Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

My computer has crashed. So I will be off line for several days. But I will continue to be training and will catch up with my logging soon. By the way, I did a 435 pound box squat on Monday I was very pleased with that. More latter.

Yea! I'm back on line. Been very busy the past week or so. Exercising, walking (until the day before yesterday), following my vegan diet to the letter. Been exploring a lot of new recipes. I like to browse used book stores and pick up used vegan cook books. I have quite a nice collection and am having fun coming up with great meals.

My biking is going great. I ride 20 minutes every other day and have slowly been increasing the intensity levels. My weight training is slowly improving. Been adding a few more exercises and a few more sets. Of course my weights have been increasing. I will outline my current workouts in the next few days to show how things are getting better. I did twist my left knee caring in some grouses the other day. So I have had to back off my walking for awhile. Always something but I just keep picking my self up and restart where ever I need to to keep going. I weighted 297 yesterday. My body weight continues to slowly go down as long as I keep my exercising program in gear!

Good couple days of training. Biking is going very well. Feel my metabolism is slowly increasing to a more normal level from the biking plus the weight training. I've gain back some muscle has that helps too. Strength is far from what it used to be but lot better than just two or three months ago. Even though I have little or not testosterone in my system presently due to my hormone depletion therapy to reduce the size of my prostate, I think that some of my current strength gains is due to "muscle memory", that is, it is easier to regain strength and muscle if you have had it before. Not sure this is what is happening but is my best guess! Also I'm a very experienced strength athlete so I do have good form and know how to select exercises and patterns to training/programing. I know how best to get gains from my training even at my current physical limitations. I go back to my Urologist on April 23 to get my next Eligard shot. And also have my PSA level checked. I'm praying it is well below the 4.0 level once again. In February it was at 14.12 up from .2 last Fall. If it goes back down then I can contribute the spike to be the results of my bad fall in early December that shook me up so much. The results of all the symptoms from my concussion have for the most part completely disappeared. I really am hoping for the best!

I hit the wall today. Low energy, feeling depressed, upset stomach, etc. It was bound to happen sooner that later with all the progress I was making. I'm a slow learner. I should have known to pull back this past week instead of pushing through. Well, I don't think I'm too bad off. I think just backing off a few days will let me rebound once again. Anyways I know I need to train in cycles with some down days once in a while to keep from over doing it.

Thank goodness I'm feeling a lot better than I did a few days ago. I just needed to rest and pull back from training a little bit. Also made sure I drank my green smoothies every day. That always seems to perk me up! Went to have my nutritional I.V. treatment yesterday. That helps too! My twisted knee also seems to have healed up very well. So I will restart my training program with medium intensity for the coming week and then rev up to a more intense training cycle next week depending on how I feel.

Darn, I'm feeling so good today I'm going out to do some cross training! Gardening that is! My son in law tilled a big patch of land behind his house that we are going to share for a family garden. I sent for all heirloom vegetable seeds and plan a total organic garden. Exercise and great organic vegetables. Can't multitask better than that!

I have really enjoyed the time I spent working on my garden yesterday and this morning. Being in the sun, breathing fresh air, working the dirt, with hopes of wonderful fresh organic vegetables to share with my family and friends. I'm feeling alive and hopeful. I go for my check up with my Urologist on the 23rd. I'm going in to have my blood test for my PSA on Monday so the results will be ready by my Doctors appointment. I'm praying it will be below 4.0. If so I will be the happiest guy in the world! Eating my vegan diet, taking my nutritional supplements, keeping active, doing my stress reduction exercises, and trying to keep a positive attitude. And celebrating life everyday. Rita and I have a brand new granddaughter born two weeks ago. Life is so precious!

Tomorrow I will be referring all day at the NASA Ohio Regionals Powerlifting Meet. Trying to give back to the sport I have loved from my late teens. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of my old friends and maybe meeting some news ones just coming into the sport. Old IronSmith just wants to keep hammering!

Even though I have switched to a vegan whole plant based diet over a year ago I have still been taking the purest and high quality fish oil supplements I could find. I have changed my mind and have quit that exception to my vegan diet as of now. I will now get my Omega-3 essential fatty acid, ALA, etc. through vegetarian sources only. I would love to hear from others what they would recommend! Thanks!

Very big weekend! I really enjoyed refereeing the Ohio NASA Regional Powerlifting Meet on Saturday. It was a great meet and there were some great drug free lifters there. Young and old. There was an 80 year old bench presser who weighted 220 and benched 225. I'll be happy if I can brush my own teeth when I'm 80. There were a few young guys in the Youth Division who are not judged on how much they can lift, but on their form. It's just to be sure they are lifting correctly and no maximum lifts are attempted. Safety is the goal. There was also a 23 year old 335 pound Junior Lifter who squatted 904, benched over 600, and deadlifted about 750 pounds. He ended up with about a 2,255 pound total drug free in single ply lifting gear. Amazing! One of the strongest young men I have ever personally referred in a meet. But as great as he was, I think the 80 year old man impressed me the most. He inspired me to continue to keep training and never give up!

I received very upsetting news this morning. My Urologist's nurse called me to tell me my PSA has jumped upward again. It's now 17 up from 14.2 the beginning of February. That is not good at all. I'm going to have to set down and re-evaluate my entire program and my commitment to it. I have to run to Columbus for my nutritional IV treatment in a few minutes but I will be thinking about everything I have done and haven't done this past year. I do know I will not give up. I know I'm going to double down and plug all the leaks in my present program and tighten up my adherence to it. I know nutrition, exercise, weight loss, stress reduction, etc are still my answer to my prostate cancer.

The nurse told me that my Urologist is in surgery today but he will be ordering some more testing such as a bone scan and a CT scan. I see him this coming Monday. I can't give up. I have too much to live for. My family and friends mean everything to me. And I have to admit I need to do this for myself. I love life and I will fight for my life as hard as I can!

As I drove over and back from Columbus, I did a lot of thinking and soul searching. I did a personal inventory about how honest I have been in sticking with my cancer program. I didn't like my answers. In many ways I have been doing very well but in others I have been slacking and fooling myself that what I have been doing was good enough! As far as following my vegan diet I would give myself an A+. But other than that in other areas I have been just half stepping along.

While up to a few months ago, my exercise program was almost nonexistent. I was walking and doing some riding of my bike and a little weight lifting, but mostly due to some valid but also invalid reasons, I was not doing enough. I have had several physical barriers such as my big fall and major concussion the first week of December. I had to very inactive for at least 4-5 weeks and then slowly begin again from ground zero. But that being said, I could have been more active before then and better in following my exercise program since I was medically cleared to exercise again the middle of January. In that area I give myself a C+ but rapidly raising.

As far as taking all of the supplements that I had pain taking researched that fight cancer, I have not been taking then daily as I should. I give myself a B in that area. I have been going over to Columbus for my nutritional and chelation IV therapy almost every week so I'll give myself an A in that area.

I have lost about 65 pounds since this time last year but I have been at a plateau for over three months and I have to begin to lose weight once again. I went up a little and back down but the net results was staying right about 300 pounds body weight. So I will give myself a C+ for weight loss over all.

I also have not been drinking my green smoothies daily either. In that area I'll give myself a C. But I have been drinking my green tea with lemon almost daily. I'll give my self an A in that area!

All in all there is a lot of room for improvement. Looking in the mirror and taking an honest look at one's self takes a lot of courage and no denial or minimizing at all! So back on it. If I want half assed results then do things half assed. If I want the best results, I need to go full steam! I rededicate myself to taking better care of myself. I have too much to live for! And I have my promises to my late wife, my present wife and the rest of my family and friends. I can't let them or myself down!

Enjoyed reading about your journey-so glad to hear that you "walk the walk"! I admire your ability to self-assess..... Healing starts from within! Staying on course is key but not always easy-hang in there! You can do it!!

Thanks for the words of support LMNgetfit. While most of the time I'm a very positive and self motivated guy, I must admit its good to receive the occasional words of encouragement. My wife and my two sons are my biggest sources of support and care. Helps to keep putting one foot in front of another!

I have enjoyed reading your log Ironsmith. I wish you the best.

You have mentioned your vegan diet a few times throughout this thread, but you haven't really went into a lot of detail on exactly what you are eating. (unless I missed it).

Could you give a little more detail on your typical daily intake? What kinds of vegetables are you mainly eating?

Lots of fresh green vegs and leafy greens too. I usually make my green smoothies with any leafy green I may have on hand, apples, green power, sprout protein, and some ginger. Also lots of tomatoes, carrots, onions, beets, eggplant, garlic, etc. in stir fries. Loads of asparagus often in my green smoothies !Lots of soy, mostly tofu, soy milk, tempeh. Loads of fresh fruit. Nuts, especially walnuts. Brown rice, beans, grains, etc. Nothing white (that is white rice, potatoes, bread) except for cauliflower. Yams. There really is not a veg that I don't use one time or another. I try to get as many vegs with as varied colors as possible. I stay away from fruit juices to avoid too much sugar. 6-8 glasses of un-sweeten green tea with lemon daily. No soda pop. I'm always looking for used vegan cookbooks at used bookstores to get ideas to keep variety in my diet. I have tried to eat lots of my vegs and fruit raw, at least 50% trying to at time reach 80% but most of the time I don't make it. I'm going to try move that percentage up more. I buy as much as my produce organic as possible. I'm starting my own garden so I have more control of the quality produce I can.