greenwizard777

Just want some input re spirulina.. Not gaining strength and muscle mass as much as I feel I should with my training level and feel I am lacking protein. Find myself craving meat which is weird after years of being veg! Keep thinking of spirulina and algae though. Wondering about other people's experiences and any advice re a good supply company, brand, etc. I used healthforce nutritionals brand a while back and thought it was very appealing though bought some cheaper stuff on amazon and have gone through it VERY slow as it is weirdly repulsive... I think I am just drawn to idea of blending my green juice stuff with spirulina in the vitamix and making a high protein, high chlorophyl, nutrient, etc drink.. I eat a lot of protein in form of beans, lentils, hemp, vega, sun warrior but all those r often combined with carbs and fat which I am thinking could be making the protein less avalibale... hmmm THANKS!!

I have been learning a bit about plyometrics and have been incorporating them a bit to keep my heartrate up while I work out. Find though on days I am doing stuff like squats that I kinda prefer a bit of rest between sets and they tend to keep up my heartrate anyway. Still, really fund to be learning and playing with all this stuff. Spend a lot of time logging and planning and tracking and upgrading my workouts and am definitely getting stronger. Been reading a lot on here too which has been an AMAZING resource. @Robert - Thanks for the welcome. Must say I really enjoyed your book and was very inspired by it. I actually got one of the autographed copies and need to reread what it said so I can collect my prize! lol The information was a tremendous prize though! I found your words to be so real and authentic which I have found really lacking in a lot of other health crusaders. For years I was really into raw veganism and always kinda felt a disturbance regarding people like Gabriel COusens and David Wolfe and how cultish and messiahlike they present themselves. Plus, During my time as a raw vegan I got SOOOOO weak. Was interesting reading about Giacomo BUT for me a diet of just algea slime and raw fruit and greens gets very dull... I like them all but am also a chef and feel we as humans have many wondrous blessings allowing us to create beautiful and delicious things. I appreciate the whole Back to Eden mentality BUT I find the fact that we can use fire and create appliances and innovate, etc ... I just feel humans can create something new and beautiful and to me cooking and cheffing are blessings and not things to abandon... For me. Since adding lifting and more food and lots more protein I feel SOOOOO much better and am getting strong and confident. Much better. Thank you for creating this forum too. It is a wonderful support and resource. I recently moved from Seattle to stay with mmy family in NW Florida which is something of a vegan/consciousness deadzone ... Gorgeous beaches and beautiful weather but itching to get back out west... Thinking of going to a vegetarian culinary school and doing some farm intenships... Realizing that food and exercise are all I really want... Plus good community and mountains... Good weather... lol PEACE!

Seems wen i type too muc te screen starts auto scrolling in a most irritating way... Anyway, I fear after years of trying to live off of the sort of diet dr cousens promotes (barely any food, high fat, etc) I found my body was bony, a bit flabby, weak, tired, etc. NOT my ideal. No spectacuar mental clarity either really! Just easily fatigued really. Was still running a lot and doing lots of yoga but just not making much progress with either. I am sure protein and calories were the big missing links! So now I am lifting about 5 times a week, doing yoga a few times a week, riding my bike and will start running again once this sprained ankle is ready (been 6 weeks!). I am logging my progress and am getting stronger pretty fast. Mostly following the basic split plan Robert outlined in his book thoug constantly researching new stuff and customizing. Main focus is on compound stuff like squats, deadlifts, bench, etc but also flirting with plyometrics and fond of using kettlebells and medicine balls in place of dumbbels for things like shoulder presses and lateral raises. It's fun. One question though. Do you have a favorite protein supplement? As I said I have been using Sun Warrior for awhile but Vega seems quite popular and seems wise to diversify a bit. It is great some need so little protein but I notice that without it I feel very weak during workouts. I suppose the idea of doing cardio on an empty stomach is one thing but i tried just having a green smoothie with kale, apple and banana yesterday before squats, leg presses, hack squats etc and felt VERY weak not even a quarter of the way through.. I usually have a drink with two bananas, 2 scoops of sun warrior, 3 tbls of hemp, 1 tbls flax, carob, etc and have strong energy for at least 90 minutes of any activity... Ok, thank you again and be well!!!

@VeganEssentials - Thank you again for your thoughts. Been really nice coming on here and having all this information and support. For most of my years as a vegetarian I have had very little support and very few other veg friends. Surrounded by mostly people offering me fleshfoods and perpetually challenging my beliefs/practices. Can be very frustrating but also a great opportunity to effect change. Back when I was in college I was mostly veg but still eating dairy and fish.. worked out and ran and did yoga and biked and climbed and stuff I was 6'2" and around 190 and very strong and athletic and liked how I looked and such. Several years later I got into a relationship with a total couch potato and though i still was fairly active I was also drinking and smoking a lot of pot and getting lazy. I met a group of raw vegans and really got into that, did lots of fasts and cleanses and was really healing on a lot of levels... BUT I got much weaker lost over 20 lbs and feel I created a LOT of food anxiety as I became something of a hyperchondriac regarding gluten, soy, nuts, nightshades, etc. I was really influenced by Gabriel Cousens and David Wolfe and though I adhered like a zealot I feel I was really deteriorating. I realy, really prefer being strong and having tons of energy and looking good and have found that since diversifying my diet especially adding a LOT more proteing (mostly sun warrior so far) tat I feel MUC better. I respect these people who can feel amazing on just fruit, air and some almonds but it is clear that my needs are very different..

@ForwardConcern - I was reading somewhere that when you forage for greens, don't wash them and end up eating random insects that it can provide a good bit of B12. Not sure how muc exactly but was an interesting thought as I find B12 supplementation to be wise but definitely seems there must be a natural alternative. I work on an organic farm and collect a lot of my greens and munc on lots of stuff as I work... Also, the dust from the earth and air also has lots of minerals... Not sure how wise such a practice would be with supermarket bought 'organic' foods as I am finding much of their producers are employing quite liberal interpretations of the concept plus the stores frequently mist them with various solutions and then with all the breathing going on... I dunno, I find the modern fixation on hand sanitizers and strilization to be absurd but still not quite the same as eating a fresh leaf of kale with the plant in the field...

Is spirulina a good source of DHA? I generally consume 2-3 tablespoons per day in a smoothie. I call it, Spirulina Surprise!

Yes, I got a similar vibe from David Wolfe... I got carried away with the raw cacao at one point and started getting sick from it. Gabriel Cousens is another I feel something is not quite right ( for me ) ... I appreciate your perspective on Bee Pollen. I know there are more humane ways to cultibate bees that is more symbiotic... Biodynamics and such. Still, honey makes me have skin issues so I don't use much of it.. Do you recommend any information on raw/vegan diets for weight lifting? I have read on here a lot of posts by gorilla and am intrigued though find a diet of just fruit and greens and an occassional almond leaves me feeling weak and totally lacking in the fabled raw food energy. FInd I eat a lot of fruit but lots of hemp, avocados, seed butters, etc. I am a bit concerend about these diets that emphasize exotic superfoods over fresh, local fair...

Understandable... was just in a david wolfe book. Seems a lot of raw /vegan writers advocate its use.. Interesting.

@hellguy - thanks, great advice. I tend to go overboard when I start something and seems a lot of the mas building diets don't take into account individual metabolism, athletic history, etc. I am definitely getting stronger though but for years wen raw/vegan ate low calories/protein in general and not sure that even with all the lifting if my system is ready to process more. Notion of just eating instictively, when genuinely hungry seems logical... I'm tracking my progress too so no problem seeing if weight or strength are changing. So cool having all this guidance!!! Thank you all again!!! Peace

Wat do people tink of bee pollen? I read somewhere about it having great performance enhancing qualities as well as being extremely nutricious. Also read that it was the 'secret' of soviet olympic athletes and such... Any thoughts?

Wow, thanks for the advice and input! I have been practicing/studying yoga for nearly 20 years and ave gone through periods of intense practice, no practice and everything in between. Also gone trough phases where I take more classes but much of my practice has been solo with the sunrise. I also did TT. I have definitely increased the time I spend exercising... Up till about 6 weeks ago when I twisted my ankle very badly (still healing) I was running 45-90 minutes 4-6 times a week and also biking a lot, but only doing light yoga and such. I moved and since settling in joined a gym and got back into weigt lifting. Been doing the split plan recommended in Vegan Bodybilding & Fitness and been doing lots of research to tweak things. Very pleased wit progress in this area but think I just increased calories too fast. I guess I am more just wondering if continuing to run distances and bike riding is ok. I have no problem at all gaining weight and seems as long as I just watc my weight and that it is not dropping should be ok. I love the weigt lifing and have been generally doing this in the morning and doing cardio stuff later in the afternoon/evening. Lately really wanting to focus on the more restorative side of yoga but do think designing some routines like you describes you do following leg day is a great idea. years of ashtanga practice created a sort of attacment to the more aggressive approach! Thank you again!!!

Hello, I'm Michael, I just decided to get back into weight lifting. During this time I was mostly focused on ashtanga yoga and running and bike riding though. I read Robert's book recently and have drastically increased my protein/calorie intake and have been following his basic workout plan outline. I'm getting stronger pretty quick but also gaining some fat around my midsection... I imagine tis is normal... I'm 6'2" and about 190 right now. I was a raw/vegan for years and at my lightest was arond 170. Felt very bony with some flab though and that was hardly my ideal! I am really wanting advice. I don't mind following robert's plan but am curious about cardio and yoga as I don't want to quit these things but at the same time don't want to be counterproductive as building muscle and strength is my main goal right now. Any advice on how to integrate these? Should I avoid cardio for awhile? If not, what is sensible? I love being active and have no issue doing so for ours each day. I also work on a farm and as a chef so I am active in tese areas too... As for yoga... Should I stay with ashtanga/power yoga or focus more on restorative styles to complelement? Ok seems I have typed enough!!! THANKS!!!