How To Go Vegan And Not Lose Weight

People go vegan for lots of reasons: to reduce their environmental impact, to address animal cruelty concerns, to improve certain health markers, and even to lose weight. In fact, at the time this was published, more than 228, 000 Instagram posts had been tagged #veganweightloss.

Animal products, like dairy and eggs, vegans pass on them all—even honey (which is produced by bees) and gelatin (a common thickener used in packaged foods, which is made from the bones and skin of farm animals).

That leaves vegans to eat nutrient-rich fruits and veggies, protein-packed beans and legumes, hearty whole grains, and healthy fats like olive oil and avocado. But it also allows them to load up on not-so-healthy but still-technically-vegan foods, like sugary snacks, white bread and pasta, and junk foods like potato chips and French fries.

How To Lose Weight Quickly On A Vegan Diet

This begs the question: Does a vegan diet for weight loss really work? Here’s what you should know about going vegan if shedding pounds is your ultimate goal.

When you fill your plate with healthy foods, going vegan can serve up some serious health benefits, according to a review of research and position statement from the American Dietetic Association. People who follow plant-based diets have lower cholesterol, body mass index, and blood pressure, along with decreased rates of type 2 diabetes and several types of cancer.

What makes a vegan diet so healthy? Cutting red meat and dairy from your diet is one way to decrease your intake of saturated fat, which is known to raise your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. Plus, plant-based diets tend to emphasize satisfying fiber, essential vitamins and minerals, and a vast variety of plant compounds (including antioxidants) that have disease-fighting properties.

What Is A Plant Based Diet? A Complete Beginner's Guide

But switching to a vegan diet won’t automatically make you healthier. “Probably the most common mistake people make on the vegan diet is thinking everything vegan is healthy, ” says Julie Devinsky, RD, a clinical nutritionist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. After all, French fries and Skittles are both vegan and no one is going to tell you to start making a meal out of candy and carbs.

If a vegan diet helps you swap out empty calories for nutrient-dense foods, then absolutely. “For many, weight loss on a vegan diet results from the combination of avoiding unhealthy foods and replacing those options with healthier ones, ” Devinsky says.

In other words, if you’re accustomed to grabbing take-out every night, making your own vegan tofu and brown rice bowl at home can help you lose weight because you are totally in control of the cooking method and what goes in it.

Reasons You Might Have Gained Weight On A Plant Based Diet When Your Goal Is To Lose Weight

Still, certain vegan trade-offs can actually make you gain weight. To lose weight on any type of diet, you need to cut the number of calories you’re consuming. One of the easiest ways to do that is eat fewer refined carbs and more lean protein, which will keep you fuller for longer between meals.

When you don’t eat any meat, though, eating more protein can be tough, because your options are more limited, explains Nancy Rahnama, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon in California. So a vegan eater might end up downing a bowl of carb-rich pasta instead of a plate with protein-packed chicken breast.

Both Dr. Rahnama and Devinsky recommend filling half your plate with veggies before you add anything else. That way, you have built-in portion control for the rest of your plate: fats, proteins, or whole grains.

Why Am I Not Losing Weight On A Vegan Diet?

“For most carnivores, the meal centers around proteins—vegans can sometimes shift the focus and often fill up on breads, pasta, and rice, ” Devinsky says. But going vegan shouldn’t mean ditching protein, since it can help you stay full longer (and you’re bound to experience hunger pangs once you start dropping pounds). “Consider legumes such as beans and peas as additional ways to get adequate protein, ” Devinsky says. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating about 5.5 ounces of protein each day.

At the end of the day, healthy foods also contain calories. Even if your snack is vegan (and a high-quality, nutrient-dense food), extra portions will add up and stall weight loss efforts, says Robyn Goldberg, RD, a nutritionist in California.

To make sure your vegan diet is healthy, avoid loading up on simple carbs (like white bread). Instead, opt for whole grains (like wild rice, oats, and quinoa) or simply swap for sources of plant-based protein, like lentils, beans, or chickpeas.

Not Losing Weight As A Vegan? Do These 3 Things Now!

Foods like avocados, olives, and nuts are rich in satiating mono- and polyunsaturated fats, which can help you reach a healthier weight, Dr. Rahnama says.

Just because a decadent-looking cookie has vegan on the label, doesn’t mean it’s any healthier than a non-vegan one. “A vegan cookie may not contain butter or eggs, but most contain vegetable oils and sugar, ” Devinsky says.

This won’t do much for your waistline. “I see many patients who have gained weight after starting a vegan diet—many start eating deserts without guilt, simply because they are labeled as being vegan, ” Dr. Rahnama cautions.

Reasons You Aren't Losing Weight On A Plant Based Diet

The same less-is-more strategy goes for processed foods—even if they’re vegan. “If you are going to have a packaged vegan food, be wary and read the label carefully, ” Devinsky says. “The more ingredients you don’t recognize, the worse it is.”

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Macaela MacKenzie is a journalist who writes about women and power. She covers women’s equality through the lenses of sports, wellness, and the gender gap across industries and is the author of MONEY, POWER, RESPECT: How Women in Sports Are Shaping the Future of Feminism

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How To Lose Weight On A Plant Based Diet

I’m a nurse and Nutritarian Health Coach and I run a food blog and the brand Go Vegan With Megan where I share how to eat a vegan diet that not only tastes incredible but also promotes weight loss and disease prevention.

Now today specifically we are addressing what parts of a vegan diet could be preventing you from seeing the results you want, and I’ll be sharing with you how I help my coaching clients move past their blocks to get results.

I focus on teaching people not only how to eat vegan-because if you can believe it or not there are just as many ways to eat vegan as there are to eat an omnivorous diet.

Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight On A Vegan Diet

The benefit of this is that we are packing as many good for you phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-cancer properties into us as we can and these foods have the added benefit of being super low calorie.

So essentially, we are washing our body in rich micronutrients that feeds all of its processes and helps it do its job of healing and helping us feel our best-all while facilitating weight loss.

The beauty of eating this way is that because we are eliminating sugar, salt, and added oils we are no longer plagued by cravings.

Does Going Vegan To Lose Weight Work?​

And they do this by over-processing foods down to their most triggering forms which then allow our brains to get super happy when we eat them almost like a high.

As in, when we are finished digesting the high sugar, high salt, high oil foods, our body doesn’t feel as good anymore and it wants that feeling back.

So it tells you that you’re hungry when really you’ve already eaten more than enough calories but you’re lacking the nutrition that should have come from them.

Reasons To Go Vegan In 2024

So, if this subject is interesting to you go ahead and let me know in the comments and I’ll get working on that material for you right away.

It’s time to grab a notebook because this info is important, and I want you to be able to absorb as much of it as possible.

What I teach is a vegetable-based diet with a focus on leafy greens both cooked and raw and a focus on cruciferous vegetables.

How To Lose Weight On A Vegan Diet?

You want to make sure you’re eating an extra-large salad at least once per day with a mix of greens, colorful veggies, and a nut and seed-based dressing to help you absorb all of the nutrients available to you.

If you just do this one thing and have a huge salad topped with beans, cooked veggies like broccoli and cabbage, and add a nut-based dressing you’re already 50% of the way to