New vegetarian

Here is a group of folks doing plant based: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/45-happy-herbivores

I stick with a mainly vegetarian diet. My suggestion is not to focus so much on cheese...bc it will pack on the pounds. There are numerous ways to fix veggies ..look on the net for whatever recipes you are wanting. Also, find veggies you have never ate before. I tried tamarinds for the first time years ago...BOY I am addicted, those babies are like fruit roll ups! Yummy!

I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian for 42 years - got fat, eventually became obese, and recently lost weight (63 pounds), all while vegetarian. I mostly cook from scratch using single-ingredient or simple foods at home, and eat really, really a lot of veggies & fruit. I don't normally eat protein powders, protein bars, or fake meat - I just don't find them tasty or satisfying.

I can't really suggest a meal plan, because I don't have one. I just cook & eat things I find tasty, satiating, and nutritious. While losing weight, I aimed for an absolute minimum of .6-.8g protein per pound of body weight, and now (in maintenance) target a minimum of 100g daily (at 120lb). I shoot for at least .35g/pound of fat, much of it from healthy sources. Then I let the carbs fall where they may. I was counting fruit/veg servings for a while, but found that I normally eat 9-20 (!) servings daily, so I stopped worrying about counting them.

This is not some kind of crusade-type religious thing for me; it's just how I enjoy eating. While MFP friends have occasionally accused me of "clean eating", I always deny it . . . I haven't the foggiest idea what "clean eating" actually means.

I'm stunned to hear that one can't eat cheese without packing on pounds; I've eaten it pretty much every day while losing weight, and in maintenance. But I do believe in varied protein sources - cheese is just one.