30Sep/107
Will becoming a vegitarian help tremendously with weight loss?
I am trying to lose some weight, about 30 pounds. I was thinking about becoming a vegetarian for a while. While I am trying to mantain a healthy diet and excercise, will this help? Alsoo...I am worried that when i lose the weight, i will gain it back. Will building muscle help me not gain this weight back? Any other tips on weight loss? Please no advertisements for stupid websites! only legit weight loss websites, if you are going to post them at all. thanks everyone!
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
No being a vegetarian will not help with weight loss. The only thing that helps with weight loss is reducing the amount of calories you eat and increasing your exercise.
I’d say stick to the following overall guideline and foods:
Fruits: (all fruits are good but some are better for making the weight loss process better, so I suggest only eating the following fruits)
apples
oranges/clementines
mangoes
grapefruits
peaches
blueberries (frozen is good too since they’re not really in season)
strawberries
banana
kiwis
dried fruit: prunes and apricots
Vegetables (same all are good but for weight loss only stick to these)
sweet potatoes
broccoli
spinach
kale
salad
celery
cucumber
pepper (red, orange, green and yellow)
tomatoes
carrots
cauliflower
cabbage
red cabbage
onions
garlic
Dairy: (normally low fat is fine but for now only do fat free)
skim milk
fat free yogurt
fat free cottage cheese
Proteins: (stick to lean meats and proteins high in Omega 3’s which helps w/ stress and helps w/ weight loss too)
salmon
light tuna drained in water
egg whites (the yolk is fine for maintaining weight but for loosing weight try to avoid it)
lean white chicken breast (grilled chicken is good)
smoked turkey breast
hummus
garbanzo beans (high in fiber)
tofu (only fresh tofu)
black beans
Grains: (only whole grain- there are many healthy grains but for the purpose of loosing weight stick to these foods)
whole wheat bread
whole wheat English muffins
oatmeal (only Quaker regular/plain)
Kashi whole grain blueberry/original/strawberry flax waffles
Amy’s Organic (its a brand) strawberry pop tarts and apple pop tarts
whole wheat hamburger buns (if you choose to have a garden or tofu burger)
low fat quaker granola bars
regular cheerios (you may add honey to it if you need an extra hit of taste)
brown rice (get the kind that is higher in fiber)
whole wheat couscous
lentils and beans
Fats: (you will need fat in your diet…so stick to these fats)
Olive Oil
Reduced Fat Kraft Mayo
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
Peanut Butter (natural kind…no Jiff or Skippy)
Almonds
Cashews
And when you need that hit of "dessert" choose only 1 of the following:
1) homemade fruit and yogurt smoothie
cup of frozen strawberries
cup of frozen vanilla low fat Hagan Daz yogurt
half cup skim milk
in the blender for 2 and half minutes and ENJOY
2) homemade apple/cranberry/oatmeal crisp
half cup of uncooked oatmeal
tbsp of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
tbsp cinnamon
- put that on the stove and mix and cook together until lightly brown
Apple
Cranberry Sauce
put sliced apple in a small pan then add cranberry then add the blend
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes and ENJOY!
3) purchased Kashi Happy Trail Mix Cookies
Also drink plenty and plenty of water.
Calorie Wise I am not sure b/c I don’t how tall you are…But I would guess about 1300 calories a day and work out for 45 5x a week.
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
If you eat 3000 calories of crap, 3000 calories of fresh fruit and veggies or 3000 calories of steak… ITS ALL THE SAME.
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
no, not if you eat alot of carbs and bread!
Salads are great, but even some salad dressings have alot of calories in them.
Just eat well, exercise everyday in any way you can, walking, swimming, playing sports, it all helps.
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
Whatever floats your boat.
It doesn’t really matter if you are a vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore, all that matters is that you eat healthily and exercise regularly. Protein isn’t a problem, but if you do not want to go full out vegetarian you could just incorporate a lot of vegetarian foods with a meat here and there.
Building muscle actually is great for the body. Muscle actually burns calories and will give you that lean look.
Vegetarianism can help if you follow the diet healthily, as can all diets. Lentils and other legumes are also a lot cheaper than meat so you may end up saving some money.
My advice is to make greens and legumes the center of your plate. side it off with a whole grain, and if you aren’t going to go full out veg, a small dose of meat. Whenever I eat meat, I never make it the main part of my meal, always a side.
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
Becoming a vegetarian can help you lose weight if you watch the fats and sugars that you eat in your diet. Eating fruits and vegetables in their natural state without adding, creams and sauces are very healthy, and have few calories. Eating a plant-based diet (vegetarian) diet has the potential for helping you to lose weight if you are committed to making it a lifestyle rather than a diet.
If you need help with choosing a vegetarian diet, or getting information on a plant-based diet you can visit: http://health4bodymindandsoul.com/2010/03/healthy-vegetarian-breakfast-delights/
This is a legitimate site with lots of information on vegetarianism and recipes if you want to incorporate more plant-based meals in you diet. You are likely to gain back weight lost if you go on a diet rather than change your lifestyle. Building muscle will burn more calories than fat, but again you need to stick with a regular exercise program. This has to be part of your healthy lifestyle.
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
Being a vegetarian will really help but it’s not necessary to for a healthy weight loss. You can still eat meat while losing weight. Try The Diet Solution Program or Truth About Abs. They work great.
September 30th, 2010 - 05:05
If you go for vegetarianism, then the challenge is to ensure you get sufficient protein from you food. While not personally a vegetarian, I have changed my own lifestyle a lot, and increased my fruits and veggie count a LOT, and reduced fat and processed food.
I think your decision to pursue vegetarianism or not is a personal decision. If you return to meat and junk food, mind your portions, or you may gain some weight back. Nonetheless I don’t see many inherent risks in going veggie!
As for weight loss program, I’ve been at it now for 56 days (not even 2 months). Working to lose 100 pounds, and I highly recommend some of the following advise that has been working for me.
1) drink plenty of water, and cut out any diet pops or beverages with aspartame. Also no juices or any other liquids. Add lime for flavor and detox benefits.
2) eat only healthy foods, nothing processed. Fresh fruits, veggies, and lean meats.
3) Avoid high carb foods like sugar, bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, candy and chips
4) eat five or six smaller meals and snacks a day
5) exercise with cardio at least 30-40 minutes several days a week, but take some days for rest.
To date, I’ve lost 37 pounds. Check out my site for motivation!