So like three weeks ago I stepped on the scale at my cousin’s house in New Jersey (they have the fancy digital one that also tells you body fat %) and it just… laughed at me. Not literally. But it might as well have. Pants don’t fit, hoodie fits like a sausage casing, the usual American-in-2026 sob story. Anyway I decided — mostly out of spite — to try a full 30-day plant-based weight loss plan. Zero animal products. No cheat days planned (lol we’ll see). I’m not a nutritionist. I’m barely a functional adult. This is just me, some lentils, and a whole lot of Google.
If you want more science-y backup, this meta-analysis on plant-based diets and weight loss is pretty solid and NutritionFacts.org has a nice summary here.
Week 1 – I basically lived on sadness and smoothies 30-Day Plant-Based
First three days were brutal. I missed cheese like you miss an ex who was bad for you but smelled really good. My grocery bill looked like I was opening a small rabbit sanctuary.
What actually got me through:
weekend free-for-all – August 11-12, 2018 – Ask a Manager
- Breakfast:巨型 smoothie (frozen banana, spinach, unsweetened almond milk, half a frozen zucchini because someone on TikTok said it makes it creamier — they were right)
- Lunch: chickpea “tuna” salad that I over-mayo’d (still vegan mayo okay)
- Dinner: sweet potato + black beans + whatever sad veggies were left
I lost 3.2 lbs that first week but like 70% of it was probably water and despair. Pro tip: buy frozen berries in bulk. Fresh ones die in my fridge faster than my motivation.
Week 2 – things got slightly less tragic 30-Day Plant-Based
I discovered
- Nutritional yeast (tastes like someone spilled Cheetos dust in heaven)
- Tempeh (fermented soy brick — terrifying at first, now I’m obsessed)
- The fact that you can make queso with potatoes and carrots. Yes. I did that. No regrets.
Also started walking 45–60 min every evening around my neighborhood in [whatever US suburb I’m currently rotting in]. Nothing crazy, just moving. Music loud. Judging people’s lawn decorations. Classic cardio.
Here’s a decent beginner resource I keep going back to: Forks Over Knives 30-Day Challenge guide — it’s free and way more organized than whatever I’m doing.
Week 3 – the scale finally started being nice to me 30-Day Plant-Based
Down another 4.1 lbs. Clothes feel looser. I caught myself in a mirror and didn’t immediately want to delete the photo. But also: I cried because I wanted pizza. Real tears. In the grocery store. Next to the Daiya section. So yeah. Emotionally it’s a rollercoaster.
Current go-to meals that don’t make me hate life:
- Buddha bowl (quinoa, roasted broccoli, chickpeas, tahini-lemon dressing, avocado if I’m feeling rich)
- Lentil curry with coconut milk and way too much garlic
- Overnight oats with chia, PB2 (powdered peanut butter — don’t @ me), and frozen cherries
Week 4 – I’m not “cured” but I’m not quitting either 30-Day Plant-Based
As of today (mid-January 2026), I’m about 8.7 lbs down total. Not insane. Not TikTok viral. But real. And mostly from food choices + walking, not from starving or killing myself at the gym.
Biggest surprises:
- I don’t miss meat as much as I thought I would
- I’m actually less bloated (dairy was doing me dirty apparently)
- Poops are… poetic. TMI? Probably.
Biggest mistakes:
- Eating four Beyond burgers in one sitting “because they’re plant-based”
- Forgetting B12 and feeling like a zombie around day 18
- Thinking I could live without coffee creamer. I cannot.
If you’re thinking about starting your own 30-day plant-based weight loss plan, just start. Don’t wait for Monday. Don’t wait till you buy the perfect blender. Just pick one meal and make it plants. Then another. Snowball effect is real.
Wanna join me? Tell me in the comments what your biggest fear/animal-product-you’ll-miss-most is. I’ll probably reply while stress-eating frozen grapes.
Catch y’all on the other side of this vegetable hell/heaven. Peace. 🌱
(And yes I’m still scared I’ll gain it all back the second I smell bacon. One day at a time.)
