March 29, 2024

Should you stop eating meat to Lose weight? It depends on how you approach it. You can eat a healthy vegetarian diet that can help you to lose weight.

However, simply giving up meat will not by itself make you lose weight.

Some people, in fact when they give up meat end up eating more carbohydrates, which can have the opposite effect.

Meats are High in Fats

Meat and animal products are generally high in protein and saturated fats. Saturated fats were, for a time, considered unhealthy and a cause of many diseases. They were also blamed for obesity.

Now, however, they are gradually being recognized by many nutritionists as necessary, if derived from high quality sources (such as organic or natural animal products).

Eating a diet with a moderate amount of saturated fats will not make you fat.

The worst things you can eat if you are trying to lose weight are foods that are high in sugar, low quality carbohydrates and trans fats. Low quality carbs are those made with processed white flour.

When you buy or make foods like bread or pasta, look for whole grains, preferably organic. Avoid refined white sugar. Also avoid foods made with hydrogenated oils and trans fats.

Stop Eating Meat – Become a Vegetarian?

The decision to eat a vegetarian diet and stop eating meat or not is a personal one. The fact is, you can lose weight as a vegetarian or as a meat-eater. Or you can gain weight on either diet.

There are good arguments for becoming a vegetarian. One is ethical, which is something you have to decide for yourself. Another has to do with the unnatural way most meat is produced today.

This, however, can be avoided by buying organic meats and animal products (though these are more expensive).

If you are overweight and a meat-eater, it is probably not meat that is making you fat. It is more the overall number of calories you are consuming, the amount of sugar, carbs and unhealthy fats.

There is also, of course, the amount of physical activity you are getting, which can make a big difference, almost as important as your diet.

One reason why a vegetarian diet and stop eating meat may appear to be good for losing is that it is often part of a general effort at eating a healthier diet.

Stop Eating Meat is Healthier Anyway

There is nothing wrong with this, and I am certainly not trying to discourage anyone from becoming a vegetarian, only saying that it is probably not a decisive factor by itself when it comes to losing weight.

For example, many people start eating more fruits and vegetables when they become vegetarian, which is healthy. You can, however, eat more fruits and vegetables without becoming a vegetarian. The choice is yours.

Stop eating meat and you can in fact get a lot healthier, because with all things being equal there are a lot more nutrients per calorie in a carrot than a steak.

Good Arguments Either Way for Eating Meat On A Diet?

In looking at the comments below the argument comes that we are not as humans built to be vegetarians. I have to agree. I am not the biggest fan of any kind of strict style of diet.

I know of raw vegan eaters that should have amazingly high amounts of vitamins and minerals but have a lack of iron and B12 and Zinc. Although these vegans can get these if careful as well.

The best idea in real life over the long term is to try and change your diet over time to allow you to be an omnivore at times, a vegetarian at other times, and to be careful to always look at the cleanliness and preparation of meals at all times

33 thoughts on “Stop Eating Meat to Lose Weight?

  1. Pls friends help me out, am a boy and am so slim, pls can u suggest the kind of Nigerian food that i surpose to eat. I want to be big and gain . My friends are insulting me because of how my body is. Help me out.

  2. Beware excessive meat eating.
    MANY possible factors, some due directly to meat eating and some being contributory, can POSSIBLY but NOT assuredly, lead to the dreaded gout that can so painful as to being incapacitating or merely OW!!!.
    Just something to be aware of.
    YMMV
    YMWV (your mileage WILL vary. Often a more accurate acronym/term than the more often seen YMMV)

  3. People are ridiculous, it basic primal instinct for us to eat meat. Although in this day and throughout our bodies evolution, everyone is different. Some people feel crappy eating meat and for others it doesn’t bother them all. I came to realize that red meats make me feel icky and bloated. So I stopped eating it. I still maintain a pretty healthy diet and keep pretty active. I feel pretty awsome and I still chow down on chicken, little portions of pork, fish! Also I eat LOTS of veggies!! I think some people go a little overboard on the whole idealism of vegan & vegetarian. I feel like some extremists look sickly to me, like they got no umph to their bodies. Pale and weak looking. Some of the vegetarian I know though actually look great. I think it all depends on what your personal body needs. If you crave it, eat it. Within portion controlling of coarse. 🙂

    1. In fact, if you take a closer examination of the human anatomy and that of the herbivore species, you will find that the human anatomy resembles an herbivore. One good example is our saliva. Humans, like other herbivores, have Alkaline in their salivas along with digestive enzymes to help pre-digest the food before it reaches the stomach. There is a reason why we chew our food. On the other hand, a Lion (Carnivore) has an acidic based saliva in order to kill the bacteria and diseases found in flesh. Also unlike humans and other herbivores, Lions (Carnivores) swallow their food and their stomach is extremely acidic in order to digest the flesh rapidly. There are so many more examples to prove that humans are in fact herbivores. Why do you hear the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” and not “a steak a day keeps the doctor away”. There are reasons why vegetables and fruits are encouraged, because we are herbivores, and that is what powers our bodies. Until the day I see a Lion (carnivore) eat a salad, I am sticking to the herbivore/plant based diet only.
      FYI, I was borderline Diabetic at 250lbs 5 years ago. Now I’m 165lbs, top shape, healthier than ever, thanks to fruits and vegetables. As for the comments on people gaining on Vegetarian diets…. Remember, Dairy is not from plants, hence not suited for herbivores. Eating high fat (Dairy)/ refined sugar/ processed food (yes that includes skim milk) will offer you no nutrients but instead use your bodies resources in order to get rid of the unnatural substances in your body. To lose on a plant based diet, remember to stick to whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables with an emphasis on VEGETABLES. Not only will this help you lose , you will feel full and energized all the time! Try it for a week and you will know exactly what I’m talking about.
      Hope this helps, not trying to bash anyone just sharing a real life experience and some extensive research I’ve done in the past.

  4. Hello all,

    I am a vegetarian and I did lose but I became a vegetarian for a few reasons. First I read the book “skinny bitch.” After reading how animals are treated I couldn’t bear to eat meat anymore. I also had a problem of eating too much fast food which is clearly bad for you, so with a combination of no fast good, no meat, no soda and moderate exercise I lost and became healthier. You need to eat fruits and veggies with any diet, meat or not meat. There are many options for vegetarians and vegan’s nowadays where you will have variety and get all the nutrients you need. If you are a meat eater you should at least eat little or no red meat which is linked to many diseases. Good luck!

  5. This is absolute BS. Vegetarianism is unhealthy, you are depriving your body of essential amino acids. Actually, vegetarian diets cause gain. If you wanna lose , you must include meat in your diet. Trust me, most of the vegetarians I know actually end up gaining . My mom tried the whole vegetarian ‘fad” and ended up gaining 30 pounds. Do not do it!!!!! It is just a fad that causes damage to the body. Eat lean meats like, grilled chicken, turkey, fish, seafood, roast beef, and lean steak (w/o fat). Don’t eat fried foods or pastas or any of that crap. Well, you shouldn’t deprive yourself either cause that causes binging. You can eat pasta or a hamburger once a week.

    1. any results you are seeing are short lived and you will baloon up. It is dangerous!!!! Do not do it

    2. If you supplement with protiens and the correct vitamins it does make you loose – Look at the MGH 2009 study studied through Harvard Medical

    3. It will not make you gain if you control your intake of crabs (ie. don’t replace meat with bread, pasta, etc.) and make sure you are replacing all of the essential proteins and nutrients that you would get from the meat.

    4. so, if you went pescatarian, would that be the healthiest choice, as long as you didnt eat processed or junk foods on the side (except for christmas or birthdays)? That still includes meat, and some dairy, so would it be healthy?

  6. I agree with Heather, not eating meat…I noticed that I’m not hungry at all and eat less. Being a vegetarian has some good benefits.

  7. I am with Alexis on this. I recently have gotten completely vegetarian and the immediate benefits are PHENOMENAL! I feel fantastic and have so much energy. Back in the day they didn’t have the advancements of making such tasty “non-meat meats.” But now they have them, and they are packed with the necessary proteins. Plus it is helping me lose and feel a lot better about my meal choices. One last thing….I’ve noticed that I’m not half as hungry as used to be when I ate meat.

    1. i haven’t eat meat for 4 years and all ive lost is 1kg thats its not worth it but that is right it does make you less hungry 🙂

  8. I’ve done it before where i only ate meat once a week and I exercised 3 – 4 days a week. I lost so much that the doctor said my body fat was down to 7% and if I didnt get fat in my body he’ll have to put me on a diet to get some fat in. My friend did the same and he also lost a lot of and got really ripped.

  9. Does meat helps to increase our energy level which will increase work efficiency, muscle power and good skin? If I don’t eat meat will I suffer from any deficiency of important ingredients of our body that are required for a healthy body?
    I am 25th. I have average health. Neither slim nor fatty. Suggest me according to my question.

  10. I have attempted to stop eating meat..its gotten to where it grosses me out..but why is it sometimes I crave meat..I have cut back like 90 percent,I hate when I give into it because I feel gross afterwaed…whats wrong with me?

  11. Meat is high in protein, but it’s also high in fats, antibiotics, and GROWTH HORMONES. Think about it: if you are eating an animal that was forced to grow 4 times faster than it should, and you’re ingesting that “meat” then what is going to happen to you? Human beings also do not have bodies equipt for digesting meat properly: carnivores have 10 times more hydrochloric acid in their stomachs than we do. Carnivores also have shorter digestive tracts so that unlike us, meat doesn’t stay festering in their body for days. 99% of meat is produced on factory farms, where animals grow up in their own shit, piss, and vomit. Chickens get “washed off” when they are dipped in a lukewarm electrocuting bath that sometimes kills them all the way. Then they soak up that water to swell to 90% of their size to be appealing on the consumer market.

    A meat-eating diet is associated with higher chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, obesity, the flu (what differentiates the flu from other viruses is that it travels between livestock and humans aka avian flu, swine flu), and an empty wallet. The meat industry also consumes 50% of antibiotics made annually in the US and contributes immensely to carbon emission.

    Go Veg. It’s cheaper, it’s healthier, it’s cleaner, and you won’t have the dead carcass of an abused animal rotting in your body.

    Meat doesn’t even taste that good. Sauce does.

    1. Chickens are actually genetic altered to grow fast. So much that they aren’t even able to walk. I have seen some of these farms and every farm that produces for Tyson is required to have this bread of chicken or the farm loses the contract. The use of growth hormones is illegal in poultry and most farms stopped using hormones in the 50’s. There is no use for hormones in the chicken anyways. They get to save money and just feed their chickens until they are too large to even walk.

  12. Losing can be one of the most difficult things a person has to do. Like smoking food is sometimes an addition. A good loss diet can work.

  13. When we came to loss, I think we should not stop eating meat instead we can reduce some of the percentage. Eating vegetables help increase in energy level and feels lighter but we should not quit meat as it ends up in eating lots of carbohydrates which can result in opposite effect. As meat are rich in protein and saturated fat we should atleast have 3 a week and we should avoid food which is made of Tran’s fat. If we are trying to lose , the best thing is to healthy diet and to reduce the amount of unhealthy food.

  14. I think the author makes some substantial points in his article. Ultimately, I still believe a balanced and healthy vegetarian diet is superior to any diet that includes meat, for a number of reasons… but it is definitely true that just becoming vegetarian is no guarantee of losing .

    Cheers!

    -Thomas

  15. Good advice, all. A huge benefit to being vegetarian is the increase in energy level. You will feel “lighter,” less bogged down with digestion problems such as bloating and gas. You will likely find yourself eating smaller portions but more frequently. The idea that vegetarians cannot or do not get enough protein is simply incorrect. If you are a strict vegan there are a few more challenges only because of our country’s supermarket saturation. My site http://www.how-you-can-save.com has a three step process by which you are in control of setting your diet and exercise program–using sound principles. Take a look, and good luck!

  16. I’d never recommend a meat-eater go veggie for losing . Where are you going to get all the protein you need? (To be honest there are plenty of non-meat protein sources, but they aren’t as delicious)

    Aside from that there are two reasons you should go veggie – a) the impact on the environment from raising the meat we eat b) the poor conditions in which most of our meat is raised in. These are moral choices obviously. Talk yourself into going veggie with those two reasons, not for dieting.

  17. A big problem many people have is portion control. If your a meat eater or not, that should also be looked at cause this super sized country is out of control.

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