Any one else lose a lot of muscle mass after going vegetarian

[Ingrid Shaw]

Hi everyone, I'm new here. I've been vegetarian for about 4 months now. I'm just wondering if I'm doing something wrong as I'm losing a really noticeable amount of muscle. My legs, arms, butt and face are looking really scrawny. Starting to get comments about looking gaunt. I'm not actively trying to lose weight. I am exhausted. The only exercise I get is running around after the kids. I've been careful to include oats, beans, lentils, chick peas, nuts, fruit and veg. I take a vitamin supplement roughly twice weekly. Am I missing something? Anyone else had this happen?

[Henna Latep]

Hi Ingrid =) Did you eliminate eggs and dairy at the same time, or were you not eating those products previously?

[Ingrid Shaw]

Hi, still eat eggs and cheese but drink rice milk instead of cows milk now. So reduced dairy intake.

[Henna Latep]

Have you had a physical lately? It may be a good idea to get some blood work done. It could be related to stress too though.  

Try adding coconut or nut milks into you diet, but I would suggest making nut milks from home if you have the time b/c the store bought ones aren't very good. Maybe you should also consider how frequently you eat over the course of the day. When I first went veg I noticed that 3 meals just wasn't enough.

[Vedita]

Include seeds in your diet. Chia, Pumpkin, Sunflower, Melon..there are many ..