Three key principles will help you achieve weight loss whilst adhering to your vegan diet:
Vegan on Female First
1) To eat in a calorie deficit to your daily requirements - By eating slightly less than you burn, your body will turn to stores within the body as a source of energy. An average female’s total daily calorie limit is 2000 calories per day, and so eating 400-500 calories less will put you in an adequate deficit for weight loss. However, it’s important to remember that total daily calorie limits will vary depending on your age, activity level, and other factors.
2) To aim to increase muscle protein synthesis - The aim here is to change the composition of your body, reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass which will make you look leaner. Increasing muscle mass is an important process of weight loss as, although muscle weighs more than fat, in the long term helps us keep weight off as muscle requires burning more calories for energy.
3) To adapt your meals so that you feel fuller for longer - By increasing the protein and fibre content of your meals you will be less likely to reach for additional or unhealthy snacks throughout the day.
4) Be carbohydrate smart - Carbohydrates get absorbed into your blood at different rates. The more complex the carb and higher in fibre (low GI foods), the slower it will be absorbed compared to high GI carbs. The key here is to be smart when consuming these types of carbs. When exercising your body will need fuel rapidly and so you can have high GI foods in moderation such as white versions of grains, potatoes, agave nectar. The rest of the time opt for low GI foods such as whole versions of grains, oats, lentils and beans. Vegetables should be a staple part of every meal.
Variety is vital for keeping your diet balanced and exciting, meaning you’re not missing key nutrients and are more likely to stick to the plan!
Although diet has been shown to be more effective for weight loss than exercise, increasing your physical activity can complement the effects of a healthy diet. In addition, exercise has been shown to have many benefits to health that extend beyond weight loss.
As with most vegan diets, this plan is full of fibre. Dietary fibre has been shown to have numerous health benefits. Not only is it incredibly beneficial in reducing “bad” LDL cholesterol levels, dietary fibre also helps with weight management by helping to reduce your appetite. Due to this conclusive research, the government have increased daily recommendations from 18g to 30g per day.
To give you an idea of exactly how much fibre is in commonly consumed foods:
- Medium sized banana - 3.1g fibre
- Medium sized pear - 5.5g fibre
- 75g cooked lentils - 15.6g fibre
- 100g tinned cooked kidney beans - 6.2g fibre
- 50g oats - 5.3g fibre
In addition to this, the main meals in the plan aim to have at least 15g of protein. Protein is an essential macronutrient and is vital in muscle protein synthesis. Many individuals assume that you can only get protein from animal sources, however, although you probably need to eat a bit more (gram for gram), there are great plant-based sources of protein.
To give you an idea of how much protein is in some plant-based foods:
- Brown rice (125g cooked) - 5g protein
- Puy lentils (125g ready cooked) - 13g protein
- Soy milk (100ml) - 3g protein
- Broccoli (100g) - 4g protein
- Whole wheat penne (75g uncooked) - 9g protein
Week 1
Day 1
Breakfast
Oats with oat milk, pea protein, blueberries and agave
40g rolled oats
100ml oat milk
100ml water
25g vegan (e.g. pea) protein
50g blueberries
12ml agave syrup
Snack
Celery, raisins and peanut butter
1 celery stick
20g peanut butter
20g raisins
Lunch
Sweet potato, beetroot and puy lentil salad
125g pre-cooked puy lentils
100g sweet potato
80g cooked beetroot
100g spinach
35ml olive oil
15ml balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to season
Snack
Handful of nuts
25g nuts of choice for example almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, walnuts
Dinner
Bean chili, brown rice with natural soya yoghurt
(serves 2 - save half for lunch the next day)
400g (1 tin) kidney beans
800g (2 tins) tomatoes
200g black beans
100g red pepper
100g courgette
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp cumin
50g natural soya yoghurt (to serve)
125g precooked brown rice (to serve)
Day 2
Breakfast
Chickpea omelette with red onion, tomato and avocado
Chickpea batter:
70 g chickpea flour
195ml unsweetened non-dairy milk
10ml apple cider vinegar
2 tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp baking soda
0.75g sea salt to tasteFilling:
30g red onion
1 garlic clove
80g tomatoes
40g avocado
1 tbsp coriander
Salt and pepper to flavour
Snack
Natural soya yoghurt with blueberries
150g natural soya yoghurt
50g berries of your choice for example blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries
Lunch
Bean chili in a wholemeal wrap
Bean chilli - as made from the previous night
50g natural vegan yoghurt
1 wholemeal wrap
Snack
Carrot sticks and hummus
100g carrots
30g houmous
Dinner
Edamame stir fry with rice noodles
50g edamame beans
150g rice noodles
10g sesame seeds
50g carrots
50g broccoli
fresh ginger
20ml soy sauce
20g peanut butter
Chilli flakes
Wedge of lime
Day 3
Breakfast
Smashed avocado on toast with protein smoothie
1 slice wholemeal or seeded bread
60g avocado
Wedge of lime
Salt and pepper to season
Chilli flakes
25g vegan protein (flavoured) made with 200ml soya milk
Snack
apple with peanut butter
1 apple
20g peanut butter
Lunch
Sweet potato, black bean and broccoli salad bowl
100g sweet potato
100g black beans
100g broccoli
1 tsp olive oil
50g red onion
100g cherry tomatoes
50g coriander
Wedge of lime
Salt and pepper to flavour
Snack
Roasted chickpeas
120g cooked canned chickpeas
Flavour with spice of your choice such as paprika, turmeric, garam masala, salt, pepper
Dinner
Vegan Mac'n'cheese served garlic kale (serves 2)
150g macaroni
55g vegan butter
1.25g salt 3.4g paprika 2.4g granulated onionGround pepper
17.25g chickpea flour32g nutritional yeast
6ml balsamic vinegar
¾ cup water
1 spring onion (to serve)
80g cherry tomatoes (to serve)
100g kale (to serve)
1 clove garlic (to serve)
Day 4
Breakfast
Oats with oat milk, pea protein, blueberries and agave
40g rolled oats
100ml oat milk
100ml water
25g vegan (e.g. pea) protein
50g blueberries
2 tsp agave syrup
Snack
Natural soya yoghurt with blueberries
150g natural soya yoghurt
50g berries of your choice for example blueberries, strawberries or raspberries
Lunch
Sundried tomato, chickpea and olive penne pasta
100g Sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil mix
100g pre-cooked chickpeas
15g black pitted olives
75g uncooked whole wheat penne
100g spinach
Snack
Handful of nuts
25g nuts of choice for example almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, walnuts
*carbohydrate smart
Dinner
Aubergine and red lentil stew (serves 2)
600g aubergine
250g pre-cooked red lentils
225g tomatoes
1 large red onion
1 inch root ginger
4 garlic cloves
4 tablespoons olive oil
5ml tomato purée
Day 5
Breakfast
Chia protein pudding with berries
25g chia seeds
100ml oat milk
20g vegan protein powder
50g blueberries
35ml agave nectar
Snack
Banana and peanut butter
1 small banana or half a large banana
20g peanut butter
Lunch
Roasted veg, black bean and hummus wrap
85g red pepper
100g courgette
50g houmous
100g black beans
1 wholemeal wrap
Spices of your choice to flavour
Snack
Carrot sticks and hummus
100g carrots
30g houmous
Dinner
Sweet potato, beetroot and puy lentil salad
125g pre-cooked puy lentils
100g sweet potato
80g cooked beetroot
100g spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
15ml balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to season
Day 6
Breakfast
Protein banana pancakes topped with blueberries and soya yoghurt
130g (1 medium) banana
25g vegan (e.g. pea) protein
120g oats
200ml soy milk
Snack
Celery, raisins and peanut butter
1 celery stick
20g peanut butter
20g raisins
Lunch
Black bean and avocado burrito
100g black beans
60g avocado
1 wholemeal wrap
80g tomato
80g red onion
50g natural soya yoghurt
Snack
Roasted chickpeas
120g chickpeas
1 tbsp olive oil
Spices of your choice: paprika, turmeric, garam masala, salt, pepper
Dinner
Vegetable and chickpea stew with brown rice (serves 2)
100g shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 celery stick
1 tbsp olive oil
175g courgette
175g red pepper
175g carrot
100g mushrooms
400g (1 tin) tomatoes
150ml vegetable stock
4 tbsp mixed herbs
1 bay leaf
1 tsp fennel seed
pinch cayenne pepper
black pepper
240g (1 tin) cooked chickpeas
fresh parsley
250g precooked brown rice
Day 7
Breakfast
Wholemeal toast topped with tahini, blueberries and a protein smoothie
1 slice wholemeal or seeded bread
25g tahini
50g blueberries
20g agave nectar
25g vegan protein (flavoured) made with 200ml soya milk
Snack
Apple with peanut butter
1 medium apple
20g peanut butter
Lunch
Warm chickpea salad (serves 2)
400g (1 tin) chickpeas
3 tbsp olive oil
300g mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
150ml vegan plain yoghurt
Big handful chopped mint leaves
250g baby spinach
Salt and pepper to season
Snack
Handful of nuts
25g nuts of choice for example almonds, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, walnuts
Dinner
Dhal with spinach and brown rice served with natural yoghurt
125 cooked lentils
1 medium tomato
1 clove garlic
0.5g dried coriander 0.25g cumin 0.5g garam masala 0.25g turmeric100ml vegetable stock
150g spinach
125g pre-cooked brown rice
50g natural soya yoghurt
Written by Alexis Poole at Spoon.Guru
Alexis Poole (ANutr, BSc)
Spoon Guru Nutrition Manager
Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr)
BSc Nutrition, King’s College London
Tagged in Weight loss Vegan