Eating only vegetables to loose weight

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  • Elliecustard
    Elliecustard Posts: 2 Member
    Rice and lentils combined contain all the amino acids necessary to form a complete protein. They do not contain any of the unhealthy fats present in red meat. A properly balanced and varied vegetarian diet is more healthy than a diet heavily based on animal protein, with the exception of fish. The important thing is to understand what protein is and that meat is not the only source. Seeds and nuts are particularly high, as is soya and other beans, but many other vegetables, such as mushrooms and buckwheat, contain good amounts, and are of course, all vegetables. If you can grasp the concept of fats having meat, dairy and vegetable sources, then it should not be too difficult. Here is a good article giving a straightforward account http://www.fitsugar.com/What-Complete-Protein-Inquiring-Vegetarians-Want-Kno-165298
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  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
    I think you would gain back again, plus you would have a hard time having enough energy to workout. You would have to eat other things besides vegetables to get protein. Plus if all you ate was veggies, you'd poop your brains out. Vegans don't just eat vegetables, they eat beans, breads, fruit, rice, tofu and many other things to get a complete filling and nutritious meal.

    I suggest that you research VOLUMETRICS and just eat more veggies, less of other foods. I eat a HUGE salad everyday at work that is usually only 200-300 calories, allowing me to fill up on more foods at dinner. The salad is large and keeps me full because there is a lot to it in volume, but little in calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    many other vegetables, such as mushrooms and buckwheat, contain good amounts, and are of course, all vegetables.

    I disagree with the claim that being vegetarian or vegan is more healthy, but am not interested in debating that. I think both are great diets for the right people. I also imagine that everyone at MFP knows that vegetables have some protein. I eat lots of vegetables, so see their protein in my log. None of them (other than the usual suspects, like beans, which I really don't think were meant here--saying "eat only vegetables" in common usage typically means something different than "eat vegetarian," and when people say "you need to eat more vegetables" they typically don't mean cereal or potatoes or rice). Anyway, I didn't recall mushrooms having all that much, so I just checked, and apparently 2 grams per cup according to the non-asterisk entry. That's not what I call a good amount, if you are seeking a source of protein. Mushrooms are great, IMO, but not for that reason, unless you are claiming that entry is off. Buckwheat does have a good amount, but also lots of calories, so again is highly unlikely to be what is being discussed here (it's a pseudo cereal).

    If the question really were "will eating only vegetables, under the broadest possible definition, including beans and rice" cause me to lose extreme amounts of weight, all else equal, the answer would obviously be "depends on you, but extremely unlikely." Personally, if I went vegetarian or even vegan for a month I'd probably eat the same or more than I do now (the same if I logged, more if I just ate what I liked within those constraints), so I expect my weight loss would remain the same or be less. I also could not meet my protein goal as a vegan without eating significant amounts of stuff I prefer to eat only in moderation, like soy. This does not mean a vegan diet is not a good one, but it's part of why it would not be a good one for me.

    But in any case that's not actually what I think this thread is about.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Well you would probably be ok on carbs and micro-nutrients. Even fats if you eat stuff like avocados. To be honest I could see this working for some people under specific conditions. Basically this is a diet for people who want to expel weight fast and fully expect to return to a balanced maintenance level of calories after and have been at maintenance or a surplus before. If you have been dieting before or will be dieting after then this diet will probably wipe you out.

    It's the sort of thing someone who is maintaining their weight might be able to get away with if they stray up a bit and want to force their weight to come back down. But for any kind of long term it's questionable approach.

    With some thought it might be able to me mollified. You can get a decent amount of protein and fat from veg if you know where to look. Vegan diets do the same thing. But honestly as much as touters of vegan diets like to say you can get protein and fat. You can't get nearly as much as you can eating a more balanced diet. And there are some more complex proteins that vegetables simply won't give you.

    So as much as a lot of people on the board might flame me for saying it what the guy did isn't super bad as long as it is used in moderation with wisdom and knowledge of the circumstances.

    Also some muscle loss is probably inevitable if the dieter was decently muscled at all before. Vegetable protein will not maintain large muscles.

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