The Challenge with eating vegetarian

The biggest challenge with living a vegetarian lifestyle is that in order to get your protein you have to eat carbs. This can prove to be problematic for people who are trying to get lean and need to limit their carb intake in order to control insulin and burn fat.

However this just makes things more difficult- not impossible. All you need is a plan to follow (which I am going to give you in just a moment).

Now, I am NOT a vegetarian. However I do like to take periodic “days off” from eating meat and animal protein. One of the main reasons I do this is to cycle my protein sources. As I have gotten older I have noticed that I have developed some food sensitivities and I use nutrient cycling as a way to help prevent more of these occurrences.

What type do you want to be?

Being a vegetarian can mean a lot of different things depending on who you ask. There are:

Semi- vegetarians (people who eat dairy products, eggs, chicken, and fish, but do not consume other animal flesh such as beef, pork etc).

Ovo-lacto vegetarians (people who do not consume meat, poultry, fish, and seafood, but do consume eggs and milk).

Ovo-vegetarians (people who do not consume any animal foods or by products with the exception of eggs).

Lacto- vegetarians (like ovo-vegetarians except they do not consume eggs).

Vegan (the strictest subset of all with no consumption of any animal products or by products whatsoever).

Can being vegetarian help with weight loss?

I have met several vegans and vegetarians who swear that they lost weight by forgoing meat but I have my doubts- in all likelihood the weight loss occurred as a result of a decrease in calories consumed and not due to choosing beans instead of beef.

By going vegetarian these folks removed all processed foods, sugar and caffeine from their diets and ate a diet full of fiber, complex carbs and lean protein.

Of course they lost weight- for many people processed foods make up more than 75% of their total calories!

As mentioned earlier I enjoy eating vegetarian meals on a regular basis however I am careful in my food selections as I like to keep my protein intake relatively high and my carb intake on the medium to low side (less than 40% of total daily calories). This approach is how I am able to stay lean all year round. I snapped a quick pick of my abs this morning to show you my condition:

Last week I gave you a 1200 calorie diet plan and today I want to give you a similar plan except this time it is semi-vegetarian (some fish and eggs but no beef or pork). Try incorporating some (or all) of these meals into your weekly meal planning and see if you feel any different.

Breakfast- Apple & oatmeal pancakes

Ingredients	1200
Apples, raw, with skin	1/3 cup slices
Instant oatmeal (dry)	1/2 cup
Whole eggs	2 small
Whey protein powder	1 1/2 tbsp
Ground cinnamon	1/2 tsp
Stevia, powder	1/2 tsp

In a bowl, chop apples into small pieces. Combine all other ingredients and mix together. Warm a frying pan to medium heat. Add ingredients and cook until brown on each side.

Morning Snack- Super Protein Shake

Ingredients	1200
Banana	1/3 cup
Ground flaxseed	1/3 tbsp
Kiwi	3/4 kiwi
Veggie protein powder	2 1/2 tbsp
Spring water	3/4 cup

In a blender, combine kiwi, banana and water, blend well. Add protein and flaxseed and blend for additional 10 seconds.

Lunch- Sweet potato, tuna and salsa Sheppard’s pie

Ingredients	1,200
Flaxseed oil	½  tbsp
Tuna (canned)	½ can
Sauce, ready-to-serve, salsa	4 tablespoon
Sweet potato, raw, unprepared	1 cup, cubes

Peel and steam sweet potato until soft, about 15-20 minutes. Once steamed, mash and mix in flaxseed oil then place in bowl, make equal thickness in bowl. Next cover with tuna, make equal thickness and last but not least put salsa on top.

  

Afternoon Snack- Hummus & Veggies

Ingredients	1,200
Cauliflower, raw	6 floweret
Hummus	2 tbsp
Yellow pepper (raw)	2/3 pepper

Dip cauliflower florets, cheese & pepper into hummus.

Dinner- Grilled Calamari

Ingredients	1200
Balsamic vinegar	½ tbsp
Extra virgin olive oil	1/2 tbsp
Calamari (raw)	4 ounces
Raw garlic	1 clove
Mixed greens	1 cup
Red peppers	¼ pepper
Brown rice	¼ cup (uncooked)
Zucchini (raw)	¼ small

Cook rice according to package directions. Grill calamari with some oil, then add sliced red pepper and zucchini and grill another 5-7 minutes. Place on mixed salad greens, top with rest of oil, balsamic vinegar, and crushed garlic.

Give this vegetarian meal plan a try and let me know if you have any questions. If you are looking for a plan that is more personalized for your individual body and goal then I encourage you to join my online coaching program at www.ebodi.com where I have hundreds of meal plans and recipes for all types of preferences.