veganbrian Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Hey All, I've been poking around the forums and decided to finally join this site. Since I'm taking fitness more seriously now, who better to be surrounded by than vegans?! My reason for wanting to be in shape is odd. I work for Vegan Outreach as the Bay Area Outreach Coordinator. If you know anything about VO, then you know I'm the guy handing out thousands of leaflets at colleges during the school year. It can be a dirty job, but I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to help animals. Two other amazing Vegan Outreach dudes, Jon Camp and Jack Norris, are really big into fitness. They've both been super inspiring to me over the last 2 years and I want to be in great shape like them to be a better voice for animals. Jon has especially bulked up over this last year which has pushed me to get more serious. So I'm somewhat inconsistent... with everything (I won't get into the messy details, ha). My eating habits are inconsistent and frankly, I'm not sure what I should be eating to supplement my fitness program. I guess this depends on what I'm going for, right? I'm 6', about 180 and appear to be pretty lean with a nice button down and jeans. So I can fake it when I'm out working the colleges. I have a super sexy spare tire that hangs around above my hips; I don't want to be friends with it anymore. This puts cardio at number one for me to get my metabolism rocking and bodyfat down, but do strength training as well. I tend to push myself pretty hard so I want to know how much I can safely do and what the benefits are of mixing certain exercises since I work out at a nice gym in Oakland with lots of options. I don't think I'm quite yet comfortable making a workout journal on here. What posts should I be checking out and whose journals should I follow for what I'm looking for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Welcome! I was in Oakland 2 days ago...I know Jon too, he's a cool guy...I'll see him at AR in a few weeks. Welcome to our group! Thanks for being here. Look forward to seeing you around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuc Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Welcome! Remember that if you want to lose weight, you have to eat less than you consume. Cut down carbs, that's the most important thing. Don't cut fat or protein unless you consume huge amounts of fat. Combine training with that, and you pretty much can't fail. After a few weeks or months, post pics of you without your spare tire! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veganjkdgirl Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Welcome.....I was more than a little nervous when I first joined I was downright terrified!!!!....but everyone is so firendly that you feel like part of the family in no time Good luck with the spare tyre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjs Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Welcome to the forum! Coming across a Vegan Outreach pamphlet is what finally pushed me "over the edge" into veganism 12+ years ago. So as tuc said, you need to cut your calories down to less than what your body needs to maintain your current weight. If you limit you carbs, at least during certain times of the day, you'll encourage your body to pull from fat stores. How much should you eat? There are tons of calculators and rules out there, but you're going to have to learn to listen to your body. Cut out refined carbs and get your protein intake up. With lots of cardio, it should be pretty obvious if/when your body starts to drop weight. You just don't want to starve yourself. Good luck. It's overwhelming at first, but you'll learn to like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Welcome to the forum! I think you're going to do great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tasha Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Welcome aboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryStella Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 Great to have you on here. I think your going to like it. Looking foward to seeing how you do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HCPinGviini Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Cool to get to know someone from Vegan Outreach. Hope that your stay in our lovely vegan community will be great and I'm thrilled to have you here. Anyway, welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veganbrian Posted June 25, 2009 Author Share Posted June 25, 2009 Wow, thanks for all the love everyone! Robert, make sure to let me know next time you're in Oakland. I'll be at AR 2009 too so we'll see you there. My training has been going well. I've been sleeping a lot, eating well, and easing myself back into a balanced lifting routine. I'm at the gym about 4-5 times a week for almost 2 hours a session. So my appetite has been HUGE since stepping up the program. I'm trying to eat frequently and fight the urge to eat huge meals. What are some favorite high protein, low carb simple foods you all like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobsteriffic Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Edamame is pretty simple...boil it for 5 minutes and you're done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CollegeB Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) Vegan outreach rocks! I did some outreach with Jon Camp when he was in Carbondale, IL. Glad to have you among us. heh my name is also Brian. Edited June 29, 2009 by CollegeB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropSoul Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 You'll rock! Welcome to VBBF! The people here are awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaN Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Hey brian, Its great to have you on here. You asked about high protein, low carbs foods>..... maybe pea protein powder, called gemma protein powder sometimes, can be put in smoothies etc.Erm, quinoa, which is a seed, it is super healthy with all the protein you need and no fat.What else... lentils and beans, they are high in protein but low in fat. Also remember, if you are training alot, all your fat will be turning into muscle, which weighs more than fat does, but is smaller! So you may end up getting smaller, but maybe gain weight a bit.Dont let the weight worry you though, its about size really isnt it? Good luck bro, feel free to ask as many questions as you need, someone on here will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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