Vegan or Zone better way to lose weight?

L

luvmylbb

Cathlete
I am having a heated debate with a friend of mine that insists that you must eat protein (Zone type diet) to lose weight and that vegans/vegetarians are over weighrt because they eat too many carbs. Any opionions?THANk you :)
 
I'm no expert, but the vegetarians I know do struggle with their weight. My DIL is a vegan vegetarian and her weight yo-yos all the time. From all I've observed, it just seems SOOO much easier to control your weight when you have more food options. I would never say this to my DIL, but I think that eliminating fish from your diet is, well, risky. With all the good news about fish these days, I eat it almost every day now. My brother is a vegetarian except that he eats fish, and I think it is a wise choice. I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm just saying that, from what I've observed, vegetarianism makes it more challenging to control your weight, given the busy lives we all lead. That is, if you're not Madonna, and you don't travel with your own personal chef.

-Nancy
 
hhhmm overweight vegan. i don't see to many but as nancy has mentioned its possible. i don't know if carbs are totally to blame. the vegans i know eat small meals,organic, and mostly healthy carbs. almost to what a raw diet would be. i think the only way carbs make you fat is from lack of portion control. the same can be said for protien. its matter of personal goals and body's reaction to diets, and attention to portion control. a total balance. i would say everybody needs some form of protien, as long as its a healthy form. but i also stand by needing carbs as long as they are not refined sugar,flour, and processed. but that is just my opinion.

btw way tell your friend she offended my size 6 vegan mother about "overweight" vegans LOL

kassia

When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be
disappointed to discover they are not it -- Bernard Bailey
 
The only overweight vegans I know were overweight when they became vegans, probably to lose weight.
That being said, I don't think losing weight is a good reason to become a vegan. I think if you overeat, then you will be overweight, vegan or not.

carolyn
 
The difference to me is the Zone is a diet and Vegan is a Lifestyle. I was on the Zone years ago and did loose weight but when I went Vegan/vegetarian 18 months ago I got better results than anything else. I feel I am heatlhier than I have ever been. I personally think high protein diets are a bad choice and in the long run can do harm to your body. Many here disagree, but we all have our beliefs....:)...Carole
 
I forgot to mention that if your prime sources of protein are tofu and nuts, both very fatty, it makes sense that weight loss is going to be challenging.
 
>I forgot to mention that if your prime sources of protein are
>tofu and nuts, both very fatty, it makes sense that weight
>loss is going to be challenging.



For me nuts are fat. Besides Tofu I eat tempeh, seitan and various beans for my protein. If you pick fatty choices in any food, weight loss will be challanging Vegan or not...:)...Carole
 
I personally think high protein diets are a bad
>choice and in the long run can do harm to your body. Many here
>disagree, but we all have our beliefs....:)...Carole

my mom always made the joke she would watch out for a diet that says you can eat all the ham and eggs you want during the day but don't eat that apple or broccoli b/c they have carbs. when she picks up a food she isn't about to do addition or subtraction to see if its a meal she can eat.

kassia

When they discover the center of the universe, a lot of people will be
disappointed to discover they are not it -- Bernard Bailey
 
I've seen several studies, although I can't remember what or where, that show that vegetarians and vegans AS A WHOLE are less overweight than non-vegetarians. But for any individual, again, it depends on portion size. The fish oils can be gotten from flax and walnuts. My only problem with eating fish every day would be that it contains a lot of pollutants. Please be careful with your fish, Nancy.

Veganism is more of an ethical choice. I think health is the least compelling reason to avoid meat. Either Zone of veganism could help you lose weight. I mean you could be vegan and eat nothing but corn chips, french fries, candy, soy ice cream, etc. It depends on food quality and portion size either way.
 
Carole I find your post fascinating! Did you see the question I posed for Cathe in the Ask Cathe forum? My personal trainer is adamant that my high protein choices are more damaging then benficial. It's a whole new learning curve for me.

BTW - the trainer is vegan and comes in at 12-14% body fat.

Lorrie
 
I'm not aware of very many overweight vegetarians, and the ones who are probably live on pasta and bread - not a very healthy way of eating whether you're vegetarian or not. I became a vegetarian about 4 months ago and have lost 18 pounds since then. I get plenty of protein from sources such as leafy green vegetables, beans, and whole grains. I avoid processed foods (except maybe an occasional cookie! ;) ), and my body feels so much better. I am leaner than I've ever been. So, I would agree with what others have said - eating too much junk on ANY diet plan is going to cause you to gain fat.
 
I'm not a vegetarian or a vegan, but I know for sure that excessive amounts of protein can be really damaging to your kidneys. I know of some people that eat huge amounts of protein because they're trying to build up muscle. It's always amazing to me just how unhealthy a lifetsyle some "health nuts" live.

Michele
 
My sister was a vegan for 8 years. Her New Years resolution last year was to start eating meat again. She still only eats lean choices and I think still hasnt even touched red meat yet - but what she found was very interesting, and makes total sense to me. She found that it is much easier for her to maintain her weight and gain some muscle mass when eating animal protein. She stays full much longer and had finally gotten the muscle definition that she wanted. She has always been one to eat 5 small 200-300 cal meals a day too - which is the best thing to do to fire up your metabolism.

I do not agree with the high protien diets at all. You have to have a balance. Especially since the high protein diets act like you can have as much bacon and sausage as you want and lose wieght. I have lost weight when I was on that diet - but it came back on and I am sure was not healthy considering some of the choices I was making.

What is good from the zone is targeting the 40/40/20. That is a good place to start with your macronutrients. Then you can adjust per what works for you. Some people can tolerate more carbs - and some people need less. You have to tweak it to what works best for you.

There is no "diet" that works. It is a lifestyle choice to eat healthy smaller meals throughout the day - making smart choices as the the types of proteins and fats that you eat.
 
Different things work better for different people. I'm totally convinced of that. It's not one way of eating/exercising fits all. Like Cathe continuously states, "You have to find what works for YOU!"
 
I've been to vegetarian/vegan conferences and don't recall seeing any overweight people . It's definitely possible to be an overweight vegan (eating too much fat or too many processed foods or junk foods) but it's not the norm. Making that kind of blanket statement is rather ridiculous--especially since vegans are usually slimmer than omnivores.

I believe --based on what I've read from various sources--that 50% carbs is the lowest you should go. Populations that eat 50-70% of their calories from carbs (NOT processed carbs) have a much lower incidence of diseases like cardio vascular disease; diabetes; and even cancer (sorry about the semi-colons--I'm at the car dealership; where I'm getting my car electronics reprogrammed; and the computer I'm on has a stuck comma key!)

Also;since your body (and especially your BRAIN) needs glycogen for energy -which is usually made from carbs-when you don't take in enough carbs your body starts to use PROTEIN to make glycogen. Which means you HAVE to eat more protein to maintain your muscle (which can otherwise be cannibalized to make the glycogen). It's kind of a catch 22--if you don't eat enough carbs (50% or more--but not so many that you can't get enough protein and good fats in your diet) you HAVE to eat more protein to have a buffer above what the body uses for glycogen production. Carbohydrates are actually protein sparing.
 
A SHOUT OUT TO KATHRYN....

ALWAYS IN THE KNOW....

THANK U FOR YOUR INFO, GIRL....

U R APPRECIATED ON THIS SITE....;-)

Linda
"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
Maya Angelou
 
I have a SIL who's overweight AND she smokes! Go figure. Not sure what she eats since I don't see her very often but I suspect you hit the nail on the head when you said too much pasta and bread.

Sue
 
I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years. (ethical reasons) I have struggled with my weight for my whole life. The problem did not go away when I stopped eating meat, but it was also there before I became a vegetarian. I have never been more than 25 pounds over my ideal weight, except during pregnancy. I have to pay attention to what I eat and be active, it's not such a bad thing. I've recently been trying to eat a 40-40-20 diet, and I'm finding it very difficult to get up to 40% protein. I would love to know how other vegetarians do it. I don't eat eggs. I do eat dairy, which helps.
Heather
 
Oops! I meant to say overweight vegetarian and she smokes. Guess that's what happens when you post in too much of a hurry!

Sue
 
Hey hey! Well, I can say that a long time ago I was on a 'vegetarian' diet and I lost a little bit of weight, not much after 6 months, and I've also tried the zone diet which actually turned into the way I just eat for life now. I lost 40 lbs on the ZD, plus I think meat protein is much better for your body than veggie protein.. for me it seems to build muscle much faster. But maybe I'm wrong.. just thought I'd give my two cents! teehee:D
 
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