These days, many people are realizing the potential of using veganism as a weight-loss diet. Bill Clinton is all over the news, waxing poetic about his recently downsized plant-fueled waistline. Vegan weight-loss guides are best-sellers and popular on the Internet (Appetite for Reduction, Skinny Bitch, Fat Free Vegan, etc.). While it’s nice that through these avenues more people are embracing plant-based diets, it’s important to recognize some of the serious pitfalls of marketing veganism primarily as a way to shed pounds.
Every diet starts with a set of promises. The promises we make to ourselves upon starting any nutritional plan are usually to stick to a set of guidelines (eat this, in these amounts, at these times) in order to lose weight or, in some cases, lose weight and improve our health. This is fine, and it usually works. Actually, many diets work if you stick to them, which most people do for a few meals, perhaps a few days, or weeks, or even months. But once someone has lost weight, suddenly the rules of the diet seem, well, a bit more flexible. “I’ll have chicken once in a while, because I’ve already reached my goal weight. A little bit can’t hurt.” This seems like a pretty logical option for anyone who is a vegan just for weight loss. For those who haven’t reached their weight loss goals, it’s common for people to give up their diets after a short period of time because the restriction feels…restricting.
When veganism is touted as nothing more than a weight loss regimen, it is likely to be left behind when the next fad diet comes along. This is the nature of dieting. Many non-vegan diets can lead to losing weight too, so as soon as the next talking head comes out with a lose-weight quick plan, one may find themselves tempted to get on board and try something else, instead of veganism.
Veganism can certainly be promoted as a healthy choice. Gena Hamshaw (Choosing Raw) and Kris Carr (Crazy Sexy Life), both of whom I totally respect and idolize, highlight the health-promoting properties of plant-sourced diets, particularly those rich in raw foods. Their emphasis on health in conjunction with being fit (which can come naturally for health-conscious vegans, though does not guarantee weight loss) is unique from those who emphasize only weight loss. True vegan health is about individual and planetary health. While I’m confident that the authors of the weight loss guides mentioned above are also ethical and moral vegans, I think we have to be careful when we suggest veganism first and foremost as a weight loss strategy.
Anyone who has chosen a vegan lifestyle for reasons other than weight loss or health, such as for animal rights, human rights or environmental rights, knows that veganism is not a sacrifice. When veganism is positioned as a way to stay true to your values, it can be effortless. As an ethical, moral, or spiritual vegan, you can be a vegan, eat whatever you want that’s vegan, and lose weight—or not. But the value in the diet extends beyond the numbers on the scale. It’s something you’ll stick to long-term, because you believe in its power to change the world—not just your physique.
