Feedback on Vegetarianism and on Weight Loss

I would agree that dairy is probably ruining things for you. I would recommend you eliminate dairy entirely for a period of at least one month or 6 weeks - more if you can do it. Then if you want to add back some dairy, add back things like raw dairy (you should at least be able to find raw cheese), and fermented dairy such as kefir. Butter/ghee should be fine, too. Add it back one thing at a time so you can gauge how you react to it. It would be good to give your body a rest on that food group, anyway.

Increase the eggs you eat. I have no idea how many you eat, but they are considered the BEST protein, superior to meat or vegetable sources. Lightly cooked/runny yolk preferably. Should be no problem for you to eat at least 4 eggs a day or more. Free range hormone and Antibiotic free is the important thing for eggs.

Socially... I agree that most "vegetarian" things involve copious amounts of dairy. At a lot of places you can request "no cheese" or whatever, but at other places they are already included. So it seems like you will end up eating a LOT of salads (not that it is a bad thing but for some, monotonous). Or you might start reducing your social eating, seems like some people get to a point where they realize they must eat the majority of their meals as meals they prepared for themself.

Saturated fat is not evil, it is beneficial. Protein is part of the equation, carbs are part of the equation... and fat is the OTHER part of the equation. People who almost exclude any one part of this equation might be thin but they would also be malnourished after a period. Good fats include olive oil, coconut oil, butter, flax, nuts, avocados, fish oils. These can be eaten liberally.

Vegetarians seem to lean on carbs as a crutch in many cases. High starch, refined carbs and Sugar can be the ruin of many a vegetarian. Be sure that you don't eat too much potato, bread, sugars, dried fruits, grains. Let vegetables and fresh fruits be your primary carbohydrates. Don't be a baked potato, bagel, cereal, brownies and cookies vegetarian (you may never have been, just throwing that out there).

You did not mention whether you eat soy. Be VERY cautious about this. The least amount eaten, the better. Fermented soy can be okay in small amounts, such as miso and naturally fermented soy sauce. But you should investigate your thyroid function and keep your soy intake in mind as you consider that.

I believe there is a book called, "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" that you may find helpful. Here is a link to it at amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1594630054/qid=113043...

Also, a book called, "Eat Fat, Lose Weight" :
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/087983966X/qid=113043...

The Weston A. Price Foundation has solid Science regarding fats, as well as a vast amount of other information:
http://www.westonaprice.org
The "Know Your Fats" Section is most insightful:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/index.html

Of particular interest there might be this article:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/guidelines.html

And this one:
http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/lowfatdiets.html

Other helpful links:
http://www.notmilk.com
http://www.hacres.com (this is vegan but most people lose a lot of weight and improve their health significantly)

Of course, exercise is the other oft-forgotten part of the equation, and that really means building muscle, not just doing cardio. Weight training (not light weights) or resistance training may be the best thing you might try, but of course there are many forms of exercise out there for you to consider.

I can certainly understand that some things like meat just seem gross. Part of your decision will be based on how much you want to lose weight, and how much you are willing to change your diet and lifestyle (such as socialization). Hope this helps you in your deliberation.

-Squeaky-
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