Will going vegetarian help you drop weight in 2008?

The beginning of a new year coincides with the beginning of a whole lot of new diets. People are hoping to finally get down to a ‘healthy’ weight, or at least to get rid of those 10 pounds of holiday weight-gain as quickly as possible. And with the massive popularity of the book Skinny Bitch, more people than ever are hoping that a switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet will be the way to do it.

But will dropping meat really help you lose weight? Perhaps, but not necessarily. While there is some research out there which suggests that vegetarians weigh on average less than omnivores (there’s a great post on this topic over at Exceptionally Fat), the presence or absence of meat in one’s diet is just one of many factors which effect weight and weight loss. There’s plenty of highly-processed vegan junk food out there, and it’s not going to help you lose weight any more than its non-vegan counterparts are. Total calories consumed, activity level, and specific foods eaten will all have an influence on your body weight, as will genetics and probably a zillion other variables.

As for me personally, my average weight stayed about the same after becoming a vegetarian. My weight tends to drop a little when I get regular exercise, and when I watch my calorie consumption, but there definitely wasn’t any magical weight loss which occurred after I stopped consuming dead animals (nor was weight loss a goal when I went vegetarian, although it would have been a welcome side effect had it happened).

The point of this post is not to discourage those who have weight loss as a goal from giving vegetarianism a try. Quite the opposite – I think vegetarianism is fabulous (I am, after all, the author of a vegetarian blog). I just want to manage your expectations. Vegetarianism is not some weight-loss miracle cure. There are many benefits to eating vegetarian, and I encourage you to educate yourself and find out whether it’s right for you (and of course, talk with your doctor). A thoughtful vegetarian eating plan full of fresh, whole foods can be great for you in more ways than one, especially if health is a priority for you. Which, of course, I hope is the case no matter what your size.

If you are here because you’re curious about making the switch to vegetarianism, I encourage you to take a look at some of the other posts in my Vegetarianism for Beginners series. And if you have any questions for me, don’t be afraid to leave a comment or send me an email. Best of luck with all your new year’s resolutions!