Vegan Diet to Lose Weight

Veganism, or abstinence from all animal products, is not inherently a weight-loss program. Weight loss always comes down to consuming fewer calories than your body burns. You can, however, enjoy weight-loss success by living up to some of the highest ideals of veganism and consuming a diet that consists mainly of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains. Because these foods are more filling and nutrient-dense than junk food or animal products, they result in a lower caloric intake and, in turn, weight loss.

Protein

If you decide to become vegan, prepare to be asked the question "But how do you get your protein?" at least once a day. While it is essential to consume adequate protein for optimal health, it is certainly not hard to do so, and the average American consumes more protein than they need. Every food you consume, with the exception of fruit and simple sugars, contains protein. Grains have about 2 g per 100 calories, vegetables have about 4 to 8 g per 100 calories and beans contain about 6 to 8 g per 100 calories. Healthy adults should consume 0.8 g of protein per 1 kg of body weight per day. Athletes require 1.0 to 1.2 g of protein per 1 kg per day. Because a 180 lb. person weighs just under 82 kg, he needs only 65 to 82 g of protein per day. That means that even if you eat only vegetables, you would still fulfill your protein requirements in 1,625 calories. If you consider the beans, tofu, soy milk or other concentrated sources of protein you may be consuming, it's possible that your concern should be focused on avoiding too much protein rather than getting enough.

Fat

There are plenty of fats that do not come from animal products, like olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable oil and margarine. To lose weight, you will need to avoid the pitfall of consuming a high concentration of added fats because each 1 g of fat contributes 9 calories to your daily tally. Focus on eating fresh foods complemented by steamed, roasted or stir-fried dishes to minimize the added fats you consume. You do need some fat in your diet for optimal health, but ideally it should make up only 15 to 20 percent of your caloric intake. That means that for a 1,500-calorie diet, you should only include 25 to 33 g of fat each day.

Carbohydrate

The bulk of a healthy diet comes from carbohydrates. Around 55 to 75 percent of your caloric intake should be from carbohydrates. Vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans contain a high percentage of carbohydrate and are the ideal sources from which you should consume your carbohydrates. This advice may sound strange as there has been a great deal of attention payed to the need for "cutting" carbohydrates. Part of the difficulty is in the vast range of carbohydrate choices. For example, if you ate a diet of pancakes, doughnuts, white pasta, white rice and cherry slushies, you would be consuming a diet of almost pure carbohydrates. Unfortunately these carbohydrates have been stripped of nutritional value and concentrated into high-calorie foods with few nutrients. To make healthy carbohydrate choices, focus on foods that are as close to the way they grew as possible. Choose whole grains over refined, apples over apple pie and broccoli over cream of broccoli soup.

Balanced Diet

When weight loss is your goal, it's helpful to begin your diet planning with the lowest calorie foods -- vegetables. Start out with a blank menu plan for either a day or week and consider how you will incorporate the 2 1/2 cups or more of vegetables each day recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Then, go back over the menu and add the 2 cups or more of fruit that are recommended. Next, add the 6 oz. of whole grains. Tally up the calories you've used with the vegetables, fruits and whole grains you plan to eat and compare that number with your calorie goals. You can divide the remaining calories among more of the same or between "treat" foods like fats and sweets. Make sure when you are adding the "treats" that you don't exceed 10 percent of calories from sugar or 25 percent of calories from fat.
If all of this seems like a lot of accounting and meticulous planning, don't let that dissuade you. Writing out menu plans and calculations can help you to be sure you are eating a balanced diet and sticking to your plan. You won't have to keep doing it forever, though. Once you've got a handle on your new eating patterns, a balanced diet will come naturally with little -- if any -- planning.