Any vegetarians here?

somethingnew987

somethingnew987

New member
I became a vegetarian about 6 weeks ago and I have lost 25lbs so far. I was wondering if anyone else here is a vegetarian? I recommend the book "Eat to Live", it focuses on health, not weight loss. It's actually quite amazing how by simply learning more about nutrition (the truth, not the stuff you might think you know) I have been tempted less by "bad" foods.
 
Ive thought about it - but to be honest i just love my meat.

Ive seen fat vegetarians btw - one girl was extremely obese.

Potato chips are apparently vegetarian - as well as lollies etc .. :)
 
haha, yes there are very unhealthy vegetarians. But vegetarians actually on average weigh 10lbs less than non-vegetarians. I mostly eat legumes (my favorite is black beans), vegetables, 3-4 fruits a day, and usually 1 100calorie pack of either something sweet or something like cheese nips. My school has very few vegetarian meal options, but occasionally they offer vegetarian soups that are actually VERY good, but i dont eat the ones that are cream based. For some reason, by not eating the regular "meal" with the meat and 2 sides, it has made it easier for me to not eat the bad sides like mashed potatoes and white rice. I also take vitamin B12, the only real vitamin that is very hard for vegetarians to get.
 
Hi there,
I stopped eating meat for about one month *this was last summer*, I did lose weight and my cravings for junk and binging really slowed down. Im like wishes, i do enjoy my meat for sure. but since that month away from meat, i do still make many vegetarian choices for myself. I would like to try to re-visit the vegetarian way again (though i guess i wouldnt be true vegetarian because i would still eat fish and seafood.)
I really enjoyed mung beans * the kind that was peeled and split* they are very high in protein, and they make a really nice soup, kind of similar to split pea soup in taste.
Michelle
:)
 
I think that vegetarianism is a great idea for improved health - but I like my meat too much to personally contemplate it. Having said that, I did go veggie for several months a long time ago. However, I don't know how, but I put on weight! Probably because I was cooking for my self and eating alone - big portions! I do see some young vegetarians eating badly - its the same rule as for us omnivores: eat wholesome, eat natural, watch the nutrition. That means eating a good variety of produce - not pasta and frozen processed veggie junk.
 
Im a veggie, and cookies and chocolate are vegetarian lol. Its quite annoying, because eating out, even at someones house is a nightmare, when most meals are meat based, i just dont like meat, it makes me feel quesy thinking about it, i dunno y.
 
I'm a vegetarian! I gave up meat in July 2006. I'm a "total" vegetarian, which means I eat nothing that comes from an animal. I'm not vegan because I choose to wear wool. I personally love it and don't miss meat one bit. I very rarely eat any baked goods or sweet stuff, mainly because it either has milk or eggs in it, also because it just makes me feel sick. I understand that people love the taste of meat (I used to LOVE it) but the satisfaction of knowing that you choose not to eat animals is great. It's important that if you are vegetarian/vegan to not make every meal completely based on carbs! Also make sure you get enough iron and protein, and other nutrients.
 
I've been a vegetarian since August, I thought it would be hard, but turns out not so much! Except I was eating gummy bears until January! I never even thought the sweet innocent looking bears would have gelatin in them!

Needless to say, I've done more research since then, and am well on my way to making this a lifetime thing.

It isn't changing my weight though, I'm eating more carbs than before. :rolleyes:
 
i have been a vegetarian for 3yrs now, i started after seeing this really gross program about how the meat is made :p

i lost about 1stone as soon as i started (within 3weeks) but i think that was because the sudden change in my diet,

after turning vegetarian...my skin is in better condition from eating just healthy foods. But i started feeling sick and i always had sore joints...this was because i wasn't getting the protein and other vital vitamins my body needed :0 so it's best to take 1 multi vitamin a day

Being vegetarian for the first few months is hard, especially when the rest of your family is still eating all your meaty favourites :p but if you stick to it..its an amazing experience!
 
Yes eating out is the worst! I have only eaten out a few times since I became a vegetarian, but at some places it is literally impossible to find something healthy and vegetarian. Once I had to have spinach dip as my meal.
I think people are under this HORRIBLE impression of carbs. THEY ARE NOT EVIL lol. They are what sustains us, and they are necessary for us to live and be healthy. Having said that, I have actually learned that vegetables have more protein per pound than meat. This means you can eat a TON of vegetables (you just have to find a few you dont mind eating a pound of, my personal favorite is spinach) and you will get your protein. Raw brocolli has something like 4 times as much protein than meat. I get my fiber from fruit, I try to eat 3-4 pieces a day.
If any of you are interested, I recommend the book "Eat to Live". I know this is the second time I have said that lol and I'm not trying to push products, but it really has changed the way i look at food and it has given me sooo much information on how to get the necessary nutrients.
I wish I could go completely vegan, but at my college this is pretty much impossible. Its so amazing how before I became a vegetarian I was sick all the time, but now, though I know it has only been 6 weeks, I havent gotten sick at all.
Sorry if i get too enthusiastic about all this, its just that this way of eating (not a diet) is the first thing that has ever worked for me to lose weight. I am down almost 30lbs now, and for the first time my friends dont just kind of nod their heads and say "yeah, you go for it" when i say I am going to lose weight, they are actually starting to believe me because they see how much my eating has changed and that I have actually stuck with it. Its just really nice to have REAL hope for the future that I wont always be the fat girl.
 
I became a vegetarian 5 years ago. I lost 20lbs the year I began (With exercise too of course). My skin was glowing and any constipation problems I used to have went away.

I stopped being a vegetarian for several reasons. Number one, I can't give up seafood and I love cooking them. Number two, I never felt full eating as a vegetarian unless I had carbs (rice) with my meal. So when I'm really hungry I find myself eating carbs and junk way more than ususal. Number three, I had very little energy through out the day. Number 4, I was getting sick too often (always catching the latest cold or flu).

I still refuse to eat most red meats. But I have incorporated more protein in to my diet with protein shakes, fish, and chicken breast. I feel alot stronger when working out at the gym and energy level has gone up. Yes I gained 10lbs this year, but my clothes are looser on me and I have more definition and muscle on my body.

But going through a vegetarian phase has tought me to choose wisely about my food options and eating healthier. This is something I will carry out through life.
 
I have found that I have a new kind of full than I used to. I dont have to have that heavy full, I can just have a nice feeling that I am no longer hungy. That is what I aim for, not being hungry, not being full. I also eat a lot of beans and fruit which have a lot of fiber in them which helps you stay full longer. I find myself having more energy, as long as I take vitamin B12. I know how it is about seafood though lol. I love shrimp and crab (though im not that fond of fish). I used to go to Joes Family Crabshack for my birthday every year and get crab legs lol, so it will be difficult to resist.

But thats great that being a vegetarian taught you how to eat healthier. It has definitely taught me so much. I feel like I have learned so much about nutrition in these last 2 months.
 
If you were in Southern California there's lots of vegetarian restaurants here. Even Vegan ones too. There's a wonderful vegan restaurant called Native Foods. The chef has a cookbook full with ideas to make vegan and vegetarian food taste good. Check out:
I have made wonderful dishes using that cookbook.

There's also a soy based protein for vegetarians, since there's not enough protein in the diet. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the tip on the cookbook. I need to get one of those. Right now I dont have to cook because I am at college and have to eat at the cafeteria, but when I go home this summer I'm going to be on my own.
 
I was a vegetarian for about 7 or 8 months last year. I loved it. Even now I mainly only eat chicken when and if I eat meat :)
 
I've been vegetarian for over 10 years.

I'm not sure how it's affected my weight, if at all. Since I've been keeping track of what I eat, I've noticed that carbs are around 60-70% of my daily calorie intake, whereas protein is around 10-15%. The rest of it is fat and occasionally some alcohol.

The problem for veggies is often cheese, I think. You can think you're eating healthily because you're not eating loads of biscuits and cakes, but vegetarian diets often contain a lot of cheeses that are high in fat.

But overall, since I've been vegetarian, I've noticed that I feel healthier and my skin is better than when I ate meat. I remember at work once, a customer came up and asked me and the girl I was working with how we both had such good skin. We looked at each other and said, "We're vegetarians," as if that should have explained everything.
 
veggie

i have been a vegetarian for almost 7 years now. (since i was 14). The reason i became a vegetarian had nothing to do with my weight,so i cant remember if i lost weight when i first started, although i am sure it helped. I always knew i would eventually become a vegan. And now after about a year of 4 week on, 4 week off, trial runs of veganism and raw veganism, i have finally committed to it. the 4 weeks i was a vegan i lost 23lbs, which i regained most of in the month after. I lost 37lbs in the 4weeks i was raw vegan and noticed huge differences in my hair and skin also. i am hoping to lose 100lbs by being raw vegan because i love it so much.
 
I stumbled across a video on you tube called meet your meat this weekend, so I did more reading and more watching and my husband and I both have decided to go vegan...Its one thing to eat meat...but quite another to tourture living creatures,I had no idea.:eek:
 
hi! i've been a vegetarian for over two months now. I miss my meat but i feel healthier. since i do my own cooking, it is amazing the variety of stuff one can whip up with veggies, legumes & cottage cheese.
my meal basicaly consists of a salad, carbs & cooked veggies & cottage cheese.
 
I generally eat pescetarian (vegetarian + fish), although sometimes I'll have some poultry if there's nothing else that looks good. There isn't much vegetarian fare at my school either, so if I didn't eat fish and chicken/turkey, there wouldn't be much for me to eat besides pizza, veggie burgers, and salad.

I don't think vegetarian diets are necessarily healthier than others. However, it usually does force you to consume more vegetables, which many people lack. But lots of fattening, unhealthy junk foods are still vegetarian, so watch out for that!
 
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