Anyone following a Whole Foods Plant Based diet?

fastfoodietofitcutie

If you are following a whole food plant based diet do you track and count calories/macros? I've had success on MFP prior with losing weight but I basically ate what I wanted and stayed under my calories and carbs. I want to eat more healthy now but most things I'm reading say if you are eating whole plant based food you don't need to track. I'll probably track anyway and see how it goes, was just wondering what others do. Other than this, any advice for a beginner?

cross2bear

I think that its perfectly fine to eat whatever way suits you, but you still need to be mindful of how MUCH you eat, and for that, I will readily admit that I am a tracker/calorie counter. It keeps me on track and gives me a bit of confidence that I am on target to lose.

CafeRacer808

I'm a whole foods guy about 90% of the time but I'm not strictly plant based, though I do love my vegetables. If weight loss is your goal, then yes you still absolutely have to count calories, IMO. A calorie is a calorie no matter which food it comes from. If you're eating only fruits and veg at a caloric surplus, you'll gain weight. I have two friends who've been vegan for as long as I've known them (going on 10 years now) and they're morbidly obese. To my eye, they haven't lost any discernible amount of weight during that time and I know for a fact that they don't count calories.

And as for macros, I would say that tracking macros is even more important for those who are on a plant based diet. You really want to make sure you're getting enough protein in your diet, which can be hard to do if you're strictly plant based.

withoutasaddle

I do (raw vegan) and I would still track. You will gain weight if you snack on cups of nuts all day. I don't track my macros, but I do notice they always stay around the same (70/15/15ish).

janejellyroll

The foods eaten by people on a WFPB diet still have calories and you can still consume more energy than your body requires on that sort of plan. If weight loss is a priority for you, I would still count calories.

JaydedMiss

definatly still track, Their not magic foods if you make a smoothie (or 2) and use like 5 bananas thats alot of calories. (500-600) Thatd be half of my daily allowance. No thanks xD

violetta5345

You still have to track calories no matter what type of food you are eating or what diet plan you are on if you are trying to lose weight. I've had a mostly plant-based diet for 15 years or so and I can promise you that tracking calories will make all of the difference in your weight loss.

dustedwithsugar

I'm vegetarian, most of my diet is vegan. I gained weight as a veggie and now I'm losing. You have to track everything, doesn't mater what your diet is. Pay attention especially to nuts and fruits, they are quite calorie dense.

jemhh

I ate mostly "whole foods" though not totally plant based (does that mean vegetarian?) while losing my first 30 pounds. I don't believe that anybody, regardless of what type of food they eat, absolutely must count calories to lose weight. If you are honest with yourself about what you eat, you can just cut back and lose. At a certain point it gets more difficult to find the spots where you should be cutting back and calorie counting is a relatively easy way to find those spots. I got stuck and switching to calorie counting after 30 pounds helped me move forward.

AnnPT77

Y'know, I think this "must track" thing varies by person. I eat mostly whole foods, lotsa plants (though I'm ovo-lacto veg). Personally, I have to track.

Some people, especially (it seems to me subjectively) those converting from a more extremely-processed-foods way of eating, sometimes report that they find the whole foods so filling that they have a harder time even reaching as much as their calorie target at a reasonable deficit. They may not need to track.

I, on the other hand, am absolutely able - even now, in maintenance, at 120-something pounds - to eat way, way beyond my maintenance calories, consuming mostly or entirely whole foods. Nuts, seeds, avocados, some fruits, more - totally yummy, quite caloric. So I track.

So . . . if you don't want to track, try the whole foods/plant based thing for a month without tracking, and see if you lose weight. If you didn't, then maybe track. Or, eat freely on this new way of eating, and track for a month without limiting yourself arbitratily, and see how it goes on both the consumption & weight loss sides.

If you're fairly new to whole foods/plant based, this latter approach would have the advantage of verifying that your macros & major micros stay where you want them on this newer way of eating.

Experiments can be useful.

NewGemini130

Yes- I was an obese person following a plant based vegan diet. Track. If after time you can ease up, great. But for loss phase, track.

fastfoodietofitcutie

Thanks for the feedback, tracking it is! The WFPB is hard for me to follow since I'm also watching carbs. I'm trying to be super healthy but think I'm going to have to modify some.

kshama2001

fastfoodietofitcutie wrote: »

Thanks for the feedback, tracking it is! The WFPB is hard for me to follow since I'm also watching carbs. I'm trying to be super healthy but think I'm going to have to modify some.

Are you watching carbs because you have medical reasons that require this? My vegan friends eat way more carbs than I do with no issues. They focus on foods with protein like legumes. They are very fit and healthy. (They also have active lifestyles and do lots of yoga.)

LadySciTeacher

You don't need to track if you are eating Whole Foods, Plant Based with no oil or refined sweeteners. FOK says you should be eating 80/10/10 for carbs/fats/proteins. That's the only thing I use this app for now.

The idea is to eat enough to feel full because plants are lower in calorie density and the water, fiber help your stomach stretch in a way that signals your brain that you're done eating. FOK says to eat the majority of your diet with foods that average 550 or less in calorie density.

Then you can basically eat until you're full. No calorie counting at all.

LadySciTeacher

dustedwithsugar wrote: »

I'm vegetarian, most of my diet is vegan. I gained weight as a veggie and now I'm losing. You have to track everything, doesn't mater what your diet is. Pay attention especially to nuts and fruits, they are quite calorie dense.

Whole fruits are low in calorie density. Only 200-400 calories per pound compared to nuts which are 2,600 calories per pound.

Please check your facts before you post misinformation because people will use that information and end up nutrient deficient. Fruit is essential for good health.

lemurcat12

If you are just switching to WFPB I would definitely track at first. You could easily overeat, but you could just as easily undereat or be off in your nutrition, and it's a good thing that helps you understand better how you are eating. You may find you don't need to track after a while.

If you've been tracking no reason not to continue to, also.

janejellyroll

LadySciTeacher wrote: »

You don't need to track if you are eating Whole Foods, Plant Based with no oil or refined sweeteners. FOK says you should be eating 80/10/10 for carbs/fats/proteins. That's the only thing I use this app for now.

The idea is to eat enough to feel full because plants are lower in calorie density and the water, fiber help your stomach stretch in a way that signals your brain that you're done eating. FOK says to eat the majority of your diet with foods that average 550 or less in calorie density.

Then you can basically eat until you're full. No calorie counting at all.

Are you saying it's impossible to gain weight on a WFPB diet with no oil or refined sweeteners?

lemurcat12

I don't understand why some act like tracking/counting is the worst thing in the world or something to avoid at all costs, as if everyone is going to find it burdensome, and then suggest worrying about obscure things like calories per lb in one's food.

Not everyone is a volume eater (some find fat really filling) and even for those who are more volume eaters than satiated by fat (like me) the idea that you have to know the numbers about your foods seems weird to me. I know what foods feel satiating to me and which ones are high volume for low calories (which include vegetables, fruit, but much less so and it varies by fruit, grains and legumes, but less so and it varies by food, and nuts not at all (but they can be filling anyway if you don't eat them mindlessly).

If someone is already tracking continuing to track as you transition to WFPB seems really sensible and educational.

I think the issue is that the FoK people and some others (Fuhrman) promote their diet to people who think counting would be burdensome (and often who have not particularly healthy diets with lots of junk food) and push that you don't have to worry about calories and will lose, which is typically true, at first. It's no different than switching to low carb for many. But tracking is not bad, is educational, and IMO (again) can be really important if one is still learning how to balance the nutritional requirements.

But then I don't agree that someone on a deficit will be definitely getting all they need with no more than 10% fat and 10% protein from all plant-based sources, as was also claimed above. At a deficit I think 10% protein is too low and you have to make an effort to include a variety of fat sources also (and probably should supplement omega 3s (specifically DHA), such as through an algae source. (Also should supplement B12, but that isn't something that can be fixed through diet at all. The DHA thing might be hard too, but I'm not 100% PB so haven't gotten into the weeds.)

AmyOMAD

I'm just gonna throw this out there....

I have been professionally diagnosed as having ADD. Not counting and worrying about calorie tracking has been the most important thing for my past and current successes. When I track I am good for only so long, about 2-3 weeks, before I grow complacent with it and distracted and then comes the guilt, anxiety, and feelings of failure because I have stopped tracking.

In my example it is a mental health choice not to overstimulate and obsess which works.

In regards to 80/10/10 ratios being protein deficient, I'll give this example....breastfed newborn babies, in their first year of life, grow over 300%. That's 300% body, muscle and weight growth on just 6-7% protein. Protein needs are far less than what is being pushed by the Dairy and Meat industries.

CaffeinatedRats

I follow a plant based diet for ethical reasons. Whole foods are great, but sometimes I just want some junk food. Tracking calories with mfp lets me fit in treats that I enjoy that aren't entirely healthy for me. I don't think I could sustainably lose weight without being able to have ice cream sometimes.

AmyOMAD

To add on, I actually do want to know approximately where my calories are falling, but only when I am NOT eating all raw foods. The trouble is, I can make my cooked foods too savory sometimes and that is a trigger for me to overeat.
I'm am not however greatly concerned with being 100% calorie precise or worried about macro counting.

crzycatlady1

amyereed99 wrote: »

So all in all, I do want to know where my calories are falling, but I'm not greatly concerned with macro counting.

I've lost around 50lbs and have been successfuly in maintenance for around 4 years now and I've never tracked/cared about macros. The only number I keep an eye on is my calorie intake. Keeping things simple works best for me

lemurcat12

amyereed99 wrote: »

I'm just gonna throw this out there....

I have been professionally diagnosed as having ADD. Not counting and worrying about calorie tracking has been the most important thing for my past and current successes. When I track I am good for only so long, about 2-3 weeks, before I grow complacent with it and distracted and then comes the guilt, anxiety, and feelings of failure because I have stopped tracking.

If counting longterm doesn't work for you, don't count longterm. I don't see what this has to do with this thread, where OP started by saying that she had successfully counted in the past but now wanted to try a different way of eating (she did not express unhappiness with counting) and where counting to make sure calories and nutrition are on track need not mean longterm counting.

I think it's entirely possible to lose weight through other ways of tracking/being mindful besides counting, but I'm not sure how that's responsive to OP's question.

In my example it is a mental health choice not to overstimulate and obsess which works.

And that's great, but that's different from what I was talking about, which was telling other people that they should not count or acting as if some other method (looking at calorie density of food) was somehow far preferable to counting for someone who was already counting when in fact it seems just as fussy and burdensome or more so, and also not necessary at all.

In regards to 80/10/10 ratios being protein deficient, I'll give this example....breastfed newborn babies, in their first year of life, grow over 300%. That's 300% body, muscle and weight growth on just 6-7% protein. Protein needs are far less than what is being pushed by the Dairy and Meat industries.

If this is supposed to be responsive to me, you apparently didn't actually read what I said. I said 10% protein AT A DEFICIT is too low. Babies, along with all the other differences, are not at a deficit -- they are eating to gain weight. (I also think 80-10-10 is fine for someone maintaining and reasonably active, since I think total grams are what matter. I also think you need a bit more protein if on a 100% plant based diet because you need a bit of a margin of error, also not applicable for a baby who is breast fed.)

I'd be more concerned on a raw diet, since it's harder to get in good sources of protein (like legumes) on raw. No way I'd personally switch to raw without tracking for a while, but then I'd never do raw as I think it's too hard to eat healthfully on it and don't see the point. Food being too savory seems like a problematic thing to be worrying about. (I might try WFPB at some point, and have done similar ways of eating for periods of time.)

stealthq

amyereed99 wrote: »

I'm just gonna throw this out there....

I have been professionally diagnosed as having ADD. Not counting and worrying about calorie tracking has been the most important thing for my past and current successes. When I track I am good for only so long, about 2-3 weeks, before I grow complacent with it and distracted and then comes the guilt, anxiety, and feelings of failure because I have stopped tracking.

In my example it is a mental health choice not to overstimulate and obsess which works.

In regards to 80/10/10 ratios being protein deficient, I'll give this example....breastfed newborn babies, in their first year of life, grow over 300%. That's 300% body, muscle and weight growth on just 6-7% protein. Protein needs are far less than what is being pushed by the Dairy and Meat industries.

Breast milk is 17% protein according to 'Constituents of human milk', United Nations University Centre (archive.unu.edu/unupress/food/8F174e/8F174E04.htm). Be sure to calculate % protein per total calories, NOT % protein per volume or you are including water in the total. % carb + % protein + % fat should equal 100%.

In a surplus, protein is not nearly as important. In a deficit, protein is important in adults to maintain muscle mass. There are several studies that show this.

Prudentes888

I have eaten a vegan diet for nearly 10 years with tremendous improvements to my health. However, although I lost about 20 lbs, I didn't always eat clean. I had been thinking of going 100% Whole Foods Plant Based for some time. I am educated enough at this point to see the wisdom of it. I made the move in February. WOW! The most important thing that happened was that my food cravings disappeared. Now I restrict calories to my optimal range easily and I have been steadily losing weight since. I no longer have any doubt what-so-ever as to whether I will hit my goal and achieve it. It is simply a matter of patience. Of course, the other health benefits are undeniable. I expect, over time, this will become the most common way of eating for everyone. It will just take time for word to get around. The evidence is undeniable.

pomegranatecloud

I don't track. I find it's easy to stick to reasonable portions and lose or maintain my weight rather than spending time obsessing about my calories and macros.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

Prudentes888 wrote: »

I have eaten a vegan diet for nearly 10 years with tremendous improvements to my health. However, although I lost about 20 lbs, I didn't always eat clean. I had been thinking of going 100% Whole Foods Plant Based for some time. I am educated enough at this point to see the wisdom of it. I made the move in February. WOW! The most important thing that happened was that my food cravings disappeared. Now I restrict calories to my optimal range easily and I have been steadily losing weight since. I no longer have any doubt what-so-ever as to whether I will hit my goal and achieve it. It is simply a matter of patience. Of course, the other health benefits are undeniable. I expect, over time, this will become the most common way of eating for everyone. It will just take time for word to get around. The evidence is undeniable.

nope not everyone will do a plant based diet over time,so I dont think it will become the most common way of eating. I know I wont, my health improved eating the way I always have just less of it,losing weight helped some too. my health markers improved too. there are many here who cant have a lot of plant based foods due to the fiber. clean eating also has nothing to do with weight loss it comes down to a deficit of calories. if eating that way works for you then that is great,whatever works for you and is sustainable long term.

MichelleSilverleaf

Prudentes888 wrote: »

I expect, over time, this will become the most common way of eating for everyone. It will just take time for word to get around.

I sincerely hope not. The demand on farmers and farmland would be enormous, not to mention since so many who are vegan often are big on organic, getting rid of the animal industry would get rid of a large source of fertilizer.

lemurcat12

I've played around with plant based and eat that way most of the time (been doing so 100% during Lent, was doing so about 5 days a week before), and I do crave meat when not eating it -- I'm good having it only a couple days a week, but not eating it at all has not made me not want it, especially when I smell it cooking.

I think if I felt an ethical commitment to not eating it it would be different, but so far I only feel an ethical desire to make certain decisions about sourcing and to have it more rarely. But I'll see how I feel after a bit more time.

I don't find it easier to control my weight without meat or eggs or dairy (I'm mostly a whole foods person, meat or no).

JRSINAZ

I am WFPB and my diary is open to friends

slossia

I’ve been vegan for 45 years, and only gained weight once when I started to drink beer, since I’ve quit drinking about 10 years ago, I’ve never had a weight problem. I do track my macros and keep my fat very low, which probably helped me keep my calories down. I’m never hungry cause I eat till satiety. Lots of fiber. I hear nothing but complaining by family and friends who are always dieting to loose weight only to gain it back and always hungry. So I’m a believer in a plant based vegan diet because it works for me! But I always tell someone to try it for 30 days to see if it works for them. My only suggestion is if you do try it to keep your fat under 15 percent. Your protein at 1/2 gram per pound of weight and get at least 50 grams of fiber a day. I get about 60 myself.