Possibly going vegetarian.
Replies
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Don't go vegetarian or vegan for the possibility of losing weight. That magical vegetarian weightloss skipped over me, when when I was vegan for a period of time I did not lose any weight.0
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You'll have no problem with protein if you decide to go vegetarian. There are lots of non-meat sources of protein, so don't let anyone scare you. There are lots of vegan bodybuilders and athletes out there, so no issue. Personally, I'm pescatarian because I'm not a big fan of legumes or tofu. I prefer to get my protein from fish, and I haven't seen any evidence to say that fish is unhealthy in any way, other than the giant predator fish that are full of mercury.
Please remember that vegetarian substitutions for meat products aren't always healthy. Those pre-packaged veggie burgers, "chicken" breasts made out of TVP, etc are not any healthier than meat IMHO. They are still processed crap. You'll still need to take the time to make your own food if you truly want to be healthy.0 -
I also wanted to say that people seem to harp on protein all the time. But I have never heard of anyone being protein deficient in Canada where I live. Unless you are going out of your way to avoid protein, you should be fine unless you are an endurance athlete (like me) or bodybuilder. Keep in mind that you get protein from more sources than meat, fish, tofu and legumes. You even get 5g of protein from eating a slice of bread, a cup of corn, or a cup of brown rice.
The usual suggestion is about 0.8g of protein per kg of body weight, so someone who weighs 150lbs needs a minimum of 54g and a maximum of 68g of protein per day. Most of us easily hit that number and even more of us go way, way over.
Harvard School of Public Health - How Much Protein Do I Need?
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/protein-questions/#howmuch0 -
A lot of the mock meats are high carb (and sodium as stated above). I have been vegetarian for 3 1/2 years & I absolutely love it. I also lost about 12 pounds initially, then nothing. I've recently cut back on cheese significantly due to the high calorie & fat content. You can eat waaaaay more vegetables than meat!0
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really sometimes i find all this chat about not eating meat a little surprising...dont get me wrong but i am from india ..never ate any meat,egg sometimes like 15 times in my whole life,and in our family ,our ancestors everyone is/was vegeterian..its just the way of living and eating for us..also my side of family and husband side of family everyone is in perfect weight range ..i am the odd one out....but surely u can live ur life on fruits ,veggies ,grains .rice ..the list goes on...u just have to learn to make combinations in cooking and i can tell u i love my vege terian food, never think once that something delicious is missing in my life....0
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Pork is in no way one of the best meats to eat. Best tasting? Maybe. And chicken? I'm the vegetarian here, and it seems like I know the healthy meats. Here's an article from 2010 with references:Definitely give it a shot. Even just consuming less meat (especially red and pork) is not necessarily a bad thing.
WTF??? Pork is one of the best meats to eat. Fish, Chicken and Pork FTW!!!!!!! Now red meat, yes you should consume less of that but you don't need to stop eating it, you just need to choose the right cuts.
http://www.draxe.com/why-you-should-avoid-pork/
I try to avoid being snippy, but the comments on that scare me, people will really read one article and stop eating a whole type of food? I didn't see any sources on it, just broad generalizations made with no relevant data. Please back yourself up with a real article, or at the very least don't condemn pork based on the preaching of one man.
To the OP, good luck on your journey!0 -
Pork is in no way one of the best meats to eat. Best tasting? Maybe. And chicken? I'm the vegetarian here, and it seems like I know the healthy meats. Here's an article from 2010 with references:Definitely give it a shot. Even just consuming less meat (especially red and pork) is not necessarily a bad thing.
WTF??? Pork is one of the best meats to eat. Fish, Chicken and Pork FTW!!!!!!! Now red meat, yes you should consume less of that but you don't need to stop eating it, you just need to choose the right cuts.
http://www.draxe.com/why-you-should-avoid-pork/
I couldn't get past the first paragraph. If a supposedly logical article has to quote the bible to make its central point, it automatically fails.0 -
really sometimes i find all this chat about not eating meat a little surprising...dont get me wrong but i am from india ..never ate any meat,egg sometimes like 15 times in my whole life,and in our family ,our ancestors everyone is/was vegeterian..its just the way of living and eating for us..also my side of family and husband side of family everyone is in perfect weight range ..i am the odd one out....but surely u can live ur life on fruits ,veggies ,grains .rice ..the list goes on...u just have to learn to make combinations in cooking and i can tell u i love my vege terian food, never think once that something delicious is missing in my life....
Yeah meat in the U.S and other countries like Canada etc are the main focus of meals, and if you don't eat it many people think you're absolutely nuts :huh: I've been pleasantly surprised at how supportive the majority of people on mfp are to vegetarians/vegans but that's definitely not the norm-other dieting forums I've been on are downright nasty to them (and I noticed this as a meat eater!).0 -
Think about it , and do it. My best friend in the whole world has been a vegetarian for six years (!!), and inspired me to be one. I have been vegetarian for two months now, and i've lost 15-16 lbs just by changing my eating habits. As soon as I avoided fish and meat..the lbs just melt away. The irony is that I've been trying to eat clean since January but didn't lose a pound...but when I became a vegetarian, losing weight has been a easy journey for me
LESS FAT, LOTS OF FIBER, and to those who say that it's hard to get ur protein have obviously not heard about cheese, eggs, edame, chickpeas, beans ++++
Non-vegetarians are risking their increased chance of getting cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and obesity
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There are many sub-categories of Vegetarian. Not sure where I land but, I stopped eating meat at the beginning of this year and the change was not too hard to incorporate into my life. I am slowly working at reducing diary & eggs. Still a work in progress but the journey has not been as hard as I thought.
As for losing weight. I would put going vegetarian to lose weight in the same category as fad diets. (Atkins, South Beach, etc, etc).
I am sure that any major change in eating habits will result in some form of change. But, if you are not making a lifestyle change, the potential to lose then regain weight is high. My move to drop meat from my diet was after I had lost my excess weight. I have tried to inform myself about food as I lost weight and became active. My recent change is just another stage of this evolution.
If this interests you? I suggest trying in small increments. Start with meatless Mondays for a few weeks. Then look at making all your mid-day meals meat free. There are no rules! You can proceed at a pace that suits your life.
Another thing you may hear is that Vegetarians do not get enough protein. I am 7 months into my meatless experiment and my experience says that this is not valid. Yes, I still eat cheese and eggs. Not much and not often but they are still part of my diet. Currently I weight train, I am about half way through a program to get me ready to run my first marathon and I bike pretty much every day. I have experienced no loss of energy or strength. I have lost some upper body muscle definition but this is a recent change that I attribute to my running program (which is intense). There are lots of plant based proteins in things like beans, lentils, hemp, nuts, seeds, etc. (There does seem to be an issue with B12? I am still reading up on this and have not yet figured it all out. As I still eat some dairy & eggs it has not yet affected me).
How ever you chose to proceed. I wish you well on your journey.0 -
Non-vegetarians are risking their increased chance of getting cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and obesity
I'll let my 97-year-old, skinny, heart disease and cancer-free grandmother know she should stop eating meat.0 -
From my own personal experience, I was a pescatarian (eating only fish) for about 2 years, and I did not lose any weight. My roommate at the time was as well and (although she was naturally thin) she didn't lose weight when she started eating that way a few years prior.
When I wasn't eating junk (you can find a lot of vegetarian junk out there too) I did actually feel really good when I wasn't eating meat.
That being said, before my back injury a year ago, I had started eating meat again and was working out / cutting calories and lost 30 lbs. It was really a product of eating healthy, cutting calories, and working out.
If you feel like being a vegetarian or a vegan would inspire you to eat healthier, or you feel strongly about a particular cause, by all means give it a try. You can absolutely eat healthy as a vegetarian. Just remember that cutting out meat alone will not make you drop pounds.
On a side note, just because I eat meat doesn't mean I don't care about animal rights...those videos are awful to watch, but there are ways to humanely get meat.0 -
All I gotta say, is do your research before jumping on the band wagon. I tried vegetarian for a week, per requested by a friend who is vegetarian herself. I didn't feel like myself. It's major work and you have to do it for the right reasons, not just to lose weight. Both my friend and my mom only went vegetarian because they didn't really like the taste of meat. Red meat particularly with my mother, she'd eat pork, fish, chicken and turkey instead. She would even cook those more often than steak, which is one of my faves.
Be careful with soy products since you're female. Some recent studies have shown that some soy products actually increase your likelihood to get breast cancer because of the amount of estrogen in them. Also be careful with the sodium.
If you're serious about it, start slow by having a vegetarian or vegan meal/day. Don't cut all meat and animal products all at once. It could make things worse for your body.0 -
Be careful with soy products since you're female. Some recent studies have shown that some soy products actually increase your likelihood to get breast cancer because of the amount of estrogen in them.
This isn't entirely accurate. Do some real research before spouting off.
If you have had BC or at an increased risk, you need to be careful. And even that is debatable. Also, there is no real NEED to eat the fake meats other than convenience. And Quorn products are mushroom based, not soy based, anyway.
It really isn't that difficult to be vegetarian. Vegan is tougher, but lacto-ovo is pretty easy.0 -
You don't lose weight from becoming vegan or vegetarian. Potato chips are vegan. So is coconut ice cream, which has double the calories of regular ice cream.My sister in law is vegan and she has lost a lot of weight by just changing her eatting habits. I figure they make a veggie subsitute for just about everything so I think I will try it.
I don't know if I'll be able to do it on a perminnante basis but it wouldn't be a bad idea to change out meat for veggies right?
You have to eat less, no matter what you eat.
I've been vegetarian for four years. Initially, I lost 6 pounds. And then I had to actually work for it.
^^This^^
To be vegetarian/vegan AND healthy, one has to be really careful on not overdoing on carbs and fats to overcompensate for the lack of animal protein.
Remember, you can be omnivore and healthy, omnivore and eating crap, vegetarian/vegan and healthy or vegetarian/vegan and eating crap. There is no magic formula.0 -
Be careful with soy products since you're female. Some recent studies have shown that some soy products actually increase your likelihood to get breast cancer because of the amount of estrogen in them.
This isn't entirely accurate. Do some real research before spouting off.
Excuse me for having wrong information then. Was there really a need to bite someone's head off over it?0 -
Well, was there a need to scare people over something you don't understand?Be careful with soy products since you're female. Some recent studies have shown that some soy products actually increase your likelihood to get breast cancer because of the amount of estrogen in them.
This isn't entirely accurate. Do some real research before spouting off.
Excuse me for having wrong information then. Was there really a need to bite someone's head off over it?0 -
Well, was there a need to scare people over something you don't understand?Be careful with soy products since you're female. Some recent studies have shown that some soy products actually increase your likelihood to get breast cancer because of the amount of estrogen in them.
This isn't entirely accurate. Do some real research before spouting off.
Excuse me for having wrong information then. Was there really a need to bite someone's head off over it?
Is there a reason that you still feel the need to tell me I'm an idiot and bite my head off? I apologize that my information was incorrect. My intention was not to scare anyone. From what I have read and heard some soy products, like tofu do have a higher amount of estrogen and is linked to that increase in breast cancer. If that's wrong, then I'll humble accept that I was incorrect.
Is there anyone else that wishes to tell me I'm an idiot? Anyone? It's not like you'll hurt anything. I'm just a dumb early 20's female that knows nothing of the world.0 -
dude, you have to finish the article. its hilarious....and then read (enjoy) the comment section. Priceless.0
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I was vegan for 8 years.
I can honestly say- there is no good substitute for bacon.
I
bacon. 0 -
I am almost a month in going vegetarian. I have never felt better. I have tons of energy! I am still cooking meat for my hubby and kids and I don't miss it at all.
I would say to try and see if it's for you. I didn't love meat before and always joked that I was a vegetarian at heart.
Good luck 0 -
I've experienced that people who go vegetarian just to lose weight usually fail. You need to have the heart and passion that animal rights activist usually have, or else you won't be able to resist bacon.
^^THIS^^0 -
I was vegan for 8 years.
I can honestly say- there is no good substitute for bacon.
I bacon.
As a vegan of 2+ years, I can still attest that THIS is SO TRUE! Every time I smell it cooking (the worst is when I smell it while out on a long run and pass a Denny's or something) I am almost brought to my knees with desire to eat it, until I remember where it came from, that is. Its just something you have to live without, as you will NEVER find anything to eat comparable to bacon...shame...0 -
Is there a reason that you still feel the need to tell me I'm an idiot and bite my head off? I apologize that my information was incorrect. My intention was not to scare anyone. From what I have read and heard some soy products, like tofu do have a higher amount of estrogen and is linked to that increase in breast cancer. If that's wrong, then I'll humble accept that I was incorrect.
Is there anyone else that wishes to tell me I'm an idiot? Anyone? It's not like you'll hurt anything. I'm just a dumb early 20's female that knows nothing of the world.
I'm not going to tell you that you're an idiot, but soy contains phytoestrogens, not estrogen. I don't know enough about the topic, but there is some debate as to whether or not it's a problem. I personally drink coconut and almond milk instead of soy milk, but I still eat tempeh and tofu occasionally. If you want more information, I would suggest checking out PubMed. There is lots of very good information on PubMed, but it takes some work to find what you are looking for.
PubMed - Soy Phytoestrogens
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=soy+phytoestrogens0 -
Don't go vegetarian just because you think it's healthier. Being vegetarian or vegan doesn't mean you will be healthier or thinner than someone who eats meat.
You can be healthy and thin eating meat.
Eat a diet that you will eat for the rest of your life so you have better chances of keeping the weight off.0 -
I was vegan for 8 years.
I can honestly say- there is no good substitute for bacon.
I bacon.
As a vegan of 2+ years, I can still attest that THIS is SO TRUE! Every time I smell it cooking (the worst is when I smell it while out on a long run and pass a Denny's or something) I am almost brought to my knees with desire to eat it, until I remember where it came from, that is. Its just something you have to live without, as you will NEVER find anything to eat comparable to bacon...shame...
maybe I'm the minority but I like morningstar and light life bacon, but then again whenever I did eat bacon I ate it burnt so I like that the subs are crunchy0 -
Watch your protein intake, and you may need a multivitamin until you get used it, also watch your iron intake. I was veggie for a year, and I felt absolutely fantastic; then again I was 26 and living in New Zealand...still by being veggie you usually end up eating a lot of fruit and veg which always makes you feel great. Good luck.0
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Your body was designed to take in protein and not in the form of soy burgers. If you are doing it for health reasons you are opening yourself up to some potentially serious things. You are better off cutting sugar and grains out.0
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I tried being a vegetarian a few years back. I have not eaten beef for probably 20 years - and I try to limit my intake of pork as well. It's a tremendous amount of work...getting the right nutrients in the right amounts. I found, back then at least, that with my 90% work travel schedule that the options were not that plentiful and I was reverting back to things like cheese pizza.
Truthfully, good luck if it works...I have been thinking about another go at it myself.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zU-jLnX5yE
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