Switching to a plant-based diet from a western or fatty animal-heavy diet to lose weight, unlike other diets, is a healthy choice. A healthy plant-based diet aligns perfectly with optimal health, reversing many chronic lifestyle induced diseases and maladies, and as a side benefit, weight will come off. All plant-based diets are not created equal though.

The healthiest for chronic health issues is an sos (salt oil sugar free) whole food plant based diet (wfpb). A wfpb diet consists of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, starches, legumes, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices. There is a spectrum though. Sos wfpb is the healthiest diet. Even if you include a sprinkle of salt and sugar with it, it is still healthier than anything else. Add a little oil and it’s slightly less healthy, add vegan junk food (french fries are vegan) and fake processed meats and it becomes a lot less healthy, and real dairy and eggs and it becomes dramatically unhealthy, etc…

If you are having trouble losing weight on your current plant-based diet, try this for a month:

1. Make sure you are eating sos wfpb meals and food.
2. Drop out all sources of concentrated fats and calories (no nuts and seeds or avocados or breads)
3. Drink a large glass of water upon waking and more throughout the day but don’t over hydrate.
4. Eat more and a lot of raw fruits and vegetables.
5. Eat very high water content foods (cucumbers, carrots, kale, arugula, romaine, melons, eggplant, apples, berries, celery). They will fill you up, you can gnaw all day, and you will be sated.
6. Have a large satiating breakfast (oatmeal, berries, bananas).
7. Eat a lot of whole grains and potatoes.
8. Sleep more.
9. Stop eating a few hours before bedtime. A good cutoff is 8:00.
10. Walk more.
11. Do a bit of bodyweight resistance exercises (body squats, lunges, pushups, planks, etc).
12. Drink tea (skip the milks).
13. Have a weekly dose of B12 or if you are older than 60 consult nutrionfacts.org for the correct recommendations.
14. Do not count calories or waste your time with macros.

Your tastebuds will acclimate. I find that the tastier the food, the more my appetite grows. Keep it simple. You’ll appreciate the taste fo fruits and the subtleties of vegetables more. You’ll feel great.