Overweight vegetarian

[Jackdaw]

A friend of mine is a vegetarian and is a little overweight.
Is it true that if he changed to a vegan diet he would naturally lose weight?
I’ve heard people on YouTube say one can eat as much as one wants on a vegan diet and lose weight!

Thanks.

 

[Mischief]

You can eat crap, and you can eat too many calories, as easily on a vegan diet as on an omnivore or vegetarian diet.

 

[Amy SF]

A vegan diet isn’t a magic formula. You still have to do the same kind of thing on a vegan weight-loss diet that you’d do with any other weight-loss diet: Eat healthy, nutritionally balanced whole foods (that are vegan), get regular exercise, drink lots of water, get enough sleep, etc. What you’re cutting out with a vegan diet are animal fats and processed foods containing animal products, but you still have to be careful not to eat a lot of vegan crap or overload on things like processed foods, fried foods and sugary sweets, even if they are vegan.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

I’ve heard people on YouTube say one can eat as much as one wants on a vegan diet and lose weight!

HA! Not if you love carbs.... LOL

 

[silva]

HA! Not if you love carbs.... LOL

...or sweets, or fats, or the many vegan snacky foods, and pre packaged foods. Or discover you can bake equally well without animal products.
You can be as healthy vegan as omni
You can be as unhealthy vegan as omni
and you can be anywhere in between

If you follow a whole food plant based diet though- then you pretty much eat a lot, but it will be the produce aisles!

 

[Second Summer]

I’ve heard people on YouTube say one can eat as much as one wants on a vegan diet and lose weight!

I think if that were true, the vegan diet would get a lot more publicity! But it wouldn't be a diet you could stay on for very long since you'd eventually become underweight.

 

[silva]

I will say if you follow a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet like Dr Furhman, Barnard, McDougall etc recommend you will end up eating the appropriate calories. You eat loads of low cal nutrient dense veggies, and fruits, protein and iron packed whole grains, beans, legumes, non dairy milks, as well as limited amounts of higher fat seeds and nuts

 

[Mischief]

I will say if you follow a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet like Dr Furhman, Barnard, McDougall etc recommend you will end up eating the appropriate calories. You eat loads of low cal nutrient dense veggies, and fruits, protein and iron packed whole grains, beans, legumes, non dairy milks, as well as limited amounts of higher fat seeds and nuts

Yes, if you eat like this, you can eat massive quantities of food.

 

[veggienovelist]

This is a question I've run across before, and the simple answer is: no. The science of weight gain (and weight loss) is as follows. We gain weight when we eat more calories than our body burns each day. We lose weight when we eat less calories than we burn each day. So although vegans may typically eat less calories than they burn each day, that's not a guarantee. And if a vegan eats too many calories, just like anyone else, they will gain weight. If your friend truly wants to succeed at losing weight, the key is in the calories. That's how I was able to lose 68lbs. On my blog, I've written out my story and a detailed explanation of how I did it. Give it a read, and plan your attack accordingly

How I Lost 68 Lbs., And You Can Too!

 

[GeorgeC1]

A vegan diet isn’t a magic formula. You still have to do the same kind of thing on a vegan weight-loss diet that you’d do with any other weight-loss diet: Eat healthy, nutritionally balanced whole foods (that are vegan), get regular exercise, drink lots of water, get enough sleep, etc. What you’re cutting out with a vegan diet are animal fats and processed foods containing animal products, but you still have to be careful not to eat a lot of vegan crap or overload on things like processed foods, fried foods and sugary sweets, even if they are vegan.

I agree with you. I know several people who is vegetarian and has overweight. I think this is due to the fact they not move enough

 

[Jeremy]

veggienovelist's answer is absolutely the right answer. Don't believe the complete and udder nonsense about carbs making you fat (Count calories not carbs, cutting them out is not wise.. Carbs are T1 fuel for the body), and just say no to any diet where you can "eat as much as you want" or all you can eat of a certain food/type of food. It is 100% percent as veggienovelist explained, there truly is no other correct answer in regards to losing, gaining, or maintaining weight.

Amy has some great suggestions to get on the right path to avoiding caloric overload.. I also find the chart that silva posted to be quite good except I would definitely stick to the lower end of it's suggestion for the grains, more than 3 cups of whole grains seems excessive to me.

 

[PTree15]

veggienovelist's answer is absolutely the right answer. Don't believe the complete and udder nonsense about carbs making you fat (Count calories not carbs, cutting them out is not wise.. Carbs are T1 fuel for the body), and just say no to any diet where you can "eat as much as you want" or all you can eat of a certain food/type of food. It is 100% percent as veggienovelist explained, there truly is no other correct answer in regards to losing, gaining, or maintaining weight.

Amy has some great suggestions to get on the right path to avoiding caloric overload.. I also find the chart that silva posted to be quite good except I would definitely stick to the lower end of it's suggestion for the grains, more than 3 cups of whole grains seems excessive to me.

I agree that it's pretty much calories in vs. calories out. Demonizing any food (OK, maybe except sugar, because I personally think it's evil, lol) doesn't help for long-term success. At least for me, I had to make peace with what I really enjoy and realize that I will always want certain foods that don't help me maintain a healthy weight. If I deprive myself too much, it leads to yo-yo dieting, which is not good. The trick is, I think, moderation in all things ...and moving a little every day.

 

[Jeremy]

I agree that it's pretty much calories in vs. calories out. Demonizing any food (OK, maybe except sugar, because I personally think it's evil, lol) doesn't help for long-term success. At least for me, I had to make peace with what I really enjoy and realize that I will always want certain foods that don't help me maintain a healthy weight. If I deprive myself too much, it leads to yo-yo dieting, which is not good. The trick is, I think, moderation in all things ...and moving a little every day.

I agree on all accounts... I've been kind of going up and down between my ideal weight and putting on about 15lbs (Even with the extra 15lbs I'm not overweight going by the BMI), but I know WHY that happens to me, I know better and I take complete responsibility for it... It's entirely to do with the party lifestyle we lead and the extra calories associated with drinking stupid amounts of alcohol and eating out lol

I'm just entirely against ways of losing weight that aren't teaching good habits and promoting a healthy sustainable way of living. They can keep their Keto, Atkins, juice fasts, whatever fad diet that appeals as a quick fix for couch potatoes. You can lose weight on any of those, but you learn nothing of long term value from them. I'll more than likely stick to a calorie budget (when not partying lol) and exercise until I'm too old to care, you know like ready for a nursing home

 

[Tom L.]

It depends.

I basically agree with what almost everyone has already posted in this thread: it's quite possible to eat a technically "vegan" diet, but still not be eating in a healthy manner, and still consume too many calories. It just so happens that, for me, almost all the potentially-unhealthy foods I would be tempted to gorge on are not vegan, unless I went out of my way to either find or make vegan versions of them. It's not like I'm constantly tempted by vegan junk food anytime I enter the local supermarket.

 

[Jinendra Singh]

It depends.

I basically agree with what almost everyone has already posted in this thread: it's quite possible to eat a technically "vegan" diet, but still not be eating in a healthy manner, and still consume too many calories. It just so happens that, for me, almost all the potentially-unhealthy foods I would be tempted to gorge on are not vegan, unless I went out of my way to either find or make vegan versions of them. It's not like I'm constantly tempted by vegan junk food anytime I enter the local supermarket.

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.

 

[silva]

A vegan diet is avoidance of anything produced from the use of animals. Being vegan does in every way involve an ethical stance, but does not imply health. Sugars, oils, processed carbs, alcohol....these are all vegan. Sugared breakfast cereal, burgers and fries, cookies, cake, seitan steaks, bread and gravies all are represented in vegan foods

Plant based diet- does not imply ethics, does imply health. This may be a vegan diet, but it doesn't require the ethics involving avoidance, and only applies to food. This can be as strict as a Whole Food Plant Based no oil, no sugar, no salt, or simply avoidance of processed foods. On a WFPB diet you can eat quite a volume of foods without weight gain as you avoid the added calories.
A good diet plan to follow is the Daily Dozen that groups foods into a checklist that will provide a complete days nutrition when followed. You'll want to eat more than just this, but in the same realm of whole plant foods.-
https://veganuary.com/starter-kit/dr-gregers-daily-dozen-checklist/