Achieving Healthy Weight Loss

You have been putting it off all year, now it is definitely time to address the fact that your clothes don’t fit as well anymore. In fact there are some articles of clothing that you long to wear, but don’t dare because they exaggerate even more than you are comfortable with those unwanted bulges and rolls of fat. In addition to all of this, the holidays are fast approaching with their rounds of visiting and social events all of which involve eating. Not just eating, but eating lots of high fat, high calorie specialty foods. So what are you to do? How about kick-starting your weight loss goal with a three week low fat vegan vegetarian diet.

Although the word diet is used, this is not a fad diet by any stretch of the imagination, this is a lifestyle choice which may require you to change the way you eat, and if you really wish to see great results include physical activity as well, just for starters.

The thought of a vegetarian diet may conjure up visions of endless plates of salads and raw foods, but believe me that's far from the reality. There are so many delicious vegan vegetarian meals that are low in fat and high in fiber from a variety of whole grains, fruits and vegetables that you will eat to satiety and not feel hungry. The key to success is choice.

Some vegetarian diets may not be as healthy as others if they include a lot of processed foods and fats, and are low in whole grains, vegetables and fruits, so do not be fooled into thinking that just by choosing to go vegetarian you are going to achieve your weight loss goals without making good choices.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has a great healthy weight loss plan and recommends focusing on the “New Four Food Groups” (grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits) in order to meet nutritional needs and achieve success.

Servings Required to Meet Nutritional Needs

Grains

You need eight servings a day (about 80 kcal per serving). Serving size varies. For cooked grains such as oatmeal or pasta a serving is ½ cup, one serving of dry cereal (one ounce) is usually ¾ cup to 1 cup, one slice of bread, or half a pita bread or tortilla is the equivalent of one serving. Most bagels are about four servings. While eight servings of grains may seem to be a lot it is quite easy to achieve. Start your day with a cooked cereal (1 cup of oatmeal for breakfast), and have a hearty lunch (a bowl of pasta made with 1½ cups of spaghetti with a slice of French bread) and a lighter meal for supper (a sandwich with two slices of bread), and you will have met your 8-servings goal.

Legumes

You require 3 servings of legumes daily (about 100 kcal per serving). This is easily achieved by eating ½ cup of cooked beans, ½ cup of low-fat bean spread (such as lentil pate or hummus), 1 cup low-fat soymilk, or 1 ounce of a veggie meat substitute.

Vegetables

Your goal is to eat at least 4 servings of vegetables each day (about 35-50 kcal per serving). A serving size of cooked vegetables is ½ cup and raw is 1 cup. You may eat as many servings from this group as you desire, but remember adding high fat, high calorie dressings and sauces to them will render them less healthy, and hinder your weight loss goals. Be sure to make at least one of your vegetable servings dark green leafy vegetables (broccoli, kale, or collards). They are rich in calcium in addition to other nutrients..

Fruits

Three servings of fruit daily is the recommended amount. With the abundant variety of fruits available all year round this is easily accomplished, especially as one serving (about 80 kcal) is ½ cup chopped or one small piece of fruit. Experience the different flavours keeping in mind that the calorie counts of some fruits are higher than others. Some low-calorie, high-nutrition fruits include blueberries, grapefruit, kiwis, mangoes, strawberries, peaches, plums, oranges, and raspberries.

Tracking Food Servings

Initially it is recommended that you keep a food journal. It is amazing how we perceive things. Writing our food intake down for a few weeks initially helps us to better determine how we eat and where we may need to make adjustments in our diet. If still hungry when following the recommended servings it is possible to add foods from the vegetables and legumes group. It is important not to restrict servings and go below 1200 kcal per day.

Tips & Tricks for Success

Cutting out meat will not be easy for some people. To ease the transition experiment with meat substitutes (go for low-fat)

Focus on accomplishing your goal one day at a time

If time is a factor use frozen or canned beans and vegetables

Use cooking spray when oils cannot be avoided

Sauté vegetables in broth

Improve the taste of vegetables by steaming vs. boiling

Read labels on all food products

When eating out request vegetable dishes without the sauce

Keep fruits and cut vegetables on hand to replace unhealthy snacks

Get rid of unhealthy snacks at home and at the office