Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Hi

I'm 23/M/5'7 and I'm a vegetarian. I was 150lb Aug12 and had a beer belly and wanted to get rid of it, so I started exercising and biking on daily basis and now I'm 115LB, there have been times I might of over done it with Cardio going to the gym and then biking 20 miles. I could lift a lot more than before but it doesn't look like I gained any muscles, I'm guessing my body metabolized whatever muscle I had left. And also at times after a workout I didn't take protein shakes. So I'm kind of worried that I lost too much weight and would like to bring it to 135 by June and was wondering what is the best possible way to do that without having to resort to junk food and to a bulging stomach. I've done research online and I always end up with the same answer resort to meat which I don't want to.

How much should I get my weight to, does 135 by June sound possible?

Should I start taking protein shakes pre and post workout? Is there a different type of protein shake I should take pre workout?

Also I only have time to go to the gym three times a week Fri-Sun since I work 9AM-9PM.

I've decided to bring down my Cardio and decrease my speed on the StairMaster( I would max out at times) and only use it to warm up.

Please help thank you.

Its very good if you lost weight and achieved your goal,I recommend you not to go for any supplement or pills.
Because you have lost weight naturally you should make yourself healthy again with natural food.
You should have fruits and vegetables.They are rich in nutrition,Have nuts and beans.
Drink milk or fruit shake have juices like orange,apple you will defiantly get a better physic.

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Baldwin Park boot camp

ok

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Baldwin Park boot camp

As your goal is bulking, you need to eat more calories than you are expending. I think you should use cardio as a warmup only.. ie. 5 to 10 minutes max . and then focus the rest of your workout on lifting heavy weights. Cardio is great for burning calories.. but that is not your goal.

To build the most muscle, do exercises that focus on your major muscle groups. You can do other accessory muscles at the end of your workout, but if you have limited time, definitely focus on the major lifts like squats, deadlifts, and presses. Lifting in the 8-12 rep range is suppose to be best for building muscle, but you want to switch that up sometimes regardless... ie. powerlifting in the 1-5 rep range will help you to increase the weights you are lifting in the 8-12 range. Switching your rep range every few weeks will help prevent muscle adaptation as well.

Lifting heavier weights and eating a greater percentage of protein in your diet will help you to build muscle rather than fat. Protein drinks are helpful to get in the protein you need, but depending on your diet, you may or may not need them. The max protein your body can use (ie, beginner weightlifters need the most protein) is about .8g per lb of body weight... so if you target your intake close to there you will definitely be covered. It is important to keep a journal if you want to know if what you are doing is working for your body. You can then adjust your calories and/or workouts accordingly based on your results. When you gain you will gain muscle as well as fat. Watch your weight on the scale .. if you are gaining too quickly, then likely a greater percentage is fat and you will need to adjust your calories.

From what I've read, .5 lb gain per week is a realistic goal. But you need to be dedicated and you will need to keep a journal to make sure you are on the right track.

Good luck.

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If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If it isn't, you'll find an excuse.

Thank you for your feedback much appreciated. Will eating avocados and nuts help with bulking up, I've been told that those are considered healthy fats is that true?

Yes they are considered a healthy fat and should be included in your diet as they are needed for uptake of fat soluble vitamins and minerals. They are calorie dense (lots of fat) but not necessarily the best source of protein.. nuts are missing the amino acid lysine so make sure grains are included in your daily intake to.

Walnuts are best nut for omega 3 fats. Nuts have about 2g protein per small handful and an avocado has 4g protein. I would eat both in moderation... I think they are beneficial in small quantities. Trail mix is super portable so is great for mid meal snack.

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If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If it isn't, you'll find an excuse.

I don't disagree with what anyone else said, I'm all for increasing calories to increase body size within a moderate amount. Adding in 200-500 above your normal maintenance seems reasonable. But if you were getting stronger then you haven't lost muscle, you've gained muscle. It may not look the way you thought it would, but it's unlikely that you lost muscle while getting stronger. So under neath the fat on your 150 pound body I think it's likely you had less muscle then you thought. On the upside you've gotten stronger and lost a lot of fat, so you've likely added some muscle compared to your 150 pound self.

Also, before you start increasing key nutrients like protein, you should probably figure out what you are doing now. Just randomly adding in a protein shake might help, but what if your diet is already high in protein and the problem with gaining muscle is that you aren't supplying sufficient glycogen (carbohydrates) to your muscles. That's just an example, but the point is that if you don't know what you've been doing there is no way to advise you on what you might try differently.

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Justin Morgan

http://www.youtube.com/user/RawVegaCaliBB

Use a calorie counter of some kind, cronometer.com is fine, but there are others and just simply plug what you eat into it. It will tell you what you are eating now and then someone might be able to give you an informed opinion about making dietary changes. Also telling us what you are doing for training would be essential as well.

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Justin Morgan

http://www.youtube.com/user/RawVegaCaliBB

I second that =)
.5 lb gain per week is a good and achievable goal, depending on your genetics you can try to pass it but keeping in mind that achieving only .5lb per week is already a pretty solid gain

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my noob log =)

Thanks for the feedback. I have started to ear more since yesterday, the only thing is with the calorie tracker is that I'm Indian and eat Indian food so at times its hard for me to calculate how much calories I have taken same with what nutrition I'm taking in.


If I'm bulking i'm going gain fat as well and muscle as well since I will be lifting as well.