Vegetarian diets are gaining popularity due to their health benefits and ethical considerations. Research indicates that plant-based diets can be effective for weight loss and maintenance. This article provides a detailed guide on how to use a macro-based approach within a vegetarian diet to achieve weight loss goals.
Understanding Macronutrients
Macronutrients are essential components of our diet, including carbohydrates, protein, and fat. They provide calories, which give our body energy to function. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend the average adult gets about 45 to 65 percent of calories from carbohydrates, 20 to 35 percent from fat, and 10 to 35 percent from protein in order to reduce our risk of disease and early death.
- Carbohydrates: The primary energy source for the brain.
- Proteins: Important for building muscles, repairing tissues, and overall body maintenance.
- Fats: Provide energy, aid in nutrient absorption, and support various bodily functions.
Plant-based diets emphasize whole foods while limiting meat, dairy, eggs, and refined or processed foods. These diets are rich in fiber, promoting healthy gut bacteria and reducing the risk of certain cancers.
Macro-Based Approach for Weight Loss
Flexible dieting, or tracking macros, is a specific way of counting calories. Macronutrient ratios can be adjusted towards a calorie surplus for muscle gain, a calorie deficit for fat loss, or to maintain weight.
The most important nutritional factor for weight loss is being in a calorie deficit, where you burn more calories than you consume.
Read also: Is a Vegetarian Elimination Diet Right for You?
Calculating Your Macros
Determine Your Calorie Goal:
- Start by tracking your current calorie intake to find your maintenance level.
- Subtract 300-500 calories from your maintenance calories to create a calorie deficit.
Calculate Protein Needs:
- Protein is crucial for muscle retention and increasing metabolic rate.
- Aim for 1.2-2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight (g/kg/bw).
Determine Fat Intake:
- Healthy fats are essential for vitamin absorption and overall health.
- Consume 20-35% of your daily calories from healthy fats, keeping saturated fats under 10%.
Fill Remaining Calories with Carbohydrates:
- Choose healthy carbohydrates from whole foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains.
Vegetarian Macro Meal Plan
A vegetarian macro meal plan can help answer most of the questions you had on the vegetarian diet.
Read also: Healthy Vegetarian Eating
Macro Cheat Sheet for Vegans
This macro sheet covers vegan sources of carbohydrates, fats and protein.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates differ from refined carbohydrates to unrefined, complex carbohydrates.Consider fiber when choosing carbohydrates.
Starchy Carbohydrates:
- Root Vegetables: Carrots and beets are nutrient-rich and contain a modest amount of carbohydrates.
- Squashes: Butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, and kabocha squash are nutrient-rich.
- Sweet Potato: A medium sweet potato has about 24 grams of complex carbohydrates.
- Potatoes: Potatoes are a filling, nutritious starchy carb source.
- Brown Rice:
- Quinoa:
- Rolled Oats: 1/2 cup of dry rolled oats contains 33 grams of carbs with over 6 grams of protein and just 3 grams of fat.
- Legumes: Beans and lentils are a good source of complex carbohydrates and also contain protein.
Fruits:
Low-GI Fruits:
Read also: Is a Chicken-Inclusive Vegetarian Diet Right for You?
- Blueberries: Blueberries are antioxidant-rich and have anti-inflammatory and cancer-fighting properties.
- Apples: A medium apple has about 22 grams of carbs.
- Strawberries: Strawberries are high-fibre, nutrient-rich treat.
Higher-Sugar Fruits: Bananas are like a natural power bar and make a convenient way to fuel on the go.Use these fruits as a natural source of quick energy such as before, during or after a workout.
Non-Starchy Vegetables:
- Zucchini: Zucchini is my favorite way to bulk up meals without extra carbs.
- Broccoli: Broccoli is a healthy source of carbs.
Whole grains are rich in iron, folate, B vitamins and fiber.
Proteins
- Plant-Based Protein Sources:
- Getting protein from a wide range of foods ensures you’ll get all the essential amino acids that you need.
- Legumes such as beans and lentils are a good source of complex carbohydrates but also contain protein.
Fats
- Healthy Fats:
- Unsaturated fats that contain omega-3, 6 and 9’s include nuts, seeds, avocado, olives and some oils.
- Saturated fats include cacao and coconut butter.
- Choose whole foods over oils so you can take advantage of the fiber and micronutrients they contain.
- I mostly get fats from nuts, seeds, nut butter, tahini and avocado but I love coconut and cacao too.
Sample Meal Plan
Here’s a sample meal plan for both a rest day and a workout day.
- Stir Fry:
- Saute the veggies in a nonstick skillet until they are slightly tender.
- Toss in the Seiten and seasonings.
- Stir till heated.
Tips for Hitting Your Macros
- Eat More Veggies:
- Increasing your non-starchy vegetable intake by eating more foods like cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, peppers and cauliflower.
- Eat more veggies.
- Adjust Your Macro Ratio:
- If you eat a plant-based diet, there’s nothing wrong with eating less protein and more fats and carbohydrates so you can focus on meeting your protein needs with whole foods (rather than protein powder, seitan and processed soy products).
- Adjusting your macros.
- Eat Protein with Every Meal:
- The easiest way to meet your protein requirements is to include a source of protein with every meal and snack.
- Consider protein powder.
- Get familiar with plant protein sources.
- Enjoy a Daily Smoothie:
- Protein Coffee: I love coffee blended with MCT oil and/or vanilla protein powder.
- Proatmeal: I pretty much always add protein to my oatmeal.
- Protein Cookie Dough:
- Protein Pancakes:
- Making Swaps:
- Eating More Soups and Salads:
Fiber Intake
- The recommended daily amount of fiber is just 25 grams.
- There’s nothing wrong with getting some sugar in your diet from whole food sources such as fruits and whole grains.
- The sugar in these foods gives us energy and comes along with fiber and other nutrients.
- If you find yourself constantly eating much more than that, take a look at where your carbohydrates are coming from.
Supplements
- If you’re trying to build muscle, protein supplementation will really help.
- Most are pea-protein based.
- I’ve tried Vega Sport Protein.
- Kos is another one to try.
Tracking Your Food
- Start Recording Everything You Eat and Drink:
- Use an Excel spreadsheet, a notepad on your phone, an app, or even just a pen and paper.
- Record the amounts, the food itself, and the calories.
- Be as specific as you can be.
- Don’t tweak the numbers, don’t sneak unrecorded food, and don’t try to be “good” just because you’re keeping track.
- This is the most accurate way to find out where you currently are, calorically and metabolically speaking.
- Consistency:
- Being consistent with your food tracking is so, so, so important in achieving the results you’re going for, especially in the beginning.
- Every time you weigh and log something, it is practice.
- Like anything else, you have to put in the effort until you really “get it.”
- Also, tracking everything helps you to hold yourself accountable.
- You’re far less likely to sit on the couch and plow through a bag of chips if you know you’re going to have to record it.
- Recording Honestly:
- Food logging will be a wasted effort if you’re not being honest about what you’re eating.
- You can’t play the “if I didn’t log it, it didn’t happen” game and expect to get the results you want.
Using MyFitnessPal (MFP)
- There are many ways to enter foods, depending on how precise you want to be.
- You can enter foods based on “serving sizes” as suggested on the labels, or you can enter foods in units such as “medium apple.”
- Because we like to be as precise as possible, we like to enter any food that doesn’t come out of a package in grams, which is the most accurate method.
- The easiest way to find food in grams is to just search for the food with the word “grams” after it.
- You can add your own recipes, you can scan barcodes of pre-packaged foods, you can save meals that you frequently have, and you can copy meals from previous days.
- Whether you want to plan your food a day in advance or a full week in advance, flexible dieting still allows you the freedom to work in the foods that you enjoy.
General Considerations
- Individualization: Individualize your macronutrient ratio based on your preferences and health.
- Food Quality: Focus on the quality of the calories you’re eating.
- Calorie Deficit: The most important nutritional component of weight loss is being in a calorie deficit.
- Nutrient-Dense Foods: Eating nutrient-dense foods can help increase feelings of fullness.
- Snack on Protein: Eating high protein snacks may have weight loss benefits, such as reducing your appetite.
- Limit Unhealthy Fat and High Carb Foods: Foods high in fat and carbs without much protein can stimulate the reward center in your brain, leading to overeating and weight gain.
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