I am about 5’7" and 170 pounds. I can’t seem to lose weight on diet plans. I even tried the low carb diets and eating that much meat was just too gross for me. Has anyone tried going vegetarian or vegan to lose weight? Would you have any additional recommendations for this dieting method?
I have many friends who have lost 20 or more pounds just by becoming vegetarian. If they worked out, they’d lose even more.
I went vegetarian just over a year ago and lost 8 pounds "accidentally." I’ve kept it off the whole time (5’6" and 130 lbs now). I think the reason it happened is because by cutting out meat, I was also cutting out the stuff that came with it – french fries, soda, etc.
More importantly, I have more energy, need less sleep and overall feel much better. The best part is my monthly cramps have disappeared (no extra hormones in my system from processed meat!)
The important things to remember are:
Being vegetarian doesn’t mean you can eat bread and cheese all day. You need to limit the high-carb items and eat stuff like natural peanut butter, hummus, black beans, vegetarian chili, etc. Amy’s Organic is an awesome line of soups, burritos, frozen meals, etc. that are reasonably priced and found at almost every grocery store.
Consider keeping seafood in your diet. Salmon and tuna are great sources of protein and amino acids and are really easy to prepare.
Quit drinking soda – even the diet stuff. It’s full of chemicals and crap that makes you crave it more, and many brands of the diet stuff have tons of sodium, which makes you hungry. If you need caffeine (like I do) have coffee or tea.
You should give it a try, like I did. Just tell yourself "for one week" cut out all meat, and see how it goes. You may be surprised by how easy the transition is. Good luck!
P.S. – Exercise too! Even walking 30 minutes a day will make a world of difference.
