Going vegetarian

julietjohnson17
julietjohnson17 Posts: 2 Member
edited February 26 in Food and Nutrition
Hi MFPers!

Newbie here. For health purposes, I would like to lose about 15 pounds by the end of the summer. Can anyone tell me what the pros and cons of going vegetarian would be in terms of completing this goal?

Thank you and good luck to all of you!

Replies

  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
    Makes no diference.

    Lose weight on a calorie deficit
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    As mentioned, all that matters for weight loss is a calorie deficit. There's really no advantage at all from going vegetarian. A disadvantage that comes to mind is it will be hard to get enough protein in to prevent significant muscle loss while you lose weight unless you're eating meat.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    If you want to start on the path to becoming a vegetarian, add more vegetables to your weekly diet and decrease the amount of your meat while staying below your calorie deficit. But you do not have to do that to lose weight. Just eat less of what you are already eating.
  • stuffinmuffin
    stuffinmuffin Posts: 985 Member
    What truly would be your reasons for going veggie? Just to lose weight?

    If this is the route you go down then my only suggestion would be to make sure you try and keep your protein amounts up.
  • aedreana
    aedreana Posts: 979 Member
    I have been vegan for 43 years. You will not lose any weight that way. You might even gain weight.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
    I think some people go veggie without really researching it, and end up eating nothing but cheese pizzas, pastries, chips, etc - the only factor they're concerned with is that there's no meat in their food. If that's your strategy, you'll probably end up gaining weight, I'd wager. Not to mention feeling crap due to a lack of proper nutrients and protein.

    Like the other posters have said, you need to have a calorie deficit to lose weight, whatever you're eating. You also want to make sure you're getting a balanced diet with plenty of vitamins and minerals for your overall health.
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
    Vegitarian diet will not help you lose weight. It won't hurt your progress either. You might get some benefit from it just because cooking vegetarian will force you to think a little more about what you're eating.

    However, I don't think it's a good idea to start a completely new diet just to lose weight if you aren't going to make it a permanent change. Your success will last exactly as long as you stick with the changes you've made. So unless you want to go veg for life, maybe learn to eat healthy with meat?
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    Plenty of protein in a vegetarian diet: eggs, milk, cheese. the thing to watch out for is the potential increase in fat which will not help your weight loss.

    Protein is not the issue.
  • LessHeavyVeggie
    LessHeavyVeggie Posts: 208 Member
    Hi, obese vegetarian here...

    If you want to go veggie for yourself then go for it, you can get enough protein it just requires a little research and effort.

    If you want to go veggie because you think it's a weight loss diet then don't bother - losing weight requires eating less calories and whether or not meat/fish are in the equation won't make a difference. Also if you dramatically change your diet whilst losing weight and then go back to your old diet afterwards you will be more likely to regain the weight. (not because meat makes you fat, but because you will likely add meat on top of the lower calorie veggie stuff you have been eating). It's better to learn to eat the things you like in a controlled amount which you can stick to long term.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Going vegetarian purely for health reasons and without any ethical standpoint seems pointless. Depending on your current intake, you may wish to cut down on red meats and increase your lean protein intake, and perhaps have some meat free days, but simply turning vegetarian will not make it easier to lose weight.

    You will also need to keep an eye on your iron and B12 intake.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    On a vegetarian diet:
    Iron: most dark leafy greens
    B12: Dairy products and eggs
    No problem.
  • Ilgamuth
    Ilgamuth Posts: 17
    You have to go for a change you can live with. If you're set on making the switch to vegan you might want to do some research first on nutrition since it will take a little more to eat right, because you can eat a lot of junk on a vegetarian diet. I'm going to give the same advice as someone else here have done. Start with adding more vegetables and do a meatless day where you can experiment with recipes to find something you enjoy and just expand on the meatless day as you go.

    I'm not vegetarian, but I do have 2-3 meatless days a week, mostly for budget reasons.

    This site have a lot of simple tips on how to transition

    http://www.nomeatathlete.com/relax/
    http://www.nomeatathlete.com/7-steps-to-eating-less-meat-now/

    FInd a mfp group that you like
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?utf8=✓&phrase=vegetarian
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    Plenty of protein in a vegetarian diet: eggs, milk, cheese. the thing to watch out for is the potential increase in fat which will not help your weight loss.

    Protein is not the issue.

    Says the guy who's absolutely not getting enough protein in his diet based on his diary...

    Nobody said it's impossible to get enough protein with a vegetarian diet, but it is harder. It's more difficult to get large amounts of protein like you can with chicken and lean beef, etc. Milk has just about as much carbs as it does protein, and that's if you're drinking skim. Cheese usually has more fat than it does protein. Also, an increase of fat doesn't hurt weight loss unless it results in an increase of overall calorie intake. Dietary fat does not make you fat, it's not 1993 anymore...
  • SarahxApple
    SarahxApple Posts: 166 Member
    It won't help you lose weight but I went vegetarian last September, I did it to add more variety in my diet and try to reduce the amount of microwaveable meals and junk food I ate. It worked to a certain extent, I do have a little more variety and it does make me think a little more about what I am going to eat. I personally disagree with the protein thing I work out 6 days a week I lift weights and do cardio, according to mfp I am way below my protein most days but I haven't found it affects me much, everybody is diferent though.
  • julietjohnson17
    julietjohnson17 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks very much for all of your help! I would, of course, be doing this for ethical reasons as well. Thanks once more!
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    Hi MFPers!

    Newbie here. For health purposes, I would like to lose about 15 pounds by the end of the summer. Can anyone tell me what the pros and cons of going vegetarian would be in terms of completing this goal?

    Thank you and good luck to all of you!

    If you want to lose weight you'll need to cut calories, I recommend the happy herbivore light and lean book. Diet vegetarian books are hard to find. You can also read Eat to Live or the Engine2diet.
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    As mentioned, all that matters for weight loss is a calorie deficit. There's really no advantage at all from going vegetarian. A disadvantage that comes to mind is it will be hard to get enough protein in to prevent significant muscle loss while you lose weight unless you're eating meat.

    How is it hard to get protein while being vegetarian?
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    Go veggie if it's what you want to do, but there's nothing magical about a vegetarian diet when it comes to weight loss.

    I've been a vegetarian for 5 years. When I first gave up meat, I gained weight - about 20 pounds, actually - because I was consuming more calories than I needed. Once I started counting my calories and eating at a deficit, the weight came off and then some. :smile:
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