I want to reduce body fat, but am vegetarian?

I have a good BMI (173 lbs 5 feet 11), but have 20-25 percent body fat depending on scale I use to measure it. What can I do regarding diet? Vegetarians with low body fat -- please advice on what foods you eat. I want to tackle my fatty diet before I start doing intense cardio. If diet changes don't work, I will add the intensr cardio. Right now, I just try to walk half hour a day -- but my vegetarian diet is full or pasta, bread, pizza, burritos etc... I don't like salad:-( I AM NOT FAT! I specifically gave my height and weight and said I am good there. I have too much body fat -- but not too much weight! I am male and 28 yrs old. I have always been vegetarian and this is not a fad.

Public Comments

1. do crunches or lay flat on the floor hands as well and pick up your legs to your tailbone and hold for 5 seconds and repeat it works.
2. Cut back on the refined carbs (breads, etc).
3. honey nut shredded wheat with bananas n almonds
4. Since you are a vegetarian, then you should walk everyday like before and after work. The foods you should try are carrots, fruits, you know stuff that is healthy.
5. Add a fiber supplement and more vegetables. What you really really need to do is exercise more. If not to lose weight do it because it is healthy and will help you live longer.
6. Thats tough. try to eat less. Have you ever had golden spoon ice cream? I had that today. Its non-fat yogurt. So low in fat and calories but it keeps you full. (tastes really good too) HAve that for lunch. Its pretty cheap too.
7. Get away from the white flour products, eat veggies, cut mayo and ALL hydrogenated vegetable oils, use olive oil and don't fry your food. And look into systemic candidiasis. Chances are you have it.
8. OK first of all - you have to cut the carbs...Change from pasta to spinache pasta, lower the sauces and things. Secondly, a salad isn't always just lettuce. I am assuming you are not vegan.... take raw mushrooms and celery and carrots and mix some raisins and anything else like that together...tastes great rather than boring "salad" Carbs are sugar - hense your weight. You have to reduce your carbs to some extent, and try using alternative sources. Celery and peanut butter for one. popcorn, rice cakes (the caramel are good), Loma Linda products and such are also very filling. granola and oatmeal will help also. I hope this helps.
9. I think you need to include more fruits, vegetables and cut down on pizza and burritos. Fruits and vegetables are much lower in calories and can help you burn off weight more effectively. They also keep you fuller longer so you won't have to eat so much. It's all about calorie intake vs calories burned off. i'm sure there are some vegetables and fruits that you like. Try those. To burn off calories, I suggest that you take a mile walk or two every other day. Simple exercise like that helps. More calories burned and less calories taken in (making sure you take in at least 2000 or so calories) will help ensure fat loss.
10. It sounds like your eating too many refined carbohydrates. Eat breads, pastas, etc sparingly and try to stick with whole and multi grain selections. I would suggest to up your vegetable intake any way possible and focus on hearty proteins such as beans or soy milk after intense cardio to feed your muscles. Use meat substitutes as well, as they have not only vegetables, but proteins as well. Remember you cant spot fat reduce and focus on nutrition. Also, almost all fat scales are horribly off just to warn.
11. You omitted some cogent information: how old are you and are you similar in BMI to your parents and siblings, and your gender. If you are younger, likely your genes are commanding your body BMI. If you are middle-aged, then hormones come into play (drop in testosterone). There is plenty of information on the web, if you do a diligent search. If you are healthy, then increased cardio would help, providing you also govern your diet and any other bad eating habits. Good luck!
12. It sounds like your diet is too high in carbohydrates and to low in protein. I gained weight on a vegetarian diet, then switched to eating smaller portions of carbohydrates, always whole grain like brown rice and always with some high protein food like beans, lentils or soy products, and for one meal a day I would just have plain grilled veggies and tofu (adding braggs sauce to tofu makes it taste good). This worked for me and now I don't crave carbs so much. If you don't like the sound of this diet because you're used to more refined foods with white flour, you should switch back to meat or you will get malnutrition!
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14. Quit being a pansy and lift weights.
15. proportion, cut down very slowly on how much of the same food you eat every day. Do this slowly so your stomach adapts to you eating less. You can get some great meals from lean cuisine and healthy choice, just look for meat free types. By the way, they don't even make salads :) . Something to replace fatty foods is fruit, try eating 1 piece of fruit before 2 meals every day. it helps by filling you up with soemthing lower in calories. Even BEFORE the fruit, drink water. I hope you don't drink soda... try replacing it please.
16. Well, I know of vegitarians who aren't eating well and have similar issues regarding too much body fat. I've personally reduced alot of my body fat by taking out the carbs including the pasta, bread, and yes the wonderful pizza. I also cut sugar out of my diet which definately helped. I usually lift weights and hadn't increased my cardio like I should have, so when i cut back on the weights, did at least 10 hours of cardio a week, which was over the course of a week, not all together and cut sugar and carbs out of my diet. After about 2 weeks I saw a change in in my body fat. I only reintroduced whole wheat/whole grain bread about once or 2 times a week that was made out of wheat flour rather than white flour. Now I balance my weights with my cardio and I love the results. I see the muscle that I like and I've changed my eating habits to reduce excess body fat.
17. Eat a lot of Fruits, I was 295lbs,5'2 and now I'm 130lbs, I lost it in about 9 months.I ate 2 grapefruits a day too, and since you are a vegetarian you shouldn't have a problem. vegetables,(steamed broccoli & califlower) etc.It's great!. also you can try to drink a lemon juice in the morning before breakfrast( fresh lemon) Only! Not that yunk from the bottle.but what ever you do stay away from ALL over the counter meds.They DON't work!! and it may not be a good idea for you, for health reasons.GOOD LUCK!! with the intense cardio, GOD Bless you!! I'll keep you in my prayers!
18. give up burritos and dont do soda :)