vegetarian to-be who doesn't want to lose weight

[triancy]

I'm lessening my meat intake as much as possible and I'm seriously considering on becoming vegetarian because I want to improve my health. However, I don't want to lose weight because I'm already quite skinny. Please suggest some vegetarian food that won't make me lose weight. thanks!!

[Kiz]

Hrmm... do you eat eggs, cheese etc? They have quite a load of calories.

Other than that there is a tonne of food that is veggie and fattening. Avocados, nuts, oils (including all fried/deep fried food), sugary foods, sweets, chocolates, cakes, biscuits (cookies), sugary fruits like grapes, you can toss on extra salad dressing, extra creamy sauce when you have pasta. Beer, wine etc are quite fattening, too. It's easy to be a fat vegetarian, trust me on that one. :D Not sure if ALL these are good "health" options but they sure are fattening. Except for the grapes, maybe.

[Gita]

Nuts, avocados, seeds, oils, pulses. I would still suggest staying away from cookies, cake and other sugar and flour combinations, since you said your goal is better health. Many vegetarians are unhealthy because of what they eat, just like many omnivores are. You might be a natural endomorph-- just naturally skinny. You might try bodybuilding if you have not. I don't know how old you are, but sometimes young people up to about 18-20 continue to be quite slim, then hit about 25 and start to pack it on. Adults do not need to eat as much as teenagers if they are not very physically active, and yet they retain their love of large portion sizes. Is your thinness genetic? You can usually tell by looking at other family members.

[itsveggietime!]

I've had trouble losing weight since becoming a vegetarian! My calorie yogurt now has 3 times as many weight points in the soy version. My soy milk that I like, (very vanilla silk) has much more ww points than 1% milk did. I do get a break on my soy/rice cheeses, though. My meat replacements (gardenburger, morningstar, boca, veggiepatch) are either even or less than the meat. I think the only people who become skinnier, are those who were eating barrels of animal fat to start with and stop.
If you were eating normally, you should still be eating olive, safflower, or flax(don't heat flaxoil) and raw nuts and nut butters (love SunButter) - and those are not low calorie, but very healthy! If you like mex stuff, advocado is full of the good fat, and so has lots of calories. Don't skip the good fats, just because of calories, they are what your body needs to protect your heart.

[vigilant20]

I also had some hope of weightloss with my new diet. But I'm headed towards a year of eating vegetarian, and I haven't lost a thing! If you are worried about your intake, use a website like fitday to track your calories for a while to make sure you are on track for maintenance.

[rabid_child]

A vegetarian diet shouldn't automatically cause weight loss since it should contain the same number of calories and balance of nutrients of an omni diet. However, vegetables and fruits are less calorie dense than meats, so replacing 6 oz of meat with 6 oz of lettuce won't cut it calorie wise! Try to include a fat, a whole grain, and a protein in every meal along with fruits and vegetables. If you're having a salad, add some avocado and nuts or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), and use full fat salad dressings. Try adding fruit and nuts to cereal, make oatmeal with milk instead of water, eat lots of whole grains, snack on nuts and dried fruit.

[tearhsong2]

A vegetarian diet shouldn't automatically cause weight loss since it should contain the same number of calories and balance of nutrients of an omni diet. However, vegetables and fruits are less calorie dense than meats, so eating 6 oz of meat with 6 oz of lettuce won't cut it calorie wise! Try to include a fat, a whole grain, and a protein in every meal along with fruits and vegetables. If you're having a salad, add some avocado and nuts or seeds (sunflower, pumpkin), and use full fat salad dressings. Try adding fruit and nuts to cereal, make oatmeal with milk instead of water, eat lots of whole grains, snack on nuts and dried fruit.

I have to echo what rabid said. Veg*nism doesn't necessarily make you lose weight. Some people lose, some people stay about the same, and some people gain when they go veg*n. The point is, you should be aiming to get the same amount of calories (or adding more, if keeping weight on is a problem for you) as you normally eat.

If you're at a loss as to how to replace meat in your diet, it's really not that difficult. It's simply replacing the meat with plant-based proteins. Legumes, such as beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains, and many vegetables are rich in protein as are soy products. If you need more calories than that, you can add healthy fats from avocados, seeds, olive nut, and flax seed oil. An occasional sweet or salty treat doesn't hurt too much either. :)

You can find lots of recipes at the following websites:
www.vegweb.com
www.vegsource.com
www.fatfree.com
and the recipe section on this website.

[livelearnlife]

I haven't been trying to lose weight but I've lost five pounds in the first two weeks of being vegetarian. I eat all my meals, and I snack quite a bit so... :/

I'm trying those links posted above, thank you!

[Abyssinian]

I think it takes some time for your body to adapt to your new way of eating. Most of the weight you're loosing is probably water weight. Give it some time.
You could try eating larger meals, high in calories.

[ShantiTree]

My husband used to eat a lot of processed fake meat and dairy replacement products and he was always pretty heavy. If you are trying to lose weight you might want to try cutting back on processed foods and eat more whole foods like beans and whole grains. Since my husband has changed his diet he has been the incredible shrinking man.