please help! vegetarian

1) Up your calories. Like A LOT
2) When you do you will gain weight because you're starving yourself atm. (Assuming you've been eating this little more than a few weeks). That being said I just reread your post, at 100 lbs how tall are you??? Are you underweight? Gahh you may want to see a doctor.
3) I'm a vegetarian and have been since I started losing weight. I ate 2500 calories yesterday, I net 1500 and my avg gross is 2000-2100.
4) I've lost almost 72 lbs.
5) You can friend me to see my diary if you want ideas It's nice that I get to EAT and look good.

Lastly I could Easily starve myself down to 105 lbs or so, but my thigh fat has made fantastic progress eating and weight training and running! Maybe it's not all gone, but when I'm done I will have firm strong thighs and be healthy.

Food is fuel! I'm sure that 700 calories is not enough fuel for your body. Seriously, check out the video I posted. That girl is super healthy and slim, and she eats A LOT. Maybe you should talk to a dietician about healthy vegetarian ways to up your calories. I'm also a vegetarian, and I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal, but I'm losing weight netting around 1600 calories a day. You can definitely eat a lot more and have a healthy body.

Your body will adapt to such a small calorie intake by slowing your metabolism. You have to have at least have one to two days a week where you break out of the restrictions, so that you lose weight when dieting. Even for someone as small as you, you should never go below a thousand calories a day. Less than that can disrupt hormones, cause all kinds of health problems.


Good luck!

it wont let me watch the video you posted. whats the name of it and ill go find it on youtube! thank you

Its called...What a FullyRaw Vegan Eats in a Day (Winter Edition)

Muscle is healthy, end of story. Being thin without muscle is really not healthy. It sounds like you may be bordering on disordered territory, if not already over it.

Facts (I am a trainer, vegetarian/ vegan, and mom really!)
1. Women can't get "bulky" without use of steroid for the most part. It takes the hormone testosterone in order to build "bulky" muscles. While women do have testosterone (at varying levels), we do not have the levels of men with few very exceptions (think less than 5% of the overall human population).
2. Women who go below 10% body fat WILL suffer hormone disruption, that can lead to permanent damage including infertility.
3. While I am glad you are eating your vegetable and switched to whole grains, you still need fats and proteins. Especially if you are trying to LOSE weight. Fats do not = fat on the body (those are better listed as lipids anyway), excess sugar does! Fat equals better satiety (less hunger), helps nervous system function, and hormone response (the other messenger system for your body besides the nervous system) . Protein ensures your body is able to rebuild after a day of hard work.
- You need to ensure that with every meal you are getting adequate proteins and fats. There are plenty of vegetarian options such as beans, peanuts, tree nuts, TVP, tempeh and other soy products (including edamame and tofu). While I advocate a more natural diet (less processed), there are plenty of meat substitutes as well including tofurkey, Field Roast and Smart products.
4. Starch is not always your friend. Yes, totally glad you have whole grains, but here's the deal most of your diet SHOULD be leafy greens and non-starchy veg. Starches are great for long-term energy needs. They break down really slow. However, it's EASY to over do them and that equals excess sugars your body converts to oil and lipid storage.
5. Eat MORE to weigh less isn't always true, but it is definitely healthier than starving yourself. Your body is complex and it NEEDS energy. Food is energy. It is your body's only fuel. You are not a plant or photosensitive bacteria, so you HAVE to consume food. You need a variety of different nutrients, the basics of which are your macros- Carbohydrates (sugar), Protein, and Fats. Carbohydrates especially, since a majority of our micronutrients (vitamins, minerals and phytochemical) are found in vegetables! That's right, a serving of broccoli has MORE absorble calcium than milk! You want iron? Eat spinach, chard, collards and kale! This is why they should make up 45-65% of your daily intake with over 50% of your carbs coming from greens!
Protein is your body's building blocks- literally! The basic chemical chains found in all of your cells are protein. When your body repairs itself, whether from daily activity, injury or illess, it is all the same source- protein. Even better, it doesn't matter if you get this from plant or animal. Your body is going to break it down regardless. The only thing you need to worry about is variety!
Fats- while most people equate fats with energy storage, that's by far not the most important thing it does. Fats are your hormones messenger carriers. It also is used help your nerves conduct pulses faster. Without them, you start misfiring all over the place. They are also your heart and arteries cleaning services. Just as too much bad fat and cholesterol will clog an artery, good fats and cholesterols CLEAN them out and make them stronger and more flexible.

So what it boils down to:


When humans first evolved, we were scavengers. Technically we still are! We are not apex predators or top of the food chain, at least not when diet is concerned. Our ancesters mostly foraged for food and ate plants that were available very rarely eating animals. During winter months when plants aren't so available we would up our intake of animals and animal products, BUT our bodies would also adapt to starvation levels. This meant that our bodies processes, that take up a lot of energy, will slow down when faced with lowered food intake. It also means that any excess calories our body receives, it converts to storage (ie lipid). With modern agriculture and industry we do not have the constant loss of calories faced by the winter season. However, our bodies haven't adapted to that. That's why we actually need to be even more conscious of what we are eating and where it is coming from!

Sorry everyone for making such a long post, but nutrition is a REALLY huge deal to me!

You'll never get bulky of fat on 1200 calories a day. People need to eat more calories than their bodies need and work out a lot to add muscle or fat.

I concur I have had to weight train. Focus on protein and upy cals to gain any definition and muscle

OMG ... I hope this is a troll post.

Me too. :frown: