Are calories on a low fat vegan diet important?

Lately a lot of people have been discussing about the idea of eating "unlimited calories" on a low fat plant-based diet, and I would like to give my opinion about it.

Some people do recommend eating a minimum of 3000 kcal for males (more if they're active) and a minimum of 2500 kcal for women (more if they're active).

I kind of agree with that and, at the same time, disagree.

On one hand, for people who come from a calorie restricting diet or from an eating disorder background, I think it's almost imperative to eat that much. This "overfeeding" phase after a period of restriction is called "refeeding" and it's crucial to nourish the body and restore its inner balance
After a certain period of time, our appetite will naturally decrease and, by then, it's important to be conscious and eat only until feeling satisfied and refrain from overeating.

Now, if you don't come from a restrictive diet, and you feel comfortable eating less amount of calories than what it's being recommended, that's fine. Although low fat whole foods are less calorie dense than processed foods or animal based foods and someone may undereat in the beginning, the body will eventually try to catch up for the deficit and our appetite will increase.

I think it's very important to always eat when hungry and stop when satisfied. Even if that means undereating or overeating for some time.
If someone is eating a LOW FAT, PLANT BASED diet, based on WHOLE foods, the body will achieve its perfect balance.
If someone undereats for a period of time, his appetite will eventually increase, to compensate for that period of restriction.
Likewise, if someone overeats for a period of time, his appetite will eventually decrease, to compensate for that period of overeating.

You don't have to stick to exact calorie numbers created randomly. Calorie intake is an individual thing, and should depend on our activity levels as well as metabolism and other factors.

You will agree that many people are looking for a magical way to lose fat, and if someone comes to them claiming that on a certain diet they'll be able to eat unlimited calories and still achieve their weight loss goals, they're gonna buy it. This is too bad, since I've seen a lot of misguided people already, who got brainwashed.

I DO believe that on a low fat diet like the 80/10/10 or the McDougall's diet you can actually eat more calories than on a SAD or a regular diet and not gain weight, because although "a calorie is a calorie", not all foods are created equal, and not all are digested the same way either.
Whole fruits, for example, have a lot of water and fiber, which give them a low calorie density (calories per volume). Plus, when a carbohydrate coming from a whole food is consumed, it typically goes first to be used as immediate energy or to be stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. If they're overeaten, though, some of them will be burned as heat (through dietary thermogenesis) and some will be converted to fat (through a process called "de novo lipogenesis") and then stored in the body.

There's no magic in it. You CAN gain fat overeating on carbohydrates, even if they come from fruit or whole starches. Is it easy to do? I DON'T THINK SO! But it is certainly possible.

In my opinion, the main mistake is when people start to make those huge 1000+ kcal smoothies and start to rely on dried fruit too much. Unless you're physically active (which I DO recommend), you're better off basing your diet on water rich fruits and/or whole starches, like rice, potatoes and beans.
When you eat WHOLE plant foods, it's a lot harder to overeat them.

Personally, I try to stick to whole raw fruits and starches as much as possible and avoid drinking juices or eating a lot of dried fruit (unless I'm very physically active, like when training for a marathon).


Have critical thinking, listen to your body, and do whatever makes you feel best!