Thinking about going vegetarian

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I got fat as a vegetarian, stayed fat as a vegetarian, then lost weight as a vegetarian . . . so I'm pretty sure it's entirely irrelevant to weight loss.

It's also pretty annoying socially. Christmas dinner? You're the oddball. Dinner party? You're the bump in the road. Everyone in the group wants to go to the steakhouse or seafood restaurant? You're having long, earnest conversations with the wait-staff. None of this is in any way insurmountable, but if you're not committed to it for some Very Important Reason, I think it wouldn't be worth it. Consider simply minimizing meat, instead.

I've been vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for 42 years, since 1974. My late husband was a hunter, BTW,

I haven't found it annoying socially. Maybe this is regional, but I've never been to a restaurant that does not have at least one vegetarian option, including steakhouses or seafood restaurants. I eat in steakhouses and seafood restaurants often for work, and there is almost always at least one non-salad vegetarian entree. Of course, the vegetarian options are often after thoughts and often aren't the most amazing food, but they're there. Several times, I've had the waitstaff ask if I'm a vegetarian and give me additional options not on the menu or let me know that certain items could easily be modified. I've never had to have any sort of long or earnest conversation with the waitstaff.

As far as holiday dinners and dinner parties, all of the ones I've attended have had many non-meat sides and at the very minimum just a salad.

If you are concerned about the treatment of animals choose free range chicken.

queenliz99 wrote: »

Vegetarians can be overweight too! It's all about your calorie intake in whatever macros you see fit.

This. I was a fat vegetarian. I even ate 'clean'. I did it for ethical reasons, but my body didn't respond well to it even though I was supplementing and making sure to eat enough protien and fats.

Cutting foods out doesn't necessarily lead to weight loss.

pomegranatecloud wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

I got fat as a vegetarian, stayed fat as a vegetarian, then lost weight as a vegetarian . . . so I'm pretty sure it's entirely irrelevant to weight loss.

It's also pretty annoying socially. Christmas dinner? You're the oddball. Dinner party? You're the bump in the road. Everyone in the group wants to go to the steakhouse or seafood restaurant? You're having long, earnest conversations with the wait-staff. None of this is in any way insurmountable, but if you're not committed to it for some Very Important Reason, I think it wouldn't be worth it. Consider simply minimizing meat, instead.

I've been vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for 42 years, since 1974. My late husband was a hunter, BTW,

I haven't found it annoying socially. Maybe this is regional, but I've never been to a restaurant that does not have at least one vegetarian option, including steakhouses or seafood restaurants. I eat in steakhouses and seafood restaurants often for work, and there is almost always at least one non-salad vegetarian entree. Of course, the vegetarian options are often after thoughts and often aren't the most amazing food, but they're there. Several times, I've had the waitstaff ask if I'm a vegetarian and give me additional options not on the menu or let me know that certain items could easily be modified. I've never had to have any sort of long or earnest conversation with the waitstaff.

OK, so I exaggerated a little. Like I said, it can work - I've done this for 42 years, almost twice as long as you've been alive, and I don't break down and eat meat at holidays or at restaurants or anything like that. But people with only a modest level of commitment to it really should think through the social implications. It's a consideration, but not an actual barrier.

As far as holiday dinners and dinner parties, all of the ones I've attended have had many non-meat sides and at the very minimum just a salad.

Of course. One informs potential at-home dinner hosts, offers to bring veggie main-dish sides, etc., and this takes a degree of confidence and assertiveness. If one doesn't pre-announce, some hosts will feel embarrassed, scramble for solutions, and other forms of awkwardness. I routinely socialize with non-veg folks, including holidays with very non-veg family. Some prospective vegetarians don't consider the social dimension. IMO, they should.

i started easing into a vegetarian diet for a lot of reasons, but my first and main immediate benefit was to force myself to plan my meals carefully. instead of just eating a couple of cheap hot dogs at dinner and figuring i was set, i felt like i had to actually keep track of my protein to make sure i was getting enough. the danger of drastically under-nourishing myself by eating nothing but bread was enough for me to start actually getting enough protein. i eat way more now than i did two years ago before i started.

i started out "only 3 meals with meat each week" and now i only eat meat under very special occasions, maybe five times a year? family holidays i will eat meat, also sometimes if im really drunk and tired i will forget and order some chicken nuggets at mcdonalds haha.

another thing i like about vegetarianism is that i automatically have cheaper protein sources. i dont like imitation meat, so i mostly just eat beans, nuts, dairy, and eggs every day to meet my protein and fat needs. eggs are $1.29 a dozen around here nowadays! nuts can get expensive though. also ive had to try new vegetables (eggplant parmesan instead of chicken) and i have to say, i like quite a bit of them now that i'm not a child anymore.

so, to recap, being vegetarian hasnt helped me with weight loss directly, but it has helped me be more aware of what im eating and what kind of macronutrient goals i can easily reach. i started slow as a challenge, and now am happily subsisting on pbjs and scrambled eggs with very occasional indulgences. if you decide to do this, good luck, and im sure you'll learn a lot about yourself along the way.

Well, going vegetarian is tricky because you will limit your options in food that has protein content in them. Legumes, beans etc will give you carbs along wth protein. Since nonvegetarian ppl get protein readily from many options like fish, initially t will be difficult to find the proper foods with the macros you r looking for. You can find protein in eggs, so vegetarian life is better than vegans I guess But you will definitely feel the difference once you get adapted to the vegetarian lifestyle.

EmilyHughes801 wrote: »

Okay, so I've been thinking maybe I should try going vegetarian. Mostly because I hate the way animals are treated leading up to their deaths basically. Also, I want to see if it'll help me lose weight faster and lead to a healthier body. Problem is I really love chicken like a lot. I also hate most fish. I can sometimes go days without eating meat and not miss it, but if my family or friends are going out to eat I have to have meat. I've tried giving up beef before, but sometimes I actually forget when I'm eating it. I've also never been a big pork fan and have never had lamb. Anyways I'm rambling now, but to the vegetarians out there...is it worth it? I mean it'll be hard for me at first, but did you guys see results pretty quickly?

Vegetarians still contribute to the death and mistreatment of animals. A vegan diet will help you lose weight and not harm all animals.

A calorie is not a calorie. Each nutrient acts differently. You will stay fat and hungry as long as you continue to eat a diet high in carbs. Your Body can't get to stored fat while lots of sugar is circulating in the blood because big bully INSULIN will not allow it. INSULIN is a fat inhibitor. Humans must have protein and fat to survive. Carbohydrates are not a necessary ingredient for human health. The lens of your eyes and your red blood cells need a tiny bit of glycogen but the liver can make this from the protein we eat. The Masai in Africa lived for millennia on animal blood, fatty meats and goats milk. No carbs folks. Check them out. Strong and tall and powerful people. The Inuit ate blubber from seals and Elk and no carbs. In the early 1900's a scientist lived with them and they ate solely fat and meat for 10 YEARS. Frequent blood tests continued over the years to show no ill effects. But I learned this all from watching Dr. Lustig, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney and Professor Tim Noakes on U-tube. Nothing is better than the truth. We have been lied too for over 40 years. When you find out you are carbohydrate intolerant, just like lactose intolerant, you realize for the first time, "Hey, I can't eat this stuff all I want because I will get sick and I will get fat". All this fat is from sugar molecules, for some people trans fats too, but not me. I was careful and followed that stupid food pyramid and ate what at the time I was told was healthy food, whole wheat grain bread and cereals, fruit like no tomorrow and tons of vegetables. Little did I know at the time that the body processes each nutrient differently. Little did I know that a sugar molecule was made up of half sucrose and half fructose. Yes I knew fructose was bad for you and I DID NOT DRINK POP or sports drinks, but I had no idea that the body sees the same amount of sugar in something like an ounce of pop and the equivalent of calories in fruit. The body processes it the same. Fruit is natures candy. The higher the carb content in your diet the more difficult to burn fat because as I said above, INSULIN is a bully and as long as it has lots of glycogen to burn, fat will never be utilized.

MonicaRAmbs wrote: »

A calorie is not a calorie. Each nutrient acts differently. You will stay fat and hungry as long as you continue to eat a diet high in carbs. Your Body can't get to stored fat while lots of sugar is circulating in the blood because big bully INSULIN will not allow it. INSULIN is a fat inhibitor. Humans must have protein and fat to survive. Carbohydrates are not a necessary ingredient for human health. The lens of your eyes and your red blood cells need a tiny bit of glycogen but the liver can make this from the protein we eat. The Masai in Africa lived for millennia on animal blood, fatty meats and goats milk. No carbs folks. Check them out. Strong and tall and powerful people. The Inuit ate blubber from seals and Elk and no carbs. In the early 1900's a scientist lived with them and they ate solely fat and meat for 10 YEARS. Frequent blood tests continued over the years to show no ill effects. But I learned this all from watching Dr. Lustig, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney and Professor Tim Noakes on U-tube. Nothing is better than the truth. We have been lied too for over 40 years. When you find out you are carbohydrate intolerant, just like lactose intolerant, you realize for the first time, "Hey, I can't eat this stuff all I want because I will get sick and I will get fat". All this fat is from sugar molecules, for some people trans fats too, but not me. I was careful and followed that stupid food pyramid and ate what at the time I was told was healthy food, whole wheat grain bread and cereals, fruit like no tomorrow and tons of vegetables. Little did I know at the time that the body processes each nutrient differently. Little did I know that a sugar molecule was made up of half sucrose and half fructose. Yes I knew fructose was bad for you and I DID NOT DRINK POP or sports drinks, but I had no idea that the body sees the same amount of sugar in something like an ounce of pop and the equivalent of calories in fruit. The body processes it the same. Fruit is natures candy. The higher the carb content in your diet the more difficult to burn fat because as I said above, INSULIN is a bully and as long as it has lots of glycogen to burn, fat will never be utilized.

So how do you explain the blue zones where people commonly live to be over 100 in good health? They eat moderate to high carb.

Good lord, this post is filled with serious nonsense.