Vegetarianism. A little help...

[nightmare_gorilla]

actually i was rather shocked a friend of mine cut soda out of his diet completely and he's already lost nine pounds in a month, i had no idea, i have serious doubts about vegetarianism being somehow "healthier" for you though you will loose weight if you are active and do cut meat out.

 

[Moroha]

Admittable I didn't read the whole thread but I read this:

Fat, Workout, Veggie food.


And I say this:
Do workout, mainly body training. Not that silly "I can lift this much with my left buttock" type of training, but stomach training. Atleast that's what I say. And do not get Vegitarian food. Even though all Vegitarians are so slim that it makes you envy them (I know that I envy their bodies), it won't be any good. Once agian personally, I can't eat vegetables. They taste nothing and if they taste something, it's a horrible taste.

So my tip about food: Keep it less fat, more meat and if you can, do add some greens. Or you could always starve yourself.

 

[JoshMan]

One thing I just recently started to try curb my problem is a pill called PGX Daily Ultra Matrix. In theory, the pills are all-natural veggie extracts and the sort, which physically block certain fats from being digested. I can't give advice on how well they work, I've only been on them for a week, but it was something recommended to me by another who swears by them.

I would steer away from those pills that prevent your body from digesting fat. Because even though they block the fat from being digested the fat is still in your system and there is only one place for it to go, OUT YOUR REAR END! If you read carefully the side effects of those pills it includes an uncontrollable oily discharge. Just horrible.

 

[GrowlersAtSea]

The biggest problem most vegetarians (and the one vegan) I know have is protein. If you eat a lot of meat the stuff is never a problem, but on a stricter diet it can be a pain to get enough of.

A surprising, and quite good (at least to me) source of protein though is peanuts. Taste great without salt, have some healthy aspects, and aren't a meat. The only real problem is that they're a very oily food so have a good amount of fat, and if you go for peanut butter instead of peanuts, you have to deal with hydrogenated oil (quite bad stuff for you). You can get "natural" peanut butter, but the oil separates, which is gross because you see how much oil is in it, you have to stir it up a good amount before eating.

For the health issues, vegetarianism can be quite good for you if it's thought out (and generally healthier than many diets that people live on consisting of pizza, fast food and the like).

So, my general advice would be that peanuts are good for protein (them and beans), and don't go crazy with things that have oil or dairy products, because their fat content could negate a lot of what you're trying to with your weight. Best of luck.

 

[Flunk]

Cutting down on meat and fatty things is in the long run a better idea than totally dropping meat. Dropping eggs and eating small portions of chicken breast would be better as eggs are high in cholesterol.

The trick to losing weight is eating less overall and not eating junk like fast food, frozen food or fried food.

 

[stompy]

I'm surprised no-one has brought up the issue of iron. Coming from someone in a vegetarian household, you best eat a lot of spinach if you plan on dropping all meat, as meat is one of the main sources of iron. But yeah, other that, keep up the protein, eat the right foods, and exercise(where most people go wrong).

 

[Girlysprite]

Just a detail, but spinach isn't so big on iron. There are veggies that have ten times more of that stuff.

And it can help a lot to slowly cut back on stuff like soda. Cold turkey is often too hard. I used to drink quite some soda, then went to fruit juices, and now I drink only water and one cup of tea per day. Took me a couple of months though.

 

[Singing Gremlin]

Just a detail, but spinach isn't so big on iron. There are veggies that have ten times more of that stuff.

And it can help a lot to slowly cut back on stuff like soda. Cold turkey is often too hard. I used to drink quite some soda, then went to fruit juices, and now I drink only water and one cup of tea per day. Took me a couple of months though.

Fantastic story. Reason most people think spinach is so full of iron is that the scientists that tested its iron content forgot to put the decimal place in and ended up multiplying it by 100.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

Don't feel you have to cut eggs out; for most folks the cholesterol in eggs isn't absorbed directly, it's digested into simpler amines and shouldn't affect blood cholesterol. (There are folks whose metabolisms can't handle it that way, though, so if your doctor has recommended going egg-free I'd definitely go with his/her advice.) One a day wouldn't be bad, especially if we're talking boiled or poached and you go easy on the salt.

I'm not a big fan of going meatless to lose weight as there's so many other things that can add pounds, but if you do decide to do so remember to switch from refined flour products to stuff made from whole grains. Lay off the sodas/pop... especially in the US, as fructose sweeteners in soft drinks seem to hit folks especially hard if they're already having weight trouble. Fill up on greens, be careful of oily/creamy salad dressings, and definitely keep an eye on protein intake as that's tough for full-on vegetarian diets. Try cutting down on sugary stuff too; even cutting out one spoonful of sugar in your coffee can make a difference. (That's one I can't make myself follow, though.) Dairy in moderation is a good idea, again unless doctor's orders contradict.

And for heaven's sake stay away from pills and nostrums if you can. The vast majority are unproven, and some (especially the herbal ones) can hold health risks for those already under metabolic stress or are using prescription medication. Check with a pharmacist if you absolutely must try one.

Good luck!

-- Steve

 

[lindsay40k]

When I went Veggie, it was akin to giving up smoking; the body craves something that it's been reliably drip-fed, in this case animal protein.

However, the fact is that vegetable-based protein can be way better. Tofu, Humous and Quinoa are excellent sources of protein.

I buy plain tofu, slice it and pat the slices dry, then fry the slices in sunflower oil. Let them cool and they can be grilled to make a tough steak that a lot of meat eaters like for similar reasons that ex-smokers go for inhalers over patches. Marinade it in a mixture of soya sauce, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and ground ginger and you can get a really tasty burger substitute.

Mexican and Caribbean food has loads of tasty meat-free protein dishes - rice and pea is excellent (and goes nicely with some tofu marinated in jerk sauce), and spicy beanburgers rock.

Quinoa is a south american grain which contains the perfect protein mix for a human diet - it's got every amino acid (protein building blocks) you need. Use it in place of rice, or even buy flakes, mixed with Millet flakes to make a high iron porridge (you'll still probably need an iron supplement once in a while).

Broccoli is a good iron source, too.

Oriental food is a good port of call; the large Buddhist population in the far east means that Thai, Chinese etc cuisine has loads of veggie options.

Humous can be made by blending cooked Chick Peas, sunflower oil, garli, lemon juice and Tahini (a paste made from roasted sesame). Again, this is an excellent source of protein.

All nuts are great sources of protein. Walnuts and Peanuts are really good for you and their oils are some of the healthiest available (sunflower and olive are also very good). Dry fry cashews in a steel pan and mix them with sultanas for a good high-energy snack to keep handy, or a great stir fry ingredient.

I don't know if US stores stock it but Linda McCartney makes a good vegan sausage. Fry any sausage and throw in onions, red wine and marmalade and it'll taste amazing.

After I went full on vegan and continued cycling daily, I can pour deep-fried food (using peanut oil) down my throat and still struggle to keep weight on. Chop up baby maize, make carrot fries, and tofu finger, and batter them in this - http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/520/Kfc_Chicken_Secret_Spices31600.shtml



I second the above advice to lay off sodapops - the type of sugar used by the US soft drinks industry is really bad stuff.

 

[lindsay40k]

PS:

 

[Minhef]

I'm afraid I can't help you as I'm the sort of lucky bastard who's metabolism pretty much allows me to keep a normal 22.5 BMI with little to no excersize or careful eating.

 

[Spinwhiz]

If I slay you and eat your heart, will I gain this superpower? Or do I need a power-absorbing touch like Rogue?

There is nothing you can do...I've tried....umm.....I mean....Hey, nice day huh?