sheldonkreger

I'm going to watch this. I left vegetarianism after 7 years to try to go Paleo (due to some advice from Crossfitters). I tried for three months but could not overcome the poor digestive response of eating large quantities of meat. In fact, I never was able to go Paleo because I physically could not consume enough meat to make it happen. And, from what I could tell, they did not think the symptoms were abnormal. In fact, I was convinced that it was impossible to consume enough calories to keep up with my training on a vegetarian diet. After giving it a serious try and failing MISERABLY, there is not much that I need to say to this audience. You can see my documentation here: http://board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=67072&highlight=sheldon+kreger I am now back on a vegetarian diet and am very, very close to vegan. I'm taking the final steps to be 100% vegan. My body is responding very, very well. My strength gains are consistent (as are my bowel movements). I feel great and am looking forward to spending more time on the forum, where my diet is supported. -sheldon

Hi everybody - I'm new to the forum, so here's a quick introduction. This seems like just the community I have been looking for. Obviously you are all well aware of the negative responses most coaches and athletes will deliver when you mention that you don't eat meat. I really need some help deciding on a vegan diet system to use for my training and personal goals. Current Numbers: Age = 22 Body weight = 155lbs Gender/Sex = Male Height = 5 feet 10 inches Front Squat = 202 lbs Deadlift = 255 lbs Snatch = 130 lbs Goals: Bring body weight up to 170 lbs Snatch 170 lbs Eat vegan Avoid injury After spending my teenage years completely inactive, I began Crossfit in November in 2010. Now I'm training in Olympic style weightlifting with a fantastic coach in Portland, OR. He uses the Bulgarian Method, which (to simplify) means that we lift as heavy as possible every day, but only focus on a handful of lifts - snatches, cleans, jerks, front squats, and back squats. I've never seen anybody in my gym do more than 5 reps of any movement at once, but I see them hitting PR's all the time. You can read about his programming here: http://www.theironsamurai.com/2010/05/23/the-secret-to-bulgarian-training-in-olympic-weightlifting/ Anyway, I'm really enjoying the training and my gains are coming fast. But, I'm ready to move into a vegan diet and I don't know where to start. I know that there are many vegan diet systems, but I haven't seen anything specifically for strength athletes. I see a lot of great advice here on the forum, but I'm curious if there is any kind of diet system or books available for vegan strength athletes. Thanks in advance! -sheldon

I get cold limbs regardless of my diet. Sometimes this can indicate glandular problems - thyroid - but this is not the case for me. My blood tests all came back excellent. What I recommend is adding more fat - coconut or hemp oil in particular. I eat so much coconut/hemp oil it is outrageous. This will create a balanced intake of omega 6, 3, and 9. Although, you need to pay special attention to extra omega 3. A balanced fat and omega intake will really help you combat inflammation from heavy training. My recovery has improved dramatically as a result of hemp oil. -sheldon