It's not uncommon for people to switch to vegan diets in an attempt to lose weight. However, it's not quite as prevalent for existing vegans to go on diets to slim down. Although low-calorie fruits and vegetables immediately come to mind with the word "vegan," a vegan diet is not necessarily healthy and can contain just as many calories and just as much fat or processed foods as a more conventional eating plan. Thus, it's sometimes necessary to make dietary changes as a vegan to gradually lose weight.
Step 1
Figure out how many calories you currently eat daily so that you'll have a base number to use in your weight loss plan. You can employ an online calorie calculator to track your numbers and give you daily totals, such as My Plate on LIVESTRONG.com. Once you have calorie totals for three or four normal days of eating, use them to find an average.
Step 2
Settle on a daily calorie goal. For example, if you currently eat 2,000 calories daily and you drop down to 1,500, you can lose 1 lb. per week without adding any exercise to your plan. If you cut it down to 1,000, you can lose 2 lbs. per week. Keep in mind that the National Institutes of Health advises men not to eat fewer than 1,500 calories daily, or women fewer than 1,200, unless they are following a doctor-recommended, medically supervised very-low-calorie diet.
Step 3
Use the calorie counter as you reduce portions of what you normally eat and swap out calorie-rich foods for lighter alternatives. Avoid eating too much oil, butter substitutes, nuts, nut butter, seeds, granola, baked goods and other high-calorie vegan foods. Instead, focus on foods that have low energy densities. MayoClinic.com defines those items as having high water and fiber contents and low fat and calorie counts. Examples include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nonfat dairy substitutes and lean proteins such as tofu.
Step 4
Combine your reduced-calorie plan with regular physical activity. Scott Hughes of VeganClub.org recommends tracking the number of calories you burn with exercise every day in a journal or another online counter because those burned calories will speed up your rate of weight loss. If your goal is to lose 2 lbs. per week, for instance, but you only want to cut daily calories by 500, you can make up the remaining 500 with moderate to vigorous daily exercise. Be sure to check with your physician before beginning any new diet or workout plan.
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