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Becoming A Vegetarian

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Luke Skywalker

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I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
 
Why do you want to be a vegetarian? There are no specific advantages to it. You just need a healthy diet and a little exercise.

Meats like tuna, boneless skinless breast and lean ground beef are too good nutritionally and taste wise to leave out of your diet. You will only be limiting your chance at success if you limit your diet to vegetarian
 
Luke Skywalker said:
I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
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I don't think that veggies alone will carry you through, but raw vegetables like carrots or cabbage are a great nibble at the desk. What is possibly the most important to do is not to buy stuff you shouldn't eat like chips and candy bars. Taking a walk every day after work would help.

Good luck.
 
There are many more things to consider than diet regarding longevity. Things like genetics, exercise, environment, and even just flat-out luck.

I have no idea why you'd want to live to be more than 100 years old, but simply becoming a vegetarian won't guarantee anything.

You've got a ton of very hard work to do in order to reverse what's you've become. Lots and lots of exercise.

You've got to concentrate on making sure you burn more calories than you eat. Regardless of what you eat.

There's no easy path to weight loss. It takes hard work and dedication. Plus, you must not get frustrated when you don't see results immediately.
If it's taken you 30-ish years to get to where you are today, don't expect to lose a bunch in just a few weeks. Not if you're doing things the proper/healthy way.

Eat less, but eat healthy. Burn more. Be consistent. Keep a diary of your progress. Don't lie to yourself. Be honest. You'll find that when you start writing stuff down,
you'll be more conscious of what you're doing.

Simply giving up meat isn't going to change much for you if you don't change a bunch of other stuff too.

That being said, if you change a bunch of habits, you can still eat meat AND get in better shape.

I know plenty of very healthy, strong, active people who are meat eaters.
 
Crovax said:
Why do you want to be a vegetarian? There are no specific advantages to it. You just need a healthy diet and a little exercise.

Meats like tuna, boneless skinless breast and lean ground beef are too good nutritionally and taste wise to leave out of your diet. You will only be limiting your chance at success if you limit your diet to vegetarian
Click to expand...

I agree with that to an extent. However, the heme iron in ground beef and most red meats does increase ones colon cancer risk. There is no doubt a vegetarian diet is healthy, and a whole foods pescetarian diet is probably the healthiest diet you can have.
 
Luke Skywalker said:
I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
Click to expand...

The way things are now, I'd say that you should probably go for whatever works. If that's vegetarianism, so be it.

However, I suspect that you'll probably have a hard time sticking with it if you're going straight from junk food to eating nothing but greens. You're likely going to throw your body for an absolute loop.

Fair warning, btw, eating "healthy" can have the unpleasant side effect of making it really hard for you to digest junk food afterwards. lol

I've been trying to watch my intake for the last several months, but every once in a while I'll go on a "binge" of sorts for a couple of days. It generally results in bloating, indigestion, and gas like you wouldn't believe. :lol:
 
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SouthernDemocrat said:
I agree with that to an extent. However, the heme iron in ground beef and most red meats does increase ones colon cancer risk. There is no doubt a vegetarian diet is healthy, and a whole foods pescetarian diet is probably the healthiest diet you can have.
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Thats all iron not just ones from red meat but you also need iron to prevent anemia, its about moderation
 
SouthernDemocrat said:
I agree with that to an extent. However, the heme iron in ground beef and most red meats does increase ones colon cancer risk. There is no doubt a vegetarian diet is healthy, and a whole foods pescetarian diet is probably the healthiest diet you can have.
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Proof?

Last I checked, the body needs iron for hemoglobin (although iron can certainly be ingested in other ways than eating meat).
 
I went vegetarian and then vegan. I'm still vegan. The non-preachy kind.

It is possible to be extremely healthy on a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore diet. It is also easy to be extremely unhealthy on all of them. Potato chips and Oreos are vegan.

My concern is you might think going vegetarian alone will lead to improved health. Be careful about that b

The thing that helped me kick excess sugar and control my appetite was to eat foods with very low glycemic indexes. Or more importantly, low glycemic loads. Also, ditch the artificial sweeteners. They don't have calories but they accustom your taste to sweetness. When I stopped drinking diet sodas natural foods began tasting better.

And yes, it is all easier said than done.
 
You don't have to "ween" yourself off from a biological perspective, but from a commitment perspective, it's often easier to maintain than going cold turkey.

A lot of it is mindset, don't think of it as giving up unhealthy things you love, think of it as giving yourself healthy things that are good for you.
 
Crovax said:
Thats all iron not just ones from red meat but you also need iron to prevent anemia, its about moderation
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No, its heme iron. Iron from plant sources has never been shown to increase colon cancer risks. Moreover, the vast majority of men get far more iron than they actually need.
 
Luftwaffe said:
Proof?

Last I checked, the body needs iron for hemoglobin (although iron can certainly be ingested in other ways than eating meat).
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It's been studied extensively for decades:

Dietary heme iron and the risk of colorectal cancer with specific mutations in KRAS and APC. - PubMed - NCBI

Heme iron from meat and risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis and a review of the mechanisms involved. - PubMed - NCBI

Heme Iron, Zinc, Alcohol Consumption, and Colon Cancer: Iowa Women's Health Study

Dietary heme iron and the risk of colorectal cancer with specific mutations in KRAS and APC

There are piles of studies from all over the world on it. Increased cancer risks are only associated with heme iron, not iron from plant sources.
 
Gathomas88 said:
The way things are now, I'd say that you should probably go for whatever works. If that's vegetarianism, so be it.

However, I suspect that you'll probably have a hard time sticking with it if you're going straight from junk food to eating nothing but greens. You're likely going to throw your body for an absolute loop.

Fair warning, btw, eating "healthy" can have the unpleasant side effect of making it really hard for you to digest junk food afterwards. lol

I've been trying to watch my intake for the last several months, but every once in a while I'll go on a "binge" of sorts for a couple of days. It generally results in bloating, indigestion, and gas like you wouldn't believe. :lol:
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Any drastic change to one's diet (going healthy after not so healthy, and visa versa) will cause 'gastric disruption' (polite phrase there, huh? :lol: ) and personally, I have found completely removing one's favorites leads to binging.

I staunchly advocate the inclusion of a very small, periodic indulgence of one's favorites. It takes the edge off and helps prevent the binging. ;)
 
I hate myself for not being a vegan :D I don't want to change my diet for time being cause I'm underweight but I'll definitely try it one day.

I hope this vid helps :D Looks like it made so many people vegan :D

 
youngturk said:
I hate myself for not being a vegan :D I don't want to change my diet for time being cause I'm underweight but I'll definitely try it one day.

I hope this vid helps :D Looks like it made so many people vegan :D

Click to expand...


Reasons why I don't make friends with my food! :lol:
 
Luke Skywalker said:
I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
Click to expand...

i avoid meat a couple times a week for guilt reasons, for my health, and because i honestly prefer the substitutes to real meat sometimes. morning star is pretty good, and there are other brands that you might dig. check out the vegetarian section of the frozen foods department.

as for exercise, just find something that you don't hate, and do it a lot. for me, that's walking. even after i lost all of my weight, i was still kind of anti-exercise. turned that around in 2007 or so. since then i have worn out a lot of shoes. i also play golf and walk the course instead of ride. i push mow the yard. i almost always take the stairs. i park far away from the store. stuff like that adds up. oh, and keep a food diary. i do mine online.

as for the smoking, that's might be the easiest part. get "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr. that book helped me immensely. the best part about quitting smoking is that you become a non-smoker immediately. if only fitness / weight loss were that easy.
 
Crovax said:
Why do you want to be a vegetarian? There are no specific advantages to it. You just need a healthy diet and a little exercise.

Meats like tuna, boneless skinless breast and lean ground beef are too good nutritionally and taste wise to leave out of your diet. You will only be limiting your chance at success if you limit your diet to vegetarian
Click to expand...
I agree, its easy to be healthy without becoming vegetarian, in fact many vegetarians quit because they get sick and feel weak and go back to a balanced diet- and that is the important part.

Eating a healthy balanced diet is easy: avoid eating refined flour, sugar or sodas as well as hydrogenated vegetable oil of any kind. Go for freshly prepared food as opposed to pre-packaged or canned stuff. Avoid fried foods and go for lean meat. Eat plenty of salad, fresh fruit and whole wheat bread products with your meals. Eat in moderate portions. Thats it.
 
Luke Skywalker said:
I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
Click to expand...

Vegetarianism isn't necessarily a better diet on an absolute scale and if you really don't eat meat, then you will need to make schedules and plans in order to ensure you are getting all the essential proteins and fats.

Regardless, cold turkey is the way to go on overprocessed foods and sugars. Start looking at labels, stay away from things like High Fructose Corn Syrup and the slurry of chemicals they like to put into foods these days. Cook for yourself. Personally, I don't do the vegetarian thing because it's not quite as healthy as people let on. However, reducing your intake of red meat can go a long way and can be substituted with chicken and fish. And when you get those, pay attention to origin. Fish that is wild caught is better for you than farmed, chickens that aren't genetically modified, but are allowed to run around and be chickens are better for you than those that are cooped up all day in megafarms or caged up. On that note, eggs from cage free chickens are better for you as well.

Things like diabetes tend to also be weight related, so go and exercise as well.
 
youngturk said:
I hate myself for not being a vegan :D I don't want to change my diet for time being cause I'm underweight but I'll definitely try it one day.

I hope this vid helps :D Looks like it made so many people vegan :D

Click to expand...


Chickens taste good. Also, when buying chicken I try to buy whole chicken and cook with that. Cage free, whole chickens tend to have the highest amount of healthy nutritional value compared to other chickens. Plus you can save the bones and make stock.
 
I haven't eaten beef or pork in 25+ years, I don't miss it, I eat chicken and fish, not as much as I used to. Trader Joe's has some great veggie options, meatless meatballs, fake chicken, amazing chilie relleno, and such. Good luck!

Also, soda...stop. A good alternative is seltzer water, very cheap, and with lots of flavors, no sweeteners or any of that crap. I drink lots of it, or iced tea (Tazo Mandarin Orange is amazing and sweet on its own)
 
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SouthernDemocrat said:
It's been studied extensively for decades:

Dietary heme iron and the risk of colorectal cancer with specific mutations in KRAS and APC. - PubMed - NCBI

Heme iron from meat and risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis and a review of the mechanisms involved. - PubMed - NCBI

Heme Iron, Zinc, Alcohol Consumption, and Colon Cancer: Iowa Women's Health Study

Dietary heme iron and the risk of colorectal cancer with specific mutations in KRAS and APC

There are piles of studies from all over the world on it. Increased cancer risks are only associated with heme iron, not iron from plant sources.
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The increase seems apparent. That's true.

Is Eating Red Meat Bad for Your Health?

There's still a lot of benefits. Perhaps the ultimate thing to take home (as you and I most likely know already) is moderation and good selection (there are after all, varieties within the vague term "red meat").
 
Luke Skywalker said:
I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
Click to expand...

With soda (which could be a big part of your current issues), find something else that you can tolerate. Try Gatorade maybe while testing out bottled waters to see which one you like. Despite what some would say, bottled waters are not all equal in flavor. Start walking. Get up earlier or do it at night now that it is getting hot. Even if you can only make it to a street corner today, do that a few days and then try to make it a little further and further every few days.

As for the vegetarian stuff, you would have to be eating a crap load of meat for that to be the root of your main issues IMO. The more active you are, the more meat you can eat before you start having cholesterol issues. You are at that age where you need to suck it up and do it now because it is going to be getting worse (and harder) the longer you wait. If you wait until midlife to try to get that extra weight off, it will be near impossible.
 
logansrun said:
With soda (which could be a big part of your current issues), find something else that you can tolerate. Try Gatorade maybe while testing out bottled waters to see which one you like. Despite what some would say, bottled waters are not all equal in flavor. Start walking. Get up earlier or do it at night now that it is getting hot. Even if you can only make it to a street corner today, do that a few days and then try to make it a little further and further every few days.

As for the vegetarian stuff, you would have to be eating a crap load of meat for that to be the root of your main issues IMO. The more active you are, the more meat you can eat before you start having cholesterol issues. You are at that age where you need to suck it up and do it now because it is going to be getting worse (and harder) the longer you wait. If you wait until midlife to try to get that extra weight off, it will be near impossible.
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+50000

There is absolutely NO need for soda in one's diet. It provides absolutely nothing.

I gave up soda a little over a year and a half ago (and I'm only 16 so it's big for me) and I sure as hell ain't going back.
 
Luke Skywalker said:
I talked with a very good friend of mine for awhile via phone last night - whom happens to be a vegetarian (has been for years). This friend of mine is like almost twice my age, but looks half his age and is in impeccable physical/mental/spiritual shape. At his age, he can do as many pushups/situps as the typical Olympic gymnast can. That's phenomenal and I want what my friend has - I would love to live another 70 years or so (that would take me past 100). Heck, if I don't change, my friend will probably outlive me - my diet is/has been less than stellar, to say the least.

I am currently pre-diabetic and on metformin, Lipitor and a blood pressure pill - that is way too much medication for my age, as my doctor even admits. I weigh slightly over 300 pounds, recently gave up a pack a day cigarette habit and haven't exercised much over the last ten years or so.

Now, my doctor has admitted that I am in a dire situation - he says I probably won't see 45, much less 105, if I continue the path I've been on.

I want to be a vegetarian badly - or, at least eat a little fish here and there and lots of fruit/veggies the rest of the time.

My questions(s) is this: How do I wean off sugar/carbs/red meat/candy/soda in a safe manner? I've heard that one has to sort of wean off the bad stuff.

Are there any other vegetarians here? What is/has been your experience?

Thanks in advance and Happy Day, DP! :)

ps - I attend weight watcher's meetings and have a personal coach through weight watcher's (I have the total access package) - have been a member for about six months now. I intend to also bring this up with my coach via phone today - I have two sessions scheduled later this afternoon (I need them today, lol). :)
Click to expand...

Having been over 300 pounds not that long ago and finally nearing 100# lost through lifestyle, diet and exercise I can tell you that going vegetarian was NEVER part of my plan.

Here are the changes I made:
1. Stop eating foods high in carbs. No bread, no pasta, no pizza. I just flat out gave it all up for about a year and as a guy who lived on pasta and pizza that was the hardest part.
2. Stop eating before bed. I had a habit of snacking (or even having a full dinner) then going to sleep. It wasn't at all unusual for me to have a bag of potato chips in front of the TV, crash out, then wake up and eat more potato chips for breakfast.
3. Eat breakfast every day. I'm talking about a real breakfast with eggs and fruit, not a McMuffin. I tend to have a rather large breakfast (3 egg ham and cheese omelet for example) and that generally holds me until well into the afternoon.
4. No packaged snack food!!! I now snack on apples, cheese, nuts and, occasionally, sugar free yogurt (It's astonishing how much of the yogurt on the shelf is jam packed with sugar!)
5. Exercise. I try really hard to get off my ass and walk every morning. I've had my slack periods but overall I'm probably out at least 5 mornings a week to walk the neighborhood. I'm not killing myself and I'm not walking 20 miles but I'll be out there for at least half an hour. This has done a couple of things for me such as make my shirts fit better and got me on a schedule where I'm up early and in bed early. If I'm asleep before I get hungry at 11:00pm then I won't eat at that time!

Good luck!!
 
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