Will eating vegetarian help me lose weight?

We eat a lot of chicken, so one way we keep our meals from being so monotonous is by throwing low fat, low calorie, high protein and fiber, vegetarian meals into the weekly dinner menu. From things I have read meat is a good thing and my family loves it. Granted, I tend to only eat red meat once or twice a month, I have to satisfy my burger craving, the rest of the month is chicken, fish, and vegetarian.

I bring this subject up because I have a wonderful, but yet a bit naive friend who tends to buy into stuff without doing much research. She tends to believe the person who is selling her a product is telling her the absolute truth. I on the other hand, thanks to my husband, do not believe what I am being told without doing research on my own. Currently, a few of my friends have bought into how switching to vegetarian is the only way to go in losing weight. I am not saying they are wrong, but I feel they do need to research their food choices a bit more. By going vegetarian they are doing what I am doing, creating a calorie deficit, only in a different way.

I have learned a lot on the Mayo website and I am going to share yet another article I have found.


Question:
Vegetarian diet: Will it help me lose weight?
If I switch to a vegetarian diet, will I lose weight?

Answer:
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D. Mayo Clinic nutritionist

Research has shown that, on average, people who follow a vegetarian diet eat fewer calories and less fat than do nonvegetarians. Vegetarians also tend to have lower body weight relative to their height than do nonvegetarians. This makes sense, since a diet that largely consists of fruits and vegetables generally has fewer calories. However, switching to a vegetarian diet doesn't guarantee weight loss.

The basics of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight are the same for everyone: Eat a healthy diet and balance calories eaten with calories burned. Vegetarians — like nonvegetarians — can make poor food choices that contribute to weight gain, such as large portions of high-fat, high-calorie foods or foods with little or no nutritional value.

For this reason, vegetarian diets should be as carefully planned as nonvegetarian diets to make sure they are nutritionally balanced. Choose a vegetarian eating plan that is low in fat and that provides all of the nutrients your body needs. Be sure to include protein-rich foods — especially if you follow a vegetarian diet that limits fish, eggs and dairy products. Not only is protein an essential nutrient, but also it helps you feel full longer — which can curb your urge to snack.

But be cautious about your protein sources. Substituting large quantities of full-fat cheese and peanut butter for meat will add a significant amount of fat and calories to your diet. Limit your portions of these high-fat proteins. Opt for low-fat protein sources, such as dried beans, low-fat cheese, reduced-fat peanut butter and soy products.

Cooking methods and condiments also factor into your calorie intake. Instead of frying, try steaming, boiling, grilling or roasting foods. If you stir-fry, reduce the amount of oil you use. Also, use smaller amounts — or lower fat versions — of sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese and salad dressing in your food preparation.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vegetarian-diet/AN01580

Is there such thing as a miracle plan to lose weight? I think not.

There are a few woman in my class that are what I call resolutioners. They have set a goal to lose weight, but they are looking for a miracle program. They want to lose weight, but not really work for it. They are trying many things that they have read or watched on tv. It all varies from cutting out beef, pork, & chicken, high fructose corn syrup, or counting their calories, but not succeeding because they feel it is too hard to do all the time. I totally agree, I hate counting my calories and I do not do it well. When it comes to food, I love to cook and eat. I am trying weight watchers again and counting my calories at the same time. We eat a lot of chicken, black beans, soup, vegetables, & fruit. Lets face it, who has ever said, "fruit and vegetables made me fat." No one. By cooking, one can cut down on a lot of the sodium and any other processed ingredients.

I want to share something I found on the Mayo website. It is information that I already knew, but would like to pass on to those who may not.



Question
Weight loss: Better to cut calories or exercise more?
Which is better for weight loss — cutting calories or increasing exercise?

Answer
from Donald Hensrud, M.D., Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist

Consuming fewer calories through dietary changes seems to promote weight loss more effectively than does exercise and physical activity. But physical activity is also important in weight control.

The key to weight loss is burning more calories than you consume. Because 3,500 calories equals about 1 pound (0.45 kilogram) of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories more than you take in to lose 1 pound. So if you cut 500 calories from your typical diet each day, you'd lose about 1 pound a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calories).

Exercise plus calorie restriction can help give you the weight-loss edge. Exercise can help burn off the excess calories you can't cut through diet alone. Exercise also offers numerous health benefits, including boosting your mood, strengthening your cardiovascular system and reducing your blood pressure.

Exercise can also help in maintaining weight loss. Studies show that people who maintain their weight loss over the long term get regular physical activity. In contrast, people who lose weight by crash dieting or by drastically reducing their calories to 400 to 800 a day are likely to regain weight quickly, often within six months after they stop dieting.

Mayo Clinic preventive medicine specialist
Donald Hensrud, M.D.

Food thoughts

When I first started this, I wanted it to be about food that my family and I have enjoyed. Now, when I think about it, I would like to try and make it more. In the past few months, we have been trying to eat healthier and be more active. Ryan has been smoke free since November 22 and I could not be more proud of him. He replaced smoking with healthy food and exercise and by doing this he has lost just over 40 lbs. I, on the other hand have been more conscious about what I eat for months, but just recently started exercising. I have a ways to go before I catch up to him, but someone told me that “losing weight is a marathon not a sprint - we have to pace ourselves to reach our ultimate goal.”

So, with this being said I am hoping to not only have more wonderful recipes on here, but some healthy eating and weight loss/exercise tips I find along the way that interest me.