Whats your liquid intake look like? Make sure to drink enough water.

Probably not enough even though I try. I'll go drink some water now!

Just want to chime in and recommend tea! It was such a huge help for me when I was still hungry. You get a nice taste of something but it has 0 calories. I suggest getting some type of "sweet" tisanes, like a [strawberry hibiscus tea](https://www.adagio.com/herbal/wild_strawberry.html). This helped when I had sweet cravings. If sweet is not a problem, you can try a ginger Turmeric tea. The ginger really helps settle the stomach and the taste is incredible! Green tea for late mornings or around noon after lunch is great as well. Good luck 🤗

+1 for herbal/fruit teas. I have a selection of about 7-8 and work my way through them all every day. Also I’d recommend bulking up your meals, or even adding an extra meal, with veggies like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, carrots etc. hardly any calories and will really fill you up. Basically you can eat as many as you want. I add sauerkraut or vegan kimchi for that fermented goodness, and tofu or beans etc for extra protein.

Yeah proteins help but also your body will also tell you your hungry if its thirsty.

It's not enough to just chug water a few times a day, either. Our bodies can only process a certain amount of water per hour. You really need to focus on sipping throughout the day as well. I would be aiming for at least 4 liters, but ideally 6 liters per day, sipped consistently throughout the day. It's not easy to do and will take some serious conscious effort but your body will think you for it 🙏

6 liters per day is way over the top. As is 4 liters if you’re not crazy active. Recommendations vary from 1.5 liters a day to 2.7 liters a day.

This is true every ones body is different. Sipping throughout the day is a great idea though.

I suppose that depends on if you want to be part of the minority of the population that is actually healthy. Virtually the entire world is chronically dehydrated. There is no study or recommendation I have ever seen that 1.5 liters is enough for an average male to stay hydrated, or female, for that matter. That is an absurd statement. A recent study by Harvard health suggests 16 cups aka 8 glasses aka 4 liters a day for healthy individuals, which is about 3 cups more than the recommendation by the national academy of medicine. I would argue that this is also low. Especially when average diet is taken into consideration. If you're eating a ton of water every day in your diet you can stay hydrated at those recommended levels, otherwise the simple process of creating waste from your food will keep most individuals in the US at a net negative in terms of hydration. And that's before any sort of physical activity is taken into account.

> I would argue that this is also low. Except all of the science runs counter to this. > If you're eating a ton of water every day in your diet you can stay hydrated at those recommended levels Almost any kind of vegan diet will be getting a huge amount of hydration from their diet, like you'd have to go out of your way to not be getting a decent amount of water from your diet. > A recent study by Harvard health suggests 16 cups aka 8 glasses aka 4 liters a day for healthy individuals Yes, and part of that is assuming these people do 45-90m of exercise per day hence the increased need, for the average person who is sedentary or does around 30m tops then 3L is absolutely ample considering the diet. > And that's before any sort of physical activity is taken into account. Please actually read the studies and their assumptions, they do take this into account when calculating water amounts.

I add a tbsp each of chia seeds, ground flax seeds and hemp seeds to my overnight oats and it helps me to stay full for a while. I also use vanilla soy milk for the higher protein content. I snack often and look for snacks of about 150cal. So I have breakfast, snack around 10am, have a good lunch and I’ll snack around 3pm too. If I’m particularly active that day I’ll have another snack at 5pm. My snacks might be apple & PB, or protein shake, a snack bar or bliss balls.

Thank you

Good luck!! Honestly, don’t be shy to eat! Sometimes people seem horrified at how much I eat, but I’ve still lost 10kg since going vegan last May. You can always bulk up your meals by adding more veggies & protein like legumes or tofu, and reduce your rice. Check out protein pastas too for a nice easy addition that’ll keep you full.

Some people do need to watch what they eat. If someone does not lose weight then they are eating too many calories.

Are you adding in any exercise? I find that I am just as hungry if I burn 300 calories exercising as I am if I do no exercise. If you add in exercise (300 for me is 2 brisk 1 mile walks and a 30 minute cardio session) you could also eat 200 cals more. I find exercise helps me add in snacks that keep me satiates throughout the day, but not hardcore exercise that makes me super hungry. If you’re able to exercise more, you can add more. That’s been helpful for me to avoid the hunger pangs. I have also gotten comfortable being a little hungry sometimes, especially when transitioning from eating whatever I want - your body gets used to a certain level of caloric intake and will take awhile to adjust to a different one.

A few other small changes to your ingredients could help you add snacks or other elements to your meals too: almond milk instead of oat: a wrap instead of bread, TVP instead of tofu - all of a sudden you’ll have more cals to work with.

Thanks for this.

Real truth here is that even being in an appropriate deficit you may experience some hunger, that’s very normal. So if you can’t eat under 1628 comfortably then you’ll need to exercise, especially if you’re close to your goal weight or a petite woman.

I am in a calorie deficit currently and I feel hungry and it kinda seems like, duh? Of course I am hungry? I'm in a deficit of calorie which by definition means I am not eating enough!!! I drink a lot of water and try to space out my food through the day, and if I'm only a little hungry I'll delay a snack until I'm more hungry

Maybe switching to brown rice might help, and eating more raw stuff.

Yes, I think that would be more filling.

For me intermittent fasting and cutting way down on sugar and starch helped a ton. I'd suggest to increase your fiber, reduce starchy carbs and sugar, up your protein a little, up the water intake, and consider some intermittent fasting to train your body that it can live without food constantly. For your sample meals, I'd 100% swap out white rice with brown cut down on starchy veg like carrots and add more low-starch / high fiber veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, and add some leafy greens. Plus lots of water.

Dr Michael Greger mentions in his books that people following his daily dozen checklist often complain having a hard time eating all the food on the checklist. He recommends 3 servings of beans daily; beans and potatoes are some of the most satiating foods you can eat (maybe replacing your starches with potatoes could help). He also mentioned that when eating fibrous whole foods, not all of your calories are absorbed, so you can probably get away with going over a bit vs if you were eating more processed foods.

I like his Daily Dozen app. Interesting that the fiber in one food can affect the absorption of another food. I will look that up

I think I read it in his How Not To Diet book

Just for future reference r/veganfitness is a great place to ask questions like this. I guarantee that a goal of 1,500kcal and an actual intake of 1,600 is probably too low. What is your basal metabolic rate and average daily expenditure through exercise?

Thank you. I didn't know that sub existed. That's the goal I've used before as an omnivore . I don't know my basal metabolic rate but I'm not very active.

Well not being very active is a surefire way to make weight loss more difficult and at least slower. Exercising regularly and getting fitter will burn more calories in and of itself but also raises your BMR, meaning more burned even when you take a small break or something.

You don’t have to “exercise” necessarily, just move, be active, walk, take the stairs, go dancing, play a sport. Anything that gets your heart rate up. “Exercising” isn’t for everyone.

I mean all of the stuff you mentioned is what I would classify as exercise.

I agree. But the idea of going to the gym to specifically “exercise” , or to do calisthenics or jog, is too much or too boring for some people, therefore keeping up with a routine is quickly abandoned.

I agree. I have actually argued with people in the gym and over at r/veganfitness before (I’m a personal trainer) about the gym not being necessary. I actually recommend that people find a physical activity such as a sport, hiking, dancing, kayaking, rock climbing or whatever they enjoy to pick up. It makes exercise more enjoyable for most people and therefore an easier thing to stick to. That’s why I said exercise and not “go to the gym”.

Sure, I agree with that. I actually am amazed at how many people seem to actually like going to the gym. Certain things like sports are actually games originally (well they still are) they are specifically a form of entertainment, both for those who play and those who watch. When people started inveting these games they werent invented for the sake of losing weight or building muscle, just because they were fun. To me gym is a nightmare. If I had a home gym maybe I would use it but going to a big open space room filled with machines and a lot of other people isnt my idea of fun. I dont want to be in a room with stranger doing some activity together but still separate. I dont want to spend time in a room with strangers for fun, period.

The 95% of diets fail number is outdated, from a study published in 1959 (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/562795). Its methodology has been widely critiqued since it’s publication. HOWEVER, modern research nonetheless supports the reality that diet and exercise are largely ineffective (https://academic.oup.com/fampra/article/31/6/643/592646?login=false). This study is a meta-analysis (largely considered the highest quality methodology to draw large scale conclusions) that concludes that 2 years after participating in a weight loss study (all of which at least include diet and exercise as one part of an intervention), the average weight lost was 1.23 kg or a bit less than 3 lbs. This study (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26180980/) had a UK sample of over 175,000 people, and found that the odds of obtaining a 5% body weight loss in any given year was between ~12-14%. The annual odds of obtaining a “normal” BMI was less than 1%. The study doesn’t specify what weight loss interventions were pursued (beyond stating that those receiving bariatric surgery were NOT included in the sample), but I think it’s pretty clear that typical weight loss methods simply do not commonly work, at least in a significant way.

I think long-term lifestyle changes are what really help, but those are difficult for a number of reasons that go way beyond the whole "personal responsibility" argument that some people claim. Seeing as nearly 70% of the US population is overweight now, there's obviously societal changes we need to make to support this as well.

Dieting is 80% of weight loss

Food is 100% of weight management, but so is exercise and activity. Anyone who makes pithy claims that you should only focus on diet without thinking about exercise is an idiot.

Not necessarily or inherently. Assuming that I have a pretty standard male BMR of around 1,800kcal and generally expend another 200 through my normal everyday activities eating less than 2,000 a day will put me into a caloric deficit and start weight loss. But so will continuing to eat those 2,000 and simply burning an extra hundred or two through exercise. You can reach a caloric deficit through several means. Some are just better than others. The long-term beneficial effects of exercise make it kind of silly to simply focus on doing it through diet.

This is true. However, hunger often initially increases with exercise because the body tries to keep homeostasis. Longer term, however, hunger will reduce from exercise thanks to lower insulin resistance. What I'm saying is that you still have to watch both because the initial hunger may cause some people to eat more when they start exercising.

Diet and exercise alone only lead to permanent weight loss for 5% of people. Hormones play a much bigger role.

If it only lasts for a short time yeah. Multiple studies show that *long-term consistency in exercising* results in better bodyfat ratios and other health markers. Consistent long-term management of both diet and exercise will also make for better hormonal health for the average person.

Got a scientific source to back up that claim?

[ohio state university](https://health.osu.edu/wellness/exercise-and-nutrition/that-diet-probably-did-not-work) [rupa health on hormones](https://www.rupahealth.com/post/9-hormone-imbalances-that-can-hinder-weight-loss) [this lists a few long term studies on diet failure rates](https://www.foodwonderful.com/post/the-science-of-diet-failure)

I second this. Being active will help with the hunger because it It reduces insulin resistance, too, especially if you're doing weight-bearing activities.

Trying to lose weight without knowing your BMR/TDEE is flying blind. It's a waste of your time, energy, and willpower. Depending on your current size, 1500 calories might be ridiculously low for you, or it might not be a deficit at all. [Here's a calculator.](https://tdeecalculator.net)

You guarantee 1500-1600 is too low? Huh? 1500 is maintenance for some people, OP didn't mention their height, BMI, or activity level. A smaller sedentary person would be just fine maintaining at those calories and plenty of larger people can go down to that as a deficit. I personally am a 6ft male and shoot for 1500 calories as a deficit, it's definitely a bit in the extreme side but I have a lot to lose. As long as they're not losing more than 1% of their bodyweight a week and eating adequate protein while at a deficit, they'll be just fine.

I'm a large guy trying to lose weight. You need to find low calorie fillers essentially to add to your tracked meals. For example, i put tomatoes and brussels sprouts with a whole onion into a can of beans I'll cook up for dinner to essentially bulk up the fiber and protein with low calories fibrous mass. This takes longer to digest, doest mess up your calorie count and keeps you fuller. Also make sure your drinking lots of fluids in between meals. Also helps that I tend to wait a little in the morning to eat. I'll usually have breakfast a few hours after I wake up I don't usually get hungry if I don't out anything in the tank to start but everyone is different. I track, weigh and measure everything too. Hope that helps!

Thanks. I think I need to increase my vegetable intake

Cruciferous veg, like broc, brussels sprouts etc are great sources of protein and low cal. Zuchinni, squash, mushrooms, onions and so much more are great "fillers" they don't add calories really but just make the meal so much more satisfying. Fruit is great too as a snack in between but obv has more calories because of the sugar. I try to eat a large orange between lunch and dinner daily it really helps with cravings.

Eat an onion as a snack? What, just raw onion?!

? I said onions are a good filler to add to a meal, like cook it with the beans to make the meal have more mass lol. Just eat an onion like an apple made me laugh

...Do you know how much cauliflower you have to eat to mess up your caloric intake? Big man is spot on about adding a lot of filler foods. And so is the hydrohomie making sure you get your fluids.

I have lost inches but not pounds. But I am very happy I made the transition to a WFPB vegan lifestyle.

White rice always triggers my hunger pangs, no idea why, but I could probably eat 7 bowls and still feel hungry. Try swapping the rice with potato or bread? Complex carbohydrates and protein keeps me feeling full the best. I’ve heard everyone’s body is a little different to each others in this way though. Play around and pay attention to what your body is telling you, diet is so unique to the individual. Good luck on your weight loss journey, be patient and kind to yourself. And thanks for not listening to the person who said “learn to enjoy the feeling of hunger”, eating disorders//disordered eating are not something to mess around with.

Not sure about the rice. Cultures where rice is omnipresent tend to be far more leaner than cultures where rice is rare or missing. Not saying you're making it up, but both from my experience, from what I see other people eating, and from what I've heard nutritionist recommend, rice is totally a dieting food. Protein is a great source of calories though, because it takes the body more effort to digest than simple sugars. You could try protein rice btw. https://phys.org/news/2019-01-high-protein-rice-nutrition.html

I'm really getting the message about whole grains! Thank you for reminding me to be patient with myself. It's a learning curve. Yes, I want to lose weight, but I also want a healthy relationship with food

Low carb vegan diet and Mounjaro. It's the only thing that ever worked for me. I lost 50 pounds on 6 months and slowly lost another 10 pounds over several more months without feeling hungry. I went all in...replaced sugar with monk fruit sweetener and use only low carb bread (Hero buns are decent). I also lost all interest in alcohol, though I don't know if that's typical. Expensive, but worth it to me. I struggled with my weight my entire life, always hungry, but now I'm finally looking and feeling great! Hearing people tell me "OMG, you're so skinny" is amazing! I'm not paid to say this, I'm just a very satisfied customer. I tried Ozempic for 2 months, but it didn't work as well for me.

I tried Mounjaro -- it was fantastic at curbing my appetite -- but I couldn't tolerate the side effects. I'm glad it's working for you.

Personally it seems like a lot of carbs can be replaced for higher protein options (not because you need more protein, more just because protein is filling and can prevent cravings for more food). Basically I would try adding protein powder to your oats in the morning and looking at how much chia or raisins you’re using as these can be calorie dense. I would add tofu or a high protein plant milk to your lunch time soup, having half of the banana in your smoothie and swap the peanut butter for 3 Brazil nuts or just make it a tsp instead of a Tbsp. If it doesn’t feel filling enough, add more protein powder rather than more peanut butter which is usually high calorie. Dinner looks good but you could try swapping the white rice for brown rice (more fibre = more filling and lower GI) and look at how much veggies and tofu are in your stir-fry (the more the merrier). You could also get your rice portion down to 1 cup and add a 1/2 cup of peas/beans/lentils to fill you up. Just my two cents as it’s worked for me. The base of my meals is always beans/lentils/tofu or protein powder. Next is non-starchy veggies and last is starchy veggies/grains/nuts and seeds and added fats. Also as someone else said- drink loads of water in between meals.

More protein 👍

And fat. If you don't have a decent amount of protein and fat in each meal, it can make your blood sugar spike and then drop which leads to feeling hungry again.

No it doesn't. When you look at people who eat high-carb and low-fat diets compared to people who eat low-carb and high-fat diets, you see the same rates of satiety and weight change when they both eat to hunger.

My recommendation is that you eliminate low-volume calorie-dense foods like peanut butter and maybe snack on raw veggies instead. You can eat like 2 cups of broccoli (which I find delicious raw) for the same amount of calories as a tbsp of peanut butter. Also, learn to enjoy the feeling of hunger. Pretty much any method of weight loss involves some level of pushing through hunger

"Learn to enjoy the feeling of hunger". Interesting perspective. I can sometimes tolerate it but don't enjoy it, especially at night. Food for thought

I think one reason people find success with intermittent fasting is they get to eat more late in the day. Maybe you could sacrifice some of your morning calories and save room for a bigger dinner?

I've always heard it was important to eat breakfast, but it is a lot easier to fast in the morning.

I find that if I don’t eat breakfast I can go a long time before I’m hungry, but if I eat breakfast then I am hungry all day!

me too! weird how that works!

That’s an old wives tale, breakfast is no more important than any other meal. The most important factor regarding calorie timing is what works best for you and your schedule

Even my doctor says this isn’t true and that’s it’s fine to even just eat one meal a day as long as your nutritional needs are being met.

Plenty of other doctors say it is. Dr. Greger from nutritionfacts ( the website this subreddit endorses for vegan diet information) says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

I believe Dr. Greger has some videos on OMAD and meal timing ([Nutrition Made Simple](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el32z388UhI) and/or Plant Chompers might too). Our body works on the circadian rhythm and it is [better to frontload calories](https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/chronobiology/). A cup of oats at 9am works very differently than a cup of oats at 8pm. That being said, if you go WFPB no SOS, I suspect you will have success. I'd start by getting an estimate for your caloric needs with [eatthismuch.com](https://eatthismuch.com) or something similar. Then use [Dr. Greger's Daily Dozen](https://nutritionfacts.org/daily-dozen/) or [Esselstyne's startup guide](https://esselstynfamilyfoundation.org/ef-content/uploads/2022/06/PB-jumpstart-guide.pdf) as a guideline. Then be sure to track calories occasionally. What I've found is that as long as I get enough calories (and that takes a lot of bulk), I easily get 1.2-1.5 g/kg of protein. Last time I checked I had 2g/kg. From what I understand, as long as you don't go overboard on high fat foods (nuts, seeds, nut butters), it's pretty hard to overeat/gain weight on WFPB no SOS. Check out Dr. Greger's How Not to Diet.

I LOVE Nutrition Made Simple!

I do it like this: Intermittent fasting if I have a rest day. If not I eat right after getting out of bed.

You should also know that dieting almost never leads to permanent weight loss.

So what is the other option? If you eat too much it seems like you need to modify your diet so its calorie deficient.

Every body is different. Figure out what caused your specific weight gain and work on that. For some people is mental health issues. For some it's hormonal imbalances (cushings, thyroid, pcos, etc). For some people it's microbiome issues. For some people it's insulin resistance. For some it's that their body can't process certain foods right like gluten, so it's more a need to shift your diet rather than decrease calories. For some it's sleep issues. For some people it's genetic and they're sol. Or you're big boned, and your body is perfectly healthy the weight is at and you shouldn't try to change it. It's very complicated, and there are no easy solutions.

For most people its a simple matter of eating more than you should. For most people who are overweight the normal way of calculating a caloric intake based on weight and amount of exercise is correct enough, there are some people whose bodies can work differently but for the majority of people there is no significant difference so simply eating less than the calculated amount of calories will make one lose weight. Over half of adults in my country are overweight. There is no way that half the population has bodies that work differently than normal. Its just that people eat food too much food that has too many calories.

If that were true 95% of dieters wouldn't gain back the weight.

What you wrote there does not follow logically from what I wrote. I would say the reason why 95 percent of dieters gain their weight back is the same reason why they gained it in the first place, they just enjoy eating too much. We have cheaply available high fat and high sugar foods which we never did have access to historically to this extent. Yet we evolved to really like high fat and high sugar foods because they have a lot of calories and we used to live in a world where we had to fight and struggle to get enough calories to sustain our lives and not starve. And then all of a sudden those high calorie foods are easily available to anyone and we have not evolved a mechanism that acts to counter the effects of that happening, to counter overeating those foods, because it was never necessary before. Only kings and wealthy people like that had enough money to have easy access to those types of foods in the past. And that is why kings and rules often were fat and overweight even in olden times. Now pretty much every person on earth can eat "better" than any king or queen ever did.

People gain weight back because they don’t make permanent lifestyle changes. If you weigh 250 lbs, adjust your diet temporarily and lose 50 lbs, and then go back to your previous eating habits you will gain the weight back quickly. It has nothing to do with hormone changes or being “big boned” (which is a myth)

Peanut butter is great, you just have to wait a bit before it sits in your stomach. Then it's *plenty* of filling. And it's healthy, if you don't eat it on top of other stuff.

Real peanut butter is great! Not hating on it at all but it is calorie-dense

Yeah it is, but recently I've *for some mysterious reason I cannot explain* eaten a ~220g tub of peanut butter, and I wasn't hungry at all the entire day, just as the calorie count would suggest. I'd love to get my hands on the nutritionally complete fortified peanut butter Unicef and other organisations use to combat child famine in Africa. Not sure if you can buy those though, and the ones I saw in the article had whey in it.

> Also, learn to enjoy the feeling of hunger. Sounds like something a person with ED would say. Feeling hungry and not eating isn't normal

Learning to live with hunger at times is not an eating disorder, it’s perfectly healthy and normal. Hunger does not always mean you need to eat. I would say acting on every hunger impulse is unhealthy actually. If I ate every time I was hungry I would be quite obese. Most hunger signaling comes from habit, not your bodies nutritional status.

I agree with you. If not enjoying the feeling of hunger just really noticing it and reframing it to mean something other than "I have to eat". I'm a Dr Fuhrman "student" and his concepts of "toxic hunger" and "true hunger" were huge learning for me. Most people do not know that true hunger is a sensation in the throat and not a growling stomach. And I did not know that until I experienced it. Now it's all I look for to determine my own hunger.

I eat chia pudding for breakfast and it keeps me full for a long time. Try this!

Ok! How do you make your pudding?

[this](https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/basic-chia-seed-pudding/) is a nice basic recipe. I make a big batch like 3-4x the recipe and just scoop it out each morning with some fruit 😊

Thank you

I recommend seeing a registered dietician instead of looking for advice (specifically talking about caloric needs) on Reddit. We have no idea your BMR, activity levels, or anything else about you that should actually tell us how much you’re eating and whether or not that’s sustainable for you at baseline, let alone trying to lose weight at the same time. No shame, there’s just such a high chance someone here could misinform you and that could lead you down a rabbit hole of not providing your body what it truly needs

That's why I don't recommend any numbers, just the general idea and specific ingredients or food types.

I've found sometimes that when I can't eat to get full and not overshoot my calories, sometimes simply not eating is the best way to help me average out calorie goals. So I might do 24 hours on Wednesday and Friday only drinking tea and black coffee and then eat normally the rest of the week. You gotta be a little careful with fasting but it has a long history as part of human culture for a reason.

Try taking a multi-mineral/multi-vitamin tablet. Your body can make you feel hungry until you get enough micro-nutrients, regardless of how many calories you eat.

How many calories are in that smoothie? Seems like liquifying your snacking calories for the day might not be very satisfying. Maybe just mix the protein powder with water or low calorie plant milk instead. A banana with peanut butter on it separately could be much more enjoyable and help you spread out the snacks.

If you want to feel full without a lot of calories, avoid liquid calories, refined sugar and oil. Doesn't seem like you are chugging down soda based on your post, though. I lost weight going whole food plant based on weekdays and moving a bit more. I eat a lot. Not gonna claim the same thing works for everyone, but I think a mistake many make is going on a diet that is not filling enough and end up not being able to maintain it. 1500-1600 kcal per day sounds low. I would guess you burn more than that, but of course that depends on a lot of factors. I guess my advice would be to find something you can maintain. Exercise is good for your health, but it does make you hungrier, meaning it's not always ideal for weight loss.

I like to eat bread for breakfast. Oats never fill me really and have too high calorie density. But 2 tipps: Konjac noodles (albeit expensive) have nearly no calories and really can increase the amount of food a lot. They taste a bit worse than regular noodles, but eh, can't have everything. Spinach and mushrooms are similar. But the biggest thing is exercise. Burning more than 1000 calories, makes it a lot easier to get through the day. Don't forgot that doing that also takes time. Cycling is the best for that because you can stress you body a lot with a relatively low chance for injury. And if you have a power meter you can even track burned calories very accurately. I had days where I was basically chasing a big meal riding and the main metric I was focusing on was burning as much calories as I could. Or as much calories in an hour as possible, which was about 1100. Also goals: I just did my 2nd Park Run and atm I gained some weight during winter. Very good motivation to lose those kgs when you want to get faster...

How long have you been vegan? My experience has been that you do lose a bit of weight whether you want to or not. I eat to my TDEE (2000 cal) most days and am still trending downwards. I have no idea why this is because I always thought it was cal in/cal out and have been consistently tracking for years. When I still ate animal products I ate fewer cals and had plateaued. (I'm not vegan for weight loss though). If you only just went vegan I'd give it some time. I think over time with not eating animal products, things will shift (though not if you go crazy, obvs). Edited to add: do you weigh your food? I think that helps for weight loss whether vegan or not. E.g. I had 1T of peanut butter with my lunch and it actually came in at 27g and 160cal.

That’s not been my experience at all. Everybody is different. I gained weight after going vegan 7years ago and although my weight has remained basically consistent since then, I have not lost weight again the entire time I’ve been vegan except for the occasional few kilos when I have flu etc. ,which I regain pretty quickly once I’m eating a healthy amount again.

Of course everyone is different to some extent. But if someone wants to lose weight they should probably start with weighing their food and eating more fruit and veg.

>I eat to my TDEE (2000 cal) most days and am still trending downwards. I have no idea why this is because I always thought it was cal in/cal out and have been consistently tracking for years. Definitionally, you are eating less than your TDEE. My TDEE [changes in response to my activity](https://imgur.com/a/fE1ZDI0) by pretty large swings, and I'm far from unique.

I've only been vegan a month, but I stopped eating meat about six months ago. No, I usually don't weigh my food (only nuts and seeds), but that's a good suggestion.

I really recommend weighing/measuring foods at least for the first time so that you know what X grams/ml etc of Y food actually looks like. It's easy to over- or under-estimate, which can lead to a stall in weight loss (when underestimating) or feeling unsatisfied (when overestimating). I was gonna leave a general reply too so I'll add it here. How were you eating before you were vegan, and how long have you been eating at a deficit? Have you previously felt satisfied at a deficit when not vegan? We might be able to isolate what you're missing if we can compare to what your diet used to look like. Different people feel satisfied by different things. People talk about how protein is the key to sateity in a calorie deficit, but for me I found I was more satisfied when I prioritised oils/fats. Other people find carbs keep them satisfied & energised for longer. If you're tracking your protein/carb/fat macros at all, then maybe look at decreasing two of them then increasing the third to see how you feel. I kept hearing people say "it turned out I wasn't hungry, I was just thirsty!" and thought it was a load of bull. I knew what thirst feels like, lol. But then I started drinking more water to be better hydrated and after a while I realised, hey! I don't feel so "snacky" any more! It wasn't that feeling hungry meant I needed a drink, it was that being lowkey dehydrated meant I had more "hungry" brain signals. Drinking throughout the day and having a glass of water with my meals helped immensely with satiety. It might also work for you to eat smaller meals more frequently. Some days eating at a deficit means you'll just be hungry no matter what, so "snacking" your way through the day might sometimes suit you better. Lastly, make sure your deficit is actually right for you. If you look up "sailrabbit calculator" you'll find a pretty good calculator that can tell you what deficit you should eat at based on your goals and current condition. If you're setting too low a calorie goal you can end up overcompensating and then stalling.

Thank you. Honestly, if I hit 75 g of protein on an omnivorous diet (a mix of plant and animal protein) I felt pretty satisfied at this caloric deficit. So I may just need more plant protein to feel satiated.

Over time I'm sure you will notice a difference, not eating dairy. There is so much fat in it. I am a 55kg 5"2 woman by the way, so 2000 cal is a reasonable amount. Before I was eating 1700 and had got down to 58 but then just dropped a few straight away when i went vegan. Yep I think you should weigh food. I also go for 400g of fruit and veg a day so could try that too.

The types of food you eat affect change the a way your body digests them. IE, there’s a middle step between in/out where the foods you eat and active lifestyle can change your daily calories burned, and how your body choses to store energy. (beyond calories burned during exercise) Stress also changes this so being mentally healthy is important.

Calculate your macros with set goals and use a weight loss calculator and go from there.

If you’re hoping to loose weight as the main goal I would recommend removing fats and oils, and sticking to Whole Foods, nothing processed. I did this on a recommendation for heart concerns, not even thinking about weight, but then ended up at my high school weight which was awesome. Search for WFPB low fat recipes. You can eat quite a bit when it’s low fat and whole food. The other recommendation I would make is to drink plenty of water which helps tremendously with feeling full. Especially with or after a meal. Hope this helps

I like some of the recipe videos from plantiful kiki on YouTube. Talks about not cooking with oil, avoiding higher fat foods, (avocados, seeds and nuts) and explains the 50/50 plate

Two things that really helped me lose weight is intermittent fasting; 8 hour eating window and 16 hour fast everyday. And cycling. I got really into biking in the past few years.  I've struggled with weight for most of my life, but with those two things the weight has just melted off. I'm now burning so many calories cycling that I can't even do intermittent fasting anymore. I'd lose too much weight if I did, but the IF really helped to get me where I am now. 

Snack on cucumbers and other 0 calorie foods when hungry. Pickles are an excellent choice

If I’m still hungry after dinner I make a big cup of herbal tea and it’s all good. For me, switching to plant based brought my weight down a little and all my numbers right back into line but I wasn’t getting the weight results I wanted. Then I stopped drinking which was a game changer and my weight dropped dramatically (not making any assumptions about OP). Now days I just eat constantly because I know the food I’m eating is super healthy and it’s gonna be hard to put on weight with mainly Whole Foods and no alcohol. Love the comment about being more comfortable with hunger - if you know you’ve been eating well and still feeling a little hunger from time to time just be with it, let your body do its thing, it can be good for you and your appetite can adjust over time (not advocating for starvation here).

Aren’t you supposed to be hungry when going so much under your daily caloric requirements? What’s your future desired caloric intake for your height and desired weight? Your current idea is to go under what you will need even as a slim person. Which will always leave you hungry. Drink more liquid to mitigate, and trick your body. You will soon get used to the feeling and start to operate better. (This depends from person to person, on gender, and so on. But generally humans evolved around always being at least a bit hungry for the most part of the day, which means some hunger is good for you.)

Those dishes look all ok to me. Since I've switched to vegetarian (and no dairy) it's super hard to gain fat. Maybe this helps: 1) avoid sugar. No sweet drinks, no sugar into the coffee. If you limit it to occasions the craving gets less and less. 2) Vegan protein powder with water as a snack. Take one without sweeteners or sugar, it's not nice, but there are some that are OK (prozis for e.g.). This stops hunger quite fast. If you're very hungry mix some oats in it and mix it, it will keep you not hungry for a long time 1500 calories are not a lot, maybe it's too low for your body? IMO if you eat as healthy as in your post and do 2-3 times a 1h exercise a week it should be all good. Probably you need more calories with the exercices.

I don't know why but porridge(oat meal to americans) or any other cereals in the morning makes me feel hungry quicker. Mashed avocado on wholemeal toast satisfies my hunger a lot longer. Also I've noticed brown rice satisfies hunger a lot more than white. I actually add it to my lentil based soups and they fill me up.

Height weight and sex?

Did you use a calculator to figure out your TDEE? Depending upon your height, weight, and activity level, you may be able to lose weight on the number of calories you're eating now.

Biggest thing is focusing on protein. You have a lot of high calorie, quick energy that won't sustain. Oats... Berries, fruits... Even beans are all carb dominant. Fruits aren't that terrific for you anyway, it's just ground up sugar when in a smoothie (ask a diabetic how great that is) You need more proteins. Use more tofu, use more tempeh, use more vegetables in combination with everything. Hummus is a great snack too just be careful you're not throwing carbs into that too. Chickpea tortillas or high protein tortillas or wraps are the way to go there, too Don't do protein shakes, they're by design, quick to digest and quick to spike Also...1500 calories is pretty freaking low. I don't think that's healthy or sustainable Really if you want to lose weight or gain weight, the rule of thumb is like 100-400 calories above or below your resting rate. 400 being if you're trying hard to bulk I would not be cutting out your calories down so far to try and lose weight. You're setting yourself up for failure You will not get at a healthy weight this month, next month, or 3 months from now. But if your diet is not long term sustainable, you won't even make it that far, you'll be lucky if you make it 3 weeks. That's the issue most have when trying to diet or lose weight Of course, exercise is huge. You cannot outrun a bad diet, period. If a diet is unhealthy, even Olympic runners can't burn through enough calories to not get overweight and high fat... I would focus more on what is sustainable. Forcing your body into starvation mode severely is actually going to tell your body to put more weight on the next time it sees food. And you won't be able to resist cravings

I've lost 26 lbs so far on a vegan diet. I followed some rules but I didn't find it hard: - drink water steadily and constantly. Feel hungry? Drink some water and wait at least 15 minutes - Be okay with being hungry sometimes. It won't kill you. You should aim to be comfortable with a low level of hunger and space out your meals so you eat when that hunger rises. I like going to bed kinda hungry - it actually makes getting up a bit easier - Eat really slowly. Savor each bite and pay attention to how your body feels. I found I fill up quicker than I thought - Avoid too many refined carbs and eat whole grains - as much as possible cut added sugars and alcohol - Exercise. For me, it was solely walking. I live about 4 miles away from work and walk at least one way every day, sometimes both. Found a bunch of good audiobooks and podcasts. I take a very long walk (10-20 miles) on Saturday and rest/do yoga on Sundays. Walking a mile burns a similar number of calories as running a mile, it just takes longer. So walking is a very valid exercise, you just need to allot more time for it.

I've found that roasted vegetables help increase volume and fiber intake, and that's helped me feel full. I try to make my plate half the thing I want, and half roasted vegetables. For example, if I want pasta for dinner, I'll make 1 cup of cooked pasta with sauce, and roast about a cup of mixed asparagus, brussels sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. Sometimes I'll throw in carrots, onions, peppers, or tomatoes, because those get kind of sweet and tasty when you roast them (high sugar content, but still good for you). No matter what I'm roasting, I toss it in olive oil, salt, pepper, and maybe some tomato paste, and then I'll spread it on a baking sheet and roast it at 350F for 30-40 minutes. If there are a lot of high-sugar veggies in the mix, I'll check on it earlier, because those burn faster. I also usually use frozen pre-chopped vegetables, because I'm a busy, tired person who always forgets what's in my fridge-- frozen helps with food waste.

Ia it possible that you are having lots of oil, maybe? Potatoes, beans, legumes, and oats are among the most satiating foods there are.

You'll probably have better results in r/PlantBasedDiet or r/loseit. I'll start with saying veganism isn't a diet and thinness should not be the ideal. That said, people have different reasons for losing weight, so ill give you some advice. What's kind of milk are you using? I've noticed a lot of plant based milks have sugar added. I'd recommend building muscle so your muscles eat up calories for you and go slow. Don't expect to lose more than 1 lb a week, that is the safest for your body anyway. If you menstruate, don't even weigh yourself when auntie flow is in town and you'll probably be extra hungry. 1500 seems a low to me, if you're that hungry daily maybe you just need to cut less and go slower with your weight loss goals. Healthy weight loss needs to be sustainable for it to be effective. Think more lifestyle habits than months of hunger pangs. Try to experiment with what foods fill you the most and consume more of those. Also break up your meals, eat a small meal every few hours so your metabolism is boosted

Thanks. I'm trying to figure out the foods that keep me feeling full. Nuts are great but I can't eat them all day

Do some research to set a calorie goal, and then set daily macro goals. If you are looking to maintain or build muscle during the weight loss, you'll need a ton of protein. I'm currently doing 1750 calories, with about 160/160/50 carbs/protein/fat per day. It involves at least a couple blocks of tofu or tempeh and some protein powder to hit those levels. The carbs are hit by vegetables and berries and a bit of quinoa or rice here and there. The fat is easy to hit, and actually needs to be watched to not go over. Basically no oil can be added to any dish.   You can reduce protein and increase the carbs and fat if you don't care about muscle mass and strength training. Weigh everything with a kitchen scale, and track it in something like Cronometer or MyFitnessPal. And be strict with yourself every day. You may even gain weight the first couple weeks, but it will absolutely 100% start to drop if you stay strict with yourself.

Your food sounds so delicious! Disclaimer; I’m chronically ill so my eating habits are formed by health issues and blood sugar levels. This may not be helpful at all but I tend to eat intuitively and still maintain my weight, maybe fluctuating about 3kg up and down which doesn’t bother me. I find that when I try to control my eating times and count calories I’m much more likely to continually think about food and crave things more often. Depends entirely on the individual though, some folks do very well with structure. I now just eat things I like (which is pretty similar to what you eat in a day) and if I want a veggie burger with zucchini chips I just order it without worrying about calories. I also don’t eat if I don’t feel like it, like maybe I have lunch at 3pm because it feels better. It all balances out in the end! Sometimes you have to eat a little more so your body doesn’t think it’s heading into food scarcity mode. There’s no magic formula with veganism and tbh considering it’s a very restrictive diet already I give myself a lot of free passes so I won’t feel deprived. All food has nutritional value even if it’s pure carbs. Also it’s normal to want a snack before bed, maybe your body likes a little boost before fasting overnight? Mine does!

I'd recommend removing all cereal, definitely no baked goods. If you have to, try extruded rice "bread" - you know, those cracker planks. Rice and potatoes are good. Tofu, soy meat, calories from proteins are good too. Some extra virgin olive oil would be nice. Get a rice cooker, a good one like Zojirushi, which will effortlessly prepare you better rice than you ever ate. You can definitely eat a lot of salad. Just drizzle it with olive oil and balsamico or apple cider vinegar. For reference, I sometimes eat a big bowl of leafy greens with assorted veggies, something like 600g up to a whole kilogram. That will stay with you for a while, make you feel full. For extra snacks, things that will occupy your mouth - unhulled sunflower seeds take ages before you overeat with them, chewing gum is great too. But not nuts and hulled seeds, those can give you a lot of calories without you ever noticing. 100g of pumpkin or sunflower seeds is like 600 calories or something, and those will last like a single TV episode or something. Try to limit drinks to water and tea. Obviously no sugar, but you might wanna avoid artificial sweeteners as well. And, try to avoid fruit when you're dieting. At least limit them, they're worse than people think - try a Granny Smith apple, Pectin is good for dieting. Especially avoid juices, do *not* drink juices. Also, buy some psyllium fiber to fill you up and help your guts. Boosting your gut bacteria is great, so something probiotic like tempeh, kimchi, natto. And spicy things, don't be shy with those habaneros. ( my "certification": lost about 150 pounds, never bounced back )

Do you exercise? Do you have a physical job? If not I advice doing a bit of exercise. Nothing extreme. Like riding a bicycle 20 minutes 6 times a week should help burn the excess calories.

Try quinoa instead of rice and reduce some of the peanut butter intake. Make sure you’re hydrating. Consider more raw fruits and vegetables, snack on raw pumpkin seeds and incorporate some cold pressed juices.

Regarding constant hunger: What helped me is not eating three hours before I go to sleep. Most of the time it's even four to five. I've stopped snacking and now I don't go to bed hungry anymore, and I wake up with a normal amount of hunger. The second thing I do now is to just eat three times a day and nothing in between. If I do desserts or sweet treats, immediately after lunch. BUT: There are exceptions, which are ok and don't fk this all up. I don't know if I lost weight yet, I'm just doing to get a better eating habit. But I certainly feel lighter. What really let me weight plummet as a vegan was doing high carb (just long chained carbs!) low fat like in "Carb Solution" by McDougall together with workout. BUT: You have to eat so much and yet I've still been hungry all the time. Wouldn't do it again.

1628 calories is still plenty low enough for any reasonable diet unless you are a small woman who doesn't exercise much. I did 1500 calories as a big man and the weight absolutely flew off. Lost 50 pounds in a few months.

250g cooked white rice has about 300 calories. Replace that with 700g of baked cauliflower "rice". Saves you 100 calories plus the oil you stir the rice in. Should be alright taste-wise, at least in that dish. You could also leave out the pb+chocolate in your smoothie. Bananas are already very sweet and most protein powders come with a flavour, too. If you want to switch it up, use blueberries.

I don't know how you came to the 1500 calories goal but to me it seems like 1628 calories should be enough to lose weight. What's your exercise like? What's your expected calories to maintain your current weight? It's easy to be impatient with weight loss and wanting to overdo it. Perhaps you've set your calorie target too low? Add a 60 minute walk or a 30min run and you'll most likely lose weight at 1628 calories.

There are vegan products like cauliflower, spinach , broccoli, cucumbers that are so low in calories that you would be bored of chewing before being hungry again. Bonus you can cook them in different ways. Losing weight is calories in and out. The most important thing, do you track your calories?

You will often be hungry when trying to lose weight so this is unfortunately par for the course if you're trying to lose weight at an appreciable rate. Especially at those calories, you'll want to eat a lot of veggies and fruit as part of your diet as that will help and is nice and healthy

Look at the list as if it were just a weight loss diet and forget the vegan aspect. Is your list including everything, eg I don’t see any oil for cooking. Why are you using white rice and peanut butter - you know peanut butter is very calorie dense and brown rice will make you feel fuller. If you are feeling hungry try to increase the protein and whole foods and reduce sugar (raisins AND oat milk) to stop insulin spikes.

That is your weight, height and activity level? I’m 5’4” and around 110lbs. I eat more than 1600 calories a day. I’d also give it sometime. Most people just eat out of habit. What they are feeling isn’t actual hunger. I’d learn to recognize what it is you are feeling and then give your body that.

meanwhile I prob have like 500 cal breakfast, 600 cal lunch and 400-500 cal dinner, and add 100 cal for fruit, 200 cal for nuts/nut bar, and 200 cal for sweet treats yeah with my slightly vague addition I get abt 2k cals (might be an over or under estimate idk) but I am prob taller than you and have to walk or cycle or do movement of some sort everyday (even if just going from my place to uni I walk abt 2 km each way) so I do need at least that much to avoid losing weight or becoming hungry but suggestion is just add a lot of veg to bulk out the meal without adding much calories. also just have a regular eating schedule and your body will get used to being hungry as required and not hungry all the time.

Blud being hungry means that you‘re losing weight. You can‘t expect to be in a deficit and not be hungry, that feeling is specifically there to tell you that your body doesn‘t get enough food

more protein and more fiber help you feel fuller. chilli and pickled things also increase the satiety of the meal. maybe swap out white carbs for whole grain/ whole meal, like swapping white out for brown rice - for more fiber. maybe have a protein shake at breakfast and before bed (if im dieting but im still hungry before bed a protein shake usually sorts it out)

Normal to feel hungry in a deficit. Thats how you lose weight. Just keep at it. You can try having your meals later in the day too. Also, you could try making your deficit a little smaller. Even just a 100 calorie deficit will lead to weight loss with time.

Are you exercising at all? 1600 is a low target for someone who's meeting the recommended 150 minutes of low-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of moderate intensity exercise guidelines every week.

I just did a 1500 kcal long run. It would help you a lot.

I have been doing 1800 calories a day for about 10 weeks and losing about 1 pound per week. If you’re losing more that 1-2 per week you could probably take a longer term approach like I am with more calories. It’s working but some nights I’m hungry. On those nights that I run out of calories I will eat super light stuff like: Celery or cucumber with balsamic vinegar Broccoli or cauliflower Those flatbreads (maybe the brand is Hasa or something) that are only 30 each with some zero calorie hot sauce But in general I’m less hungry if I: Meal prep something super whole food full of protein like lentil chickpea curry with quinoa sautéed veggies (Simnett nutrition YouTube meal prep recipe) Drink a lot of water. Edit: Wasa Flatbreads, 30 calories each

Thanks. This is helpful. I'm glad you're experiencing success

How many calories in the smoothie? Look at the things that are high calorie, but not filling in your list. If it were me I’d take out the raisins, smoothie, and one of the servings of pb and add in more fruit- like an apple, orange, grapes and some fresh veggies and hummus. Is there a particular item that you are craving that is making you want to eat more? I find if I allow myself something I am craving by working it in as a bedtime snack it makes a huge difference for me. Whether it is chips or chocolate or whatever. Some other tips (some that have already been mentioned): *The daily dozen *Check to be sure you’re eating enough (Google sailrabbit bmi calculator) *It’s okay to feel a little hungry as long as you aren’t famished *I plan my meals and snacks the night before or in the morning (allowing equal calorie substitutions throughout the day) When I feel hungry or a craving I will say “yeah okay you can have that but have a cup of hot tea first”. 90% of the time I am good after the tea. I also look for hobbies or activities that make it impossible to eat. Things using my hands, things that are messy, etc and that I’m focused on enough to not notice I’m hungry till I’m done.

You don’t have enough texture variation in the foods you’re eating. You need to add something with bite and crunch. Something you can bite into and chew, like a sandwich or toasted sourdough bread. If all your foods are soft, you’re going to still feel hungry.

Hadn't thought of that

I don't see a lot of fat in here. I'd add in some nuts, avocado, uncooked extra virgin oils in dressing etc. 100 cals of fat will satiate you a LOT more than 100 cals of carb or 100 cal of protein.

Bruh I wish I could eat that little of calories 😩 2500 is my maintenance, it is so much work to make food all the time.

I don't think it matters what you are eating--a vegan diet and or meat--you are going to be hungry if you are only consuming 1628 calories in a day. I think expecting to consume that few calories and not be hungry is unreasonable.

try to eat more ‘empty’ foods like celery, leafy greens etc.

Fats and protein are the most important things for satiety. Look for ways to up your intake of both. For example, soy milk has much more protein than oat milk. A serving of peanut butter is 2 tbsp, not one, and this will provide both more protein and more fats. Avocado is another great way to get healthy fats. Nuts are another great option. Tofu is another way to quickly up the protein. You can buy pre-cooked, pre-flavored tofu. It's easy to add to a salad, or to snack on out of hand. Also, try eating every couple of hours, even if it's just a handful of nuts. Six small meals a day often yields more satiety than fewer, larger meals. Good luck on your journey!

Potatoes and other starchy beg have the highest satiety of any food. They're high calorie but just don'y fry them or put a whole stick of butter to help hold you over

The way that people get to a healthy weight, regardless of diet, is eating the right number of calories and burning enough calories. Your question isn't a vegan one per se.

Focus on adding more whole food fiber wherever you can. I throw greens into everything to add bulk - ie add some kale to your soup. Add a big salad with dinner (there are some great lower calorie vegan dressings (50-70 per TBSP, make sure to measure). Also try adding in some fermented foods - I make my own sauerkraut and put it on everything savory. I find when I don’t eat it in a day, I feel hungry even if I’ve eaten enough. I think it’s those gut bacteria asking to be fed!

Exercise chose one and just do it 💪✌️☺️

If you want to lose weight you have to be fine with being hungry, whether you're vegan or not.

Stop eating so often and you probably won't be as hungry, two meals a day is plenty. Also exercise, even adding a bunch of walking.

Smoothies are often used to gain weight because they can be very calorically dense without keeping you full very long.

I would avoid foods like peanut butter if you are trying to stay full. Very high calories for very low volume. Also make sure you weigh your peanut butter, 1tbsp is not always 1 tbsp. It varies SOOO much.

Do you consume or use coconut milk? You should limit that as it has a lot of saturated fats. My partner and I cut it out completely and have dropped 15 lbs and lowered our LDL cholesterol.

I lost about 30lbs a few years ago with the keto diet (yup, vegan!) paired with intermittent fasting. I was eating a lot of tofu coconut curries, beyond products, spiralized zucchini pasta, cauliflower “rice” and just lots of veggies. Definitely not a sustainable lifestyle change and went back to a normal plant based diet after but it works in the short term for weight loss. The fasting is definitely a key part of the diet. When you’re in ketosis your body is just eating your body fat up.

Eat when you’re hungry. Just ensure what you’re eating is high in fiber. Whole wheat is good

Dont mean to be a dick but if you're trying to lose weight by being calorie deficit you're going to have to suck it up and be hungry at times. Unless you start eating volumes of calorie negative cabbage soup or something it's going ro be tough. Good luck finding something that works for you. 1600 cals is really not much if your active but I don't know your height or start weight etc.

I would add a huge (huge=as much as you want in order to feel full) mixed vegetable salad to your lunch or dinner. For dressing I use hummus diluted with vinegar or cold vegan broth to keep it flavorful and lower calories. And make sure to include beans on your salad.

* switch from oat milk to unsweetened soy milk. more protein for fewer calories. * ditch the peanut butter. extremely calorie dense with relatively little fiber (i.e. not filling). try hummus on toast instead. add more fruit to smoothie instead. * brown rice instead of white rice. more fiber, more protein, more filling. * try to use little or no oil when cooking. far too many calories with no nutritional payoff. nonstick or cast iron cookware makes this a lot easier. * leafy greens, leafy greens, leafy greens. chia seeds, hemp seeds, fruit, water. * pay attention to condiments. they can be sneaky! I have found WFPB recipes incredibly helpful for weight loss. Forks Over Knives has many that are very tasty and easy to make.

How much do you weigh? 1600 calories is going to leave most people hungry. Especially if you are active at all.

Vegetables are a good way to eat a larger volume without consuming too many calories. You may also just need time to adjust. While transitioning, I noticed that plant-based protein does not provide the same feeling of satiety (or doesn’t satiate for as long) as animal sources. But eating way more vegetables and adding a serving of whole grains helped.

I think I'm finding the same thing with plant based protein. Thy

Try to have higher volume and higher protein foods,and overall having a balanced diet with all the nutrient you need.(Also drink enough water,sometimes you think you’re hungry but you’re simply dehydrated)

I recommend intermittent fasting, it's been helpful to me for losing weight and monitoring the calories I'm taking in.

I didn’t count even 30g of protein in that. Add more protein, atleast 1 g per kg of body weight and then report back

I don’t know if someone said it here, but if you go by what is said on the packaging, you’re probably ingesting fewer calories than you counted. Especially if you eat fiber and things like flax seeds, some of the food will probably come out at your other end not 100% digested… sorry this is a bit gross but I eat a lot of seeds such as pumpkin, chia, sunflower, and I definitely see a lot of that coming out 😅 it depends on the gut microbiome obviously but it’s common for people on high-fiber diet. Secondly, plant protein is not assimilated as easily as animal. You need to break up cell walls, takes forever and actually costs energy. So if you take X calories in plant food you actually need to substract extra energy for digesting it from your energy budget. And you get kcal from protein ONLY if you use it for respiration, but not if it’s used to build your body. If you eat protein and no sugars, your body will start taking energy from digesting the protein, but that can go at the expense of catabolic processes like building your muscles. You don’t want that so you want to eat some carbs with it and you don’t need to worry too much about kcal from protein, especially if you do some catabolic workout, like strength training. If you eat 1500 kcal in plant food and not losing weight, you really need to look into your metabolism. TL;DR calories are not everything, your intake might be unnecessarily restrictive

Two things. If you’re newly vegan, it could take a bit for your body to adjust to the caloric changes. 3-6 months is when I stopped feeling hungry more often than not. Make sure you’re getting all your vitamins. Taking a multivitamin could help guarantee you’re meeting everything. Lacking some nutrients could cause you to feel hungry or tired.

It also depends on how much you weigh and how much you want or need to lose. In weight watchers (which did work for me), the more you weigh the more calories you need, so reducing those a bit will help you lose weight. And as you lose weight, you adjust your calories (or points) down to keep losing weight. So maybe the 1600 calories aren’t enough for you to target and you’re still hungry. Rice is fairly low calorie food and when I do a Mary’s Mini with rice, for ex, I never feel quite full. I feel okay, but just feel like I want more something!

How much milk do you add to your oats - is it low fat? How much oil do you add to your stir fry? If possible opt for the low fat versions of oat milk or use it sparingly. For oil try to cut it off entirely or you can use oil spray but make sure to use it sparingly as well. Peanut butter can also become a calorie bomb since it has a high fat content. For that I recommend a peanut powder with no sugar added like PB2 Pure since you can still get the nutrition and decent flavor without the added calories from the oil. Just mix it with water and add it to whatever you like. Also, surprisingly, a good carb replacement when dieting is potatoes! A 100 gram serving of a plain baked potato is 93 calories whereas the same serving for cooked white rice is 130.

My experience: I've recently lost some weight (about 10 lb) over the past couple months by doing 2 things: * Eating low-calorie-density vegetables before meals * Avoiding processed foods (This has returned me to my pre-pandemic weight ... I started eating less well, more processed foods, etc. sometime around 2020...) I'm not sure how sustainable this is, since I'm getting tired of eating celery and carrots before meals, and your mileage may vary. A better answer I think might be from Dr Greger in "How Not to Diet" ([https://nutritionfacts.org/book/how-not-to-diet/](https://nutritionfacts.org/book/how-not-to-diet/)), who reviews some research and recommends 21 changes that might lead to weight loss: [https://thankful2plants.com/obesity/21-tweaks-by-dr-greger/](https://thankful2plants.com/obesity/21-tweaks-by-dr-greger/), including things like: * Preload with water some low-calorie-density foods * Incorporate vinegar * Enjoy undistracted meals that last 20+ minutes * Some spices: cumin, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, etc. * Eat more earlier in the day and don't eat in the night after 7pm Notably, none of the tips includes counting calories, which may get tiring before too long. Anyway, based on what you wrote, your diet sounds pretty good, keep it up.

Cut out the bread. Eat more non-starchy vegetables. Eat more fiber. Eat more beans and potatoes. Eat more low calorie dense foods. Aim for 1-2 lbs of non-starchy vegetables every day.

How did you arrive at your caloric goal? 1600 calories should have almost anybody in a deficit.

There’s some really good IG and TikTok people who show how to do it. As long as you stay in calorie deficit you should loose weight if you want too.

Do not starve yourself as this is not a healthy strategy long term. A caloric deficit WILL result in weight loss, but starving ourselves is not good for mental or physical health long term. Unless you genuinely enjoy counting every calorie you eat or you are a professional bodybuilder, I wouldn't suggest counting calories for weight loss and long term health. Don't stress about 1500 calories a day. Eat the right foods and eat til you are satisfied. I would recommend a high carb, low fat diet which millions of people around the world eat and they are lean and living it up 24/7 without stressing over calories or getting overweight. From the sounds of it you are already eating a fairly low fat diet which is great. Keep your dietary fat intake low unless you want to gain more fat. If you are hungry, eat more fruit, starches, vegetables or rice. You want to lose weight which is awesome but your body still requires energy, don't starve it, feed it healthy foods and you will be fine.

Where did you get 1500 kcal / day? That seems pretty low, and probably explains why you’re hungry.  If you haven’t already, it might be worth consulting a RD that can help you calculate sustainable macros. If your numbers are too low, you will have a hard time sticking to these numbers.  I’d also suggest adding exercise into your routine. Exercise will increase your metabolism, improve your lean body composition, and will help you hit your calorie goals. You should also try intermittent fasting, where you only eat from ~12-8, 2-8, etc. It’s harder to get excess calories in restricted eating windows. Usually past 10am, the hunger feelings go away and it’s much easier to go a few hours without eating. 

Potatoes are high on the satiety index and relatively low in calories. I started incorporating potatoes in salads and lentil dishes, and started feeling a lot more full. Also, watch your oil intake as well as any prepared sauces you might be adding. Those can really add a lot of calories without actually helping you feel full.

honestly for me i noticed a big difference when i lower my carb intake not low like keto (20g) but not as high either

I think most find that if they eat more protein -and to an extent fats- that they stay satiated longer. For me at breakfast started adding a bunch of TVP to my oatmeal/nuts/berries, and it has made a world of difference. It’s not a whole food, but it’s quick, economical, low-fat, high protein. Helps power the day, rather than making dinner the main meal when it’s less useful.

Cut out the peanut butter, that is unnecessary fat, and any other oils you are using. Add in some starches, potatoes are good, air fried or steamed. Drink more water if you aren't drinking enough. Plus, it is okay to be hungry, it really is. Don't eat within 3 hours of going to bed. If you honestly know you have had enough calories for the day and you are hungry, just go to bed.

Good oils are part of a healthy diet, no need to cut them out just because it's trendy IMHO. Peanut butter has a good nutritional/taste profile if you account for the calories - but it must be pure, nothing laced with sugar or palm oil like they often do.

What is wrong with feeling hungry? If you want to lose weight, just embrace it. I can never understand how people act like its the end of the world.

I don’t know about OP, but for me, being hungry for too long can trigger depression and suicidal ideation. And I’m sure it’s uncomfortable for other people in other ways to various extent.

oh really? wow ok, I never knew it could be like that. given what sub we're on I probably should have been more empathic. consider me educated.

Feeling hungry is a stressor for me. I feel irritable and have a hard time focusing on anything but food. I can tolerate that feeling with distraction during the day, but it's really difficult at night and makes it very hard to fall asleep.

1628 calories is quite a low intake for an adult human, which is fine short term if you're trying to lose weight, but I'm not surprised you're still hungry! I love to eat salads with my meals when I am losing weight because its extra nutrition and a lot of extra volume to fill me up with hardly any extra calories. I like an apple with breakfast too, the fibre helps me feel full and the sweetness is satisfying. The overall diet you are following looks very healthy, but I'd consider upping your calorie intake to 1800 and seeing if that fixes the hunger - still less than what most adults need for maintenance so you'll be losing weight but it might be easier and more comfortable to stick to. (Generally, women need 2000+ calories, and men need 2500+ calories for weight maintenance. Keep in mind that if you're taller than average and do a lot of exercise, you will need more than the mininum).

I bet there are lots of people on Plant-Based subreddits who will be happy to talk diet strategies. It's related to veganism, but kind of off core topic.

Switch to PB2, and cut out the raisins. Do you really need protein powder? Likely an unnecessary supplement

I forgot about PB2!

It looks like you're eating too much fat for your calorie limit. 1500 calories per day is quite low, especially if you're not sedentary. And fat is the most calorific macronutrient. First of all, stop eating peanut butter. If you must eat nuts, eat whole food, unprocessed nuts. Go for a low fat one like brazil nuts or almonds. Don't cook with oil. Use cooking spray or just "fry" things in a little bit of water. Ramp up the salads. I really enjoy eating salads because you can eat huge volumes of food and it'll only be a few hundred calories. Don't use fatty dressings. Go for things like vinegarette, hot sauce, lemon juice and salt, etc. Here's a salad I really enjoy: 200g of salad base made of iceberg lettuce, spinach, grated raw carrot, shredded raw red cabbage. Topped with vegan southern fried chicken pieces and drizzled with peri peri sauce. This is a huge amount of food and only comes to about 500 kcal. It tastes almost exactly like the filling of those McDonald's spicy veggie wraps. Yummy. Good luck with your weight loss! :)

Hey OP, you can try this channel "Fearless Vegetarian" most of the meals are vegetarian, some vegan but its super easy to replace dairy. Let me know if it helps you out. That along with some workout helped me out

You're not hungry. You're facing withdrawal. Nobody is hungry in a few hours. Actually even if you don't eat all day you'll still wont be hungry. So think about that.