Thread: going (almost) meatless

Dudes! a couple weeks ago hub and i both had a horrid stomach flu..i was able to barf the first night so i think my flu was you know..eliminated..earlier than his but we were weak for days and my appetite was really bad..i was only able to eat yogurt, applesauce and pancakes

even after two weeks i've not been able to tolerate meat very well, before the flu it was normal to have eggs as part of breakfast and some kind of meat for lunch and dinner, varying portions (probably too much)..but i have had no appetite at all for meat lately

instead I've been craving dairy..been eating a good cereal with milk for breakfast, lunch is usually a pasta and cheese dish, and for dinner, for the past five nights, i've had a salad with mixed greens, spinach, a huge heap of cottage cheese, grated cheese, sunflower seeds and dressing (unfit diet club keep my membership open i'm sure this is temporary). Today i had a burrito and the big fat beans tasted great but i pushed the bits of chicken to the side.

so i figure the loss of desire for meat has to do with the flu and having cleansed everything from the body..but why the appetite aversion?

and i figure why re-introduce meat..i still take pre natal vitamins and calcium supplements ..not sure if the eggs and cheese and beans will make up for the lack of iron and proteins from not eating much meat anymore but i'm happy to try to go part vegan..cant promise anything because i do like eggs and dairy stuff

anyways has anyone gone vegan and noticed a weight loss? i havent weighed myself because i thought any loss may have been due to the flu and i dont necessarily look smaller in the gut in fact i'm still disgusted by it ..but did anyone notice a significant drop in weight by discontinuing or at least reducing meat? i cant imagine going the rest of my life without a burger but am happy to try out some easy vegan recipes. making a fresh salad takes a few minutes so i'm capable of not screwing something up :) and meat has been ingrained into part of my eating habit since i was small..

still reading? lol

what can i eat to make up for the lack of meat and will i lose weight? am still about ten pounds above pre preg weight and its been a year dammit

I find myself eating less and less meat since I started college...not vegetarian, mind you, but overall just getting my protein from different sources (thanks to college budget, ha!). And you know what? I really don't miss it. I eat meat when I feel like it, but I don't crave it, and I've noticed health benefits because of it - less "leaden" feeling in my stomach, less nasty meat fat left to clean up in pans, less worrying about carcinogens from too much red meat, less guilty about greenhouse gases from the butts of cows that I'm eventually going to be eating...it's quite nice, really. heehee

Oh, and I've lost weight, too, but that might just be the ramen-and-beans diet I'm on. Remember: vegetarian/veganism does not insure weight-loss. Often times, my veggie friends have complained about GAINING weight because they're eating fatty sour-cream-bean-burritos or lots of cake instead of lean chicken tacos or beef jerky. Also, physically we do need protein, and if one becomes a full vegetarian, one must be careful about getting the required amounts to be healthy. So careful with the cookies....but otherwise, I think a decrease in meat is generally a good thing.

anyways has anyone gone vegan and noticed a weight loss?

Depends on how you go vegan. If you live on leafy veg and things, maybe, but as Tanith says, you can eat plenty of fattening foods and be vegetarian. I am a rather large person and I've been completely vegetarian in the past. I eat bread out the wazoo is why. There's little difference when I'm eating fish and when I'm not, and I eat very little dairy.

I find myself eating less and less meat since I started college...not vegetarian, mind you, but overall just getting my protein from different sources (thanks to college budget, ha!). And you know what? I really don't miss it. I eat meat when I feel like it, but I don't crave it, and I've noticed health benefits because of it - less "leaden" feeling in my stomach, less nasty meat fat left to clean up in pans, less worrying about carcinogens from too much red meat

I'm sort of vegetarian now and it started off like this. I was never that 'sold' on meat - it was ok, I suppose. I just found that after hardly having it for a long period, it was incredibly rich to eat and I didn't enjoy it.

I also have some ethical issues with poor animal husbandry and other farming methods so when I went out with a vegetarian I gave up meat completely.

However, I do still eat fish and organic milk and eggs so I'm not a 'true veggie' or even taking a consistent ethical stance.

I found that when I first cut it out completely my weight went down but then it went back up again and has been harder to manage since. This is because, at the time of my initial conversion I was a kick-ass hillwalker and used to burn off pretty much everything and also because being vegetarian has only served to fuel my addiction to cheese.

As a result, cheese is now my chocolate, in terms of that it is a treat, rather than a regular thing and I have to discipline myself to eat proteins that are not associated with large amounts of fat (e.g fish and tofu).

hi jesennia,

I've been a vegetarian for 18 years now, and have not missed meat at all. In fact, eating it now it would make me sick for sure. Nowadays, sometimes the smell of meat is overwhelming. For me, it was an ethical choice, but I'm not dogmatic about the choices others make.

Vegan is quite a bit different than vegetarian. I wish I could do vegan, but we eat out a lot, and the strict vegan approach is harder to find (though definitely possible here in California). I have definitely had vegan foods though, and wow you just taste everything so much better.

For a vegetarian diet, you'll find legume family foods potentially important.

If you find yourself "slipping" you might consider fish and/or chicken, but not making a return to beef.

I've had some weight gain, but it's different I'm sure, I'm a guy. I do lack a sweet tooth, and do not crave chocolate, for example. I also don't drive (a car), and walk everywhere, but then when I do a lot of computer work, I think it's more of an issue then. Or, it could be the cheese.

Wish you well, and Good Luck!

your not knocked up are you jes? aversion to chicken is an early warnng sign. hmmmm

I have been a strict vegetarian for 12 years now. I have not once felt the urge to slip up. i would be so sick if i ate meat that my body keeps me on track. I used to weigh about 20 more pounds than I do now and I was a platinum blonde. Big curly teased out blonde hair and full D cups. I was a popular 19 year old. I dropped the weight without trying after giving up meat.

Hope your feeling better soon!

I stopped eating meat after having IBS badly and never went back. I eat fish, I eat very little dairy but still became an ample lady!
I had to diet knocking off bread and pots and cakes etc.

hello

i would like to ask all ladies here who lost weight after you stopped eating meat, are your blood type A?

one day about 9-10 years ago i suddenly thought i didn't want to eat meat. so i told my mum because whatever she cooks i have to eat. now i eat fish sometimes when there's no choice and about once a month i would crave sushi. and i love various other seafood. i never have desire to eat meat.

a few month after i stopped meat i found myself a lot healthier. i used to have bad toilet problem and now i go every day (and i don't really eat that healthy either. i overdose on carbohydrates and i eat a lot of junk food). i also lost weight. from that day i stopped meat till now i think i lost about 25 pounds without trying. and my mum said my skin looks much better.

and then one day i saw that book 'eat right for your type' and found that blood type A people should not eat meat. i talked to my very nice and chatty doctor and she said she talked to her patients about this book and found if you're AA (if both of your parents are A, you're AA. if one of them A one of them O then you're AO), you naturally don't want to eat meat much. however she said if you're O or B and if you don't eat meat you will not be healthier. i found this to be true because my friend she's very health conscious and she exercises and she became a vegan when she was 14 (she's now 35) thinking it's healthy. but she always look pale and she's sick a lot and even tho she does so much yoga and spinning class and body pump her muscles are not firm at all.

I am mostly Vegan. I don't eat any meat or fish. I don't drink milk or eat cheese or sour cream or whipped cream. I don't add butter or eggs to anything.

But I will eat cake that was made with milk not cheese cake or tres leches or anything but a regular pound cake or german chocolate i'm all for. I'll eat milk chocolate and lately i've been craving egg foo young even tho i dont' do eggs by themselves. Confusing I know. but i believe that if you crave something you should indulge yourself.

I've been a Vegan for about 2 or 3 years altho a few months ago I ate two chicken wings cuz I was craving them for about 6 months. I didn't get sick but I was grossed out and the craving is now gone so that's why I go ahead and indulge.

I have always been skinny and before I was a Vegan I had IBS bad like Liza. The new diet made it go away and suddenly my quality of life was much better. i don't get sick nearly as often, I have more energy, I can skip a meal without passing out. In fact i'm going to participate in the last week of Ramadan. I've never been able to fast before.

I actually gained a little weight since becoming a Vegan but I think tha'ts because with the overactive digestive system problems I had, I wasn't digesting things very well. I'd eat something and see it in my stool a few hours later. TMI I know.

Anyway I think that you'd do better with weight loss if you gave up dairy more so than from meat. Strange thing to hear from a Vegetarian. But of course I think you should give up dairy and meat. But I too am not Dogmatic about it.

For protein I agree legumes are important as are nuts dont depend too heavily on soy and wheat products. there are also some grains to consider like Quinoa. The thing to also avoid is all that bread and rice. You'll need some to diguest the protein but use sparingly.

White foods (potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, salt, dairy) add to belly fat. Also in case you do, don't drink soda anymore. Good luck.

of course there are a bunch of webpages about this topic.
going vegetarian - Google Search

Originally Posted by wingaki

hello

i would like to ask all ladies here who lost weight after you stopped eating meat, are your blood type A?
l.

I'm some sort of AB, not sure what exactly. But I had the same problems as you. I never could ldigest meet well and haven't been able to digest dairy at all since I was about 13. But I didn't lose weight. My Mom is also naturally skinny and she's a nutritionist so I grew up on a pretty healthy diet that included meat. So maybe if I hadn't i'd have had some weight to lose.

i would like to ask all ladies here who lost weight after you stopped eating meat, are your blood type A?

As a matter of fact I am.

With the weight thing, I think that mine would be lower, if I didn't have such a monstrous addiction to dairy products. I have never been overweight, I just find it slightly harder to manage since going veggie. However, whenever I get up enough will power cut out any 'naughty stuff' the weight just drops off me.

In terms of general health . I have never, ever suffered from anaemia or anything similar since cutting out meat. My only dietary issues are with chickpeas, red and green peppers and cucumber, which my digestive tract takes one look at and turns itself inside out.

I also have a slight wheat problem but find I'm ok with minimal and carefully managed amounts of wheat products. I'm best with unleavened bread and spelt flour.

1) You're talking about being ovo-lacto vegetarian (a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy). Vegan is MUCH stricter, no animal products at all, not even leather shoes.

2) Those salads with the shredded cheese, sunflower seeds and dressing MIGHT have more fat and calories than a Big Mac, depending on how much of the above you're putting on there.

3) Replacing meat with high-calorie, high-fat foods like eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, etc. won't cause you to lose any weight. A lean pork chop is more filling and lower in calories than a handful of nuts.

Vegetarians who replace meat with tofu, seitan and beans, drink only skim milk and eat only the whites of eggs, and don't eat processed foods like chips, breakfast cereals etc. will generally lose weight, though.

Originally Posted by lizajuk

I stopped eating meat after having IBS badly and never went back. I eat fish, I eat very little dairy but still became an ample lady!
I had to diet knocking off bread and pots and cakes etc.

Same story for me here. However, I was able to kick the potato/breads out of my diet for the most part too. Every now & then, I get a craving for a steak & baked potato meal, but it doesn't typically agree with me anymore.

IBS aside, at one time my Dr told me to give up dairy, but yogurts and cheeses are my main protien intake now and I have very few symptoms and no meds. If I have a bad day or two (digestively speaking) it's usually my own fault for over-indulging in something that I knew I shouldn't have

Did I lose weight? Yes...but only when I really started looking at what I was eating and cleaned up some bad habits. For me, anything salty and savory was worth a mini-binge -- bags of chips, tostitos, etc. Now that's a treat, and only those little 99c bags for portion control.

Please please please read "The Energetics of Food" by Steve Gagné.

It does not address veganism per se, but it will give some eye opening information about our modern relationship to food and how ancient cultures related to their food. It is a good foundation from which to explore your vegan/vegetarian options. (and yes, you can still cook with the crock pot).

Let's see... first I am A blood type. I guess I am kinda "pescatarian"? I eat fish, dairy and eggs. I started this as an experiment at the beginning of the summer (May) and I can't say that I have really lost any weight from it. Maybe 5 lbs, but I am also doing Weight Watchers so I probably contribute any weight loss from that rather than having gone mostly meatless.

I wouldn't say that I am overly strict about it though. I don't object to beef/chicken broth if it is used. If there is some meat in a dish, I will pick around it so I wouldn't call myself a true veggie by any means.

I have always been picky about meat (the creepy fat, tendons, texture, etc is what really gets to me) so it really wasn't hard. I love to cook though so now that I have been doing for it 5 months, the lack of variety is starting to get to me.

I am a vegetarian as well. I don't eat fish, eggs or dairy, except for cheese, that is my weakness. I used to have horrible issues with IBS and not eating meat and dairy has made a big improvement on my GI health. I feel healthier, my skin looks healthier and I am very careful about protein intake from non-meat sources. I went vegetarian when I was heavier, but I did not lose weight because of it. I lost weight the old fashioned way - I counted calories and worked out like crazy!

Originally Posted by jesennia

Instead I've been craving dairy..been eating a good cereal with milk for breakfast, lunch is usually a pasta and cheese dish, and for dinner, for the past five nights, i've had a salad with mixed greens, spinach, a huge heap of cottage cheese, grated cheese, sunflower seeds and dressing (unfit diet club keep my membership open i'm sure this is temporary). Today i had a burrito and the big fat beans tasted great but i pushed the bits of chicken to the side.

so i figure the loss of desire for meat has to do with the flu and having cleansed everything from the body..but why the appetite aversion?

and i figure why re-introduce meat..i still take pre natal vitamins and calcium supplements ..not sure if the eggs and cheese and beans will make up for the lack of iron and proteins from not eating much meat anymore but i'm happy to try to go part vegan..cant promise anything because i do like eggs and dairy stuff

anyways has anyone gone vegan and noticed a weight loss? i havent weighed myself because i thought any loss may have been due to the flu and i dont necessarily look smaller in the gut in fact i'm still disgusted by it ..but did anyone notice a significant drop in weight by discontinuing or at least reducing meat? i cant imagine going the rest of my life without a burger but am happy to try out some easy vegan recipes. making a fresh salad takes a few minutes so i'm capable of not screwing something up :) and meat has been ingrained into part of my eating habit since i was small..

still reading? lol

what can i eat to make up for the lack of meat and will i lose weight? am still about ten pounds above pre preg weight and its been a year dammit

Kudos to you on thinking about reducing your meat intake. Even more kudos to you for taking your vitamins! :)

I am a vegetarian who eats a lot of dairy (yogurt daily) but I have replaced milk with soymilk.

As for going vegan to lose weight, I think it depends on how much weight you have to lose and how different it is from your current eating habits.

For example, my mom went vegan and she loves it. She doesn't eat wheat either. She is just doing veggies, beans and rice. She looks awesome and has lost tons of weight (she was really bad before). She did it for her chronic health conditions and she has so much more energy and I can tell it is really working for her.

PS Here is a recipie my mom sent me:
Creamy Chickpea and Tahini Casserole Recipe #56818 The ultimate in vegan comfort food. It's not a very specific recipe, and is open to much interpretation. It's a VERY modified version of what I found on the web.

55 min | 10 min prep

SERVES 6

* 2 (15-22 1/2 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
* 3-4 cups cooked brown rice
* 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
* 1 medium white onion, chopped
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder (or equiv. fresh garlic)
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or equiv. fresh)
* 1 teaspoon dried basil (or equiv fresh)
* 1-2 teaspoon dried parsley (or equiv. fresh)
* 3 tablespoons tahini
* 3 tablespoons water
* 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix tahini and water until well mixed (it should get kind of"fluffy").
3. Set aside.
4. Spray 9x13 pan with olive oil.
5. Dump all ingredients into pan.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Mix well.
8. Add tahini mixture, stir until well combined.
9. Bake at 375 for approximately 40 minutues, until top begins to brown.
10. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake 5 minutes more.
11. Serve hot!

Mom says to use the suggestions found at Creamy Chickpea and Tahini Casserole Recipe | Recipezaar.

I have been a strict vegan for 7 years. I did not loose weight, but I actively try to maintain my weight. You can definately be vegan and still eat a very fatty foods oriented diet, as others have said. But you can also eat a healthy vegan diet and design it to help you loose weight, if that is the goal.

Here are some recipie sites that might help:
VegWeb.com - Vegan Recipes and Cooking Tips
Fatfree Vegan Recipes

That recipie sounds good Andalee, I love chickpeas,thanks for sharing!

veggies and cheese make me fart :fg:

as many calories as a big mac??? i'm not a very good label reader. yeesh

strangely i havent been craving sweets either

yes am a blood type A and also type A personality lol

I'm vegetarian but I often eat vegan. It is possible to be overweight and vegetarian, since you can eat eggs and dairy. If you drink, you will not lose weight very much (I only lost weight when I stopped drinking once or twice a week).

Nowadays, it's even easier to be overweight and vegetarian, because there is more vegetarian processed, ready-made stuff. If you plan out your diet well, though, it shouldn't be a problem and you may lose weight.

I actually have never seen an overweight vegan. However, I do warn you to research veganism thoroughly. I've known a few vegans who are careless with their diet and become sickly because of it

I've been a Moosewoodarian (no meat, but fish and dairy, plus an egg every once in a blue moon) for many years now. I am afraid, no weight loss here ;-) Instead, by adding more vegetables to my diet, I found so many cool things to eat and cook that I probably gained quite a few pounds by leaving behind meat-and-potatoes.

Originally Posted by wingaki

hello

i would like to ask all ladies here who lost weight after you stopped eating meat, are your blood type A?

one day about 9-10 years ago i suddenly thought i didn't want to eat meat. so i told my mum because whatever she cooks i have to eat. now i eat fish sometimes when there's no choice and about once a month i would crave sushi. and i love various other seafood. i never have desire to eat meat.

a few month after i stopped meat i found myself a lot healthier. i used to have bad toilet problem and now i go every day (and i don't really eat that healthy either. i overdose on carbohydrates and i eat a lot of junk food). i also lost weight. from that day i stopped meat till now i think i lost about 25 pounds without trying. and my mum said my skin looks much better.

and then one day i saw that book 'eat right for your type' and found that blood type A people should not eat meat. i talked to my very nice and chatty doctor and she said she talked to her patients about this book and found if you're AA (if both of your parents are A, you're AA. if one of them A one of them O then you're AO), you naturally don't want to eat meat much. however she said if you're O or B and if you don't eat meat you will not be healthier. i found this to be true because my friend she's very health conscious and she exercises and she became a vegan when she was 14 (she's now 35) thinking it's healthy. but she always look pale and she's sick a lot and even tho she does so much yoga and spinning class and body pump her muscles are not firm at all.

What about those of us who are not blood groups but Rhesus ?Any difference?

Originally Posted by jesennia

veggies and cheese make me fart :fg:

beans beans beans..the more you eat the more you..botty burp.

I went with friends 15 years ago to a new veggie restaurant. The carrnivores wanted a new experience and we all laughed as after consuming large quantities of a bean stew, one girl's stomach grew and grew ( like Pinnochio's nose) and she left the table very rapidly at one point to spare us...l;,

Originally Posted by khadiya

As a matter of fact I am.

With the weight thing, I think that mine would be lower, if I didn't have such a monstrous addiction to dairy products. I have never been overweight, I just find it slightly harder to manage since going veggie. However, whenever I get up enough will power cut out any 'naughty stuff' the weight just drops off me.

In terms of general health . I have never, ever suffered from anaemia or anything similar since cutting out meat. My only dietary issues are with chickpeas, red and green peppers and cucumber, which my digestive tract takes one look at and turns itself inside out.

I also have a slight wheat problem but find I'm ok with minimal and carefully managed amounts of wheat products. I'm best with unleavened bread and spelt flour.

Ah together with mushrooms and tomatoes my staples.
BUT green beans and beetroot mmmm

Here is a very carefully worded view of the blood type diet:

Blood type diet: Does it work? - MayoClinic.com

Originally Posted by Lauren_

1) You're talking about being ovo-lacto vegetarian (a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy). Vegan is MUCH stricter, no animal products at all, not even leather shoes.

2) Those salads with the shredded cheese, sunflower seeds and dressing MIGHT have more fat and calories than a Big Mac, depending on how much of the above you're putting on there.

3) Replacing meat with high-calorie, high-fat foods like eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, etc. won't cause you to lose any weight. A lean pork chop is more filling and lower in calories than a handful of nuts.

Vegetarians who replace meat with tofu, seitan and beans, drink only skim milk and eat only the whites of eggs, and don't eat processed foods like chips, breakfast cereals etc. will generally lose weight, though.

Good points Lauren. It is all about nourishing our bodies and not overwhelming them with any one thing are another. A fatty "salad" is not always the best option. If you make your own dressings or buy lower fat versions and lay off of the toppings then there should be no problems.

It is all about not depriving our taste buds which almost ALWAYS leads to overindulging on things. Be it chocolate, nuts, cheese etc. I find that when my body is nourished then I am satified and dont WANT to over eat as much. Unless we are emotionally overeating, thats another beast.

PS samira's "persian" salad dressing

1 part lemon juice
2 parts olive oil
crushed garlic cloves (to infuse the dressing, dont eat them unless your really hardcore)
salt
pepper

put it in a container and shake shake shake. Its even better the next day after the garlic has a chance to do the trick

optional add ons:
a spoonful of veganaise (my fave), mayo or yogurt is you want it to be creamy
a little honey, agave, sugar, sweetener of your choice
any combo of fresh herbs ( or dried if you must) chopped basil, parsley, oregano, thyme

Originally Posted by samiramirage

your not knocked up are you jes? aversion to chicken is an early warnng sign. hmmmm

I have been a strict vegetarian for 12 years now. I have not once felt the urge to slip up. i would be so sick if i ate meat that my body keeps me on track. I used to weigh about 20 more pounds than I do now and I was a platinum blonde. Big curly teased out blonde hair and full D cups. I was a popular 19 year old. I dropped the weight without trying after giving up meat.

Hope your feeling better soon!

not that i know of..but i am in those baby making years!! we are not..not trying if you know what i mean..we are just hoping to control ourselves a bit longer and wait til Zack starts preschool but right now we're so in love with him and want another one.

hmmmm. sounds like its going to happen sooner or later either way.
How exciting!