating. Similar to dancingonstar, I'd never tracked protein intake until I joined MFP and it seems that I am eating around (sometimes over) the recommended amount. I have a few tips as somebody who's seen a lot of people attempt to become vegetarian and subsequently fail:
    1. Vegetarian does not automatically = healthy. Eating oven fries/pizza for every meal is not the way to go - the same principles apply as with a diet including meat. Lots of fruit, veg and home cooked meals :)
    2. There are plenty of alternative sources of protein - dairy, eggs, pulses (lentils, kidney beans, chick peas etc), soy, quinoa and meat substitutes such as Quorn. You don't have to live on egg whites, haha.
    3. You can adapt your regular meals to be meat free, not everything has to be salads. We make veggie chilli, bolognaise, curries etc. You can find some brilliant recipes simply by searching google.
    4. Be prepared for your options in restaurants/ take out to decrease dramatically. Often I find that there is only one vegetarian choice on a menu (and more often than not it contains goats cheese- yuck). My friends tell me I'm a nightmare to go for a meal with as they have to research for restaurants that are more suited to vegetarians :P
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I'm toying with the idea of going vegetarian, for a few reasons, but mostly to improve my overall health.
    For those of you seasoned vegetarians (haaaa get it), how have you noticed being a vegetarian has impacted you? Financially, physically, mentally, time-wise?

    I'm curious :)

    Well I spent less money on food since meat is expensive. I also find it easier and quicker to make meals since meat prep is gone and I can have foods I love like mexican food, vegetarian quite easily.

    It can be annoying to order at some resteraunts but ordering vegetarian usually isn't a big deal, even steak places have salads or a "veggie plate" where you can order 4-6 sides.

    Physically I feel fine, less acne which is awesome, less bloating.I haven't had any issues gaining/maintaining muscle like people assume I would. I try and balance my meals to include enough protein and greens/veggies and I eat more fruit. I think it's helped me make healthier choices.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I do suggest picking up a book or something on vegetarianism if you want to learn more like "vegetarianism for dummies", it covers a lot of bases.
  • Coni888
    Coni888 Posts: 7 Member
    Hello :)

    I've also been vegetarian for my whole life, my parents stopped eating meat a few years before I was born and I was brought up the same way. I've always been pretty healthy, the majority of what I eat is cooked from scratch so I know exactly what I'm eating. Similar to dancingonstar, I'd never tracked protein intake until I joined MFP and it seems that I am eating around (sometimes over) the recommended amount. I have a few tips as somebody who's seen a lot of people attempt to become vegetarian and subsequently fail:
    1. Vegetarian does not automatically = healthy. Eating oven fries/pizza for every meal is not the way to go - the same principles apply as with a diet including meat. Lots of fruit, veg and home cooked meals :)
    2. There are plenty of alternative sources of protein - dairy, eggs, pulses (lentils, kidney beans, chick peas etc), soy, quinoa and meat substitutes such as Quorn. You don't have to live on egg whites, haha.
    3. You can adapt your regular meals to be meat free, not everything has to be salads. We make veggie chilli, bolognaise, curries etc. You can find some brilliant recipes simply by searching google.
    4. Be prepared for your options in restaurants/ take out to decrease dramatically. Often I find that there is only one vegetarian choice on a menu (and more often than not it contains goats cheese- yuck). My friends tell me I'm a nightmare to go for a meal with as they have to research for restaurants that are more suited to vegetarians :P

    THIS!! I am a vegetarian now for 19 years and others find it quite a hassle or conveniently forget I am veggie and dish me up meat. :tongue: I for one really struggle to get my protein levels in and find it easy to substitute with protein shakes 1-2 daily. If i don't hit the target, my eating habits deteriorate drastically and I live in our junk drawer and live on cookies and chocolate. My iron level hit rock bottom since not eating meat and have to take iron supplements. I also found it is a bit more expensive to shop for as Quorn can be more expensive than some meat and fresh fruit and veg are not the cheapest either. I especially find it hard on holidays, as most countries I seem to visit hardly cater for veggies, but well. My choice and I just have to live with it and lots of salad when not at home. Otherwise all good.
  • raegan1215
    raegan1215 Posts: 89
    life-long veg here too. agreed that vegetarian does not automatically equal healthy or weight loss strategy. three things i saw in previous comments i want to throw my two cents in on:

    1. food poisoning can happen from vegetables as well. it isn't just meat that can make you sick!

    2. in my experience restaurants aren't hard to find something veg at. there's always an option. i can't remember a single time in my whole life there hasn't been choices for me - even at a steak house. don't be intimidated by that.

    3. protein CAN be an issue so keep any eye on it. i think some vegetarians get very defensive of that since it's often the first attack of the meat eating world but it is true to some extent. just like the meat eaters need to make sure they get their vegetables, we need to make sure we get our protein!

    feel free to message me if you have any specific questions! good luck!
  • kmcosgrove115
    kmcosgrove115 Posts: 260 Member
    I eat whole food, plant based - no meat, no dairy and no oil so vegan to the 2nd power - I love it, I feel the best I have in my life, sleep so much better, BP dropped, weight drops and soon I will re-check BW for cholesterol and such - I will never go back to the western way of eating after seeing Forks Over Knives..........

Categories