I was just wondering if anyone has become vegetarian as a means of losing weight (either temporarily or permanently)

and if so, was it effective?

i would suggest going vegan instead

Mmm, hence cutting out cheese and butter (is that right?) but I think I would like to continue eating fish

(I'm assuming here that the definition of veganism is no animal products at all, even eggs)

anyone else?

Btw, sorry if, as a vegetarian or vegan, you find this a bit offensive. I personally have no problem eating meat and it may seem a bit unprincipled of me to take up vegetarianism purely for weight loss reasons but I'm looking for healthy ways to drop the pounds!

I am veggie (have been for years), I think there are some good veggie foods out there to help diet - but its too easy to substitute meat for stuff that wont help you....cheese and nuts

I would stick with fish -

definately add some quorn,soya veggie products they can be really high in protein and low on calories and fat - but avoid the breadcrumbed things

lentils, pulses and beans are also good - and healthy

thank you apron: I would like to eat more soya products but don't have much idea of what to do with them ... I must research some recipes

good tip about avoid bread-crumbed products

dairy not a prob as I'm not fond of it

I'm thinking lots of chinese rice noodle type stir fry dishes with masses of veg

as you say lots of pulse-based dishes: soups and casseroles

and loads of salads and crudites

currently, I am eating far too much ham, sausages, pates etc etc which are terribly high in salt never mind the fat!

I wonder if avoiding chicken is a step too far ...

I went veggie as a teen and it made no difference. you'll find if eating out that the choices you get are cheese, cheese and more cheese.

going vegan however, has been fantastic!

actually, my top tip would be buy a couple of rose elliot cook books.

her recipes are mostly really healthy, easy to make and very tasty.

I am not a big fan of pretend meats, so tend to cook most of my stuff from scrath and RE is the book I reach for most

this might help

quorn fillets are nice - dd and I have them when the rest have chicken.

We love linda macs veggie sausages 100 cals each

also sausage rolls 150 cals each - a real treat

quorn mince (or supermarket version) cooks really well - we make a lovely bolognaise type thing, and a really good shepherds pie - both can be made in 15 - 20 mins and are a joy when dinner is just a heat up. I add qoite a lot of veg to both of these - and brown off an onion first - just like you would with real mince

personally i find i am starvinfg a couple of hours after the stir fry thing

you still have to be 'good'. There's loads of veggie and vegan treats now. Chocoalte is veggie, as are jaffa cakes etc

was going to say go with low fat protein, lots of it, include fibre, be careful with creamy sauces

Thanks everyone - much appreciated

Rose Eliot is a good suggestion thisisyesterday - I used to have one of her books which I liked and used alot but someone borrowed it and I can't remember who ...will investigate again ...

that's a very useful resource, thanks sfxmum, will definitely try out some of those

not sure if quorn mince has reached Belgium Apron but will have a look ... it's a bit of a learning curve this ...!

Noted needmorecoffee - thanks for the warning!! I'm afraid I've been on the Jaffa Cake diet before!

Tbh I suppose I'm just looking at alternative ways to kick-start me in to eating more healthily ... one can very easily get stuck in a rut with food .. and I think all diets work on the simple principle that they get you to focus more on what you are eating -

My dh is veggie so we eat veggie at home and I have got bigger and bigger because of the (lazy) reliance on cheese based meals (or adding cheese to nut/lentil things to add flavour).
I would love to be able to eat a piece of lean meat/chicken/fish and veg for dinner..I feel a lot fuller with that sort of protein and hence less likely to eat so much veggie chocs and biscuits between meals

vegetarians don't eat fish btw
well i think what i would do is aim for unprocessed food and base meals around wholegrains, pulses, veg, nuts, seeds and fruit, with some fish as you like it. whether or not you lose weight will dependon how much you eat, but these foods will fill you up without being very fatty or sugary, and will give you great nutrition and energy

Millarkie - that's a really interesting point - thanks. Perhaps I'd better re-think this.

I think It's the "laziness" aspect of it I'm really trying to overcome as I've fallen in to the same trap but with meat ie too much spag bol, sausages, ham ...which is not good for dd either (they are all very good quality - we live abroad - hardly any fat emerges from the mince, sausages or bacon here - but even so the salt levels worry me.)

FrannyandZooey - that's so obvious now you say it - sorry - but I thought some vegetarians did eat fish for some strange reason !.

Those suggestions sound really good and I'll be sure to watch the quantities. I tend to work very late at night when the house is still and end up being very tired and then eat troughs of food to combat fatigue. I can eat double what I used to a few years ago. I think the more you eat, the more you want to eat and so on ... I'm going to try and turn this all around in the new year and am starting to meal plan now!