Focusing on plant-based food while incorporating some meat into your diet may be the secret to healthy weight management. Research demonstrates that the body mass indexes of vegetarians are lower than those of nonvegetarians and that the caloric intake of vegetarians is typically lower than that of nonvegetarians. But it also shows that vegetarians may be at risk of inadequate intakes of certain vitamins and minerals. By not cutting meat completely, you might get the best of both worlds: weight loss and health.
Hagerty says the approach has worked for her. "My first meeting with Dawn [Blatner] was to talk about weight loss," she said. "I hadn't realized I'd gained a fair amount of weight until my mom walked past me in a restaurant and didn't recognize me from the back." Hagerty says she had always resisted diets, but the "mom episode" made her mad at herself for being careless. "It was refreshing that Dawn never talked about restrictions. I learned quickly that we always have choices every day, at every meal, in every situation." Before becoming a flexitarian, Hagerty says she weighed 171 lbs. About eight years later, she fluctuates between 151 and 155 lbs. "Weight loss was steady, as I learned it should be," she says.
"The key to weight management and good health is a consistent and flexible lifestyle approach."
"The key to weight management and good health is a consistent and flexible lifestyle approach," confirmed Siskind. She notes that quick fad diets may work initially, but studies have shown that the long-term effects are not as successful. Instead, she recommends that "living a healthy lifestyle where 80 percent of your choices are foods that make your body feel good and thrive and 20 percent allow for treats is a realistic and healthy approach."
