Vegetarian Question

Question
I am a vegetarian (lacto-ovo), but also overweight by about 40
pounds (I'm a big guy, anyway).  I really enjoy weightlifting - not
in terms of competition, but just going to work out, and the
benefits of being strong.  I used to work out often but my school
is very rigorous and when finals rolled around it was too much
and I had to focus solely on school.  After that I had to have surgery
that took me
out of commission for two weeks and has kept me from working
out for a little over a month.  However, I am finally nearly to a
point where I can get back to old work out schedules.  I just
wanted to ask if you had any suggestions for me and anything
that might help - 40 lbs is, after all, a lot of weight, even if it
isn't too much compared to my overall body weight.  Thank you.

Answer
Cardio workouts are great (ie the elliptical, stairmaster, cycling). They tend to burn the most calories, but add in some weight lifting about every other day and the increased muscle mass will help burn calories even more efficiently. Try eating more fresh fruits and veggies, or steamed veggies, etc. Instead of eating white pastas and breads, try eating whole grain and 100% whole wheat breads, and 100% whole wheat pasta. White flour is broken down more quickly and causes a spike in glucose and insulin levels, that excess is then stored as fat. This isn't the case white wheats and whole grains... they are broken down slower and therefore give a more steady supply of glucose. I hope this information helps out some.

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