Low carb vegetarianism?

I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for a low carb vegetarian diet.... I did the low carb thing before I stopped eating meat and it was easy and I lost a lot of weight, but it was very high in meat, obviously I wouldn't be eating meat if I did it again. So does anyone have any experiance or suggestions?

 

The whole low-carb diet thing as Atkins describes it is bunk, in my opinion. And as you mentioned, extemely meat-centered, which is NOT healthy. Your body needs carbs, but you gain weight from overly processed carbs and bleached flower with a lot of empty calories. So stick with whole grains (they're a great source of protein, vitamins, and energy) and you should be fine. Eat more "whole" foods and fiber (like fresh produce). Fiber is filling, essential & satisfying and if you get it from fresh produce there is usually no fat.

If you're watching your cholesterol as well, you may consider a vegan diet. Good luck!

 

I do eat a lot of produce, half of which is cut out of most low/no carb diets. I realize the importance of carbs, but I wanted to try to stay away from most of them for a bit. I was thinking maybe cut it down to 1 serving of carbs a day if it is something like rice, pasta or bread but on the flip side eat as much fruit as I want (within reason). A lot of the low/no carb diets say not to eat fruit at least the first week or two, but I'm a fruit nut, I can't stay away from it. Really I don't know what I am looking for, maybe just some suggestions of higher protein meals with lower carbs. I'm on the edge of veganism I think, I don't eat any eggs unless they're already in something and I am eating cheese less and less. I think maybe I'd do well just getting a good vegetarian cookbook.

 

Definitely get a good veg cookbook. La Dolce Vegan by Sarah Kramer is really good, I just bought it & I'm loving it. Any of the Moosewood cookbooks by Mollie Katzen are good too.

Grains are a pretty important part of a vegetarian diet since they provide essential amino acids and protein. Just stay away from white bread, bleached/processed flour, and non whole-grains and you should be fine.

Carbs are not the enemy, you just gotta eat the right kinds! If you're worried about your weight, watch your portion sizes and get plenty of exercise (also drink lots of water). But denying yourself carbs completely is basically starving your body (and that's the only reason the low-carb diets work - you're starving yourself of much needed energy). Glad to see you're not totally giving up carbs, but you need more than 1 serving a day (6-11 is recommended, maybe even more for vegetarians).

 

I have to watch my carb intake because I have insulin resistance (akin to low-level diabetes). Like barter mama said, I just concentrate on eating whole foods as much as I can, make sure I get a good solid protein source with every meal (beans, tofu, tempeh, occasionally cheese and on a VERY rare occasion salmon) and I always make sure to eat complex carbs when I can. I only ever eat brown rice, whole wheat pasta/breads, sweet potatoes, etc. It's just about making the proper choice, and you can still eat practically the same as you would otherwise!

 

You obviously don't realize the importance of carbs if you're limiting yourself to one serving a day. Why do you think its the largest group in the food pyramid? Because its the most important! Carbs feed all of your cells and help some cells that other nutrients do not, such as your retinas and nerve cells.
Carbs also help burn fatty acids. The atkins diet is not good for your body, it forces your body to use ketones, which are emergency fuel, because of the incomplete burn of fatty acids.
Also, carbs do not make you fat. Overeating anything will make you fat. Carbs are good for you, and the only reason to stay away from them is if you are diabetic. You NEED 6 - 8 servings a day.
Whole wheat and grain sources are best, definitely. They're NOT fattening.

 

Well... as everyone has said... eat whole grains and produce... That's me in a nutshell. I already only eat whole grains and also a lot of fruit and veggies. I'm not eating 1 serving of carbs a day, it was just a thought, and I don't even think I'm going to go there, I have read up about the dangers of low/no carb diets, and I realize that the weight loss is only temporary and can screw up your metabolism. I exercise at least 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes a pop, but most of the time I work out more than that as in an hour at a time or more than three days a week. I guess I'm just trying to find something that'll help me lose weight and get toned up, and I don't know where to go next. Even though I already eat healthy and exercise I still don't get any skinnier. I thought about the portion size thing, but I already measure them out and make sure that I eat proper portion sizes, nothing seems to work. I don't care what the scale says, but it'd be nice to look trimmer. I even went as far as to have my thyroid checked since hypothyroidism runs in my family, can't blame it on that. I'm at a loss.

 

Sometimes it depends not on the quantity of exercise as much as the quality. Focus on the areas you want to tone and find activities that help you tone them. Also, get lots of cardiovascular workouts that burn calories and work your whole body. Swimming is a great exercise for toning the entire body.

In the meantime, love yourself for who you are and focus on how healthy and happy you are, not how you look or your size. I'm glad you're doing some research & are interested in being healthy.

Also, I've heard it's better for you & helps boost your metabolism to eat more small meals throughout the day than 3 big ones. Maybe eating smaller but more frequent healthy meals might help. Best of luck to you!

 

I alternate my exercise with jogging, light weights, yoga and pilates... I actually talked to my sister in laws about going to a pool near them at a high school. I didn't know that they had public swimming, but apparently they do! It's an indoor heated natatorium, so we were planning on going this weekend for the first of many times. Just another thing to add to the mix, helps keep me from getting bored and also helps me focus on my entire body instead of just working the same muscles all the time.

I do definately love myself for who I am, however in that same aspect, I want to be healthier and more fit, not just for self esteem but for the obvious health reasons of leading a healthy life. I quit smoking this year after ten years, you might say it started me on a roll.

You know what? I've tried the multiple small meals before, it kind of worked. Maybe I'll try that again... I think what I tried was just eating something healthy every three hours, like a piece of fruit or a granola bar and of course had breakfast, lunch and dinner, but made them smaller meals since I was eating throughout the day. See, sometimes my mind just needs a little jump start... it's like I already know what to do but I just need a little nudge in the right direction.

Thanks to all of you for all your support and suggestions!

 

WHat did that atkins guy die of, a heart attack-hu red meat anyone. I think the worse thing that adds to my pudge is cheese(god I love that shit) and beer(god I love that shit even more). I have cut out fried foods and sodas. I eat alot of fresh produce and alot of whole grain foods. I think I need to do yoga more also. Just remember...everyone's body is different and will respond different to diets than everyone else

 

Like my Daddy always said - "Breakfast like a King, Dinner like a Prince, and Supper like a Pauper." This is something I need to really remind myself of most of the time, because it's easy with our schedule to just forget to eat until late in the day, and eat one big meal.

 

uh if your a vegetarian it is simply NOT recommended u do low carb...your body needs the carbs to get energy from...when you dont eat meat sometimes your energy falters and thats where the carbs come in....they also help when your excercising and you need the energy to do so, you burn them up as your excercising.

 

I like that Humblebee, Ill hafta start using that. I have to force my self to eat breakfeast, but oh how much better I feel of the rest of the day

 

After watching a friend suffer from diverticulitis as a direct result of a low carb diet, I would never consider that route. My friend currently has a colostomy and will have to eventually have to have surgery to remove a portion of his colon. He is, of course, in denial, but I don't think it's a coincidence that he recently lost 20 pounds on Atkins. People were not designed to eat basically nothing but meat.

I have had success in the past with Dr. McDoughall's Low Fat Vegan diet. It's kind of boring (I think the recipes tend to be bland), but it works if you are looking for a jump start. I would not recommend it as a lifestyle change unless you are trying to recover from heart disease.

 

No, but there is only so much you can do to spice up cauliflower in tomato sauce over brown rice. Plus, I'm not necessarily convinced that ultra-low fat is healthy in the long term either. How are you supposed to get your omega-3s? And I LOVE avocados and tofu. I couldn't do without in the long term. But on the bright side, you can lose a lot of weight pretty quickly on McDoughall, and you can eat a lot of food.