Weight loss for vegetarians

[LargeInCharge]

Hello!
I’ve been a vegetarian nearly all my life and I want to lose weight to be healthier (and to look better in my clothes) so I thought I’d create a space where fellow veggies (and vegans too) can share their weight loss journeys, food ideas, recipes and how they are feeling.

I started my journey on Tuesday so this is day 4 for me. My daily calorie limit is 1200.

Weight - 15st 4 (weighed on day 1)
Height - 5’ 9
Goal weight - 10st 7

How I gained weight - not exercising, eating crisps, cake, too many carbs and booze.
Positive changes - trying to be more active, ditched the crisps, cake and booze. Limiting my carbs as much as I can.

No pressure to reveal weight or anything that’s personal to you.

Good luck. 🥗🌽🥦🥬🥕🥒🫑🥑🥭🍅🍑🍓🍌🥥🫐

[Yourownpersonaljesus]

I've been having a good look at the recipes everyone has posted and am going to add the ingredients for some of them to my next online shop. Definitely adding some tofu - have never been a massive fan but am feeling inspired after reading this thread.
Today hasn't been the healthiest for me. It started off well!
B - branflakes
L - avocado on a protein bagel thin. Some dried prunes.
Then I went and sat in my mum's garden for a couple of hours. She'd made cake so it would've been rude not to have any!
D - 2 Linda McCartney sausages, 3 hash browns, baked beans and grilled tomatoes. Activia yoghurt.
I'll do better tomorrow!

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

I also had cake.
Dp made an extremely nice walnut cake.

I think I hit about 1600 calories today but a)socialising and b) cake.

I think I will try and use some of the protein boosting ideas from the fast 800 book. Eating nuts will not be a hardship.

[LargeInCharge]

Yesterday’s calories were 1217. I was over my protein goal though 💪🏻. My legs felt a bit tight after the previous day’s steps (yes, I’m really unfit) but I managed over 3500 steps.

Talking of cake, I ordered some Halo Top Birthday Cake flavour, 350 cals for the whole pot so I’ll have little portions as a treat (if the delivery person brings it).

[KihoBebiluPute]

I'd like to join in, for any veggie low-cal recipe sharing. Will type up some of my own go-to favourites later on. I tend to cook big batches, calculate the calories of the whole batch and then portion up 300cal servings for my dinners.

Starting weight somewhere around 18st8lb about a year ago. Currently around 11st5lb. Aiming for somewhere around 10st or thereabouts.

[LargeInCharge]

Welcome @KihoBebiluPute congrats on your weight loss, that’s awesome and in a year too! Did you/do you exercise too? If so what are you doing?

I look forward to your recipes.

[KihoBebiluPute]

Hi @LargeInCharge that was with calories between 1200 and 1400 per day, and daily walking of at least 4km with ankle weights on at first, which got me down to about 13.5st by Sept/Oct at which point I started running with the couch-to-5k app and now I run between 30 and 45km per week - not running every day but doing a lengthy walk on non-running days. With the additional exercise I was able to eat a bit more and still keep losing for a while and my calorie intake is more like 1600-1800 now but my weight loss is plateauing so I am planning to go back to 1500 ish.

[purplegirl13]

@LargeInCharge what is your daily protein goal? and how was the halo top?

@Yourownpersonaljesus @SuperLoudPoppingAction absolutely nothing wrong with some cake. Now if you said you'd had cake for breakfast, lunch and dinner...

@KihoBebiluPute that's an impressive loss!

Today
B - nothing - maybe some fresh mint tea or a coffee
L - baked potato with cottage cheese and some cheddar
D - leftovers from yesterday - rice and sweet and sour tofu

I had ice cream late last night and it's becoming habit, giving into urges rather than wanting/needing it. So from now until Friday - no ice cream so I can get used to not giving in straight away

The next few days are a bit carb heavy as I use up potato/cooked rice.

Re tofu - I like the tofoo brand as it's firm and not so wet.

Have a good day everyone

[LargeInCharge]

@KihoBebiluPute that is impressive. I lost four stone in just over a year a couple of years ago but put it all back on and a bit more now too. I wish I’d been more careful and aware like you.

@purplegirl13 the halo top is hopefully being delivered soon, along with tofoo tofu, sauces, youghurts and other high protein things.
My daily protein goal is 60g. I used to rely on protein shakes to top it up but now I’m trying with food.

[LargeInCharge]

Hope everyone has a great Monday. 💪🏻

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

So far, I've eaten one of the muffin things I made, an apple and a thin slice of cake.

I've walked 4000 steps and fitbit informs me this was 2/3 in fat burn and 1/3 in cardio.

I think I'm ok on my own - it's when everyone comes back from school/work i struggle. Currently trying to think what to make for tea...

[LargeInCharge]

So far I’ve had:

B - coffee
L - vegetable lasagne with watercress, spinach and rocket salad, a coffee and Kvarg raspberry yoghurt.

I didn’t eat all the salad and forgot my coffee so didn’t even drink half but I left it on the calorie counter so that’s 463 calories consumed today.

I’m thinking I might do roasted cauliflower later with something but we’ll see.

[KihoBebiluPute]

So far today:

B: A small Banana and a couple of raw mushrooms. (100 cal)

L: small wheat&white tortilla wrap with lettuce, 2 slices quorn turkey, 1tsp mayo 190 cal, pot carrot & pepper sticks 40 cal, 50cal worth of houmous, apple 95 cal, mini bite of chocolate tiffin 60 cal, little 3-bite bit of my mum's Christmas cake (no idea but guess 100cal to be on the safe side, probably less) total 535 cal.

Supper planned but not yet eaten: 400 cal serving of smokey ratatouille with goats cheese (recipe below) made a few days ago.

That will total 1035 cal and I can have something else TBA around 9:30/10ish - e.g. some apricots and a chocolate-covered ginger border biscuit (exactly what I choose will depend on whether I get to that time without having accidentally snarfed up some inappropriate snacks)

Smokey Ratatouille:
Chop up 2 large aubergines, 3 courgettes and 8 bell peppers into similar-sized chunks. Toss all these veg in 15ml olive oil and spread out across a number of baking sheets and roast in a hot oven for c 25 mins. Meanwhile fry c50g chopped garlic (we buy it frozen pre-chopped) in a few squirts of 1cal fry-light for a few mins until softened then add a tbsp of smoked paprika. Cook for a minute then add a tin of tomatoes, 100g tomato puree and rinse out the tin with a bit of boiling water. Simmer this to reduce down the additional water, and add at least 100g torn fresh basil leaves, plus salt & pepper to taste.

Serve topped with a little goats cheese (I tend to go for about 300cal worth of the ratatouille with about 100cal worth of cheese) - to know exactly what that means you need to have weighed the ingredients as they go in, and calculate the cals of the whole batch then portion-up as appropriate. I can scale up or scale down if I am either having a hungrier/higher exercise day or a more low-cal day.

[LargeInCharge]

That recipe sounds delicious.

For my dinner I had a quorn cottage pie 354, roasted cauliflower 40, roasted sugar snap peas 7, 5ml extra virgin olive oil 41 and 4 crushed cloves of garlic 18.

Total for all meals/drinks - 923 leaving 277 calories remaining.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

I had this for tea
www.feastingathome.com/spring-vegetable-pad-thai/

Not a low calorie recipe but I'm hoping fairly high protein as it had tofu, egg and nuts.

It was very nice. And I ate very little the rest of the day.

[Yourownpersonaljesus]

Talking of ice cream, I've been buying these little tubs of Hagaan Dazs gelato - they are very chocolatey.
www.ocado.com/products/haagen-dazs-gelato-chocolate-drizzle-ice-cream-minicups-443459011

[LargeInCharge]

The Halo Top was a bit of a letdown, not gonna lie. I know it’s only 80 cals for 64g but the colour was odd, it’s more a sorbet texture than ice cream and I didn’t get a lot of taste from it tbh.....and it had this very sweet aftertaste.
The Haagen Dazs ones look so tempting.

My final total for yesterday was 1151.

It’s weigh day for me later today. It would be nice if I’ve lost a pound at least.

[LargeInCharge]

SW 215 pounds

I weighed myself before and I’m 209.8 pounds! Five pounds lost! I’m so pleased.

[purplegirl13]

@LargeInCharge I also aim to hit 60g protein or as close as I can get. Shame about the halo top. I tend to buy mini tubs on offer as a way of keeping my portions in check. Good job on the loss!

@KihoBebiluPute I make a slow cooker ratatouille and it's so versatile - do you only have it with goats cheese? I always feels it needs something else, so I serve it with veggie sausages or a fried egg.

Yesterday went slightly off plan as had lunch in the park with a friend. Had a halloumi and roasted veg toastie - estimated the cals at 538 according to similar on mfp. Also had a coffee and then stuck to planned dinner of rice and sweet and sour tofu.

Today:
B - nothing
L - baked potato with cottage cheese/cheddar
D - leftover rice with something tbd - possibly a fried egg or baked marinated tofu.

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

I liked the peanut butter cup halo top. The peanut meant i couldn't taste the sweetener as much.

When I looked it up I found lots of recipes to make similar at home with eg ripe bananas.
They all have protein powder in though. Where does the protein come from? Is it like soylent white?

[SuperLoudPoppingAction]

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/healthy-banana-peanut-butter-ice-cream this one contains actual normal food.

[KihoBebiluPute]

@purplegirl13 various different things I have with ratatouille depending on what I am aiming for calorie-wise it can be a great topping for a jacket potato if I am having carbs, or a bit of garlic bread, a nice piece of blue cheese (stilton can be too rough but milder blues like Oxford, Bath or Blacksticks blue work well). You are right it is very versatile!

Today I have had a banana for breakfast and am making some veg soup for lunch. Dinner is going to be some quorn chilli-non-carne and then I will tot up how I have done (and whether I have been snacking) before I decide if I am allowed anything else...

[LargeInCharge]

Thank you @purplegirl13 I’ve bought a few high protein yoghurts that help get my protein goal.

B - coffee
L - boiling an egg to go in half a pot (300ml) of Tesco 3 chilli bean soup.

[purplegirl13]

@KihoBebiluPutethat makes more sense, I had this image of you eating only a plate of ratatouille! I never thought about having it with a jacket potato so thanks for that suggestion.

I am hungry today but trying to be reasonably sensible - which might mean an early dinner. I realised I had some tinned pineapple chunks in the fridge from making sweet and sour tofu the other day so have had some as a snack.

www.ilovevegan.com/baked-sriracha-soy-sauce-tofu-2-quick-easy-recipes/ I am marinating tofu to have with my leftover rice this eve. I have little in so will grab a steam bag of veg from the freezer to go with the tofu.

[LargeInCharge]

For dinner tonight I had 151g of marinated tofu with 167g roast cauliflower and I had strawberries and mango all weighed out and a yoghurt.

The tofu was nice but I don’t think I added enough sauce so I put two tablespoons of sriracha in the bag with the rest of the tofu. It’s only 15 cals per tablespoon. I’ll have that tomorrow.

I’m stuffed but I’ve only had 875 calories.

[purplegirl13]

B - nothing
S - canned pineapple chunks
L - baked potato with cottage cheese
D - leftover tofu/green veg, served with noodles or maybe stir-fried with cauliflower rice

I am getting groceries delivered tomorrow so am working on a rough meal plan for the week. I am going to get some vanilla frozen yogurt and see whether it's a good substitute for ice cream.