10 Tips For A Healthy Vegan Weight Loss Plan

If you are obese or overweight, you are not alone!

Using body mass index as the definition, 35% of adults over age 20 are overweight and an additional 35% are obese (a BMI of 30 or higher).

Furthermore, almost 22% percent of kids aged 6 and through their teens and 12% of kids under age 6 are also obese.

Losing weight is about how we feel about ourselves and what triggers us to make unhealthy or healthy choices.

Here are a few things you can do to have a healthy vegan lifestyle to lose weight with long-term results:

1- Avoid Some Vegetable Oils

Not all oils are created equal but all oils are basically 100% fat, with 9 calories per gram.

One tbs of oil contains about 124 calories.

Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of Omega 6 fatty acids.

The ratio between omega 3 and 6 is very important and most of these vegetable oils contain practically no omega 3 (1).

Unbalanced levels of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fats have been associated with systemic inflammation which, when it becomes chronic, can cause heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and depression.

Note – while it is simple enough to avoid these vegetable oils themselves, the tougher challenge is avoiding all the foods they are in.

READ : Which Cooking Oil Is Good For Health

2- Take Fiber Rich Foods as Much as You Yan

Fiber is a carbohydrate found in plant-based foods that is not digested by the small intestine.

Fiber plays an essential key role in different important physical processes like increasing your satiety, keeping you regular, and helping maintain good heart health, cancer protection and help to support a healthy digestive tract.

You should try to consume at least 28 grams of fiber per day.

A 2015 study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that eating a least 30 grams of dietary fiber per day contributed to weight loss and improved health (2).

Nevertheless, study participants did a lot more than just lose weight, they also experienced improvements in metabolic syndrome, including decreased insulin resistance and lower blood pressure.

Fiber-rich foods include – green beans, okra, raspberries, apples, pumpkin, artichokes, chickpeas, strawberries, sweet potatoes, broccoli, peas, or Brussels sprouts.

Note – you should strive to introduce fiber to your diet slowly.

It may take a few weeks for your intestines to get up to speed with the increased digestion of the fiber.

READ : What Are The Best Anti-Wrinkle Plant-Based Foods?

3- Eat Leafy Greens Every Day

Low in carbohydrates, high in fiber, leafy greens are among the most filling foods you can eat and are recommended as a weight-loss food.

Moreover, leafy greens digest slowly, causing you to feel fuller longer.

They are also brimming with minerals, vitamins, and plant-based substances that may help protect you from heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.

In general, the deeper the green the more nutritional firepower the leaves contain.

Note – eating more leafy greens will cause you to eat smaller amounts of other types of foods, which will help you maintain your current weight or lose weight.

4- Reduce Sodium Intake

Cutting salt (which is mainly sodium chloride) out of your diet not only helps you live longer, but the benefits of a low sodium diet will help you shed extra weight as well.

For instance, The American Heart Association recommends that most adults eat fewer than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

According to a 2015 study at Queen Mary University, London, for every extra gram of salt you eat in a day, your risk of obesity climbs by 25% (3).

The scientists hypothesize that sodium alters our metabolism, changing the way in which we absorb fat.

READ : Why A Plant Based Diet Works For me?

5- Don’t Skip Breakfast to Cut Calories

Many studies show that breakfast eaters tend to be healthier.

For example, they are less likely to be overweight or obese and have a lower risk of several chronic diseases.

A 2008 research at the University of Ottawa, Canada concluded that eating breakfast daily is linked with having a healthy body weight, most likely due to an even distribution of energy intake across meals throughout the day (4).

6- Practice Physical Exercise

Physical exercise is helpful for weight loss and maintaining weight loss, plus, it can increase metabolism.

In addition, practicing a physical activity lowers blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, decreases stress, and makes you feel better.

CDC encourages healthy adults to complete at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week.

Studies, such as the one at the Discipline of Exercise and Sport Science, Sydney, Australia also show cardio can help you burn fat, particularly the dangerous belly fat that increases your risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus and heart disease (5).

READ  How Do Vegans Get Their Cholesterol (The Silent Killer)?

Note – if you’re carrying a little excess baggage and you’re thinking to start running, then either run really slow or go cycling.

7- Drink Plenty of Water

Studies show that drinking more water may benefit weight maintenance and loss.

A 2008 study conducted at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, California, USA examined the effects of increasing water intake to over 1 liter per day.

The researchers established that over a 12-month period, this resulted in an extra 2 kg of weight loss (6).

Note – drinking plain water isn’t the only way to increase your water intake.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are packed with water and contain far more than processed foods.

8- Don’t Eat After 6 P.M.

Limiting late-night eating has been shown to result in weight loss because your fat tissue has a built-in clock.

In fact, the majority of cells in your body run on a 24-hour schedule.

For example, in 2014 scientists have found that feeding animals during abnormal times can “reset” the clocks in their pancreas and liver, which are important to optimizing metabolism (7).

Tip – if you’re legitimately hungry in the evening or even late at night, don’t be afraid to eat.

9- Stay Away From Artificial Sweeteners

These man-made chemicals contain far fewer calories than traditional sweeteners like sugar, which led researchers to consider that their widespread adoption should curb obesity rates.

Well, it hasn’t.

One of the reasons why artificial sweeteners do not help you lose weight relates to the fact that your body is not fooled by sweet taste without accompanying calories (8).

Note – artificial sweeteners are used in processed foods, including baked goods, powdered drink mixes, soft drinks,  candy, puddings, canned foods, jellies, and jams, therefore, always check the labels.

10- Go to Sleep Early

Research increasingly suggests that chronic sleep deprivation can lead to weight gain.

The 2006 study on the relation between weight gain and reduced sleep in women found that those who slept 5 hours or less a night were 15 percent more likely to become obese than women who slept 7 hours a night (9).

Note – combine enough sleep (seven and a half to eight hours) with the tips above and you will achieve positive weight loss results.