Has anyone lost weight from becoming vegetarian/vegan?

I was a thin Vegetarian, then thin Vegan then a Fat (333 pounds) Vegan now a reduced Vegan

So yes I've lost weight being a Vegan I also though have put on a lot of weight while being a Vegan. There is no miracle weightloss diet it's just eating less moving more whatever your preferred diet and food choices

It's not a diet for weightloss. Most people that are veg are for moral reasons or they just don't like meat

I sure didn't lose weight in my 12 years of being vegetarian. I averaged about 200 pounds during that time. I wasn't even eating "junk" food. Lots of organic fruits and veggies, beans and nuts, and of course, all the baked goods I could stuff in my big face hole.

You can go vegetarian and have an amazingly healthy diet, but the only way you will lose weight doing that is to make sure you're eating less than you burn off.

Vegetarian/vegan doesn't always mean healthier.
Reasons you may gain weight:
- too much processed food. (Frozen TV dinners and refined pasta for example)
- Still eating junk food.
- too much fat

Reasons you have lost weight:
- Less sodium
- overall eating less calories due to less calorie dense food
- eating more "clean"/"paleo"/whatever the heck people want to call it....just more real food

My personal experience in a short nutshell from being vegetarian for 11 years, going bak to meat for 1 year, and now vegan:
I lost weight at first and then gained weight (I was on meds that made you gain an extra 10-20 lbs anyways, but I ate like crap). I continued to lose weight again in college and knocked a lot of time off my running times (competed D1 track/XC, kind of a big deal when that happens). I was eating way less processed food and more whole foods and way more fruit and low in fat and protein (or what the diet industry/Americans think is low protein). I moved back home and started eating like crap again because that was all I could afford, and yes I gained weight. I went back to eating chicken and beef here and there and within a year I started having digestion all issues like crazy, horrible PMS issues, allergies got real bad, facial breakouts to the point where my face got puffy, and I slowly started gaining weight, just to name a few. All these symptoms were actually what people considered normal everyday life. How the hell is this normal? So I went vegan. I eat a ton of fruit and veg now. I also eat twice the amount of food (calorie wise) that I used to eat and I feel fantastic. The weight is slowly coming off (I lost two inches in my butt....I mean for me that's something because I wear way too many jeans).
So what I am getting at is whole foods is going to be way better than processed garden burgers and premade seitan (you can actually make this yourself).

Well yes/no. I went veg back in 2006 and got into triathlon. I was eating healthy and working out and I lost about 60 lbs. Then I stopped doing triathlons and became junk food veg (I call it a carbatarian). This caused me to gain back the 60 plus another 30ish. It's very very easy for it to go in the other direction. Now, I do not eat animals for ethical reasons and I will never go back, but being a healthy veg is hard if you don't plan properly. A lot of fast food is unhealthy and carb/sugar based. It's a great lifestyle and I would recommend it but if your primary goal is to loose weight it might not be the best strategy.

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Why does this question keep pooping up? Look, if you want to become vegetarian do so on principle not for weight control as you will be sorely disappointed. You can eat quite a bit and be vegetarian. I've been vegetarian since 18--not for some weight loss, but because I have certain beliefs important to me.

You'd probably be better off cutting "junk" foods and snacks (not snack times, but snack foods) - doughnuts, cakes, chips, white pasta (which was the sole reason I'm here, pretty sure)... etc.. I mean if you're purely looking for a thing to cut in hopes of weight loss. You don't really need to cut anything so much as just adjust your overall food intake. But I do think there are studies out there that show vegetarians have longer lifespans on average (though I personally would still rather eat meat). I'm not sure of the validity of those studies.

Oh and I'll add that I've only ever known 2 vegetarians in my life. One lost weight when she switched. She switched because animals are friends. The other gained weight when she switched - I'm not sure why she tried it. After several years she switched back because Arby's is delicious and she was low on B12 and iron. I haven't seen her since then unfortunately... (which makes me truly sad, she was one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. But she fell off the face of the planet. No one knows what happened to her and her family - they just... picked up and left!).

Most of my life I ate primarily plant based. vegetarian, not vegan (I was vegan briefly a couple years ago but I just love cheese too much to do that again.) I have never really liked the taste of meat and from a moral perspective it has always bothersd me a lot. I have been strict vegetarian for 6 months, and will be for the rest of my life. I only ate meat all these years bc my Texan friends and family around me convinced me it was necessary part of a well rounded diet. I was always heavier- 5'6" and around 185 9 months ago- so I have tried many diets. Everyone I know raved about paleo and I tried but it was uneffective, gross (I hate meat), and I felt ill. I've always had a very sensitive stomach with protein rich food, even things like tofu sometimes. So when I decided to eat the way I craved to eat (carbs and veggies and cheese and juice!) I noticed right away feeling better overall. Emotionally and physically. The first few months I noticed I was losing weight slowly. But within the last 2 months I have lost 30 pounds. No major changes. Little to no exercise. My friends and family say it's bc I need more protein. But protein makes me feel sick and does unpleasant things to my gi tract. Now I have always been a heavier girl but retained a very muscular frame beneath the weight- big butt and thighs. Even with the weight loss my family credits to not getting enough protein- I still have very muscular legs and rear. If anything more muscular than before. I've lost mostly belly, arm, inner thigh weight. Where all the fat was. What I'm trying to get at is the importance of understanding your body's dietary needs. I understand a meat free diet is not ideal or healthy for every body. Some people need meat (make sure sources are ethically produced though!). I am a healthy weight and feel better not eating meat. Not every diet works for everyone. Eat what you need to eat to feel good and the rest will work itself out.

I was vegan for roughly 5 months and vegetarian for over 3 years, until this past summer. I did indeed lose about 10 pounds during this time, but definitely did not feel my best during this time. Although I ate large portions and ate till I was very full, I would always become hungry after a meal rather quickly. After I slowly incorporated meat back into my diet, my blood sugars levels would even out and my appetite was able to be sustained at a consistent level.

i am an obese vegetarian. a couple years ago i went vegan (Forks Over Knives style) and lost 50 lbs (and lost another 20 lbs after I started eating dairy again and did MFP). I gained 40-50 lbs back going back to my old ways thinking "I'm active".

What is more important that no meat/no eggs/no dairy is the type of food you eat. I have been successful when I cut processed food (for me even more important that portion control). There is lots of unhealthy vegetarian and vegan food out there. Sweedish Berries are vegan.

I was an obese sedentary vegetarian, now I'm a healthy weight vegetarian who runs.

Being a vegetarian had nothing to do with my weight. How much food I ate did.

I was vegan at some point, but I didn't lose a single pound at the time. I was still eating junk food, just vegan junk food. Still the same CICO.

Based on my personal experience, vegan =/= weight loss, contrary to popular belief. I've since converted to vegetarianism, and I have lost weight, but I wouldn't say it's in conjunction with not eating meat.

Nope. I was at my highest weight and gaining as I was not paying attention to my calorie intake even though I was eating all nutritious foods.

All I do now is pay attention to calories.

I spoke with a vegan who needed help losing weight. We decided that he could cut down on his high sugar and refined carbs intake and eat more vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole fruits, whole grains and the like. Being vegan doesn't guarantee slimness.