Hello, I'm Ann. I've been ovo-lacto vegetarian since 1974 - coming up on half a century! - but do eat many plant-based meals despite the dairy/eggs.

I used MFP to lose 50ish pounds back in 2015-16 at age 59-60, have been maintaining in a healthy weight range since (after about 30 previous years of overweight/obesity). I'm now 67.

I live in Michigan, USA (middle of the palm). I'm widowed (since 1998), no children or siblings. I'm also a breast cancer survivor. I'm pretty close to addicted to rowing (boats, the skinny ones like in the Olympics, except mine is slow), but also enjoy biking on the paved trail system here. In Winter, I machine row and stationary bike, even though those aren't nearly as much fun, so I can avoid starting conditioning from zero come next Spring. I don't strength train nearly enough. I enjoy jewelry making (off-loom bead weaving, wire work, stringing, a bit of low-end metalwork), visual journaling, a few other misbegotten crafts projects, and occasional quixotic efforts to teach myself to play bluegrass banjo. I like weird plants, both houseplants and outdoor weirdos.

My biggest weight management problem is that I'm a hedonist with FOMO. Calorie counting has worked well for me - so far - to balance current happiness/enjoyment with future happiness/health.

enlightenme3 wrote: »

Hi - I'm Marisa and I've been a ovo-lacto vegetarian for a little over 30 years. I'm retired now so I have a lot more time to cook and plan meals as well as get my exercise in. I've gained weight as a vegetarian and lost weight as a vegetarian, so MFP calorie counting is an important part of maintaining my 35-40 pound weight loss. My two biggest things I focus on daily is getting enough fruits and veggies and enough protein. Left to my own devices, I can easily slip back into a high carb, high fat diet that put the weight on in the first place.

That so much resonates with me. I've been vegetarian (and high plant intake) since 1974, but only at a healthy weight for a bit at the start of that, and for the last 7+ years. I got fat, then obese, while vegetarian; then stayed overweight for decades as a vegetarian; then lost weight eating pretty much the same range of foods (in different portion sizes, proportions, and frequencies).

Possibly dangerous admission to post in this group, but multiple times there have been threads in the general Community where people post that they're going vegan/vegetarian to lose weight, and I try to convince them that it isn't a weight loss method.

Don't get me wrong, there are many excellent reasons to be vegan or vegetarian - obviously I think that since I've been veg for 49+ years now . . . but it isn't some automagical guarantee of weight loss.

Given common eating patterns here in the US, many people will do better (health and satiation both) if they eat much greater amounts of fruits/veggies, sure. But weight loss? Not necessarily going to happen. Like any other eating style, reasonable calorie intake is the foundation that will lead to weight management. If vegetarianism/veganism makes that easier for someone to do, it's a good strategy, but there are also great reasons to go that route for reasons completely unrelated to body weight.

Yeah ! fully agree
Peanut butter is definitively not a weight loss food ahah

I am also ok to have it around. And I use it regularly to avoid labeling it as a restriction food.
However if I am tired or ravenous it can slip out of hands

Hello Rhumax
Nice to have you on board 😊

Hi all. I'm Jodi. I have been vegetarian (aspiring vegan) for over a decade. I'm back to MFP after regaining all the weight I lost . Need to get back to focusing on healthy food and finding time to exercise. I'm so excited to find an active community and hope to connect with all of you for motivation , support and sharing recipes.

Hi all! So glad to find this group, I'm re-connecting with MFP again after a bit of a break. I started a vegan diet in January this year and have been trying to find my way via online recipes since then, but a group like this is fantastic!

I'm a 45yr old, happily married, work at home mum in the UK...but seem to have lost my exercise mojo somewhere in the last few years!!

Just updated my 'about you' section for those who'd like to be friends. I've got an open diary and would love to connect with other WFPB/Vegans, particularly with open diaries too for inspiration.

@Red_B1rd, yeah, I've been vegetarian since 1974, and mostly overweight/obese until 2015. In my case, not so much junk as portion control issues, and too many calorie-dense treats. But 100%, vegetarianism is no guarantee of weight management!

I was married to an omnivore - a hunter, even - for 20+ years (happily married - widowed, not divorced). I was lucky, though: He was not only willing to eat vegetarian meals, he was happy to cook them once we started alternating who cooked dinner. He did eat meat, but usually at other meals when we weren't together, or when we ate in restaurants. When we first started living together, he wasn't a very adventurous eater, but evolved to the point where he loved to try new things . . . even scary meat-type things: Tripe, chicken feet, various seafood with tentacles, etc. Veg stuff too, though!

Red_B1rd wrote: »

@AnnPT77 : We're both retired (I don't consider my work at the sanctuary a job, just fun and sweaty), so I have a ton more time to experiment in the kitchen, but some days it's hard to break out of the "meat and potatoes" sentiment, lol. I will give him credit--he's come a very long way since we've been married. I'm sorry to hear about your spouse by the way--he sounds like he was a lovely man--I hope you're doing okay.

@Red_B1rd, thank you. I'm fine . . . it's been a long time: He died at 45 when I was 43, so back in 1998. I still miss him, but life has reshaped itself, and things are good for me now. I'm lucky in so many ways.

There are so many delicious plant based meals! I'll bet your husband will come around. If he's open to adventure, there are so many international cuisines with a strong vegetarian/vegan tradition one can draw on: Various Asian cuisines, African ones, Indian, South/Central American, and more. I love trying new-to-me veggies and fruits, too.

Hi there, I'm Liv! I've been vegetarian most of my life, and vegan for almost a year now. I love running, recently got into swimming (as a consequence of getting a running injury, yay) and want to get into strength workouts. My diet is on the healthy-ish side, but I've been struggling to stay on track with cooking my own meals lately, and my snacking has been kinda out of control (especially crisps, omg), so I'm hopeful that joining MFP will help me become more deliberate with my food choices.

Looking forward to getting to know you guys and exchanging tips on how to be healthier on a day to day basis!