I replaced about 90+% of meat with plant-based proteins a few years ago, combined with quitting alcohol altogether. I literally never have to watch my weight now. And I'm about to be 55 next month, the time when most people really start accumulating fat, particularly in the belly. And I feel better too!

True story, I not only weigh what I did 35 years ago, I don't carry belly weight anymore. The final kicker is that I rarely miss eating meat. It's a great time to be a (mostly) vegan.

I know it sounds hard to eat this way, but it was actually much easier than I ever dreamed. If anyone is interested in learning more about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, I highly recommend the book "How Not to Die" by Dr. Michael Greger. Because growing older is hard enough without self-inflicting food-based illness on ourselves.

and plants and the meat I ate was occasional and lean. No suffering at all, you feel better and it's easy I found.

I avoid red meat, and stay with poultry most of the time when I do eat meat. I also do the nut thing, they really are good for you. A handful for a snack will keep hunger at bay a lot longer than a little bag of chips.

Other things that are a little harder: give up sweet drinks. They're killers. It's hard to do, but once you reach a certain point, they just taste syrupy sweet and disgusting, so you don't feel like you're missing anything.

Fries. Anything fried really, but fried potatoes are the worst. Simple carbs plus a bunch of fat is bad news. Just sub veggies or a salad, again it's hard to break the habit but once you do, you'll crave those things. Your body is programmed to seek out sweet and fatty so it's hard to tame those urges but you need nutrition and fiber too.

I never acquired the soda habit but know people who did.

I also gave up bad carbs and kept to light, lean protein, veggies, cottage cheese, nuts and no alcohol. The weight does come off, esp. if you add moderate daily walking. Feels great!

For me nuts pack on the pounds and I find it harder to feel full without eating meat so I was eating more calories than when I ate lean meats. Food is also a stress reliever, so I snacked more when I eliminated the 100 to 150 calorie beer or wine that was relaxing at end of day. I was eating too much cheese too after cutting out meat.

But to get back in shape and continue meat and alcohol free, I had to eliminate candy, ice cream, cakes and cookies and other carbs and use only sugar- free or very low sugar versions of products such as cereal, yogurt, soymilk etc. I still eat some whole grain crackers and a little high-protein no sugar bread that has fiber. I stopped eating nuts except for a little natural peanut butter with an apple as a snack. I have lost 20 pounds over 6 months but this was weight I had gained after cutting out meat and alcohol.