New vegetarian Life--- Need Help! SOS!

zombiebarbie1989
zombiebarbie1989 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, So long story short I don't need a lecture based on your views of meat vs. no meat. I enjoy the taste of meat and morally have no opinion *I really don't want to have this debate...again* however after years of suffering stomach issues It was recommended to me that I cut out meat slowly to see if I was having issues processing it. Sure enough I started eating only "lighter" meats (no red meats) and as of 3 weeks ago I cut out every meat and my body has already reacted positively. I am losing weight, my acne cleared up, and I am (TMI) having an easy daily bowel movement unlike before. Talking to my mother she actually said as a child I would throw up after a big meat filled dinner and she just assumed I was either eating too much or too fast. We realize I might have had a reaction even through childhood!

This being said- I am back to logging my food. One- because believe it or not there are plenty of vegetarian options when it comes to junk food (can you say oreos) and two I want to be sure my proteins and everything are in check. My eating plan before didn't require me to measure out my veggies and frankly-- It would be a pain to try to figure out how many ounces/cups of veggies I am getting especially when with every meal I am having a big salad or stir fry of some sort.

Do I need to Log those or am I perfectly fine just logging more calorie dense foods?

Thanks for the love and advice! Namaste!

Replies

  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    It depends on how accurate you need to be with your logging. I would definitely weigh (or at least measure) any higher-calorie vegetables, like corn, potatoes, avocado, even carrots. You can probably get away with not measuring things like salad greens, cucumber or celery. If you make a lot of stir-fries, though, you're going to be using oil or stock, so you need to log that.
  • litchfieldd
    litchfieldd Posts: 43 Member
    I'm veggie and I log more or less everything, although I'm happy to guestimate on things that are really are negligible like lettuce. It takes me seconds to weigh and log something so I don't really mind doing it.

    I guess it depends how precise you are trying to be and how much room for manouver there is in your deficit. Would a bit of over/underestimating make much difference to your goals?
  • zombiebarbie1989
    zombiebarbie1989 Posts: 3
    Thanks! Yes when I make stir fry I am logging and measuring out my olive oil- I weigh out avocado and potatoes I just haven't been doing any salad greens/mushrooms. Thanks for the help!
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I'm a vegetarian and have been for 5 years. Protein is always the main focus of my day. I always aim for at least 80g, and if I put a little thought into my meals and snacks, hitting that minimum goal doesn't take a whole lot of effort. My diary is open if you want to browse for ideas.

    I weigh and log all of the vegetables I eat (with the exception of the lettuce leaf and slice of tomato I might put on my veggie burger) because I eat a lot of vegetables, and it all adds up. I can very easily eat 60 calories worth of plain steamed broccoli at a single meal, and I regularly do, and my typical meal salad contains about 40 calories of leafy greens. I feel that 60 calories is a fairly significant portion of my daily calorie intake, and if I didn't log it, it would mean my daily deficit was 60 calories smaller without my even knowing it.

    It's totally up to you, and if you think you may have obsessive tendencies that may not play well with weighing your food on a food scale, then eyeballing or guestimating your intake might be a better option. It may or may not make a difference to your long-term success depending on your overall deficit and how good you are at portion control and logging accurately. If you don't think a food scale would be an issue for you, I highly recommend it - it's been a great tool to have along the way, and you can typically find one for under $25. :smile:
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    Log everything.

    I have been a vegetarian since I was a young kid because I can't stomach the texture of meat, and when I would be forced to try it as a kid, I'd throw it up. I eat whatever types of foods that I want, and my macros are set to 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. My diary is open if you want ideas of what I eat.

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