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February 18, 2025 15 mins

Have you come to plant-based eating, thinking and hoping that making this diet change will help those pounds melt off your body? Yet, you’ve already started your diet transition for a few weeks …and the scale seems to be the same. So now you’re wondering, “What does one need to do, to really lose the weight eating this way?”

 

Well, that’s what we’re going to talk about in this episode. While a big factor behind shedding the pounds – and keeping them off - is the choice of plant-based foods you’re focusing your meals around, that’s NOT all of it. There are many other factors that can influence your success in this area. And one of those most crucial elements is where our mind is set or focused on as we undertake this plant-based diet journey towards weight loss and transformed health. Let’s dig into this together in this episode. Meet me there!

 

Contact -> healthnow@plantnourished.com

Learn -> www.plantnourished.com

Join -> www.plantnourished.com/ppltcourse

Connect in the Facebook Community -> www.bit.ly/pbdietsuccess

Apply -> Free Rapid Health Transformation Call: https://bit.ly/plantnourished

Free Resource -> Quick Start Grocery Guide for Plant-Based Essentials: www.plantnourished.com/groceryguide

 

 

Have a question about plant-based diets that you would like answered on the Plant Based Eating Made Easy Podcast? Send it by email (healthnow@plantnourished.com) or submit it by a voice message here: www.speakpipe.com/plantnourished

 

 

[Plant Based Eating, Plantbased, Transition Tips, Drop Pounds, Get Healthy, Whole Foods, Healthy Eating, Get in Shape, Weight Loss, Mindset]

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
The new year is underway andyou're ready to make a fresh start
with your health and your body.
You've now accrued some extraholiday pounds and your goal is to
turn around those numbers from thelatest blood draw and the scale.
So now you're wondering, " What doesone need to do to really lose the
weight when eating plant-based?"

(00:24):
Well, whether you're about tostart a plant-based diet or have
been in transition for a whilenow, you're in the right place.
That's what we're going totalk about in this episode.
While a big factor behind shedding thepounds and keeping them off is the choice
of plant-based foods you're focusingyour meals around, that's not all of it.

(00:46):
There are many other factors that caninfluence one's success in this area.
And one of those most crucialelements is where our mind is set
or focused on as we begin thisplant-based diet journey towards
weight loss and transformed health.
So let's dig into this in this episode.
Grab your favorite cuppaand meet me on the inside!

(01:12):
Welcome to the Plant BasedEating Made Easy Podcast.
I'm your host, Anna Tseng, plant-basedRegistered Dietitian and Transition Coach.
Hi Friend, do you want to regain yourhealth with plant-based eating but feel
overwhelmed and lost about how to do it?
Do you feel it'll be hard to changeyour meat-heavy diet and impossible

(01:33):
with working, running the home,or chasing after the grandkids?
If so, you're in the right place.
Here you'll find simple strategies,clear nutrition guidance and
practical tips to help you thriveplant-powered with more energy.
So, if you're ready to ditchthe guesswork and transform
your health the stress-free way.
Cozy up now with a hot cup of tea orlisten while you walk and let me show

(01:56):
you how doable plant-based eating can be.
Let's do this!
For some people, it seems to takelittle effort to shed pounds, while for
others, achieving this goal can be achallenging and often frustrating process.
Having worked with various clientsthrough private coaching sessions,

(02:19):
I know that each individual is trulyunique in personality, background, body
composition, and health circumstances.
No two individuals are exactly the same,and that applies to weight loss as well.
Weight loss strategies really need tobe custom tailored to each person and

(02:39):
their specific situation, in order tooptimize health outcomes and weight loss.
But over the years, I have noticeda trend among plant-based eaters
successful with weight loss.
They all seem to have the sameoverall mindset or perspective
with regards to their weightstatus and plant-based eating.

(03:02):
And this applies to people ofdifferent ages and starting weights.
I think this particular mental attitudeis one of the key factors behind their
success with both health transformationand getting lighter on the scale.
And I want to share this with you sothat it can help you on your weight
loss journey on a plant-based diet.

(03:24):
So let's begin.
The way I see it, this winning mindsetor mentality many plant-based eaters
successful in weight loss seem to have ismade up of three crucial mindset shifts.
Let's look now at each of these in turn.
The first mindset shift you needis this: see plant-based eating

(03:48):
as a lifestyle, not a diet.
Many people, especially those whohave tried many different fat diets
unsuccessfully in the past and experiencedyo yo dieting, often come to plant-based
eating with the same mistaken mentality.
They see it as just another thingto try and as a means to an end,

(04:11):
that of dropping 20 or 30 poundsor more, when it really shouldn't.
Eating plant-based then becomes justanother diet or weight loss method to
try, a short-term fix to see if it works,and that is really the main and only
reason they are trying this way of eating.

(04:31):
Just like getting on an extremelycalorie restricted baby jars food
diet, the grapefruit diet, orsomething like a Master Cleanse diet.
They start it, expecting to only beon it for a short period of time, like
a few weeks or months, see results,and then once the goal weight has been
reached, to go back to their regular diet.

(04:54):
They never meant to be eating plant-basedfor the long-term, much less enjoy it.
Well, this is really not the rightmentality to have, on many levels.
I know this may come as a surprise,because after all, the word 'diet' is
in the term plant-based diet, right?

(05:14):
Not quite, and here's the key reason why.
Plant-based eating often doesn'twork like a typical fad diet.
You may not get results on the scale asquickly as severely calorie-restricted
fad diets, nor should you expect to.
This way of eating is and should be viewedas an entire lifestyle change and a whole

(05:37):
person transformation from the inside out.
You're starting to prioritize self-careand to committing to treat your
body well with nourishing, nutrientrich, whole plant-based foods.
There may be other competing demandsin life, but you're making the decision
to consistently put your health atthe top of the list, and starting

(05:58):
to feel better from the inside out.
See the difference?
But, here's a key benefitof plant-based eating.
Any weight loss you do get willtend to be long-term and sustained.
You'll generally be able to keepit off, which is way different
than many fad diets out there.

(06:19):
So focus on the fact that plant-basedeating is a lifestyle choice and
a long-term one, and each stepforward in plant-based eating is
building this new thriving lifestyle.
Don't let weight loss be your one andonly goal in making this diet change.
Here's a second essential mindsetshift needed: look for long-term

(06:42):
results, not short-term losses.
If you've experienced huge rapid lossesbefore when on a short-term, extremely
low calorie or fad diet, I know that thissecond mindset shift may be hard to hear.
It'll be really hard to resist thetemptation to expect similar quick
and instantaneous results whenit comes to plant-based eating.

(07:06):
It also doesn't help that we havegrown accustomed to a fast paced,
convenience driven culture whereeverything can be gotten nearly
instantaneously with little effort.
Just think of takeouts, Amazon Primetwo-day delivery services, microwave
cooking, and instant messaging.
Even when young, we have been wiredto get things and to have them now.

(07:30):
At this point, I only have to thinkof my kids hankering constantly
to get food when I'm already inthe kitchen preparing their meals.
So given all these life experiences,it's hard to not expect the same with
weight loss on a plant-based diet.
I know we naturally want to feelbetter and look better quickly, and

(07:52):
perhaps we have experienced a 20-poundweight loss over two months on a fad
diet, and then can't help feelingdisappointed and frustrated when we
don't see that happening once we startplant-based eating for two weeks.
But when it comes to weight lossand plant-based eating, it is
much healthier mentally and morerealistic to have a long-term

(08:13):
view instead of a short-term one.
And if you think aboutit, it makes sense.
Wouldn't you rather get gradualsustainable results that stick instead
of quick rapid health and weightresults that then disappear into thin
air, just as quickly as they came?
And I want you to know that gradualresults can be impressive, too.

(08:38):
As an example, let's take aminimal possible result of a
loss of just one pound a week.
That's still a minimum of four poundsa month, which is 48 pounds lost
in a year, or nearly 22 kilograms.
That's huge!
And imagine what it would be if itis even one and a half to two pounds

(08:58):
a week in terms of weight loss.
Now let's look at a third crucialmindset shift you need: focus on changes
in health markers, not scale markers.
Here's what I want you to do.
Take your eyes and focus off thescale and onto other markers or
benefits your body is experiencingfrom this new way of eating.

(09:22):
Otherwise, if you stay fixated onthe scale and why it is going up
or why it is not moving, it is easyto get frustrated quickly, to feel
defeated, and to think that plant-basedeating isn't working for you.
This kind of constant obsessionwith scale numbers will take a toll
on you mentally and emotionallyover time, which is not healthy.

(09:47):
It's futile too, because the factof the matter is, scale numbers
can and do fluctuate, sometimesdaily and even within a day.
There are so many factors that can impactthat number on a scale, so I personally
don't feel that a scale is that accurate.
Even a 2-pound variation within thespace of a day or two is possible.

(10:11):
A much healthier way to go about thisis to look for trends in the scale
over a much longer period of time,and to focus on other indicators of
improving health, such as changes in yourperiodic lab draws and blood biomarkers.
Check and watch for these changes instead.
Over the last few weeks or months,have the scale numbers been generally

(10:34):
trending down or trending up?
Are your total cholesterol and LDLcholesterol numbers trending downwards?
How have your fasting bloodglucose numbers been lately?
What are your recent bloodpressure readings since
starting a plant-based diet?
So instead of getting fixated on theneedle of the scale, day in and day out,

(10:57):
focus your energies instead on gettinghealthier instead in your mind, body,
and habits, and enjoying the journey.
Make this a long-term lifestyle change,and you'll likely find the pounds coming
off over time, as a perk or welcomeside effect to this new way of life.
Here's a good example of what I mean.

(11:20):
Some time ago, a member made this postwithin my community, sharing photos
of the transformation she and herhusband experienced over 10 months of
eating a whole food, plant-based diet.
The physical change was evident.
It seems like she and her husbandeach lost at least 30 to 40 pounds.
Yet, it was the words in herpost that truly caught my eye.

(11:43):
Here are a few quotations from it.
She said, "We have been on awhole food plant-based lifestyle
health journey for 10 months now.
This is what whole food plant-basedhas done to our bodies and health.
Inside and outside, we haveseen major improvements.
What we did, changed mindset from dietto lifestyle, changed what we ate,

(12:06):
stopped letting life revolve aroundfood, changed from sedentary to moving.
It completely brought us back to life.
We have our energy back.
We feel better insidethan we even do outside.
We did it for our health primarily,and the weight loss was secondary."

(12:28):
yes, I agree with her.
Health should be the primary goal andfocus with weight loss being secondary.
I couldn't have put it better.
So today we looked at just howimportant it is to keep the right
mindset shift or perspective as youbegin plant-based eating, even if
weight loss is one of your goals.

(12:49):
The most important thing is to not make ityour primary goal, but see it as a welcome
side effect to your new way of living.
Here are the new mindset shifts youneed to adopt to be successful with
plant-based eating and weight loss.
First, to see plant-based eatingas a lifestyle, not a diet.

(13:10):
Second, to look for long-termresults, not short-term losses,
and third, focus on changes inhealth markers, not scale markers.
Now here's an action step you can take.
If you've been someone fixated on thescale lately and getting frustrated with
the lack of movement you see on it, takea moment to pause and reflect on each

(13:33):
of these three different mindset shifts.
Which one do you feel speaks most to yourcurrent situation and way of thinking?
If there is one that stands out,resolve to actively think upon this
new perspective this coming weekand internalize it in your mind.
I hope this episode today helps you tosee that weight changes are possible

(13:55):
with plant-based eating, but thatyou need to go about it the right way
and with the right mental framework.
Friend, it can get lonely sometimeson the road to a healthier body,
especially if loved ones or friendsaround you are not supportive.
And it can get doubly lonely andeven frustrating when you're stuck

(14:18):
weight-wise or health-wise, notgetting the results you desire and
not knowing what you're doing wrong.
Well Friend, I want to comealongside you and help you reach
your health and weight goals.
Let's journey together so I can giveyou the support and guidance you
need to troubleshoot any weight losschallenges and help you move into the

(14:39):
best plant-powered lifestyle you can.
So if you would like more customizedsupport to help you in your specific
situation, reach out to me via email athealthnow@plantnourished.com or apply
for a free Rapid Health TransformationCall using the links in the show notes.
I would love to explore with youhow I can best support you to reach

(15:02):
your health and weight loss goals.
Thank you for listening to the PlantBased Eating Made Easy Podcast.
If this podcast has helped you,please rate and leave a written
review on the Apple PodcastApp or iTunes to let me know.
Nothing will lift me up more than toread your review and see how this podcast

(15:22):
has made a difference in your life.
I also pick reviews to read on this showso your review could be one of them.
Come connect with me in my freeFacebook community group, Beginners
for Plant Based Diet Success.
Just go to bit.ly/pbdietsuccess.
That's B I T dot L Y forwardslash pb diet success.

(15:45):
You can also subscribe and followthis podcast to get notified
when a new episode goes live.
Signing off now, this is Anna, andI wish you the best health always.
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