Protein Diet For Vegetarians To Lose Weight

Is reader-powered. If you click through using links on our site we may earn a small commission at no cost to you.

So you want to know whether it’s possible to lose weight on a vegetarian diet? Well, you’ve come to the right place!

You can download the free 7-Day Vegetarian Weight Loss Meal Plan PDF by using the form below. The package includes all recipes, a grocery list, and a well-organized meal plan overview.

Indian Weight Loss Diet Plan

But we’d advise you to read on we’re going to explain some key information about vegetarianism and weight loss, which is worth checking out so you can go in prepared!

We make sure to provide generous portion sizes and a variety of types of food that will satisfy you, meet your nutritional requirements and allow you to lose weight at a steady, sustainable pace!

The recipes (access them all below!) were developed by us specifically to be suitable for weight loss, and each recipe is a tried and tested favorite, guaranteed to work every time.

Day Indian Vegetarian Diet Plan For Weight Loss [high Protein]

We’ve created this vegetarian weight loss meal plan to work for the general population. But of course, you should take your personal needs into account and adapt accordingly!

We follow the “cook once, eat twice” approach. This involves preparing two servings of each meal – one to eat right away and the second serving for the next day. Therefore, today’s meal consists of the leftovers from yesterday.

Day 7 is all up to you. It’s a great day for leftovers, or if you want to go out to eat. We still recommend keeping the calories to about 1300kcal for the main meals if weight loss is a priority.

Amazing Vegan Meals For Weight Loss (gluten Free & Low Calorie)

Since you’re supposed to add in your leftovers into the recipes, our calorie and protein calculations here will naturally differ from yours for this ‘Leftovers Day’.

The uniting factor in all vegetarian and vegan diets is not eating meat or fish. This is often for ethical reasons such as animal cruelty or the environmental impact of the meat industry. It can also be for religious reasons.

There are many health benefits to a vegetarian diet, though, as with any diet, it needs to contain the proper balance of nutrients in order to be healthy.

Best Protein Rich Vegetarian Foods To Fuel Your Weight Loss Journey

This means a vegetarian diet is naturally a healthier alternative for people with heart disease. Studies agree that adopting a more plant-based diet decreases deaths related to heart disease.

A balanced vegetarian diet can help regulate your blood sugar and prevent diabetes, thanks to the focus on fibrous veggies and pulses.

There is also evidence that being vegetarian can help with skin health, again because you are more likely to be eating vitamin and mineral rich plant foods.

List Of Protein Rich Food For Vegetarians

Obviously, all of this depends on you making healthy choices as a vegetarian – if you live on bread and cheese, you are unlikely to get the health benefits vegetarianism could offer!

There is a simple reason for weight gain; if you are eating more calories than you are burning you will put on weight!

Perhaps you aren’t doing enough physical activity, or you are eating more because of stress. Maybe you are getting older and your metabolism is naturally slowing down, or maybe you are consuming a lot of empty calories, like alcohol.

The Weightlifter's Guide To Plant Based Clean Eating

Only you can identify why you are gaining weight and whether or not it is an issue that needs to be addressed.

For an active female you need to eat about 1, 500 calories a day to lose weight, although this number might be less or occasionally more depending on your activity levels and age and starting weight.

So that part is simple. The difficult part is actually doing it. Staying full, staying satisfied, staying energized without feeling cranky can seem almost impossible to achieve.

Protein Rich Vegan Foods: 7 High Protein Vegan Foods That Can Help In Weight Loss

The first and most important piece of advice I can give you is to eat enough protein! Protein can be hard to get enough of as a veggie, but it is crucial for general health and specifically for weight loss.

The minimum amount of protein is around 45g per day for a woman and 55g per day for a man. This is the minimum amount of protein required to

60-100g protein per day (for the average female) is a great amount for weight loss. This is because protein is the most filling macro with proven weight loss benefits; it literally suppresses production of the hunger hormone ghrelin.

High Protein Vegetarian Meal Plan

If you are lacking protein, you are going to feel a lot hungrier throughout the day and be more likely to snack between meals.

Not only that but protein contributes to muscle mass and maintenance. This can help with weight loss because it means our body is more metabolically active.

The more muscle we have, the more calories our body needs a day. So in terms of weight loss? It makes weight loss ‘easier’ if you have more muscle!

How To Be A Vegetarian With Type 2 Diabetes

It’s not always easy to get lots of protein as a vegetarian. 60-100g of protein per day is more difficult without the use of protein shakes or repetitively eating the same food. This is especially true while trying to lose weight.

Or you could stick to a varied diet and skip the protein shake. You’d accept that it just might not be ‘gold standard’ regarding protein intake, but you can still lose weight healthily.

My next piece of advice would be to eat plenty of fiber. It’s is another fantastic tool when it comes to losing weight (and for our health!). Technically fiber is a type of carbohydrate. What differentiates fiber to other carbs is that the body can’t digest it.

The Vegetarian Diet: A Beginner's Guide And Meal Plan

Carbs get a bit of a bad reputation sometimes. But, carbohydrates for weight loss are actually brilliant – you’ve just got to pick the right ones!

Wholegrain carbohydrates contain healthy nutrients like iron and calcium, and contain lots of fiber and protein so actually help us to feel full.

These non starchy vegetables are brilliant pairings to main dishes or as a snack with hummus because they help to make the dish feel more complete and filling but don’t add in lots of calories.

Vegetarian Bodybuilding Diet Plan With Simple Home Food

We’ve also compiled a list of the best fruits for weight loss too, and you can give that a read for some more motivation!

An ever-popular question… Should you eat high or low fat dairy foods for weight loss? My opinion is that eating low fat milk products the majority of the time is helpful for vegetarian weight loss.

1 gram of fat contains 9 calories. 1 gram of carbohydrates or protein contains 4 calories. Fat doesn’t help with feeling full, but protein and carbohydrates (which usually contain fiber) do help.

Vegan Meal Plan For Muscle Gain

So by eating lower fat products you can either eat more total food for the same amount of calories, or eat the same total volume of food for less calories. And you eat more of the satisfying foods.

Meat eaters do have it a little bit easier when it comes to protein intake because they could eat a low fat piece of meat and get a lot of protein and no added calories as fat or carbohydrates.

The concept here is similar – eat lower fat dairy products and get more protein… Who needs lean meat when you’ve got low fat dairy at your side!

Suggested Vegetarian Weight Loss Meal Plan

I personally used to really dislike low-fat dairy and found it very bland. However, when cooked correctly and used in the right flavour combinations it can be just as tasty as the regular stuff! You just have to know how to use it properly.

So what foods are good to include in your vegetarian weight loss diet? It is best to focus on foods that are high protein, high fiber and low fat.

Dairy products are a good source of protein for vegetarians. I would recommend going for the low-fat option whenever possible to save a few calories and reduce your saturated fat intake.

The Reluctant Vegetarians: How Do Vegans Get Their Protein? (b&w): Learn How To Eat Great While You Lose Weight, Get Healthy And Save The Planet With An Easy Vegan Diet Plan (paperback)

The only thing you might find is that all that fiber can cause some, ahem, flatulence, that is somewhat embarrassing/uncomfortable. Stick to one cup or so a day and you should be fine!

Leafy greens and veggies are of course indispensable in a weight loss diet. You should be having a handful at least twice a day.

They contain many vitamins and minerals for general wellbeing, are super fibrous and low calorie, which helps with your weight loss goals. Some veggies, like broccoli, even contain a decent amount of protein.

A Vegetarian Weight Loss Plan: Food List And Meal Ideas

Frozen veg (and fruit) is a great way to make sure you always have some to hand. Freezing them helps retain lots of nutrients, so it’s actually just as healthy as fresh veg. Why not keep a couple of packets of frozen berries and mixed vegetables in the freezer?

Various fruits have different levels of sugar and fiber. When trying to lose weight, it can be smart to choose fruits that are higher in fiber and lower in sugar.

An appropriate serving size while losing weight would be one handheld fruit, such as an apple or peach, or two plums, along with one cup of sliced melons or berries.

What Are The Best High Protein Foods For Vegetarians?

Many people worry about consuming bread, pasta, potatoes or rice while trying to lose weight, as there are lots of people who advocate against it. However, we know from