veglette19

I'm proud to say that my absolute FAVORITE diet is the one that I'm currently on and will be on for the rest of my life, and that would be the vegetarian diet. It's SOOOO much better for your body than a carnivorous one! I've only been on it for less than a week, but I already feel SO much better and I've already lost three pounds. Fellow vegetarians, YOU ARE NOT ALONE and for those of you who aren't-watch the video "Meet your Meat" and think of that next time you go to eat a hamburger or a piece of chicken...yuck...

mc3150

veglette19,

Welcome to the great world of vegetarianism and you made the right choice many years from now your body will thank you over and over again.
I am for the most part a vegan but not very strict because I will eat an occasional bagel or regular pancakes.
I have lost about 26 lbs. and make my smoothies every day of fruit and love it.
I think that if more people would at least try to eat this way they would be much healthier at least in my humble opinion.
Website for meet your meat
Meat.org | The Website the Meat Industry Doesn't Want You to See
Everyone should watch this one.

veglette19

It's nice to see someone else on here who has the same views as I do! I want to go vegan, but slowly so that I'm not setting myself up for failure, because in my city we aren't very vegan-friendly, so I want to have time to REALLY get ready for it before I make the switch. As far as my body thanking me though-I think it already is because I feel GREAT and my moods are so much better than what they used to be. YAY!

peepra

Hi, I'm new to the boards here but I just wanted to throw my hat in the ring as another vegetarian. I stopped eating meat 3 years ago, and for a while eating vegan. I did just recently add eggs back in but am still off dairy. I don't miss the dairy at all or the way it made me feel so that's not coming back.
I love eating this way although initially it didn't make me lose weight, I was already at a healthy weight when I made the switch. Then I started baking 'cause I wanted to experiment w/ vegan baking. I gained 10 pounds.
Not a lot I know but I had previously lost about 60 pounds so any weight gain back is frustrating! That's why I signed up here, after a year of hanging onto my 10 baking pounds, I'm finally ready to get strict again.

veglette19

Good for you for losing sixty pounds! I, however, need to lose forty to be in the healthy range. It's okay though I will. I need some encouragement today though...I'm starting to feel a little down on myself for eating so much today...

Built

I am not a vegetarian, though intuitively I believe it probably is the most healthy way to eat. Animal cruelty aside, studies show that a plant-based diet decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer and plays a big role in healing of same. Think of how many drug companies that would go bankrupt if society became vegan! If you haven't already read it, "The China Study" is pretty convincing. Also recommended is the movie "Food Inc." Very informative about how our food really is prepared.

I admire those who practice this lifestyle in a healthy way (those who don't eat white flour and refined carbs). I think it is challenging and takes a lot of planning and commitment, particularly if you live in a household with others who eat meat. Maybe one day I'll make the switch

quinnesec

Beth-
So glad you brought this up. Great topic. I consider myself a flexitarian. I know... the vegetarians out there will hate this, but it is a great place to start down the road to being a vegetarian and to wards a healthy life-style. This means, as a family, we eat a mostly vegetarian diet with occasional meat, usually broiled fish or chicken.

Other possibilities for those who would like to "try on" a more vegetarian life-style are pollotarianism, vegetarianism with occasional chicken added to diet or pescetarianism, occasional fish added to diet.

Any of these choices are very healthy, done right (no deep-fried, etc.) and really help to take off the pounds. We've done this, at various levels, for 20 years.

I started cooking vegetarian meals for my family once a week. Then two... then three...then four. And you know what? They didn't even notice! In fact, when I would make something with meat, they preferred the "lighter" dinners. Give it a try!

Lizzycritter

I like the idea of being a vegetarian, or maybe pescetarian as I do love fish! I don't think it's practical at this point in my life though, as I have 2 small kids and a husband that isn't particularly fond of veggies. I recently switched from spaghetti and meatballs to spaghetti and mushrooms, nobody seems to mind. I'd like to sneak in a few more vegan/vegetarian meals on them, any ideas?

quinnesec

Lizzy, I started cooking this way when my youngest was 2 (now 16). It's a great time before they get stuck in their ways. If you don't tell them, they won't even notice. As for your husband, just tell him that your making a few "healthy choices". Some things I serve are:

*Spanish Rice (brown rice, if you prefer)
*Fried Rice (Weight Watchers has an awesome recipe)
*Veggie Subs on whole wheat buns
*Whole Wheat Pasta Tosses (kids love it)
*Veggie Pizza on whole wheat crust and a little low-fat cheese
*Low-fat, whole wheat Pasta Alfredo made with chicken stock instead of butter
*Grilled Portabella Sandwiches with 1/2 slice low-fat swiss and red onion on whole wheat
*Grilled Marinated Garlic Shrimp with pineapple, zucchini, green pepper and red onion
*Ricotta Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Grape Tomatoes
*Veggie Omelets (made with Egg Beaters) and fresh fruit
*Italian Tortellini Soup (kids love this, too)

Built

Quinn: Those sound delicious! I think for me it's just getting used to trying new recipes. I've collected a few that we enjoy but need to find more quick meals. A couple of years ago I tried the raw lifestyle. I wasn't necessarily looking to lose weight...just want to be healthy. It was summer so there was a lot of fruit and veggies in season. Loved juicing. I enjoyed it but some of the meals were time consuming to prepare and $$$. My family about flipped out when I made "spaghetti and meatballs". The sauce was made from sundried tomatoes, tasty but room temperature, the meatballs were made from ground pecans, and the pasta was made out of zucchini using a mandolin (sp). Looked just like the real thing Maybe we ought to have a thread just for everyone's favorite healthy recipes....