Staying Low Carb on Vegetarian Diet

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kgblondon
kgblondon Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I recently went vegetarian after a long spell on a high protein/high veg diet to lose body fat. It worked well, but as a result of the large volumes of meat I was consuming, it has put me off meat for what could be some time yet.

I still eat eggs and dairy, so I'm currently getting most of my protein from Greek yoghurt, eggs, cottage cheese and cheese occasionally, as well as a good quality protein powder.

I am doing intensive weight training with free weights 4 to 5 times a week.

I'm now running out of eating ideas with the ingredients mentioned above, and some days have eaten lentils and beans instead, which have a considerable amount of carbs in them, and as a result, the body fat has crept up.

I've gone on a lot of vegetarian bodybuilding sites, none of which seem to have more than 'eat more of this and that' type advice about food, which hasn't helped, and also many of the ingredients they list are high carb.

Just wondering if there are any vegetarians on MFP who are into weight training and have managed to keep low carb.

Also, just to mention that my aim is not to be low carb 24/7 - I have a carb refuel day once a week, during which I eat a much higher amount of carbs to keep insulin and hormone levels in check, though lately this seems to be a bit redundant as I'm having more carbs than before throughout the week.

Any advice hugely appreciated!

Replies

  • slgreene86
    slgreene86 Posts: 19
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    I'm not a vegetarian, but I did a little research on low carb vegetarian diets.
    http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/vegetarian/a/veganlowcarb.htm
    This one is an interview with a vegan low carb diet woman, she talks about how she began to decrease her amount of carb intake. Hope it helps at least a little
  • slgreene86
    slgreene86 Posts: 19
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    Oh it also gives links to her recipes down at the bottom of the page too, so that you don't get bored of eating the same things all the time.
  • redskiednight
    redskiednight Posts: 32 Member
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    http://www.reddit.com/r/vegetarianketo

    this will be pretty helpful to you i'm guessing :)
  • kgblondon
    kgblondon Posts: 5 Member
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    Great thanks guys! :-)
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
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    In. As a veggie I struggle to stay low carb too. Surely I'm going to get sick of eating cheese soon lol
  • kristen2713
    kristen2713 Posts: 253 Member
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    As a vegetarian for over 20 years, I can tell you staying low carb becomes very limiting and sounds like you're doing a great job so far. I don't know if you're trying to stay away from soy also, but I find that the morning star products help me get in some extra protein for my dinners. I try not to eat a ton of them, but I do like them a lot. I also drink 2 protein shakes a day, using the Six Star Whey Isolate, as it has 30g per scoop. I lift heavy also and try to keep my ratios on average about 45/35/20. I can only go into cut and 30/40/30 for about 3 weeks before I really start to not only get bored of my menu, but also start feeling very tired. During my extreme low carb phases, I also like quinoa quite a bit. Feel free to peek at my diary to see if there's any new ideas for you in there!

    Edited to add: One of my fellow lifting friends on here and vegetarian just commented a few days ago that she went on pinterest and searched low carb vegetarian and has gotten some great recipes...I will be doing that soon also, so maybe give that a shot!
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
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    I think you can be a low carb vegetarian. Maybe if you look at my diary and substitute dairy where I eat meat. I also carb up on Fri/Sats. Nuts, seeds, flaxoatmeal, coconut and coconut milk, and dairy products, all are good. I love tehina or hummus as a salad dressing on a large salad. I don't limit my veggies, but overall, my carbs stay around 60g a day before counting fiber. Dairy products are little higher in carbs than meat, but if you choose higher fat dairy, you'll get less carbs that way. How many carbs a day are you shooting for?
  • kgblondon
    kgblondon Posts: 5 Member
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    Great thanks so much!
  • kgblondon
    kgblondon Posts: 5 Member
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    Before going veggie I was managing to keep 'real' carbs at about 30 to 40 grams a day on low carb days. This is now hugely difficult, as you mention dairy has a fair bit of carbs so some days I'm easily doubling that.
  • chani8
    chani8 Posts: 946 Member
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    If you keep your carbs under 100g a day, it's fabulous. You'll still get great benefits. :)

    eta- the only thing you need to know is that the higher you go in carbs, the lower you need to go in fat. Lower the carbs, then raise the fat. Protein can stay in the middle. That's what I learned, anyway.
  • kgblondon
    kgblondon Posts: 5 Member
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    Woops... think that's where I've gone wrong chani8! My carbs went up but kept fat the same as it was on high protein... Ok, need to make a few changes! :smile:
  • fairtradefan
    fairtradefan Posts: 4
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    Have you tried seitan (vital wheat gluten)? It has 3 g. of carbs in 3.5 oz., according to the MyFitnessPal food database.

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