If you want to lose weight, a vegetarian diet is one way to do it. Many people want to get flat abs, and eating a nutritious diet can help you achieve the results you want. Vegetarians have an advantage over meat eaters because their diets do not include high-fat, high-calorie products such as red meat. Being a vegetarian will not automatically make you lose weight, however. It is important to follow a low-calorie vegetarian diet for weight loss.
Weight Loss 101
In order to lose weight, you need to consume less calories than you burn each day. You will need to burn about 3,500 calories more than you consume to lose 1 lb. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends losing 1 to 2 lbs. per week for a healthy, sustainable rate of weight loss. If you burn an extra 500 calories more than you consume daily for a week, you will lose 1 lb. When losing weight, you cannot target certain areas but will see all-over weight loss results. In order to lose belly fat, you will need to follow a low-calorie diet to lose weight everywhere.
Vegetarian Nutrition
To lose weight with a vegetarian diet, eat a variety of foods from all of the food groups, substituting high-calcium products for the dairy group if you are vegan. The USDA Food Guide Pyramid offers a daily food plan that can recommend how much and what type of foods to eat for your age, sex, height, weight and activity level. For the protein group, choose beans, legumes and nuts instead of meat or poultry.
Low-Calorie Eating
Vegetarians may not be at risk from eating high-fat meat products, but there are plenty of other high-calorie, low-nutrient foods that can tempt vegetarians. To stick to a low-calorie diet, stay away from fried foods, processed snacks and desserts such as cakes, pastries, doughnuts and chips. Also avoid sweetened beverages and alcohol that are packed with calories and little or no nutrients. Even juice drinks often contain extra sugar in the form of high fructose corn syrup, so opt for fresh fruit instead, or choose a juice without additives.
Considerations
A well-planned vegetarian diet can contribute to your overall health, according to the American Dietetic Association. Vegetarians tend to have a lower body mass index and lower overall cancer rates, as well as lower risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the ADA. Couple your healthy vegetarian diet with a regular exercise plan to help you lose belly fat more quickly and reap even more health rewards.
References
- MayoClinic.com: If I Switch to a Vegetarian Diet, Will I Lose Weight?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
- American Dietic Association: Vegetarian Diets; July 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Weight Loss
- U.S. News & World Report: Beer Gut Check: Study Sizes Up Belly Fat; Sarah Baldauf; July 2007
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