Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Going on my first vacation since starting in the gym 1.25 years ago. It's been a tough to gain and maintain weight while being vegan/vegetarian (I go back and forth). I gained 30 pounds during this timeframe and have cut 8-9 in the past 11 weeks and am finally starting to look decent for the summer.

I'm going to be away from the gym for 2.5 weeks. I typically take in 70 g protein in powder form daily and hit a gram per pound of bodyweight daily with veggies, grains, 2 cups of beans daily, soymilk, etc. Since I started cutting, I have been counting and cycling calories per the Leangains protocol. I also typically lift three times weekly and do cardio twice a week on off days.

What should I do on vacation to minimize the muscle loss? I won't be able to count calories. I won't have a blender for fruit protein smoothies. I'm thinking I should just skip breakfast each day to keep with Leangains and then eat a large lunch and dinner with a flavored protein shake in between and then maybe snack on a half cup of nuts each night before bed.

Any tips from the pros on here?

im no pro but you wont really lose that much muscle in a week or 2. you may gain some fat if youre eating out, but try to keep that to one or two meals a day and make good decisions when you eat out for the most part. its ok to cheat, soon after you return to the gym youll get it back. its actually good to rest your muscles a bit for longer period of time once in a while... try to get a bunch of walking in to burn off some of dirty cals and have fun. im planning on a long weekend with eating out and some drinking two weeks after my contest, gonna bring some of the basics like protein powder, oats, nuts, cous cous... eat what i want come dinner, and then plan to cut back down for a comp 2 months from then.. you dont need a blender to drink the protein shakes, just add water...

If you're going on vacation with a wife/kids or even just a girlfriend, then I would just not worry about it. Eat lots of fruit, minimize your fat intake for the next couple weeks and have a good time. If you keep your carbs high (especially with fruit) then such high levels protein shouldn't be so necessary. And Jungle is right, you're not going to experience muscle atrophy in just two weeks of not lifting. It's vacation, just enjoy yourself. When you return to the gym you might find that two weeks off has left you refreshed and ready to train as hard as ever.

I left for a two week trip where I was unable to lift or purchase my own food, and the same thing will happen again in a few weeks. I've found that as long as I reached my ballpark maintenance caloric intake per day, my strength did not diminish to any far-reaching extent. When you return from your trip, do the same weights you did prior to leaving and you may be surprised at how easier they are. A solid two week break from lifting every few months is actually good for your muscles as they occasionally require extensive breaks to fully repair and heal from months of abuse in the gym. It helps prevent accidents, dislocations, and injuries as well.

Same with what Justin said, eat a lot of fruit and healthy, complex carbs and you should be good.

My suggestion.... It's a vacation! Relax a little and have fun. Work on getting some vitamin D. Eat as healthy as possible but don't feel bad about having dessert or a couple drinks once or twice. Do fun and active things that you enjoy - hiking, biking, inline skating, swimming, water sports.. whatever. The gym and protein shakes will be waiting for you when you get back. I think the protein shakes will just make you gain weight if you are not lifting anyway... protein that is not being used for muscle building is just adding extra calories.

Enjoy your vacation!

Just to echo the above... Chill out, relax & have a good time! All I tend to do is pack enough protein for a shake in the morning & before bed. Besides that I just eat whatever I want though so far over say since last summer I have only had 2 mini breaks. Two weeks isn't goin to really make much difference, unless it's a xl pizza for every meal.