Starting a plant based diet journey is fun and rewarding in so many ways, but when you find yourself stuck at a weight loss plateau on a plant based diet, you might start to feel frustrated with your new vegan lifestyle especially if your main reason for doing it was to lose weight. I’ll share with you the most common problems that creep up and cause your weight loss to stop.
Things That Cause A Weight Loss Plateau On A Plant Based Diet
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Eating too many processed meat and cheese replacements can cause a weight loss stall.
It’s easy to get carried away with processed foods when you see in the grocery store that they have a vegan replacement for just about every meat and cheese product. Unfortunately, these items have a lot of extra stuff in them. Many of the meat substitutes are high in fat and calories. Stick to the basics of whole foods while you’re trying to lose weight. If you need some whole food plant based recipe inspiration, check out this book of quick and easy plant based recipes
Eating added oils and fats on a vegan diet can get you stuck at a weight loss plateau
A low fat plant based diet will help you bust through a weight loss plateau on your plant based diet. Check labels of everything you eat to see the fat content. Instead of using oil to saute veggies, use vegetable broth. If you need some guidelines for changing your vegan diet to low fat, this book is what I follow
Eating too much sugar can stop weight loss on a plant based diet
If you’re adding sugar, coconut sugar, agave and maple syrup to things on a regular basis, you might be eating too much sugar in your plant based diet. A little bit is ok, but if you think you might be going overboard, cut back on your sugar intake and see if it makes a difference in your weight loss efforts.
Eating a lot of bread and processed flour foods instead of whole foods can halt your weight loss
If you’re eating bread items and cereals, this might be the culprit causing your weight loss stall. Try limiting the amount of processed carbs and stick to whole foods like brown rice, potatoes and oats to break your weight loss plateau.
Eating in restaurants too often can add up in calories and keep you stuck in your weight loss efforts.
I love eating in restaurants, but when you see the amount of calories and fat some of the dishes have in them, it’s crazy. At one restaurant I went to, just a veggie burger had over 1,100 calories! I don’t count calories or recommend counting calories, but I’m also realistic and know that they do matter somewhat in weight loss. Eating almost a day’s worth of calories in one burger can’t be a good thing. Try to limit eating in restaurants to once a week or less to get over your weight loss plateau on a plant based diet.
Holding on to stress and anger can cause your body to stop losing weight.
Mindset can be a huge factor in a weight loss stall. I developed a method to release the anger and frustration at yourself and your body around weight loss and health so you can start living healthily and lose the weight easily. It’s truly freeing and will leave you feeling lighter and less stressed.
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You’ve probably heard about some of the health benefits of eating a plant based diet including weight loss. It’s true that you can lose a lot of weight on a plant based or vegan diet, but there are a few things you should know before you jump in so you get it right the first time and avoid the frustration of not seeing the scale go down. I’m giving you my best tips for how to start a plant based diet for weight loss for women as well as some resources that will help you get on your way to losing weight fast.
. I was worried that they would show a lot of stuff about the animal cruelty in these movies because it’s just too heartbreaking for me to watch, but both movies just briefly touched on it without much imagery about the animals that will leave you devastated. Both of these documentaries are mostly about the health benefits of a plant based diet and how it all works in your body.