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A little overwhelmed...


erikhuber
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First of all...I am psyched to have found this board. Looks like an awesome resource! ("Troy", if you are still out there - I saw your before/after pics and am truly inspired. If that is what is possible thru vegan bodybuilding, my only question is: where do I sign up?!? Outstanding work man!)

 

Anyway... I am very new to the concept of "vegan bodybuilding". I recently read "The China Study" and on the strength of that, have made the commitment to go vegan to the extent possible (or at least, to severely limit the amount of animal products I am taking in).

 

I lifted weights off and on thru my teenage years and into my twenties, and now at age 37 am recommitting myself to getting back into bodybuilding. Problem is, I am at a total loss in terms of how to plan a vegan diet that will support a weight training/gaining regimen. I am a fairly extreme ectomorph (6'3" and about 175 lbs) and have historically had a hard time gaining weight under the best of circumstances... and am even more concerned about my ability to do so while staying vegan. I just bought a handful of vegan and raw food type cookbooks that were recommended to me such as "Sun Food Success System", "Raw: The Uncook Book", "RAWvolution" and "Chris Carmichael's Food for Fitness"...but it doesn't look to me as though those books are really concerned with the macronutrient profiles specific to bodybuilding (especially with regard to adequate protein). I will plow thru this site as time allows... but if anyone could point me to a good "getting started" type of resource for all this stuff, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

On top of the food questions... I am coming off some injuries and would much appreciate some pointers in terms of rehabbing shoulder (rotator cuff) and elbow (flexor tendonosis) injuries. I basically tore up my left elbow and shoulder due to overuse (aka excessive pullups) and have been severely hampered for the last couple of years. I've tried physical therapy off and on in the last few months but can't seem to work thru these injuries... and would love to hear from anyone else who has successfully dealt with either a torn rotator cuff or tendonosis of the elbow.

 

Anyway... thanks again for a great site and I hope to become one of the "success stories" around here soon

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Welcome! Great to have you on our forum. I'm not familiar with those books (have heard of them, but never read them), but from my experiences you're going to have a really hard time adding muscle or gaining weight on a raw diet. It just doesn't work well for most people.

 

We have some more "bodybuilding" meal plans on the main www.veganbodybuilding.com website. A lot of calories, a lot of protein, a lot of training and consistency in all of that will make most of the difference. That is just the way it is.

 

All the best!

 

-Robert

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Food and lots of it, food is your best friend in this journey, and the vegan diet can fill you up with lots and lots of food.

I know nothing of a raw diet, but I have tasted a many raw dinners ( including a raw loaf the likes of old school meat loaf ) and lots of raw desserts and the food is top notch, but I just eat everything in my path.

Food is the key to adding mass

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I'm in the same boat as you as far as needing to learn more about bulking up vegan style.I also had elbow problems and kept lifting through it thinking it would go away.I messed them up so bad I could'nt even bend them enough to brush my teeth.I had to take a break let everything rest for about a month and begin again starting light.It's frustrating especially when your making gains.I now wear elbow wraps for support and to keep every thing warm . Oh yea,avoid doing skullcrushers they will kill your elbows. Good luck

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Hey man, I struggle to gain weight like you, & like a few people have said, its all about eating alot of food.

 

I aim for between 3000 & 4000 calories a day, & I am gaining a steady 2 llbs per week (if I eat that amount & sleep properly, which at the moment is not often as I am busy with work & moving house)

 

As far as suggestions of what to eat, just eat lots of bread, rice, pasta, porridge, fruit, nuts, beans, lentils, vegetables & very importantly, between meals, drink alot of water (but not with your meals) Theres alot of foods I have not mentioned, like quorn, tofu, etc but you will come to learn what you fancy eating.Also a good vegan protein shake can be a good source of protein, pea, hemp, or soya are all good.

 

Good luck, see you on the forum!

 

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Welcome, Erik!

 

It might be useful to know that some of Troy's superb progress is because of his background in resistance training. Muscle memory helps quite a bit gaining back the muscle you've had before. Don't get depresse even if you'll end up having a progress like the rest of us.

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