6 Tips for Losing Weight on a Vegan Diet

A study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that people who followed a vegan diet for about 18 weeks lost an average of 4 pounds more than those who followed an animal-based diet. The beauty of a vegan diet is that there are no gimmicks, no hardcore calorie restriction, and no afternoon malnutrition. Plus, you can eat carbs (unrefined carbs, that is)! Lose weight the healthy way and save animals and the planet by following these 6 tips from him.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet was once synonymous with a healthy, relatively whole-food diet. Today, veganism encapsulates a broader definition. Well defined. A vegan diet is free of all animal products, including meat, dairy, fish, eggs, honey, gelatin, and other substances that may be of animal origin. Elimination of these foods Nonetheless, vegan diets are very rich, especially given the innovation in plant-based products over the past decade. Almost all animal products have vegan versions, and while these foods are plant-based and contain no animal ingredients, they are by no means complete foods. It contains ingredients you won’t find in stores, such as flavors, various gums and starches.

What is a vegan diet? Like any diet, it is rich in healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices. It can be full of fat, sugar and artificial ingredients. And it could be anywhere in between. What all vegan diets have in common is the complete elimination of animals.

What is a healthy weight?

There are no simple equations here. Healthy weight is based on the individual and not necessarily determined by a scale. Your body is unique and can hold varying amounts of weight while being healthy (free from disease),” says Whitney, MCN, RDN, CDE, and Whole30 coach. Stuart explained.

Instead of facing the scale, Stuart recommended looking at your total body composition. “DEXA scans, or bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) analysis, are a simple way to analyze the body-specific breakdown of muscle, bone, and adipose tissue. It helps you decide if you need it or if you need to improve your bone density.

Your mental health can also play a role in determining your healthy weight. Does your current weight allow you to do all the things you want to do, or do you feel held back by it? Note: This can be done both ways. Just as overweight people struggle with routine tasks and hobbies, underweight people can struggle with performance. , or if you’re at risk of fractures, it could be a sign that you need to gain weight.

risk of rapid weight loss

Adopting a relatively whole-food, plant-based diet will not result in rapid weight loss unless you also significantly reduce your calorie intake. We claim not, but it’s helpful to know that 3,500 calories equals 1 pound. So if he cuts his daily calorie intake by 500 (3,500 for him in a week), he loses about 1 pound in a week. This is within safe weight loss. Once you start losing more than 1-2 pounds per week, it’s considered “rapid” weight loss and can be a cause for concern. One of the risks of rapid weight loss is bounce. It is virtually impossible to maintain a strict calorie restriction and/or extreme exercise that results in a loss of more than a few pounds per week, and at some point a person will plateau. You can, but your limbs tend to follow each other, and old habits of overeating and not exercising can develop. Pattern. Physical risks of rapid weight loss include fatigue, headache, constipation, dizziness, and malnutrition.

6 tips for losing weight on a vegan diet

1 Weighing Calories and Nutrient Density

Weight loss and nutrition are all about return on investment. I want to aim for foods that are low in calories and high in nutritional value. These will keep you feeling energized and full throughout the day, and you won’t have to worry about counting calories. Vegetables generally have the lowest calorie content while offering a robust profile of nutrients, followed by fruits, starchy products (pumpkin, potatoes, corn, oats), whole grains, legumes and legumes. Consistently make up the majority of your diet and consume high-calorie plant foods such as nuts, seeds, and avocados sparingly.

“Simply substituting oatmeal for cereal and tofu for soy riso will increase the nutrient density of your food and eliminate the prevalence of excess sugar and inflammatory oils!” Stuart said.

2 Focus on dietary fiber

Constant hunger is one of the main reasons diets fail. When you focus on high-fiber foods, this essential (but greatly underestimated) nutrient is slow-digesting, making you feel fuller for longer. recommended 25 grams per day. High-fiber foods include leafy greens, fruits, legumes (including beans, lentils, and peas), and oats.

3 limit processed foods

Sure, these vegan crackers may contain fiber, but they may also contain high-calorie oils and other ingredients that can lead to weight gain. It’s great to live in a world with plenty of it, but its existence doesn’t mean you need to eat dairy-free ice cream or vegan grilled cheese every day. Guess what, enjoy these vegan treats once in a while.

Four train your taste

We’ll say it — cravings are the worst. Along with hunger, these constant nerve signals are another cause of weight loss failure. There is no magic pill to stop cravings, but over time you can at least bend cravings to your will. Your taste buds and gut microbiome can adapt to what you eat. Over time (6 weeks or so), your body will crave healthier foods. We know this is a major exercise of trust, but we promise it will work. For example, let’s say you have a vegan product or vegetable that you didn’t like before you became vegan. First time vegan He wasn’t a fan of cheese when he tried it, but now he always stocks it – he was amazed by brussels sprouts, but now he craves brussels sprouts every winter season – see? Trust the process.

“As an adult, give yourself the opportunity to familiarize yourself with the food,” Stuart recommended. Add: Do you like Mexico? Let’s make a spicy tofu scramble!”

Five put food in the fridge

Don’t let your diet be an ad hoc decision. You don’t have to write plans or spend hours preparing Sunday meals, but you do need to have healthy food on hand to avoid getting vegan pizza delivered. Good foods include frozen vegetables, easy-to-cook grains, chopped vegetables and lettuce, canned beans, oil-free hummus, sauces (try Roots), and plenty of fruit (I’ve eaten cotton candy grapes). If not, you must). With a well-stocked kitchen, there’s no reason not to eat an incredibly delicious plant-based meal.

6 Spring cleaning of your Instagram feed

Just like unfollowing someone who exudes a negative vibe, it can help you unfollow accounts that cause cravings or hurt your self-esteem. If you know your local vegan baker acts impulsively every time you post her two-for-one deal, it might be time to suspend that account (I met my weight loss goals You can always follow back later.) Also, delete any account that makes you feel guilty or makes you feel like you’re not good enough. Images of ripped-up vegan bodybuilders and lean plant-based yogis are ambitious and motivating for some, but when they make us feel bad or despair. These accounts won’t help you if they provoke negative thoughts. During the first few weeks of your weight loss journey, you may be tempted to delete the app from your phone. Focus on yourself because you are worth it. Then you will succeed.

Read on to learn more about vegan health and wellness.
My first try at a plant-based Whole30 program
15 Brands That Make Plant-Based Whole30 So Easy
10 High-Protein Vegan Recipes

Tanya Flink is a digital editor at VegNews, a writer and runner in Orange County, California.