Could being a vegetarian be the reason you're not losing weight even though you're trying?   Vegetarianism is not a weight loss silver bullet. While many people go vegetarian for health reasons other than weight loss, those who give up meat with hopes of rapid weight loss often end up disappointed. Here are the main reasons why going vegetarian to improve your weight loss results isn’t working out so well.   You didn’t go vegetarian. You became a “starchatarian.” We know that “starchatarian” isn’t really a word. However, it accurately describes how many of us eat after giving up meat. It is common for newer vegetarians to eliminate meat without adding a significant source of vegetables to their daily intake. What does that leave? Starch. Many new vegetarians eat lots of it. Starch based meals become the standard fare. Breakfast is oatmeal or cereal. Lunch is bean soup. Dinner is a vegetable stir-fry with rice. Sometimes dinner is cheese pizza or a plate of pasta for those at a loss for what to order while dining out. Snacks include fruit, crackers, or pretzels. The steady consumption of foods that break down into sugar in the body makes it unnecessary for the body to use stored body fat for energy. For some of us, our body just stays the same. However, it’s common for this way of eating to produce weight gain.   Your lack of protein intake is making you hungry. Protein is one of the most satisfying macronutrients. It is also one that many vegetarians struggle to consume in amounts that support weight loss. With lower protein intake often comes higher hunger levels- especially if our daily intake of fibrous vegetables is low. This leaves us to either battle with willpower to avoid overeating or graze incessantly in efforts to feel full.   You’re eating too many calories. While vegetarianism can lead to lower intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, and hormones present in commercial processed meat, calories still matter. Eliminating meat can significantly decrease calorie intake. However, when we mismanage the increased hunger caused by lower protein intake, we can easily replace and surpass the calories that we eliminated.   You’re eating high carb and high fat at the same time. Did you know that you can mimic the nutrient profile of junk food with healthy food? It’s true. Most of us know that junk food is simultaneously high in fat and starch or sugar. However we are often unaware of how easy it is to create this same macronutrient mix with healthy foods. Meals like vegetarian Mexican bowls, toast with peanut butter and banana, and vegetarian lasagna have macronutrient levels similar to burgers and fries, candy bars, and pizza. While the ingredients are healthier than junk food, the impact on weight loss is similar.   Your overconsumption of soy-based meat substitutes is deregulating your fat loss hormones. Sometimes we give up meat without really embracing plant based eating. Instead, we replace all of [...]

Learn how the Ketogenic Diet helps you lose weight and aid health conditions.   If you pay attention at all on social media, chances are that you’ve heard of the Ketogenic Diet. Everybody’s posting about it. People are raving about how many inches and pounds they are losing while eating delicious food. So naturally, many of us are wondering whether or not we should be doing it too. The answer to this silent wondering is the same no matter what diet or eating approach you are considering. IT DEPENDS! One woman’s poison is another’s magic potion. So, it’s time to learn exactly what to consider to decide for yourself whether or not a Ketogenic (Keto) diet is for you. What is Keto? In case you are unfamiliar with Keto, this style of eating is a low carb, moderate protein, and high fat approach to eating. You keep your carbohydrate intake below about 30 grams per day (less than one whole sweet potato). Your protein intake is moderate because in the absence of carbs, excess protein can break down into glucose in the body. When this happens, the excess blood sugar knocks you out of ketosis and you won’t experience the benefits of eating Keto style. You are allowed to eat the majority of your calories from fat sources. However, you have to be careful not to get too much fat from sources that also have carbohydrates (like nuts) to avoid accidentally eating too many carbs. Pretty simple. Some potential benefits of following a ketogenic diet are that you: More easily maintain a caloric deficit without feeling hungry or deprived. Give your body a chance to burn stored body fat because there is less sugar available (assuming you remain in caloric deficit). Reduce symptoms of certain medical conditions like epilepsy and more. Achieve relatively rapid weight loss initially due to loss of water associated with cutting carbs, but later from fat burning. Improve the flexibility of your metabolism (ability to burn fat instead of sugar for fuel) and potentially lower the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin sensitivity of the cells. That list sounds like all of the health outcomes that anyone could desire. So, why isn’t everyone eating this way? If we want results that last, there is a lot more to consider than will this work or how quickly will it work. We have to also consider will we do this long enough for it to work. Also, if we don’t continue to do this, will we be better or worse for having done it? That’s where things get interesting when it comes to following a Ketogenic diet. Unfortunately, severely restricting a food group or type of food makes it really hard for many of us to practice moderation after the restriction is done. So, while we may have been able to eat super low carb for a few weeks, we may end up eating even more sugar and starch later. [...]