Legitimate weight loss tip that worked for me

24

Replies

  • JenniDaisy
    JenniDaisy Posts: 526 Member
    I was vegetarian for 12 years, fat for 12 years too. How come it didn't work for me :(
  • bcerk
    bcerk Posts: 41
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Being vegetarian/vegan is a personal choice. But all that matters to losing weight is the second part of what you said...a calorie deficit. My best friend has been vegan off and on as long as I've known her, and she weighs more than I do.

    Definitely. I still count calories, It's just helping me stay below my daily value.
  • bcerk
    bcerk Posts: 41
    JenniDaisy wrote: »
    I was vegetarian for 12 years, fat for 12 years too. How come it didn't work for me :(

    Along with regular exercise and calorie counting?
  • divediva2
    divediva2 Posts: 297 Member
    I eat all types of healthy foods, meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, whole grains, fruit, dairy and I am feeling great. I'll stick with this, I have to live my life and it includes all of the above plus a little wine or mojito for some fun.
    10lb gone in 9 weeks, I think I am on to something here.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    calories in V calories out. That's all
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    To the people who are complaining that people are jumping on the OP. Whenever you post information in this forum, others will read it. Some of those others are the lurkers who never post. When someone posts something, it's up to the community to address any potential issues with what is said so that we have a well-rounded discussion about these things.

    There are people on this site who come here for guidance and may be just getting started on their fitness journey. When they see a "tip" that tells them about a weight loss trick that will for sure work for them and no one counters with an alternate viewpoint, those individuals are getting unbalanced guidance. Yes, they shouldn't just take forum posts as facts, but it still happens (especially with our younger members).

    No one was mean to the OP. Most people countered with their own experiences, which is relevant to this topic because OP is offering herself as evidence that her diet works for everyone. Should we each start our own thread to state our own experience and how it differed? Or should we post our responses on this thread, which is kind of the point.

    Having said that, let's look at the OP:
    bcerk wrote: »
    I am a work week vegetarian!

    Hi guys. I struggled to see the lbs come off, even with counting calories until I became a work week vegetarian!

    I only eat meat 1 day out of the week. It is normally one day on the weekend and is usually only one meal and on the same day as my "cheat day." I have to say, this along with counting calories with My Fitness Pal has helped me lose 6 lbs so far.

    I believe that when you're not eating meat, you make healthier decisions in all aspects of your diet. Maybe it is a psychological thing, but I think it works.

    And before you start telling me that I'm now lacking nutrients and protein, I get plenty of protein through supplements, protein powders, protein bars and I get all of my nutrients through various foods and vitamins.

    If you are struggling to see lbs come off, I really think you should give this a try. Check through my diary if you'd like to see how I'm doing.

    This diet routine along with frequent exercise WILL work for you! I promise.

    See the bolded and highlighted portions above?

    OP clearly states that calorie counting wasn't working for her alone, so she decided to try vegetarianism ON TOP of calorie counting.

    She both recommends that others try this plan and PROMISES that it will work for them.

    Do you see why people feel the need to point out that their own experiences with a vegetarian diet do not match the OP's? It's not about being mean. It's about offering an alternative viewpoint.

    I personally ate a diet much healthier than the OP's (I checked your food diary) in terms of food choice while I was a vegetarian/vegan. Guess what? I was fat.

    BTW, you guys really need to look at that food diary.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    To the people who are complaining that people are jumping on the OP. Whenever you post information in this forum, others will read it. Some of those others are the lurkers who never post. When someone posts something, it's up to the community to address any potential issues with what is said so that we have a well-rounded discussion about these things.

    There are people on this site who come here for guidance and may be just getting started on their fitness journey. When they see a "tip" that tells them about a weight loss trick that will for sure work for them and no one counters with an alternate viewpoint, those individuals are getting unbalanced guidance. Yes, they shouldn't just take forum posts as facts, but it still happens (especially with our younger members).

    No one was mean to the OP. Most people countered with their own experiences, which is relevant to this topic because OP is offering herself as evidence that her diet works for everyone. Should we each start our own thread to state our own experience and how it differed? Or should we post our responses on this thread, which is kind of the point.

    Having said that, let's look at the OP:
    bcerk wrote: »
    I am a work week vegetarian!

    Hi guys. I struggled to see the lbs come off, even with counting calories until I became a work week vegetarian!

    I only eat meat 1 day out of the week. It is normally one day on the weekend and is usually only one meal and on the same day as my "cheat day." I have to say, this along with counting calories with My Fitness Pal has helped me lose 6 lbs so far.

    I believe that when you're not eating meat, you make healthier decisions in all aspects of your diet. Maybe it is a psychological thing, but I think it works.

    And before you start telling me that I'm now lacking nutrients and protein, I get plenty of protein through supplements, protein powders, protein bars and I get all of my nutrients through various foods and vitamins.

    If you are struggling to see lbs come off, I really think you should give this a try. Check through my diary if you'd like to see how I'm doing.

    This diet routine along with frequent exercise WILL work for you! I promise.

    See the bolded and highlighted portions above?

    OP clearly states that calorie counting wasn't working for her alone, so she decided to try vegetarianism ON TOP of calorie counting.

    She both recommends that others try this plan and PROMISES that it will work for them.

    Do you see why people feel the need to point out that their own experiences with a vegetarian diet do not match the OP's? It's not about being mean. It's about offering an alternative viewpoint.

    I personally ate a diet much healthier than the OP's (I checked your food diary) in terms of food choice while I was a vegetarian/vegan. Guess what? I was fat.

    BTW, you guys really need to look at that food diary.

    Very well said
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
    dbanks80 wrote: »
    To the people who are complaining that people are jumping on the OP. Whenever you post information in this forum, others will read it. Some of those others are the lurkers who never post. When someone posts something, it's up to the community to address any potential issues with what is said so that we have a well-rounded discussion about these things.

    There are people on this site who come here for guidance and may be just getting started on their fitness journey. When they see a "tip" that tells them about a weight loss trick that will for sure work for them and no one counters with an alternate viewpoint, those individuals are getting unbalanced guidance. Yes, they shouldn't just take forum posts as facts, but it still happens (especially with our younger members).

    No one was mean to the OP. Most people countered with their own experiences, which is relevant to this topic because OP is offering herself as evidence that her diet works for everyone. Should we each start our own thread to state our own experience and how it differed? Or should we post our responses on this thread, which is kind of the point.

    Having said that, let's look at the OP:
    bcerk wrote: »
    I am a work week vegetarian!

    Hi guys. I struggled to see the lbs come off, even with counting calories until I became a work week vegetarian!

    I only eat meat 1 day out of the week. It is normally one day on the weekend and is usually only one meal and on the same day as my "cheat day." I have to say, this along with counting calories with My Fitness Pal has helped me lose 6 lbs so far.

    I believe that when you're not eating meat, you make healthier decisions in all aspects of your diet. Maybe it is a psychological thing, but I think it works.

    And before you start telling me that I'm now lacking nutrients and protein, I get plenty of protein through supplements, protein powders, protein bars and I get all of my nutrients through various foods and vitamins.

    If you are struggling to see lbs come off, I really think you should give this a try. Check through my diary if you'd like to see how I'm doing.

    This diet routine along with frequent exercise WILL work for you! I promise.

    See the bolded and highlighted portions above?

    OP clearly states that calorie counting wasn't working for her alone, so she decided to try vegetarianism ON TOP of calorie counting.

    She both recommends that others try this plan and PROMISES that it will work for them.

    Do you see why people feel the need to point out that their own experiences with a vegetarian diet do not match the OP's? It's not about being mean. It's about offering an alternative viewpoint.

    I personally ate a diet much healthier than the OP's (I checked your food diary) in terms of food choice while I was a vegetarian/vegan. Guess what? I was fat.

    BTW, you guys really need to look at that food diary.

    Very well said

    And then the OP gets snarky when others challenge her. Don't post if you dont want well rounded feedback.
  • schelly81
    schelly81 Posts: 161 Member
    I cannot unsee that food diary.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    schelly81 wrote: »
    I cannot unsee that food diary.

    Lol. This was my face - :open_mouth:
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    bcerk wrote: »
    Last time I try to share a tip with people, haha. Thanks for the "supportive" community MFP!

    I don't blame you. There are a few things you can't reference here because it's considered "cool" to balk at them: vegetarianism, 'healthy eating', any diet under 1500 calories, any criticism of Chipotle, losing 2 lbs. a week, and any cleanse, detox or juice fasts. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but those are a few biggies. Basically, speak as if you're in a Gold's Gym. :D

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  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    bcerk wrote: »
    Last time I try to share a tip with people, haha. Thanks for the "supportive" community MFP!

    I don't blame you. There are a few things you can't reference here because it's considered "cool" to balk at them: vegetarianism, 'healthy eating', any diet under 1500 calories, any criticism of Chipotle, losing 2 lbs. a week, and any cleanse, detox or juice fasts. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but those are a few biggies. Basically, speak as if you're in a Gold's Gym. :D

    As a person who generally supports vegetarianism because of animal concerns, I have to disagree with you. Maybe you should actually read what people are saying.
  • adrienne0906
    adrienne0906 Posts: 43 Member
    Ok I actually agree with OP! I for one tend to make better overall decisions when I have a limitation in my head. When work caters lunch and offers grilled veggie wraps or cheesesteaks, it's helpful to have a "reason" I can't reach for the cheesesteak.

    That being said...this approach does not work for baked goods of any kind : (((
  • AlyRoseNYC
    AlyRoseNYC Posts: 1,075 Member
    Glad it's working for you! I recently switched to a vegetarian diet (for non-weight loss reasons) and was having the opposite experience lol. I haven't gained weight, but I did stall a bit. It has taken a few weeks to figure out how to get my macros in without relying on packaged "vegetarian" products (not that there's anything wrong with that) but I finally found a good flow and the weight is starting to come off again.
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    Ok I actually agree with OP! I for one tend to make better overall decisions when I have a limitation in my head. When work caters lunch and offers grilled veggie wraps or cheesesteaks, it's helpful to have a "reason" I can't reach for the cheesesteak.

    That being said...this approach does not work for baked goods of any kind : (((

    Did you look at OP's food diary of stellar healthy food choices that were inspired by her "work-week" vegetarianism?

    My favorite day was the one where OP only ate the following:

    Scoop of Whey
    Salad
    Popcorn
    AND 664 calories of beer.

    While I do not care how people use their calorie allowance, offering yourself up as healthy eating inspiration when you eat like this (Chili's chips and salsa and fries as a meal, too) is pretty outrageous.

    This is what I thought when I actually looked at the food diary, as instructed in the OP - :trollface:
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
    To the people who are complaining that people are jumping on the OP. Whenever you post information in this forum, others will read it. Some of those others are the lurkers who never post. When someone posts something, it's up to the community to address any potential issues with what is said so that we have a well-rounded discussion about these things.

    There are people on this site who come here for guidance and may be just getting started on their fitness journey. When they see a "tip" that tells them about a weight loss trick that will for sure work for them and no one counters with an alternate viewpoint, those individuals are getting unbalanced guidance. Yes, they shouldn't just take forum posts as facts, but it still happens (especially with our younger members).

    No one was mean to the OP. Most people countered with their own experiences, which is relevant to this topic because OP is offering herself as evidence that her diet works for everyone. Should we each start our own thread to state our own experience and how it differed? Or should we post our responses on this thread, which is kind of the point.

    Having said that, let's look at the OP:
    bcerk wrote: »
    I am a work week vegetarian!

    Hi guys. I struggled to see the lbs come off, even with counting calories until I became a work week vegetarian!

    I only eat meat 1 day out of the week. It is normally one day on the weekend and is usually only one meal and on the same day as my "cheat day." I have to say, this along with counting calories with My Fitness Pal has helped me lose 6 lbs so far.

    I believe that when you're not eating meat, you make healthier decisions in all aspects of your diet. Maybe it is a psychological thing, but I think it works.

    And before you start telling me that I'm now lacking nutrients and protein, I get plenty of protein through supplements, protein powders, protein bars and I get all of my nutrients through various foods and vitamins.

    If you are struggling to see lbs come off, I really think you should give this a try. Check through my diary if you'd like to see how I'm doing.

    This diet routine along with frequent exercise WILL work for you! I promise.

    See the bolded and highlighted portions above?

    OP clearly states that calorie counting wasn't working for her alone, so she decided to try vegetarianism ON TOP of calorie counting.

    She both recommends that others try this plan and PROMISES that it will work for them.

    Do you see why people feel the need to point out that their own experiences with a vegetarian diet do not match the OP's? It's not about being mean. It's about offering an alternative viewpoint.

    I personally ate a diet much healthier than the OP's (I checked your food diary) in terms of food choice while I was a vegetarian/vegan. Guess what? I was fat.

    BTW, you guys really need to look at that food diary.

    <3

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  • shoegal_81
    shoegal_81 Posts: 14 Member
    This is the same way I approach marriage

    This ^^ hahahaha
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 874 Member
    Glad it worked for you bcerk!

    "The plural of anecdote is not data"
    is explained here

  • happyfeetrebel1
    happyfeetrebel1 Posts: 1,005 Member
    The aforementioned diary is now closed, I feel somehow cheated :)
  • daydreams_of_pretty
    daydreams_of_pretty Posts: 506 Member
    The aforementioned diary is now closed, I feel somehow cheated :)

    I'm sorry for your loss. :wink:
  • corinic91
    corinic91 Posts: 148 Member
    EAT ALL THE CARBS. potato chips? mmmmmm :cookie:
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    See, I rarely eat meat. I have it about once every month or two. Not because I'm a vegetarian, but because I do not like the taste or the texture of it unless it's prepared in a very specific way. That's how I've been eating since I was introduced to solid food (my mother says even as a toddler I used to spit out the food if it had meat in it).

    Now I'm here, on MFP, trying to lose more than 150 pounds.

    Meat has nothing to do with obesity, seriously. If it did I would have been stick thin, not a 300+ pounds morbidly obese.
  • Agator82
    Agator82 Posts: 249 Member
    I am a little disappointed I got into this discussion so late I would have liked to seen the OP's diary. I was a little curious as to her reason for not eating meat (dead cows do not seem to make her squirm since she eats meat on her cheat day).

    I personally eat almost no red meat (not for the reasons you think) I would love to have a nice big med-rare steak right now...but I digress. I made a decision years ago that to lose weight I would stick with real food (or heavily processed). I have no desire to have protein powders, shakes, or bars and cringe a little when I think about it.

    All that being said I am all for taking a lifestyle up a notch and I think it is great for the OP that she found something that works, but that does not mean that it is a end-all be-all for everyone. It is a bit pretentious to put up a challenge by showing off your diary only to take it down after criticism...what did you think the response was going to be?
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    bcerk wrote: »
    I am a work week vegetarian!

    Hi guys. I struggled to see the lbs come off, even with counting calories until I became a work week vegetarian!

    I only eat meat 1 day out of the week. It is normally one day on the weekend and is usually only one meal and on the same day as my "cheat day." I have to say, this along with counting calories with My Fitness Pal has helped me lose 6 lbs so far.

    I believe that when you're not eating meat, you make healthier decisions in all aspects of your diet. Maybe it is a psychological thing, but I think it works.

    And before you start telling me that I'm now lacking nutrients and protein, I get plenty of protein through supplements, protein powders, protein bars and I get all of my nutrients through various foods and vitamins.

    If you are struggling to see lbs come off, I really think you should give this a try. Check through my diary if you'd like to see how I'm doing.

    This diet routine along with frequent exercise WILL work for you! I promise.
    The point is it worked for you. Eating meat or not has nothing to do with making healthier choices, and healthier choices-whatever one's interpretation-has little to do with weight loss.

    Weight loss is calories in/calories out, food choices are for health. Moderation is key.

  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    I know you've faced some criticism here BUT in the past, I've gone meatless every other day and saw immediate results. Yes it was because I was at a deficit, but it taught me to think outside the box with dinners. It made me focus on veggies and be more creative. I'm not a vegetarian, but I have lots of meatless meals and feel hum he lighter eating that way.
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    You lost because you were in a deficit. Sorry, I'm all about the cow...and pig....and bird.

    lol...this^^^^

  • jasper186
    jasper186 Posts: 134 Member
    I stopped eating meat in May. My husband has some health issues and we are doing this to try to help his issues. I have to be very careful not to go over my daily calories as most of what I eat is very high in calories ie: bread, rice, quinoa, pasta. Some days I think it was easier when I ate meat. I do not miss it and the thought of have a burger disgusts me right now, WHAAAAT. This is Thanksgiving in Canada (EH) and we will be having veggies, potatoes and broccoli quiche while everyone else at the table eats turkey. That being said, I agree with the thought that as long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose!
  • pipertargaryen
    pipertargaryen Posts: 303 Member
    I've lost over 80lbs.
    I eat oodles of meat.