Hi, I recently read an article and felt that “The amount of antioxidants in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.” antioxidants are the nutritional equivalent of man's best friend - they are loyal protectors and nurturers of our cells, repelling disease, and promoting good health. Antioxidants can come from healthy eating or in the form of supplements, and they include a family of naturally formed components like vitamin A, beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin E, and more. They are believed to protect cells from free radicals, harmful oxygen molecules thought to damage cells that result in cancer, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, and they may be the underlying reason why we age. view article about antioxidants…

That looks interesting, I'm gonna check it out in order to delay doing homework

On a side note, I inadvertantly ate something that had gelatin in it.. ewwwww! I obviously stopped eating it when I found out, but still, I have that icky feeling. Ah well, just won't eat it anymore..

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I'm just working and doing homework, but I'm really thinking at some point I want some Indian food, yummmm!

I thought I would revamp the vegetarian club. I used to think that being a vegetarian kinda sucked when it came to losing weight because all the diet programs out there cater to meat eaters. But then I quickly realized that "diet programs" are the part that sucks!

I'll introduce myself using the same format here:


Name: Marissa
Age: 28
Height: 5'10"
Current Weight: 199
Goal Weight: 150
Vegetarian since: always (except some rebellious teenage moments)
Weight Loss Plan Began: In earnest, end of May 2008
Hobbies/Work: I'm an experimental physicist with a one acre urban farm.

And then I wanted to comment on something that I have found lately. I don't seem to be getting enough protein. I average about 45 grams a day, or 15% of my calories. Before I started cutting calories, I averaged closer to 80 grams a day. It is said that the healthy range is 10-35% but I feel that I need more than 15% with all my activity. I think the main reason I'm lacking is because I have cut down on eggs and dairy to keep my overall calories down. I just need to remember to add more legumes into the mix!

Name: Anne
Age: 28
Height: 5'6''
Current Weight: 130
Goal Weight: 120
Vegetarian since: Since I was about 8
Weight Loss Plan Began: Just a few days ago
Hobbies/Work: Living in Argentina - the steak capital of the world. Trying to rearrange my diet from one where I rely on Pizza and Pasta - and move towards healthier eating choices and exercise.

I started adding Iso-rich soy greens to milk in the morning. I love the way the stuff tastes and it has 20 grams of protein. It's like coffee to me - perks me up instantly. Supplements are not my favorite way to add elements to my diet but it's the easy way right now. When things settle down a bit in my life, I can concentrate a little more on my meal plans and eek out the protein I need. I've also added more nonfat yogurt in my diet. I think I've solved the protein issue!

Name: catherine
Age: 20
Height: 5'4"
Current Weight: 160
Goal Weight: 110
Vegetarian since:since i was 8
Weight Loss Plan Began: been trying to lose weight since hit the 130's in eighth grade, but started again about a week ago

im not a vegan but i am thinking about becoming one. im a vegatarian because i feel that the way animals are treated is so wrong, but it has never been a hard choice for me since i haven't eaten any type of meat ( and i consider seafood to be meat) since i was 8 and very little since i was 4.

and its so true, i feel like people expect vegetarians to be thin, but for me pasta and bread are the main foods i eat, which is really unhealthy. gosh i really want to lose this weight!

Welcome Catherine!

You don't have to become vegan to support the proper care of animals. Look for a local farmers market that sells eggs and dairy from free range, grass feed animals that live out their normal lives doing normal things. Unfortunately you can't get that kind of product in most grocery stores. But if you support a local farmer, you are showing the consumer world what you think is worth spending money on. One day, we might be able to actually buy cruelty free products at the grocery if enough people switch to supporting that type of product. It's a long way off probably, but I think it's worth the effort!

i am not a complete vegitarioan but i would like to joina vegitarian club - 'mon vegitables are the real stuffs for the weight loosers community .....

Yup. Adding more fruits and veggies is any step in the right direction for weight loss. Just watch the dairy intake!

My new favorite indulgence: cherries! Oh jeez, I could eat a whole package of them at once if I don't stop myself.

Name: Amber
Age:15
Height: 5'7"
Current Weight: 160
Goal Weight: 125 (at first)
Vegetarian since: 12 years
Weight Loss Plan Began: 2 yearsago
Hobbies/Work: shopping for new smaller clothes, running, playing with my dogs and watching movies with my boyfriend!

I lost almost 70 pounds in a year and a half, my mom has been a vegetarian since i was a baby, and two of my sisters are vegan!

Wow Amber! Congratulations on the weight loss so far! How are you doing it?

thank you! just healthy diet, and i ride my bike for a hour everyday. Its taken awhile but i think its way worth it

Definitely worth it. Especially at your age. Get your weight under control now and you will be much happier! I still feel like I'm young to get this going at 28 since my mother has been overweight since she was my age and is now in her 50s. She just never bounce back after having kids. She has REALLY encouraged me to not let that happen!

Thats great! my mom had 4 kids, and looked amazing till her last. she put on weight almost up to 300 pounds, then lost it, now shes back up in th 200's! but shes trying hard to get back to the person she was, I never want to have to 'get back" to a healthy weight, i want to KEEP a healthy weight! I have my hard days, like today. hanging out with my boyfriend and best friend who eat whatever they want and stay healthy makes me want to eat lots lol! but im back again! and i threw away that HUGE soda that i bought, i dont need that

Just checking in with the rest of the veggies around here! On the 4th, my fiance insisted that I try his poblano and cheddar hamburger. It sounded like it might actually be good. But I forgot that ground beef tastes like dirt! That is one meat that I cannot understand why it is so popular...yeck!

Did anybody grill anything wonderful on the 4th? We were at another person's house an I didn't feel like doing much, so I just ate potato salad and the like. When I grill at my own house, I go all out though!