If you’re following a WFPB diet, but not seeing weight loss results, this vegan weight loss meal plan will help you jump-start your weight loss journey.
Are you on a vegan diet and trying to lose weight but aren’t seeing the results that you hoped for? It’s time to give your healthy lifestyle a kick in the pants! Plant-based recipes for weight loss need to be well-balanced, nutrient-rich, satisfying, and delicious! They will help you reduce calories during the day while providing your body with much-needed nutrients. I have divided these recipes into breakfast, lunch/dinner recipes, and snacks. Choosing recipes from these categories for your daily meals creates an impactful vegan meal plan for weight loss.
Does following a vegan diet lead to weight loss?
Following a vegan diet can lead to weight loss, but it is important to note that it is a common misconception that becoming a vegan will help you lose weight. Simply following a vegan diet will not always lead to weight loss. Everyone’s body is different. Cutting out meat, cheese, eggs, and other animal products is not an ideal choice to make if all you want to do is lose weight. Vegan diets do often help people who suffer from heart disease and diabetes because they are lower in fat and calories. It can lower your cholesterol, and blood pressure.
If you do follow a vegan diet, however, sticking to a high-protein and low-calorie vegan meal plan can help you in your weight loss journey. Any of the recipes below will fit into a plant-based meal plan for weight loss, and I will also share tips for lifestyle changes that you can make along with following this meal plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
A vegan is a person who doesn’t eat any animal products including meat, poultry, pork, fish, eggs, and all dairy products.
A person who follows a whole food plant-based diet not only eliminates animal products from their diet but also processed foods. Instead, they do their best to limit their diet to foods in their whole and natural form. Some WFPB diets also eliminate all types of cooking oil, such as olive oil, because it is high in fat, processed, and is not nutrient-dense.
The key to losing weight is taking in fewer calories than you burn each day. This is the same with any diet that you follow. To ensure you lose weight be sure to limit your portions so that you don’t go overboard on your calorie intake, and add in exercise if you can.
You will not feel hungry if you make sure to eat your breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. Don’t skip meals. Also, allow your body to digest your food for 20-30 minutes before heading for seconds to ensure you really aren’t still hungry. Often our mind takes longer to catch up with our stomach when we’re eating.
No, this meal plan does not cost a lot of money. Meat, cheese, and processed foods are actually much more expensive than plant-based foods. The only challenge you run into with plant-based foods sometimes costing more than the regular version is if you are buying vegan substitutes for meat and cheese. For example, vegan cheese tends to be more expensive than regular cheese. But these meals do not call for those kinds of ingredients.
No, you don’t need to be a good cook, although, you will need to cook. These meals are easy and quick to make but do follow the directions, and the ingredients so that they turn out well.
Most of the recipes in this meal plan are made for 4 people. If you are a single person, you can freeze the leftovers to enjoy in the coming weeks. That way you will have 4 weeks of meals ready to go! Or, you can share these meals with your family, or have some of them as leftovers as a substitute for one of the other meals on the plan.
7-Day Vegan Weight Loss Meal Plan
Here is a simple meal plan for you to follow to help you jump-start your weight loss goals. These recipes are whole food plant-based, low in calories, and nutrient-rich.
Day 1: Monday
Breakfast: Brownie Oatmeal is a good source of protein. It’s rich and chocolatey with a peanut butter drizzle, yet it’s only 225 calories!
Lunch: This Copycat Panera Mediterranean Sandwich is easy to pull together and full of flavor!
Dinner: Vegan Stuffed Peppers are a well-balanced meal with tons of flavor. Stuffed peppers are super easy to make they are topped with a vegan avocado cream
Snack/Dessert: Sliced pears drizzled with agave syrup and topped with toasted nuts.
Day 2: Tuesday
Breakfast: Start your day with a hearty and filling Just Egg Omelette! This omelet has fresh spinach, diced tomatoes, and vegan cheddar. It comes in at only 300 calories per serving.
Lunch: Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich made with diced tofu and a simple dijon dressing served on whole grain bread and layers of your favorite veggies.
Dinner: Vegan stir-fry has tons of veggies! Add some diced tofu, or chickpeas for added protein and serve with ½ a cup of brown rice per serving.
Snack: A chocolate chia pudding topped with fresh banana slices.
Day 3: Wednesday
Breakfast: My Vegan Banana Porridge is made with oats, creamy almond milk, and chunks of naturally sweet banana. With 10 grams of protein and 350 calories, it will keep you filling and full all morning long.
Lunch: This chickpea curry salad is a quick and easy lunch you can throw together in minutes. It’s crunchy with a touch of sweet plump raisins.
Dinner: Lentil tacos are a family favorite, and great for weight loss. Be sure to use corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas for added fiber.
Snack: One slice of whole-grain toast topped with hummus, and thinly sliced cucumber.
Day 4: Thursday
Breakfast: This high-protein Mango and Banana Smoothie are thick, creamy, and naturally sweet! It’s under 200 calories with 14 grams of protein.
Lunch: Packed with protein, Easy vegan chili takes 30 minutes to make! You’ll surely have leftovers that you can enjoy for dinner or the next day!
Dinner: Who doesn’t love Sloppy Joe’s? Made with green lentils, this version is high in protein and big in flavor!
Snack: Rice cake topped with sliced avocado and sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Day 5: Friday
Breakfast: Silken Tofu Scramble is made with lots of mixed vegetables for a healthy and hearty start to your day!
Lunch: This vegan tuna salad is made with chickpeas but nori flakes give it a touch of seafood flavor.
Dinner: This low-calorie lentil soup is a classic! Made with red lentils, leafy greens, and tons of spices, it’s flavorful yet healthy!
Snack: Fresh chopped carrots and celery served with 2 tablespoons of hummus.
Day 6: Saturday
Breakfast: Whip up a batch of Sugar-Free Granola that will last you for a few days. It’s full of crunchy oats, dried cranberries, nuts, pumpkin seeds, and a touch of nut butter. Enjoy with almond milk.
Lunch: Whip up this falafel plate using store-bought falafel, then add your favorite veggies for a complete meal.
Dinner: Vegan Chop Suey has bok choy, bean sprouts, and tofu in an authentic stir-fry sauce, served with brown rice. It’s a simple 20-minute meal.
Snack: Sliced apple with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.
Day 7: Sunday
Breakfast: Vegan protein pancakes are made with a combination of almond flour, oat flour, and flax giving these pancakes added protein and they just happen to be gluten-free too!
Lunch: This loaded vegan sweet potato can be customized to your own taste. This recipe has black beans, guacamole, and salsa for a Mexican spin! Prepare your sweet potatoes in the air fryer to save time.
Dinner: These burrito bowls have it all! Brown rice for your healthy whole grains, black beans for protein, a side of guacamole for healthy fats, and lots of shredded veggies.
Snack: A cup of plain vegan yogurt topped with fresh fruit, and pumpkin seeds.
How To Meal Prep On A Vegan Weight Loss Plan
A major way that you can meal prep while on a plant-based weight loss meal plan is by creating a meal calendar. Basically, start by creating a list of which recipes you will make each day. This makes it easy when you are planning your grocery shopping list. Once you have planned what you are going to cook and you have everything that you need, you can start prepping the food. While not all of the meals can be made in advance, most of the ones that I listed above actually can! If it is something that you think may not taste good reheated, you can at least start prepping ingredients (cutting peppers, portioning vegetables, making spice mixtures, etc).
How to Create Your Own Plant-Based Recipes for Weight Loss
While the recipes above would make an ideal vegan weight loss meal plan, sometimes you may be craving something different or you want to use ingredients that you have on hand. It is possible to create your own plant-based recipes that will still aid in weight loss. Use the suggested diagram to understand how much of each type of food you should be eating throughout the day, and how to create a well-balanced plant-based meal. Think of this pie chart as a plate.
- Vegetables should be 35% of your daily diet. This can be in the form of raw veggies, cooked, or even in soups, stews, and curries. Add onion, broccoli, garlic, and green onion to your favorite dishes for added flavor.
- Fruits should be 20% of your daily food intake. Fruit is high in natural sugars, yet full of vitamins and nutrients. Turn to fresh fruit as a great snack in between meals or an after-meal dessert. Try fresh berries, strawberries, slices of apples, oranges, and pears for a light dessert or snack.
- Whole Grains make up 20% of your daily diet. This can be in the form of whole wheat bread, oats, pasta, rice, and quinoa. Use whole grains in the morning to start your day in the form of oatmeal, or avocado toast. Use it to serve with a vegetable stir-fry. But don’t go overboard! It should not be the majority of every meal.
- Nuts and Seeds add healthy fats and protein. They should account for 10% of your daily food intake. This can be in the form of nut butter, and seeds such as chia seeds and hemp seeds to sprinkle on salads or other main dishes. Opt for raw nuts that do not have added oils or salts such as cashews.
- Legumes provide your daily protein. Legumes include beans, peas, soybeans, tofu, and lentils. Include these in your lunches and dinners.
Be sure to grab my Plant-Based Vegan Grocery List.
Have you recently begun a plant-based diet?
For those people getting started on their journey to transitioning to a plant-based diet, I recommend choosing one to three of my weight loss tips to implement at the start. As each strategy becomes part of your daily lifestyle add another.
Weight Loss Support
The Mayo Clinic is an excellent resource for tips on how to get started on your weight goals. When thinking about where to start, choose the weight loss tip that feels the most doable given your current circumstances and lifestyle, or choose a strategy that you had implemented in the past, and found success.
As you build your confidence in achieving your goals go for the strategies that stretch you out of your comfort zone. Find a partner or other supports to help you while you move through the strategies. When you have someone to help you through and work things out, you’re more likely to make the change you want to see in your life.
Meeting Your Weight Loss Goals
Have you implemented some of these strategies already? Consider which ones you could improve on. We often think we’re doing really well with our healthy eating habits, and wonder why we’re not seeing results.
Take a step back and record for one day everything you consume, including beverages, dressings, sauces, etc. Are you eating enough fresh vegetables? How about getting enough calories? Are your calories nutrient dense? Once we take a step back and evaluate the choices we’ve made during the day, we become more aware of how small decisions throughout the day are affecting the bigger picture towards reaching our goals.
When taking the initiative to change your habits remember to take it slow and easy, celebrate your successes, and be forgiving of yourself when you slip up. Developing healthy habits is a process that takes time and patience, but it’s well worth the effort to achieve long-term results.
Additional Plant-Based Weight Loss Tips
Once you have a handle on simple plant-based recipes for weight loss, consider some of these additional tips to help propel your success!
- Turn off the screens. Television, computer, phone, and iPad, put away the screens when it’s time to eat. When you’re looking at a screen while you’re eating, you aren’t tuned into your body cues. Mindless overeating occurs when we’re distracted by screens.
- Reduce sugar intake. Clean out your pantry of cookies, candy, and sweets. There’s a lot of hidden sugar in packaged foods today. Look out for added sugar in jams, cereals, granola, and energy bars. Use natural sweeteners in moderation.
- Eliminate artificial sweeteners. Studies have proven that eating foods that contain artificial sweeteners lead to increased calorie intake by tricking our brain into eating sweets at another time of the day.
- Snack on fruits and vegetables. Hungry? Need a snack but are trying to stick to a plant-based weight loss meal plan? Go for a fruit or vegetable. Baby carrots, sliced cucumber, bell peppers, celery, apples, and bananas all make great snacks.
- Skip the dip! When munching on fruits and vegetables, skip the dip! That means no ranch dressing or other dips that add calories to your snack.
- Limit oil and condiments. Oils are calories dense and condiments pack sugar and salt. Consider using a few tablespoons of vegetable broth or water as a substitution for oil when you sauté vegetables.
- No more processed meat. Processed meat has been linked to increased cancer risk. Not only that but when you’re goal is weight loss, processed meat has a high salt content which causes water retention.
- Limit Other Meat and Dairy. All meat, even lean meat, contains saturated fat, and dairy is high in both saturated fat and sugar. If you decide to include meat in your diet limit the portion to 3 ounces, or the size of a deck of cards.
- Drink Water. Juice, soda, and alcohol are empty calories. Save those calories for nutrient-rich foods that will keep you feeling full and satisfied. Often our thirst response is disguised as a hunger response, so when you feel hungry in the middle of the day, go for water first.
- Make dinner a meatless meal. Try one of the suggested plant-based weight loss meals suggested above. Or browse the main dishes category of my recipe index for more delicious and healthy suggestions!
- Follow a plan. Having a meal plan in place will help you in those stressful moments when you may just want to reach for the nearest thing to eat and it may not be the healthiest choice.
More Plant-Based Meal Plans and Tips!
Please comment below if you found this article helpful or have any additional questions. You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for more family-friendly vegan recipes!
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