Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

My name is Melissa. I'm 27 and live in Indianapolis. I've been vegan for the last 5 years. I started going to the gym three or four years ago just because I hated feeling so sedate. In the years since I've lost motivation in part because, due to being vegan/vegitarian, I haven't gotten a lot of support from those around me. I've been a member at two gyms and had trainers at both who didn't take my goals seriously because I'm vegan. I got tired of hearing "you need meat if you want to succeed". So I stopped working with trainers and continued to just go and do my own thing for a while- but after a while I started slacking off. I didn't have very clearly defined goals and it made it easier to drop my son off at school in the morning and instead of going to the gym as I usually did- I'd find myself running errands or doing things around the house until it was too late in the day for me to get anything done.

Then I started going to school full time in addition to working full time which really started to take a toll on my physically and mentally. I realized that having a routine at the gym- while not always convenient- gave me a sense of mental and physical balance and I need to get back into the habit of sticking to it no matter how crappy the weather here is (There's nothing more tempting when it snows in Indiana than staying curled up under your warm covers instead of scraping the snow off the truck and going to work out.) It seems that when I get up and go straight to the gym I get more done, I'm not as tired and I have more focus.

A couple days ago I was at work (I'm a nursing assistant on a pediatric unit in a hospital here) and I was talking about fitness and health with some of the nurses I work with and found out one of the new nurses placed 7th in the Figure A division of last years Jr. Nationals. We talked almost all night about her goals and her workout routine and her diet and she mentioned that she knew that there are vegitarian/vegan bodybuilders and suggested I look around online for any forums/communities that could offer support and advice on how to do it right... and I wandered onto this site.

I've never really thought about getting into bodybuilding before, but I'm starting to think that getting involved with it might help me set some good goals and keep me motivated. I really look forward to meeting other vegan/vegitarian people in the bodybuilding community on here!

Hey Melissa,

Welcome to the Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness Forum. It is great to have you here.

There is a big vegan bodybuilding and fitness community, I've had well over a thousand e-mails from vegans asking questions about fitness and nutrition.

This Forum is only 13 days old, and more and more are getting involved all the time so you should find plenty of support here.

Let's talk about some ideas for goals you'd like to set for yourself and then map out some plans to achieve them..........and YES you CAN do it while vegan, forget what most trainers tell you when they say it's not possible.

I happen to be a vegan bodybuilder and just won the Northwestern USA Natural Bodybuilding Championships for my class April 23rd. And there are plenty of other competitive vegan athletes.

Check out some of the fitness contest winners on the main site as well.

There are great vegan bodies and minds out there. Thanks for joining our Team.

We look forward to assisting you getting back on track and having you part of the vegan bodybuilding & fitness community.

Take care,

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

Hi Melissa,

Welcome to the board and thanks for sharing your story. There are many competitive vegan athletes in all different areas. Rob is a first-class example!

Definitely give veganbodybuilding.com a thorough read, lots of great info hidden in there. I expecially enjoy the success stories and contest winners. If you still need more help or inspiration, check out a couple of my other favorite sites www.veganfitness.net and www.veganbodybuilding.org

Good luck and keep us posted.!

I'm not sure where I should start as far as goals go. I've always just followed whatever my trainer felt I should be doing.

I read a lot of this site the a couple nights ago while I was at work and was impressed with both the level of knowledge and the level of dedication Rob and some of the other people on here have toward bodybuilding and veganism. It's definately going to be a great resource and I'm sure you'll all be innundated with questions from me from time to time.
I checked out veganbodybuilding.org last night and was pretty impressed with the site. I'll have to check out veganfitness tonight. Thanks for the suggestions!

My best motivation is to prove all those trainers wrong. To show them that meat consumption is not the only way to reach your goals. And I have gained more size and strength as a vegeterian than what I did as a meat eater.

I think that the people who are veggie/vegan body builders are across the board more intelligent. We have to find more way to get our protien and clean carbs, we have to find substitutes for supliments and we still have to keep up on new scientific data about the bodies processes. Now I am not saying that we are all rocket scientists, or scientists at all, but I think we are all decently brainy!

First off, welcome godesslisa to Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness. If you ever need help regarding nutrition (calories and such, since its illegal to actually make a meal plan without being a specialist in nutrition), bodybuilding, veganism, or anything, feel free to IM me on AIM on KollisionWWF.

I read that the trainers kept you down? First of all they shouldnt be telling you what to eat, unless they are specialists in that area. Its sad to see that they are putting people down like this. I can tell you that I might be one of the strongest people in the gym, not to brag, and I am vegan. Rob is a competitor and he won 1st place. Even if it wasnt beneficial to my health I would still do it, its all about morals, thats why we chose this path in the first place.



You couldnt have said it better! As vegans and into fitness, we need to research more into the areas of supplementation, diet, etc. Like I said lisa, and to anyone else, feel free to PM me or message me on AIM, I would be glad to help. Take care and again Lisa, welcome.

Thanks a lot kollision! I might have to take you up on the offer! I think you guys have a point about proving people wrong who say it can't be done. Hell, I've spent most of my life proving that I could do all sorts of things that people didn't believe I could do so this shouldn't be any different.

From the time you started really seriously working out how long did it take you to be in competition form? This morning while I was getting ready to head to this little gym I found near my place I realized that a big goal I want to have is to be in at least one competition by the time I'm 29, definately by the time I'm 30! (I'll be 28 in August) Now I just have to get back into a routine and set those smaller goals that will get me there. Would you guys advise finding another trainer more experienced in bodybuilding or is it not as necessary?

I personally don't think you need a trainer. I only used one or two in my entire life and one happened to be Troy Alves (www.troyalves.com) one of the best bodybuilders in the world.........but it is not necessary.

There are enough people on here, who visit this website who can help direct you based on their experience, especially as vegan athletes.

I'm a competitive vegan bodybuilder and I've even been 1st place before as well, and others on here haven't "competed" in bodybuilding but they know a lot about nutrition for example, because they study it in school.

So I would say "no" you don't need a trainer and come to the people here who have experience as vegan athletes and have succeeded in their chosen sport.

That's my take.........it will also save you money and you can use that money toward healthy foods or anything else.

Great profile photo by the way......cool to see that you added one.

Have a great day, I'm off to bed now.

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

Thanks. I like that photo.

Everyone on here has definately been really cool so far so I'm already feeling much more confidant about how far I can go if I really push myself toward the goals I've set. Maybe I'll meet some of you all at some competitions in the near future!

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http://www.myspace.com/godesslissa