Gonna try a vegetarian diet

[LiftWithDonuts]

Looks like for the next month with my girlfriend I'm going to be trying a vegetarian diet. From eating 1 or 2 pounds of either chicken or beef a day to none. Any diet tips? Certain foods to eat/avoid?

Thank you for any input and help

 

[Mesomorphin]

Eggwhites can be an easy way to get a lot of protein unless you are going full vegan.

 

[jakz]

Nuts = Quality fats,calories and protein

 

[dixonk]

I tried eating vegetarian for awhile. I ended up gaining weight on it and feeling weak all the time. Good luck on it...glad it's not me.

 

[john.patterson]

Eggwhites can be an easy way to get a lot of protein unless you are going full vegan.

Be cautious of overdoing it with eggwhites though, it can cause some serious gas issues haha. Are you still going to be using whey and protein powders?

 

[rhoadx]

Cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and if you have a Kroger near you carbmaster yogurt and carbmaster milk

 

[Snow3y]

May I ask what the point in this would be?

Are you wanting to convert to a vegetarian/vegan and that's why you're wanting to give this a shot?

If it's for weight loss, stick to caloric deficit dieting. Protect the gains.

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

Eggwhites can be an easy way to get a lot of protein unless you are going full vegan.

Eventually I will try to, trying to take steps in that direction.

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

I tried eating vegetarian for awhile. I ended up gaining weight on it and feeling weak all the time. Good luck on it...glad it's not me.

What were you eating?
Just to much or was it the food selection?

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

Be cautious of overdoing it with eggwhites though, it can cause some serious gas issues haha. Are you still going to be using whey and protein powders?

I'm going to try to cut out use of whey protein and all supplements for a while actually. I've read I may need to supplement with b12 though. I'm going to try to get all of my protein from whole food(I know some people consider whey to be whole food)

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

May I ask what the point in this would be?

Are you wanting to convert to a vegetarian/vegan and that's why you're wanting to give this a shot?

If it's for weight loss, stick to caloric deficit dieting. Protect the gains.

I'm doing for the health benefit(that I've read). Also, I've never tried it and I like a challenge. I'm going to try out the .8 grams of protein per pound of bw and see how that goes. I could lose a few pounds so if that happens I'll be okay with it. Also the whole not being apart of the killing animals thing is kinda cool. Not that that's a big reason of why I'm going to try it.

 

[brofessorx]

plants have feelings too. :lol:

 

[Mesomorphin]

I haven't eaten meat or fish for decades, and I know that does not have to be an insurmountable obstacle to building mass and holding on to it. I'm about 70 pounds heavier than when I started a non-meat diet, and most of that is additional lean mass added over time.

Currently, my protein intake is pretty close to the .8g/lb range you are considering, although for significant periods I ranged between 1.5-2 g/lb, relying primarily on eggwhites, cottage cheese and sometimes whey, with small contributions from other sources.

Anyway, if you try going meatless for a while, it may limit your options when eating out, but it does not have to mean abandoning body composition goals.

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

I haven't eaten meat or fish for decades, and I know that does not have to be an insurmountable obstacle to building mass and holding on to it. I'm about 70 pounds heavier than when I started a non-meat diet, and most of that is additional lean mass added over time.

Currently, my protein intake is pretty close to the .8g/lb range you are considering, although for significant periods I ranged between 1.5-2 g/lb, relying primarily on eggwhites, cottage cheese and sometimes whey, with small contributions from other sources.

Anyway, if you try going meatless for a while, it may limit your options when eating out, but it does not have to mean abandoning body composition goals.

What do you normally eat?

Today my meals look like

 

[Mesomorphin]

test

 

[john.patterson]

I'm going to try to cut out use of whey protein and all supplements for a while actually. I've read I may need to supplement with b12 though. I'm going to try to get all of my protein from whole food(I know some people consider whey to be whole food)

Gotcha. Yeah I don't really consider whey to be a whole food either haha, its still a supplement in my eyes. That's awesome though, you should log your journey.

 

[Mesomorphin]

When I'm eating fairly clean, my diet is limited pretty much to: 1) eggwhite omelette (100-150 g protein spread throughout the day), with a yolk or 2 thrown in if I'm using whole eggs; 2) a serving of flax seed oil at breakfast (when I have access to fridge); 3) a post-workout shake, with about 44g protein; 4) 2 Boca Burgers or other meat substitute; 5) anywhere between 20-32 oz of broccoli or green beans; 6) pre-bedtime cottage cheese (about 50 g protein); 7) an occasional nuked sweet potato to replenish glycogen.

I have trouble adding/maintaining mass above the 190 lb mark. (I'm a short guy - 5'7" - and my body just does want to go there unless I push it. Currently, I'm around 206, but to get there I added things to my diet like peanut butter, bread, and something like Mac&cheese, meatless lasagna, or even pizza to an early evening meal to boost calories.

 

[Mesomorphin]

Oops, also a small amount of cheese to provide a fat source for my mid day meals.

 

[dixonk]

What were you eating?
Just to much or was it the food selection?

I think it was the food selection. When you are left with just veggies the preparation has to get a little more involved to make up for the lack of taste. It sort of ends up turning into a high fat diet at the end of the day but imagine not even getting 100g of protein in a day. I didn't do shakes and I did it basically for a health cleanse at the advice of a friend of mine. I ended up using lots of sauces and dressings. I opted for fried over steamed or raw. Seems like everything in the vegetarian selections tend to be drizzled with oil. The food was pretty bland most of the time and it left me pretty unhappy. I did it for about 6 months and had to stop. I gained 10lbs and my mood went way down. I didn't lose much size maybe 1/2" in arms but gained almost 2" in waist. I had a physical done afterwards and I was more unhealthy than I was before. Needless to say I will stick with meat. Now I just tend to stay away from red meat as much as possible and eat a lot of poultry and wild game meat. My tests all come back in normal ranges now and I feel great.

My daily meal for cutting:

B. 3x eggs and 1 Oikos Triple Zero Yoghurt
S. 1-2x Protein baked snacks
L. 6oz of lean meat with rice, noodles, or potatoes (around 2 cups worth)
S. 1x protein baked snack
D. 2 cans of Tuna or 6 oz of lean meat with a salad mix of walnuts, croutons, cranberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, and 2 tbsp of whatever dressing I feel like.

 

[JudoJosh]

I'm doing for the health benefit(that I've read).

There is no intrinsic health benefit

Also the whole not being apart of the killing animals thing is kinda cool. Not that that's a big reason of why I'm going to try it.

That's pretty much the only reasonable reason to do it

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

There is no intrinsic health benefit




That's pretty much the only reasonable reason to do it

I got blood work done 2 days before I started the diet, I'm gonna get it done again at the end of the month and compare my numbers to see if it's any better for me personally

 

[JudoJosh]

Just realize that if you are going from a veggie devoid sh1t diet to a veggie intensive vegetarian diet, improved blood values won't really reflect a vegetarian diet being better and would more reflect your previous diet being sh1tty.

 

[Volcanus]

Looks like for the next month with my girlfriend I'm going to be trying a vegetarian diet. From eating 1 or 2 pounds of either chicken or beef a day to none. Any diet tips? Certain foods to eat/avoid?

Thank you for any input and help

It's time to find a new girlfriend bro. ;-)

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

Just realize that if you are going from a veggie devoid sh1t diet to a veggie intensive vegetarian diet, improved blood values won't really reflect a vegetarian diet being better and would more reflect your previous diet being sh1tty.

I had a decent amount of veggies in my diet before. Wasn't really ****ty. To me atleast.

 

[LiftWithDonuts]

Dat veggie smoothie pump doe

 

[bighulksmash]

congrats on the vegan thang , i couldnt do it ... But ill be running slinmax soon on a mostly fish and vegetable diet . so maybe ill get the understanding of no beef no chicken lol