How to Lose Weight on a Vegetarian Diet?
Being a vegetarian does not mean that you can’t lose weight. If you are looking for the best way to lose weight, being a vegetarian is the perfect solution.
The reason is that vegetarians have less calorie intake, resulting in lesser calorie storage than non-vegetarians. The main difference between the two diets is the lack of meat in your meal.
So here are some tips on how to lose weight on a vegetarian diet:
Tips on How to Lose Weight on a Vegetarian Diet:
1) Combine Carbohydrates, Vegan Protein, and Fats:
One of the most common mistakes new vegetarians make is eating carbohydrates alone. To do this effectively, one should understand the role of carbohydrates, vegan protein, and fats in their diet.
Carbohydrates have four calories per gram, making them a great energy source. Keep checking your carbohydrate intake as there is a healthy way to consume them and a non-healthy way to destroy them.
For this, you need to know what starches are. Starches include rice, wheat products, bread, etc. These foods release glucose into the bloodstream very quickly, resulting in insulin spikes resulting in weight gain or preventing weight loss long term.
So make sure that you do not go overboard with starchy carbs by consuming them along with some healthy fats at every meal, such as avocados, seeds, nuts, etc.
Soybeans, legumes, and beans are good vegan protein sources with the least fat. If you have had meat for all your meals, vegan protein can help satiate your hunger by making you feel full for long hours.
Include healthy sources of proteins such as tofu, soybean, cereals, etc.. in your daily diet to reap the benefits. For a non-vegetarian, a lean portion is about 6 ounces, whereas it can be half an ounce or less for a vegetarian diet.
To meet your daily recommended intake of protein, set a goal to consume two portions per day spread over three meals, each consisting of 4oz, which will add up to 14oz in one day. Overeating protein in a single meal can result in your body breaking it down instead of utilizing it.
Fats are not bad for you if eaten in the right amount. They help keep you full for a longer time by delaying gastric emptying. Some healthy sources of fats are nuts, seeds, etc., which again come with their unique set of benefits when consumed along with starches and vegan proteins at every meal.
2) Calories:
Keep track of your calorie intake daily to ensure weight loss becomes effective and sustainable in the long run. This is important because you will have to break yourself from the habit of eating too much or too little food than your body requires to maintain your ideal weight—consuming fewer calories than what our body needs leads to weight loss, and eating more calories than what our body needs leads to weight gain.
3) Exercise:
Exercise helps burn excess calories from our bodies without making significant changes to our diet. This is why it’s easy for many people who start exercising to lose weight quickly.
4) Consistency:
Consistency plays a vital role in losing weight as you need to eat healthy five days a week and take a break one day, which can be your cheat meal or vacation where you do not worry about anything.
The idea of consistency should not be confused with daily calorie intake, as this will make you feel hungry all the time and result in binge eating patterns that are bad for your health long term. Instead, be consistent with healthy eating habits, including having at least two portions of vegan protein, carbohydrates, and fats at every meal.
5) Keep a check on your water intake:
Drinking enough water is very important for weight loss because it helps you feel hungry less often by flushing out toxins from the body. If you are not drinking 2-3 liters of water every day, start doing so slowly to see results in weight loss within 3-4 days… The good news is that if you already have 6-7 glasses of water per day, this habit will help increase your chances of losing weight even faster!.
6) Change your mindset:
Make sure that you have a positive attitude about weight instead of thinking negatively, leading to a lack of motivation and desperation. Focus on what you are getting out of weight loss rather than the pounds you are shedding because the latter will only make things worse for you in your journey to reach your goal.
7) Avoid fad diets:
Fad diets that promise unrealistic results with pills, patches, etc., should be avoided entirely as they can cause more harm than good by slowing down metabolism, which is wrong long term.
Stick to healthy eating habits like not consuming too many sweetened food items or oily foods along with regular exercise plans like jogging, cycling, etc., instead of starving yourselves thinking it will help you lose weight faster.
8) Keep a check on snacking:
Most people snack without realizing how many extra calories they are consuming, leading to weight gain. Keep checking your afternoon or evening snacks so you are not overeating them, as they are the most significant hurdle for losing weight.
9) Take smaller steps:
Take small steps towards your weight loss goals, and do not change everything overnight. For example, start by going for a walk or a run of 10 minutes daily and gradually increase it until you are jogging 30-45 minutes every day, which will effectively bring down your weight. If you can’t speed, cycling is also a great option to make sure you stay in shape even when the weather is not good outside.
10) Keep records & take measurements:
Keeping track of our body weight, waist circumference, etc., along with taking pictures periodically, helps us see significant changes over time when compared to how much we weighed before starting our weight loss journey. This keeps us motivated and pushes us even harder to reach our goal weight.
11) Eat more whole foods:
Eating more whole food items like fruits, vegetables, grains, and pulses can help you lose weight faster due to their high fiber content essential for digestion and satiety. Our body tends to feel complete with high fiber content, so we must load up on these types of healthy food options.
12) Get enough sleep:
Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night after eating your last meal as this will help you fight fatigue naturally along with helping keep your hormone levels in check, which will cause weight gain over time if not taken care of properly.