Vegetarian or Not?

FullOfSpice · April 2011

So I was a vegetarian for a really long time, until a after college I started incorporating chicken into my diet to get more protein. At that time, I was working out everyday for atleast 1-2 hours.

Today I am 20-25 pounds heavier. Last August I gave up all meat completely. Since then I haven't been able to lose any weight, in fact I've probably seen gains. Yesterday I decided to start eating Chicken again. I already started eating fish about a month ago. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen weight gain/loss from eating meat vs being vegetarian.

MaureenCreates · April 2011

I noticed a very small difference when I went veggie, but that's because my diet overall became a lot healthier. I had to make sure I was getting the nutrients that I was no longer getting easily from meat. If I partake in cheat foods as much as I did before I was veggie, I feel like absolute ****. My body can't handle it anymore.

Ariyasnow1 · April 2011

I've seen weight loss/energy spike since going vegan. I've also been counting my calories on here, and watching my fat intake.

Were you cutting out dairy with your vegetarian diet?

It could be other factors such as how you cooked your meals (oils add up), what type of snacks you ate, how many calories you eat in a day, how big/small your meals are, how much fat, how much caffeine, what type of exercise...ectectect. Also, depending on how you work out, could your weight gain actually be muscle instead of fat?

Just throwing out ideas.

kms1981 · April 2011

When I first went veg 3 years ago I went up in weight because I was eating a lot of junk food (I was more a junkatarian)...now I am focused on eating better so my weight is going down. People always tell me to eat chicken but I just really can't handle meat at all...my tummy says no.

michelca · April 2011

I went vegetarian for a few years, and I lost a bit of weight. But then I started eating cheese, and my waistline expanded dramatically. I have since had a bout of eating meat (wherein I lost a good portion of my cheese-weight), an am now mostly vegan. I find I feel better, have more energy, and lose weight easier. But I do agree with you; starting eating meat again helps with weight loss.

Not_Famous · April 2011

Vegetarian (with dairy) doesn't necessarily mean healthy. And eating meat doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy.

I agree with Ariyasnow1, it depends on a lot of factors.

&& junkatarian made me laugh xD

AshleyLauren589 · April 2011

I think a lot of new vegetarians end up in this junkatarian category! Too funny =D

The biggest thing when switching is to make sure that whichever side your on you're making healthy choices. I'm a pseudo-vegetarian in that I've also incorporated poultry and fish into my diet, but no red meat or pork. When I had switched to eating more lean meats from being a full vegetarian I felt that my weight went down, but I'm pretty sure it's only because I was eating the "right" foods versus filling up on carbs. It's all about balance

bethrs · April 2011

What everyone else said. I'm a pescatarian and for me, making sure I'm not consuming meat helps me to be generally more conscious of what I am eating. So no more just rolling up to a restaurant for me. I never accidentally wind up with a huge rack of ribs or fried chicken or a big greasy hamburger. I think about what I'm eating now so I'm healthier.

But in HS I was a vegetarian only I ate pop-tarts for two meals a day and a baked potato for the third. not as successful then.

olyrose · April 2011

I was raised a vegetarian, started eating seafood when I was 25, have never eaten chicken, beef, pork, etc.

And I'm over 200 pounds, so obviously being a vegetarian in itself doesn't mean you will lose weight/not put on weight.

It's all about the foods you do eat, portion sizes, etc. It's just as easy to pig out on french fries, pizza, mexican, lasagna, sugar, soda, etc when you are a vegetarian as when you eat meat.

FullOfSpice · April 2011

Thanks everyone. I have been vegetarian, but its a lot of carb intake, i.e oatmeal, rice, bread, etc. I think I will eat chicken again, slowly, but use it as a side meal and load up on veggies. Even when I did eat chicken I never ate fried chicken or it marinated in butter. I'm more of a grilled chicken type of girl. I decided I will try it out for a month and see how it goes, if I don't feel good about it I can always go back to not eating it.

medusae · April 2011

Thanks everyone. I have been vegetarian, but its a lot of carb intake, i.e oatmeal, rice, bread, etc.

Being vegetarian doesn't necessarily translate to a higher carb intake... i know that it does for a lot of people, hence some unwanted/unexpected weight gain when making the switch.

With a little thought there are lots of ways of incorporating high protein foods into a vegetarian/vegan diet like seitan (and anything based on wheat gluten) and tofu to name a couple. Field Roast vegetarian sausages, made with seitan, have 25g protein/link for example. If you do some searching on google you'll find plenty of vegan/vegetarian bodybuilder resources, so vegetarian definiteyl does not mean low-protein/high-carb. It just depends on your food choices.

Also, upping your intake of leafy greens, rather than loading up on rice/pasta/grains is a good work around. You'll feel fuller and get the benefit of nutrient-dense foods. I pile my bean/TVP chili onto a pileo f baby spinach instead of rice. It's pretty good!

moxiemoe · April 2011

I have found I lost weight more rapidly since becoming vegetarian. I don't feel sluggish like when I ate meat, and therefore am able to do more in a day. I eat a lot of vegetables, whole grains, eggs, cottage cheese, beans, and nuts when needed...and my diet while probably higher in carbs is very low in fat. I'm not trying to gain muscle, however.

I've read Americans eat more protein than recommended.

Vegetarian or Not?

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