“You can’t get lean on a vegan diet because it has so many carbs”. That’s what we get told because the plant-based sources of protein aren’t as ‘lean’ as chicken for example.
It has been my dream for many years to get a six pack and trust me, it’s no quick process. I’ve had definition lines in my stomach for as long as I can remember due to my athletic upbringing, but I wanted to see what I look like with lower body fat percentage so they can really pop out.
The results you can see in the images below didn’t force me to count calories or macros (although a lot of people prefer to keep track). I didn’t have to starve myself or go to extremes.
I hit the gym hard 4 days a week with hikes and dancing in the weekend. Most people don’t see what they are actually capable of during their workouts, but I ensure I really smash it to the point of muscle failure. There’s no half a**ing here 😊
So let’s get into it!
How can YOU get abs on a vegan diet?
1. Energy In VS Energy Out
You can lose weight on a diet of McDonalds if you wanted to.. Although you wouldn’t feel too good.
One of my favourite things about a plant-based diet is that it encourages you to eat more whilst staying in shape almost effortlessly. Despite this, if you aren’t moving your body regularly you still can put on weight due to an imbalance of your daily calories.
Fat loss comes down to being in a calorie deficit, maintenance is eating the same amount your body burns off each day, and during a bulking period you would eat in a calorie surplus whilst weight training.
As mentioned above, I never tracked my calories as I preferred an intuitive eating approach. But I wrote an e-book ‘What I Eat In A Week’ so I recorded everything for the sake of my followers to see exactly how I fuelled my body.
I always believed I was in a calorie surplus eating 2500-3000 a day! But actually I was only consuming around 1600-1800 a day on average, despite having huge plates of food. I believe this comes down to my love for salads and stir-frys. Lean veggies would often be the star of the meal, with carbs, protein and fats as the ‘sides’.
Please note that everybody is different with their energy expenditure, cravings and needs when it comes to meal times. Different things can fluctuate such as if you exercised that day, if you’re sick, how busy you are (some people forget to eat or are rushed to eat during small breaks), your hormones affecting your hunger levels (aka. your cycle), if you’re socialising/dining out or eating at home etc.
To find out what your calorie intake is, I recommend My Fitness Pal app. However, it is not necessary to record this at all times if you don’t want to. A week or even 3 days is enough to get an idea of where you’re at.
View this post on Instagram
2. Fill Up On Lean Fibrous Veggies
Make rainbow coloured veggies the star of your plate! A lot of vegan foods are also higher in calories, but many people find they don’t feel as good when they ‘carb-up’. The approach I take with intuitive eating is having one heavier meal a day with lots of carbs, and the other two meals are lighter.
High carb meals may be avocado and scrambled turmeric tofu on toast for breakfast, wholegrain pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes and spinach, homemade Pad Thai using rice noodles, Mexican stuffed sweet potato, banana bread brown rice porridge, coconut black rice pudding, curry with coconut rice, buckwheat risotto, mac’n’cheese, falafel & black bean wrap, sushi with brown rice or quinoa etc.
Low carb meals for me may consist of raw veggie rice paper rolls with satay sauce, stir-fried broccoli and cabbage with seeds and tofu, salad bowls with chicken-free chicken or veggie patty, soups, tempeh caesar salad, crunchy maple tofu with greens etc.
Check out my Instagram for vibrant foodie pics and meal inspiration!
3. Build Muscle To Speed Up Your Metabolism
When I began weight-training, my life changed forever. I used to be one of those girls who would go on a few machines at the gym, did lots of cardio and kind of just fumbled my way around. Once I received a weights program I was so nervous I would look like a man! However, it helped speed up my metabolism, I shed excess fat off my body and my muscles got BIGGER despite the fact I wasn’t eating meat for protein.
If you feel a little lost or unmotivated, I recommend hiring a personal trainer for the first few times. If you go into the gym with a plan, you will find your workouts flow a lot better and you work yourself harder rather than fumbling around 🙂
4. Challenge Your Body
Personally, I do about 3 weights sessions a week which I find I get the best results from. But to mix things up and work new muscles I love dabbling in HIIT classes, boxing, running through forrest hikes and I want to start trialling occasional yoga and pilates.
Other exercises you can do to switch things up are rock climbing, go for an outdoor walk (great for your mental health too), kayaking, cycling, dancing, quick sprints etc.
I feel it’s not just important to look fit, but to also have a bit of endurance, speed and agility. ‘Fit for life’ I like to call it 🙂
5. Opt For Unprocessed Food As Often As Possible
The rule I live by is ‘if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it’. Plant-based food has taught me so much about the healthiest way to live and shown me perspective on what we do wrong as a society.
Just because it’s low calorie or low sugar, it doesn’t mean it’s good for you. This works the same for a lot of vegan alternative foods. I love some mock meat or dairy-free cheese when I have cravings. Some brands are very reputable and quite natural, but some brands have a lot of additives. In this case I use it as the flavouring and texture of the meal, rather than the main attraction.
Always read labels in the supermarket, and if it has a bunch of ingredients you don’t recognise, it’s best to save it for a treat.
6. Get To A Low But Sustainable Body Fat Percentage
You can’t spot reduce body fat (which I used to try to do). Spending your time doing ab exercises won’t magically get you abs (sorry). The most effective exercises I’ve found for my core are actually full body exercises such as bar and kettlebell squats, press ups, running (the side to side motion of your torso), deadlifts (even just using a kettlebell) etc.
You also can’t work off a bad diet. If you eat well, the rest tends to fall into place naturally without putting extra stress and overworking your body. Good health starts in the kitchen – work on your body from the inside out.
If you need help sticking to a truly healthy diet, check out my meal plans, online programmes and packages.
7. Ensure You’re Getting Enough Plant-Based Protein
I LOVE plant-based protein because it’s a lot easier to digest, is better on your arteries, contains fibre to aid digestion and provides your body with a lot more micronutrients. Some great sources include –
- Tofu
- Tempeh – similar to tofu but more dense – I find it tastes like chicken strips
- Chia seeds – great for chia pudding with coconut milk and cacao powder as a chocolate treat
- Quinoa – you can have this savoury by cooking it in vegetable stock, or for a sweet breakfast cooked in plant milk with peanut butter
- Hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds (ground flax is better for absorption) – great in smoothies, sprinkled on breakfasts, stir-frys, salads and more
- Peanut butter – I like a teaspoon of chocolate peanut butter as dessert some nights
- Oats
- Nutritional yeast – tastes like cheese flakes and is also a great source of B12
- Broccoli – I love mine sautéed in Cocavo cooking oil with seeds and spices
- Lentils, black beans, chickpeas, red kidney beans
- Edamame beans – Yummy in a Poke Bowl!
- Spirulina
- Nuts
- Plant-based protein powder – I enjoy Nuzest mixed with 2/3 water and 1/3 almond milk
- Hummus and tahini
- Pasta made from brown rice, chickpeas, beans or buckwheat
- Buckwheat – awesome in a pea and basil risotto, cranberry and apple salad or morning porridge
- Brown rice
- Seitan
- Mock meat such as chicken, sausages, mince, patties, duck etc – Just ensure they are reputable brands using mostly natural ingredients and low in additives
8. Consistency Is Key
A common mistake that people make is restricting themselves to the extreme which can lead to binges and weight fluctuations. Your eating habits need to be sustainable for the rest of your life! It’s got to be enjoyable, fulfilling, exciting, creative and satisfying.
I don’t tell myself that I can never eat an item of food again. But the truth is I don’t experience cravings very often (except for chocolate which is an essential in my pantry). I think it all comes down to mindset. If you tell a kid they can’t have something, it’s all they can think about until they throw a tantrum and their parents eventually give in. But if they are allowed it in the first place it’s not so ‘special’ and desirable any more.
When I experience cravings such as a sweet tooth, I will try to make a healthier version of it myself at home first. This can include chocolate chia pudding, cake batter bliss balls, homemade caramelised banana and pecan ice-cream, salted caramel slice, a snickers protein smoothie etc. THEN, if the craving persists I allow myself to have the treat and BOOM the craving is gone. If didn’t allow myself to eat what my body craved, it would turn into a full on binge which many people experience, followed by guilt and sometimes starvation or excessive exercise to make up for it.
It all comes down to habits and self-control. Make your exercise routine and diet habits CONSISTENT week in and week out.
9. Sort Out Your Sleep & Stress Levels
Speaking from personal experience when I had my corporate office job, I was living off about 5 hours sleep a night, was always STARVING, experienced depressive states for no reason, felt like a zombie and was constantly sick.
I would load up on calories like creamy pasta and bread at lunch which would put me to sleep, followed by more coffee and chocolate in the afternoons to pick myself back up and try to focus on my work. I was constantly exhausted and just didn’t feel like myself.
Once I quit my job to build my holistic nutrition business, it was the first time I started sleeping properly since as long as I can remember. When I was sick I could give myself time off to recover and re-build my immunity. I could do an errands day mid-week to break up my office and study days. I had passion and purpose again.
It took MONTHS for my hormone levels to balance back out, then wallah! The excess fat just started dropping off without me hardly trying! When our bodies are in fight or flight mode, it isn’t focused on looking lean – in fact it’s the last of our priorities. It is focused on running from ‘predators’ like stress from debt/family commitments/career pressure which is isn’t actually life threatening in the modern world.
- Make your bed and room as inviting and cosy as possible.
- Sometimes light background noise can help you fall asleep.
- Make time for self care – I love a good bath or lathering up in body oil before climbing into bed.
- Make sure your career aligns with your passion and where you see yourself in the future.
- Live in a welcoming, clean and peaceful home.
- Spend time with supportive, positive and motivated people – you become who you hang out with.
- Step out of your comfort zone every once in a while – it will help reset your mind and show you just how capable you are.
- Be prepared with healthy meals and snacks when you’re on the go.
- Don’t go longer than three days without exercise – personally I workout every second day.
- Review your schedule and make sure you’re only dedicating your time to things that are truly important to you.
10. Patience (it won’t happen overnight)
Your body is a constant work in progress. When you reach your goal, you can’t just stop and throw your good habits out the window. You need to maintain it and ENJOY it for the rest of your life.
One of my favourite quotes is ‘you can’t heal a body your hate’. You need to wake up and compliment what you see in the mirror each morning. You need to treat yourself like a king or a queen and don’t settle for less than what you deserve in life.
You won’t get abs after one workout or one salad. It won’t happen in weeks and for many people it may not even happen in months. But if you keep at it, one day you will wake up, it’ll all hit you and you will be proud of what you’ve accomplished.
If you need help with your lifestyle routine and habits, I would be more than happy to help. Contact me to enquire and find out more. I would love to learn about your journey and help you get to where you need to be.
I hope this post helped display that a vegan diet does not mean you can’t have the body of someone who lives off chicken, broccoli and rice. You don’t need meat and animal products for protein and you don’t need to starve yourself or be miserable. Whether you’re a full vegan or simply want to start incorporating more plant-based meals into your diet, it IS possible to achieve the body of your dreams.
Set your goals and habits, clear out your fridge and pantry to start fresh, establish an exercise routine you look forward to and treasure the one body you have been given. Always remember, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MIND TO!
–
For help with a healthy eating plan you can actually look forward to, check out my meal guides! Whole-foods, vegan and predominantly plant-based available 🌱
Even if you prefer not to eat in a structured way, you can simply use it as a recipe book 😁
