Being serious about fitness doesn't mean you can't be a vegetarian. What it does mean, however, is that you have to be smart about your food choices so you fuel your active lifestyle and build that much sought-after lean muscle.

People have been living meat-free since the Stone Age, and the number of individuals choosing vegetarianism is growing daily While religious and social issues such as animal rights have been factors in choosing this way of life, modem science has jumped on the bandwagon in support of a plant-based diet for health, sport and life.

Today's medical experts list more than a dozen reasons to eat animal-free; lower rates of cancer and heart disease, and treatment and management of arthritis, diabetes, hypertension and obesity are an important few. And with weight issues topping the news night after night, the fact that vegetarians tend to be leaner and lighter than carnivores--unless their diet consists of doughnuts, chips and fries--is nothing to sneeze at. Professional athletes have also excelled on vegetarian diets, even at the Olympic level, including professional figure skater Charlene Wong Williams and Kim Wurzel of the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team.

Does this mean you'll automatically grow thinner by limiting your intake of animal products? The pounds won't instantly melt away with a vegetarian diet, but it will definitely help. Yet if you plan on overindulging in grains like bread, pastas, cereals and rice, along with oils, nuts, soy and even certain vegetables and fruits, give it up now You'll probably be no better off than your typical meat-eating woman.

But don't think you have to give up all your favorite foods to be a vegetarian--most of the foods you already eat are probably plant-based. We'll show you how to eat those foods and new ones in a successful vegetarian diet without a trace of hunger or boredom.

veggie versions

Whatever your reason for considering a meat-free diet, you have a variety of vegetarian versions to choose from. All vegetarians eliminate animal products to some extent, ranging from the liberal "semi-vegetarian," who includes fish and chicken, to the most rigid "vegan," who excludes all animal products in prepared foods, beauty products and even clothing. (See "Types of Vegetarian Diets" at right for a full explanation.)

Regardless of the level of your vegetarian commitment, you can easily start to lose weight right now Just start with a base of vegetables, fruits, dairy beans and peas. Season this base with whole and high-fiber grains and nouvelle vegetarian foods like seitan, tofu and tempeh.

So what do you buy, how do you prepare it and how much do you eat? Here's a simple 1-2-3 process with menus, recipes and tips to make it easier than you think.

STEP 1: foundation plan

First choose the most practical level of vegetarianism for you. No need to go to the extreme if you're a meat-and-potatoes kind of girl. Keep the eggs and dairy but make them low-fat, especially when it comes to cheese, yogurt and milk. If you're already a vegetarian, you know the drill, but you can add a few things to your pantry before starting the plan.

Stock up on a variety of fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits; hot and cold cereals; and alternative grains like tortillas, couscous, quinoa, oats, grits and pastas. If you're comfortable eating dairy get a few packages of fat-free or very low-fat (2 grams of fat or less) yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and ice cream. The key is to keep your pantry stocked for success. Foundation foods include:

* Natural low-fat, low-sodium soups like Health Valley or Pritikin

* Fantastic Foods' hummus and bean dips

* Whole-wheat tortillas (try the Alvarado Street brand)

* Whole-wheat mini pita bread

* Papadini pasta (made from lentils)

* Couscous

* Quinoa

* Oats, grits or other hot cereal

* Frozen vegetables (any variety to your liking)

* Frozen and fresh blueberries, strawberries, mixed fruit and/or canned fruit in its own juice

* Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, yogurt, frozen yogurt and ice cream

* Eggs, egg substitute and egg whites

* Fat-free and low-sugar fruit pops

* Sport foods like Jogmate and sugar-free ProteinPlus PowerBars (if you exercise more than the average person or you find it's easier to eat prepackaged foods while dieting)

* Small boxes of Shredded Wheat, Total and Special K cereals.

STEP 2: personalize it

Now that your kitchen's stocked, you can personalize your vegetarian diet by determining how many calories you need for the fastest and healthiest weight loss. You won't need a calculator, but grab a pencil and pad to help you keep track of the math.

(1) Write down your desired bodyweight. Add a zero to the end. If your desired bodyweight is 120, adding the zero would give you a base of 1,200 calories.

(2) Add the amount of calories you use for exercise. For light daily activity like housekeeping and carpools, add 100-200 calories. For moderate activity like daily chores plus an aerobics class, add 300-400 calories. If train more than two hours each day, add 500 calories to your calorie base.

(3) Multiply the total amount of base and exercise calories by 10% (0.10). This number called Specific Dynamic Action (SDA), is the amount of calories you use for digestion and other metabolic processes. For example, you might have a 1,200-calorie base with an additional 200 activity calories, totaling 1,400 calories. Add an additional 140 for the SDA for a grand total of 1,540 calories. You can opt to omit extra exercise or SDA calories to lose weight faster, as long as you add them back in 12 weeks for maintenance.

STEP 3: getting started

While you may have come up with a range of 1,200-1,800 calories to shoot for each day, here's a middle-of-the-road 1,500-calories plan for you to follow. You can always add or subtract calories as needed. The program is based on an "exchange" type plan used in many popular diet and medical nutrition programs. You can follow the plan as long as you need to meet your goal. Then you can experiment by adding a serving or two to different food groups to increase your calories slightly.

The diet is divided into six food groups with similar characteristics:

* Dairy

* Fruit

* Vegetables

* Grains

* Protein

* Fats

In the food chart below, a specific number of calories is listed for each group. The calories correspond to one serving of a food. For example, a 100-calorie serving of dairy should contain about 8 grams of protein and 12 grams of carbohydrate. The fat will vary depending on whether you're consuming a regular, reduced-fat, low-fat or far-free item. Most foods will list all the information you need on the Nutrition Facts panel. The chart will help you select appropriate portion sizes, based on calories.

You can use this guide to select any vegetarian or non-vegetarian item that fits into the appropriate food group, as long as it meets the designated amount of calories per portion.

While it's ideal to eat according to the menus provided, some people prefer to eat all their protein at one meal, combine their foods in a specific order or consume most of their calories before the evening hours. Anything is possible with this plan, but it will work best if you follow the recommended portion sizes and menus shown here.

Regarding protein and vegetarianism, the trend used to be to combine different sources of protein at each meal to provide all essential amino acids. We now know that if you get enough of the eight essential amino acids from food throughout the day, you're more than likely to meet your protein needs. There's no need to eat them at the same meal. (If you're still concerned, you can always add a soy- or whey-based protein drink.)

One more thing concerning protein: The recipes provided use meat substitutes such as ground beef-style crumbles and frozen veggie burgers. If you're more adventurous, by all means substitute tofu or tempeh for these ingredients.

Fiber inbiber

The five-day meal plan shown on page 70 ranges from 26 to a whopping 43 grams of fiber per day Aside from the health benefits associated with fiber, it's also a handy weight-loss tool. You'll feel fuller and be able to "subtract' the fiber grams from your carbohydrate grams, resulting in fewer total calories consumed.

If you aren't used to eating this much fiber (most people aren't), go slow! Decrease the amount of vegetables by half and gradually build up to the recommended amount. Drink 7-9 cups of fluids per day to keep everything moving along.

TYPES OF VEGETARIAN DIETS

semi-vegetarian

Includes some but not all groups of animal-derived products such as meat, poultry, fish, seafood, eggs, milk and milk products

lacto-vegetarian

Includes milk and milk products, but excludes fish, seafood, and animal flesh

lacto-ovovegetarian

Includes milk, milk products and eggs

ovovegetarian

Includes eggs

vegan