Are vegetarians thinner than meatatarians..

ctalimenti
ctalimenti Posts: 865 Member
edited October 7 in Food and Nutrition
Just wondering because I just finished reading the meat thread and being a vegetarian seems so much more healthy with fewer fatty foods. What do you think????

I'm not a veg but my son became one a couple yrs ago and I am challenged with cooking.
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Replies

  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    If that were true there wouldn't be so many of us veg*ns on here who are overweight. Regardless of whether you are veg*n or omni, you can eat junk and be unhealthy (or just overeat and gain weight).
  • hopingforhealthy
    hopingforhealthy Posts: 26
    Not necessarily, it depends on how you approach it.

    A lot of vegetarians eat a ton of carbs and cheese.
  • basschick
    basschick Posts: 3,502 Member
    Not necessarily, it depends on how you approach it.

    A lot of vegetarians eat a ton of carbs and cheese.

    Yup. That was me and that's how I got fat.
  • AliciaBeth78
    AliciaBeth78 Posts: 437 Member
    One of the reasons I got so fat was because I decided to become a vegetarian.... so no, not always! :)
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
    Balance is key. Everything in moderation.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    Just wondering because I just finished reading the meat thread and being a vegetarian seems so much more healthy with fewer fatty foods. What do you think????

    Why would eating less fatty foods make you healthier, when fat is an essential macronutrient? Also eating fat does not make you fat, eating in a consistent caloric surplus makes you fat
  • freckledbean
    freckledbean Posts: 30
    If it answers your question at all, Oreos are considered vegan.

    Then again, vegetarians have far fewer options at fast food joints, etc. Personally, I'm more likely to cook at home because what is available most of the time is unappetizing.

    Like everyone's said, if you overindulge and eat junk, regardless of whether it's animal junk you will have a hard time getting/staying thin.
  • cheshirequeen
    cheshirequeen Posts: 1,324 Member
    chips and soda is vegan so no:)
  • mugsisme
    mugsisme Posts: 127 Member
    My neighbor eats a ton of potato chips, cheese, very fattening things that are not meat. I think it depends on what you eat for your protein.
  • shasha_84
    shasha_84 Posts: 170
    oreos are also vegan. It depends on what they choose to eat.
  • ctalimenti
    ctalimenti Posts: 865 Member
    O M G !!!!!!!

    I never expected these types of responses! When I think of a vegetarian, I think "picture of health" and "thin!"

    Boy, was I wrong!!!
  • Ashleysh22
    Ashleysh22 Posts: 204 Member
    I would say no. Its all about portion sizes. But I'm not really a meatatarian or vegetarian. I like veggies, chicken, and rice/pasta best!
  • KarmaxKitty
    KarmaxKitty Posts: 901 Member
    Untrue. No matter what the people who say this is true are saying. I knew two vegetarians, one was thin as all get out, the other was larger than me at my highest weight. Same thing for two vegans I knew. Same thing for two omnivores. I tried going vegetarian for a week and gained three pounds. I added meat back in (lean meats, occasional red meat for iron needs) and lost the three vegetarian pounds AND THEN SOME. What works for one person does not always work for another one.

    It all depends on the person.
  • sara1923
    sara1923 Posts: 53
    I was vegetarian for two years and was also pretty much vegan for half a year. I did not lose weight because of being vegetarian but I can tell you I did gain weight when I went back to eating meat but that it was entirely my fault. It is very difficult to enjoy going out to eat when you are a vegetarian so that was all I did after I went back to eating meat. I went out to eat and ate everything that I chose not to eat for the two years. Since getting it out of my system, I pay attention to my portion sizes and have lost the initial weight that I gained. A person can go over their daily caloric limit regardless of whether or not they choose to eat meat which is going to lead to weight gain. The difficult thing with being vegetarian is to find something to eat that is not cheesy, loaded up with carbs, or fried.
  • naonah
    naonah Posts: 119 Member
    Nope! My sister in law is vegetarian and she's obese. It not only depends on the junk you eat, but also on the quantity you eat. You might eat healthy but way too much. It was well said by someone in the above posts, it all depends on calories in (consumed) versus calories out (burned).
  • Silverkittycat
    Silverkittycat Posts: 1,997 Member
    noooo.....I eat meat, and tons of fat. I've always been thin. :smile:
  • shanighias
    shanighias Posts: 169 Member
    Most of my indian friends are vegetarians and they are fat!
  • teej62
    teej62 Posts: 1
    It all depends on what you eat. I was vegetarian 4 years ago, and ate cheese enchiladas, cheese pizza, etc. and was a thin but flabby vegetarian. I went back vegetarian about 2 years ago, and eat mostly fruits, veggies, beans, whole grains. Little dairy and easy on the flour and sugar. Much healthier these days. It all depends on how you approach it. I am actually on here to gain muscle and a few lbs. so my journey is a little different than some.:bigsmile:
  • naomi8888
    naomi8888 Posts: 519 Member
    Statistically vegetarians are lighter and vegans lighter still. However I am vegetarian and roughly the same weight as when I ate meat. I agree with the above posters though, you can be heavy regardless.
  • umachanxo
    umachanxo Posts: 926 Member
    I was a vegetarian for 4 years. I wasn't any thinner than others who ate meat, I was actually much more ill.
    Of course, that's not to say that others cannot do it! It just didn't work for me.
  • lipglossjunky73
    lipglossjunky73 Posts: 497 Member
    O M G !!!!!!!

    I never expected these types of responses! When I think of a vegetarian, I think "picture of health" and "thin!"

    Boy, was I wrong!!!

    One can overeat no matt what food group is being restricted! :laugh:
  • gingerb85
    gingerb85 Posts: 357 Member
    I think everyone has answered your question with an "nope - not necessarily!" I went from eating an omnivorous diet to being vegan and didn't gain, but didn't lose either.

    As with everything, it depends on your diet. Even still, I have always (in my adult life) eaten a "whole foods" type diet - very little processed foods, very little refined sugar, etc. But it wasn't until I started to MOVE my body that I started to lose weight.

    Now, I definitely FEEL better eating a vegan diet than when I ate a typical American diet. I discovered I'm lactose intolerant and since eliminating dairy from my diet, my myriad tummy troubles have completely disappeared. I've also reduced my over 200 since age 25 cholesterol level to 168. So even if I didn't lose any weight, my health improved drastically by cutting out animal products. Exercise is what has made me LOOK better in addition to feeling better.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Eating a vegetarian diet won't guarantee that you'll be thinner than someone eating meat. It depends on what and how much you eat.
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
    Not necessarily. It really depends on what you eat and how much you eat. I knew a vegetarian who was overweight because all she ate was junk food.
  • jill___
    jill___ Posts: 188 Member
    I've known a lot of vegetarians who eat nothing but junk. If you cut out meat, but eat a well balanced, healthy diet, I think you'd be thinner... but if you cut out meat but eat more french fries, cookies, potato chips, soda, and other junk, you will obviously gain weight!
  • Grokette
    Grokette Posts: 3,330 Member
    Just wondering because I just finished reading the meat thread and being a vegetarian seems so much more healthy with fewer fatty foods. What do you think????

    Why would eating less fatty foods make you healthier, when fat is an essential macronutrient? Also eating fat does not make you fat, eating in a consistent caloric surplus makes you fat

    Your beating your head against the wall................people are so fat phobic because of the ingrained messages that has been sent to us for years, it is virtually impossible to deprogram.
  • shannonichole
    shannonichole Posts: 126
    I've been vegan 12 years and I'm chunky :blushing: But when I do eat a healthy, vegan diet (compared to a junk food vegan diet) I lose the most amount of weight. It just depends if you eat broccoli or Tofutti cuties (soy ice cream) for dinner.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    If that were true there wouldn't be so many of us veg*ns on here who are overweight. Regardless of whether you are veg*n or omni, you can eat junk and be unhealthy (or just overeat and gain weight).

    I'm afraid this is true. You can be a vegetarian and still get a huge amount of calories from the snack aisle. Might be slightly harder as a vegan, but that's partly because to be healthy a vegan must be extremely mindful about nutrients and combinations. Even so, I'm sure there are vegans who take a multivitamin every day, then still get their calories from junk.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    I like to think so.

    But I'm probably wrong.
  • LelliAmi
    LelliAmi Posts: 327 Member
    not really...though all the vegetarians and vegan girls i know are really skinny...maybe there's something to it that omnivores just don't see.
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