Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hey BULKERS,

I'm interested in what you are eating. I'm not interested in the shakes/smoothies you are consuming, even if they are whole food based. I'm looking for what you are eating between the shakes. Meal suggestions would be great, high protein/high calorie recipes would be even better. Get the ideas rolling for other bulkers on new dishes to have for that 4th, 5th, 6th meal. If you decide to post, please don't be vague, it won't help anyone! I'll post what I'm eating a bit later, I'm mostly interested on what is working for other people/generating a variety of ideas.

Robert, DV, Jonathon, Daywalker, Zack (not to name names), others.... fill us in!

Lately I've been doing what I've heard works for other people and it's starting to work for me. Last summer I was way under weight due to depression/stress (118lbs, 5'11", now 147lbs), and I've been weight training for the last few months. Also I've done a few road races (running) in between. Also, working on building triathlon-type stamina (with swimming and biking mixed a few times a wk. when possible). Oh, I'm also skateboarding a mini ramp like us older guys do for extra cardio a few times a wk : ).

Since you don't want to hear about the shakes, BESIDES the Vega shake I have every morning like clockwork ; ), I am also eating these foods throughout the week:

-Tofu (usually pan fried on wheat toast with soy cheese and earth balance, I can give you more specifics if interested)
-Avocados (if not sliced then in guacamole form on just about anything)
-Potatoes (for quickness if you don't mind the microwave, i just poke some holes in them and nuke for 3-4mins depending on size/quantity)
-Nuts (walnuts and almonds especially)
-CHUNKY Peanut Butter on bananas (about 2-4 each day, it's so darn good)
-Peanut Butter and Jelly in a burrito (it's really not that bad!)
-Soy Yogurt (1 a day when I have some available)
-Organic Wheat or Organic Wheat and Flax pasta with home made pesto! (I have a great recipe from Vegan Planet for this if anybody is interested) OR Organic pasta with olive oil, crushed garlic and beans (pinto/navy/chick peas/kidney/etc.)
-Hand fulls of raw spinach, or spinach salad (usually with nuts and tomatoes)
-Frozen Broccoli (eat a couple bags a wk when possible, usually by itself steamed or microwaved with Earth Balance and a touch of salt)
-Home made vegan pizza w/ loads of vegetables
-Builder Bars (mint and pb baby!)
-Fruit: apples, pears, peaches, grapes, melon etc.

Hopefully this post isn't too vague, but I just kinda snack and have mini-meals all day, so it's just how my method looks written down I guess.

I eat around 2lbs of grapes a day

2 tomato sandwiches in the mornings (on Ezekial break and veganaise)

28oz of vegetarian baked beans almost everyday for lunch (this right here gets me through tough workouts with plenty of energy!!)

Oatmeal with bananas and raisins in it.

Apples, Quinoa, Corn on the cobb, whole-wheat pasta

and whatever other fruits my clients bring me on a weekly basis.

Anything I want. I had cookies for breakfast one day. Fajita fries. Sweet potatoes. Peanut butter, bagels. Pretzels. Brocoli, spinach, onions. Garlic. Cereals. I've stopped with the protein powders and am losing weight still.

I am currently eating 5 meals per day with 20 to 25 grams of protein per meal.

Smoked Tofu (I'm addicted to Pete's Soyganic)
Tempeh Loaf (from The Real Food Daily Cookbook)
Chili (Homemade - sometimes with tempeh, sometimes TVP)
Lasagna (Homemade - Tofu ricotta, sometimes TVP)
Sauteed greens (about 1 pound per day, usually with carmelized shallots)
Tofu scramble
Soup (this week is corn chowder and minestrone - my own recipes of a sort)
Salad with whatever veggies are at the farmers' market
Fruit - melons, pears, peaches and plums are in season here
Muesli
Marinated seitan (different styles, homemade)
Cannelinni bean spread
Dave's Killer Sprouted Bread
Amy Burgers or other burgers
Lots of veggies
Flax oil and/or ground flax seed - enough to bring my omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acid ratio close to 2:1


And my emergency meal - Clif Builder's Bar

Note: I use www.nutritiondata.com to enter my recipes and figure out the nutritional profile. It's a pain in the butt and sometimes the site is slow, but it helps if you eat a lot of homemade things.

At my BEST, this is what it looked like. I don't eat soy very much at all these days, but at my biggest, and strongest (and also most motivated) here is what some of it looked like:


Here is a menu and eating schedule for a bodybuilder looking to gain mass.

7AM
2 cups oatmeal
2 vegan pancakes
soy protein drink
8oz soymilk
multivitamin supplement

10AM
soy jerky
soy protein smoothie (soymilk, protein powder, strawberries, banana, ice cubes)
4 soy yogurts
8oz orange juice with glutamine powder

1PM
4 slices of vegan pizza
soy protein smoothie (soymilk, protein powder, strawberries, banana, ice cubes)
tortilla and hummus
mixed nuts (almonds, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts)

4PM
soy crisps with almond butter
3 bananas
8oz soymilk

7PM
Baked tofu wedges
summer squash
refried beans
avacado
8oz pineapple juice with glutamine powder

10PM
soy protein smoothie (soymilk, protein powder, strawberries, banana, ice cubes)
2 soy yogurts
vitamin and mineral supplements

*Note..drink water between meals*

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Bodybuilding Nutrition Program
by Robert Cheeke, Vegan Bodybuilder, February 28th, 2004

Bodybuilding for MASS

Example Day 1

8AM
1 1/2c Oatmeal
1 Banana
Soy Protein Drink
16oz water 8g pro 210 Cal
1g pro 80 Cal
20g pro 330 Cal
29g pro 620 Cal

10AM
1 cup walnuts
1 cup grapes
1 Clif bar
16oz water 14g pro 250 Cal
0g pro 100 Cal
12g pro 240 Cal 26g pro 590 Cal

12PM
2 boca burgers
4 slices of bread
1 baked potato
1 serving spinach
2 tofu hotdogs
24oz water 26g pro 180 Cal
24g pro 720 Cal
5g pro 80 Cal
2g pro 70 Cal
18g pro 90 Cal 75g pro 1,140 Cal

2PM
3 serv. crackers
2 s. peanut butter
1 banana
8oz orange juice 6g pro 210 Cal
14g pro 340 Cal
1g pro 80 Cal
1g pro 100 Cal 22g pro 630 Cal

4PM
Soy protein drink
12oz water 20g pro 340 Cal 20g pro 340 Cal

6PM
4 serv. pasta
2 s. refried beans
1 cup broccoli
2 serv. baked tofu
16oz orange juice 28g pro 480 Cal
12g pro 140 Cal
5g pro 150 Cal
26g pro 150 Cal
1g pro 200 Cal 72g pro 1,120 Cal

8PM
1 Orange
1 serving almonds
12oz natural soda 1g pro 80 Cal
7g pro 100 Cal
0g pro 170 Cal 8g pro 350C

10PM
Soy protein drink
2 serv. corn chips
2 serv. salsa
20oz water 20g pro 340 Cal
4g pro 240 Cal
2g pro 140 Cal 26g pro 720 Cal

Totals 278g protein 5,510 Calories

Example Day 2

8AM
4 Organic Waffles
Maple syrup
banana
soy protein drink
16oz water
16g pro 480 Cal
0g pro 80 Cal
1g pro 80 Cal
20g pro 340 Cal 37g pro 980 Cal

10AM
3 servings almonds
Clif bar
banana
16oz water 21g pro 300 Cal
12g pro 240 Cal
1g pro 80 Cal 34g pro 620 Cal

12PM
2 Tofu Salami sandwiches
2 servings spinach
2 servings carrots
16oz orange juice
56g pro 800 Cal
1g pro 100 Cal
1g pro 70 Cal
1g pro 100 Cal 59g pro 1,070 Cal

2PM
3 servings of crackers
2 servings peanut butter
1 Orange
16oz water
6g pro 180 Cal
14g pro 340 Cal
1g pro 60 Cal 21g pro 580 Cal

4PM
Soy protein drink
Flax oil/glutamine/B12
12 oz water 20g pro 340 Cal
0g pro 35 Cal 20g pro 375 Cal

6PM
2 boca burgers
3 servings lentil soup
1 boiled potato
1 cup broccoli
12oz soy milk
12oz water 26g pro 180 Cal
27g pro 360 Cal
5g pro 80 Cal
5g pro 100 Cal
11g pro 250 Cal 74g pro 970 Cal

8PM
2 slices of toast
2 servings peanut butter
16oz water
12g pro 340 Cal
14g pro 340 Cal 26g pro 680 Cal

10PM
2 soy protein drinks
16oz water 40g pro 680 Cal 40g pro 680 Cal

Totals: 311 grams of protein 5,955 Calories

If it looks funny, click this link to make it all line up properly:

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page= ... ionprogram

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Here is an example menu & eating schedule for the general bodybuilder.

7AM
2 cups oatmeal
protein Smoothie (soymilk, protein powder, strawberries, banana, ice cubes)
multivitamin supplement

10AM
4 pieces of toast with peanut butter/soynut butter/almond butter
8oz glass soymilk
breakfast burrito (tortilla, rice, beans, tofu, broccoli, corn)

1PM
large strips of baked tofu with peanut sauce
1 cup broccoli
salad (lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes)
8oz glass soymilk

4PM
bowl of mixed nuts (cashews, almonds, peanuts, walnuts)
tofu sandwich with vegan mayo and spinach
8oz glas orange juice

7PM
bowl of brown rice
teriyaki tofu
green beans and peas
grated soy cheese
8oz glass soy milk

10PM
bowl of mixed fruit
soy protein drink
soy crisps

*Note...drink water between meals*

I know that you don't want anything too vague, but there is no single way of effectively bulking. Just eat! Find out roughly how many calories you need to eat to gain steadily with minimum fat gains and stick to that. It really doesn't matter what you eat, so long as you hit that total and get some protein.

For me I need to hit about 5200kcal a day when in low activity, and nearly 6000kcal if I am busy with work or other things. I stick to that (though always try to go over) and I gain steadily.

Jonathan

When I first started I used to drink a lot of shakes, but I also ate a lot of bananas and apples with peanut butter, lots of broccoli, cans upon cans of lentils, bowls upon bowls of oatmeal, and whatever else, but it worked pretty well for me.

When I'm taking in more calories, I have to eat calorie-dense foods as my appetite is good about once or twice per day and very low the rest of the time (I'm used to eating one big meal and snacking over the course of the day for everything else.) Best things I have been able to get in me for calorie-dense foods are:

Organic high-protein pasta (if you can put down a whole lb. of it with some sauce you can easily take in 2000 calories in a meal, which I've done many times)

Big homemade vegan submarine sandwiches (or whatever they call them in your neck of the woods) - get a big hoagie roll or baguette, slice that thing open, pop in a full package (or more) of Tofurky slices, some Vegenaise and greens and you can pack between 600-1000 calories or more with that one easily.

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds, peanuts, cashews - I prefer my seeds sprouted, but I'll take 'em any way I can get them. Lotsa calories in a very little amount of food here

Clif Bars - whether they're regular old bars or Builders's bars, you'll get around 250 calories in each, and I can put down 3-4 at a time when I'm getting hungry since they aren't too large. Regular Clif bars seem to be easier to eat in quantity, though, and are cheaper on the whole making them a bit more budget-friendly

Stonewall's Jerquee - set me in front of the TV with a 5-lb bulk bag and I can put a good chunk in me before I'm done. An easy way for me to get in around 500-1000 calories of protein, fat and fiber if I'm feeling up to it (burnout comes easy with this one, though)

And, of course, vegan ice cream tops things out. Temptation brand cookie dough does the trick - I think I finished a half gallon over the course of a day back when it first came out, and if you want to push around 3000 calories in you, that's one way you can do it. Not the healthiest, but it gets the job done

There's plenty more, but those are some of my favorites when I let myself eat like crazy.

**ADDED** - I finally got a jar of the Peanut Butter & Co. brand white chocolate peanut butter - THAT is some addicting stuff, and I ate half the jar with a spoon last night while watching movies, didn't even think twice about how many calories are in it because it's just that good. I'll probably eat half of our stock before I get it online

Been making these bars lately and they are very tasty and have lots of calories and protein.
U need figs, almonds, sesame seeds, peanut butter, sunflowerseed butter and maybe some walnuts. Mix it all and shape into bars. If it doesn't stick well use some more figs.

A while ago, there were some runners in a race, and the organiser insisted that they be fed spaghetti only, and said this was what gives them the strength to go the next day for the whole marathon. Spag with butter on it, sounds bland, but did taste nice before I got my tastebuds back.
I know that fried stuff hasn't much in it, as it never gives me much energy as the raw, you know chips and cheesy stuff, vs the broccoli and juices. Having a zinger like ginger/ginseng/garlic in your drink makes me really focused, like I'm on a mission. It really puts me in the mood to do something. For a real treat, you should try gazpacho, its spanish, and the best juice I had tried, I used to think.
What surpises me in your diet, Robert, is how many times you have to eat to put on mass. Thats quite surprising, of course, but I guess working out with the areas at the same time as where you want to put the weight, is the general idea of that programme, correct me if I'm wrong.
If your just looking for recipes, try:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/ve ... ecipe.html

I'm not eating like I originally posted anymore. I'm still doing vegetable juices, salads, and green smoothies. The basis of my diet has been:

Water- A lot of it, Most important nutrient.
Amaranth
Barley/Vegetable soup
Barley
Rice
Broccoli
Spinach- I consider this and broccoli extremely important.
Carrots
Beets
Almonds/Walnuts/Pumpkin Seeds
Some Tofu
Some Tempeh
Garbanzo Beans
Green Split Peas
Bananas and Berries in smoothies
Flax Seed

There are other veggies and such in my salads.

Robert, I'm interested in your 3 recipes there. Can you tell me why the time shift from 3 to 2 hours between eats?
Is the first a general plan?

It would be nice to line them up beside each other, so that I can get more insight from them.
Lets have a try..

Ok with the columns, it looks ok, with two side by side. (I wonder what it will look like posted).
But there are 4 columns. Its quite a varied feast you've got there. Can we nudge it up a bit?
I like chick peas (hummous) and lentils very much. You have a lot of soy/milk protein drinks. Can we include coconut milk, or other non dairy milks? What is in a vegan pancake? I've never heard of soy jerky - any links? Sounds like a meat product, is there a substitute, like dry figs? Vegan pizza, I guess the base is made with the same ingredients as the pancake. Is that tortilla beans or tortilla bread? Refried beans?
I guess nonstarch toast, wholemeal or ..? Burritos yumm! Any chance of a few more salads? There are mixes of chinese and mexican ingredients on your list, which is making my mouth water a little, (have to back off from the computer a bit, otherwise I might get my own fried without grease fingers.)

Any more ingredients? If I was going to go on this diet, I'd need an ingredients list.

The vitamins, minerals and multivitamin supplements, powders, are many.

Is there any way to remove these supplements, by way of adding other foods? or exchanging them?

What vitamins do you need? As you have very many in your diet already. Or is this just caution, and you want to include more, just in case?

Minerals? Which ones do you want to ingest? What are their roles?

Whats Glutamine good for, and does it come in other foods? Are you talking about building up fat reserves, or stuff to turn in muscle?

How can I put a html table up here?