new veg. question concerning soy meat subsitutes

[brian williams]

hi! i've recently tried being a vegetarian. honestly, it's not about anything other than health reasons. i'm heavier, and unhealthier than i'd like to be. i've been a big junk, and meat eater all my life, i'm 28 years old. i've gone two weeks now without meat, and have been fine. i've lost about 11 pounds, and i feel great. as well as not eating meat, i've cut my portions in half at meal time, kept it to three square meals a day, drinking almost only water, (no soda at all, just the occasional beer) and have been excersising at least 4 days a week.

my question is this, i've been eating lightlife smart ground, and lightlife chik'n'strips daily. usually i've had the smart ground in a tortilla shell with some salsa, and soy cheese, and i've been having the chik'n strips cooked with terryiaki sauce, and in fried rice full of vegetables. tonight i'm going to try some hamburger helper called "crunchy taco" with the smart ground.
it's all VERY good, and i've adjusted nicely, i feel great, more energy, and am losing weight. what i'm concerned about though is the amount of sodium in the lightlife products. is there concern for eating TOO MUCH soy based meat subsitutes?

thanks for the help, and looking forward to sharing recipes, and helping out myself when i can!

brian williams

[missmushroom]

the key is always moderation. personally, i do not eat any of the soy meats because i focus on a more 'whole food' type diet. you should make sure you are including atleast 3-4 servings of fruit a day along with 5-6 servings of vegetables. whole grains are a great source of protein and fiber, so you should also incorporate these into your diet. After you have those basics down, you can add some 'meats' in,but you won't need to eat too much because you should be pretty full.

[Fromper]

I'm not sure whether I should congratulate you on losing 11 lbs in 2 weeks or tell you to be worried. That sounds like you're losing weight too quickly for it to be healthy.

I do think variety is the key to a healthy diet. I think I remember hearing that there's evidence that too much soy is unhealthy, but the same goes for too much of any single food. I drink 2-3 glasses of soy milk per day, along with occasional soy-based burgers and stuff, tofu in stir fries, etc, and I don't worry that it's too much.

I would recommend getting some better variety, instead of eating all soy-based foods though. Check out the book "Becoming Vegetarian" by Melina and Davis for advice on what to take into consideration from a health perspective and some food recommendations.

--Fromper
:juggle:

[cftwo]

You're doing some really good things, and I don't want to diminish that. Depending on how much you have to lose, 11 pounds in 2 weeks is possible to do healthily. Good job on cutting out sodas and exercising regularly!

It's also OK to eat soy products and they certainly are handy.

BUT - you might want to track your calories in a program like www.fitday.com to make sure you haven't cut back too far. Ideally, for your health, you want something you can sustain longterm, and if you're essentially starving yourself by eating TOO little, that could backfire in the long run. So, just double-check that.

Also, eating too much of any one food isn't the best nutritional choice, either. Keep in mind that you can get protein from whole grains, nuts and legumes as well as soy, so you can build in some variety. Maybe make a goal of having your soy stuff every other day for a while in order to combine both the convenience and the variety. (see http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm for ideas on veg*n protein sources)

[brian williams]

thanks for the help guys!
i'm about 50lbs overweight according to my BMI it's mostly in my gut, but more so, i'm just really unhealthy from a lifetime of frozen pizzas, fried food, and fatty cholesterol filled food. i'm not worried at all about losing the 11 lbs so quickly, because of the amount overweightness i am, and because of the drastic change in portions, excersise, and food choices i've been making.

i'm going to take the advice and try to only eat the soy meat substitutes on an every other day basis, and on the every OTHER day, i'll eat something along the lines of a spaghetti without any meat replacement, salads with beans/nuts, etc.

thanks again!

[Tealeaf]

When I started losing weight 2 1/2 years ago, I was 120 pounds overweight. When I first started, losing 11 pounds in was doable. People just starting out often do lose large amounts, especially if they were very heavy to start with. This does level out pretty quickly, though, say in a matter of a month or two. After that, losing 1 to 2 pounds a week is considered to be a healthy rate of loss.

I've lost and maintained 80 pounds so far, Brian, doing pretty much what you are. It's an excellent way to go, and I feel great. It's nice hearing from someone trying the same thing I am! I hope it works for you as well at it has been working for me.

[SCVeganRunner]

Welcome to the board!! Hopefully you will find some useful info here to help guide you on your journey. Congrats on trying taking the iniative to do something to to improve your health.

Yea soy based foods taste good but I'm not sure I would eat so much on a daily basis not only could it become expensive but they are high in sodium and fat. I focus less on processed foods and more on things like fruits, veggies (you can eat all of those you like) with some whole grains and pastas. Definately read up on vegetarianism , read everything you can get your hands on.

I was overweight too when I first became a veggie. After a few months I felt so great that I took up running (yea no one I grew up with saw it coming) now I participate in marathons and never felt or looked better.

Congrats on your progress so far and best of luck. Hopefully you'll stick around and keep us updated on your progress!!

[Bios]

I think your plan is a good one. Meat substitutes are a good transitioner when you don't know how else to cook, and they remain handy for an occasional quick meal. You might also choose to reduce the soy by just using less, and replacing some of that space with beans. For example, fajita spice mix made for beef works great on beans, or on a mix of beans and soy crumbles, to go in mexican dishes. Quorn is a meat replacer made of fungal protein rather than soy. It has some egg in it too. I thought it was really tasty as a chicken replacer (too bad I'm allergic!).

[Seusomon]

For me, the concerns with these meat substitutes are the concerns I have with processed foods generally: sodium, fat, lots of additives of dubious pedigree. It's not the end of the world, but a gentle transition to basic foods (vegetables, grains, legumes you prepare yourself) would probably help in the long run.

Congratulations on your lifestyle change!