no carbs diet for vegetarians

coriannalynn
coriannalynn Posts: 3
edited November 10 in Health and Weight Loss
I don't eat meat, so doing the no carbs thing is difficult for me ,but any fellow vegetarian friends out there who have done it? What did you eat? Do you have any other good ideas for healthy diets and/or cleanses?

Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    No carbs? So, you are planning on eating what? Fat?
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    edited January 2015
    First of all, "no carb" is pretty much impossible. Carbohydrate is in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy, etc.

    As a vegetarian you are already eating a restricted diet. Not a good idea to add additional significant restrictions.

    Just up the amounts of vegetarian protein (beans, tofu, etc.) and fat (olive oil, coconut, nuts) you get. That will let you reduce carbohydrates in a moderate way and still have a balanced eating plan.
  • 0somuchbetter0
    0somuchbetter0 Posts: 1,335 Member
    You can't live without carbs.
  • EmilyTwist1
    EmilyTwist1 Posts: 206 Member
    Unless by "no carbs" you mean no grains/high starch foods, I don't think its possible. Fruit and vegetables have carbs too. The only way you could do true no carb vegetarian would be to eat nothing but eggs and dairy (and even dairy has some carbs). Low carb vegetarian is certainly possible, but not no carb. Even eating meat, no carb would be a bad idea.
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    There are actually carbs in eggs too.......
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    Don't think you can be a vegetarian only and have no carbs. Carbs are in fruit and vegetables.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

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  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    You can be a vegetarian with moderate carbs (I'm one), but low carbs? It's not going to be sustainable.

    As for cleansing? You have a functioning liver and kidneys and skin, yes? Your body cleanses itself.

    My diary is public, but my food choices are boring and repetitive :)
  • RockstarWilson
    RockstarWilson Posts: 836 Member
    edited January 2015
    Dang....you have a long road ahead of you if you are going down THAT road. That limits your diet to about 2.4% of the supermarket. Or powder. That might work.

    I agree with the rest of the post. You gotta go one or the other, or you will be just like a lot of people on here who are crying for the same thing. Can't do low carb AND low protein; it is not sustainable. But as far as tips with food....good luck. I got nothin. Pork rinds, maybe. If you don't call that meat. Those can give you the runs, though. Fair warning.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    Oils?
  • jjejjtu
    jjejjtu Posts: 1,324 Member
    edited January 2015
    Hi there...
    I am a long term lacto-ovo vegetarian and recently tried exactly what you are trying. I tried an Atkins-like approach and I maintained it for two weeks. I ate eggs, tofu, cheese, nuts, broccoli and some meat substitutes for my protein. I also ate a ton of veggies. I used cream in my coffee and kept my carbs low. The good: I lost weight very quickly and felt utterly fantastic. I mean, I haven't felt that good for literally as long as I can remember. The bad: it is boring, and easy to tire of. I never wanted to see another egg. Also, since a lot of my protein was coming from eggs and cheese, my cholesterol levels were off the chart. It was extremely bad for my arteries. Carbs, if you are getting them from beans, brown rice, peas, and whole grain breads, cereals and pastas, are high in fiber, which really helps keep the veins/arteries free of plaque. I've recently developed palpitations and have become a lot more aware of heart health. I'm back to just eating at a deficit now. So that's my two cents. Best of luck to you!
  • Thank you so much! This is super helpful. I think I'll test this out for two weeks or so!
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Thank you so much! This is super helpful. I think I'll test this out for two weeks or so!

    Translation:

    "I'm going to ignore all the advice I have received from this very helpful site and only read what I want to see. Really, I should have even bothered making a thread on here because I was not going to listen to anyone and I was going to do the idiotic thing I was planning on dong anyway."
  • lishie_rebooted
    lishie_rebooted Posts: 2,973 Member
    Hi there...
    I am a long term lacto-ovo vegetarian and recently tried exactly what you are trying. I tried an Atkins-like approach and I maintained it for two weeks. I ate eggs, tofu, cheese, nuts, broccoli and some meat substitutes for my protein. I also ate a ton of veggies. I used cream in my coffee and kept my carbs low. The good: I lost weight very quickly and felt utterly fantastic. I mean, I haven't felt that good for literally as long as I can remember. The bad: it is boring, and easy to tire of. I never wanted to see another egg. Also, since a lot of my protein was coming from eggs and cheese, my cholesterol levels were off the chart. It was extremely bad for my arteries. Carbs, if you are getting them from beans, brown rice, peas, and whole grain breads, cereals and pastas, are high in fiber, which really helps keep the veins/arteries free of plaque. I've recently developed palpitations and have become a lot more aware of heart health. I'm back to just eating at a deficit now. So that's my two cents. Best of luck to you!

    In two weeks your cholesterol levels went off the charts?
    I bet you already HAD high cholesterol levels to begin with if this is even remotely true.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Why? No. Stop.

    I'm a vegetarian. I eat 50% carb, 30% fat, 20% protein. Some days I eat 30% carb, 50% fat, 20% protein. I've lost 62 lbs. Vegetables are a critical part of my success, filling me up before I tuck in to other foods.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    So are you planning on becoming a cheesatarian? How can you be a vegetarian and not eat fruits and vegetables?
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Thank you so much! This is super helpful. I think I'll test this out for two weeks or so!
    CF8.gif
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Thank you so much! This is super helpful. I think I'll test this out for two weeks or so!

    Boing!!
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    Hi there...
    I am a long term lacto-ovo vegetarian and recently tried exactly what you are trying. I tried an Atkins-like approach and I maintained it for two weeks. I ate eggs, tofu, cheese, nuts, broccoli and some meat substitutes for my protein. I also ate a ton of veggies. I used cream in my coffee and kept my carbs low. The good: I lost weight very quickly and felt utterly fantastic. I mean, I haven't felt that good for literally as long as I can remember. The bad: it is boring, and easy to tire of. I never wanted to see another egg. Also, since a lot of my protein was coming from eggs and cheese, my cholesterol levels were off the chart. It was extremely bad for my arteries. Carbs, if you are getting them from beans, brown rice, peas, and whole grain breads, cereals and pastas, are high in fiber, which really helps keep the veins/arteries free of plaque. I've recently developed palpitations and have become a lot more aware of heart health. I'm back to just eating at a deficit now. So that's my two cents. Best of luck to you!

    In two weeks your cholesterol levels went off the charts?
    I bet you already HAD high cholesterol levels to begin with if this is even remotely true.


    Likely.
  • sautercl
    sautercl Posts: 2 Member
    These are the things that get me through when I'm trying to do low carb-

    Cauliflower crust pizza - or any of the fun things you can do with cauliflower (rice, tortillas)

    Celery and peanut butter/cheese spread - I used plain ground peanut kind and added stevia and salt - some of the commercial ones can have added sugar

    Tofu wings - marinate cubes of tofu in hot sauce then pan fry and add more hot sauce, spices and a little butter

    Whey protein shakes with almond milk - I would often use a strawberry flavored one and add a 2 or 3 frozen strawberries. Some of the whey proteins have very low carbs, but check the labels. I would also do green smoothies and just use a few slices of frozen banana, PB2, lots of spinach.

    Dreamfield Pasta in small quantities

    Quest Bars

    Plain greek yogurt

    Low carb tortillas (Tumaro's or La Tortilla Factory), light bread

    Lasagna with eggplant or zucchini instead of noodles

    Many combinations of eggs and cheese too, of course. I like the tobacco chipotle sauce to keep these a bit interesting.

    A reasonably sized bite of anything is usually pretty low carb - this has kept me sane when my husband has a pile of nachos or pizza in front of me...
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    So are you planning on becoming a cheesatarian? How can you be a vegetarian and not eat fruits and vegetables?
    My sister-in-law is mostly a cheesatarian. She's vegetarian but doesn't like most vegetables. She will eat rice and beans, but she claims* most of her calories come from cheese.

    *She doesn't track calories so my guess is that she really doesn't know. But she does eat a lot of cheese...
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    Thank you so much! This is super helpful. I think I'll test this out for two weeks or so!

    Don't. Seriously. Did you miss the part where she couldn't sustain it due to the limited nature of her food choices? The whole idea of weight loss is to find a sustainable way of eating so that once the weight is off, you can maintain your loss.

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    So are you planning on becoming a cheesatarian? How can you be a vegetarian and not eat fruits and vegetables?
    My sister-in-law is mostly a cheesatarian. She's vegetarian but doesn't like most vegetables. She will eat rice and beans, but she claims* most of her calories come from cheese.

    *She doesn't track calories so my guess is that she really doesn't know. But she does eat a lot of cheese...

    I have a friend like that, too.

    I was a vegetarian for 18 years....it just isn't healthy to do this and not eat vegetables. (carbs)

  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    I don't eat meat, so doing the no carbs thing is difficult for me ,but any fellow vegetarian friends out there who have done it? What did you eat? Do you have any other good ideas for healthy diets and/or cleanses?

    I am a vegetarian, and I eat lots of carbs. I am also pretty skinny these days, so I dont think the carbs are the problem.

    Try eating a balanced diet, and tracking calories here on MFP.

  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    So are you planning on becoming a cheesatarian? How can you be a vegetarian and not eat fruits and vegetables?
    My sister-in-law is mostly a cheesatarian. She's vegetarian but doesn't like most vegetables. She will eat rice and beans, but she claims* most of her calories come from cheese.

    *She doesn't track calories so my guess is that she really doesn't know. But she does eat a lot of cheese...

    Ugh, I can only imagine the constipation must be near terminal!
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    auddii wrote: »
    So are you planning on becoming a cheesatarian? How can you be a vegetarian and not eat fruits and vegetables?
    My sister-in-law is mostly a cheesatarian. She's vegetarian but doesn't like most vegetables. She will eat rice and beans, but she claims* most of her calories come from cheese.

    *She doesn't track calories so my guess is that she really doesn't know. But she does eat a lot of cheese...

    Ugh, I can only imagine the constipation must be near terminal!
  • jjejjtu
    jjejjtu Posts: 1,324 Member
    603reader wrote: »
    Hi there...
    I am a long term lacto-ovo vegetarian and recently tried exactly what you are trying. I tried an Atkins-like approach and I maintained it for two weeks. I ate eggs, tofu, cheese, nuts, broccoli and some meat substitutes for my protein. I also ate a ton of veggies. I used cream in my coffee and kept my carbs low. The good: I lost weight very quickly and felt utterly fantastic. I mean, I haven't felt that good for literally as long as I can remember. The bad: it is boring, and easy to tire of. I never wanted to see another egg. Also, since a lot of my protein was coming from eggs and cheese, my cholesterol levels were off the chart. It was extremely bad for my arteries. Carbs, if you are getting them from beans, brown rice, peas, and whole grain breads, cereals and pastas, are high in fiber, which really helps keep the veins/arteries free of plaque. I've recently developed palpitations and have become a lot more aware of heart health. I'm back to just eating at a deficit now. So that's my two cents. Best of luck to you!

    In two weeks your cholesterol levels went off the charts?
    I bet you already HAD high cholesterol levels to begin with if this is even remotely true.


    Apparently I need to be a little more specific. According to my lab tests done by Kaiser my cholesterol is 156, which I am happy with. However, I was eating too much cholesterol for it to be healthy to sustain, and was way over on my recommended daily intake of cholesterol for the two weeks that I was eating that diet.

    So, OP, my point is that carbs will give you a better-rounded diet, and just focus on eating at a deficit. Find a way of eating that you can maintain for the long-term. Something realistic that incorportates foods you enjoy eating.

This discussion has been closed.