Should I See a Nutritionist?

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killafee
killafee Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
I've been a vegetarian for 18 years and while I've always struggled and still struggle with my weight, I really helped get a grasp on healthier eating when I joined WW in 2007 and have kept of between 30-46 off ever since. I track on WW and myfitnesspal daily.

Here's my issue.....
I tend to eat a fair amount of processed foods, I'm not going to lie. I've been in this habit for so long, that I almost don't know how to break it and get the right amount of protein without vegetarian convenience foods such as veggie burgers, soy products, microprotein (Quorn) etc....
I DO eat a ton of fruits and veggies also to sort of balance it out. My husband and I also cook on a regular basis, but I'm really struggling with going an entire day without processed foods since I don't get protein from meat so I tend to have meat analogs, which are processed. I'm thinking I need to completely re-learn how to eat, but don't know where to start. Would you recommend going to a nutritionist, and if so, have you been and/or had success with one?

Thanks!!
Laura

Replies

  • hilly510
    hilly510 Posts: 46 Member
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    Hey Laura,

    I'm a vegetarian too, and I have an open diary, so you can peak through that for ideas.

    I've cut down my veggie burger consumption to about once a week, but I don't see anything wrong with things like Quorn and tofu, which ARE processed, but they're not devil foods by any means. Then there are things like cottage cheese and Greek yogurt that I need to hit my protein goals, but they are considered processed too.

    Do you like to cook? I like to make things like lentil meat-less-loaf, spaghetti with cannellini beans, red beans and rice, minestrone soup, 3 bean pasta salad, etc. I suggest you peruse through some blogs and sign up for vegetariantimes.com recipes of the day to give you more ideas. Basically you're going to be eating more legumes to get away from so much processed food, and you're going to need recipes and ideas to keep it interesting.

    Also, if you haven't, join the vegetarian group on here for more advice: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/62-happy-herbivores
  • killafee
    killafee Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks, Hilly! Yes, I love to cook! I'm thinking I need to do some meal planning on Sunday for the rest of the week and make batches of things. I've made batches of chili, protein packed soups, lentils...etc but I guess I just got out of doing that regularly.

    Thanks for the input and letting me see your diary. Ya know, I didn't even think of greek yogurt as being processed until you mentioned it, lol! I tend to have this regularly as well to get a boost if I'm short on protein for the day. I have Quorn naked cutlets for dinner at least 3-4 times a week so I was just thinking it was getting to be a bit too much, lol!

    Definitely joining the vegetarian group! Thanks again.

    Laura
  • hilly510
    hilly510 Posts: 46 Member
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    Glad I could help! Those Quorn naked cutlets are so amazing I'd eat them more often if they were cheaper haha
  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
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    My wife is vegetarian and I do my best to eat vegetarian as much of the time as possible. Her definition of vegetarian is more like ova-pesca-tarian. She eats seafood and eggs, no land animals or birds.

    We buy a ton of frozen tilapia and bake it. It tastes like chicken (for the most part), is a blank canvas (spice it how you want) and it's a very lean protein. Try eating more fish, putting salad shrimp on salads, eating shrimp with cocktail sauce, etc. Just don't eat too much of the big muscle fish, like tuna, or you get too much mercury.

    Get in the habit of making huge pots of your own beans (we prefer black) and rice (we prefer brown, medium grain). I eat these as a snack all of the time, especially with chicken or ground turkey and hot sauce. Sort of a makeshift jambalaya... sort of...

    Chobani has more protein than most Greek yogurts. Having plain, nonfat yogurt around the house, along with lowfat cottage cheese, has helped me a ton.

    Bagels have a surprising amount of protein in them, especially after you add neufchatel or lowfat cream cheese and smoked salmon.

    We do a lot of fritattas and scrambled eggs, usually with one whole egg per person plus 3-5 additional egg whites. Tons of lean protein.

    Hope this helps and good luck!
  • charming12u
    charming12u Posts: 49 Member
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    I'm vegan, but I was vegetarian (carb heavy and a lot of processed stuff). Went vegan about 10 months ago, and added 10 pounds. I'm pretty active (train for races, hiking) but didn't track or utilize mfp until I decided to drop some pounds and see if it helps my race pace and make a bum ankle better.

    I've switched to using happy herbivore meal plans and cook books to get me out of my food ruts, and away from processed foods. It's been slow, but 22 pounds lost since Christmas.

    The weekly meal plans helped because you get a shopping list (cut my costs way down, and a much better mix of food options then what I was eating) and you prep and cook everything in one day so I'm not tempted to grab convenience foods, since I know I have food ready!

    Diary is open too :)
  • S_Murphree
    S_Murphree Posts: 94
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    I noticed yesterday that Eating Well has 30 day meal planners based on calorie needs. There is a meal planner for vegetarians. Might check it out.
  • JustinAnimal
    JustinAnimal Posts: 1,335 Member
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    I'm vegan, but I was vegetarian (carb heavy and a lot of processed stuff). Went vegan about 10 months ago, and added 10 pounds.

    Man, we knew someone who was very close to this kind of a vegetarian. Not for moral reasons, but for weigh loss (so she'd eat the "occasional" burger or piece of chicken...). Typically, meals consisted of carbs and cheese. It was not healthy. I remember one trip to an all-you-can-eat Indian buffet. Her plate looked like this: samosas (fried dough filled with potatoes...), naan (bread w/ butter and garlic), biryani (fried rice with veggies, like potatoes...), maybe some aloo gobi (sauteed potatoes, cauliflower and clarified butter), and those little bready pastries soaked in syrup. I know it was technically vegetarian, but healthy...

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