How To Lose Weight On A Vegan Diet Without Counting Calories

My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!

Do you need to count calories on a plant-based diet?

Whether you’ve been trying to lose weight for a while or just starting out on your weight loss journey, you’ve probably heard about needing to maintain a calorie deficit to lose weight.

Eat 1,200 calories. Eat less than you burn…and you will lose weight, they said.

Does counting calories work? The short answer is yes. But…

While calorie counting leads to short-term weight loss it actually harms your ability to lose and maintain a healthy weight in the long-term.

The reason for this is because the calorie deficit weight-loss strategy is not sustainable in the long-term. You lose weight while you undereat but as soon as you start eating how much you should, you gain all the weight back.

Trust me, I’ve been there, done that. It can get very frustrating.

Yoyo dieting, they call it.

At first, you’re happy that you’re losing weight. Then you become miserable and angry because you’re always hungry. Or you try to squeeze the extra cardio workout in the evening to burn 200 calories to be able to have a snack.

You obsessively track everything you eat in a day. Plug it all into your fitness tracking app. See that red negative sign that you’re over on your calorie allowance for the day. Yet you’re under on some of the nutrition for the day.

And so it goes until you can’t do it anymore.

You give up and gain the weight you’ve lost.

I don’t know about you but counting calories did not work well for me. I feel like if it worked for most people then everybody would be skinny.  

We are just so short on time. It is hard enough to cook plant-based food at home yet alone count calories.

So, what is the solution?

Calorie counting is a reductionist approach to losing weight. Restrictions never work.

Instead, you should take a holistic approach to losing weight on a plant-based diet.

P.S. Ready to start losing weight with vegan diet, boost your health, and feel amazing? Download your FREE 3-Day Vegan Clean Eating Meal Plan now.

Holistic vs. Reductionist Approach

The holistic approach to losing weight on a vegan diet means we’re looking at our overall health, what we eat throughout multiple days, examining our daily habits, and identifying ways to organically integrate weight loss in our daily lives without a lot of friction.

The reductionist approach to losing weight is about concentrating on specific areas of eating to lose weight. For example, counting calories, ketogenic diets are a great example of a reductionist approach. They look at one specific aspect of eating and target one area without accounting for anything else.

Many weight loss programs out there are based on the reductionist approach.

It has been proven again and again that while the reductionist approach does lead to fast initial weight loss, it isn’t sustainable (or healthy!) in the long term. As soon as you’re off that diet, you gain more weight than you have lost!

The holistic approach, just like the name suggests, takes into account your overall wellbeing. Therefore, a holistic approach to losing weight on a plant-based diet is the best approach.

P.S. Ready to start losing weight with vegan diet, boost your health, and feel amazing? Download your FREE 3-Day Vegan Clean Eating Meal Plan now.

P.S. Ready to start losing weight with vegan diet, boost your health, and feel amazing? Download your FREE 3-Day Vegan Clean Eating Meal Plan now.

Can you overeat on a plant-based diet?

One mistake I see people who want to lose weight on a plant-based diet make is that they think they can eat as much as they want because plants have lower calories.

While I do advocate for eating until you feel satisfied (I never promote starving yourself!), you’ve got to be careful about eating unlimited calories.

What is eating too much? Or overeating?

Simply put, it’s eating beyond feeling of satiety.

Or, mindless eating. Eating out of habit rather than eating because you’re truly hungry.

We’ve all done it (overeating that is) to some extent.

For example, when we sit down to watch a movie on a Saturday night, do we really need to make popcorn? Do we really feel hungry? Or do we do it out of habit?

Many plant-based weight-loss programs preach that as long as you’re following a whole-food-plant-based lifestyle you’re good.

The contrary is true. Yes, you can overeat on a plant-based diet. Which may lead to weight gain instead of weight-loss.

You may not be eating too many cucumbers, but you may be overeating out of habit simply because you’ve associated food with a form of activity for a very long time.

So, in short, yes, you can absolutely overeat on a plant-based lifestyle. Therefore, while you don’t need to engage in any calorie counting, it’s important to be mindful of when you feel full and satisfied and when to stop eating.

P.S. Ready to start losing weight with vegan diet, boost your health, and feel amazing? Download your FREE 3-Day Vegan Clean Eating Meal Plan now.

Create your vegan weight loss plan

So, you’ve decided to lose weight by going vegan and without calories. Where do you start?

You’ve come to the right place, my friend. Here’s how to create your vegan weight loss plan to lose weight fast and without counting calories.

STEP 1: DEFINE YOUR WEIGHT GOAL AND TIMELINE

It is important to be realistic! You simply can’t lose 50 pounds in one month in a healthy way.

On average, a healthy weight is between 1 to 2 pounds a week. So, let’s say if you want to lose 10 pounds, it may take you 5-10 weeks to do that.

But, wait…5-10 weeks is a huge range! You’re right. What you need to do is to simply track your progress for 2 weeks and you will know where you fall in that range.

Slow and steady weight loss is key here.

STEP 2: DOWNLOAD OUR FREE 3-DAY VEGAN WEIGHT LOSS MEAL PLAN

Get your free weight loss meal plan that includes easy plant-based recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

The weight loss meal plan also has a list of ingredient substitutions in recipes in case of allergies or taste preferences.

It’s a done-for-you meal plan with recipes, step-by-step instructions, a grocery list, and nutritional information. Get the free guide and get started with your weight loss right away!

STEP 3: DON’T “TRY” COMMIT!

75% of people who start a weight loss program do not follow through.

Don’t become part of these stats!

Committing and executing is one of the most important parts of your weight loss journey.

Tips to lose weight fast  

1. Practice mindful eating.

Pay attention to the food you eat. Don’t multitask while you eat.

Pay attention to the taste and texture of the food while you chew. In other words, be fully attentive to the food you eat.

2. Get moving during the day.

Exercise boosts metabolism which leads to burning more calories.

They say diet is 80% and exercise is another 20%. Don’t lose out on this “other” important 20%!

3. Drink enough water.

You should drink between half an ounce to an ounce of water per day for each pound you weigh.  

Water is a natural appetite suppressant. So, drink some water before you eat.

Hydration helps remove waste form the body. Water helps filter toxins from your kidneys.

P.S. Ready to start losing weight with vegan diet, boost your health, and feel amazing? Download your FREE 3-Day Vegan Clean Eating Meal Plan now.

4. Don’t skip meals.

I am a big believer that nobody should skip breakfast.

I know that intermittent fasting has become popular and you may have tried it. I think it does more harm and good because it isn’t sustainable in the long term.

5. Keep unhealthy foods out of sight.

The best way to stop munching on chips is not to buy them.

But what do you do if people you live with want to buy it! Try to keep it out of sight. Stash them away somewhere in the back of the pantry or cabinet. Make it hard to find.

Instead, place fruits and healthy snacks on your kitchen table or counter to make it a daily reminder to eat them!

My brand new cookbook is out on Amazon! It’s called “30-Minute Plant-Based Recipes” and it’s perfect for busy vegans. Grab it now!