The 3 Biggest Mistakes When Starting Plant-Based (And How to Fix Them!)

New to a whole food, plant-based diet? Avoid these 3 common mistakes that beginners make-and learn how to set yourself up for success!
Eating plant-based is simple, but it’s easy to fall into these traps:
❌ Relying too much on processed vegan foods
❌ Not eating enough calories and feeling hungry all the time
❌ Thinking you have to be 100% perfect or you’ve failed
In this video, I’ll show you how to fix these mistakes so you can feel full, satisfied, and confident on your plant-based journey-without stress or overwhelm!
🔔 Subscribe for weekly videos all about simple, budget-friendly, whole food, plant-based eating!
Resources Mentioned:
My Oil-Free Plant-Based Cookbook - shop.brandnewv...
Brand New Vegan website - www.brandnewve...
BNV Support Group - bnvcommunity.com
Atomic Habits by James Clear - amzn.to/3QclJEx
⏲️ Tofu Scramble Recipe -
www.brandnewve...
⏲️ Gallo Pinto Recipe -
www.brandnewve...
⏲️ Mexican Salad Bowl Recipe -
www.brandnewve...
⏲️ Best Damn Vegan Chili Recipe -
www.brandnewve...
⏲️ 15 Bean Soup
www.brandnewve...
⏲️ Potato Soup Recipe -
www.brandnewve...
💬 Let’s Chat! Drop a Comment Below 👇
❓ Which of these mistakes have YOU made?
❓ What’s your biggest challenge with starting plant-based?
Let me know-I read every comment and would love to help!
MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
All content and media @Brand New Vegan is created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.
Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard or read on this channel.

[@brandnewvegan]

Which of these mistakes have YOU made? Are there more? Let me know in the comments below!

[@peter5.056]

Biggest mistake I made at first, was weighing my food. Lol, what a fool's errand that was!

[@jeanninethompson6243]

I went cold turkey for 2 days and then realized I needed to ease into the lifestyle. So I gave up meat then a month later gave up eggs and diary. It stuck because in May I celebrate 9 years as a vegan.

[@peter5.056]

@ First off, kudos for sticking with it;) Secondly, I would hypothesize that your gut microbiome needed time to adjust to the new diet. For example, when I first went vegan, green split peas gave me so much gas, it was like a comedy with whoopie cushions in the ensuing hours. I was working out completely alone in the gym at 2 am (don't ask why) and I had eaten green split peas a few hours earlier. I kid you not, every minute on the minute I would pass these enormous volumes of gas. But now, some decades later, legumes basically give me no gas at all. Oat groats used to give me horrendous diarrhea, but are now a well-tolerated staple of my diet. I could on and on about the whole plant foods that I couldn't tolerate when I was a meat eater, but are now enjoyed (painlessly) on a daily basis. On the flip side....a few years ago, I had a birthday cake for my birthday, a real junk-food bakery non-vegan cake. I ate a few slices thinking "surely just once won't hurt." For the next 6 hours, I alternated between nausea, puking my guts out, cramping, and having the runs so bad, I considered going to the hospital. I was the only person to get sick from that cake, out of about 20, so it was probably my gut microbiome and not the cake to blame. "McDougall's Revenge" they (Dr. McD) call it.

[@jedmaple]

When my grandma cooked she had never heard of tofu and cooked grains. Unfortunate, because these are now some of my favourites, along with legumes and such. One of the things I tell anybody, and I mean even non-vegans is to get an instant pot and a good non stick pan. My grain game alone makes it worth it, and legumes are so cheap. Chick peas are a walk in the park. I'm a big guy with a man sized appetite. I go through a lot of tofu and count myself lucky and my hummus game is second to none. You have to fuel the fire!

[@sisterdi64]

Thank you, Chuck. In my own experience I cannot eat until I’ll full. I don’t know what it’s like to be full. I can only eat so many vegetables until I’ll sick, not full. Potatoes, beans, rice - great but not filling for me. I once weighed 300 lbs on a 5’3” frame. I’ve lost 158lbs over the years while on a plant based diet but it is because I started counting calories and allowed myself to only eat my 1400 a day allowance of calories three times a day - 7am, 12pm, and 5 pm. That is apx 466 calories per meal. I average 7,500 steps or more per day. If I eat more than my 1400 calories a day I gain weight. I’ve discovered that I’m just as hungry at 142 lbs as I was at 300lbs and I refuse to go back there again!

[@terredee]

Wow! Thats really great 😊 . Good for you!

[@lilmsindependence]

Glad you're back!🙂

[@brandnewvegan]

Me too!

[@CinnamonSnail]

Chuck's the best 🙌

[@JokerLurver]

Love these words of wisdom! Thank you, Chuck ❤!

[@lisacapone386]

Thank you chuck

[@brandnewvegan]

Very welcome

[@peter5.056]

Another great way to tell if something is "real food" or not, is to ask yourself, "is it possible to grow food from this?" I'm pretty advanced, (went vegan many years ago) and have gotten to the point where I only eat stuff that is, in one way or another, still viable. If I plant my rice, oat groats, quinoa, potatoes, legumes, vegetable cuttings, or fruit seeds, it's possible to grow new food from them. I think it's especially important for people who need to lose weight, to eat intact plant foods: especially the intact grains as the bulk of the calories, with veg and some fruit. I was at a BMI of 29.1 because of asthma med side effects exactly 3 months ago today. I absolutely stuff myself once a day (but be careful - omad is not for everyone!) My BMI is now 23.8 - losing 37 pounds in 90 days. But I must add. There is a specific reason I'm dieting so hard and with such hard-nosed staunchness. I have asthma. Being overweight was making it harder to breathe, and (more importantly) when I'm overweight, the asthma medicine albuterol can trigger irregular heartbeat, and make my blood pressure unstable (huge stroke risk!) When I considered the facts that eating is an asthma trigger for me, and that I couldn't just fast for 90 days, I decided to eat once a day, to minimize my need for albuterol to one puff at night. Apparently, this strategy has worked, because my heart has stayed in a normal rhythm, and I've not felt any symptoms such as skipped beats or heart fluttering (very unsettling feelings to say the least!) That said, when I'm slim (BMI

[@peter5.056]

My nightly meal is whole grains, fruit, and greens, veg, lentils optional. Same meal every night. I'm staying the course!

[@terredee]

Bravo, Peter!

[@robinsaxophone232]

When I went wfpb I would feel guilty about eating so much and stuffing myself. But I lost weight! I realized you don’t have to go on a crazy diet and be hungry all the time. Just eat the food we were meant to eat. That’s why, after eight years I’m still eating this way.

[@belindaknowles7440]

Excellent and informative video, Chuck! It was hard at first for me to get enough calories. I figured it out though.

[@mariangonsior6709]

I enjoyed your video. Great advice.

[@brendaschnell6733]

great starting points!

[@susieg1]

So glad your back! ❤ Your videos and food are awesome!

[@conniesmith699]

Thanks Chuck. You did great!

[@smallfootprint2961]

After losing enough; I just kept losing. Now I'm trying to gain. It's hard.

[@margietatone481]

Great common sense advice. Thank you! I’ve definitely made the perfection over progress mentality mistake on this new journey. It helps so much to hear folks say, give yourself some grace, & pick up & go on. Some improvement is better than none.

[@carolisahammer3107]

So lovely to see you on YT again!! Hey! Is your “OPEN” sign busted?

[@melanieellis7490]

I was there at the conference. That is where I first met you Chuck.

[@raffinataonline]

You are the only one I've heard discuss the always-feeling-hungry issue. Thank you. I finally added back eggs and some chicken, and slowly going back to more plant based. Never lost any weight, but I felt better on it.

[@starcatcher3691]

Starches! Base your meals offff off strchesa

[@dorothyweidner6381]

😊 Thank you for the video. I'm glad that you're back. I'm going to try out your recipes. I follow the old addage: Keep it simple, st@#&d. Usually if it doesn't come out of the crockpot...I don't eat. That said, I'm whole food, plant exclusive.😊

[@kennethkanagaki]

Those are wonderful pieces of advice!! I've been at this since 2012-13 & has to learn a lot of these tips "the hard way". I've enjoyed your cookbook & recipes...in fact we're going to take your best damn chili to my son's super bowl party tomorrow!

[@jeanninethompson6243]

❤ 🌱

[@momcaregiver]

:)

[@cvmitchell9368]

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your guidance. 💚🥬