Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Steering clear of red peppers......... hahaha.

If I can't buy organic, I buy frozen - the next best option. I'm quite happy to be able to buy shredded onions, peppers, etc. for 4 lbs/$5 from Safeway. Unfortunately, no markets out here in DC. But back in Vancouver, it's a lot cheaper to be Vegan.

So far my groceries are literally about $40 a week - a $70 difference from when I eat dairy or meat products, with lots of starches and fats as well. No complaints here! I feel way better. I haven't gone completely raw vegan yet, as I do like to have a cooked lunch. I juice a LOT of my food. I also love Odwalla, that makes organic, not-from-concentrate juices. Some of them have added sugar (natural sources), so I steer clear of that. The Super Green and Mango Tango are awesome. You can pretty much find them anywhere, if you're on the go. They have them at Starbucks too (which are everywhere)!

My meals are looking something like this -
morning - as many fruits as I want up til lunch time - usually 3 bananas, couple apples, some in season fruits, some fruit juice (mango)
lunch - huge salad for lunch (spinach, lots of different fruits and vegetables)
snacks - lots of vegetables and fruits toward dinner
dinner - big salad or spaghetti squash with marinara sauce and raw vegan rice protein powder as needed (usually after workout) - may drop the protein powder soon as it isn't really needed I find with the mass amount of vegetables and fruit I eat, my protein intake gets surprisingly up there!

I have a HUGE amount of energy, which is making my workouts kick ass. Jump squats have never been easier, haha. I should mention I eat low-fat vegan as well; I don't really eat nuts at all, except the occasional treat. I do eat hummus most days to get some in, but I find that through all the bananas and avocados I eat, I get a decent amount.

My strength routines are high intensity 3 days a week and lower intensity 2 days a week. I don't do standard cardiovascular exercise, as I am a dancer - so about 30-40 minutes varied intensity 5x a week.

I should also mention - I had some cystic hives left over on my neck/jaw from when I accidently ate some dairy. They have completely healed up since I started eating 80% raw - when they usually take weeks if not months on an omnivore diet.

what are your thoughts regarding dry fruits like mulberries or gojis. How about nuts. DO you eat them.

Why no peppers. Is it because of bloat or not organic

I have no problems with dried fruits, but then it comes down to: are there preservatives in them, is there added sugar? If there is, I wouldn't eat them. I haven't eaten any in years though, I prefer fresh fruit. I don't really eat nuts, occasionally I will have peanut butter but it isn't an every day thing for sure.

I was replying to the poster above me when I was talking about peppers (he was saying they are expensive) - I eat them every day They are great!

Do you also feel that fruit isn't satisfying. I always feel more hungry after eating a piece of fruit.

Sorry to ask a personal question but with your diet and training are your men cycles normal.

Please continue to update us on your diet and training since you will be competing. Want to know what works and doesn't work for you

No problem, I love to help answer questions. I find fruit very satisfying. If I am eating completely raw, I am eating around 2500 calories, sometimes more. I expect to be eating far more than that in the last month of my competition. If you are not eating enough, then it is quite possible you are unsatisfied because of that.

If you need some reference material, this is what I am following:
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/80-10-10-diet

Your menstrual cycle will not change if you are eating a sufficient amount of calories. No macronutrients have any bearing on your menstrual cycle. If you are not eating enough, it will stop and you will be damaging your reproductive health. I think most women grossly underestimate the amount of calories they should be eating.

Adding some nut butter, beans, grains, and sunwarrior raw vegan protein into my diet for the next two weeks. As a raw vegan, my recovery time per muscle group is faster than usual (1 day). Testing to see if the same results are achievable with a larger percentage of my calories coming from protein, though still 80% raw. So far so good.

Today’s meals so far:
1) sunwarrior raw vegan protein, rice, beans, corn, onions, almond milk
2) vegan tortilla, mixed vegetables, marinara, peanut butter, cocoa powder, honey
3) vegetable juice, hummus, vegetables, sunwarrior raw vegan protein

Today is my heavy shoulder day with 30 minutes of cardio.

You can follow my blog if you are interested in seeing my frequent updates.
http://porcelain-warrior.tumblr.com

Do your thing sis, I just hit you up on Instagaram. "ThaVeganDread"

Good Luck! I look forward to following

Very thankful for everyone interested in my progress! It is a huge compliment and motivation.

Since I am "in season now" (and bulked as much as I could!) I am making some changes to my diet now. I have hired a trainer to aid me in being accountable and to give me a second opinion in my progress. Very excited to work with her since she also competed as a raw vegan.

I am reducing my fruit intake to two servings per day, as well as reducing my overall fat intake. I also adjusted my macronurients to be closer to what I need them to be. My water intake is very high (over 64oz). I have added some supplements: spirulina, vitamineral earth, vitamin D, and chlorophyll.

I am still eating approx. 80-90% raw.

Very excited to post progress pictures with my new additions in about two weeks.

Is the raw diet harder without fruit.

Post your new diet

I do not find the diet to be harder without fruit. As long as calorie intake is sufficient, I never have any issues with 1-2 servings per day of fruit.

Meals look like:
1) brown rice, veggies, raw vegan protein
2) raw vegan protein bar, veggies
3) soy milk, banana
4) wrap with rice, veggies, hummus, raw vegan protein
5) green juice
6) raw vegan protein, large salad and/or vegetable soup with beans and/or rice

Do you notice a flatter stomach with 1 or 2 fruits a day. Are you allowed to eat nuts on your diet.

I'll follow you on twitter and read your blog here! interested in watching other competitors doin their preparation...

But i'm quite surprised by your (high) calorie intake?! :O

Too soon to tell so far, but I had a flat stomach to begin with I have never leaned out using fruits and vegetables only. I have always had a low fat intake (not abnormally). Even when I am putting on muscle mass, I have no issues with a non-flat stomach. As part of leaning out, obviously, my abdominals will come out now that I am in season for my competition in 3 months.

Arvid - Thank you for your interest! My calorie intake is high in accordance with my amount of activity. I am averaging around 1600-1900 now, as I am no longer trying to put on mass (hopefully enough for this competition!). I am also a dancer, so aside from my weight training, I have hours of dance a day, which definitely uses up the fuel!

Everyone is extremely different, so you really have to play around with what works for you. It took me a long time!

That's true asgard... everyone has to find out what works best for him or her.

I achieve better results with a rather low calorie and carb amount. And i also made the experience that a lot of cardio doesn't work very well for me... my muscles always get very flat and lose volume. I think low carb and pure weight training for most of the preparation time works best for me...
But if you do a lot of dancing or other training, i understand that you need more fuel... )