Questions about vegetarian diet and exercise.

janessafantasma
janessafantasma Posts: 312 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just switched (its been about a week) to a vegetarian diet and it has been going well, I feel satisfied after meals and don't really feel hungry throughout the day. My problem is that I am at a calorie deficit even without exercise. when I lost my first 30 lbs I did so eating my calorie goal of 1,570 and then always eating back a portion of my calories. I typically burn about 500 calories in a workout and I am also active during the day and walk a lot. I have cut back on my cardio because I don't feel well afterwards and I'm having difficulty eating back the calories. Should I continue cutting back and allow my body to adjust or should I just take a protein shake or bar with me when I work out?

Replies

  • Mlmessick
    Mlmessick Posts: 8
    You might try almonds and pecan (raw) with a Tablespoon of peanut butter. Let me know if it helps.
  • rjdunn87
    rjdunn87 Posts: 385 Member
    Eat meat Hun it's good for you, why have protein in a bar when you can incorporate healthy meat as protein into diet? Just curious?

    There are all kinds of reasons one would choose to cut out meat, that isn't what the OP is asking.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    Well, what are you eating now (your diary is closed)? Are you eating a bunch of "diet" and reduced fat foods? Maybe you could incorporate fuller fat dairy (you said vegeterian, not vegan, so I'm assuming you have dairy and eggs), have nuts, seeds, avocados, and cook your veggies with olive oil instead of raw or steamed or dry roasted. Put olive on your salads.

    What exactly do you mean when you say you're having difficulty eating back your exercise calories? If you mean you're full, why do you think you'll be able to get a shake down? When I'm full, the last thing I want to do is pour a lot of liquid into my stomach. I would think a handful of nuts, a spoonful of peanut butter, a little cheese, or a little chocolate (something calorie dense) would work a lot better.


    Edited to delete an unfinished thought.
  • rawfull
    rawfull Posts: 178
    Just eat more calories...
    I started eating raw vegan foods back in July, and I also struggle to eat enough calories...
    I don't worry about going over, but I do keep track on nutrients, and I take a B12 supplement...
    Lot's of positive results, lost 90 pounds, and no longer insulin dependent diabetic...

    Avocado, and nuts are a good way to increase calories with natural fats...
    I don't eat any oils...

    Good luck, and stay veggie... :smile:
  • Smallc10
    Smallc10 Posts: 602 Member
    Eat more! As a vegetarian I have to have many smaller meals throughout the day to meet my calorie goals. Almonds, soy milk yogurt, peanut butter, fruit, hummus all of these things are great snacks to have throughout the day to help you out.

    You do need to eat more though! If you are feeling weak or tired you are probably really depriving your body.
  • janessafantasma
    janessafantasma Posts: 312 Member
    I don't eat "diet" foods or reduced fat foods....today I had fresh fruit for breakfast, vegetarian chili, yellow rice and garbanzo beans with chickpeas for lunch, lumpia wrapped in romaine hearts, mixed vegetables, strawberries and walnuts. I am still experimenting with meals and incorporating more foods into my diet and yes I eat dairy. I guess my main questions is really about the exercise and the calorie intake...I don't feel lethargic or like I need to nap, I have plenty of energy during the day, its just that exercising on the lower calories isn't going so well so I have cut back on cardio....does my body just need to adjust?
  • janessafantasma
    janessafantasma Posts: 312 Member
    Eat more! As a vegetarian I have to have many smaller meals throughout the day to meet my calorie goals. Almonds, soy milk yogurt, peanut butter, fruit, hummus all of these things are great snacks to have throughout the day to help you out.

    You do need to eat more though! If you are feeling weak or tired you are probably really depriving your body.

    Oh just to clarify, I don't feel like this during the day, I have actually felt better since switching over and upping my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • janessafantasma
    janessafantasma Posts: 312 Member
    You might try almonds and pecan (raw) with a Tablespoon of peanut butter. Let me know if it helps.

    Thanks! That sounds really yummy right now actually. I need something calorie dense but doesn't require a large portion...I don't know why I didn't even think of peanut butter and nuts. This diet is forcing me to learn how to cook and plan meals and not just resort to convenience anymore.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I've been a vegetarian for a little more than 4 years now. I eat and exercise just the way any meat-eater would (minus the meat... lol), except I pay extra attention to my protein goal and try to get at least 80g a day. Your calorie goal should stay the same regardless of what you choose to eat in order to reach it every day. If you're having trouble reaching that goal since switching to a vegetarian diet, as others have suggested, add more calorie dense foods to your diet (nuts and nut butters, beans, cheese, oils, avocado - many of these things will add protein to your diet as well). I sometimes have a protein bar/shake as well in order to hit my protein goal for the day, plus I just like the way they taste. :smile:
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    I don't eat "diet" foods or reduced fat foods....today I had fresh fruit for breakfast, vegetarian chili, yellow rice and garbanzo beans with chickpeas for lunch, lumpia wrapped in romaine hearts, mixed vegetables, strawberries and walnuts. I am still experimenting with meals and incorporating more foods into my diet and yes I eat dairy. I guess my main questions is really about the exercise and the calorie intake...I don't feel lethargic or like I need to nap, I have plenty of energy during the day, its just that exercising on the lower calories isn't going so well so I have cut back on cardio....does my body just need to adjust?

    Exercise is good for you. Would you think someone was really healthy if they ate so few calories that they were really skinny, but didn't have enough energy to go for a walk or a hike? You're already at a deficit for weight loss. You should eat your exercise calories back, or at least enough of them to ave energy for your workouts.
  • janessafantasma
    janessafantasma Posts: 312 Member
    I've been a vegetarian for a little more than 4 years now. I eat and exercise just the way any meat-eater would (minus the meat... lol), except I pay extra attention to my protein goal and try to get at least 80g a day. Your calorie goal should stay the same regardless of what you choose to eat in order to reach it every day. If you're having trouble reaching that goal since switching to a vegetarian diet, as others have suggested, add more calorie dense foods to your diet (nuts and nut butters, beans, cheese, oils, avocado - many of these things will add protein to your diet as well). I sometimes have a protein bar/shake as well in order to hit my protein goal for the day, plus I just like the way they taste. :smile:

    Thanks for the advice about the calorie goal. I wasn't too sure if I should just let my body adjust to the lower calories or stick to the calorie goal I'm at. My current protein goal is 70g a day and I haven't been reaching it...maybe this is why my workouts have been a bit more difficult for me than. I also love protein bars, my favorite is Kind bars.
  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    I've been vegetarian for most of my life. You do NOT have to eat meat in order to be healthy or be able to exercise. When I'm about to do an intense workout, I like to have a banana and some nuts about an hour before. This works great for me.

    If you're not getting in enough calories per day, add some cheese, olive oil, or nuts. Those are calorie-dense.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    In reality this thread is nothing about being a Vegetarian. It's just a case of someone not eating enough calories for their needs and suffering because of that. Solution eat more if you have trouble with amounts just go for more calorie dense foods.
  • shred_me_up
    shred_me_up Posts: 267 Member
    Eat meat Hun it's good for you, why have protein in a bar when you can incorporate healthy meat as protein into diet? Just curious?

    Meat is not good for you, its chock full of hormones and antibiotics. Plus going vegetarian is about much more than health, its also about making positive environmental changes and for moral reasons.
  • 89nunu
    89nunu Posts: 1,082 Member
    I really had to rethink my eating habits and ways to get all the nutrients my body needs when I swapped to a vegetarian diet about 2 years ago. There is plenty of good information out there, just google vegetarian diet or something similar or have a look at this https://www.vegsoc.org/health

    There are a couple of things to look out, but they are all things that are easy to integrate into a normal diet once you know what you are doing.

    I'm working on adding muscle, so Iknow the pain with the protein intake. Get plenty of milk and eggs (which will also give you b12) and experiment with tofu, seitan and other vegetarian goodies. (I don't know where you live, but if you are in the US you might want to look out for not getting too much GMO soya). Shakes are easy and convenient but not necessary...
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    My current protein goal is 70g a day and I haven't been reaching it...maybe this is why my workouts have been a bit more difficult for me than. I also love protein bars, my favorite is Kind bars.

    Realistically We would recommend, as a rule of thumb, the following:

    1g of protein per lb of LBM as a minimum target...I doubt you are 70 lbs of lbm (I could be wrong but doubt it)

    I am vegan and hitting your protein goals are achievable, if you plan a little also the mfp default settings for macros are whack.

    I enjoy having protein shakes...actually I would call them smoothies as they have a lot of berries, other fruits and soy yogurt in them.

    macro settings and how to change them...

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

    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/

    Great group on here for plant based dietary preferences...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/45-happy-herbivores
  • Ophidion
    Ophidion Posts: 2,065 Member
    Exercise calories

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/818082-exercise-calories-again-wtf

    Research on Protein Intake

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/823505-research-on-protien-intake

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/869015-fundamental-flaws-with-rda-recommendations-for-protein

    Basic information regarding diet


    The Basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/841305-corn-used-my-man-parts-as-a-speedbag

    Not posted in this group yet, but the much more comprehensive and expanded version of "The Basics' thread:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    Setting Your Calorie and Macro Targets

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1058378-oh-noes-i-am-eating-below-my-bmr

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1072049-thoughts-on-tdee-calculators-and-switching-from-mfp-to-tdee

    Big shout out to Sarauk2sf and SideSteel for the links and here is a link to their group...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
  • ElegantSlenderChic
    ElegantSlenderChic Posts: 41 Member
    Eat meat Hun it's good for you, why have protein in a bar when you can incorporate healthy meat as protein into diet? Just curious?

    Meat is not good for you, its chock full of hormones and antibiotics. Plus going vegetarian is about much more than health, its also about making positive environmental changes and for moral reasons.

    Organic/Grassfed if your worried about antibiotics. Meat is good for you.

    I don't understand why if your veggie for "moral" reasons why wouldn't you be a full blown vegan? You dont like killing the cow but strapping it to a machine and pumping the milk that is meant for its calf is perfectly acceptable? Or am I missing something?

    Live and let live. It baffles me why you would react so caustically to a personal choice.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I just switched (its been about a week) to a vegetarian diet and it has been going well, I feel satisfied after meals and don't really feel hungry throughout the day. My problem is that I am at a calorie deficit even without exercise. when I lost my first 30 lbs I did so eating my calorie goal of 1,570 and then always eating back a portion of my calories. I typically burn about 500 calories in a workout and I am also active during the day and walk a lot. I have cut back on my cardio because I don't feel well afterwards and I'm having difficulty eating back the calories. Should I continue cutting back and allow my body to adjust or should I just take a protein shake or bar with me when I work out?

    Keep cutting back. I got a fitbit and that helps. I was burning far less calories than I thought I was. I think MFP assumes that you do hit 10,000 steps a day, which I don't usually unless it's a day I work and exercise. Try cutting back another 100 calories at a time, but don't overwork out either. Balance your macros to what works for you. I recently purchased a diet vegetarian cook book called happy herbivore light and lean. It has the nutritional info for all recipes that are diet friendly and some good info on weight loss.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I don't eat "diet" foods or reduced fat foods....today I had fresh fruit for breakfast, vegetarian chili, yellow rice and garbanzo beans with chickpeas for lunch, lumpia wrapped in romaine hearts, mixed vegetables, strawberries and walnuts. I am still experimenting with meals and incorporating more foods into my diet and yes I eat dairy. I guess my main questions is really about the exercise and the calorie intake...I don't feel lethargic or like I need to nap, I have plenty of energy during the day, its just that exercising on the lower calories isn't going so well so I have cut back on cardio....does my body just need to adjust?

    I cut my cardio to 30mins max a day and I don't do it everyday but it helps. I do strenght training 3-4 days a week but I stick to pilates and workout videos. I see more results that way
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Eat meat Hun it's good for you, why have protein in a bar when you can incorporate healthy meat as protein into diet? Just curious?

    Meat is not good for you, its chock full of hormones and antibiotics. Plus going vegetarian is about much more than health, its also about making positive environmental changes and for moral reasons.

    lolololol.gif

Categories