No Red Meat or Chicken for Weight Loss

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AmerH
AmerH Posts: 40 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am reading a book that (among other topics) describes how cattle, pigs, and chickens are mass produced for big food companies in big warehouses instead of free-range style. The descriptions made me want to give up meat and chicken, something I never thought I would do. I still haven't been able to eat a hamburger since I read about the conditions within these mass-production factories, so I decided to experiment with not eating any meat or chicken for the last five days while sticking to my allotted calories. In five days I lost four and a half pounds and I feel great. Any comments regarding this "experiment" I've done and am quite excited about?
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Replies

  • awkwardlyhannah
    awkwardlyhannah Posts: 21 Member
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    get organic, grass fed poultry. red meat is good, but i'd cut it to 1-2 times a week (that's what i do). same goes for the beef. throw some vegetarian meals in there every once in a while (or meatless meals, for things like broth). it helps cut costs or balance them because the organic meat is more expensive. i would also suggest range free eggs! :)
  • awkwardlyhannah
    awkwardlyhannah Posts: 21 Member
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    eggs, meat, and poultry are really good protein, and protein definitely helps with weight loss (especially depending on your activity level and where you want to be).
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    There's an MFP group of vegans, vegetarians, and other people interested in that lifestyle called Happy Herbivores. You can find it in the forum search feature. I agree with you about the cruelty and gross-out issues. I quit eating eggs this year even though I love omelets when I found out what the egg industry does with baby roosters, which they have no use for - they throw millions of them, alive, into a grinding machine every year (true - Google it). That was it for me and eggs. I refuse to support that with my money.

    Weight loss is due to calories, though. You could eat donuts all day and as long as you stayed within your calories you would lose weight.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    If you're happy going meat free then go for it. There's no law that says you have to eat one thing or another. Just keep your calories up to goal. I'll also mention that, unless you have a good deal of weight to lose, the rate of loss will probably slow down if you're eating enough to fuel your daily life and work outs.
  • AmerH
    AmerH Posts: 40 Member
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    Thank you for your post! Yes, I first looked into buying free-range beef, but unfortunately it is so high priced I put that idea on hold for now. However, I am going to try to include my family in limiting our meat intake (one to two times a week sounds perfect), so I might bite the bullet and buy the higher priced better-for-you meat and chicken. And I will look for free-range chicken eggs. Thank you!
  • YesIAm17
    YesIAm17 Posts: 817 Member
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    This-is-gonna-be-good.gif&size=400x1000

    Did I get it in first? Do I win? Do I win? Do I?
  • YesIAm17
    YesIAm17 Posts: 817 Member
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    In five days I lost four and a half pounds and I feel great. Any comments regarding this "experiment" I've done and am quite excited about?

    If you want to cut out a food for a specific verified health reason/benefit or on moral grounds, more power to ya.

    However in all likelihood the weight you lost was water weight.

    1lb equals roughly 3500 calories. 4.5lbs x 3500 = 15,750 calories and it is very unlikely (though not impossible) that you had that big of a deficit over 5 days... and if you did you may (or may not) be in need of medical attention.

    Results of the experiment aside. What you choose to eat or not eat is your prerogative, just make sure you hit your macros and micros. :flowerforyou:
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    In for the tinfoil hats.
  • YesIAm17
    YesIAm17 Posts: 817 Member
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    In for the tinfoil hats.

    tin-foil-hat-club.gif
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    There's an MFP group of vegans, vegetarians, and other people interested in that lifestyle called Happy Herbivores. You can find it in the forum search feature. I agree with you about the cruelty and gross-out issues. I quit eating eggs this year even though I love omelets when I found out what the egg industry does with baby roosters, which they have no use for - they throw millions of them, alive, into a grinding machine every year (true - Google it). That was it for me and eggs. I refuse to support that with my money.

    Weight loss is due to calories, though. You could eat donuts all day and as long as you stayed within your calories you would lose weight.

    Wait till you discover what they do with male calves once they are born. Also the fact they keep females pregnant just to produce milk all the time, then if it's a male baby they kill it at 6 days old (no use for it) and keep the females in order to keep the cycle going......... all for dairy products.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    There's an MFP group of vegans, vegetarians, and other people interested in that lifestyle called Happy Herbivores. You can find it in the forum search feature. I agree with you about the cruelty and gross-out issues. I quit eating eggs this year even though I love omelets when I found out what the egg industry does with baby roosters, which they have no use for - they throw millions of them, alive, into a grinding machine every year (true - Google it). That was it for me and eggs. I refuse to support that with my money.

    Weight loss is due to calories, though. You could eat donuts all day and as long as you stayed within your calories you would lose weight.

    Wait till you discover what they do with male calves once they are born. Also the fact they keep females pregnant just to produce milk all the time, then if it's a male baby they kill it at 6 days old (no use for it) and keep the females in order to keep the cycle going......... all for dairy products.

    Actually male calves tend to be kept for veal. So from 6 days to a year or so. It's not any better though.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    I don't eat hamburger either, but that's primarily because I find ground beef disgusting. I can't tolerate the little hard bits of gristle. So gross. I don't eat much red meat. My liver has trouble processing it - some enzyme thing. So I mainly just eat birds and fish for protein and I've never had a weight problem. Watch your calorie intake and you'll be fine.
  • YesIAm17
    YesIAm17 Posts: 817 Member
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    There's an MFP group of vegans, vegetarians, and other people interested in that lifestyle called Happy Herbivores. You can find it in the forum search feature. I agree with you about the cruelty and gross-out issues. I quit eating eggs this year even though I love omelets when I found out what the egg industry does with baby roosters, which they have no use for - they throw millions of them, alive, into a grinding machine every year (true - Google it). That was it for me and eggs. I refuse to support that with my money.

    Weight loss is due to calories, though. You could eat donuts all day and as long as you stayed within your calories you would lose weight.

    Wait till you discover what they do with male calves once they are born. Also the fact they keep females pregnant just to produce milk all the time, then if it's a male baby they kill it at 6 days old (no use for it) and keep the females in order to keep the cycle going......... all for dairy products.

    Actually male calves tend to be kept for veal. So from 6 days to a year or so. It's not any better though.

    I can't argue... it is absolutely horrible... however I still want a cheeseburger.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    There's an MFP group of vegans, vegetarians, and other people interested in that lifestyle called Happy Herbivores. You can find it in the forum search feature. I agree with you about the cruelty and gross-out issues. I quit eating eggs this year even though I love omelets when I found out what the egg industry does with baby roosters, which they have no use for - they throw millions of them, alive, into a grinding machine every year (true - Google it). That was it for me and eggs. I refuse to support that with my money.

    Weight loss is due to calories, though. You could eat donuts all day and as long as you stayed within your calories you would lose weight.

    Wait till you discover what they do with male calves once they are born. Also the fact they keep females pregnant just to produce milk all the time, then if it's a male baby they kill it at 6 days old (no use for it) and keep the females in order to keep the cycle going......... all for dairy products.

    Thanks for posting this. I have dairy a few times a year, a cappuccino or cottage cheese, but it looks like I'm crossing those off, too. I think I would rather eat dirt or lawn grass at this point. I'm an old person, age 59, and at this point in my life if something revolts me I'm simply not going to take part in it anymore. There are thousands of other things in the world to eat.
  • AmerH
    AmerH Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm not sure what you mean by it was probably water weight. I know the technical definition of water weight, but I had already lost five pounds before this "experiment." So could you please explain what you mean? Can I have nine and a half pounds of water weight? I would really like to know. Also, I feel great and don't believe I need medical attention.
  • gonnamakeanewaccount
    gonnamakeanewaccount Posts: 642 Member
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    Almost everything is "mass-produced" nowadays.
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    If it works for you and you feel and see positive changes good for you OP, be sure to hit your macros and whatever the outcome of your experiment is to remember you never have to justify your own dietary choices...it is your life and body.

    Also don't forget weight loss is dependent on calorie deficit, take it from me plenty of overweight/unhealthy vegans/vegetarians.

    Some links...

    Setting up your macros and calorie intake correctly...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Plant based protein sources (also others including meat for comparisons sake)...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources

    http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/articles/plant-food-protein-chart.pdf

    http://www.22daysnutrition.com/blog/2013/05/01/15-vegan-sources-of-protein-soy-free-and-gluten-free-too/

    Plant based dietary group on MFP...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
  • AmerH
    AmerH Posts: 40 Member
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    Yes, this is absolutely correct. Except when living animals are mass-produced in a small, confining area, horrible things tend to happen. Like pigs eating other pigs, chicken feet actually growing into the cages and they simply cut the toes off, and some cattle being skinned and slaughtered while still alive. There were also other descriptions that turned me off to these particular mass-producing industries. I have looked into free-range meat and chicken, but they are very expensive.
  • AmerH
    AmerH Posts: 40 Member
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    Thank you, Ophidion, for the very informative links! :smile:
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
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    Yes, this is absolutely correct. Except when living animals are mass-produced in a small, confining area, horrible things tend to happen. Like pigs eating other pigs, chicken feet actually growing into the cages and they simply cut the toes off, and some cattle being skinned and slaughtered while still alive. There were also other descriptions that turned me off to these particular mass-producing industries. I have looked into free-range meat and chicken, but they are very expensive.
    Even the term "free-range" can and is often deceptive in the sense of implying lack of cruelty, I would just reiterate you should not feel compelled to justify the change in diet because no matter what your reasoning is people will tend to disagree or even accuse you of elevating yourself to a judgmental lentil.

    ETA: Vegetarian for 10 years, vegan for another 10 years.

    Good luck and try not to become discouraged as when or if you do something other than the norm people tend to get upset but remember this is your lifestyle choice and refrain from judging others or trying to impose it onto others.

    ETA: Be sure to do research on maintaining a healthy diet and supplementing any nutrients/vitamins etc you may have difficulty getting during your transition.

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