C’mon. Admit it.

You resolve to lose weight every year, but by the time July rolls around, you’re no leaner than you were in January. I feel your pain. I used to be the same way. In fact, I was pretty portly when I was younger. Years of eating double cheeseburgers, cheese-steak sandwiches, chicken nuggets, fettuccine Alfredo, three-cheese lasagna, and chocolate-chip cookies really pack on the pounds. I pledged to get in shape each year, but I rarely stuck to diets for very long, so whatever weight I did lose always came back with a vengeance.

It wasn’t until I went vegan—for ethical reasons—that I started to get my eating under control. I’ve lost about 30 pounds and maintained my healthy weight since I stopped eating animal products and started eating wholesome plant foods. If you’re watching your weight—or your cholesterol or your blood pressure—why not resolve to eat a vegan diet? You can be trim and healthy for life.

Why Is a Vegan Diet Good for Weight Control?

Unlike meat, eggs, and dairy products, plant-based foods are cholesterol free, low in fat and calories, and high in fiber and complex carbohydrates. (Yep, I said the C word. Healthy carbs can help you lose weight. Carbohydrate-rich foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables provide energy and help boost your metabolism, so you’ll burn calories quicker. A gram of carbohydrate has only four calories, while a gram of fat has nine, and our bodies burn more of the calories in carbs than in fats.)

The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada report that vegetarians, especially vegans, often have lower body mass indices and lower rates of heart disease, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and certain cancers. In The Food Revolution, author John Robbins notes that vegetarians are one-third as likely to be obese as meat-eaters, and vegans are approximately one-tenth as likely to be obese.

Eat Wholesome Vegan Foods for Optimal Health—and Weight Loss

Now, there are heavy vegans and skinny meat eaters out there, but people who eat a vegan diet generally have an easier time controlling their weight. Of course, if you stop eating meat, dairy, and eggs and instead eat Oreos, Goldberg peanut chews, French fries, and potato chips, you obviously aren’t going to lose weight—or feel very good. Those foods may be vegan, but that doesn’t mean that they’re low in calories—or nutritious!

A healthy vegan diet should consist of an assortment of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lentils, beans, and soy foods. When I first went vegan 17 years ago, I ate mostly veggie burgers, Not Dogs, Fakin’ Bacon, Phony Baloney, and Tofutti Cuties (little dairy-free ice cream sandwiches). I shed a few pounds and felt fine, but I really lost my excess weight and felt more energetic when I started eating more wholesome foods like spinach and lentil soup, hummus, vegetarian beef stew, stir-fry vegetables and tofu, whole-wheat breads, oatmeal and berries, almond milk, and more.

It’s Easy Being Green: Tips on Going Vegan

The word “diet” tends to make people nervous, but don’t worry—a vegan diet is not actually a diet; it’s just a healthy, humane way of eating. You don’t need to stick to a set meal plan or shop at special stores. Mock meats and other tasty vegan foods can be found in most supermarkets. In future posts, I’ll suggest some popular vegan products and recommend easy recipes, cookbooks, and Web sites for vegetarians and vegans. In the meantime, try making a few simple changes: Choose soy sausage instead of pork sausage, use low-fat soy milk in your cereal, eat curried chickpeas rather than chicken, make chili with beans instead of beef, and opt for healthy snacks like dark-chocolate chips or dried fruit.

If you exercise and eat nutritious vegan foods, you’ll see a healthier new you before the next New Year.