Becoming vegetarian

i have some vegetarian days , and i don't feel as perky on those days. i need my shot of animal protein.

I've been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for 41 years. I gained from normal weight (nearly underweight) to obese as a vegetarian, and recently went all the way back in the other direction (though not to underweight), still as a vegetarian.

There is no weight loss or health magic about being a vegetarian (or a vegan), IMO, no matter what evangelists for the lifestyle(s) may tell you.

You can eat healthy or unhealthy vegetarian foods, just like you can eat healthy or unhealthy omnivorean (izzat a word? ) foods. You can eat too little, too much, or just right - just as with any other way of eating.

It is more difficult to get enough protein, but very doable, with attention. If you have some strong ethical reason for becoming vegetarian/vegan, go for it. If not, it's quite possibly more nutritional and social bother than it's worth, frankly. (Again, just my opinion . . . but with decades of experience behind it.)

cleowalmsley123 wrote: »

My vegetarian friend has recently lost a lot of weight so I just wondered if that was a bonus. Does not eating meat help clear your system like a sort of detox in any way? Thanks for replies

I have a suspicion that for some people it may be easier to lose weight if they start eating dramatically more vegetables and whole foods, while still getting enough protein and healthy fat, as long as they don't do a lot of deep-frying and such. High-volume/low-calorie foods can be very filling & satisfying.

But for weight loss, I think there's no magic: I think it's all calories in < calories out. For healthy eating, there's no formula, but I don't think there's magic there, either. Michael Pollan's "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." is pretty good advice.

I don't really believe in detoxes - I think that as long as you're fundamentally healthy, your liver & kidneys do a pretty good job of detoxing your body. If you generally eat in a healthy way, get enough exercise to achieve basic fitness, and don't go off the deep end with alcohol or other questionable habits, I personally believe you're doing what's needed to support them in their detoxifying job. Beyond that, I think most "detoxes" are a gimmick - not to mention a method for detoxing dollars from one's wallet, typically.

There do seem to be a few folks on MFP who've been helped by making some kind of dramatic break with their old way of eating, and often that new way is some kind of "lots of veggies/whole foods" variation. (But note: I also see quite a few fail utterly using that same method, when they find it too big a change all at once, and unsustainable. So it depends. But the converted are still here evangelizing, and the failed are gone, so not speaking up to counter.)

If you feel committed to an ethically-based change (including environmentally-motivated ethical reasons), it's doable, and can be a healthy way of eating. Please consider the social implications as well: Do you want to be the one at Christmas dinner eating the side dishes, and asking people to leave the yummy bacon out of their special brussel sprouts? Will you be comfortable navigating the dinner party at your non-vegetarian boss's house?

It's a valid choice, I'm certainly not backing out of vegetarianism at this point, and all of these issues can be handled. Reducing the role of meat in your diet, or focusing on ethically or sustainably raised animal products, might be another option, if your concerns are environmental - especially if you love meat. (I never much liked it.)

I've done my share of detoxes back when I was drinking nothing but the freshly squeezed juice kool-aid (see what I did there). I did lose weight, both around my middle and in my savings account. The weight eventually returned to my middle, but I'm still waiting for it to go back to my pocket book. There are better options.

Going vegetarian was a religious, moral and ethical choice for me. It had nothing to do with weight loss. Indeed, I gained quite a bit of weight as a vegetarian on things like glazed nuts and dried fruit.

Although I will say I did lose a great deal of unexpected weight as a raw vegan, but that's a ridiculous lifestyle, and it turns out quite unhealthy in the long run. I was eating at 50 to 60 percent fat every day but the weight was falling off.

The idea is, you cook nothing; everything is raw, and there is an over-reliance on the food processor. I actually miss the zucchini spaghetti I use to make with a spiral vegetable cutter and the sauce out of sun-dried tomatoes. However it took hours and hours of work in the kitchen, and I just burned out on living like that.

These days I eat a salad at least once a day, supplement with a hemp protein shake, and have eggs quite often for protein. I also eat a lot of soy products, which I'm not thrilled about, but it's a dangerous world we live in. It's going to get you one way or another.

Hi, as a vegetarian for 27 years ( no meat or fish) since aged 13, I was fine until I went off to university weight-wise.

Our family ate a very good pulse, lentil, soya and vegetable based veggie diet courtesy of my mum but unfortunately I didn't learn how to cook it myself (or was too lazy) so when I went to uni I ate easy stuff and far too much cheese and pasta and pizza. Since then I've been in the overweight range (until now).

As an adult It's been very hard to eat healthy when you are the only veggie in the family as you want to eat what they eat but just supplement the meat for a veggie option, that was often a pie or processed products that are high calorie-fat-wise.

I've now learned that to do this for myself I have to accept that I will usually be eating something totally different to my family (they're not keen on lentils, pulses and soya!) and therefore cooking two different meals. Actually it's been fine, I've enjoyed rediscovering my healthy childhood dinners!

Also I take Berrocca every single day (it's really improved my health and energy levels) and Floravital liquid iron.

Good luck with your new veggie diet!

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I've transitioned, but slowly, into vegetarian. I lost 24 lbs before starting that transition though. I just didn't want to eat animal-protein anymore and I won't go into the whys of it here.

I've never felt better about "what" I am eating now, plant-based foods. I still have to make sure I get enough calories a day, to keep up with what I burn, fuel my body. I maintain my weight with at least 1700 cals, and if I want to lose, I have to figure a deficit by either burning more with exercise, or eating a little less.

Always has to be a slight deficit, and I do mean slight. I like to eat, so if I want to lose stored fat I have to get off my rear.

I agree with kkenseth said, 100%, Denise

There are none (health wise anyway). Ethical reasons is a different topic.

Threads like these make me smh.
I haven't eaten meat for 34 yrs. Guess what --- I was still over weight. Just because one becomes vegan or vegetarian doesn't mean they will lose weight or become healthier.

To lose weight all you need is a calorie deficit. Calories In - calories out.

when i first went vegetarian earlier in 2015, i lost a few pounds right away, but then it evened out. my family has a habit of eating out, so instead of getting burgers and fries i'd have to get a salad or something since i didn't have any other option. my digestive system became much more regular. the weirdest thing that happened was that i was gassy and bloated less.
it varies from person to person. some people are built to be able to go without meat, some need animal protein. i'd say i'm lucky, from my moral standing that i get along just fine without meat.
is it good for weight loss? in theory yes, if you stop eating meat and start eating vegetables in its place. in practice, no, if you're like me and swapped out burgers for cake.