Vegetarian Diet And Weight Loss

Vegetarian Nutrition and Weight Loss What to Expect

You may be thinking of try a vegetarian diet to help in weight loss. From my mid twenties to my early thirties I was mostly (90%) vegetarian. This was because the women I was living with was a strict vegetarian and mostly out of convenience for meal preparation, not any idealistic reasons on my part.

During this time I weighed 135 pounds and I am a 5' 10 male. So quite on the slim side. I was only moderately active at this time. Hiking and camping and canoeing but infrequently. As I got older my weight stayed fairly consitent. This was for me a diet I didn't have to think about. I would buy general staples lentils, beans, potatoes, vegetables, rice, and many more grains and vegetables. I also ate huge quantities of fruit.

There was not really a question of monitoring my portions on this vegetarian diet. I basically ate fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains until I was comfortably full. I did not monitor my amount of protein intake or anything complicated. I simply ate plenty of all of the vegetarian food groups. Simplicity.

I do recommend that if you are looking at vegetarian nutrition that you get a basic idea of where your body nutritional requirements can be found and eat appropriately in those areas. For me me I didn't have to focus on what I was eating I just was varied in my consumption.

I mentioned that I was only 90% vegetarian. Occaisionaly I would eat out in a restaurant and have chicken or fish. Usually not beef or pork. The main thing I want to get across is that I was not a slave to being a vegetarian it simply suited my lifestyle.

So where are things now? Well since my early thirties I have been eating more meat. I eat very little junk food. My nutrition comes mainly from home cooked meals that are standard vegetables plus potatoes plus meat. I now weigh 164 pounds at age 45. A little heavier than I would like. I would like to target about 150 lbs as a comfortable weight.

My lifestyle is a bit more sedentary, so less exercise. I have started incorporating more vegetarian stir frys into my meals and have shed a few pounds. Occaisionaly I will mix some meat into the stir fry, but smaller portions than in a traditional meal.

I do suggest consulting with a professional about vegetarian nutrition as they can look at your particular body type and needs. I have found that eating a non-strict vegetarian diet can help you lose a significant amount of weight. For me this was certainly no starvation diet. As much as I wanted but with a very low meat content worked well.