Go Veg! Lose Weight!

[linnylicious]

Studies published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition and the New England Journal of Medicine have found that vegetarians are far less likely to be overweight than meat-eaters. Even so-called "skinny meats" like fish and poultry are sky-high in fat compared to vegetarian foods! If you simply replace animal products such as chicken, beef, milk, and pork with beans, vegetables, pasta, and rice, you’ll burn calories faster and reduce your fat intake.

Researchers have found that overweight people consume about the same number of calories as slim people—but that they don’t consume the same kinds of food. Animal products contain much more fat than plant-based foods—animal flesh, after all, is designed to store calories, which makes it one of the worst things that a dieter can eat. It’s no surprise that population studies have proved that meat-eaters have three times the obesity rate of vegetarians and nine times the obesity rate of vegans. It’s possible to be a fat vegan, of course, just as it’s possible to be a thin meat-eater, but adult vegans are, on average, 10 to 20 pounds lighter than adult meat-eaters.

I just thought I'd share! I'm vegetarian, so if you have any questions, please ask away!

By the way, I'm not trying to preach. My family and all of my friends eat meat. I respect their choices. =)

[Lacey]

I've been a vegetarian for about a year and I have to say that I've actually gained weight because I was eating more tortillas and starches than when I was eating meat. trying trying trying to change my eating habits.

What protein do you eat to make up for the lost 'meat' protein?? I have yet to find anything protein-filled that I really 'like' to eat

Lacey

[UpsideDown]

I really believe diets are like shampoo. If you have curly, dry hair, you're gonna need a different shampoo then someone with thin straight hair. Being vegetarian has worked for me (although I did it for personal reasons not related to my waist line), and a lot of my friends, but it won't work for everyone. Vegetarinism isn't just cutting out meat, I've been a meatless dieter for a long time now, but vegetarian only recently.

What protein do you eat to make up for the lost 'meat' protein?? I have yet to find anything protein-filled that I really 'like' to eat
I really like Fantastic Foods www.fantasticfoods.com/ I have yet to try something of theirs I did not like, and their sloppy joes and taco mixes are to die for. My meat eating family loves them too, and they really can't tell the difference.

As for getting enough protien, I would follow the veg. food pyramid. Its a bit different then the USDA one.www.womenfitness.net/wfimgank3/pyra-veg.gif

[abrannan]

linnylicious said:

Researchers have found that overweight people consume about the same number of calories as slim people—but that they don’t consume the same kinds of food.

Can you provide a link to this study?

[linnylicious]

Remember there's protein in everything. Grains, nuts, legumes and bean products are good protein sources. Tofu, tempeh, seitan are a especially good source of protein, too. As long as you eat a good, balanced, varied diet with lots of grains, bean and greens you should get more than enough protein. You should check out the book The Food Revolution by John Robbins.
Here's some veggies you might not think of as high protein that have at least 40% of their calories in protein.

Spinach 49%
New zealand spinach 47%
watercress 46%
kale 45%
broccoli 45%
brussels sprouts 44%
turnip greens 43%
collards 43%
cauliflower 40%
And here's other protein rich vegetables
mustard greens 39%
mushrooms 38%
chinese cabbage 34%
parsley 34%
lettuce 34%
Green Peas 30%
Zuchini 28%
Green beans 26%
Cucumbers 24%
dandelion greens 24%
Green pepper 22%
Artichoke 22%
Cabbage 22%
Celery 21%
Eggplant 21%
Tomatoes 18%
Onions 16%
beets 15%
pumpkin 12%
potatoes 11%
Yams 8%
Sweet potatoes 6%

[StarDrifter]

There are, of course, other ways to lose weight than to cut out meats. If I say "Atkins", hopefully this won't be turned into a total flame way.

I moderate. I have cut my meat consumption down and looked into healthier meats - as well as vegetarian alternatives. What I found was sodiumb. Yikes. There's one Morningstar Farms chik'n product with about 1,000mg per serving. I still pick up some of their lower sodium items for lunch, however.

And out of curiosity - how much spinach would I have to eat to match one hard boiled egg in protein? Surely the spinach is lower in calories, but higher in iron. That's not always good for the male of the species.

Just about everything we eat is a tradeoff. I think that's why moderation is a word used quite often in dieting circles.

I'm not attacking the vegetarian lifestyle at all, here. I only mean to ask about overall health - not just calorie and protein intake.

[wombatattack]

About five years ago I was at the healthiest weight of my life. I was near my goal of 220. At that time I was eating vegan foods. Basically said: no dairy, no meats. I found alternatives in BOCA burgers and things of that nature and ate vegetables and peanutbutter sandwiches along with protein shakes made w/real fruit and OJ.

I was a machine; exercised daily, skateboarded and took karate lessons. Tip top.

Somehow, I never really made a perfect ballance and stopping being so strict with myself to the effect that I lapsed back into eating crap that tore my stomach up badly.

I had an ulcer that was affected by dairy and meats.... I loved pizza. god i loved pizza.. but the pepperoni and extra cheeze days for me are far OVER. Even candy has lost it's taste and allure.

After about 5 years of unhealthy eating, I realize that I am back up around 285-300 and am scared for my health and self esteem. It's really easy to lose self esteem when the weight just sits there and does nothing for ya. It SUCKS.

So I decided to go vegan again.. Not extremely strict, but still, no dairy and no meats.

I feel the greatest that I've felt in 5 years and haven't even begun to exercies aside of lifting some freeweights every other day. I eat more frequently ... and more health conscious foods, too.

To be honest, it doesn't really matter what you eat as long as you eat in moderation and frequently while making sure to not eat carbs at night .. those are for energy and should be eaten early in the day.

I'm no health expert, but in my 25 yrs of life on this planet (this time around), I've picked up a few things that will and have changed my life.

I'm getting my DDR pads tomorrow and can finally get down to business...

let the games begin!!

good luck to all you veggies and vegans out there, too. It's a great thing to be able to walk into any fresh market and grab some produce off the wall or mix up a salad ... eat organic.

peace.

[havix]

First off, I am just replying to the topic in general.

It IS NOT HEALTHY in my opinion to be a vegetarian. I mean seriously, look at all these die hard vegans and see how sick they look (I am not talking about everyone, cuz some people are cheaters). Eating just veggies and stuff, you don't get all the nutrients and proteins that are in meat, and why spend the extra money buying pills to supplement that? The best way to lose weight is by moving around and getting a workout on a daily basis and eating healthy foods and bad foods in mediation.

/rant off

Feel free to shut me down, this is just my opinion, if I dont agree with you, then I don't, no use trying to change my opinion. But yeah.

[wombatattack]

havix said:

Eating just veggies and stuff, you don't get all the nutrients and proteins that are in meat, and why spend the extra money buying pills to supplement that?

Have you done any research on this?

This might help you in your quest for research.

(EDIT: I reconsidered posting images (depicting the brutal slaugter of the animals you like to eat) on this message board.... I wont tear ya down, kid, but I can offer you some links to, hopefully, further your reasearch on meat-eating and nutrients, since it is painfully obvious that you don't have a clue or a leg to stand on.)

peta.org - animals are not OURS to eat, wear, experiment on, entertain us, or exploit.

all-creatures.org/annex - (WARNING) This website has photos of the animals you consume, right before you eat them.

Lettuce Ladies - Do they look like they're not getting enough nutrients from soy and tofu based products and veggies?

[xstatic]

the dolphin pictures are scarry... with the river running red. You hear that terminology all the time, but to see it.

[abrannan]

wombatattack said:

Have you done any research on this?

This might help you in your quest for research.

(EDIT: I reconsidered posting images (depicting the brutal slaugter of the animals you like to eat) on this message board.... I wont tear ya down, kid, but I can offer you some links to, hopefully, further your reasearch on meat-eating and nutrients, since it is painfully obvious that you don't have a clue or a leg to stand on.)

peta.org - animals are not OURS to eat, wear, experiment on, entertain us, or exploit.

all-creatures.org/annex - (WARNING) This website has photos of the animals you consume, right before you eat them.

Lettuce Ladies - Do they look like they're not getting enough nutrients from soy and tofu based products and veggies?

I'll throw your own question back at you? Have you done research, or do you just accept as fact information that activist websites publish? I work at a facility where a LOT of animal research is done (NIH) and there are extremely strict guidelines for the living conditions and health and mental well-being of the animals involved, and they are audited regularly. I have visited the animal research facilities, have you?

Much of the information/photos provided in the second link are either from illegal operations, and/or operations outside of the United States. For example, they want you to believe that the cats used in the research experiments started out as a home companion, and was "rescued" from a pound to oe used in experimentation. This is simply not the case, the genetic history of every animal used in research is vitally important, and outside animals are never used. Instead the animals are bred specifically for research so that the bloodlines/genetic material of each set of animals used in research are the same, providing valid research results.

Now don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying you should or shouldn't be vegetarian. I'm not even saying that the events depicted in the pictures didn't occur. I am saying that they are the exceptions, not the rule. There are a lot of health benefits to being vegetarian, if you so choose. But please keep the propaganda out of the discussion.

[havix]

Thank you abrannan, I couldn't have said it any better. It's not like I hate vegetarians or anything, I have just had a professor explain to me that it is not healthy to eat just veggies because you are missing out on the complex proteins (or whatever vitamin/mineral it is) that are only found in meat.

Here is something to think about. Cows (that you see on the side of the road), for example, were bred to be used as a source of food. Without humans they would not live long. They NEED to be monitored and cared for, and the type of meat you get depends on how much care gets put into the animal. That being said, the longhorns (that are so familiar in texas) can live by themselves with no human interaction, but the meat is very muscular and wild and is not suitable for many peoples tastes.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a big fan of some of the things they do to animals (I used to hunt with my father, but quit because I didn't like waiting for "Bambi").

I am not trying to change your mind into just eating meat, but the best combo IMHO is to have a variety. No, not the atkins (bacon) diet or anything, just mediate the amount of meat/veggies you eat to a healthy balance.

It's not just meat that makes you fat. It's all these snack foods and crap foods we have all come to love and hate. Don't blame meat on the obesity problems.

[ImpFreak7]

I must agree with abrannan. I have considered becoming vegetarian before, but ended up choosing not to. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets can be healthy, the only person who should decide what you eat is yourself, don't worry about what others choose for themselves.

[wombatattack]

Way to go, abrannan! Thanks for the pep-talk.

No, I haven't been to animal testing/research facilities. I don't think I would like to.

I guess I might have been coming on a little strong because of how a certain member reacted to this thread in the first place with a rant about eating meat. For that, I apologize and I also apologize for not having physically taken part in performing my own research at any of the facilities that butcher animals for food to make sure that the living conditions are humane and that the animals died of natural causes before they were made into food for others.

Everything lives for a reason... and I doubt that reason is to feed or clothe people thru it's death.

But hey, what do I know? It appears, not much, since I haven't done any first hand research on the subject. Damn, do I really have to go and visit a slaughterhouse JUST to be able to suggest or discuss these topics?

I guess I should have said "in my opinion" at the beginning of my last post. Maybe that would have eased up on the re-direction of the questioning. Not very tactful, but I suppose it was necessary to set me straight.

Anyway. I am now curious about what NIH does. Sorry about the propaghanda, dude. Won't happen again.

[abrannan]

wombatattack said:

Everything lives for a reason... and I doubt that reason is to feed or clothe people thru it's death.

But hey, what do I know? It appears, not much, since I haven't done any first hand research on the subject. d**n, do I really have to go and visit a slaughterhouse JUST to be able to suggest or discuss these topics?

You're allowed to have your opinion, but I get a little tired of people who assume that just because PETA puts up a shocking photo (and a shocking photo causes a much stronger reaction than a reasonable one. Take a look at the evening news and their mantra "if it bleeds, it leads") that that's exactly what happens at every facility all over the world. These cases are the exceptions, not the rule, and in most cases what's being done is already against the law. It would be like saying that all parents beat their children, and showing photos from a severely abusive family as proof. Yes, the incidents that the photos come from are tragedies, but they are exceptions to the rules.

And yes, for the vast majority of animals on this planet, their purpose is to serve as food for other animals. Humans are an animal. We are a part of the food chain. It would be outside the nautral order for us to remove ourselves from that food chain.

I'm not saying you have to eat meat. I'm not saying you have to wear leather. I'm not saying you have to go to a slaughterhouse to have an opinion (I haven't been to a slaughterhouse, but I have been to an animal research facility, and at the one I saw, the animals were treated better than I've seen at almost any zoo, petstore, pound, or a lot of homes). What I am suggesting is that you try and look at an issue from both sides (instead of just visiting sites run by an activist organization). Maybe take a look a the laws regarding what can and can't be done at research facilities (and farms and slaughterhouses). Here, I'll even pre-do the google search for you. Do a little reading here oacu.od.nih.gov/ if you're more intersted in what goes on at the NIH.

If you don't want to eat meat because of your own ethical beliefs, I respect and honor that. I really truly do. But I ask that you also respect and honor other's choices as well.

[havix]

wombatattack said:

I guess I might have been coming on a little strong because of how a certain member reacted to this thread in the first place with a rant about eating meat.

I know you meant me, and I admit I came off like an ass. Yes, I disagree that the unnecessary slaughter of animals is well...unnecessary. One of the main reason I do not eat at McDonalds is because a family member that lives in Iowa, drives the meat to McDonalds places and told us that McDonalds buys the meat that died (not from sickness or diseases). And I found out something new today, that you can be a vegetarian, but you really have to watch what you eat and make sure you get protein that the veggies don't have. My doctor said eat things like beans and such.

Again, I'm sorry.

[Misery]

I've read that you can get more tired easily without the nutrients meat gives you.

[UpsideDown]

It should be stated that the only nutrient that you can't get from beans and veggies that does come from animal products is B12. However, you only need a small amount of this vitamin and it comes in soy milk last time I checked.

I don't understand where this notion that vegans are unhealthy. I'm not totally one myself, but all the ones I know are really health aware. Of course, I do know some vegetarians that because they are doing it for the animal's benefit, they its okay to eat unhealthy . I don't care if you are doing it for the cows,( I know I am), but you need to eat like you are doing it to be healthy. That means eating more beans and soy then what you think is humanly possible.

As for PETA....I kinda have a love/hate relationship with them. I agree with their message, and I really do believe that their hearts are in the right places, but the way they go about it...they may turn more people off then they end up recruiting. They're kinda like the Michel Moore or Fox News of the food court .

[havix]

I wasn't saying being vegan was unhealthy, but if you only eat veggies ( and don't get the protein ) you are hurting yourself.

[wombatattack]

abrannan said:

If you don't want to eat meat because of your own ethical beliefs, I respect and honor that. I really truly do. But I ask that you also respect and honor other's choices as well.

Hey, thanks. I didn't realize I was acting like an "activist" moron (or a douchebag) to youse guys.

I didn't think before I acted. That's something I've been working on. I didn't take the time to check all my sources. The fury of what happens to an intelligent creature when it is taken for the sole purpose of being food was all that I could think about at the moment I posed those links. Didn't take time to think things through.

I can understand there being a food-chain among the wild animals of this earth, but humans being a part of it makes human life seem extremely trivial. It doesn't make much sense that if the human body can gain all the nutrients required to live a healthy long and happy life from non-animal sources, then why bother raising and murdering animals for lower quality nutrients?

Just doesn't make much sense to me. Another thing that doesn't make sense is why do companies that manufacture meatless 'chicken' have to put the name 'chicken' on the label. why not just say, "soy patty w/veggies" is that so hard? (sorry for the rant, just had to get it out!! it started to burn)

I leave you with...

LIVE AND LET LIVE.