New Vegetarian.....but not loosing weight?

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npenar
npenar Posts: 11
in Introduce Yourself
Per my Doc's orders i have switched to a vegetarian diet closer to vegan, based on my online research of the meanings. For almost 2 months now i have very carefully read labels, have had no meat, cheese, dairy the only thing i slipped on after 3 weeks was i had some eggs while out to breakfast. I am trying to eat all organic foods and just haven't seen much weight change. I only want to loose 15-20 lbs just not sure what to do?
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  • Sarahnade42x
    Sarahnade42x Posts: 308 Member
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    To lose weight, you just have to eat fewer calories than you burn. Sometimes a vegetarian diet helps people do that (it helped me a lot), but if you just stop eating meat/dairy and still take in a large amount of calories, you won't lose weight.
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    TY "Sarahnade42" ....i thought i was being really careful so i will keep a journal like i should have done from the beginning. I was just overwhelmed when i left the Dr's office with not much info to go on, i spent so much time online researching. So today i started MFP and i found 1 problem i love my morning coffee and switched my regular creamer to "So Delicious" non dairy creamer but it's still costing me empty calories. Love your puppy too cute!
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    I am a vegetarian too for medical reasons (for the last 2 months and for at least another 10), so I do feel like I know where you are coming from.

    It is calories in and calories out. Are you weighing everything (measuring only the liquids) and itemising it? By itemising I mean instead of logging a sandwich, you log the bread, you log the spread, you log each item separately. Veggies is something most people estimate, because they don't have a lot of calories, but if as a vegetarian you actually take in considerable amounts of vegetables then everything does add up.

    When I started I estimated my veggies and logged 1100 calories. The I started weighing and turns out I was actually eating 1350. Also log supplements, because my fish oil turned out to be 180 calories a day.

    It's not the end of the world, but if you are not losing weight it means you are not in a calorie deficit. As a closing note a banana has about 100 calories, so I could eat 16 and not lose weight and be a little constipated. Good luck, it is sometimes a bit of trial and error, but you'll get there :-)
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    Good morning Giggles, as of last night i am measuring everything since i started MFP yesterday. Your right, things really add up. I went home and evaluated my breakast cause i realized my so called healthy organic cereal with unsweetened almond milk & dairy free coffee creamer really packs a punch. So this morning i switched to an organic waffle & veggie sausage alot less calories. Based on the allowance MFP has set up for me i can almost have no sugar which is pretty hard considering since i started i have not craved any treats been sticking to fruit but again being careful cause i know fruit is high in sugar.

    Thanks for the update on the bananas i saw yesterday when i put it in my food it hits pretty hard on the calories and sugar. I did not know that they can cause constipation...so i will limit them.

    Little by little i am gaining more knowledge. My Dr did not ask me to change my eating for weight but for bloating & intestinal issues, he wanted me to try this before doing any tests. So far the bloating is all but gone and things are moving better. I am glad for this knowledge on food that i have gained and will continue to eat much healthier but i do not plan to never have a piece of steak again but i am enjoying a lot of the food that i have prepared so most i will always continue with. Even my picky daughter has enjoyed it. The way i see it since i have only lost 5-6 lbs i must not have been eating that bad before starting this.
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
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    Per my Doc's orders i have switched to a vegetarian diet closer to vegan, based on my online research of the meanings. For almost 2 months now i have very carefully read labels, have had no meat, cheese, dairy the only thing i slipped on after 3 weeks was i had some eggs while out to breakfast. I am trying to eat all organic foods and just haven't seen much weight change. I only want to loose 15-20 lbs just not sure what to do?

    That sounds absolutely horrendous. I have had intestinal issues in the past, but it's generally recommended that you cut out one thing at a time, then slowly add it back and see how that works. Cutting out meat and dairy at the same time seems extreme, especially if you don't want to be a vegan for the rest of your life. This isn't sustainable, as your slip proves, so why don't you try cutting out dairy for a few weeks, then eating eggs, then cheese, etc. Once you get the issues after eating a certain food, then you know what the problem is. It might only be triggered by certain foods, for example, I tend to have issues when I have too much cow's milk/cheese/yogurt, but I can eat as many eggs as I want without a problem

    Regarding the weight loss, being a vegetarian/vegan doesn't equal weight loss. You can have a diet of 100% meat and cheese, and still lose weight. Make sure you're in a calorie deficit, that's all you need to lose weight. If you have intestinal issues, you'll certainly feel better if you find out what your trigger food is and cut it out, but cutting out food groups won't make you lose weight any faster

    Edit: You are losing weight...so what's the problem? Slow and steady

    Edit 2: your dogs are adorable :)
  • michaluna1231
    michaluna1231 Posts: 4 Member
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    CONGRATS on your weight loss of 5 to 6 pounds! That is GREAT for only working at this for 2 months to have lost 6 pounds!

    Especially since you haven't been weighing/measuring or counting calories for everything. I wish I was losing weight faster also but I know that gradual weight loss is more sustainable. And I know that when I feel like I'm ravenous, I don't stick with it very long....
  • jrbb03092
    jrbb03092 Posts: 198 Member
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    Based on the allowance MFP has set up for me i can almost have no sugar which is pretty hard considering since i started i have not craved any treats been sticking to fruit but again being careful cause i know fruit is high in sugar.

    Everyone's allowance for sugar on MFP is low. Unless you have issues with sugar (high blood sugar) or your doctor has warned you to cut down, do NOT worry about the sugar in fruit and other unprocessed foods. Only watch the ones in refined & processed foods. (Not that you should eat 3 pineapples a day or anything, but in general, this is the rule)
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    Good morning Giggles, as of last night i am measuring everything since i started MFP yesterday. Your right, things really add up. I went home and evaluated my breakast cause i realized my so called healthy organic cereal with unsweetened almond milk & dairy free coffee creamer really packs a punch. So this morning i switched to an organic waffle & veggie sausage alot less calories. Based on the allowance MFP has set up for me i can almost have no sugar which is pretty hard considering since i started i have not craved any treats been sticking to fruit but again being careful cause i know fruit is high in sugar.

    Sounds like you are figuring everything out very quickly! Good for you!
    Part of my weight gain a few years ago was the naive assumption that if it's from the health food store, surely I can eat as much as I want...it's HEALTHY!

    LOL

    Measure and track every calorie! It won,t take long for you to figure our how to eat on your new diet.
    I don't track sugar, thankfully I don't have a problem with sugar. I just track calories and the three main macros and sodium. (Sodium DOES affect me unlike his friend Sugar)

    Good luck! And congrats on the less intestinal issues!
  • TheGymGypsy
    TheGymGypsy Posts: 1,023 Member
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    I have been vegetarian since I was a child and I still managed to be 60 pounds overweight before I started running a year and a half ago. Vegetarian does not equal healthy by any means. There are plenty of high calorie vegan/veggie junk foods out there, trust me.
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    You can't out run a bad diet. Unless you have some specific hormonal issue that could be identified with a blood test, you eat too much, and/or exercise too little. If all you are doing is loosing weight, you can do that on a Twinkies and chips diet. I wish there was another answer.
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
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    You can't out run a bad diet. Unless you have some specific hormonal issue that could be identified with a blood test, you eat too much, and/or exercise too little. If all you are doing is loosing weight, you can do that on a Twinkies and chips diet. I wish there was another answer.

    This^^^

    You'll do much better eating clean foods. The vegitarian image that comes to mind is a skinny person but it can easily be a fat person eating processed junk. You might also want to look up vegitarian bodybuilding, there's information on how you can get enough protein to make that happen. Maybe ask your doctor about whey isolate, there's not really any lactose in that if that's the issue.

    Good luck
  • RaeLB
    RaeLB Posts: 1,216 Member
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    vegetarianism/veganism ≠ weight loss or slimness - let's say you're only eating fruit, while if you're eating 3000 calories of fruit you're not going to lose any weight!

    For vegetarian support you should join the group Happy Herbivores! we're awesome :bigsmile: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores

    For weight loss, make sure you have your dairy settings set up properly and try to stay close to the calories allocated.
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
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    You can't out run a bad diet. Unless you have some specific hormonal issue that could be identified with a blood test, you eat too much, and/or exercise too little. If all you are doing is loosing weight, you can do that on a Twinkies and chips diet. I wish there was another answer.

    This^^^

    You'll do much better eating clean foods. The vegitarian image that comes to mind is a skinny person but it can easily be a fat person eating processed junk. You might also want to look up vegitarian bodybuilding, there's information on how you can get enough protein to make that happen. Maybe ask your doctor about whey isolate, there's not really any lactose in that if that's the issue.

    Good luck

    Rubbish. I'm sick of seeing 'EAT CLEAN' everywhere. Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out, that's it. You can lose as much weight eating 'dirty' fast food as you can eating 'clean' foods. Whether you'll feel better and have more muscle mass, that is another question. I believe in eating lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, but I will never label myself a 'clean eater' because I think applying labels like 'clean' and 'dirty' to food is completely f*cked up. I can't wait until everyone either gets over this 'clean eating' obsession, or just stops preaching about it
  • dsjohndrow
    dsjohndrow Posts: 1,820 Member
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    You can't out run a bad diet. Unless you have some specific hormonal issue that could be identified with a blood test, you eat too much, and/or exercise too little. If all you are doing is loosing weight, you can do that on a Twinkies and chips diet. I wish there was another answer.

    This^^^

    You'll do much better eating clean foods. The vegitarian image that comes to mind is a skinny person but it can easily be a fat person eating processed junk. You might also want to look up vegitarian bodybuilding, there's information on how you can get enough protein to make that happen. Maybe ask your doctor about whey isolate, there's not really any lactose in that if that's the issue.

    Good luck

    Rubbish. I'm sick of seeing 'EAT CLEAN' everywhere. Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out, that's it. You can lose as much weight eating 'dirty' fast food as you can eating 'clean' foods. Whether you'll feel better and have more muscle mass, that is another question. I believe in eating lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, but I will never label myself a 'clean eater' because I think applying labels like 'clean' and 'dirty' to food is completely f*cked up. I can't wait until everyone either gets over this 'clean eating' obsession, or just stops preaching about it

    I would agree that what you eat generally isn't that important; its the calories that make you fat. I am not trying to be argumentative. However; there have been studies which show that an equal amount of calories in salmon vs beef (one containing omega 3s, the latter trans fats) showed that the salmon eaters, calorie for calorie, lost slightly more weight. The same has been studied using refined grains vs. whole grains with a similar result. Both are a slight edge. The most drastic is the diet soda drinkers vs. sugar-laden soda have a very slight edge over the soda drinkers when it should be significant.

    Then there is genetics. Some people gain weight who eat their calories when they are high in carbohydrates, and others do not.
  • lua_
    lua_ Posts: 258 Member
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    You can't out run a bad diet. Unless you have some specific hormonal issue that could be identified with a blood test, you eat too much, and/or exercise too little. If all you are doing is loosing weight, you can do that on a Twinkies and chips diet. I wish there was another answer.

    This^^^

    You'll do much better eating clean foods. The vegitarian image that comes to mind is a skinny person but it can easily be a fat person eating processed junk. You might also want to look up vegitarian bodybuilding, there's information on how you can get enough protein to make that happen. Maybe ask your doctor about whey isolate, there's not really any lactose in that if that's the issue.

    Good luck

    Rubbish. I'm sick of seeing 'EAT CLEAN' everywhere. Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out, that's it. You can lose as much weight eating 'dirty' fast food as you can eating 'clean' foods. Whether you'll feel better and have more muscle mass, that is another question. I believe in eating lots of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, but I will never label myself a 'clean eater' because I think applying labels like 'clean' and 'dirty' to food is completely f*cked up. I can't wait until everyone either gets over this 'clean eating' obsession, or just stops preaching about it

    I would agree that what you eat generally isn't that important; its the calories that make you fat. I am not trying to be argumentative. However; there have been studies which show that an equal amount of calories in salmon vs beef (one containing omega 3s, the latter trans fats) showed that the salmon eaters, calorie for calorie, lost slightly more weight. The same has been studied using refined grains vs. whole grains with a similar result. Both are a slight edge. The most drastic is the diet soda drinkers vs. sugar-laden soda have a very slight edge over the soda drinkers when it should be significant.

    Then there is genetics. Some people gain weight who eat their calories when they are high in carbohydrates, and others do not.

    I definitely agree that certain foods will help you maintain a better lifestyle and contribute to weight loss, but I'm just tired of seeing people talk about 'clean' eating as if it's the HG of weight loss. Sorry if I sounded argumentative :flowerforyou:
  • diane_slone
    diane_slone Posts: 61
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    I have been a vegetarian for 9 months and i gained weight! french fries, cheese and bread. Those white starchy carbs will get ya everytime! Start tracking your carbs and you should see an immediate difference in the scale.
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    Thank you all for the replies and all the great info. I have always tried to eat farely healthy but i am not a huge fan of working out....i know i know. I do a lot of things in the yard i am not lazy at all, most of the time i cannot sit still but this 20 lbs i gained in the last few years has thrown me for a loop. Yes, i am one of those i have been skinny all my life even to skinny and just never had to worry about what i ate except the opposite i just didn't feel like eating but i had to force myself cause if not i would loose weight. I made it to my low 40's and then bam the last 2 years it came on and i was lost i didn't know what to do. So now i am trying to make a change. I blame it on my husband who around that time came home for good after retiring from the Navy lol

    I enjoy how i feel since going vegetarian and plan to eat as healthy as i can, but i want to loose the 15 lbs get back in my clothes that i miss and then use my new knowledge of food to eat healthy, keep things moving, but still enjoy life and the foods in it. Luckily i am not a junk food junkie i do crave once in a while but i can walk away with no regret.

    My daughter and my puppies Bella & Buck had me dancing and jumping around last night to the worst song i ever heard but we had fun and hey i''m sure that got rid of a few calories.
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    No worries Lua_ i appreciate your advice! Yeah it was a bit of a shock to get up on Monday bring my normal lunch, go to the GI and then get to work look at my lunch...throw it away & say if i don't start this now i never will. I wanted the frustration, bloating, just plan feeling run down and crappy to go away, but very busy life and can't stop. I do feel alot better but doing this has forced to me see food for what it's worth so i am doing the min 6 weeks (actually passed) my Dr asked to see how my intestinal track did....as he put it "i have never had a vegetarian patient on a high fiber, whole food diet with back up issues" ok i walked out shaking my head saying uhm what next he didn't have a sheet of info to help and uhm i have never eaten quite this strick, but TG for the internet!
  • npenar
    npenar Posts: 11
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    BTW all, forgive me if i am not posting or replying properly. I am great with computers but not with blog type stuff. I don't even do Facebook and this is the first time i have ever done any type of messaging. So i see the reply button i type and hit post, hopefully that's all i need to do lol. My posts won't always be so long but i just had to get some things off my chest.
  • breanazank
    breanazank Posts: 44
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    I was raised vegetarian and now have 90% vegan diet (I have the occasional frozen yogurt haha)
    Number one mistake newly vegetarians do is consume TOO MANY carbs; they instantly turn to breads, pastas, and various other types of starches and high sugar/caloric foods. You have to do your research, and frequently. Vegetarian diets are very innovative and constantly coming up with new protein alternatives and other healthy good eats and health benefit discoveries. Just because something is vegetarian, doesn't necessarily mean it's healthier for you. I have seen maaany mock-meats that are extremely processed and fatty. Always read the label and see what you are putting into your body.

    My suggestion: Eat clean. Whole grains, leafy greens, beans/legumes, and vegetables. Use very little oil when cooking (I usually do water sautees!) and minimal salt/sugar (I use tamari or a sea salt mix with sesame seeds, and for my sweetener, I like using agave). Look on blogs for new meal ideas; get creative and make it fun instead of an obligation :)

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