Going vegan is trending now. It has become very popular in recent years. There are many advantages of being a vegetarian like the low risk of chronic diseases and many mental benefits. Weight loss is a difficult task for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians, but vegetarians have a little edge.
The guide for weight loss for vegetarians is a bit easy when compared to non-vegetarians. There is a specific diet that you need to follow to cut down your extra kilos. For this, you need to avoid eating refined carbs and highly processed food. But no need to worry, when we are here. We will guide you in the whole process of weight loss for vegetarians. Let’s first know what a vegetarian diet is.
What is a Vegetarian Diet?
A diet that has been obtained naturally from plants is considered to be a vegetarian diet. It excludes meat, fish, and poultry. This diet holds many health benefits. Vegetarians can also be classified into four categories. They are Lacto-ovo-vegetarian (a diet that allows diet and egg products but excludes meat, poultry, and fish), Vegan (excluding all animal products), Ovo-vegetarian (a diet that allows eggs but excludes fish, poultry, meat, and dairy), and Lacto-vegetarian (diet will only allow dairy products). There are some other types of vegetarians present like flexitarian and pescatarian which also include some sort of animal in their diet plan.
Basically, vegetarians are those people who are perfectly dependent on vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and fruits for their survival. Vegetarian’s diet has always been rich in fiber content and low in calories which proves to be beneficial for their body. This reduces heart-related and cancer-related risks. If you want to lose some extra calories being vegetarian, then you can do smart work, not hard work. Overeating is always dangerous for your health be it vegetarians or non-vegetarians. And, make sure you are sanitizing your hands with a Hand Sanitizer before waiting for anything.
What stops you from losing weight being a vegetarian
Being vegetarian, there are not many hurdles that will stop you from losing weight until and unless you are not overeating. There are some special factors that stop you to shed some extra weight and they are mentioned below.
1. Eating a less protein enriched diet.
Well, no matter how much you are consuming, if your diet is not protein enriched, then you are wasting half of your tummy’s space and converting it into fat. A major reason for weight gain is the intake of large calories rather than consuming them. If this ratio increases, your weight will definitely increase. Your diet should be protein enriched.
Protein is considered the building block of our body, and they increase their fullness by decreasing the level of ghrelin. This is a hormone that is responsible for stimulating hunger. If It is proactive, then it will start craving your body for some extra calories which will lead to weight gain. A protein-enriched diet will make you feel full in the small portion which will definitely help you to shed some extra weight. Being vegetarian, focus more on paneer, eggs, soya chunks, milk, and other sources to fill your stomach.
2. Refined carbs
Eating too many refined carbs is one of the most important reasons for weight gain. It became a hamper in weight loss, instead; boost weight gain. These foods include pizza, bread, pasta, and some other fast food that contain refined carbs. They are a major source of taste for vegetarians, but you have to avoid them if you want to shed some extra kilos. These sorts of foods do not curb hunger, instead; they will give you extra calories which you will find difficult to consume if you are not working out.
The food which is enriched in refined carbs can also increase the blood sugar level as studies show that they can easily trigger the release of extra insulin. Increased blood sugar level promotes weight gain instead of weight loss. According to one survey of 500,000 adults, one who is suffering from a higher blood sugar level is also suffering from a greater Body Mass Index.
3. Overdoing calorie-rich foods
If you are vegetarian, then it is obvious that you are eating high-fat plant food. There are some vegetarian foods available that are enriched with fat and if taken in excess, can become a hamper in your weight loss process. Food like nuts, seeds, butter, coconut, avocados, and other such food are known for their fat content and if consumed in large quantities, they will not allow you to shed your extra weight.
They will give you more calories as compared to the same gram of protein and carbs. Thus, if you are heading towards the process of weight loss, then you should avoid such fat-rich food, not completely but 95 times out of 100. These foods are calorie-rich food which will not help you in the weight loss process.
4. Focusing on Highly processed vegetarian foods
If a large portion of your diet includes processed food, then you are going to face a hard time during the weight loss process. These sorts of foods will give you some extra kilos instead of taking them from you.
There are countless products which you should avoid like burgers, meat substitutes, packaged dessert, freezer meat, baked foods, and vegan cheese, these sorts of foods are termed as highly processed vegetarian food that is known for giving weight. They contain some ingredients like sodium and chemical preservatives that will increase your blood sugar level, thus helping you in weight gain. Thus, you should avoid such food as much as possible and always eat something healthy.
Guide for weight loss for vegetarians
This section will deal with the guide for weight loss for vegetarians. You will get all the tips and tricks to some extra kilos within a month.
1. Eat less but healthy
Eating less and healthy is equally beneficial as eating a full plate without nutrition. Eating less will give you fewer calories but equal energy which will boost your weight loss process. Fill your plate with non-starchy vegetables like mushrooms, green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, zucchini, and broccoli. These vegetables will decrease the calorie intake in your body and will give you equivalent energy. Consider starting a small indoor garden to harvest the freshest ingredients for your favorite dishes. You can also try growing mushrooms at home by starting a growing kit. This is easy to use, and you can place it on your countertop. In a few weeks, you can start harvesting some to use in your own recipes.
2. Protein-rich diet
Protein is very essential for the proper functioning of our body. Eatables like nuts, seeds, eggs, lentils, and dairy products are rich in protein. You can omit carbs and take these eatables. Make sure you are disinfecting your raw food with any Fogger Machine so that they become safe to eat.
3. Omit complex carbs completely
Food that has high carb or complex carbs should be omitted completely for weight loss. They are weight-increasing substances and will hamper your weight loss process.
4. Avoid high-calorie food
As we have mentioned above, eating food that is high in calories is more probable to increase your weight. You get more kilos when you are unable to burn those extra intakes. This is the reason why it is recommended to avoid eating high-calorie enriched food. You can eat high-energy-giving substances rather than eating high-calorie-giving substances. Keep nuts in your diet in every meal in small proportions.
5. Eating mostly whole foods
You might be aware of the fact that eating unprocessed food like whole fruits and vegetables will boost the weight loss process. They will help you in losing more weight as they are energy-giving food and not calories giving. You can add fruit to every meal of your day.
6. Stop eating processed food
Processed food is very dangerous for our health. These foods are known to increase the blood sugar level, which basically gives you some extra weight. You can switch these foods into something healthy.
Healthy vegetarian food that you should eat to reduce weight
This section will pinpoint some healthy vegetarian food that you should eat to reduce your weight. The below-mentioned food items are rich in energy-giving substances rather than calorie-giving substances. You can also add dairy products and eggs according to your regimen. Let’s discuss some of such food ingredients.
1. Starchy vegetables like winter squash, corn, peas, potatoes.
2. Non-starchy vegetables like cucumber, celery, carrots, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, mushroom, cauliflower, bell pepper, broccoli.
3. Fruits like kiwi, mango, citrus, grapes, bananas, apple, berries, oranges.
4. Beans and legumes like lentils, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans.
5. Whole grains like bulgur wheat, barley, millet, rice, quinoa.
6. Healthy fats like cheese, nut butter, seeds, nuts, coconut, olive oil, and avocado.
7. Lean proteins like beans edamame, tempeh, tofu, milk, Greek yogurt, nut butter, legumes, beans.
8. Nuts and seeds like butter, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, almonds.
9. Water and other healthy beverages like plain tea or coffee, fruit-infused water, natural flavored seltzer, unsweetened tea including Darjeeling, Assam Nilgiri tea, sparkling water.
10. Roots and Tubers like turnips, yams, sweet potatoes, carrots, potatoes.
11. Dairy products like cheese, yogurt, milk, ghee.
If you want a sample vegetarian diet plan which you can follow, then don’t worry, we will provide you that also.
Sample Vegetarian meal plan for weight loss
In this section, we will give you a sample vegetarian meal plan for weight loss which you can follow a full week.
Day 1.
- Breakfast: Cinnamon, peanut butter, brown bread, daliya, oats, or apples.
- Lunch: Salad, lentils, two-three chapatis, avocado, and tomatoes.
- Dinner: Soup, whole grain bread, and salad.
- Snacks: Dark chocolates with almonds.
Day 2.
- Breakfast: Berries, scrambled eggs, broccoli, and butter.
- Lunch: Salad, a burrito bowl with brown rice, and avocado.
- Dinner: White beans, sunflower seeds, marinara, and two chapatis with lentils.
- Snack: Any fruit.
Day 3.
- Breakfast: Walnuts, shredded coconut, and pineapple.
- Lunch: Soup with salad.
- Dinner: Eggplant parmesan and whole-grain
- Snacks: Berries or granola bars.
Day 4.
- Breakfast: Plain Greek yogurt, smoothie bowl, almond milk with two bananas.
- Lunch: Egg salad, hummus, strawberries, and whole-grain bread.
- Dinner: Soy sauce, soup, and honey.
- Snack: Nuts and any fruit.
Day 5.
- Breakfast: Hemp seeds, two eggs, a side of grapes, and two brown bread.
- Lunch: Carrots, pecans, dried cranberries, and goat cheese.
- Dinner: Stir-fry with tofu, homemade chickpea patties, mushroom, and edamame.
- Snack: Cherries and nuts.
You can follow this meal to reduce your weight being a vegetarian.
So, here was the guide for weight loss for vegetarians. It is a tried and tested guide which will help you to shed some extra kilos. You can also work out along with this diet to shed more weight in a short duration. And, always stick to healthy food.
