Going Vegitarian for the first time...

[DatingDirection]

Thank you for the video! It was interesting. You know, our society is about profits, not people. It really does make me mad when I see I can buy 3 huge bags of chips for $2, or a huge back of cookies for $2, but when I want to buy red pepers, EACH pepper is $2. Doesn't it cost the same or if not less to grow natural foods, rather then to pay for the cost of mechanical engineered foods, like chips and cookies?! Does this makes sense?

 

I also feel it's part of a conspiracy, the government can control the divide between the haves and have nots health wise, by pricing food this way. Either we can afford to eat healthy, or we cannot. Please note, I understand there are many places to get cheap healthy food, but those places are far and few between, leaving convenient local food stores our main option, where once again a red peper is $2 per pepper. What if I ate pepers for breakfast, and dinner, sometimes, id have to buy 3 pepers, so $5-$10, just for peppers. I think we really need to write to our governments and start making real changes.

[loveweary11]

Hi, thanks for reading my post. I have a question, I would like to get back to my natural body weight, and fast! I today is day 8 on my vegetarian lifestyle. How much weight can I expect to lose on a diet with raw fruit and veggies, with small amount of dairy such as feta cheese in my salads, or yogurt for breakfast or snack? I've also been exercising a lot more, anywhere between 30 min - 1hr per day, on top of walking everywhere.

 

You will lose significant weight eating only raw fruit and vegetables with no sugar in your diet.

 

Advice from a former vegetarian....

 

WATCH OUT FOR BIG COOKOUTS WITH FRIENDS AND DRINKS!

 

I went to one. Smelled the hamburgers had one and never thought about being ,a vegetarian again.

 

 

Watch out for carbs in terms of simple carbohydrates and sugars. These, not modest amounts of meat, combined with sedentary lifestyles, are what make people fat.

[rester]

Another long-term vegetarian here. The protein combining thing is a debunked myth, so don't worry about that.

 

Avoiding cheese and bread will go a long way towards losing weight and getting rid of that puffiness you mentioned. It's very easy to gain weight as a vegetarian if all you're eating is pasta, bread, and cheese and not exercising. Stick with whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruit for snacks, and limit wheat and dairy products as much as possible. Spices are your friend.

[loveweary11]

I also feel it's part of a conspiracy, the government can control the divide between the haves and have nots health wise, by pricing food this way. Either we can afford to eat healthy, or we cannot. Please note, I understand there are many places to get cheap healthy food, but those places are far and few between, leaving convenient local food stores our main option, where once again a red peper is $2 per pepper. What if I ate pepers for breakfast, and dinner, sometimes, id have to buy 3 pepers, so $5-$10, just for peppers. I think we really need to write to our governments and start making real changes.

 

Bad example. Red peppers are the most expensive thing in the produce aisle . You are cherry picking.

 

If you cook all your foods from scratch, especially using a slow cooker, you can have excellent nutrition for less than factory food.

 

Even cheaper... grow a few things.

[SerCay]

If you plan on being a vegetarian I would definitely recommend eating tofu....soy-meat in other words.

 

The first time I tried being a vegetarian I made the mistake of not incorporating tofu or any meat substitute into my diet.

 

Result: Much more carbs to cover for my protein craving and weight gain and I became depressed as my body has a natural low B12 absorbance.

 

Nowadays I eat tofu instead of meat most times for dinner, I take b12 supplements and I'm slowly trying to cut off meat alltogether, it works for me.

 

Oh and I don't consume any kind of cheese, yoghurt or milk.

[DatingDirection]

Is it ok to have baked beans with tofu, it may be a bit high in sugar?

[carhill]

IME, it's the activity and not so much the diet. I'm 55 and hardly eat any meat anymore (gall bladder issues) and IME it's not so much proteins but rather lack of activity which keeps the weight on, along with carbs. I've cut out a lot of carbs (bye, bye flour of almost any sort, other than flax-seed) and essentially eat a vegetarian diet but am not a vegetarian since I will eat ribs/chicken/steak, etc, when we're at the beach and BBQ'ing.

 

It's the activity. When I'm rehabbing houses, it's physically very taxing and easy to lose 15-20 pounds in a month, combining 8-10 hours of physical work a day with a lot less time to eat.

 

As examples of two 'bad' things to do, right now I'm eating some air-popped popcorn with olive oil drizzled on it and some popcorn salt, along with drinking a bloody mary (vodka, V8, manzanilla olives and worchestshire, in my case). No meat in sight but not exactly the best calories to put into my body. Do I care? Nope! If I don't kill myself under a house or in the shop, I doubt it will be from eating. So far, no issues other than that pesky gall bladder but the vegetarian thing seems to work good for it.

 

For sustained and consistent weight management, I like lifestyle changes versus a quick fix. Such has left me weighing about ten pounds less than I did in high school with, sure, more fat in that due to age and not being a fitness hound, but I feel good, stats are fine and, hey, I lived this long with no health problems so why mess with a good thing.

 

Oh, lastly, portion and eating slow. When out with friends, I serve up much smaller portions at those decadent BBQ's, and I'm generally the last person to finish, with the women jonesing to clear my plate. IMO, that helps.

 

Good luck!

[DatingDirection]

IME, it's the activity and not so much the diet.

 

 

Thank you for your reply. I feel like most men say they can eat whatever they want as long as they exercise. I think it's easier for men to lose weight then women that way. But for me, I personally need really focus on my diet, and exercise.