@Allywill,
The protein question is a good one. This is a major factor in the vegetarian diet. What are your major sources of protein?
The major choices seem to be an increase in whole wheat, soy, and tempeh or beans and other legumes. I spent years struggling with this issue and have finally settled on a very high bean diet. I used to have a hard time tolerating beans because of the digestive issues, but now that problem is resolved. I'm not completely sure how it got resolved, but it may have been a gradual Improvement in the bioflora of the colon from the beans. Also, it may have been my advanced age, as I am now 81 years old. At any rate, I now consume what I believe is a very high bean diet of about 7 lb per week of dried Lima beans, black beans, and chickpeas. The chickpeas are made into two types of sugar-free dessert hummus that I created including one I call a carrot- coconut dessert hummus, which I believe is unique.
Any bowel issues I've had in the past seems to have been resolved, and I'm feeling better than I have in years.
This resolution of the protein source is important to me because I spent years experimenting with sources including a lot of wheat, soy, making tempeh, and finally beans. I believe the gradual increase in fiber from the beans and the resulting increase in the bioflora are major factors.
I have no knowledge that eating meat is unhealthy in itself, but Americans have an enormous obesity and diabetic problem, and I believe that is caused by the typical diet of meat, potatoes, bread and other grains, with a smattering of vegetables diet. The typical fast food diet of McDonald's, etc., is merely a variation on this American meat and potatoes diet, and it's not even cheap anymore.
I believe that by giving up meat my diet has become much varied based on vegetables, legumes, eliminating grains all together and substituting quinoa.
I also have been averaging about a mile and a half per day of walking not because I've been obsessed with my weight but because there is a natural area within walking distance that is available, and I'm very lucky in that regards. Most people remain trapped in big cities isolated from natural areas and just finding a natural area to walk in is an effort.