veggieprincess wrote:Honestly.... I really hate to say this, but I was afraid this was going to happen to you when I read about your new plan a month ago.
The same way that I KNEW you would be SUCCESSFUL when you outlined your plan at the beginning of the year (or was it the end of 07?) when you first started posting here. When I saw what you were doing about 6 months ago.. it was one of the best laid out plans I had seen and I was excited for you, and was genuinely worried when you told me you were going to try to do all whole foods and no supps... but I always try to remain open-minded because I like to be proved wrong.
This is one of the biggest problems that I face when I get emails or try to help people with their diet that tell me that they want muscle but they don't want to do ANY supplementation or want to do it all Raw or with just whole foods. There are very few people who can do it that way. I'm not saying it can't be done... just very few people can.
Its great to experiment with new stuff and try things a different way... but your original sources of inspiration, such as Body For Life, etc... knew what they were doing as well as all of the athletes/bodybuilders that have gone before us. As Vegan athletes, we have alot to learn from the bodybuilders and knowledgeable trainers that have gone before us. I hope you'll continue to experiement as I think you are an information seeker and research junkie like me... but there's also alot of merit to the methods that have been around for many many decades too.

It'll be nice to see ya get back on track with your muscle building goals (not that you ever got that far off track) Take a look at Nitrofusion as well for your supps list. Its a really great product.
M
Yeah good call VP... I had to try it to know though. I did well with my original plan and tried to refine it without the "refinements"... Theres only so much nutrient dense food I can put down before I reach "food bulk max" in which I have to turn to other less bulky products for macro nutrients. I am now wiser with my body for attempting it and discovering what my limits are. You're post is very right, some people can thrive and make gains on all raw or non-processed foods or no supps but I think they are the few. I'm finding what works for me and applying as many of the best foods I can and filling in the holes from there. Thanks for reading

Fallen_Horse wrote:I already take about 20-30g of protein a day from Gemma, so I am covered there.
1. Is a multi necessary if Fitday shows I am getting 150%+ of all my daily vitamins?
2. What other supplements are 'must have' for someone trying to get big?
Taking 20-30g of gemma a day may not necessarily mean that you are "covered". Your overall daily intake of protein and the percentage of what that protein takes up between carbs and fat is more crucial to your gains.
IMO, multis are a safe guard. Try to get as many micronutrients as you can from food then add a multi. Unless you are a scientist who can analyze all the food that comes across your table you can never be sure of the micronutrient values of everything. The human body doesn't have severe or dramatic responses that we can "feel" from a micronutrient deficiency, however, over time a deficiency may build to a severe problem in which case you will feel. Some people swear that they get everything they need from the food they eat and they feel fantastic. Those people may do fine for 10, 20, 30 years and then develop something because they went so long without a certain micronutrient... of course theres always the case of someone who doesn't develop a problem, just like the alcoholic smoker who lives to be 100, theres always someone who beats the odds. I'm not a big better so I'd rather play the game of life with the odds in my favor... the odds favored by scientific studies rather than simply going off of a feeling or "ormus" or whatever. Why not do things right, feel great and have a piece of mind that you are getting what your body needs? Choose a whole food multi like Rainbow Light. DV recommended it to me and I have yet to find a better multi.
So far I have changed my approach slightly to supplements. I'm giving my body what it lacks with a plant based diet but not necessarily what it can "possibly" use to build bigger muscles, I'm going to rely on my training and my calories for that. During this next phase I will be taking:
Multi
Calcium mineral multi
Extra D
DHA/EPA
Glucosamine/MSM
small amounts of:
Acetyl-L-Carnitine
Creatine
Taurine
L-Carnosine
coenzyme Q
10I don't consider gemma a supplement as its a macronutrient, a processed macronutrient yet still a food based macro.