Being Vegetarian Does NOT Mean you are going to be Skinny!

I am constantly astounded by the number of ads and media that drills into our heads that veganism or a vegetarian lifestyle is a guaranteed way to lose weight. Peta is the worse culprit of this misconception as their "Save the Whales" campaign demonstrates.

OK, perhaps if you constantly stuff your face with burgers, chicken wings, fish fries, and cheese then changing to a vegetarian lifestyle will cause you to loose weight—but this will happen not because you've sworn off animal products but because your calorie content is lower. That's it!!

If you eat well already—eating low fat cuts of meat, fish, low fat dairy and vegetables—you probably will NOT lose weight on a vegetarian diet.  Especially if you substitute animal protein—low fat cuts of meat, fish etc—for high fat dairy products. You may even gain weight.

So if you think you are going to be skinny by switching to veg, take an honest look at how you eat now (and look at your calorie intake). If you calculate that you'll be taking in less calories by going veg, then you'll have success in losing weight this way. The calories will tell!

Remember—cows can get fat by eating only grasses.