Hey everyone...

I just got back from my annual physical and I got some diet questions...

The bottom line is that I have to get rid of or severely decrease the carbohydrates and starch in my diet. I also have to get rid of iron.

A bit of background - I'm vegetarian and am trying to lose fat. My diet right now isn't that bad, my doctor joked about it and said he'd be out of business if people followed what I eat (I kept a food log). I also go to the gym 3 or 4 times (every other day) a week, including running about 16 miles weekly.

Anyway, my doctor said I shouldn't eat sandwiches, oats or fruit anymore - it's all carbs and as long as I have a starch or carb source, I won't lose weight (genes). He was pretty behind schedule and I had to go back to work, so I couldn't get a full answer from him about what I should eat.

So, I'm lost... What's a vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs) supposed to eat without eating carbs/starch or iron???

TIA!

Dave,

The best way to remove excess iron is by donating blood.

Soybeans, tofu, tempeh, and any type of nuts, seeds and sea vegetables all come to mind.
Have you eliminated dairy too, or only eggs? If you still eat dairy, you can get a lot of mileage out of dry curd cottage cheese, regular cottage cheese, kefir, greek-style strained yogurt, and hard cheeses. And you could always add in whey protein isolate (or soy protein isolate) to ensure that you get enough protein.

La Tortilla Factory makes some pretty good low carb tortillas.
Grated cauliflower makes a pretty good rice substitute, and mashed makes a good potato substitute. Some brands of low carb bread are pretty good. Most of my sandwiches are on low carb tortillas, which are also full of fiber.
I hopre the Doc also recommended not eating sugar in addition to starches..sugar is my downfall and when i gain weight it's always due to sweet stuff.