Weightloss.?!
i find i am. && i never exercise so my (slightly)newfound vegetarianism is the one to blame-or thank. lol
Answers: did you start losing weight when you first became a vegetarian/vegan?
i find i am. && i never exercise so my (slightly)newfound vegetarianism is the one to blame-or thank. lol
Many people initially lose weight when they start a vegetarian diet, but, if attention is not given to the food being eaten, they can pack on even more weight than they ever had before.
When I first became a vegetarian (about 38 years ago), I lost a little weight, but it turned out that I was allergic to some foods I was eating, and so they were just running through me, and I was starving my body.
I learned about vegetables, and rice, and beans, and cake and cookies, and pasta and bread, and I put on a lot of weight.
I went raw about 2 years later, and lost a lot of weight because I was just eating raw vegetables.
Later, I learned how to make delicious desserts with raw food, as well as cool "substitutes" for "normal food", and I gained a lot of weight, because I was consuming so much sugar (yes, honey, maple syrup, and even agave syrup have calories, and can affect your metabolism, and, if you are sugar sensitive, your food consumption)
Regardless of what kind of vegetarian/vegan diet you are following, the food has calories, and, at the same time, different foods have different nutritional values. An avocado, for example, has more calories than a cup of raw spinach, but it delivers Omega 3 fats, which are necessary for forming healthy cell walls, ensuring proper brain function, preventing skin diseases, and much much more. In addition, the fat in that avocado satisfies a lot of cravings for all sorts of things.
Bread (yes, even whole wheat bread), pasta, and rice (yes, even brown rice) have little nutritional value, and do have a substantial amount of calories. These starchy items can feed carbohydrate addicts' desire for carbs, and help people put on weight.
Any kind of sweetener you choose (other than stevia) has calories.
Commercially available soy and almond milks usually have sugar in them. Sugar (regardless of what it is called) has "junk"calories which the body cannot use, and which can trigger sugar sensitivities, weight gain, and/or illness.
Many of the commercially available vegetarian products (vegetarian "meats", flavored soy products, and mixes, etc.) contain large amounts of sugar products. If you use such products, use them with discretion -- they are likely to lead to weight gain.
The best way, the cheapest way, and the healthiest way to be vegetarian is to prepare your own food from whole foods, i.e., real vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Pick and choose your prepared foods carefully (do read the ingredients for any prepared food you buy -- many prepared foods which seem to be vegetarian may actually contain animal products -- for example, many "vegetarian cheeses" contain milk protein, which is an animal product and can cause trouble -- I found out because, as it turned out, I have been allergic to milk protein since birth -- as opposed to milk sugar, which is the most common allergy-- and eating such "cheese" gave me major problems)
Yes, you can lose weight on a vegetarian diet, but you can also gain weight quite easily. I have done it, and, actually, if you look at videos of many of the so-called vegetarian "gurus", you will notice that they are quite hefty-- which is why I do not listen to them, but, rather, follow my nutrition education, and do what I know is right)
Good luck.
vegiterian= weightloss because you are starving yourself. Feed the vegitables to a cow then eat the cow. Thats how it's suposed to work.
Oh my, I wish people could just answer questions... (frank61799)
If you don't mind could you provide more information? When you stopped, did you just cut meat out? Or did you go gradually?
What do you eat now? Mainly veggies? Convenience foods?
I stopped eating meat almost 15 years ago and I did lose weight at first but that's just because I didn't know what to eat. People usually lose or gain weight at first depending on if they go the vegetable or the junk food route.
It should even out, but if it continues, you need to take a look at what you are eating. It is very easy to have a healthy, well balanced diet while following a vegetarian diet. You just need to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need.
People who eat a vegetarian diet, if they are not eating a lot of dairy (read cheese) may be reducing their total number of calories as well as their fat intake. If you are concerned, have some ice cream and be happy.
It's common to start losing weight after becomin a vegetarian and definately after becoming a vegan.
I mean; compare the fat content of a soy bean to a hunk of cheese? Or tempeh compared to a pork chop?
After your body gets used to your new diet, it will lower your metabolism accordingly, getting the optium bang for your buck (or your soy bean ;) )
No I didn't, not when I went vegetarian or when I changed to vegan. Neither is a weight loss regime.
I have put on and lost weight during the many years I have not eaten meat. Except for one occasion when I lost weight through illness, I have lost weight intentionally by eating healthily and moderately and greatly increasing my exercise level.
Yep, sadly the same old rules still apply...
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you have to HAVE!!! exercise to lose weight!!!