Hello out there!

hello im new to the site im not "completely vegan" but "near" i dont eat dairy or meat. i just started about a month now. i been vegetarian for over a year. I keep finding myself refining my diet, and pulling unnessary things from it. I could of never dreamed of doing this stone cold a year ago or even thought i would be where i am in my diet. but i built up to it. I Weigh alot still and not totally sure why. Im 6'3" 215 pounds. i would like to be 200. i thought by becoming vegetarian i would lose wieght. lol guess its not much on the part of losing wieght. I just started exersizing again which i know i will drop pounds. and of course is crucial for fat lose! that is why i am here to learn and teach. Im thinking of taking whey protein as a substitute for body building cause i need the protein. and keeping everything else cut dairy but that. I would take soy protein isolate but i heard that wasnt good for you. anybody have any recommendations?

Hey SilverVegan,

Welcome!

Great to have you here. Sounds like you are pretty big and strong. Awesome that you want to start working out again and take some nutritional supplements.

I would strongly encourage you to avoid whey. I don't see any benefit to it and it is very detrimental to the environment.

I do have some suggestions and I'm sure you'll hear many of them. There are lots of great vegan products out there.

I use Vega, it is a complete meal replacement with 25grams of protein per serving coming from 5 sources, which makes it superior to whey, or soy or anything else by itself. The 5 sources are Hemp (the best plant-based source of protein), Rice, Pea, Flax, and Chlorella.

It totally rocks and you can check it out to read more on www.myvega.com

Other suggestions would be to eat just plain Hemp protein, Pea protein, Rice, etc.

Of course a wide variety of foods would not make it necessary to take supplements, but in the bodybuilding world, they can help.

We're glad to have you here and welcome aboard! You'll find this group to be very friendly and supportive...and if you don't find us to be that

way...please let me know and I'll sort it out

P.S.

I'll make it easy for you so you don't have to search out the info..here is some information from the Vega website:

Features & Benefits

Formulated by Brendan Brazier, vegan, professional Ironman triathlete and best-selling author on performance nutrition, Vega is made exclusively from natural plant-based whole foods.

A synergistic collection of Brendan’s favorite plant-based superfoods, Vega is not only a complete meal replacement, but also an ideal daily health-optimizing supplement.

High in fiber, protein and essential fatty acids, Vega is naturally filling and satisfying, helping to reduce appetite and cravings. Each serving of Vega supplies:

25g of Broad Spectrum Protein

* 40% of calories from protein, with all essential amino acids in ideal balance

* Alkaline forming, 35% raw protein with enzymes intact

* Protein sourced from hemp, yellow pea, brown rice, flax and chlorella

7g of Essential Fatty Acids

* 30% of calories from naturally occurring fats from whole foods

* EFA’s mostly in the form of hard to get Omega 3’s and zero trans fats

* EFA’s sourced from whole flax seed (not flax meal), hemp and chlorella

16g of Quality Carbohydrates

* 30% of calories from naturally occurring complex carbohydrates; no maltodextrin

* Naturally low glycemic index and no sugars or sugar derivatives added

* Carbohydrates sourced from hemp, flax, brown rice and maca

9g of Fabulous Fiber

* Contains both soluble and insoluble fiber

* Helps balance blood sugar, reduce insulin, improve elimination

* Fiber sourced from hemp, flax, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) and chlorella

Full Serving of ChlorEssence (High CGF Chlorella)

* Rich in protein, chlorophyll and nucleic acids DNA & RNA

* Cleanse, nourish, rejevenate cells and activate, support immune system

* Special cell wall fiber binds to and removes heavy metals and other toxins from the body

Full Serving of MacaSure (Organic Gelatinized Maca)

* Rich in alkaloids, glucosinolates, minerals and sterols

* Increase energy, reduce stress, balance hormones, improve libido

* Gelatinization enhances potency and ease of digestion/absorption

Mixed Berry Complex (ORAC 800 blend)

* Great source of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals

* Helps defend against free radical damage

Probiotics (Dairy-free)

* Beneficial form of bacteria

* Helps maintains healthy intestinal flora

Digestive Enzymes

* Facilitates breakdown of food to improve absorption

* Helps reduce nutritional stress digestion places on the body

24 Vitamins & Minerals

* All essential minerals present in easily absorbable form (HVP Chelate)

* All essential vitamins present in natural form

With just 240 calories and 7g of net carbs per serving (natural flavor), Vega is an excellent choice for those on a calorie-reduced diet. High in fiber, protein and essential fats, Vega is naturally filling and satisfying, helping to suppress appetite and cravings.

Easily digested, alkaline and great-tasting, Vega is clean and green, containing no animal products, corn, dairy, egg, fillers, gluten, soy, sugar, wheat or yeast. Absolutely no artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners and GMO and pesticide-free.

Vega is available in wholesome and delicious Natural, Berry and Chocolate flavors, in three sizes: individual 20g Snack Packs, small bottles containing 7-8 servings and large bottles containing 15-17 servings. One serving of Vega is a complete meal, exceeding all meal replacement requirements, but people with smaller appetites may find half a serving sufficiently satiating.

Welcome!

215lbs at 6'3" isn't that heavy, weight wise. It really depends on your fat/muscle ratio. So if you feel like you are carrying too much fat, I'd ditch the scale and concentrate on nutritious vegan foods and a good work out plan.

Welcome!!!

Hello & Welcome!

Hey thanks for all the replys. Im looking forward to body-building

the natural way. I use to work out alot but let life carry me off into an innertwining circle of doing things i dont want to do and leading me away from the things i really enjoy! body-building. Im not a fat person but my muscle-fat ratio isnt where it use to be. i think 200 muscular would be great. And also im going to be a Helicopter flight instructor here shortly and need to be at that for training purposes. currently work out about 2-3 times a week and am going to boost it up to 5-6 times a week.

Thanks for the reply's again i need the companionship of others like myself. -Jon

Veganism isn't really a thing for losing weight unless your morbidly obese. I was 290 when I converted and fluttered from 275-320 on purpose for throwing the shot put. Protein isn't a biggie...some of the big guys here don't eat much at all in terms of so called complete protein...just look at buffalo, and elephants...they are tremendously muscular and eat little of what nutritionists would call complete protein...just good aminos. Anyway now I'm losing weight and I'm a little under 200lbs but because I wanted to be. Give it time...cut out the dairy and you'll be there

Welome Silvervegan!

Welcome !

Welcome SilverVegan!

Cool screen name.

Yeah, the myth of the skinny vegan. There's so much good vegan food & sadly, lots of tasty vegan junk food too.

what are some good Vegan treats that arent junk?

hi silvervegan.

what are some good Vegan treats that arent junk?

Fruit.

It all depends. If you're looking for complex carbohydrates, rice cakes wouldn't even be all that bad, even though they could be considered junk food (though the ones I get are organic brown rice, and that's the only ingredient).

Clif bars are not all that bad...

Welcome! I'm 6'3" too and I fluxuate between 205 and 208...My goal is to be between 195 and 200. My heaviest (and probably unhealthiest) was when I was at 235. Glad those days are gone, it's much easier to tie my shoes now.

I got down to 202 when I got sick with mono, which I still have, and was ordered to stop exercising until the virus went dorment. It's frustrating to have been so close but I'm trying to eat low cal in the meantime although I am not used to watching calories so I've goofed up plenty.

If your willing to do it you can work out...Chris Whitty(who I met a few weeks ago) won an Olympic Medal in speed skating(2002) while having mono.

Welcome! I'm 6'3" too and I fluxuate between 205 and 208...My goal is to be between 195 and 200. My heaviest (and probably unhealthiest) was when I was at 235. Glad those days are gone, it's much easier to tie my shoes now.

 

I got down to 202 when I got sick with mono, which I still have, and was ordered to stop exercising until the virus went dorment. It's frustrating to have been so close but I'm trying to eat low cal in the meantime although I am not used to watching calories so I've goofed up plenty.

Yeah you can do it just count , count and count again. best thing to do is make a journal so you can see your progress and make goals of what you want to improve on every week . make reachable goals not things to far out of reach and you can do almost anything. It's better to succeed in small things and gradually reach a goal , then to continually fail in large things and be down on yourself.

For me the best thing was to gourge myself with water before I ate when I was on my extreme low calorie diet. You'll fill up alot easier and it'll do you some good in terms of cleansing as well. Before I got sick of drinking so much water it was really easy to keep my intake low and I didn't need to eat cheap calories like what I'm doing now. You can make really yummy foods and savor them without having to worry about eating too much because you won't be able too.

Welcome Silvervegan!