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Is weight loss possible?
If you’re looking to shed some pounds, you may have considered trying a vegan diet. Vegans don’t eat meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products. Instead, they eat things like fresh fruits and vegetables, beans and legumes, as well as plant-based milk, other nondairy products, and meat alternatives.
Although some people choose the vegan lifestyle out of ethical concerns for animals, the diet itself can have some health benefits. According to recent studies, being vegan may even help you lose a significant amount of weight.
How exactly? More research is needed, but it’s thought that going vegan may lead to reducing the number of high-calorie foods you consume. With a vegan diet, you may end up replacing such foods with high-fiber alternatives that are low in calories and keep you fuller longer.
But is this approach healthy?
Cutting out some of the main food groups in your diet may seem unhealthy. And unless you carefully pay attention to your nutrition, it can be.
Some worry, for example, about getting enough protein or other essential nutrients, like vitamin B-12. This vitamin is found naturally only in animal products, and if you become deficient, it may result in anemia. Vegans need to supplement their diet with vitamins, vitamin-fortified cereals, and fortified soy products to avoid deficiencies.
Others may have trouble with yo-yo dieting after going vegan. What does this mean? It’s when you go through cycles of losing weight and then regaining all or more of that weight, possibly after having trouble sticking to vegan-only foods. This type of dieting is associated with some serious health consequences, like an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Regardless of these and other possible pitfalls, you can eat a vegan diet healthily and lose weight. The key — as with all diets — is focusing on nutrient-dense foods versus empty calories. For vegans, these foods would include things like:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains
- Beans and legumes
- Nuts and seeds
Limit or avoid vegan processed foods that contain these added ingredients:
- Fats
- Sugars
- Starches
- Sodium
- Food additives
Tips for weight loss
Women generally need to eat 2,000 calories each day to maintain weight. To lose weight, this number drops to around 1,500 calories a day. Men generally need to eat 2,500 calories each day to maintain their weight and around 2,000 calories a day to lose weight.
A junk-food calorie doesn’t equal a whole-food calorie as far as nutrition goes. Even if you stay below your calorie goal, filling up on all Nutter Butter cookies, which happen to be vegan, is very different from filling up on buckets of fresh produce.
Many factors affect weight loss, including:
- Age
- Height
- Current weight
- Diet
- Physical activity levels
- Metabolic health
- Other medical issues
Although you can’t control all of these factors, you can control your diet and exercise. Regardless of the type of diet you choose, you should follow these guidelines for healthy eating.
Time your meals
Grazing throughout the day isn’t good for weight loss. Timing your meals is essential to boosting your metabolism and promoting healthy eating habits.
In general, try eating meals at the same time each day to get your mind and stomach into a predictable pattern. Munch on a larger breakfast in comparison to the other meals in your day. This may mean shifting your lunch a bit earlier and eating a smaller dinner.
If you’ve exercised, try eating within 45 minutes of finishing. This will help feed and repair your muscles.
When shouldn’t you eat? Within two hours of bedtime. Consuming calories too close to bedtime is associated with weight gain and sleep disturbances.
Watch your portions
Portion sizes matter with any of the foods you eat — vegan or not. The average woman and man should get the following number of servings of these foods each day:
- Grains: 6 servings for women, 9 servings for men.
- Vegetables: 3 servings for women, 4 servings for men.
- Fruits: 2 servings for women, 3 servings for men.
- Dairy or dairy alternatives: 2-3 servings for women, 2-3 servings for men.
- Meat and beans: 5 ounces for women, 6 ounces for men.
- Fats and oils: 5-6 servings for women, 6-7 servings for men.
Here are examples of single servings of different foods in each group for vegans:
Grains
- 1 slice of bread
- 1 cup cold cereal
- 1/2 cup cooked cereal, pasta, or rice
Vegetables
- 1 cup raw leafy greens
- 1/2 cup raw or cooked veggies
- 3/4 cup vegetable juice
Fruits
- 1 medium piece whole fruit, such as an apple, banana, orange, or pear
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
- 3/4 cup no-sugar-added fruit juice
Dairy or dairy alternatives
- 1 cup nondairy milk
Meat and beans
- 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
- 1/2 cup tofu
- 2-1/2 ounces soy burger
- 2 tablespoons peanut butter
- 1/3 cup nuts
Fats
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 1-ounce nuts
- 2 tablespoons nut butter
Make sure you’re getting enough protein
Current recommendations for protein intake are around 5.5 ounces per day or around 0.41 grams per pound of body weight. This means a 150-pound woman should consume approximately 61 grams of protein each day. A 175-pound man should consume around 72 grams each day.
When you break this down into calories, there are about 4 calories per gram of protein. So the woman in this example would need to get 244 calories from protein each day, and the man would need to get 288 calories from protein.
Good sources of plant protein include:
- Tempeh: 1 cup equals 31 grams of protein.
- Soybeans: 1 cup equals 29 grams of protein.
- Seitan: 3 ounces equals 21 grams of protein.
- Lentils: 1 cup equals 18 grams of protein.
- Beans, such as chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans: 1 cup equals 15 grams of protein.
- Tofu: 4 ounces equals 11 grams of protein.
- Quinoa: 1 cup equals 8 grams of protein.
- Peanut butter: 2 tablespoons equals 8 grams of protein.
“Healthy” drinks aren’t that healthy
Before you sip that store-bought smoothie, consider how many calories it might contain. Even so-called healthy drinks and energy mixes can pack quite a caloric punch.
Suggested read: How to lose weight on a vegan diet
First, let’s take a look at a beverage most people know to steer clear while dieting: A 20-ounce soda contains around 240 calories and 15 to 18 teaspoons of sugar.
But what about that freshly squeezed orange juice? It contains about 279 calories per 20 ounces. That acai smoothie? It may contain 460 calories per 20 ounces.
Read labels carefully and consider saving these drinks for special occasions.
Sticking with water is typically your best bet when trying to lower the number on the scale. It’s hydrating and contains zero calories. If you don’t like plain water, you might consider adding a squeeze of lemon or lime or trying herbal teas and sparkling waters.
Eat desserts in moderation
The same rules apply to vegan and non-vegan desserts: Eat them in moderation. The average American eats a whopping 22.2 teaspoons of sugar each day. Whether that comes from a decadent ice cream sundae or a batch of vegan cookies, it’s still 335 calories that contain little nutritional value.
Sugar can disrupt your metabolism and lead to health issues beyond weight gain, including high blood pressure, inflammation, and elevated blood triglycerides. How much of the sweet stuff is enough? Women should try to limit their daily sugars to around 6 teaspoons or 100 calories each day. Men should aim to get fewer than 9 teaspoons or 150 calories each day.
If you’re looking for a healthy vegan dessert option that’s relatively low in calories without added sugars and fats, try fresh fruit. Otherwise, eat a small portion of a vegan dessert and save the rest for tomorrow or next week.
Summary
Eating a vegan diet may help you lose weight. Still, it’s always a good idea to talk with your doctor or a dietitian before making big changes to your diet. You should discuss how you’ll get critical nutrients, like protein and B vitamins.
Your doctor may also have other suggestions for how you might lose weight, like keeping a food diary or engaging in a regular exercise routine.
Suggested read: 11 foods to avoid when trying to lose weight
