Hi, another vegetarian here. I just started this Zone diet a few days ago. I knew I was gaining weight due to all the pasta and bread I was eating since I don't eat a lot of "fat" stuff. I couldn't do Atkins because that one is too heavy on the meat and I won't eat it. I do eat dairy, however, so that makes things easier than it would be for a vegan. Today for lunch I had an apple and a pear (which counts toward the 40% carbs here) and 2 pieces of that string cheese (for protein and fat). Been drinking a LOT of water as well. So far, so good....I'm missing my starch but it's not affecting me as bad as I thought it would. Veggie burgers are great and I love those protein bars. I usually have one of those for breakfast. Anyway just wanted to say hi and add to the vegetarian forums because we DO exist!! 8)

HI! Welcome! I just read your post about lunch. You may want to check your meals. The lunch you listed had 4 C, 2 P and 2 F. I know it's hard to eat a lot of string cheese at one sitting, but cottage cheese is much easier to get down. Good luck!

Hi, thanks for the welcome and advice! Regarding string cheese, I love it. I love those cheddar cubes too. I don't like cottage cheese however. You mentioned it being hard to eat a lot of string cheese at one sitting....Did you mean that it's okay to eat more of it than I did despite the fat content (I know we're watching carbs)? Would that mean have been better if I had 1 apple and 2 pieces of cheese? Or an apple, a pear and 3 pieces of cheese? Yesterday I had a huge salad with a lot of the green veggies (spinach, lettuce, etc) and plenty of tofu, black olives, chickpeas and cut up eggs. I'll confess, I ate the yolks. I'm addicted to them! I know that's the "bad" fat. Can I still eat stuff like that occasionally and still get away with it?