Vegan turned Vegetarian needing help with transition?

I was vegan, but I packed on pounds and had no energy, even though I ate healthy. I've returned to vegetarian, which was very hard for me to do. Choking down my first omlet nearly brought me to tears. But I had to do this for my health, only now I don't know what to do/eat... I have to keep my weight down for work. need to lose 10lb stat!





1. I'm wondering if I cut out starchy carbs (like brown rice, sweet potatoes, winter squash, pumpkin) and add back in nonfat dairy (skim milk, non fat ricotta, non fat plain yogurt) plus egg whites, 4-5 servings of fruit (plums, apples, grapefruit, strawberries), and the rest veggies (broccoli, swiss chard, spinach, zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots), flax seed, will that work? I'm cutting out sugar, flour, part or whole fat dairy.





2. I'm worried, will dairy make me gain weight? what is the best creamy option : milk (80 cal 0 fat), unsweetened soy milk (90 cal 4.5 fat), unsweetened almond milk (40 cal, 3.5 fat)?

Vegan turned Vegetarian needing help with transition?
Dairy making you gain weight is dependent on the type of dairy you're eating. I believe skim milk is the best option for milk. Buy the skim milk cheeses when you want cheese, but don't overdo it on cheese. Even the low fat cheeses are bad for you if you eat them every day.





Egg whites are definitely better for you than eating the whole egg. The yolk has 90% of the fat in it.





I'd suggest eating as much fruit as you want. I think your list of starchy foods is pretty good. It would be good to lay off them.





Good luck :)
Reply:Vegetarians do not eat eggs, i have this argument with my bf daily, i dont care of there is a special name or anything. Its all about moderation, brown rice is a lot better than white, and all the other carbs u mentioned are excellent in moderation. U might want to cut down on the fruit intake though if u are worried about weight. Best of luck.
Reply:it doesn't matter what you eat its the calories


get a calorie counter book and add them up


it doesn't matter the source


or if its carbs or protein the body isn't very discriminating


it is a simple formula


more calories than you expend you put on weight less calories than you expend and you take off weight
Reply:non fat milk is your best option.





Starches aren't bad with moderation. it will turn into energy, you just have to move around enough to use it or it will store as sugar which then turns to fat.





good luck! I'm Vegetarian and sticking to my vegetarian diet and eating 6 SMALL portions a day I have lost 16 pounds already!
Reply:I believe soy has more protein per unit than diary which is also higher in fat. You can always use soy milk and make tofu scramble. I believe when it comes to weight issues dairy would be more of a concern.





I've mentioned this over and over again concerning weight issues but there is no substitute, again no substitute for eating right and exercise. Going vegetarian instead of vegan will not help.





I suggest eating many small meals a day which stimulates your metabolism and will not make your body go into starvation mode. Also increase the amount of complex carbs, proteins, and fiber into your diet. Eat brown rices and whole wheat instead of white. Eat a lot of green leafy vegetables which have fiber as well as whole fruits. Avoid the juices they are almost purely sugar.





If all this does not work it may be possible you are hypo thyroid. You could eat next to nothing and still gain weight. If this is the case try natural herbal supplementation. Gaia makes a veggie liquid pill that is great called thyroid support. If this does not work you may have to resort to conventional medicine. But I would use this as a last resort.





Best of wishes : )