5 Vegetarian Diet Weight Loss Mistakes
When most folks think of vegetarian foods and weight loss, they think of naturally healthy meals and men and women with vibrant energy.
But did you know that there are dozens of so-called “health foods” that vegetarians eat that are downright unhealthy – and can even cause you to gain fat fast?
I’ve been a vegetarian for many years now, and I learned a lot of lessons about these “healthy” foods the hard way – but that’s why I’ve written this article so that you don’t have to make the same mistakes I made.
First, let’s look at some of the 5 biggest weight loss diet mistakes people are making when the switch to vegetarian meal plans…
1) A lot of people are innocently eating “health food bars” and protein bars thinking these are a good snack or even meal replacement. 
But this is a big mistake! So many protein bars and health food bars are loaded with junk binders and fillers with very little value. Read the labels before you eat them, or better yet stick to the vegetarian foods you learn about here.
At the very least, skip these bars and stick to fresh fruit.
2) You need to avoid energy pills, energy drinks, or anything calling itself a “thermogenic”.
These are scams. All you get is a LOT of caffeine, a 2 hour burst of “mania”, and then a 2-4 hour follow up CRASH!
Avoid these ingredients: taurine, guarana, caffeine
Energy products do NOT accelerate fat loss. Avoid every energy product because it contains either sugar or caffeine for energy. This will put you on a short term energy roller coaster then you will crash.
And none of those supplements curb your appetite or make you lose weight. They are just money makers for the supplement industry.
3) Avoid the cereal diets.
Last month a popular women’s magazine hyped up the magic cereal diet. I was angry when I saw this. It’s a scam!
Do NOT start eating cereal in place of real food. Do not get hooked on grains. I’ll soon have a special article devoted to why you need to avoid processed grains.
Many cereals are loaded with tons of sugar containing between 9-26 grams of sugar per serving, little to no protein, 1-3 grams of fiber and fat derived from hydrogenated oils.
Basically, cereals don’t have enough healthy fiber, goods fats, or protein, and contain too much sugar, bad fats, and refined carbs.
4) Bodybuilding supplements
You do NOT need the junk that bodybuilding supplement magazines are trying to sell you. These shakes are just processed milk, and you can avoid them and lose fat and build a better body with the Vegetarian Lifestyle.
5) Low-fat products are a sneaky way of getting you hooked on sugar.
Low-fat foods became popular in the 90’s but they are the wrong type of foods to eat. After all, you’ll find these in shiny packaging and with outrageous claims. But you need to avoid these at all costs.
The only way “low fat foods” can taste good is if they are pumped full of sugar.
Excess sugar can be quickly stored as fat right on your belly or thighs, and sugar is also very damaging to the liver, the skin, the joints and causes inflammation and many other complications in the body.
I recommend having no more than 6-9 grams of sugar in a sitting. You have to be careful because if the nutritional label says 6 grams/serving and you eat 1 ½ cups which may be 2 servings, oops, you just consumed 12-18 grams of sugar! 
As I mentioned, I could go on and on and on about the diet mistakes vegetarians – and non vegetarians – are making with their weight loss diet plans.
I’ll be back soon with better ways of eating to achieve weight loss on a vegetarian diet,
Kardena Pauza
Good insight here Kardena… Vince
It is actually really hard to eat vegetarian and be healthy; the problem is that the good kind of vegetables are normally low in calories – the problem is the low calorie count. It is so easy to eat breads.. even if they call them whole grain they are still pretty much empty calories. Also it is easy to eat lots of unhealthy fats.. french fries etc. It is hard to keep the sugar level in blood steady without ample source of animal protein.. etc. etc. etc. Good luck you vegetarians… Markku
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comments, I’m getting ramped up here on responding since the book is now complete. Great concerns you have about vegetarian diet. with a veg diet getting a balance of veggies, nuts, beans, grains, and fruits will help curb your appetite instead of breads. Bread are empty calories for anyone not just vegetarians unless you go with sprouted grain bread like ezekiel then you have a healthier bread. This bread has no flour, just whole grains higher fiber and protein. French fries should be untouchable for anyone who wants to lose weight. If your eating fries, your asking for it:) the best way to stabilize blood sugar is actually by taking in good fats. I’ve used this trick with many of my clients and it works every time. It’s all about improving your diet/health from where you are now, meat eater or non meat eater. All the best! Kar
Hey Mark,
I don’t think I got a chance to respond to your vegetarian comment. Anything is hard, especially in the beginning when you are changing habits. Most people over eat so eating lower calorie foods isn’t necessarily a bad thing. You can make amazing dishes with vegetables, a little fat/oil, and a protein source that is very filling, nutrient rich, and satisfying. You just experiment and you will come up with some great dishes! Easy and hard is part of your belief system and impacts how you perceive life, not just food. there are plenty of ways to eat vegetarian and keep your blood sugar controlled. I used to be hypoglycemic so I know all about blood sugar. Key word is used to be. I’ve even helped diabetics stop using insulin. Boy were they thankful! I wish you the best on your journey! Kardena
Wow, great info.I’m no vegetarian, but am always looking for ways to eat healthier. Thanks!
Great, even if you add just a couple new healthy recipes to what you are currently doing, you will greatly improve your health and energy level. Kardena
Kardena you are always a crowd pleaser. Your new site is very informative! I like it! You are such an inspiration! It’s so nice to see someone who has a true success story. Both you and Mark are great examples of people making life work and living life to the fullest. Thank you for sharing all your tips and advice! U Rock!
Hi P! Thanks!
Hi there,
I recently discovered the TT website and love the ideas and suggestions.
2 weeks ago I decided to radically change my eating habits. I decided to make my own soups (a scary thought for me). Armed with cabbage, carrotts, celery, onions, leeks, zuccini and a stock cube away I went.
My only concern is that I may become deficient in some vitamins or minerals.
Sometmes a bell pepper or 2 and mushrooms are also added, and every other day I will have either a Tuna Steak, Chicken Breast, or a little steak.
Any ideas on how I can improve this diet to make it more healthy?
Thankyou
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
I hope you are doing well on the your healthy lifestyle change. How are your soups coming along? To make sure you do not become deficient in vitamins and minerals, eat a variety of veggies and fruit categorized by colors. Eat fresh, raw veggies also not just soups. Raw veggies are nutrient rich. Make a big salad also that you can store in the frig and eat for several days. This way you are getting your leafy greens also. Also eat a little fat in your diet from avocado, nuts, seeds, olive oil. Go Nikki! Kardena
The quality of the info is what keeps me on this site, thanks!
Wish You a Merry Christmas. 🙂
Hi Kardena,
like your blog very much. I have a question. All this vegetarian weight loss is great, but what should I eat if I do not want to lose weight but gain lean muscle mass. Currently I have 145 lbs and 11% body fat. I want to achieve 175 lbs of lean muscle mass and 8% body fat. Is it possible only on veggie diet?
Thanks Brett
Hi Brett,
It is possible to gain muscle mass on a veg diet. Mr. Olympia- Bill Pearl is a vegetarian.
This would be a very long answer.
Some fundamentals to gain muscle:
You need to take in enough calories to support muscle growth and maintain it. 145-175 is a huge jump. It’s going to take some time but you’ll get there.
Eat 5-7 meals a day, a combination of proteins, carbs, and fat.
make sure all your foods are healthy clean foods. Not processed food because they are low in nutrients and won’t support lean muscle growth.
If you are serious about a consult, send me your email address to go into more detail.
Hi, Kardena.
I have a question regarding fats.
I make a smoothie every morning and among the ingredients are linseeds and olive oil. I put approx. 10 grams of the linseeds and 10 of oil.
I always wonder if maybe it’s too much, since I need oil or some other product to fry vegetables or chicken/fish when it comes to dinner for the family.
Would really appriciate your comment 🙂
Regards; Hrefna
Hello Hrefna,
Good question,you do need oils and raw oils are the best. And consuming a little fat throughout the day is ideal. So you want to have oil for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I would recommend approximately 10-12 grams of fat per main meals so measure out your fat.
Hi,Kardena
I tried a vegetarian diet for a year without any weight loss some years ago. I’m 1,60 m tall, 50 years and 95 kilos. I started to exercise at 40, daily at a gym, but had to give up. I’ve just bought a treadmill and try to follow your tips, but in Portugal I don’t have acess to products like rice protein powder to make my smoothies. I use homemade rice milk and almonds instead. Is it ok? This kind of shop products are expansive and I’m in a very tight budget. Besides I like cooking and doing things from scratch. I exercise around 7 in the afternoon and drink then your magic recipe. Not at five o’clock in the morning!!!!!!Is this all right? Thanks for all your information on the youtube.
Hello Ana Maria,
Remember when eating vegetarian, you can still over eat, so portions are important. Do your best to follow the recipes. See if you have hemp seeds available to you or pea protein. Homemade milk is the best!
7 in the evening is fine for working out. Drink your shake soon after your workout so you have time to let it digest before going to bed.
Kar