Hi I'm new to this forum.
I have been doing Atkins for about 6 weeks now but can't stand the thought of so much meat and dairy. I prefer and feel better when I am vegetarian with some meat occasionally. I have a dairy intolerance.
I have kept on trying to follow the program and have lost about 8 lbs but have become tired and feel sick all of the time. I think it's the cream, cheese and animal fat.
I am keen to try vegetarian LC, as I grew up vegetarian and find it no problem.
My main concern is that we obvioulsly can't keep our carbs as low as meat eaters and hence will our weight loss happen?
So my question is "How is your weight loss going as a vegetarian LCer? I need some assurance that this will work.

Mine went fine. I followed Protein Power - it allows for a little more carbohydrate initially than Atkins.

If you're dairy intolerant, I'd give it up. Cheese and cream can be stallers, anyway.

You can get most of your protein from eggs, nuts, soy, and whatever amount of meat and fish you're comfortable eating.

Best of luck!

Hi Kristine,
Thanks for your tips.
I have found that this past week being dairy free has made me feel sooo much better. I thinks it the healthy way for me with a bit of meat on occasions.

I eat a lot of soy based products and my weight loss has been pretty good. Sorry about being dairy intolerant. I wouldn't know what to do without cheese!

While it is a bit more challenging to be a vegetarian low carber, it is most definately doable.

HI Paleoanth,
Thanks for your comments. I think it was mainly the cream that was making me sick. I find now that every few days I can have some cheese and it's OK but if I ate it every day it would probably be not so good.
How do you find the carbs in the soy products? Do they slow you down?

Nope-

They are actually pretty low carb. For example, Morningstar Farms Breakfast patties have 1 gram of effective carb (after subtracting fiber) a patty. The problem is that most of the products are low fat, so I have to be sure to add that to my meal. I usually use mayonaise, cheese, full fat salad dressing-OR I add some olive oil to my meals.

The buffalo wings are a bit higher carb, so I really limited them in induction. They have about 3 carbs apiece. I have even been able to eat limited amounts of hummus.

Hi Yogi. I noticed you're in Australia, so you probably don't have the same veggie/soy foods that we have. So you'll have to read labels religiously - some products are corn or wheat based, and actually very high in carbs, and low in fat and protein.

Hi Kristine and Paleoanth,
Yes when I read some of the labels I was shocked at how high they were.
I managed to find some Sanitarium products (an Aussie brand of vegetarian savouries) that were low in carb so that was good. The only thing is that I find is that I get hungry sooner on them than on meat...I guess there isn't the fat. If I eat more then my carbs go up???
I certainly feel better with mainly vegetarian and meat only sometimes.

Yeah-

That is the only real challenge is getting enough fat. Make sure you add some to your meal-since you don't really do dairy-try mayonaise or add some olive oil. I usually put full fat Ranch dressing or oil and vinegar on a salad and have that with what I am eating. I eat a lot of spinach salad with my meals. I very rarely feel hungry.

I will sometimes have a palm full of nuts to increase my fat intake for the day. Also try sauteing some mushrooms in butter or oil as a side dish or to put on top of your fake meat.

You have to be creative-but it is doable.

Thanks Paleoanth,
I've been eating some meat lately and feel Ok but have to watch it. I used to add olive oil and mayo to my salads but I still got hungry.
I have changed over to CAD and am finding it soo much better. the sickness is gone and I feel great. I enjoy having my reward meal and so can have things like legumes and make vegetarian savouries with no worries about carbs. It's just lunch which is low carb that can be tricky.
I will have some more mock meat next week and see how I go.

I have the same issue. Due to religious reasons, I do not eat meat on Tuesdays and Saturdays and I think that it is hindering my weight loss. I have been on low carb since early March and have lost only 5lbs.

Please help. I eat walnuts. Is that bad.

I don't think eating walnuts is too bad. Some of the lower carb nuts are pecans and almonds. Try some of those as well.

Two days without meat a week is definately doable. Try using mushrooms (portabellas are wonderful) as a meat substitute. Fix them just like you would meat. Just make sure you keep your fat high.

My weight loss is slow, but steady. For those with less to lose (relatively) it takes a bit longer.

Well, I started last monday, here it is friday and I have lost three pounds!

I was not expecting to lose anything quickly, since I started the Protein Power Plan at the low end of my typical weight swing. I was 168 on monday, I usually go back and forth from 170 to 180 for the last few years as I was trying extreme low fat diets (which were high carb of course, cut out the fat as a veggie and all you have left is pasta!!)


I am having to really think about what I eat as a vegetarian, hard to get enough protien as the book says. I keep a bag of sunflower seeds on my desk and snack these all day.

I can't believe how much energy I have!!!

you are not alone. i also can not eat much meat without feeling sick. meat makes my intestines sick and painful. and it seems strange to be eating dead once alive creatures who once had feelings and roamed the earth. although iam guilty of eating meat during those summer months by the campfire. campfire meat is so good, so i cant say much. i eat lots of nuts, eggs and cheese for the protein. i have a milk intolerance but i can tolerate cheese.
good luck to ya