Low Carb High Protein Vegetarian Diet - Suggestions?

sarahtoce
sarahtoce Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Basically, the title says it all. Would love input. Trying to lose weight with a low carb high protein diet - and I'm vegetarian (dairy okay). Thanks!

Replies

  • CoffeenSquats
    CoffeenSquats Posts: 982 Member
    I'm super boring and make a lot of chicken breast and roasted vegetables so that would be my suggestion. lol.
  • Elphaba1313
    Elphaba1313 Posts: 190 Member
    edited November 2018
    Edited for weird double post.
  • Elphaba1313
    Elphaba1313 Posts: 190 Member
    CoffeenSquats wrote: »
    I'm super boring and make a lot of chicken breast and roasted vegetables so that would be my suggestion. lol.

    Vegetarians don’t eat meat.

  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    sarahtoce wrote: »
    Basically, the title says it all. Would love input. Trying to lose weight with a low carb high protein diet - and I'm vegetarian (dairy okay). Thanks!

    It's generally tough to do low carb, high protein, and vegetarian all at the same time because high-protein plant foods often have more carbs than high-protein animal foods. Unless you have a medical reason to be low carb, I would advise putting fewer restrictions on your diet. You don't have to eat low carb to lose weight.
  • inittothinit42
    inittothinit42 Posts: 64 Member
    Do you still eat eggs and dairy food? I think those plus avocado, coconut, and olives are going to have to be your mainstays. I think that eating low-carb AND vegetarian does sound difficult.
  • lindamyers4
    lindamyers4 Posts: 1 Member
    I like smoothies made with lots of veggies and protein powder. I use almond milk as liquid
  • sarahtoce
    sarahtoce Posts: 3 Member
    Thanks everyone. Yes, I was instructed to do low carb, high protein and my doctor + nutritionist have said it's possible. I've been a vegetarian since the age of 10 and I'm 35 so it's not a fad diet :) And I won't start eating meat again to make this easier, so...if any of you are in the same boat, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks again!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,966 Member
    I've been vegetarian for 44 years (but wouldn't do low carb on a dare, I have to admit; it doesn't suit me, personally, and it proved unnecessary for me to lose substantial weight then maintain the loss). Nonetheless, I think you might find this thread helpful:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

    It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods by protein efficiency (most protein for fewest calories). You'll need to scroll past a bunch of meaty/fishy options near the top, but the vegetarian options are in there further down. "Protein efficient" implies that relatively more of the calories come from protein rather than fat or carbs, so I think it may be helpful.

    Dairy may be a challenge because of the inherent sugars in most dairy foods. (I exceeded my MFP sugar goal daily almost entirely from no-sugar-added dairy and fruits while losing weight, and tended to land around 200g carbs daily partly because of that, partly because of other veggie choices - nearly no added sugars in anything, less than a couple of grams of added sugar a day.)

    Are you insulin resistant, diabetic, have PCOS, or something like that? I'm wondering why the low carb is so important in your doctor/nutritionist's view. I'm not trying to talk you out of it at all - low carb is a perfectly valid choice for many people, especially those for whom it helps control cravings, and definitely for those with a medical need. It is a bit harder as a vegetarian, though, because of the carbs in a lot of solid vegetarian protein sources, but not impossible, of course.

    Best wishes!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited November 2018
    It partly depends on why you need to be low carb and how low carb you need to go. While it's possible to be a keto vegan it's not easy. Vegetarian is a little better but as mentioned above, there are natural sugars in dairy. Do you also eat eggs?

    I've found as a diabetic that I can eat a surprisingly large amount of cottage cheese without spiking my blood glucose, because whey protein provokes a strong insulin response. I eat low-ish carb, about 150g/day, but not keto, and have been very successful in lowering my A1c to normal levels.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    There are vegan protein powders to supplement, if needed. As mentioned, low carb vegetarian could be difficult, depending on how low carb.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Dietdoctor.com has a sample menu for vegetarians.
    The book ketotarian by Will Cole (library book via hoopla) offers entire low carb menus that are vegetarian and or pescatarian (the fish ones can be modified for vegetarians).
    Atkins has an "ecoatkins" but it is vegan and higher in carbs than your standard low carb.

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