Plant based food

vtolbert12
vtolbert12 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone. I have been using my fitnesspal off and on for about 8 years. I'm trying to lose some belly weight. We wanted to changed up our routine this time so we're also incorporating plant based foods in our diet. Has any tried plant based food on a regular basis?

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,084 Member
    It's NOT plant based foods that will get rid of belly weight. Potatoes and avocados are plant based. Over eat those and you'll never get rid of your belly. It's about calories in/out regardless of the diet plan you're on.
    Now a plant based diet IS better for reducing risk of heart disease.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,384 Member
    edited July 2023
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    It's NOT plant based foods that will get rid of belly weight. Potatoes and avocados are plant based. Over eat those and you'll never get rid of your belly. It's about calories in/out regardless of the diet plan you're on.
    Now a plant based diet IS better for reducing risk of heart disease.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    Refined carbohydrates and sugar are plant based as are most ultra processed foods. Whole food plant based is better but even that can get a little complicated if it means vegan. imo. Cheers
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,084 Member
    neanderthin wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    It's NOT plant based foods that will get rid of belly weight. Potatoes and avocados are plant based. Over eat those and you'll never get rid of your belly. It's about calories in/out regardless of the diet plan you're on.
    Now a plant based diet IS better for reducing risk of heart disease.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    Refined carbohydrates and sugar are plant based as are most ultra processed foods. Whole food plant based is better but even that can get a little complicated if it means vegan. imo. Cheers
    Yep. I know a lot of vegetarians and have a few clients (of Indian background) that are overweight. Most are eating processed foods and indulge in overeating rice, and bread.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 35+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,303 Member
    Being plant based has no bearing on Fatloss unless it causes you to take in fewer weekly calories which it usually doesn’t
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,529 Member
    I eat plant based foods every day. But I also often eat meat with it. Maybe you're asking about eating ONLY plant-based foods. We call that "a vegan diet." I haven't tried it for any length of time. I would have a very hard time giving up dairy, let alone meat.

    But, many people have. There are so many books and websites about it. Veganism is not a plan for weight loss, it is a plan for eliminating reliance on other animals for your diet, usually for humanitarian reasons but also sometimes to lower your carbon footprint.

    I find it very hard to achieve my dietary goals without eating meat and dairy. But, I eat very little beef or pork, mostly chicken, turkey, and cultivated fish (e.g., Atlantic farmed salmon).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,148 Member
    I've been vegetarian (ovo-lacto) for 49 years now, thin to fat to obese and back again. I eat lots of plant-sourced foods, and always have (even before becoming vegetarian).

    If you want to be completely plant based, be aware that it takes some extra attention to get good overall nutrition, as some beneficial nutrients are relatively lower in plant foods, and at least one (vitamin B-12) entirely absent. Protein is not the only nutrient of concern. This is a very good science-based resource for details:

    https://veganhealth.org/

    Vegetarianism or fully plant-based eating ("veganism") are IMO and IME a complete tangent to weight loss, and ditto for health.

    That said, I do think many people would be better off nutritionally if they ate more fruits, veggies, and whole grains . . . and the statistics suggest that in the US at least, most people don't get the recommended minimum amounts of veggies/fruits. Woefully short, in fact.

    If that's what you're doing - trying to eat more plant foods, not cut out animal-source foods altogether - then it's a good idea to choose varied, colorful fruits and veggies for best-rounded nutrition (without getting into the deep details about individual micronutrients). Animal foods are typically more calorie-efficient and bioavailable sources of protein, though that's a generality not an absolute. They can also be good sources of other nutrients.

    Best wishes!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    I do eat fruit and veggies every day, and legumes several times a week. When I have more/larger servings of this, it is easier for me to maintain a calorie deficit. The bulk and fiber fill me up for less calories.

    Eating fruit regularly makes me less tempted by baked goods/ice cream, which have more calories in general, and especially due to the fat content.

    Normally in the summer when cherries are in season and on sale, I make cherry clafoutis, but this year am just eating plain cherries, which are about 50 calories for 10, vs hundreds of calories for a serving of clafoutis.

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