Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

I'm trying to cut my carbs a lot over the next few weeks and lower my fat intake, so I've cut out a lot of the nuts I eat during the day and most fruit. Is squash (my favorite is acorn squash!) one of those "starchy" veggies I should cut out too? THANKS!

For the love of the gods, WHY? Do you have a medical condition that necessitates the lowering of carbs and sugars?

Seriously, you NEED healthy carbs. Do NOT start removing veggies and other healthy things in your diet. You won't lose weight; you'll have NO energy to work out and your body will go into starvation mode. Trust me on this one.

Also, similar rant with fat. You need healthy fats in your diet: EVOO, avocado, et cetera. Unless you've had your gall bladder removed....

Everything in moderation, folks. Now I'm going to go bang my head on the wall and lament the conception of fad diets and misinformation about nutrition...

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If I were preparing for a competition I would cut starchy vegetables (which to me would include corn and squash).
The mantra "everything in moderation" is great if your goal is to loose weight (I lost plenty this way)-it's not great if you're preparing for a competition.

amawalke, I also love acorn squash! When is your competition date?
What other carbs are you including? For my competition I lived on sweet potatoes (which is good since I love them!)

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I've never prepared for a competition; I'm a long ways off from that. I'll be psyched once I finally fit into the remainder of my clothes again, but am happy that I'm actually starting to see muscle def in my upper arms and have some now in my abs....

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Support a tea-addicted geek in the breast cancer walk in May! Any donation size helps:
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BlueRose, that's awesome! you never know, maybe you'll compete one day- if you want to you can do it! (by the way, what's good in Boston? I'm heading that way for a day next week)

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"His arm looks like a leg"

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It'd be fun! And thanks.



We have a LOT of good stuff here! Depending on where you're at in Boston. Davis Square in Somerville (Boston suburb maybe 5-10 min from the city) has Pulse Cafe, which is AWESOME. Diesel Cafe, Blue T-Shirt, and Johnny D's also all have vegan options. Johnny D's has a separate vegetarian fryer, and if you go there for jazz brunch on Sunday and ask for the scramble meal to be made vegan, they will bring to you hash browns, toast, and tofu scramble.

Cambridge has the Elephant Walk which has a separate vegetarian/vegan menu (I think it's ALL vegan but check there or online), Attis Red Sea is a lovely Ethiopian place that also has vegan options, Veggie Planet is vegetarian with vegan options and is also in Cambridge.

Lizzie's Ice Cream is in Cambridge and Waltham, and has Tofutti ice cream and a listing of their toppings and what allergens they contain.

In Boston proper, head to Chinatown to My Thai near the Theatre District. They are a vegan Asian restaurant and very, very good.

In Allston there's Grasshopper, which is another vegan Asian place, and you MUST MUST MUST go to Peace o Pie a few doors down, which is an entirely vegan pizzeria. They use Daiya. <3

If you towards the North Shore and head into Beverly, there's the Organic Garden which is a raw vegan place. They also have a beer and wine menu.

There's also Red Lentil and the Prana Cafe. I think Red Lentil is in Watertown and Prana Cafe in Newton. Prana Cafe I believe is a raw vegan joint, Red Lentil is another vegan place.

We have another vegan restaurant opening up in Somerville soon but I forget what the name will be.

_________________
rational romantic mystic cynical idealist.

Support a tea-addicted geek in the breast cancer walk in May! Any donation size helps:
http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/TeaAddictedGeek

Doing Les Mills Combat and loving it! Follow my journey here:
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If you like squash, then fit it into your macronutrient goals for carbohydrates. There's no necessity to cut it out.

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Thanks guys! I'll think about your comments. I'm hoping to compete within the year, but haven't picked out a competition yet. The sooner I get in competition shape, the sooner I can find a competition in the area

I would find a competition first and then worry about getting in "shape", it will give you the motivation you need and a better idea of what you need to do with you diet and when. I agree with Zack, if you really love them I would substitute them for another starchy carb you may be eating but aren't in love with. I started cutting my carbs maybe about 5 weeks out from figure competition.

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"His arm looks like a leg"

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Thanks djshrew! I'm trying to find a competition next summer so I don't have to worry about focusing on school at the same time, and it'll give me plently of prep time. What I'd really like to do is get in good enough shape that I don't have to cut too much for competition; I know a lot of fitness models (like Alicia Marie) stay in shape year round, and then only have to cut around 5-7lbs or so for competition. I feel like for me, that would be the healthiest way (physically and mentally) I could prepare for a competition. I want to compete but have been nervous about building and then cutting somewhat drastically towards the end. A bikini competition seemed like the best kind of comp for me because the girls aren't too "cut", just in great shape; which is the look I'm going for! Honestly, I'd like to look like a fitness model year round. That may sound unrealistic, but if I shoot for big goals and don't make it, at least I'll still be in great shape! I couldn't find any comps that far out; do you have any recommendations for websites where I can find a listing of competitions in the colorado area

..the message posted before I finished!

Anyway, djshrew, if you have any advice I'd love to hear it! Have you done a few competitions? What has been your personal experience with it?