7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (2024)

Following a vegan diet—or even just including more plant-based foods in your routine—can be a healthy and delicious approach to eating. Research has shown that cutting back on animal products and eating more beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is associated with a decreased risk for diabetes, heart disease and certain types of cancer. Plus, you may have an easier time losing weight on a vegan diet, thanks to fiber-rich foods, which help you feel full and satisfied throughout the day.

At 1,200 calories, this vegan meal plan sets you up to lose a healthy 1 to 2 pounds per week and includes a variety of nutritious foods and balanced meals to make sure you're getting the nutrients you need each day. Whether you're a full-time vegan or just looking for healthy vegan recipe ideas, this plant-based meal plan makes for a week of wholesome eating.

Looking for a different calorie level? See our 1,500-calorie and 1,800-calorie vegan meal plans.

9 Healthy Tips to Help You Start Eating a Vegan Diet

How to Meal Prep Your Week of Meals

Make a batch of the Vegan Pancakes to have for breakfast on Days 1, 5 and 7. Store the cooked pancakes in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze until ready to eat; reheat in the microwave.
Cook a batch of Basic Quinoa to have for lunch on Day 2 and dinner on Day 5.
Make the to have on Day 4. Store the dry mix in an airtight container for up to one month.

Looking for More? See all of our healthy vegan meal plans for more inspiration.

Day 1

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (1)

Breakfast (296 calories)

2 Vegan Pancakes
1/4 cup blackberries
1 Tbsp. peanut butter

Mix peanut butter with 1 tsp. warm water (or more, as needed, to thin out the peanut butter). Drizzle over pancakes.

A.M. Snack (150 calories)

3/4 cup edamame pods, seasoned with a pinch of salt

Lunch (245 calories)

1 serving
1 cup sliced cucumber

P.M. Snack (30 calories)

1 small plum

Dinner (499 calories)

1 serving Falafel Salad with Lemon-Tahini Dressing

Daily Totals: 1,221 calories, 50 g protein, 137 g carbohydrates, 38 g fiber, 59 g fat, 1,586 mg sodium

Day 2

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (2)

Breakfast (262 calories)

1 serving

A.M. Snack (100 calories)

1/2 cup edamame pods, seasoned with a pinch of salt

Lunch (360 calories)

4 cups

If you're taking this salad to go, pack it up in this handy meal-prep container, specifically made to keep your greens fresh and dressing separate until you're ready to eat. (To buy: amazon.com, $17)

Dinner (500 calories)

2 cups Black Bean-Quinoa Bowl

Daily Totals: 1,222 calories, 48 g protein, 153 g carbohydrates, 46 g fiber, 53 g fat, 1,370 mg sodium

Day 3

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (3)

Breakfast (266 calories)

1 serving Peanut Butter-Banana Cinnamon Toast

A.M. Snack (114 calories)

2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Lunch (325 calories)

4 cups serving

P.M. Snack (62 calories)

2 cups air-popped popcorn

Dinner (446 calories)

1 1/2 cups
1/2 small whole-wheat pita, toasted
1/3 cup hummus

Meal-Prep Tip: Save 1 serving of the in a leakproof meal-prep container (To buy: amazon.com, $11) for lunch on Day 4.

Daily Totals: 1,213 calories, 49 g protein, 132 g carbohydrates, 34 g fiber, 57 g fat, 1,760 mg sodium

Day 4

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (4)

Breakfast (296 calories)

1/3 cup cooked with 1 1/4 cups unsweetened soymilk

Meal-Prep Tip: Make the and store it in an airtight container for up to one month.

A.M. Snack (30 calories)

1 small plum

Lunch (309 calories)

1 1/2 cups
1/2 small whole-wheat pita, toasted

P.M. Snack (114 calories)

2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Dinner (472 calories)

1 serving Stuffed Sweet Potato with Hummus Dressing

Daily Totals: 1,222 calories, 51 g protein, 177 g carbohydrates, 40 g fiber, 40 g fat, 1,327 mg sodium

Day 5

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (5)

Breakfast (296 calories)

2 Vegan Pancakes
1/4 cup blackberries
1 Tbsp. peanut butter

Mix peanut butter with 1 tsp. warm water (or more, as needed, to thin out the peanut butter). Drizzle over pancakes.

Lunch (325 calories)

1 serving

P.M. Snack (100 calories)

1/2 cup edamame pods, seasoned with a pinch of salt

Dinner (487 calories)

1 cup Chickpea Curry
1 cup Basic Quinoa

Daily Totals: 1,208 calories, 44 g protein, 149 g carbohydrates, 33 g fiber, 50 g fat, 1,253 mg sodium

Day 6

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (6)

Breakfast (262 calories)

1 serving

A.M. Snack (17 calories)

1/4 cup hummus
2 medium celery stalks, cut into sticks

Lunch (308 calories)

1 serving Vegan Bistro Lunch Box
2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Dinner (525 calories)

1 serving
1 cup

Daily Totals: 1,211 calories, 51 g protein, 118 g carbohydrates, 32 g fiber, 65 g fat, 2,065 mg sodium

Day 7

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (7)

Breakfast (296 calories)

2 Vegan Pancakes
1/4 cup blackberries
1 Tbsp. peanut butter

Mix peanut butter with 1 tsp. warm water (or more, as needed, to thin out the peanut butter). Drizzle over pancakes.

A.M. Snack (62 calories)

1 medium orange

Lunch (325 calories)

4 cups serving

P.M. Snack (93 calories)

3 cups air-popped popcorn

Dinner (434 calories)

1 serving

Daily Totals: 1,209 calories, 45 g protein, 144 g carbohydrates, 32 g fiber, 51 g fat, 1,732 mg sodium

You Did It!

Congratulations on finishing this vegan weight-loss meal plan. Maybe you followed along with every single meal and snack or perhaps you just used it as an inspirational guide for following a vegan diet. Either way, we hope you found this plan interesting, delicious and informative. Following a plant-based diet is a healthy way to lose weight and keep it off.

7-Day Vegan Meal Plan: 1,200 Calories (2024)

FAQs

How long will it take to lose 30 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet? ›

For example, it would take one 3 to 6 months on average to lose 30 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet. It is based on CDC; one can lose 1 to 2 pounds per week on average.

How quickly will I lose weight on 1200 calories a day? ›

To calculate your weight-maintenance calories, multiply your weight by 15. If 1,200 calories a day is more than 500 calories lower than your weight-maintenance calories, you can expect to lose more than 1 to 2 pounds per week.

Keep Reading ›

How much weight can I lose in a week on a vegan diet? ›

Vegan diet to lose weight

Studies have shown that a vegan diet can reduce your weight by an average of 5.6 pounds in 18 weeks, or less or more than a third of a pound per week!

Keep Reading ›

What is the 7 day vegan challenge? ›

How does it work? No meat, poultry, seafood, dairy or eggs for 7 days (any 7 straight days). Announce to your friends, family, followers that you're doing the challenge.

Explore More ›

How long will it take to lose 15 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet? ›

After 1 year, those eating 1,200–1,500 calories per day experienced an average weight loss of 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms). However, 23% of the 4,588 people following the 1,200-calorie diet dropped out of the study ( 7 ).

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How to lose 10 lbs in 7 days? ›

To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.

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Why am I not losing weight on 1200 calories a day? ›

You might be struggling to lose weight on 1200 calories because your metabolism is slow. Losing weight can be a difficult task, especially if your metabolism is running slow. It's possible that with only a 1200 calorie diet, it might not be enough to shed off those extra pounds due to metabolism costs.

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What is an example of a 1200 calorie diet? ›

Traditional American Cuisine: 1,200 Calories

Breakfast	Energy (Kcal)	Exchange for:
Whole-wheat bread, 1 med. slice	70	(1 Bread/Starch)
Jelly, regular, 2 tsp	30	(½ Fruit)
Cereal, shredded wheat, ½ C	104	(1 Bread/Starch)
Milk, 1%, 1 C	102	(1 Milk)

3 more rows

Learn More Now ›

How to lose 5 pounds in a week? ›

Losing 5 pounds a week comes to reducing your food intake by 3500 calories over seven days. The value that represents the decrease in calorie intake is known as the calorie deficit. If you want to lose 5 pounds in a week, you will need to reduce your food intake by 17,500 calories, which is a huge calorie deficit.

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What vegans should eat to lose weight? ›

Lean proteins: beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, nut butters, eggs, Greek yogurt, milk, and soy products like tofu, tempeh, and edamame. Healthy fats: avocado, olive oil, coconut, nuts, seeds, nut butters, and cheese.

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Is it harder for vegans to lose weight? ›

Going vegan leads to reducing the number of high-calorie foods you eat, because sometimes you end up replacing high-calorie foods with high-fiber foods, which have fewer calories and keep you full longer. Many studies have shown that vegan diets are much more effective for weight loss than other diets.

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Is peanut butter vegan? ›

The bottom line. Most types of peanut butter are free of animal products and can be enjoyed as part of a vegan diet. However, some varieties are made in facilities that also process animal products or contain refined sugar that was produced using bone char or non-vegan ingredients like honey or fish oil.

What bread is vegan? ›

Vegans can eat bread that does not contain animal products or byproducts. This includes breads that only use some variation on flour, water, yeast, and salt including ciabatta, baguette, focaccia, sourdough, pita, and ezekiel breads.

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How fast can you realistically lose 30 pounds? ›

It's a fairly large weight loss goal and will require you to stick to a healthier lifestyle for a significant amount of time. Typically, you should aim to lose approximately one to two pounds each week. This means that in about four months or so, you'll be able to lose about 30 pounds.

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How much weight can you lose in a month with a 1200 calorie diet? ›

If you're a moderately active woman consuming closer to 2,200 calories a day, ingesting 1,200 calories is likely to result in the loss of around 2 pounds per week, or about 8 pounds per month.

Get More Info Here ›

How many calories should I eat a day if I want to lose 30 lbs? ›

One pound equals 3,500 calories -- to lose 30 of them, you must create a deficit of 105,000 calories. That sounds daunting, but when you spread it out over four months, it's just 6,563 calories per week -- or 938 calories per day.

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How realistic is it to lose 30 pounds? ›

Losing 30 pounds in a year is a rate of about two-and-½ pounds a month, or just over half a pound a week. That's well within the recommended pace of sustainable weight loss of no more than a pound or two per week, according to the CDC.