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Yes I Can Do This & I'll Show You


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Catch up time:

 

This is my first blog / journal posting.

 

Back in the Spring I gave up animal products for Lent. That's what you do. By the end of Lent, I felt great! Not hungry or worn down but energetic and ready to go. So why go back? I didn't eat a lot of meat anyway. Then I joined this website. That was the major change. It's good to draw on the inspiration of everyone here. And, I know about a dozen friends and relatives who are vegetarian or vegan. More support. Recipes too.

 

So now combining a mostly vegan diet with the focus and planning of the P90X workout, my weight is "up" to 154 and bodyfat percent "down" to just below 14. Ab are starting to show. Ok at 154 lbs and 5' 11", let's just say it right now and get it out of the way, I'm a lightweight.

 

So just a couple of months of putting it all together I'm on my way to doing exactly what I've been trying to do before - build lean muscle mass! Who f-ing knew! I'm never going back to a meat diet now.

 

That's the short story. The rest is in the future. Stay tuned.

Edited by ICanDoThis
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How are your workouts going?

I only could peek at your site.... it looks too good! I am trying to stick to the diet, but as soon as i can have carbs I will take a much closer look. thank you for sharing!

 

My workouts are going good so far. I struggled the first week, and I am sure it will get easier over time. I am excited to start the second week!

 

How are your workouts going?

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How are your workouts going?

I only could peek at your site.... it looks too good! I am trying to stick to the diet, but as soon as i can have carbs I will take a much closer look. thank you for sharing!

 

My workouts are going good so far. I struggled the first week, and I am sure it will get easier over time. I am excited to start the second week!

 

How are your workouts going?

 

They are going as well as they can. It's sometimes hard to balance workouts, fitness and everything else happening in life. I usually get 3 or 4 days in a row before something comes up. But, as their saying goes, "Do your best and forget the rest." So I do. Everyone is different and the important thing is to stay dedicated to my goals.

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I guess for a training blog I just keep adding to this. After a refreshing weekend I'm back in the groove. It's like a tropical jungle here in New York. All of the Northeast from what I hear. So I just keep going. Time to move some cast iron.

 

And Robert's book is on its way. I'm looking forward to reading it.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Had a great weekend with family. Did a lot of walking but no "real" workouts. So it felt like I didn't do anything. Sometimes it's good to have a break anyway. I read somewhere that when you hit a bump in the road and crash the thing to do is to "get out and start walking and keep walking." So that's what I'm doing. Ok, maybe not working out for three days isn't really a crash. And part of staying fit is giving your body time to recover. On the bright side, my vegetarian sister gave me a "what took you so long" and an "I told you so."

 

To our health!

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I know I'll be traveling after work today so I did my workout in the morning. I'm not a morning person. I hate mornings. I'm a night person. But you gotta do what you gotta do. If it's one thing checking in on this website does is keep me motivated to work out. Just do it. So I did. Thanks everyone. Keep the faith.

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I see you have the 48kg kettlebell as your av.

 

Can you press them yet?

 

I can only press the 32kg kettlebell so far.My PB is a double kb press x 5 reps.

 

Not yet. It was just a clean photo. When my back feels good I can do the 44 lb.? / 1.5 pood. I do have and use kettlebells and think they're the best thing since cast iron.

 

Power To The People!

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After a long day and night of shooting, I got home and found a package at my door. Turned out to be Robert's book. Sure I'm excited to read it. Why? Because now I have a blue print on reaching my goals. Just like this site. Here are people doing the same thing as me. So with all this knowledge the only thing to hold anyone back is action, or inaction. The decision to eat the right foods and workout regularly. I should post a before pic or two. More on that later.

 

Keep The Faith.

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  • 1 month later...

Ran into an ex-girlfriend. She commented on how refreshed I looked and that I didn't look tired like I used to. Hands down it's due to a vegan diet. I can feel it and it's great. I know it's my diet since nothing else has changed to have that kind of effect. Work, exercise, everything else is constant. And it's true that I feel more relaxed now than I did before. No doubt it's attributable to a cleaner diet.

 

Now it's back to basics. I've decided to simplify my workout. I was doing P90X, which I like and will go back to at some point, but it was time for a retrofit. So now I'm doing one day upper body, one day lower, and one day cardio. The cardio is block-to-block sprinting for 3 miles. Work has gotten busy and the A-B-C format fits in better with my schedule. Whatever works.

 

New motivation / mission:

Saw some friends and family the last few weeks who didn't previously know I'm vegan. The first comment from a couple of people was the usual, "where do you get your protein?" One person couldn't believe I didn't want any of the 1+ pound prime rib he was aggressively devouring. And still another looked at my plate and said, "That looks good. I should have gotten that."

 

So now I have to prove you can have an athletic body and be vegan. I know I can point to Robert Cheeke and others here and elsewhere. But I need to show people I know it can be done because I'm more real to them than someone they don't know or have contact with. It's almost a Think Globally, Act Locally situation.

 

Stay Focused.

 

Keep The Faith.

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  • 3 weeks later...

It's been a good week. Worked out every day except Monday, a 14 1/2 hour day. The rest of the week has been long too and I've still kept up my workouts. I should finish strong this week. Somehow something inside keeps kicking in to push me. So I get out of work, warm up, get motivated and go. Part of it is that I have something to prove, that building muscle and an athletic body on a vegan diet can be done. And to show up the ney-sayers.

 

Another person, independently of the previous post, remarked that I don't look as worn out and tired as I used to. I know it has to be veganism. We last saw each other just as I made a full life commitment to a clean animal free diet back in the Spring.

 

Keep The Faith!

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"Do your best and forget the rest."

 

I've had to edit my mantra to "Do your best and don't forget to rest." At least, that's what my left rotator cuff is chanting. OK, screaming.

 

Glad you're here and love your positive attitude. Give a shout out to my cousin in Saratoga Springs.

 

Baby Herc

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"Do your best and forget the rest."

 

I've had to edit my mantra to "Do your best and don't forget to rest." At least, that's what my left rotator cuff is chanting. OK, screaming.

 

Glad you're here and love your positive attitude. Give a shout out to my cousin in Saratoga Springs.

 

Baby Herc

 

I'm with you on that. Sometimes I try to cram more than 24 hours into one day and it catches up with me. Mother Nature always wins. Good luck with your recovery.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Since I've changed my workout I feel stronger. I think I'm more focused now than before. Best news is my legs seem stronger, especially my knees. For cardio I do a 3 mile sprint / jog. So I jog a block then sprint a block. Still do a low box squat since I can't do a one leg pistol. But my knees seem to be thicker and stronger so I'm happy. I should say that over the years my knees have taken a beating. Most recently from a snowboarding wipe out which also messed up my back.

 

My weight is up too. Muscle I hope. It should be if I'm stronger. Abs are almost showing. At least they do when I flex.

 

Motivation:

I still need to show people around me that muscle can be built on a vegan diet. "Where do you get your protein?" Well, let me show you!

 

Downfall:

Lack of sleep. Early long days and only 5 hours, sometimes 4. Not much time for recovery. The solution: quit my job and workout full time! Wishful thinking. I'll figure it out.

 

Guess that's it for now. The cast iron calls!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Ok, it's been a while. So here's the latest. First, it's 12:23 AM and I should be in bed resting & recovering. But my motivation is high and I can't wait to get out of work and work out! Strength, endurance, etc. are up. I'm just working out as hard as I can. The desire to succeed keeps pushing me. Ok I really should cut this short and hit the hay. Tomorrow's another day.

 

Pump It Up!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Momentum = Motivation = Success! Workouts have been going great. I'm in The Zone. Nothing is going to stop me. That's what The Pump does to you. It's that kick-ass feeling the next day. It gets you back to the gym after a long day at work when you just want to crash. So does seeing everyone on VBB pushing and succeeding. Also, being an example to friends and family. Working to show them than you can have an athletic body without meat.

 

Speaking of which, I spoke to an aunt about this being my first vegan Thanksgiving. This & that later, she said, "...you do need red meat once in a while. You do know that, don't you?" It was an email exchange so I didn't get into it. Even when I did eat meat I hardly ate red meat. Not at home and not at restaurants. I wanted to say that 90+ year old Jack LaLanne hasn't eaten meat in 80+ years. That guy can kick some serious ass.

 

So on to The Holidaze. Just keep doing what you're doing. When they're over, you won't have to make a healthy resolution because you will still be on the right track.

 

Do it now. Don't quit. Ever.

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  • 4 weeks later...

So my first vegan Thanksgiving came & went uneventfully. Didn't even notice or care about the turkey. We always have plenty of vegetables on the table so it was no big deal. I made spanakorizo (Greek spinach & rice) for the first time. Damn good Combined two recipes.

 

With the holiday season in full swing, the big thing is people eating too much and too much of the wrong things. Well, if you wouldn't eat it, or eat a ton of it the rest of the year, why do so now? Sure the cookies in the break room look good. But you don't have to have any. There's no rule that says you do. The question to ask is, "what do I want more, insert food here or six pack abs or big guns or whatever?" This happened to me today. Sure the goodies looked good but they won't help me get what I really want.

 

On we go. Happy Holidays!

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  • 4 weeks later...

Happy New Year! I'm back in the zone and it feels real good. Didn't stray off diet although Christmas Day was kind of like Thanksgiving. Feast day. Was the only vegan. Our host was a hardcore steak eater. I was a family affair and we like our veggies anyway.

 

Now I'm motivated to push hard for summer. A friend got me into Bodybuilding.com's transformation challenge. Here's my link if you want to check my profile out. http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/CastIronWarrior/more.php?section=progresspics. As you can see, I have a long way to go. Pictures don't lie. Right now, I'm at 5' 11" and 158 lbs. Bodyfat needs to come way down and muscle mass up. Sounds like everyone else's goals too.

 

Athletically, I've always been an endurance guy. Never the strongest or fastest. Just the guy who lasts. Speaking of which, it's late (23:47) and I need to hit the hay. Gotta recover properly.

 

Peace

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Week one, game won. 51 more to go this season. Right now I'm super motivated. I guess everyone is. New Year's resolutions. For me this isn't "The Year" everything will change. It's part of a everything I do. The motivation comes from The Challenge and that's good. If it started on March 9, I would be equally motivated and focused. It was just the spark that lit the fire. It will be a long season and there will be ups and downs. Games won. Games lost. Whatever happens tomorrow is another day to lace up and play.

 

So what else makes me go? It's the role model thing. Actions speak louder than words and all politics is local. While I can name vegan / vege athletes, the one thing that will have the most impact is me showing those around me that a strong athletic body can be achieved without meat. Also, I know the younger generation in my family looks up to me (I have yet to start my own if you are wondering - any vegan women in NYC?). I have a responsibility to show them it can be done.

 

Post Game Review 1: Killed my calves Sunday. No really. Then on Tuesday they were stiff as boards. Friday I was finally flexible enough in the legs to work them. Stretching only for the calves. There's no more bread in the house. Ate the last of the pita bread Sunday. Lunch was mostly lentil chili or multi bean soup. The menu said they were vegan. Watch out for sodium. Nutrition should be online. I like Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer at breakfast. I have chocolate and berry.

 

Looking forward: Muscles are back in the groove and ready to go. Sunday night I'll cook some meals for the week. Just keep going. Don't give up and don't quit.

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Hey buddy. Checking in to show some love. I'm loving the motivation on your blog. Pretty awesome Thanks for joining us in the New Yrs progress pic thread. I'm with ya. As for NYC, my old stomping grounds (first 27yrs of my life out there) Lots of vegan meetups, etc. I was def more into the raw scene however you can easily find cool like minded people in the good ole melting pot. Have a great training session next one coming up

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Hey buddy. Checking in to show some love. I'm loving the motivation on your blog. Pretty awesome Thanks for joining us in the New Yrs progress pic thread. I'm with ya. As for NYC, my old stomping grounds (first 27yrs of my life out there) Lots of vegan meetups, etc. I was def more into the raw scene however you can easily find cool like minded people in the good ole melting pot. Have a great training session next one coming up

 

Thanks. I moved here from Boston. GO PATS! Just trying to hang in there and make a strong run for a "summer body" right now. I'm in Queens after living in the Bronx for 3 years. NYC definitely has a good vegan scene. I found a place on the Lower East Side, which I have to Google to find again, that makes vegan chocolate ice cream that beats the cream out of anything from a cow. Seriously it's the best I've ever had.

 

Good luck with your workouts!

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