Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hey everyone,

Let me introduce myself. I've been vegetarian for about 2 years now. I get allergic reactions to eggs and dairy (breakouts, phlegm, inflammation etc), so my diet is pretty much Vegan when I'm on my own at home. However, when I'm out with friends or at someone's house, I don't want to be so much of a hassle that I end up eating eggs and dairy if they HAPPEN to be in the food.

That being said - is it cool if i hang out here and learn about Vegan Body Building?

If so - then that's awesome.

About me - 29, 5'10" weigh about 170-175 lbs. When I was in my teens and early 20's (and an Omnivore) I was actually quite large - Ranging from 190 - 210 lbs.

About 4 years ago I did the Master Cleanse. I dropped from around 185 lbs to 165 in 10 days. That put me on my first bout of Veganishism.. Then I promptly fell off the wagon in 2 months because Thanksgiving and the Holidays rolled around. Slowly - life took over and I found myself at around 190 - 200 again.

I was starting to experience joint pain and my doctor said I had early onset arthritis. I was advised to stop doing weight baring exercises because I was damaging my joints and prematurely stretched out ligaments. Of course, I became even more sedentary and started to balloon.

As an actor, I found myself rejecting auditions. So many asked for me to remove my shirt etc and I just wasnt comfortable. I had suffered from Gynecomastia (MANBOOBS!) since my early teens. I went ahead and got surgery to remove the excessive breast tissue. However, I was left with a very odd body: Flat as a pancake chest with a flabby stomach and skinny arms (which I've had my whole life!)

I decided to do something about it and since I wasn't allowed to exercise (according to my Doctors) I decided to do another Master Cleanse. I dropped down to 160 lbs in 7 days and at 27, everyone thought I was 18 or 19. I remember trying to eat a piece of Chicken and being absolutely revolted by the texture of the flesh in my mouth. I then became Vegan(ish).

So I felt great and with clothes on I looked pretty lean and spiffy.. but I had no muscle tone whatsoever. With the weight loss, my joint pain was pretty much gone, so against my doctors orders, I headed back to the gym.

I had no idea what I was doing and I just got really really really skinny. Like a bobblehead. Then some buddies taught me some routines to follow and I had some small gains. I kept a log etc.

Then life got in the way and I stopped working out and my diet got a bit dirty (more eggs and dairy than vegan) and I started to swell up just a bit again.

So I've been working out pretty regularly for the last three weeks now. 3 days weights, with 2 days cardio inbetween and weekends off.

My Goals are to get bigger arm muscles (coz I have skinny arms and skinny wrists and its annoying). A more defined chest - especially my lower chest. Get rid of my love handles. And a nicer ass (my current one is flat).

Diet - Like I said, despite my occasional dalliance with eggs and dairy, I'm pretty much vegan. I'm currently on Garden of Life Raw Meal Replacement and Garden of Life Raw Protein Powder. I take ZMA tablet before bed too usually.

Hopefully I can gain a nice lean, ripped VEGAN body through this website!

Welcome. There is a lot of info to divulge. I suggest using the Derek Treesize 5x5 Strength Program.

Hi Vegan-ish! There are a few other folks like you who still dabble in eggs and dairy on here but we're definitely an understanding bunch. Just be ready for people to try and convince you to go full vegan Good luck, have you started a journal yet?

Welcome to the forum!

Everyone is welcome.

Thanks for your detailed intro. All the very best with your fitness goals. Keep some sort of journal to help you stay accountable and consistent and through those things, improvement and results happen.

All the very best and welcome aboard!

-Robert

_________________

Check out my Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Book on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Bodybuildin ... 497&sr=1-1

Welcome to the community, Veganish! We're happy to have you here! I'll bet you'll find lots of information and inspiration here!

On the subject of gynecomastia, I just made a blog with a reference to it.
http://billyprusinowski.blogspot.com/20 ... l?spref=tw

Best of luck with your training.

Swimming and water resistance training would probably be a good option for you to look into. No impact training that is excellent for people with joint issues.

-Dylan

This is really great to hear! I love your book!!

_________________
Hakuna matata

Pix:
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=29165

Training:
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=29188