Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Beth,
I am a personal trainer and have come from the school of "you have to eat tons of protein to maintain and build muscle and to stay lean."

When I came onto this forum two profound things happened to me - I read Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live and when I posted my intro, Trev responded:

Welcome Lindsay76! You are on the right path! From your intro's sample day - I would suggest increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables (pref raw) and decreasing the processed stuff. If you want to be lean and mean, this is the way. Don't stress about protein!
This forum will no doubt help to keep you on the path... Cool.

I don't know Trev - but, I just trusted . . . And I am the leanest I've been in long time . . .

Hola, todos.

I appreciate the feedback on the diet. Though I'm not going to make a radical change in the near future, I will incorporate the recommendations next time I change up my food plan (though perhaps not the the extent people might think I should). And about even having a plan...during the week, it truly does help me so that I can be on autopilot when it comes to packing my meals for the work day. On weekends, I've been listening to my body and eating what I crave. That being said, the thought of drastically cutting my protein intake does scare me. I have read lots of posts here about how it won't impede my muscle growth/maintenance and how going higher carb may even help in that regard...but change is scary. And if I receive feedback that I may want to keep the protein levels high, I'm going to take that into account as well. The frustrating part is it's hard to know who and what to believe, whether it's in terms of what to eat, how to work out, or how to do anything else important in life.

And the codependent part of me feels obligated to take every piece of advice so as not to offend anyone who took the time and care to try to help out! Of course, I can't do that.

The bottom line, I guess, is that I do recognize whole foods are healthier than processed foods. But I have ambivalence about making some of the changes. And I may make some, but not all. I'm done with drastic changes, at least for the time being. My approach will likely be to eat FEWER processed foods and MORE whole foods, and maybe SOMEWHAT less protein but not A LOT less. I may or may not continue to make changes in the same direction, depending on how my body looks and feels. Finally, I'm not certain when I will change my food plan, but it'll happen before the end of the year, I think.

And keep giving feedback...keep sharing your stories and what's worked for you! I'm especially interested in hearing from folks who've gained muscle size and how they did it.

OK...so the affirmations are going really well, and what's cool is I'm noticing a decrease in my OCD symptoms. I'm a checker. I check my THREE alarms several times each before I can rest easy at night. I check the locks on the house several times before I can leave. I've even driven back to the house and unlocked the gate so I can recheck the house locks, then locked the gate again, and driven back to make sure I really DID lock the gate. I know it's insane. None of my affirmations were about feeling secure that the alarms are set or the doors are locked...yet my checking has decreased! My overall level of anxiety is lower, which I think has contributed to this. OCD, by the way, is an anxiety disorder. So how cool is that? I'm proud of this and anticipate things will continue successfully.

Yesterday's food (1883 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

CLIF builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
boca burger

1/2 grapefruit

1/2 grapefruit
1 medium red bell pepper
leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Today's workout:

Weights (WUx15, 3x12)
SS1
Incline press
underhand asst pullup
rear delt fly machine
SS2
decline press
pulldowns

Cardio 20 min interval stairmaster

40 min roll/stretch

Hi Beth,

I don't think I said I eat 100% unprocessed food - but, it is a very small part of my diet.

The almond milk definately qualifies - it's usually Almond Breeze - but, sometimes from soaked whole, raw almonds - and is never more than 1/2 cup once a day.

The hemp protein is basically ground raw flaxseed and the PB is natural - just ground roasted peanuts - I personally do not consider either of these "processed - " but, that's just me.

I would never lecture anyone about food - I think it is a highly personal thing - I mean, it's what we ingest - and different things make different people feel different ways.

When I first became vegan - I ate a ton of the processed foods - especially soy products because I think I was looking to match my animal based diet. This did not agree with me - I ended up gaining weight and body fat . . . and I felt like I was never full and always wanted more. So much sugar and salt - just feeding my dependence on it.

The way I eat now - I just feel strong and light - although, sometimes gassy. And food has lost it's control of my life. This is the best side effect to me!

You seem to be really making beautiful progress in your life as a result of journaling and sharing.

You inspire me . . .

Lindsay, you definitely did not ever say go 100% unprocessed. You even gave examples of processed foods you DO eat! I just put my all-or-nothing, black-and-white thinking on a suggestion.

I was thinking about that (even before I saw your post!), and one thing I didn't share is that I did do a whole-foods food plan for a few weeks (except for my homemade salad dressing, which uses Splenda and mustard), and I hated it. My cravings were much worse. Never before and never since had a simple Clif builder's bar seemed so delicious in my mind. But I believe the real reason is not because of the whole foods per se, but because I said, "Okay, this is it...NO MORE processed foods, AT ALL. No more Clif builder's bars, no more ersatz meats, no more cereal. I'm detoxing, dammit, getting off the processed junk that's probably the only thing in the way of all my hopes and dreams. It's going to suck for the first three weeks, and then I'll be cured of my food addiction!" Well, perhaps not exactly in those terms...but that was my way of thinking when I approached the whole foods plan last time. I went into it with a punitive, purist mentality, and for the duration (I actually can't recall how many weeks), I suffered virtuously. "Screw this; this is supposed to enhance my life, not make me feel I don't have one!" I exclaimed, as I put bocas, Hi-Lo, and Clifs back on the shopping list.

I went too far, too fast, for me. I know there are some who do well with the drastic detox approach. Maybe one day that will be me. For now, it reminds me too much of my days of "This is going to be the low-calorie diet that I won't break. I'm sick of being this fat, lazy, and undisciplined. I suck. This will fix me."

However, I can be completely on board with gradually reducing my dependence on processed foods (and I agree, Lindsay, about the peanut butter, BTW). Maybe begin by replacing a boca burger with some pinto beans or edamame. Maybe replace a Clif builder's bar (sometimes--I'd still like them as an occasional treat) with a protein powder drink and a banana--still processed, but less so, and fulfills the convenience factor. That was the other thing about my whole foods attempt; it simply took too much time to eat a bowl of corn and beans post workout.

In the spirit of keeping an open mind, I will try to stop worrying about the protein. It will be scary to let go of the gram-per-pound mantra, but I can use myself as an experiment of sorts. I'm just trying to find out what helps me build muscle and lose fat best. And to find that out, I'm trying and comparing different approaches.

When I dropped a large amount of body fat in the fall of 2005, I ate about 80 grams of protein a day...and didn't lose much lean mass on 1554 calories a day (those were hungry days, I tell ya--don't want to go that low again if I can help it!). And when I started trying to build muscle and ate up to 180 gms/day at one point, I wasn't making gains, though I did continue to drop fat even at 2100 calories a day.

So can I let go of the fear? Maybe not...but I can feel the fear and do it anyway, as the saying goes.

That said, I'm not sure when I'll design the new food plan. But it may be sooner than December.

Wow, this is more of a rambling blog than a training log, but I think of it as training my brain as well.

Speaking of which, affirmations are going well. Said them to myself as I worked out (off and on). Helped me in my 3rd set of leg presses and on the bike when I was afraid my knee pain might come back. It really helps!

Today's workout:

3x17(except for wall sits)

Superset 1:
Wall sits, 1:45 (made it through all 3 sets at this length of time--woo-hoo! I pictured all of you cheering me on; thanks! Moxie was there in her posing suit, Lindsay76 was there with her dreads, and Bunnylalu's friendly polar bear made me smile!)
SLDL
crunches on decline bench

Superset 2:
leg press
standing calf raise

Cardio: 20 min SS recumbent bike

45 min roll/stretch

Yesterday's food (1883 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

CLIF builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
boca burger

1 grapefruit
1 medium red bell pepper
leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Wow! Amazing post Beth.

You hit it on the head . . . you've found the secret . . . moderation.

Your idea to SOMETIMES replace your faves . . . that's the key.

Life is too short to miss out on what you enjoy.

And let's be really frank - your diet is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Compared to 99% of the world . . . you are doing just fine!!!

Aww, thanks, Lindsay!

I had my first weigh-in yesterday. Was finally feeling up to facing the numbers...in large part because my husband and I are finally purchasing life insurance policies and we have to get physicals (he already had his). The person comes to the house and brings her own scale, and you get weighed. So I figured I'd start to at least prepare myself for the reality check.

Yesterday's weight was OK (and believe me, I know weight is but a tiny piece of the puzzle), but between yesterday and today, I gained 2.2 lbs...now, of course I know I didn't ingest 7000+ extra cals yesterday, so I know it's not fat. I was a little freaked out by it, but I understand it's a normal fluctuation, esp. given that I had lots of sodium yesterday. Today, I'm posting Friday's foods, yesterday's foods, and yesterday's workouts. Today would usually be a rest day, but the insurance lady said to keep my cardio light the day I get my exam, because it can make your urine look like you've got an infection of some sort if you work out too hard...I just decided to work out today instead of Tuesday and not risk it at all. So I'll also post today's planned workout.

Friday's foods (1883 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

CLIF builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
boca burger

1 grapefruit
1 medium red bell pepper
leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Yesterday's foods (2381 cals)

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T (260 total)

CLIF builder's bar (270)

1 lb leafy greens (75)
onion (60)
4 clementines (140)
1 c Hi-Lo (180)

Vegan restaurant! Calories were researched on calorieking.com for non-vegan counterparts and all averaged together.
Chili cheese fries (600)
4 crab wontons (200)
1/2 PB/chocolate Tsoynami (like a DQ blizzard--596)

Lots and lots of calories, sugar, and sodium...but in the pre-tracking days, I would have made the rest of the evening a total binge, and I didn't yesterday! SO...progress is certainly occurring!

Yesterday's workout:

WUx15, 3x12
SUPERSET 1:
bench press
cable rows
SUPERSET 2:
shoulder press machine
hammer curls
tri rope pushdowns

Cardio: 20 min stairmaster intervals (slight knee discomfort made me bypass treadmill intervals--stairmaster felt fine)

Roll/stretch 40 min.

Yoga

Today's workout plan:

3x17
SUPERSET 1:
Stationary lunges w/hip flexor twist, R lead
Stationary lunges w/hip flexor twist, L lead
seated calf raise
SUPERSET 2:
Leg press
elbow twists on decline bench

20 min SS stairmaster

40-50 min. roll/stretch

And affirmations have been going well. Plan to tweak them a bit to be even more effective.

Finally, I realized I miscalculated protein grams in my food plan...actually was eating about 147 instead of 132...since on my current plan I'm not getting too hungry, I'm going to shift some components of my giant salad to earlier in the day (too many late-night cals) and cut the 2nd Boca burger. Tomorrow's foods will reflect this new, slightly lower-cal plan.

Yesterday's food (1478 cals):

1 c grapes (114)
1 packet apple crisps (freeze dried apples--yum!) (39, believe it or not!)

boca burger
slice FF multigrain bread
2T flaxseeds (260 total)

pea protein, heaping scoop (125)
1packet strawberry/banana crisps (46)

1/2 bag microwave 94% FF kettle korn (130)

1 lb leafy greens (75)
onion (60)
4 clementines (140)
1 C hi-lo (180)
1 packet apple crisps (39)

The batch of leafy greens Costco got in this time are horrendously bitter! It will be hard to eat them this week without Hi-Lo, almonds, and fruit to soften the blow. But I can do this.

Today's workout:

WUx15, then 3x12
SS1:
pushups on medicine ball
lat pulldown
SS2:
shoulder press machine
tri dip machine
barbell 21s

20 min intervals recumbent bike

Affirmations are going as planned!

No workout to report today, as I had my medical exam for life insurance policy, and they said if I was going to work out first to go light, because it can mess with your pee test results. Instead, I worked out Sunday and yesterday instead of yesterday and today. I didn't want to go light!

Yesterday's food (1783 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

CLIF builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

grapefruit

1 medium red bell pepper
leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

I had planned to eat the apple, Hi-Lo, and almonds at work as a snack, but there wasn't time. I ate them with my salad, which as I mentioned yesterday, consists this week of the bitterest leafy greens I've ever gotten from Costco! The springs mix components vary seasonally (it's organic!), but I've never had greens like this. So perhaps my desire to have something to offset that bitterness subconsciously drove me to save them for dinner. Whatever. I know eating that big a meal (~360 calories for the whole salad, my biggest meal of the day) and finishing it right before brushing my teeth and going to bed isn't optimal (though some have argued on these very forums it's OK to have late-night calories as long as it doesn't skew your overall cals too high), but I am making small changes...this week, it was cutting the extra boca burger, which lowered my calories by 100 and cut some excess sodium and processed food. When the salads are less bitter, I anticipate being able to make the calorie-shift change.

Affirmations still going well.

Hope everyone is doing well today!

Beth

Rest day today (12 hour work day)

Affirmations still going well.

Yesterday's food (1772 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

1/4 c oats
boca burger
12 almonds

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
med. carrot

grapefruit

leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Life ins. exam went well yesterday! And tomorrow I go back to the gym.

I'm feeling a little sad today. Our oldest dog, Daisy, is at the vet. She's getting some cysts removed that look like they're not going to heal on their own. The doc is sending them to the lab to be sure they're just cysts. She's an old lady now. We think she's losing her hearing. She's had mini-seizures since we took her in in Jan of 03, but they started as once every month or 2, and now they're about 1x/wk. Nothing serious...just some stumbling or maybe falling...I don't know how to describe how I think it looks like a seizure instead of something else. No loss of bladder control, and it lasts 2-3 seconds. Then she's fine. Lately, she seems more confused when we tell her to do something, but it's hard to say if that's a result of the hearing loss; however, we have always used hand signals with our commands, so maybe she is also losing her vision (which is definitely a possibility--her eyes are getting the old-dog cloudy look), it's really hard to say. Anyway, she's in surgery now, and while she's under, they'll clean her teeth, which are her best feature! They're cleaner than all our younger dogs' teeth, our oldest of whom is 4.5 yo. So I am sad today and praying for Daisy to be healthy and happy--and to make it through the surgery OK, because she has a heart murmur. Of course, this all costs money, and our budget means this has got to go on the credit card. We won't be out of credit card debt by the end of the year as we'd planned. But back to the training log.

Affirmations were really half-assed last night and this AM. I also need to change them to being excited about working out (I used to be and now am not any more) and maybe about being calm, confident, and joyous. Also, may need to craft one about accepting Daisy's aging. Then again, I really ought to be brushing all their teeth regularly, and I don't. So maybe I need one for that. But I want to limit them to 3.

Yesterday's foods (1783 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

Clif builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
med. carrot

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.

grapefruit

leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Today's workout:

WUx15, 3x12
Superset 1:
incline press
underhand asst pullup
rear delt fly mach
Superset 2:
decline press
pulldowns

20 min SS stairmaster (didn't do intervals because I knew I was going to skip rolling and stretching due to being short on time after dropping Daisy at the vet--and thought SS would be less taxing given this--same cals burned on readout, just in a less "traumatic" way!)

Well, off to answer my emails. On the plus side, my weight is stable and steadily declining since Sunday. I know that's not the whole story, but still.

First, good news: Daisy came through the surgery A-OK! The cysts are off at the lab. And she has a follow-up in 2 weeks. She's been tired, which is to be expected, especially given that she's probably 8.5 years old. I am feeling a lot better today.

Perhaps I should start a dog blog about this stuff, but I know I wouldn't keep up with it...my MySpace page is collecting cobwebs!

Yesterday's foods (1783 cals):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

Clif builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.


beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
carrot
grapefruit

leafy greens, 1/2 lb.
onion, 1/2 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Today's workout:

3x17
SS1
Wall sits, 3x1:50 (made it through all 3 sets...YES!!!)
SLDL
bent-knee calf raise
SS2
leg press
standing calf raise

20 min SS stairmaster

40 min roll/stretch

I'm ready to make some changes in my routine! I hadn't intended to make any changes in the middle of a cycle, but since I've been injury free for a few weeks, I want to do more weights and cardio and slightly less rolling/stretching (5 min on each), and reduce my # of gym days from 5 to 4. It's a pain if something comes up to try to maintain my training split by working out on Sunday...because the gym opens later on Sundays, it means somewhere in there, my muscles don't get their 48 hrs recovery time between workouts, and thus my benefits aren't as great. This wknd, I'll see what I can brew up. I love workout planning! Seriously...I do.

Affirmations are mediocre, but better than not doing them at all. I am thinking of powerful affirmations that will address the most important mental stuff for me right now...this includes being alternately PO'd and anxious about stuff at work, wanting to regain my zest and energy for training, and generally feeling happy. Essentially, I'd be taking the 3 affirmations I've been using and tweaking them a bit.

Happy Friday, everyone!

So glad your baby came through the surgery ok ...

I think it's great to adjust your training to listen to what your body needs and make it convenient for you . . . have fun planning!

Cutting my dreads today ... we may have matching haircuts when I'm through!

Have a great weekend!

Hello, everyone! I bring you another exciting installment of my training log!

Yesterday's foods (1851 cals from extra salad! ):

FF multigrain bread, 1 slice
boca burger
flaxseeds, 2 T

Clif builder's bar

beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.


beans, 2 oz.
edamame, 1/3 lb.
carrot
grapefruit

leafy greens, 1 lb.
onion, 1 medium
1 apple
Hi-Lo, 1/2 c
almonds, 12

Today's workout:

WUx15, 3x12
SS1
bench press
cable row
SS2
shoulder press mach
hammer curls
tri rope pushdowns

20 min stairmaster intervals

45 min roll (no time for stretching--was focusing a lot on rolling out my calves, as plantar fascitis is bothering me )

Yoga

Did affirmations last night and this morning.

And now, I'm going to log my week's calories in the excel file, catch up on emails, and change my workout plans!

OK...I've updated my workout routine! It's now 4x/wk instead of 5. I arrive at the gym at 7, am warmed up and ready to lift by 7:15. Should be done w/weights by about 8:05. Lower body days are followed by 25 min steady state cardio; upper body days are followed by 25 min intervals. All end with ~15-20 min. rolling and 10 min. stretching. Total of 2 hours, like before, except that more time before was devoted to rolling and stretching with less time on weights and cardio.

Monday:
Superset 1, 3x20 per leg
walking lunges
exercise ball leg curl
Superset 2, 3x20 per leg
DB step-up
Romanian DL
Superset 3, WUx15, 4x9
rear delt fly machine/parallel grip
bent knee calf raise
standing calf raise

Tuesday: all WUx15, then 4x9, except abs, which will be just 3x20
Superset 1
medicine ball pushups (WU = bent-knee pushups)
21s
Superset 2
bench press
hammer curls
Superset 3
incline press
fly machine
decline oblique crunch

Thursday:
SS1
single-leg wall sit
decline crunch
SS2
leg press
decline leg lift
SS3
standing calf raise
leg ext
leg curl

Friday:
SS1
lat pulldown
rope pushdown
SS2
underhand asst pullup
seated dip
SS3
cable pulldowns
cable rows
shoulder press machine

Then yoga on Saturday. I won't be so tired for it, which means I can focus better on working my core and legs!

Now to decide on what weights I want to start with for these exercises...

Affirmations went as planned.

Yesterday's food (2055 cals):

FF multigrain bread, boca burger, 2T ground flaxseeds (260)

CLIF builder's bar (270)

1/2 lb. leafy greens, 1/2 onion, 2 clementines, 1 c Hi-Lo, 20 almonds (457.5)

1 c Cocoa Dino Bites (generic cocoa pebbles--delicious!), 1/2 c vanilla soy milk (210)

CLIF builder's bar (270)

1/2 lb. leafy greens, 1/2 onion, 2 clementines, 1 c Hi-Lo, 20 almonds, 1/4 c raisins (587.5)

With the cereal, I showed myself that I can have some "forbidden" foods without having a binge. I know nutritionally, my day could have been better, but I'm working on getting rid of my black and white thinking...eating reasonably when note eating "perfectly."

Weight up a bit today, likely from the sodium in my cal-free salad dressing and the extra carbs. It's all good. I'm loving my new way of eating! Nothing's off limits.

Rest day today. Plantar fascitis still bugging me. I'm doing the towel stretches. And I have some joint discomfort in my R shoulder.

Tomorrow, I start my new routine, which leaves both Sat and Sun free to do stuff other than work out...OR to work out because I have an appt during the week that would interfere with my gym schedule!

I am thinking of how to revamp my food plan. One of the things I am thinking of is having more cals on active days, fewer on rest days, except for a weekend "treat" day (I won't call it a cheat if it's planned), which would have the highest cal limit. It would be on a rest day, but oh, well...I've read that eating hi-cal occasionally (like once a week) can shock the metabolism and actually help fat-loss efforts. My avg cals would be 1875 (maintenance for 125 lbs for moderately active female...I felt really good at 125...am 127-128 now; big diff, I know ) with 1975 on 4 active days, 1475 on 2 rest days, and 2275 on treat days.

The only thing that scares me is how hungry I'd be on the rest days.

Hope everyone's having a great wknd!