Losing weight as a peri veggie

[Pollypetdog]

I'm struggling to shift even a pound a week with no treats or booze
Has anyone tried anything that really works and doesn't leave one hungry ?
I don't really want to eat UPF to get protein in but have got egg fatigue too.
Please help!
For transparency I am 11 stone which at 5'2" is too much. I'm average boobs but massive gut and bum. Decent legs but thighs now expanding. I'm definitely not the e kind of curvy that can be dressed nicely any more. It's unevenly distributed so whilst following curvy fashion, my shape doesn't suit a tucked in top, empire line (too old now to look pregnant in one and just look matronly).
I am bombarded with ads for old person exercise but used to run half marathons so can aim a bit higher than walking in my lounge though I know one can't outrun a bad diet.
I'm quitting SW because I'm not even following the plan. Just using it to weigh in. Plus everyone there eats loads of chicken and seems to manage that way whereas I make an entirely veg based dish then have to eat more veg with it and am still hungry

Does this help https://thefast800.com/high-protein-vegetarian-meals/

I’m a peri-menopausal meat eater and the Fast 800 idea is working for me. You don’t need to join the programme, there’s a book.

I would help if we know what your typical diet looks like.

For me, it’s about watching the carbs. A cheese and tomato omelette for breakfast will easily fill me up until lunch. A protein shake for lunch. Roasted veg for dinner.

Typical day below:
Brunch : omelette if wfh , protein yoghurt and blueberries if at office
Lunch : jacket spud and beans
Evening meal: Gousto or hello fresh currently as in a recipe rut and so it's usually a tofu stir fry or veggie curry , occasionally meat free bolognese type of deal. I was getting the odd pie/ pastry thing but stopped

Bad days see me reaching for biscuits mid afternoon.
Good days would be similar but eating snacks of salad bits / hard boiled eggs / cottage cheese
Some days I have overnight oats with frozen cherries and yoghurt. I never know if fat free yoghurt is better or not as so much conflicting info and I seem to pick and choose but obviously in a wrong combination
I've dieted since age 15 and had the most success with WW pre kids then SW but it doesn't seem to work for me now without being starving hungry.

I would say that’s a pretty high calorie diet. Have you worked it all out? If I want to lose weight by calorie deficit, I have to drop to around 1000 calories a day for my height and age, 5’2” and 46. Personally, I couldn’t eat that volume of food in one day, but I just can’t fit in three full meals. I would have to stop after the baked potato.

I'll brace myself for the big appetite comments. This is a bad example actually as if usually have either the omelette or a v small breakfast then the jacket spud but maybe a week of calorie tracking is. Needed to see where I am really eating.

@PotatoPudding I'll have to do same I think as just cannot eat much and stay the same weight. Albeit I'm not gaining currently. Just losing and regaining the same 4lb

I could have written your post! I feel like I eat so little but I lose no weight in peri. What is working slowly for me as a vegetarian is consciously eating more protein. When I take around 40g of protein for breakfast I lose weight that day, but 40g at dinner doesn't have that much of an impact. Maybe it improves metabolism through the day?

I think you only have around 20g protein in the morning, try a three egg omelette or smoothie plus a protein yoghurt. That seems to work well for me!

I also use Hellofresh/Greenchef for dinner and that's okay for me in terms of calories. I would highly recommend swapping Gousto for Greenchef as Gousto makes a lot of high calorie high carb meals for vegetarians. Greenchef does lots of meals for under 500cal and better quality of vegetables.

Good luck and do let me know what works as well! I have lost 2lb in a week with protein maxxing so hopefully it stays!

@livingbyrules thanks for this. I have reread my post with a dose of perimenopause anxiety as well and now think I'm just greedy but actually I know that even when following Sw to the letter it was half a pound a week so clearly calories and macros need to change. Protein seems the way as well as cutting back on carbs I'll look at green chef and if there's a referral code I'll use one please !

Some of the things I eat as a veggie, which I believe are high in protein, are:

Greek yoghurt
Eggs. Boiled. Pickled. Poached. Scrambled.
Lentil and cheese wedge.
Bean salad, chilli, curry
Nut stir-fry
Tofu sarnie filling. Silken tofu blended into pasta or curry.
Salads but with tahini, pulses etc

@Pollypetdog Also vegetarians seems to get fatty liver fairly quickly without enough protein. You will need to cut out ultra processed food completely. Lots of MN threads on how to do this. I will be very happy with a 0.5 lb loss a week consistently but it just seems to plateau after a point and very difficult to shift.

Will share referral code.

Thanks. Will read up more on UPF to scare myself.

I hear you 100% with those 4lb. That’s my life!

Your diet is very healthy; it’s just probably more calories than you realise.

I think k have a good grip on nutrition but can't afford to pay someone to do my macros to really target a weight loss. Of If I can shift a stone it will make a world of difference but sometimes less to lose is a royal pain. I'm messaging my SW leader now. I expect a curt response.

The best yoghurt is organic, natural and full fat, ideally kefir. Have you tried making extra portions of your Gusto dinner and having it for lunch instead of jacket potato? you don't need to fall back on UPF vegetarian alternatives, focus on lentils, pulse, beans etc, loads of veg, have a salad with everything. Have you tried extended overnight fasting, worked wonders for me.

I have added in UPF vegetarian foods to up my protein as I need to low carb due to being diabetic (so beans & lentils are out) & I don't eat egg. But it's not helping my weight.

Op doesnt give any indication of what ingredients she uses or portion size so you cant say its a high calorie diet

A 2 egg omlette is about 160 cals, if she adds 25g of cheese to it, thats 260 there abouts

The potato and beans can be low calorie, could be only about 350 cals

That leaves her enough for an evening meal and snacks to equal around 1200 cals, if thats what her calorie deficit should be.

Tonight is a black bean chilli (also has spinach and tomatoes with salad on side ) so not too bad health wise. DH grumbling about it so he can sort himself and I'll take leftovers for lunch !

That’s why I have suggested she tracks her cals. 1200 cals a day should be enough to lose a pound a week. If she’s anything like me, that omelette will also contain cream and cheese, taking it up to 350 cals. The baked potato could easily be 600 cals depending on butter and portion size. I also have at least 100 cals a day in hot drinks with milk. It’s easy to lose track.

I haven't tried sunflower mince yet but it looked promising and not too processed I think.

www.piccantino.co.uk/sunflowerfamily/organic-sunflower-mince

I need to do a food shop and some great ideas here to build into a menu. Definitely feel like higher protein lower carb is the way forward.

I'm also on Sertraline and when k look back, the weight has crept steadily on since I started it 5 years ago. I might do another thread about weight gain and if there's another AD to try as I'm not nice without them and cry. A lot.