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General Weight Loss Tips

Can Vegetarianism Help People Lose Weight?

The number of obese people in the United States (and around the world) has increased dramatically in the past few decades. And as just about all overweight people know it’s not too  easy to lose that excess fat once you’ve got it. Many frustrated people turn to drastic measures such as going on a crash diet or getting liposuction and a tummy tuck.

However, there is no need for one to do anything so drastic. A much better choice for most people is to go on a vegetarian diet as it’s one of the simplest and safest things that a person can do to lose weight. Below are explanations on how a vegetarian diet can help with weight loss:

Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber

The average adult needs between 25-30 grams of fiber per day. Most overweight people are only getting 10 or 11 grams. Fruits and vegetables are rich in this nutrient. That is why people who follow a vegetarian diet usually have no problem getting the recommended amount of fiber.

Fiber helps promote a feeling of fullness. Studies have shown that people who eat plenty of fruits and vegetables actually consume less food throughout the day. Additionally, fiber also helps prevent blood sugar spikes. Blood sugar spikes often lead to food cravings and overeating.

Fruits and vegetables are low in calories

The key to losing weight is to burn off more calories than one consumes. Studies have shown that vegetarians consume fewer calories than non-vegetarians. Animal-based foods are typically very high in fat and calories. Eliminating meat, eggs and dairy will help one reduce his caloric intake naturally.

A vegetarian diet is low in sugar

Sugar is one of the main culprits behind weight gain. Studies have shown that sugar causes the body to store more fat. Vegetarians consume less sugar than the general population.

A vegetarian diet can help raise your metabolism

Metabolism is the rate at which the body burns calories. People who have a high metabolism will not only have an easier time losing weight, but they will also be more likely to keep it off for the rest of their life. Fruits and vegetables have been shown to have a fat-burning effect.

A vegetarian diet does not cost thousands of dollars!

Tummy tucks can cost anywhere from $5000 to $14,000. However, people who follow a vegetarian diet will lose weight naturally and will not have to worry about having to spend thousands of dollars on such a procedure.

Additional benefits

There are also a number of other benefits that can be reaped from following a vegetarian diet. Below are some of those benefits:

Live longer – Excess red meat consumption has been linked to heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Because vegetarians do not eat meat, they can greatly reduce their risk of developing those conditions. In fact, studies have shown that male vegetarians can reduce their risk of dying prematurely by up to 50 percent. The mortality rate is 30 percent lower in female vegetarians. Researchers have also found that vegetarians live about three to six years longer than meat eaters.

Have more energy – People who eat a diet that is filled with animal-based products often complain about feeling tired and sluggish. Those who follow a vegetarian diet will notice that their energy level has increased. Plant-based foods contain the vitamins and minerals that the body needs to sustain energy.

Healthier skin and hair – Feeding the body the right nutrients is one of the keys to healthy skin. Fruits and vegetables contain the antioxidants that the body needs to reduce free radical damage. Many people who have become vegetarians have noticed that their skin is clearer and healthier. Additionally, plant-based foods also contain the nutrients that help promote hair growth.

Talk to your doctor

People who are trying to lose weight should talk with their doctor about going on a vegetarian diet. Eliminating animal-based foods will allow a person to lose weight safely and naturally. A vegetarian diet will also help increase energy, promote healthier skin and hair as well as help a person live longer.

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Helping Hands for Weight Loss

Moving more and eating less is the weight loss mantra, but sometimes it’s nice to have a helping hand to keep you on the straight and narrow. Here are three ‘helping hands’ for weight loss that can help you reach your goal.

Diet Pills

Taking diet pills can be a bit of a weight loss minefield as some can be dangerous and even approved medications can have side effects. If you do feel like you need a boost it’s best to talk to your physician or a chemist about the options available to you. One popular weight loss pill is Alli, which you can buy online from Lloyds pharmacy. This pill is only available for those with a BMI of 28 or above and unlike some medications that aim to speed up your metabolism, it works by stopping fats from being absorbed into the body. The side effects of eating fatty foods when taking this pill are rather unpleasant and lavatory related. Some users report losing weight with minimum changes to their diet, but unlike some slimming pills it does encourage you to change your eating habits simply because of the unpleasant results you experience if you do eat fatty foods!

Weight Loss Clubs

Sometimes, just knowing someone is on hand to help you out or give you a push when you are losing momentum can be the boost that keeps dieters on track. For this reason, weight loss clubs like Weight Watchers remain popular. While these clubs work for some, others feel restricted in the diet they are encouraged to follow or are put off by the time and financial commitment that go with club membership. Of course, there are other community-based options that can help you on your way, such as chatting on weight loss forums or following healthy living blogsand if you do need the extra guidance of food tracking, you could try a smartphone app such as MyFitnessPal.

Exercise Goals

Buddying up for exercise can help you stay committed – it’s far harder to cancel an activity if it’s a planned social event. However, if you do prefer to exercise alone, setting a goal can help you to stay on track. Enrolling in a charity race or some kind or sponsored event can force you to train – after all, you’ll want to make sure you are healthy enough to take part. If you do sign up as one of these events in aid of a charity you will also want to give your best performance possible, which is a great motivator to persuade you to put on your sneakers for a Sunday morning jog.

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Feeling Funky

I’m in a funk. I’ve stopped myself from many times from going full on Debbie Downer here, and so far so good, but I can’t keep it in any longer. I can’t recall ever feeling like this, I feel like I’m not connecting, not fitting in, not understanding anything that’s coming my way. I feel like I’m trying to walk in very thick sand.

I’ve lost the twinkle of hope, that passion for making things happen. That spark to stretch myself and try something new. All I want to do is retreat. And this has been going on for months.

I’m hesitant to even put this out there because, really, does the world need more words about sadness? Loss of hope? And then I realized that I know it will come back and this too shall pass, but I feel an itch to share, regardless of how vulnerable it makes me feel.

And you want to know the weirdest part about this funk? It has nothing to do with weight loss. I’m losing, and lately due to loss of appetite, rather rapidly (13 pounds in one week.) Normally I would jump for joy to see these numbers on the scale, but lately, I’m indifferent.

I have a few ideas as to where these feelings are coming from. For starters, I’ve become scared to try something new.

In the past four years I’ve tried a little bit of everything…design, catering, jewelry, clothing design, blogging, e-book writing, and a few more other things that I’ve forgotten along the way. Each time I start out with this hope of what I could become. I fall in love with the potential of a new business, a new idea, a smaller version of myself. I have great desire to “do big things”, but sadly, I’ve come to realize that I was more in love with the result rather than the process.

And because I believe everything in life is connected and related, I know that deep down, what I do and how I make a living has a lot to do with how I feel and care about myself. And somewhere along the line I never figured out or changed my perspective enough on any given thing/business/idea/project to fall in love with the process (a line I’m stealing from The Biggest Loser.)

And I want to get there. To be in the love with the process of taking care of myself rather than the result of being thin, or doing things because I love the action and not because its a defined direction or path.

I find myself worrying so much about things I do and don’t have control over. My mom emailed a quote to me recently,

“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself
to be made a victim.
Accept no one’s definition
of your life,
but define yourself.”   – Harvey S. Firestone

The last line is the one that hit me the most “accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself”. I’ve come to realize that I haven’t defined who I am or who I want to be. I’ve been waiting on other people to tell me who I am, or who they want me to be or who I can be. That path can be very unsteady. I’ve realized, that I’ve been relying on my past experiences to define who I am.

These experiences from junior or high school where I never felt good enough…my clothes, hair, makeup, body, personality…always fell too short. In the days when opinion flowed out of mouths so freely, where everything on the outside was the measure of a worthwhile person, those days still linger too many years later.

I want to give myself permission to define who I am, who I want to be, and unapologetically become that person. I want to move forward even when fear starts screaming in my head. Fear that my efforts are lost, that they won’t get me anywhere, or that it’s pointless to  try.

Recently, I’ve had strong desires to start painting and illustrating again, a skill that I picked up in college and loved. I let it go because I didn’t let myself get good enough. I feared the work that was involved in getting good, I worried that I would spend all this time and never arrive. That I could never feed myself off of it. That it wouldn’t matter. That I’d never be good enough.

And the realization that I stopped doing something because I was both in love with and afraid of the result, rather than the process, knocks the wind out of me. And I understand deeply, where this trend pops up over and over again in my life.

Silly little things and the big stuff too. I’ve put so much weight in these imaginary outcomes, that I’ve stopped myself from ever starting or even being in the process.

What if I lose weight and I’m still ugly, or have a loose skin? What if people resent me? What if I get unwanted male attention? Why both lose weight?

What if I start painting, but never sell a print? What if I never wrap my own canvas? What if I’m never taken seriously? Why bother painting?

What if I never make a good living doing what I love? What if my businesses stop growing? What if I can’t keep up with the growth? What will I have to give up in order to make more income?

What if I start marketing my design…what if I fall short? or make a mistake? or ruin my reputation? What if I’m never credible? What if I fall short or miss a deadline? Why bother design?

And I do this with everything, cleaning, exercising, work, meeting new friends, staying in touch…on and on and on. I can play the “what if” game for so long that I wake up at 29 and realize that I stopped it all before it got good.

Update: This post is good timing for the Things I’m Afraid to Tell You series of blog entries that are making their way around the blogosphere.

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