How to Succeed at Weight Loss with a Vegetarian Diet

If your goal is to succeed at weight loss with a vegetarian diet, I’m here to tell you that there are all sorts of benefits to eating plant-based. But, it would be a mistake to assume that simply eliminating animal protein automatically leads to weight loss, or that being a vegetarian means it’s easy to lose weight.

While it’s true that vegan foods like fruits, vegetables and soy are nutrient-dense and low-calorie, it’s also true there are loads of other plant based choices that are none of those things…

Potato chips are neither nutrient-dense nor low in calories.

Pasta isn’t particularly nutrient dense.

Peanut butter isn’t exactly low calorie.

Yet, they’re all vegan!

As are dairy-free vegan cookies…

In fact, whether eating plant based or not, we can all find it similarly tempting to overeat.

And, without some thought and planning, there are some aspects of vegetarian eating that can make weight loss feel even more challenging including:

• The ability to maintain a feeling of fullness

• The relatively high number calories of vegetarian versions

• The ease and time involved in food preparation

• The types of options available when eating out

While there may indeed be some hurdles, there are also plenty of workarounds to be successful at losing weight while eating plant-based!

Two quick notes: I use the terms plant-based, vegetarian and vegan interchangeably because similar weight loss challenges generally apply to all the groups. And the second note, I talk about calories mainly as a point of reference; not because I recommend calorie counting as a weight loss strategy.

Now, let’s dig in.

Seven tips to help you be successful losing weight on a vegetarian diet.

1- Include plenty of non starchy veggies.

No surprise here, yet useful to remember when meal planning. Non starchy vegetables are a great base. They’re packed with nutrients, and low in calories – giving you a lot of bang for your “buck”! Their high fiber content helps with weight loss and contributes to satiety.

Good examples of non starch veggies include leafy greens, broccoli and peppers.

2 - Think in terms of “sprinkling in” healthy fats.

While dietary fat is essential to your health, giving you energy and helping your body absorb vitamins, fat is also energy dense. What this means is it has a lot of calories relative to the portion size.

So, plan to include nuts, seeds and avocado in smaller quantities. Include these sorts of healthy fats to your meals as a boost – for flavor, fullness and nutrition – rather than eating them in large amounts.

3 - Incorporate plenty of protein-rich plant-based foods.

It doesn’t always feel easy to make the choices necessary to lose weight. It’s even more difficult when we’re hungry. Taking that piece out of the equation can be super helpful.

Protein is helpful in reducing appetite and hunger levels, so consider replacing what would have been an animal protein on your plate with some protein-rich plant-based foods. Carbs just aren’t as filling as protein.

And, if you find yourself getting hungry between meals more quickly than you’d like, try increasing the amount of protein you eat.

Good sources of vegetarian protein include beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, and seitan. If you choose to eat eggs and dairy, those would be protein-rich options as well.

4 - Be aware that you’re probably not saving calories switching to vegetarian versions.

It may come as a surprise, so it’s just good to know calories are likely similar whether they’re a plant-based version or not.

And, when taking into account what’s commonly available at restaurants, and easy to prepare at home, you’re likely to find the vegetarian versions are even higher in calories.

Here are just a few examples to illustrate.

Veggie burgers

• Impossible burger (4 ounces) is 241 calories, same size Beyond burger patty is 270 calories

• Ground beef (4 ounces 85% lean) is 242 calories, lean version (95% lean) is just 153 calories

A chocolate brownie

• About 200 calories for 1 ounce of a regular or vegan option

A common restaurant meal swap

• Spaghetti Pomodoro (18 ounces) is 530 calories

• Grilled Chicken Breast (5 ounces) 180 calories with Rice Pilaf (1 cup) 200 calories is in total 380 calories

Quick and easy to prepare lunch at home

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich is 430 calories

• Turkey sandwich with mayonnaise is 324 calories

5 - Pay attention to portions – even of “healthy” foods

Foods may be healthy, but in the quantities we eat them they may not be useful for weight loss.

In fact, that was my exact experience. I spent a few months only eating “healthy” foods. But when I added up all I was eating, I discovered I wasn’t eating low calorie at all. As an example, I took my bowl of oatmeal and added raisins, nuts, wheat germ & lecithin Perhaps a nutritional powerhouse, but may have been the sort of thing that was keeping me from losing weight.

6 - Reduce OVEReating by limiting concentrated and packaged foods

Foods containing flour and added sugar are examples of “concentrated” foods.

Think about early humans. A sweet treat may have been a handful of berries which provided a small dopamine (the pleasure hormone) hit – enough to keep us motivated to search for food to survive.

But, human evolution has not kept up at all with food innovations. Today’s treats are so much more concentrated, sending unnaturally high dopamine hits to our brains making us feel extremely motivated to get even more of that pleasure and OVEReat.

Packaged foods also contribute to overeating for similar reasons. While they’re quick and easy, they’re also manufactured by an industry designing highly palatable foods to delight our taste buds and leave us wanting more.

7 - Don’t forget calories in beverages add up

You may not think about the calories in those smoothies, fancy coffee drinks and the alcohol you’re drinking, but the calories add up and may be stalling your weight loss.

Fruit smoothies and juices are high in sugar and calories. They also contribute to our consuming way more fruit than we would if we ate the whole food version. Think about the number of oranges that go into a glass of orange juice – maybe three or four? Pretty easy to go down. But when was the last time you ate four oranges in one sitting?

Also worth remembering, those fancy coffee drinks, even the ones made with alternative milks, can be calorie packed. And, with alcohol, there’s the calories plus the increased likelihood of overeating that can come with drinking.

Pro Tip - Experiment making small changes to your eating. One by one you’ll discover what you enjoy, fits into your lifestyle and gets you to the weight you want to be.

Some good questions to ask yourself to help decide where to start:

• Can I add more non starchy vegetables? These will add volume, and often “crowd out” eating of higher calorie foods.

• Am I finding myself hungry? Try adding more protein-rich foods. Remember it’s harder to make the best decisions when hungry.

• Where can I reduce my portion sizes? Even small changes make a difference over time. There’s really no food you need to eliminate when you’re managing how much and how often you have it.

• How can I limit the amount of packaged and concentrated foods I eat? You’ll be pleased to find that as you eat less of these foods your cravings will go down and it will be easier to not OVEReat.

• Are the things I’m drinking worth the trade off? Drinking calories may not offer the same feeling of satisfaction and satiety as does eating. You may find cutting out certain beverages is an easy way to get the scale moving.

I help vegetarians lose weight in a sustainable way. After years of yo-yo dieting myself while following a plant based pattern of eating, I’ve got lots more tools and tricks to share including ones that address your specific challenges.

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I’m a Certified Life & Weight Loss Coach with over 14-years experience helping people manage their weight. I can help you too. Schedule a free session today!