My Beef with being Vegetarian - I've gained almost 20 pounds since becoming a Vegetarian

There is a difference being a vegetarian and a starchatarian. As one who eats meat/poultry only on holidays I have found that there are tons of things that are vegetarian (rice, potatoes, chips, pretzels) but are definitely not healthy and definitely cause weight gain. Same applies if one goes on a low/no-fat diet. You must be careful or you will get fatter.

Timmy Treadwell wrote:

Fallacy Finder. wrote:

Yeah but, it was you being vegetarian for 20 years that caused your knee problem that required the surgery.

LOL, no. It was a serious fall and wrench of the knee which snapped a tendon.

But your balance was negatively impacted by a lack of omega 6s caused by your lack of meat. You wouldn't have fallen if you weren't a vegetarian.

Meat eaters have vitamin B12 deficencies too because of our water purification and factory farming methods.

You mom's diet is not sustainable for the world.s population. There is more than just the question of animal ethics here. Meat is a horribly inefficient way to get calories. The harm to the environment is huge! People weren't designed to eat meat. Some people in some areas of the world due to natural selection can thrive on the diet but from an evolutionary standpoint we weren't built for it. We don't have the teeth and digestive system for it for starters. Tell someone on a Keto diet to eat their meat without cooking it and see what happens.

As for your specific problem, you are doing something wrong.

A little bit of protein, a little bit of fat at every meal and limited carbs (no added sugars) will make you healthy.

Eating vegan means a ton more carbs than when not eating vegan, provided the diet is "clean."

I won't get into supplements, but it's ironic that such a pure, ethical, manner of eating requires loads of industrial chemicals to maintain.

The industrial chemicals are not so much in the evil meat and dairy products I consume - I use the money I've saved by not buying supplements to buy organic products.

Of course you can gain weight on any diet that restricts foods depending on how much and what you eat. This is a silly post. There are plenty of vegetarians eating fries, cheese, donughts, cookies etc. Obviously this is bad for you.

A vegan/vegetarian who eliminates meat for health reasons would be eating mostly veggies, fruits, whole grains (e.g. brown rice), beans, nuts, etc. (with the vegetarians also adding eggs, and some milk/plain yogurt). It's really hard to gain an unhealthy amount of weight on this diet.

Now if in addition to the above, you eat lots of added oil and/or sugar, that is totally a different diet. You can't compare a Keto diet with no added sugar to a vegan diet with added sugar.

Maybe you need to start adding Double Cheese Impossible Whoppers to your daily diet.

Ernest wrote:

Though it does seem plain from what was shared (and from my experience) maintaining a healthy diet over the longer term is more difficult as a vegan/vegetarian.

I doubt this. The meat most Americans eat is just as much "pre-processed" junk food as pringles or whatever -- the key word in "factory farm" being "factory" rather than farm, and you have no idea what went into it. It's different if you're eating truly free-range, grass-fed beef or equivalent, but are you really doing the research, every time, to make sure? Most places that claim those things aren't doing what you imagine they're doing, and enforcement/auditing is scarce.

If you're vegetarian/vegan and worried about B12, consider eating oysters, mussels and clams. They've got iron, B12, and fish oil, don't feel pain, don't have brains, can be harvested relatively sustainably. I follow this diet (ostrovegan) which I just call vegan for short.

OP, gaining 20 pounds on a vegetarian diet is strange. How much sugar are you eating? Processed wheat? Do you eat many pounds of cheese per day? Just wondering what the story is.

Veganism is a mental disorder

I'm not a vegetarian but the implication of claims in this thread appears to be that vegetarianism or veganism makes you fat and unhealthy. In fact, the opposite is the case.

Several epidemiological studies have examined differences in body weight based on dietary patterns. These patterns include vegan, vegetarian (veg), pesco-vegetarian (pesco-veg), semi-vegetarian (semi-veg), or omnivorous (omni) diets.[11] Data from the Adventist Health Study (AHS) have shown that BMI increases as the amount of animal foods in the diet increases, such that vegans had the lowest BMI, followed by veg, pesco-veg, semi-veg, and omni diets.[11] Moreover, findings from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Oxford) study, have shown that vegans gain significantly less weight as they age compared to omnivores.[12] Converting to a more plant-based diet also appears to be protective against weight gain, as does following a pesco-veg diet for women.[12] The EPIC-PANACEA study, an off-shoot of the EPIC-Oxford study, found a positive association between total meat consumption and weight gain, even after adjusting for energy intake: an increase in 250 g/day of meat led to a 2 kg weight gain after 5 years (95% CI: 1.5–2.7 kg).[13]

Along with the findings from the two large AHS and EPIC studies, the Swedish Mammography Cohort found that omnivores had the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity compared to individuals following dietary patterns with less meat.[14] In a study examining a cohort of 49,098 Taiwanese adults, the percentage of participants with a BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2 was significantly lower among those following a vegetarian diet (10.9%) as compared to those following a non-vegetarian diet (15.4%). Additionally, this study also found that for every year on a vegan diet, the risk of obesity decreased by 7% (95% CI: 0.88–0.99).[15]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466943/

Animal products contain much more fat than plant-based foods. Because vegetarian diets are the only diets that work for long-term weight loss, it’s no surprise that population studies show that meat-eaters have three times the obesity rate of vegetarians and nine times the obesity rate of vegans. It’s possible to be an overweight or obese 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.

Adopting a vegan diet won’t just help you slim down, it will also help you fight an array of ailments, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Dr. T. Colin Campbell of Cornell University, arguably the foremost epidemiologist in the world, states, “Quite simply, the more you substitute plant foods for animal foods, the healthier you are likely to be. I now consider veganism to be the ideal diet. A vegan diet—particularly one that is low in fat—will substantially reduce disease risks. Plus, we’ve seen no disadvantages from veganism. In every respect, vegans appear to enjoy equal or better health in comparison to both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.”

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/obesity/

zxcvzvcx wrote:

I'm not a vegetarian but the implication of claims in this thread appears to be that vegetarianism or veganism makes you fat and unhealthy. In fact, the opposite is the case.

Since you are so pro-vegan, even willing to post extremist propaganda from PETA, why are you not yourself vegan? Hypocritical much?

YMMV wrote:

zxcvzvcx wrote:

I'm not a vegetarian but the implication of claims in this thread appears to be that vegetarianism or veganism makes you fat and unhealthy. In fact, the opposite is the case.

Since you are so pro-vegan, even willing to post extremist propaganda from PETA, why are you not yourself vegan? Hypocritical much?

Don't waste your breath. Vegan brains are emaciated to the point that they can't form coherent sentences.

MAGAKAG

YMMV wrote:

[quote]biggy smallz wrote:

Cue YMMV in 3...2...1

Plants don't have:

Vitamin A (beta carotene is poorly converted) , B6 (Pyridoxal, Pyridoxamine), B12, D, E (Animal) F, K2, Q10. Amino acids: Creatine, Carnitine, Carnosine, and Taurine. Also Heme-iron, Collagen, Omegas: DHA, EPA, CLA, Cholesterol and Balanced, fully bioavailable Complete Protein

You're totally off base dude. You can get all essential amino acids from rice and beans or even simple things like hemp seeds (all amino acids), if you are a vegetarian that doesn't eat eggs

I can't believe I quote cheater Lance'

https://www.livestrong.com/article/449042-can-you-get-all-amino-acids-from-being-vegetarian/

YMMV wrote:

zxcvzvcx wrote:

I'm not a vegetarian but the implication of claims in this thread appears to be that vegetarianism or veganism makes you fat and unhealthy. In fact, the opposite is the case.

Since you are so pro-vegan, even willing to post extremist propaganda from PETA, why are you not yourself vegan? Hypocritical much?

That's not extremist propaganda, as you can see from the selection from the NIH site above, which supports those claims on weight. Nor am I a hypocrite because I eat meat, yet say that it is false to claim that veganism and vegetarianism tend to make you fat and unhealthy. Those things are absolutely compatible. I don't think that you understand what hypocrisy means. As for my health and weight, I average well over 100 mpw, so I don't have to worry about being overweight or unhealthy. I could stand to eat a lot more fruit and vegetables, because I tend to save them for my kids.

From Harvard Medical School:

"Fiber. It's the part of plant foods that we can't digest. Eating foods high in fiber helps reduce total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol, improve blood sugar control, and prevent constipation. High-fiber foods also help with weight loss by making you feel full.

There are lots of high-fiber foods to choose from:

brown rice

bulgur (cracked wheat)

barley

oats

nuts

beans and lentils

apples

blueberries

carrots

Vitamins and minerals. Vitamins are organic substances found in plants and animals. Minerals are inorganic elements from the earth (soil and water). Both are essential for normal growth and optimal health.

Here's a list of vitamins and minerals that are crucial for good health, plus the best food sources of each:

iron — meat, poultry, fish, and beans

vitamin A — carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale

vitamin B12 — meat, poultry, fish

vitamin E — nuts, seeds, vegetable oils

Phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are chemicals made by plants. They are not essential to life, but they do have a positive effect on health. Diets rich in phytochemicals have been associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases, such as cancer and heart disease. They are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains.

The following is a list of key phytochemicals, plus the best food sources of each.

flavonoids — blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries

carotenoids — orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash

lycopene — tomatoes

isoflavones — soy foods, such as soybeans (or edamame)

resveratrol — red grapes

catechins — teas"

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/best-source-of-vitamins-your-plate-not-your-medicine-cabinet

This is Jim Kiler wrote:

Eating vegan means a ton more carbs than when not eating vegan, provided the diet is "clean."

I won't get into supplements, but it's ironic that such a pure, ethical, manner of eating requires loads of industrial chemicals to maintain.

The industrial chemicals are not so much in the evil meat and dairy products I consume - I use the money I've saved by not buying supplements to buy organic products.

There are good and bad ways to be a vegetarian. The first like 15 years of vegetarianism I basically only ate bread, cereal, dairy, beans and honestly not that much fruit or vegetables. I was also hesitant to eat fat.

Now I mainly eat whole, minimally processed grains (oatmeal, farro, Ezekiel bread, etc.), way more fruit and vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados and I’m much healthier and leaner. The only supplements I really use are liquid iron, Vega sport, and nutritional yeast (for B vitamins and flavor).

It's impossible to be healthy and a militant vegan at the same time.