With the creation of the Gregg’s Vegan Sausage Roll among other vegan junk food products that are flooding our stores there’s no surprise we are now facing an obesity crisis in the vegan population too. Historically studies have always shown vegans to have a lower BMI than the meat-eating population, tides are sadly now changing. Whatever your motivation for becoming Vegan and switching to a plant-based diet and lifestyle you may be finding yourself overweight because of it. This has probably come as a surprise to you, the vegan diet is healthier right!? You’re now even more confused about what you should be eating and even more concerned about your health and appearance.

I’ll chat to you a bit about the whys and offer you a solution.

So why are an increasing number of vegans finding themselves overweight? Is Gregg’s Vegan Sausage Roll to blame (sorry Gregg’s)? Here are my theories, mainly from an anecdotal standpoint through personal experience and that of my clients.

1. I think before you became vegan you were conscious of the amount you ate, being careful to not eat too much to keep your weight under control. Now you’re vegan you feel like everything you eat is healthy, so you’re not too concerned with portion control. Therefor the weight creeps on.
2. Or perhaps you were already overweight, and you thought the vegan diet would just see the pounds drop off, but they haven’t.

I will elaborate - It’s a question of calorie intake I feel. It doesn’t matter whether those calories are coming from cheese or a steak, lentils or peanut butter if you consume more than your body needs for energy you will store it as body fat. Yes, you can get fat eating healthy foods. Oh, and let’s not forget Vegan Ben and Jerry’s, Gregg’s Vegan Sausage Rolls, vegan junk food is everywhere right now! So, if you were already overweight before you became vegan you already had the tendency to eat more than your body needed and the likelihood of that carrying on is quite high unless you make a conscious effort to change that. Or if you were quite conscious of controlling your portions before you became vegan, being very careful to not gain weight then threw caution to the wind once you transitioned then you are likely eating more calories than you need (even if that is from chick peas) thus gaining weight.

So, how do we fix this? We all want to live a long healthy and happy life while being slim and eating a vegan diet. It’s a case of being mindful of your bodies daily energy needs and eating with in that consistently. Also being aware that although a lot of plant based whole foods are very healthy for us, they are also highly calorific eg nuts and nut butters, seeds, oils, avocados, hummus… And not to forget the Gregg’s Vegan Sausage roll, Gregg’s Vegan Mince Pies and other vegan junk food products flooding the market. Highly palatable, highly calorific foods with negligible nutritional benefit whether those are derived from animal product or not are not good for health or the waistline.

I have many overweight vegan clients seeking my help to become slimmer, healthier, happier and more toned. We always take a holistic approach; looking at their diet and exercise history and current situation and from that information gradually build nutritional and training strategies that will serve in the long term. Each client receives a copy of my recipe eBook to guide them on the right path.

Luisa was one such client dismayed after piling on the pounds when she transitioned to the vegan diet. To see her progress pics and hear her experience click the link to her testimonial. If you feel I could help you and you’d like to work with me fill in the contact form.

https://www.thevegancoach.co/testimonials/