A High Schooler Cut High-Fat Vegan Foods and Lost 20 Pounds in 5 Weeks
3 min read · RealCase summary
Jenison, 17 and entering his senior year of high school, had grown up on a whole-food, plant-based, no-added-oil diet at home since age 6. In August, his family did a 12-Day McDougall Program refresher that reminded them about calorie density — his parents lost 15 and 12 pounds respectively doing the same reset.
Jenison applied the lesson specifically to eating out with friends, swapping high-fat vegan options for lower-density choices — veggie sushi instead of high-fat vegan alternatives, bean burritos with just beans, rice, and pico de gallo, and skipping oily vegan fast food and sodas. He was, as his family put it, "eating to satiety but enjoying much less calorically dense foods."
He lost 15 pounds within three weeks and 20 pounds within about five weeks total. His mother, Rachael, later published the book For Fork's Sake: A Quick Guide to Healing Yourself and the Planet Through a Plant-Based Diet in September 2022.
Key takeaways
- ›Was already eating a vegan diet, but specifically cut high-fat plant foods like oils and nuts
- ›Lost 15 pounds within the first 3 weeks of the change
- ›Reached a 20-pound loss by around week 5
Original source
Read the original (Dr. McDougall)
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