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johnboley

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About johnboley

  • Birthday 06/19/1953

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  1. I typically enjoy one cup a day with some almond milk . . . on days I take an herbal energizer (pre-workout) I allow myself a cup of decaffeinated. Just a routine that works for me; unlike some people, I actually enjoy coffee but have cut WAY back from my younger days when I was doing 3-4 cups or more a day. Everyone has a different tolerance to it so you have to find your middle ground. If you have no health problems, eg, high blood pressure, anxiety, etc., that could exacerbated by caffeine, enjoy a cup here and there but as with everything in life, in moderation. If you can find organic brands without preservatives, etc.. always a good thing.
  2. During my non-vegan days, I would opt for a piece of fruit with my free-form amino acids . . . which were more easily absorbed when accompanied by a simple carb. Nowadays, I just have a piece of fruit early in the AM before working out (with a cup of joe if sleepy) and later in the day with a handful of nuts. Fruit is good stuff, chock full of phytonutrients, fiber, provides simple and clean energy, and helps curb one's appetite. I think its all about knowing your body and how you feel when you eat and workout. I think we tend to overanalyze shit instead of just using common sense, i.e. eat plenty of good, clean food several times a day, workout like a madman, and you will be OK. Look in the mirror or take a picture of yourself and adjust accordingly. My two cents.
  3. Thanks for that recipe link . . . will def. be giving that a try. I too like hummus, but am tired of paying top dollar for it at the local stores. This looks relatively easy and I have the ingredients on hand.
  4. Noticeable improvement . . . you're getting there. Keep up the hard work! How's the creatine going?
  5. Yep. Bottom line, most restaurants, "vegan" and others, are going to cut corners on ingredients and preparation to turn a profit. There is a vegan restaurant down the street from the Subway I mentioned, and the guy serves a lot of good "vegan" food, but its served "deli" style in a cold case (no telling how long its been there) and then he heats it up in a microwave. Thus, he effectively destroys whatever good qualities inherent to the food; because of his preparation, the food has almost no taste and causes the same effects as Subway. Rarely eat out anywhere nowadays.
  6. In a pinch, I'll periodically get one of their veggie patty sandwiches and make sure to hold the peppers and onions. Still feel a bit bloated and heavy later . . . got to remember, their stuff is most likely anything but organic, meaning predominately cheaper GMO stuff, highly refined, and as said earlier, lots of sodium added in with other preservatives as well. The human body has a hard time assimilating such "foods" and it circulates in the body as undigested "Ama" which causes gas, heaviness, lethargy, headaches, etc. etc. I rarely eat out anymore and will simply fast for one meal if in a pinch rather than put bad stuff in my body. Fasting helps burn Ama and can be a good thing from time to time.
  7. Agree with above . . . sounds like you have a pretty good idea re: nutrition, just from trial and error in addition to reading, etc. Too many times we all become too reliant on supplements (not to say they are necessarily bad) and shy away from real food. Eat more and plan out your meals with less expensive items . . . make a big ass pot of veggie chili and you can get a couple of days out of it. Rice and lentils is always good . . . I sometimes use my rice cooker and throw in rice, beans I've soaked overnight, and sometimes include some other veggies as well. They cook while I work out in the AM and then I throw it in to my thermos for lunch and have leftovers for one of my evening meals. Crock pots are great for cooking soups, stews, etc. that last awhile. Lots of low cost easy options out there for you. I used to stress over not having enough money for supps, but it forced me to focus on how to more effectively plan my meals and now its a snap. You'll be fine.
  8. Thanks Dylan . . . I'm in San Jose; as noted, work out primarily from my home but am toying with the idea of training with a competitive powerlifter out of his gym in the Mountain View area. He is sponsored by an East Cost based supplement company but a truly nice man who has a number of "senior" clients. Looking forward to learning much from the Forum, especially in the dietary realm as the Vegan lifestyle is new for me. Will get a training log up and running over the next couple of days.
  9. Every body consititution is different and will have varying reactions to supplements. There is no such thing as "one size fits all". I've used creatine off and on in the past and it did, in fact, assist with my training sessions by enhancing my endurance with more rapid strength gains. That being said, I also always felt bloated irrespective of my diet and how much I ramped up my cardio. Thus, I no longer include it in my regimen. If I competed, I might try it again but cycle off well in advance of any competition. I would give it a run for a month or two to see how it "feels" to you and what, if any gains you make. I would also suggest that you pre-load with about 10 grams daily for a couple of weeks before tapering off to 3 or 5 grams a day. Use a good quality form and take with some simple carbs, i.e. fruit juice or a piece of fruit. I used to down capsules first thing every AM with amino acids and eat a piece of fruit right afterwards. Drink plenty of water while using it. Good luck and keep us apprised of your progress.
  10. I've been posting here and there already so thought it was time I made an introduction before I move forward with a training log. I'm 59 years old have been somewhat obsessed with weight training and getting strong since I was a young kid and made my first "barbell" with a discarded broomstick and two pieces of wood nailed on the ends. Hit the weights seriously in high school while training for wrestling but I let "life" and its many ups and downs get in the way of establishing a consistent training program. Hit the weights sporadically over the years depending on time, family situation, jobs, and availability of gyms/workout gear. As a single father with two young kids in my 40s, I was in kind of a "survival mode" and returned to the iron as a kind of refuge from the busy days of shuttling kids back and forth and trying to hold down a very stressful job. I built up my own home gym and embarked on a bodybuilding lifestyle from which I've never truly turned back. Over the past 10 years or so, I've incorporated some yoga and other practices into my regimen (especially since my wife of three years is a yoga teacher and massage therapist), but my primary focus is bodybuilding. Right now, I train primarily with free weights out of my home and periodically use some machines next door in our apartment complex gym. As to eating patterns, I've always been a meat eater until fairly recently; don't remember growing up where there was not some kind of animal products in front of me at the kitchen table. I transitioned into a vegetarian lifestyle about ten years ago after an introduction to yoga, Ayurveda, and going through something of a spiritual transformation. About two years ago, after a long layoff due to injuries, I returned to weight lifting with a major passion, and once again returned to consuming meat, disregarding the important lessons I learned as a vegetarian. While my strength went through the roof and I made major mass gains, I was consistently bloated, and was breathing hard just taking a short walk around the block. My old problems of tendonitis and arthritis also slowly but surely creeped back into my life. Additionally, my blood markers, good during my vegetarian days, were way off - my total cholesterol increased by over 40 points, my PSA score was very high and my blood pressure was up. About three weeks ago, when I decided to move forward with my Ayurveda Practitioner eduction and to retire from my current job after nearly 30 years, I also decided to embark on a lifestyle of health that would allow me to live as long a possible and to help as many people as possible; all this, while also feeding my never-ending desire to be strong and fit (albeit using iron, not broomstick handles). I am now slowly but surely transitioning into a vegan lifestyle and have already learned much from this website and forum. Having lived in a vegetarian mode for a while, much is not new, but I am confident the full transition will take place sooner rather than later (Robert's book will be an important complement to my bodybuilding library). I hope I can impart some of my experiences to others here so they can learn from my own mistakes. I have never formally competed (though I toyed with the idea on numerous occasions), and am content with only being as good as I can be each year for myself, my family, and others. Blessings to you all for choosing this lifestyle, irrespective of the reasons.
  11. Your body may be adapting to a set routine; at the same time, don't want to overtrain. Maybe ramp up the intensity of what you're already doing, i.e. more weight work and/or different forms of cardio; circuit training on a periodic basis is not a bad idea. An "ab-aerobics" circuit might help . . . alternate sets of different ab exercises with a few minutes of cardio on different machines . . . not something to do every day, but confuses the hell out of the body and really burns the calories. An idea.
  12. Mine is now similar to the above . . . I workout early AM, have a green food drink as soon as I roll out of bed and chomp on a piece of fruit right before workiing out. If I need an extra boost, will have a small cup of Joe. A short breathing meditation before my workout also helps with focus. Previously used PWOs but took care to cycle off every four to six weeks and cleanse my system for a week or two. The body adapts to stimulants pretty quickly and over time, they can mess with your metabolism.
  13. Good luck in your upcoming competition . . . you've built a strong foundation for cutting . . . keep us apprised of your progress!
  14. Would have to echo what others have stated. Everyone has a different consitution and gains/loses according to this constitution and age . . . don't know your age and that has more than a little to do with your growth. As I wrote on another non-vegan forum many moons ago and which is just as relevant here, this stuff ain't rocket science. If you're trying to gain, just eat plenty of clean, nutrient dense, high protein meals, i.e. 6-8 per day and work out reasonably heavy with lots of compound stuff, also taper off on the cardio. Include healthy fats in your meals as well. If you shove in a variety of good high protein foods with enough healthy fats, you'll be OK. Vary your protein souces to avoid boredom . . . all have different amino acid arrays. Protein shakes are simply an efficient way of getting extra protein. In my earlier days as a non-vegan "guy", I never liked shakes myself and preferred free-form amino acids between my meals. Don't overanalyze and stress over this stuff . . . takes time away from your TRAINING. Train hard enough, you'll eat everything that isn't nailed down and with enough clean foods available in your home, you'll GAIN WEIGHT. If you put on a bit too much fat, then incorporate a little more cardio and taper off on the starchy carbs as the day progresses. I'm almost 60 and have tried every diet and supplement out there, including meat eating, vegetarianism, and now "veganism" - the basic principles noted above have applied throughout.
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