Vegetarians and people who eat less meat tend to take in fewer calories, according to Mayo Clinic nutritionist Katherine Zeratsky. So lowering the amount of meat you eat could help you lose weight in the long term. In fact, a study of 400,000 people cited by the BBC suggests that eating meat is linked to putting on weight. The key is to reduce meat intake and replace it with healthy alternatives. Match that with a generally healthy lifestyle, and you could lose weight by not eating meat.
Step 1
Don't eat meat on a Monday. Johns Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health started the Meat Free Monday initiative to encourage a reduction in meat consumption. It's a good way to get started at lowering your meat intake.
Step 2
Cut processed meats from your diet first. These include sausages, hamburgers, ham and bacon. All contain higher levels of salt and fat that result in higher calories and greater weight gain.
Step 3
Take meat out of your refrigerator and freezer. If there's no meat around the house, you're less likely to snack on it in a moment of weakness.
Step 4
Avoid snacking on fatty products such as cheese and buttered bread. Replacing high-fat meat with high-fat alternatives won't lower your weight.
Step 5
Replace meats with meat substitutes. Vegetarian sausages and burgers make good alternatives to their meaty cousins. Soy-based products often mimic meat flavors, such as bacon and chicken. However, some vegetarian sausages and burgers contain lots of oil and salt.
Step 6
Buy fish and poultry, such as chicken, when you do want to eat meat. Most fish and poultry is lower in saturated fats than red meat.
Step 7
Add beans, chickpeas, healthy nuts such as walnuts and seeds to your diet to keep your protein levels up without consuming meat. Snack on seeds and nuts when hungry.
Tips and Warnings
- Combine your new meat-free diet with regular vigorous exercise to increase weight loss. Remove meat from your diet in stages. You're more likely to succeed if you wean yourself off meat rather than cut it all straight away.
- Consult your doctor if you're diabetic or have any digestion problems before switching to a new diet plan.
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