Your first question may be, "Wait, I thought eating too many carbs caused weight gain? Isn't that why so many people eat a low-carb diet to lose weight?," but what sets the HCLF vegan diet apart from other diets is that you're focusing on whole-food sources of carbs such as fruits, whole grains, and veggies, and these contain fibre. Fibre in these foods will fill you up more than eating refined carbs like white bread or cookies.
Aside from avoiding refined grains and sugar, here are some other things to consider if you want to avoid weight gain when eating a HCLF vegan diet:
- Although whole grain flours are allowed, if your diet consists mainly of pancakes, bread, pasta, and muffins, for one, you won't feel very good. Also, since these are high in calories without offering you filling fibre, registered dietitian Leslie Langevin, MS, author of The Anti-Inflammatory Kitchen Cookbook said you won't feel as satisfied, so you'll reach for more food.
- While avocado, nuts, seeds, and the butters made from them like almond butter and tahini are allowed, they should be consumed in moderation. Grabbing handful after handful of raw almonds adds up in the calorie department!
- Don't overeat. Be mindful of the hunger scale and eat until you're satisfied but not stuffed.
- Be mindful of your macros, and track them at first to make sure you're actually eating low-fat. If you're eating high-fat and high-carb, you'll likely gain weight.
- Your diet should be mostly whole foods, so even though a cookie, chocolate, or ice cream might be vegan, these types of processed foods should be limited.
- Make sure you're feeling satisfied emotionally and physically, and vary your diet to prevent boredom. Eating HCLF should be enjoyable, and if it's not, you might end up bingeing on foods that are not part of the HCLF vegan diet, which could result in weight gain.