I'm sharing a link to an interesting blog post today from Lindsay Nixon - many of you know her, she's the author of many great "Happy Herbivore" cookbooks! I like her post because it brings up an interesting topic....eating too much on a plant-based diet. The docs that we follow always suggest NOT to count calories or points, or weigh/measure foods - because this isn't a "diet" but a way of eating for life. The advice is to eat when you're hungry, but stop when you're full. And therein lies the key. STOP when you are full! The principle of 'calories in, calories out' still applies to the whole food, plant-based lifestyle - because overeating ANY type of food will sabotage efforts to lose weight. Don't be obsessed with calorie counting.....just tune in to recognize your true hunger signals; eat when you are hungry, and STOP when you are full.
If weight loss is one of your major goals, avoid high fat plant foods such as avocado, nuts, nut butters, soy and coconut (or use them very sparingly). And of course - no oils! Oils are 100% pure fat and should be eliminated in all cases. It's easy to pack on a few pounds every month with just the use of oils, which add no bulk to your food - only calories and fat (not to mention they are health damaging!)
Lastly, planning your meals is also important. We can certainly overeat when we're ravenous and there's nothing prepared in the fridge or pantry. That's when we tend to grab anything and everything! I have some great menu planning tips and a 21-day plan which may be of help. Or you can check out what Lindsay is offering in her blog post.
http://happyherbivore.com/2015/04/plant-based-diet-overeating-not-all-you-can-eat/