A Healthy Vegan Weight Loss Plan:
 Simple Steps To Success

• Eat at least 400 calories for breakfast every day. If you are not in the habit of eating breakfast, you must change your habits!
  
  Oatmeal or other cooked whole grains are a perfect breakfast. Eat one serving of fresh fruit with your breakfast grains (berries are especially good). Add one Tbsp of ground flaxseed or one ounce of walnuts for omega 3 fats.
  

• Eat as many vegetables as you want. The more leafy greens and green vegetables you eat, the better. Sweet potatoes and regular potatoes are excellent weight loss foods. They are high in fiber, low in fat, and very satisfying. They are especially good for lunches and snacks.

• Eat one cup of legumes per day. Beans, peas, and lentils are all legumes. Soy beans are OK, but only in the form of whole soy beans, edamame or tempeh.

• Eat 2 or 3 servings of fresh fruit per day. Berries are perfect for breakfast. Your other two fruits can be eaten as snacks, appetizers, or dessert. Eating an apple before a meal will naturally reduce the calories you consume. 

• Eat enough intact whole grains to satisfy your hunger. Examples are oatmeal, brown rice, millet, and quinoa. You may eat whole grain pasta if you eat it with lots of vegetables and an oil-free marinara sauce. There is no reason to be hungry on a vegan weight loss plan.
  
  
•  You may have 3 Tbsp of nut or tofu-based salad dressing, 1/4 of an avocado, or several olives per day. Eat them with your salads. The natural fats will help your body absorb nutrients from the vegetables.
  
  
• Take a Vitamin B12 supplement twice a week.

• Avoid all animal products. Eat no meat, poultry, fish or other sea animals, dairy products, or eggs.
  
  
• Do not use oil, margarine, or fatty sauces. This includes olive oil. It is 100% fat and it will slow your weight loss. Tomato sauce and other oil-free sauces are fine.
  
  
• Avoid processed and packaged foods until you learn to read labels and you know exactly what you are doing. Avoid mock meats, vegan cheeses, and anything else with a label.
  
  
• Avoid sugar and all other concentrated sweeteners, including agave nectar and fruit juice concentrates. 
  
  
• Avoid bread, bagels, and other flour products, even products made of whole grain flour. See above for the exception: whole grain pasta.
  
  
• Avoid dried fruits most of the time. They have a high calorie density.

• Avoid high fat plant foods like nuts, seeds, avocado, tofu, coconut, and olives. See above for a few exceptions.

• Drink no beverages that contain calories. Use no artificial sweeteners. Re-educate your tastes so you don't crave sweet drinks. Do not drink fruit juice or make smoothies with your fresh fruit. It is best to drink only water, tea, or a coffee substitute like Teeccino.

• Avoid eating after 8:00 pm, unless you work the night shift. This will ensure that you are hungry in the morning for breakfast. Besides, you don't need a bunch of calories for energy when you are just going to go to sleep. 

• Avoid restaurant meals as much as possible. Restaurant meals contain too little fiber and too much fat. Eating in restaurants is the downfall of many dieters. You will lose weight more easily if you prepare your meals at home.

• Get a pedometer and walk for 10,000 steps per day. Most people who succeed at weight loss exercise every day. You may also do other aerobic exercise for 60 - 90 minutes.

• Your goal is to lose one or two pounds per week. One pound is perfect, especially if you have less than twenty pounds to lose. If you lose more than two pounds a week, your metabolic rate will slow down. Losing weight too fast can also damage your health.

• If you are losing more than two pounds per week, increase your calories in the following order: first try eating more intact whole grains and whole grain pasta. Add bread and other whole grain flour products. Add dried fruit. If you add all of these foods and you are still losing weight too fast, add more high fat plant foods.