Article series: Healthy weight loss made easy.
You live vegan but still have a few extra pounds on your ribs? Then you’re in good company, because many people who live 100% plant-based struggle with being overweight or carry around the odd little roll of fat! Don’t get us wrong: we are anything but advocates of model measurements. Quite the opposite! We think it’s better to have a few feel-good pounds too many than a BMI that is too low and therefore unhealthy. But in some cases, too much really is far too much… And in that case, so-called slimming down is also a good solution as a vegan.
\nMany vegans will probably cry out in indignation now, because why should you suffer from weight problems if you live without animal fats? Unfortunately, reality shows that you are not automatically thin, or become thin, just because you live entirely plant-based. In addition, an existing unfavorable body fat distribution is often accompanied by muscle loss—triggered by protein deficiency—and other nutrient deficiencies. The result is not only excess kilos, but unfortunately often serious health problems that become apparent over time.
\nNina, for many vegans, losing weight simply doesn’t work.
\nDo you have any idea what the reason could be?
Nina: Oh yes, unfortunately we know this problem all too well from people who live vegan or vegetarian. And the fascinating thing is always this: there is a common denominator that, in the vast majority of cases, is also responsible for the failure.
Quite simply, people usually consume far too many carbohydrates and often snack between meals as well. In many cases, a typical veggie day then looks like this:
In the morning there’s a sweet breakfast or a ready-made muesli with oat milk, at lunchtime perhaps a vegan bowl with rice, in the afternoon a small piece of cake or fruit, in between the odd latte, and in the evening pasta & co.
\nAt first glance, that may seem healthy, but on closer inspection it is simply too much for our pancreas and the associated insulin production. The constant “fueling” with high amounts of carbohydrates means that the body is constantly busy producing insulin, and thus blood sugar levels are continuously running at full speed. The result: the organism is always trying to get rid of the added glucose and therefore has no chance to burn its stored fat cells. A dilemma, because unfortunately the constant consumption of carbohydrates in turn causes hunger to arise quickly… fortunately, however, there is a simple way out of this vicious circle (also for non-vegans/vegetarians, by the way):
A ketogenic diet paired with sufficient exercise and intermittent fasting!
Okaaayyy… but ketogenic and vegan—that’s a complete contradiction, isn’t it? Or maybe not?
Nina: Now I actually have to smile a little, because this question is almost a classic! No wonder, because the classic ketogenic diet is always associated with high meat and fish consumption at the same time. Admittedly, meat and fish are often the main food source for animal protein in the classic ketogenic diet. But ketogenic also means, above all, consuming high-quality good fats and plenty of healthy low-starch vegetables, and fruit in moderation too. So actually perfect for people living vegan or vegetarian.
The only problem is: replacing animal proteins with plant proteins unfortunately does not work 1:1. Plant proteins such as soy, for example, produce far too much nitrogen waste and thus deprive our body of the ability to preferentially use fatty acids and so-called ketone bodies for combustion. Counterproductive in terms of the desired effect—because unfortunately this tends to achieve the opposite!
At this point, however, there is a super simple solution: vegan amino acids, such as those contained in our MyAMINO ®. There, 99% of the amino acids can be utilized by the body with just 0.4 kcl per piece and 1% nitrogen waste. I know this is dry material for many people now and not very tangible, so perhaps a brief example: As a 24- to 39-year-old woman with an office job, little physical exertion, and the desire to lose weight, I would actually have to eat 2.3 kg of tofu to achieve the same protein usability as 20 MyAMINO® tablets. Not to mention the calories and the fact that you can’t lose weight with such immense amounts of tofu.
\nBut of course the rest of the nutrition plan and exercise also have to be coordinated, and by the way, that also applies to non-vegans! The great thing about protein and MyAMINO® is that you don’t have to suffer from hunger, you feel pleasantly full, and most importantly, you are well supplied with all nutrients. Because health always comes first. What I can promise, by the way: with a strict hyperketogenic nutrition plan, achieving the desired ketogenic metabolic state works much faster and better!
Are you absolutely sure? Does it really help with weight loss? Why, and above all how long does it take until my pounds melt away?
Nina (laughing): It works—definitely! Above all, it helps to stimulate the desired fat burning. Something that goes completely wrong with many other diet variants, because people often only lose water and valuable muscle mass. But above all, the issue of supporting detoxification—extremely important, by the way, since toxins can be stored in fatty tissue—is taken into account with this approach. Because the barely present nitrogen waste from MyAMINO® leads to a high level of organ relief, for example in our liver—one of our central metabolic organs!
Once it is relieved, it can also devote itself to other things, such as the toxins that are usually stored in fatty tissue and can automatically be mobilized during weight loss. In other words: if you lose weight, the stored “toxins” in the body are automatically released as well. Incidentally, this is often the case when you suddenly become bad-tempered or complain of headaches. But don’t worry, that quickly passes again, and with the mix described you can lose weight efficiently, gently, in an organ-relieving way, and vegan.
All clear—or maybe not …
If you’re not getting anywhere, where can one find support, Nina?
Nina: I know, that’s an awful lot of input at first! And perhaps one point or another is still unclear. But don’t worry, we don’t leave people who want to lose weight—whether living vegan or not—who want to eat ketogenically in combination with MyAMINO® on their own.
Our naturopath team is happy to help with any questions! Simply write an email, call, or use our chat, and we’ll be happy to help.
\n