Hi I am Liljon, I am a vegetarian (not vegan) from WV.
I also the World's fattest non-meat eater weighing in around 350lb,

I don't like meat and do not find it a struggle to not eat it, but I do love cheese and eggs, and have not found a great substitute for them.

I am looking for some vegetarian friends, I have great non-vegetarian friends on MFP, but would like some that I can share recipes, stories and support with.

Hi all! I'm new to MFP, so I'm taking a tour of the communities. I'm 42, Mom of two, working full-time, and a Buddhist. I have been a vegetarian on and off throughout my life, but after recent Buddhist practice, it has now stuck. Except... I was gaining weight! What?? Joining MFP is part of a journey to not only lose weight, but to have a more mindful, balanced approach to what I eat. It's not all about grilled cheese and french fries!

Hi, I'm Lori. I'm 51, married with two grown kids, and live in Northern Wisconsin. I've been a vegetarian for about a year and a half, mostly for ethical and environmental reasons, but also for health and hopefully weight loss. I've been overweight for a long time, but unfortunately, I gained even more (20 pounds) almost immediately upon becoming vegetarian. I do not consume animal products except eggs, honey, and Greek yogurt and certain cheeses (I'm somewhat lactose intolerant). My main problem is that I'm a truck driver and eat out a lot of the time, and truck stops are rather lacking in vegetarian options. So while I can keep my calories under control, I'm having lots of trouble maintaining my macros, especially my protein levels. I'm hoping to get some ideas for non refrigerated foods I can keep on the truck for healthy vegetarian meals and snacks, as well as get some much needed moral support and make some new friends.

Hi from Louisiana. I have been reducing my meat intake and joined for recipes and inspiration. --Dennise

Hi everyone, my name is Dawn. I have been a vegetarian for over 30 years. My children and grandchildren have all been raised this way and have a strong love of animals. I am very overweight and really have to get back to basics. Looking to evolve to a more clean/green eating and as much vegan as possible. Move away from all things processed. I don't find veganism all that difficult but I still seem to slip back into old habits. Hoping to make this year a focus on health. My obstacle, my husband absolutely loves to cook. He loves gourmet food and every day will make amazing food that certainly is not healthy oriented. He is trying to help but OMG his stuff is hard to resist. So for this hurdle, I need to focus on quantity (taste, not gobble). As an example, he made a creamy roasted corn sauce over zucchini, mushrooms, Quorn, fettuccini last night. Tried to stay away from the pasta and ate a smaller portion than my norm, especially since pasta was such a main component. It is going to be tough but I really need to get my weight under control.

Hi all! My name is Debi. I'm 54 and live in the Netherlands (but was born and raised in Detroit!) with my husband, two daughters (17 and 13), a cat, two bunnies and a very naughty dog.

In Feb, 2012, I decided I didn't like being 200 pounds, so I went low carb and lost 70-something pounds. Since then, I've gained back a little bit, but I'm at a good weight and have stayed pretty stable for the past 5 years (currently hovering around 133, which suits me...).

Along with the low carb, I started working out, which is where I found and fell in love with Pilates. After going to classes for a few years, my instructor talked me into getting certified myself. I now teach 4 Pilates classes a week. My new "love" is yoga, and I'm working toward certification as a yoga instructor, too. I also teach yoga and a legs/stomach/butt fitness class.

In the meantime, my husband, oldest daughter and I decided to go vegetarian. My youngest thinks we're crazy and won't go near a vegetable. As a result, I've been trying to balance all the various "diets" (husband still eats fish, but hates quinoa; oldest daughter hates beans and loves quinoa; youngest daughter wants pasta and meat for every meal; I'm still watching my carbs and avoid pasta and breads...). As you can imagine, every dinner and most lunches turn into a total nightmare!

I'm looking for some ideas that will make a least a couple people on the list happy... ;-)

Nice to meet all of you!

Hi, I'm Sarah, Southern AZ. My husband and I are gravitating back to a vegetarian lifestyle. I did Vegetarian for almost a year and a half a few years back and it was the greatest I felt in my life. I remember not ever feeling sluggish after eating (with the exception of imbibing a pint of ice cream) l, slept better, felt more energetic through my day, my weight was on a downward trend and my skin looked radiant. Then, life happened. I had a baby girl, my mother passed away, my husband's alcoholism managed him a DUI and I couldn't keep it all together.
Fast forward to today...my baby girl is now a toddler, my husband went to rehab and has been sober for a little over a year, I've sought help to grieve over my mother and in so doing found I had a dificiency is creating my own L-methyfolate (with aides in seratonin production). Hubby and I are ready to get back into a vegetarian lifestyle.
For the past month Ive been slowly eliminating the freezer meat and meat based pantry items (canned beef chili, vienna sausages, spam - i know horrible food choices) and have been uping my meal planning game, buddha bowls, home made foods and packing lunches. I think I'm getting my foundation back. We do still eat fish and shrimp about once a week and when visiting family will eat meat as we don't expect to be catered to.
I still feel the need for support in this change. Sometimes I get frustrated because my daughter doesn't want to eat healthy, she's a toddler, and I get it. But her meals tend to be mac and cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and quesadillas! Anything with cheese is her happy place. We have had success with vegan cheese sandwiches, vegan mac and cheese and vegan corn dogs. But I still hate that its all processed. And I tend to dislike a lot of the vegetarian/vegan processed food in the store. Perhaps my mind thinks about how much the vegan chicken doesn't resemble chicken at all. I'd prefer just not eat something posing as something it's not.
Anyway, here I am. Thanks for having this blog on MFP.
Sarah