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Marcina

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  1. I'm sure this has been discussed to death, so I apologize. The only difference with my situation is that I have a chronic illness that causes internal bleeding (endometriosis). I also have digestive problems, and my current method of pain management has, on more than one occasion, caused my stomach to become inflamed enough to bleed as well. I've been taking iron pills for 3 years and I still feel run down, have a hard time healing/fighting infections, and struggle with other signs of anemia. It's a never-ending battle. I eat beans as often as I can, get vitamin C, eat spinach.. nothing is working. I sleep for 12 hours a day and still feel wiped and I'm having a hard time with my job because of this. I'm so beyond frustrated. I haven't had a period in a year due to hormone therapy so I'm not even losing blood that way. Does anybody have any advice on how I can get my energy back and be healthy again??
  2. A friend of mine was part of a study during her breast cancer treatment studying the effects of exercise during cancer treatment. The results showed that exercise has a very positive impact on patients during cancer treatment. I am also happy to report that my friend is in remission, and is also a vegan. Her story and your story, IronSmith are very inspirational to me! It's amazing how much a healthy vegan diet and physical activity can fight disease!
  3. After reading what you eat on a typical day it looks like you're consuming a LOT of fiber. If you're eating a large amount of fiber rich foods in one meal, that will cause bloating. How big are your portions for each meal? What I would recommend is trying to eat smaller portions, and spread out your meals. Also, make sure that when you are eating, you aren't eating things like fruit at the end of your meal. Imitation meat products can also cause bloating because they typically have a lot of salt in them, and are quite processed. Another thing I would suggest is to drink more water, take a probiotic supplement if you aren't already, and try some stretching, especially after meals. Peppermint tea is also great for bloating, as well as ginger. I usually have peppermint tea or ginger with my supper to prevent bloating.
  4. I actually tried the Vega sport optimizer pre workout powder and it was the first time I ever used a pre-workout supplement. I was amazed with it! It really gave me a lot of energy and extra oomph and allowed me to work out with more intensity and for a longer period of time. I am seriously considering shelling out the money for a tub of it because I really think it's worth it. I bought a few samples just to check it out so when those are done I will go buy some.
  5. Veggies: Carrots and hummus are my favourite. Currently out of carrots though.. I've been known to eat an entire bag of organic baby carrots in one sitting. Broccoli is another fave of mine, as well as mushrooms and green pepper. I keep frozen veggies too. Oatmeal: I eat so much oatmeal and I always eat it with berries. It's my absolute favourite. Fruit: I always have frozen berries, bananas, and apples around. Protein bars: I like Cliff and Luna bars. They have a lot of sugar so I only pack them for a snack when I'm out of the house and need a protein boost. Green smoothies: I usually have one or two of these in my fridge, but I tend to drink it all in one day. I take them to work a lot.
  6. If your goal is to win a competition, by all means hire a trainer/coach. They will help motivate you, keep you on track, and help you work on achieving a balanced physique. Interview trainers and pick one that has successfully trained clients for competition and have a few wins under their belt. I had a trainer all picked out myself and she was wonderful but then I had surgery! I don't even remember her name, sadly. Hope she still works at the gym I go to..
  7. Marcina

    Hi hi hi

    Thanks so much you guys!!!
  8. If you're eating a lot of insoluble fiber, that adds bulk to the stool and can be tough to digest, especially if your body isn't used to it. Also, take a look at what you're eating along with the roughage: Are you eating anything afterwards with simple sugars such as fruit? The sugars in the fruit break down faster, and your stomach hasn't had time to digest your meal so the sugars basically ferment and cause gas and bloating. I used to eat an apple or banana for dessert after my meals and always wondered why I got super bloated afterwards and then I learned this. Another thing to do is to take a fiber supplement. I know it seems weird since you're already eating a lot of fiber, but if you take something like Metamucil (psyllium fiber) it forms a gel in the colon and acts like a sponge. It allows for a quick, easy, and comfortable passing of stool and you'll feel great after (and your pants will fit better too!) I drink a glass of Metamucil every day. I also have a very lazy bowel, so no matter how much fiber I eat, everything just sits there.. My doctor told me years ago about Metamucil and it's the best advice I've ever taken. Another thing you can do is take probiotics. These are awesome because the friendly bacteria help break down food in your gut. However, some types of probiotics can cause gas, so be careful. I recommend Bio-K because they have a drinkable vegan formula that's very tasty and has 50 billion live probiotic bacteria in each container. Another thing that is great for bloating: Peppermint and ginger tea. You can drink these hot or cold with some lemon juice added and it will help ease the bloating and also act as a mild diuretic. I take peppermint tea to work because I have a desk job and sitting down after a meal makes it harder for the food to make its way through the digestive tract. Taking a walk or stretching after a meal is definitely beneficial. Sometimes at work, I'll eat standing up. Everyone thinks I'm weird but it works!
  9. That sounds awesome! I've tried some of the Gardein meat-free products and I think they're pretty darn tasty! I've been eating the faux turkey one every holiday :3
  10. I read that a good way to work your way up to chin ups is to do some in the morning, as many as you can (doesn't matter if they're assisted or not) and then some more later that evening before you go to bed. Do this every day and eventually, you should be able to do a decent amount of chin-ups. I haven't tried this myself, however. I don't have a pull-up bar.. But when I visit my niece I try to do some chin ups on her jungle gym lol!
  11. Marcina

    Hi hi hi

    Hi there, some of the VBBF veterans might remember me. I left the group back in 2010 because I was having a lot of health problems and reverted back to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet and felt that it would be an insult to everyone here if I stayed a part of the group as a non-vegan. Last year, I was diagnosed with endometriosis and endured surgery and aggressive hormone therapy. A couple months later, my brother passed away. All of this was very stressful and I neglected my diet and started having even more health problems. I have seen several doctors, been in and out of hospital, and given stronger doses of medications. I decided that enough was enough and that I had to take charge of my health as I was facing surgery again. I cut out all dairy, and I never really liked eggs that much so that had to go. However, I have to admit (and I feel very guilty and bad about this) I started eating fish a couple years ago because I had become dangerously anemic, and now with an endometriosis diagnosis under my belt, I have to limit the soy products I consume because endometriosis is an estrogen-sensitive disease. The reason I've come back here is because I want to go back to the vegan lifestyle, and I'm sure many of you know how to get lots of protein without soy as it's not something everyone can tolerate. I'm interested in tasty, easy recipes to get lots of protein and iron in my diet the vegan way, since I refuse, and always will refuse, to eat pork, beef, or poultry. I met a girl on facebook who also has endometriosis and enjoys weightlifting and fitness and has gone vegan recently and has been improving vastly! I eat vegan most days of the week, as it really is simple, and I feel awesome on those days. I have a lot less pain and inflammation. I've also given up sugar which has also helped a lot. Anyways, I'm going to take a peek in the recipes section.. Maybe I can dig up a good lentil recipe, as I absolutely adore lentils..
  12. Why the hell would I fast if I'm not even eating in the first place?? That just sounds like bad advice to me. Your body needs ENERGY and NUTRIENTS to be able to heal itself. Depriving it of those things isn't going to make a person feel better. Your body will slow down the metabolism to conserve energy, and pull nutrients out of storage such as iron (which my stores are now empty btw), B12, calcium from the bones, catabolise muscle for protein etc. Before telling people to "Fast" please enlighten yourselves on how the body works first. Telling someone who's nauseous and under-eating to give up eating altogether is not smart advice. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but if you had lost a great deal of your hard-earned work building muscle just to lose it all to a stupid sickness, you'd be bitter too. Also, I stopped eating vegan about 11 months ago. I got sick while I was a vegan, since I've been unwell for a year and a half now. Me not being a vegan anymore isn't what made me sick.. Vegans can get sick too. Vegans can even get cancer. The whole "vegans are immune to disease" mentality is a crock. Beforewisdom: That sounds like a great book! I agree that a lot of medical errors happen because patients don't effectively communicate with their doctors. Also unfortunately, there ARE doctors out there who don't listen to their patients. I think I have one of them.. Lol! I sought a second opinion and that doctor told me to immediately stop the medication because it was making me worse, and of course, it becomes more potent in my body the more weight I lose. He also told me to go to my GP and ask for a referral to a specialist. He said it isn't normal for a woman my age to suffer from so much pain for as long as I have. For those who don't know, I have a gynocological disease. It's embarassing to talk about because I'm 24 years old, and my reproductive organs are failing. I may never have children.. and my GP prescribes me hormones and promises that it will stop the pain that I experience whenever I ovulate or have a period. I've tried 3 different kinds of oral contraceptives for therapeutic use and they all give me the same side effects: Nausea and/or severe abdominal pain. Even the low dose ones do that. It also does nothing to help the pain. The 2nd opinion doc at the clinic told me I need laproscopic surgery to look for abnormalities. I might have endometriosis. Endometriosis is a condition that causes cells that normally line the uterus (The endometrium) to grow outside the uterus and in the pelvic cavity. Lesions break down and bleed the same way as the endometrium does, but the blood has nowhere to go.. So it just wreaks havoc inside the pelvic cavity and leaves scar tissue and adhesions behind. The adhesions attach themselves to the internal organs including the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and even the bladder and bowel. The organs aren't able to move as freely anymore, and it's very painful. There is no cure for endometriosis, and multiple surgeries are often needed to remove the diseased tissue from the pelvic cavity.
  13. I suppose you could say you are a 'casual vegan'? It's my understanding that "vegans" are pretty much "all or nothing". If you cheat once in awhile with a piece of cheese that doesn't make you vegan, because vegans have such strong beliefs. You'd never see a Muslim have a piece of bacon every now and then for example. Even when I ate a vegan diet, I wasn't into animal rights activism, or abolishing "speciesism" or things like that. Therefore, I always called myself a "vegetarian." I didn't feel strongly enough on eating an animal product free diet 100% of the time to call myself a "Vegan". Not to mention, my very existence destroys animal habitats (I live in a suburb which was built after de-forestation) I use electricity (hydro-electricity from dams that again, destroy animal habitats), My plumbing which pollutes the ocean etc. etc. To call myself a "vegan" and use a computer + phone all day inside my warm house or office with my running water seemed hypocritical to me.
  14. Some of you may know that I've been rather ill the past year. My treatment now makes me very nauseous, and I'm having a hard time eating. The only things I can really stomach are fruit, but I'm getting less than 1000 calories a day. I've had to stop training because I'm losing so much weight. I've tried smoothies but the thickness and rich flavour just turns my stomach. I'm still okay eating salads.. As long as it's raw food I seem to be okay with it but I am so busy with work I just throw a bunch of fruit and ginger tea in my bag for lunch. The lack of time + lack of appetite makes it very easy for me to not eat properly. Obviously, I'm not getting enough protein or fats so I'm losing muscle mass. I'm not really sure what to do.. I'm nutritionally behind on everything. Calcium, protein, iron, EFA's.. I can't get better when I can't eat! I've been like this for nearly 2 months. My doctor is on holiday and I probably won't be able to see him until the new year. Has anybody had to battle long-term nausea? How can I get the proper nutrients in my body?
  15. Those people are dumb. Although I'm not a vegan anymore, and I doubt I really was a "True" vegan (cuz a true vegan would obviously stay one) I don't eat meat, and its pretty rare that I eat something like eggs (which still gross me out) or milk (again.. eew). I avoid animal products about 90% of the time instead of 100% of the time. Why so close you ask? Well I guess I can't bothered to go out of my way to read labels or research a restaurant before I eat at it. Enough about me. The fact is, if these people avoided animal products and went back to eating meat, they were never vegan in the first place. If they weren't healthy as "vegans", then they probably won't be healthy as omnivores either. They just like to write stuff to appear like they know what they're talking about because they tried veganism and failed, and therefore, the diet must be awful or a stupid idea. Instead they should write out why veganism didn't work for them. Can't digest soy. Don't like vegetables. Too lazy to read labels etc. I admit I failed the vegan diet. That doesn't mean I think it's wrong.
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