Is it possible to be on SB being a vegetarian? Let me explain above -- I will eat fish on occasion, but will eat no meat whatsoever, no cheese and no dairy. I will do egg-beaters (or the store brand)... will do soy scrambles (already seasoned) and tofu if I'm forced, but not a HUGE fan...

All that said, what are my options here? I HAVE TO LOSE WEIGHT and when switching to an all vegan menu I gained about 6lbs -- too many grains, too many carbs -- there were a bunch of asian ingredients, but much too expensive so I stayed with what I could afford and gained weight.

Suggestions? Thank you!

Welcome!
You have many dietary restrictions that will make following any low carb plan a challenge for you.
I strongly suggest that if you haven't yet, that you read the SBD book itself. You can also review the food lists and meal plan guides for phase I and II here. They are located in the SBD weekly weighin thread, 2nd and 3rd posts.

Why don't you tell us which proteins, besides fish on occasion, that you will eat.

I'd like to know why you switched to a vegan menu. Care to share?

Sure! My main reason for switching was ethical -- reading the book THE KIND DIET and seeing snippets of Food, Inc. made me a little horrified what I put in my body. Hence the switch. I just could never "deal" with a block of tofu, and still can't wrap my brain around it. It looks, well, bogus.

I was eating no animal/fish protiens for several weeks, but switched to eating fish because I just felt like my body wasn't getting what it needed and was getting fatter. Maybe that's all in my head, but I just felt bloated. Since switching back to eggs, I feel fuller longer and much more energized.

So, in short, I guess the protiens I am willing to eat are eggs, fish, tofu (if I can get past it) and that's about it. Doable?

p.s. I have read the book, and re-read it but the main protiens are animal based...

May I ask why you said you will eat only the egg whites? The yolk itself will help you feel much more full and satisfied not to mention that its good fat in the yolks.


There are many recipes and ways to cook and eat tofu. I don't eat it much at all as I'm a good meat eater. I also eat a lot of fish, chicken and eggs.
Scroll through the recipe thread pinned at the top here.
Being that SBD does encourage us to eat beans as a part of our daily food, you'll be getting protein there too. Do you have an issue with beans/legumes also?
Take a look at the meal plan guide and food list for phase I. Its in the weekly weighin thread.
There are some here who eaat the way you will be eating. They have some very creative ways to do this and get enough protein into their diets. Hopefully, one of them will come along to help you. I know that if I were to go vegan, I'd use soy crumbles and make a big pot of chili.

Thanks! I'm doing eggbeaters now, but the cost is a little high -- will be switching back to whole eggs and eggwhites tomorrow a.m. and just get over the whole chicken/egg thing. It's all ethical to me... but I really have to weigh what is more important right now, sorry to say. The chickens life or mine because gaining weight at staying at 200+ lbs at 5'8" is not healthy. I think my life is more important and it's coming down to that.

Will take time scrolling through everything tonight after my daughter goes to bed. That should keep my hands from putting things in my mouth!

Thanks for taking the time to care! =)

soy makes me bloat something awful. i can eat a little but i could never make it my main protein source. personally i lose best on a diet with mainly fish and whole eggs as my protein and lots of vegetables and a few servings of fruit. a few beans as well but they also tend make me bloated.

One last thing... just looking at your stats... and you mention you did SBD "your way"... can you explain? What a wonderful sucess you are! =)

Thank you.

I don't eat nearly as much whole grain as they suggest. They push to get about 3-4 servings daily. I generally eat maybe 1-2 rye Wasa. The other night I had a serving( 1/2 cup) of brown rice with my dinner and that was a lot for me.
I also do not eat wheat at all.
They list cheeses as an unlimited protein and I keep it to a minimum of up to 2 ozs daily and count it in with my 2 cup dairy daily allowance. But this will not apply to you if you don't eat dairy anyway.
I believe more in starchy veggies than I do in the whole grain thing. To me, that is a big distinction when most go into phase II, they go too fast for the whole grain bread....when to me, that should be the last thing to add in, not the first.
First week phase II, in my experience, needs to be 1 fruit serving per day only and no starches.

Wow, thanks!!! I find that soy is making me bloat, too, which could be part of the issue... I'm thinking I could do just fine with eggs and fish as my main protien... taking a great multivitamin and calcium tab and get the rest of my vitamins from dark, leafy veggies and others...

You've done an awesome job! I hope to be at that point around Christmas.!

Try not to put any time limits on your losing. It happens when it happens...and it does happen!!

I'm also pescatarian. I have a few suggestions:

1. I buy premade frozen salmon burgers and mahi burgers (from whole foods). This takes a lot of "ick" away for me.

2. I also but the frozen salmon/cod/flounder/tiliapia filets (frozen Giant Brand) so I don't have to any prep (again reduced the ick factor).

3. If you have not found a tofu recipe you like yet, keep trying! There are sooo many.

4. Whey protein powder is great for making shakes (I use unsweetened almond milk). It is also good for "bowl muffins" (see recipe forum).

5. Other protein sources (some are not necessarily counted as "protein" on SBD but all are "allowed" foods): edamame, beans, tempeh, cottage cheese, nonfat or lowfat greek yogurt, tvp, peanut butter etc...

6. eggs rock- quiche for dinner is a favorite of mine with green salad

7. I buy the frozen shrimp that are already peeled (less ick)

Here are some sample menus:

Breakfast
cottage cheese with fresh tomato slices and cracked pepper
omelet with whatever veggies you like
Quiche cups to go (see recipe forum)
greek yogurt with almonds and a little raspberry extract and splenda

Lunches
salads (too many to count- some with hardboiled eggs, some with cheese and a boca burger, some with salad shrimp, etc...)
soups (homemade)
a pumpkin whey shake, celery with pb, and some cottage cheese

dinners
tilapia with chile and lime juice, served with salad
shrimp scampi over spaghetti squash
eggplant parmesean without breading
buffalo tofu with celery and LF ranch dip (i make it with yogurt)
salmon butger with wasabi mustard, edamame and asian veggy mix (without sauce!)
shrimp and veggy kabobs
tofu and veggies with homemade lf cheese fondue
"mockafoni" (a little like macarooni and cheese- in recipe forum) with broccoli

snacks:
3 bean salad
veggies and hummus
veggies with dip (esp baba gnouish)
heat up tomato juice (NOT V-8; it is not veg friendly!) and add a dollup of sour cream
a NSA fudgesicle melted a bit with pb (like a sundae!)
ricotta creme (see recipe forum)
plain old nuts

check out the recipe forum- you will see it's very doable! These ideas are just to get you started. Good luck.

Thank you Robin!
I was hoping that you'd show up for this one.

aw, thanks Judy