Why do people think vegetarians have to be twigs? Nobody ever believes me...?!

It's normal to feel upset about your peers acting like that, and the idea that vegetarians have to be twigs is just another Hollywood image that is best ignored by everyone. A lot of the time when people choose to go vegetarian they do it because they want to fit the stereotype of being thin, and twig like. I'm seriously doubting that the girl on your cheer squad will last on a vegetarian diet if she's just doing it for a new year's goal, and she doesn't have a legitimate reason for doing it such as she hates animal cruelty. That's great that you have a positive attitude about your diet, and that you're encouraging others to do it also.

I'm finishing up my last semester of college to get my nutrition degree. I've studied a lot about vegetarianism, and I'm considering doing it because of the health benefits, but I have a lot of people give me strange looks when I say I'm a nutritionist because of my weight. I've lost 20 pounds already and I'm planning on losing more to be healthier. It doesn't bother me though because I feel good about my choices.
The main thing to focus on is how great you feel, and being 5 pounds over weight is not a big deal. You'll get a lot of crap from your peers, and from others until you get to college. Some people can't be happy with how they look, and they feel the need to judge others and put them down to feel good about themselves. Don't let it bother you. Having a poor self image is common these days, but one thing that isn't common is people who stick to their morals and refuse to fit into the mold that Hollywood created. Twigs have other problems to deal with as far as their health goes. I'd rather be healthy, and not have those problems personally.

Well.... Im sure they believe you if you say you are a vegetarian.... Its just that they arent used to seeing vegetarians that arent "twigs" ; Thus the stereotype....

But well, do what you want. Who cares if they dont believe you. = /

Kind of, I'm vegan and people are like "what? you're vegan..? but you're not stick thin."

I'm skinny, but not like anorexic skinny- which people strangely expect with vegans.

I'm an overweight vegetarian and I know lots of overweight vegetarians. If you eat more calories that you can burn off with exercise you will probably be overweight whether you eat meat or not.

You are healthy because your body has a moderate amount of fat. It's actually healthier to be slightly chubby than sickly looking.

people have weird stereotypes embedded int heir heads so when someone breaks the mold they're surprised.

not all are twigs weird like people dont know what a vegetarian is

I'm vegan and I'm a bit overweight. I'm not fat or anything, but people also assume that I should be stick thin as well. Sometimes it's frustrating, but it really is just part of the stereotype that vegans and vegetarians eat lettuce or grass and nothing else. I've went vegetarian when I was 10 and since that time my weight has fluctuated quite a bit. It's not because I was vegetarian or vegan, but that I went through healthy and somewhat more unhealthy phases in my life. Like right now I've been drinking a lot of soda so I've gained weight. I always tell people that it's as easy to be a healthy or unhealthy vegan/vegetarian as it is to be a healthy or unhealthy meat eater.

I think it's because some people like to claim the veg*n diet is perfect: People who need to lose weight will magically lose weight; those that need to gain weight will magically gain until they're at a perfect weight and then never gain another pound.

It's obviously not true, but many people are just uninformed about veg*nism. And those that push the "diet" on others don't like to see someone who's not at a perfect weight admit they're veg*n. It makes them look foolish when they're trying to promote the veg*n diet as perfect when someone who needs to lose or gain some weight stands up and says, "I'm veg*n."

I'm a vegan and I get tons of "WHATS?" also. That is honestly why I never bring it up anymore. Not that I am ashamed it just always gets turned into something bad. I am not a stick, just average. People don't understand it. I eat a lot of junk food. We can still have all the sweets and such but in a different way. And french fries? Yeah I eat a lot of those too. When my friend told me if I wanted some of her lunch because she couldn't finish it all one day I said no I'm a vegan. She didn't believe me "Yeah right," she said. She told me no one could possibly stay away from all animal products. But I can safely say I have for almost 8 months. See you're not the only one. It's all about calories coming in and going out. So explain that to them next time. Try going to some vegetarian/vegan meetings. If you research there are a probably a few in your area. Good Luck!

It is a bit odd and sad that people still hold onto stereotypes like these. In a way, it's not that surprising how people make assumptions like these, as every stereotype has some truth behind it. For example, if you're a vegetarian by choice, there is a chance you're more health conscious than the average individual and research more into your diet, which could mean a lower body mass/increased exercise. Get the idea?


It's just a very simplistic and misunderstood perception of a topic. The assumption that if you're vegan/vegetarian, you're skinny.... if you eat meat, you're fat/obese. Diet, thankfully, is only one piece of the puzzle so to speak. Vegetarians can be thin, but they can as they can be normal/fat/obese/athletic, as well.

Common sense.