Gaining muscle mass and eating vegan

[googoo]

Been a vegan about a year now and i'm not happy with my "skinny-ness"...I once had a nice "thickish" build, but in those days i was still a carnivore....I was eating alot of calories..high protein - animal protein... gave it up ...So, what do I do? As a vegan .. that wants a muscular bod?????

[MartinVegartin]

I read today that the body can only properly use about an ounce (30 grams) of protein at each meal. Anything else is wasted as protein The study was done in non-athletes, I think, but could be relevant for anyone. I'll have to look for it again. As far as I'm aware, if you eat enough calories - with a well balanced diet - you'll get enough protein.

 

I didn't lose or gain weight when I became a vegan. My muscle mass remained the same.

 

Was your previous thickness due to extra muscle or were you carrying a bit more fat than now? What's your diet like now? I'm sure there'll be someone here who can give specific diet advice.

[Im Your Man]

You can eat a lot of calories and proteins as a vegan. The most calorie-dense foods are vegan, like avocados, olive oil, bagels, etc. Try hemp, rice, beans, soy, etc... When you eat meat your body needs to convert it into human protein anyway, just like with plant-based foods. Animal products are more acidifying; a study showed that acidosis causes a loss of lean mass -- a plant-based diet is lot more alkaline.

[Marcina]

Been a vegan about a year now and i'm not happy with my "skinny-ness"...I once had a nice "thickish" build, but in those days i was still a carnivore....I was eating alot of calories..high protein - animal protein... gave it up ...So, what do I do? As a vegan .. that wants a muscular bod?????

 

 

I've been a vegan for about 2 years now I think. I've managed to put on a lot of muscle by exercising regularly with heavy weights, getting lots of rest, and eating a ton. I eat foods rich in protein for every meal. Big giant bowls of oatmeal for breakfast, a protein shake or some toast and peanut butter for lunch, some bananas for fruit, veggies and tofu for dinner, and then some more oats. I eat big portions since I can't eat every 2 hours while I'm at work, so I gotta stuff myself to fill up my tank!

 

I also take creatine which helps a lot with muscle building.. Especially since a vegan diet has no source of creatine in it. The body has to make it itself.

 

Also, I give up cardio when I'm "bulking".

[joelk]

I think just keeping calories up and getting enough fats in will help keep more muscle tissue.

[shawnb222]

I heard meat gives you that tickness because how it affects the colon. Not too sure though.

 

You can gain lots of lean muscle and size eating a plant-based diet. A protein is a protein doesn't matter if it came from animal or plant. Except a protein coming from plant is alot healthier for us humans. Just keep your calories as high as when you ate animal protein on this vegan diet and you will be healthier ,stronger, quicker, less sluggish, and more energetic. Plus eating a vegan diet reduces your bad karma nature sends to you.

[xCx]

A calorie surplus and a copy of Starting strength, that's all you need

[xjohanx]

I read today that the body can only properly use about an ounce (30 grams) of protein at each meal.

 

This is absolute bullshit. People that write these things have either no clue what they are talking about or they want you to eat at a really high frequency basically forcing you to take their protein powder. The myth comes from numbers that show maximal acute muscle protein synthetis is achieved by 30 grams of protein, this seems to be somewhat correct. However acute muscle protein syntethis is far from the only factor that matters when it comes to building muscle mass. Muscle breakdown, nitrogen oxide balance etc are just as crucial.

 

I heard meat gives you that tickness because how it affects the colon.

 

This is also bullshit unless you mean thickness on your belly and that the affects is colon cancer.

 

A protein is a protein doesn't matter if it came from animal or plant.

Not really true. For vegan athletes it might be a good idea to use protein combination to get so called "complete" proteins. Combining legumes with grains or nuts is the easiest way to achieve this.

[VeganDavid]

As a carnivore all I got for my efforts was fat and had high cholesterol. As a low fat vegan all that is gone and I am fitter, leaner and stronger than I have ever been and getting better with each gym session.

[VeganDavid]

For vegan athletes it might be a good idea to use protein combination to get so called "complete" proteins. Combining legumes with grains or nuts is the easiest way to achieve this.

 

The most recent myth about protein combining came from Frances Moore Lappe's "Diet For A Small Planet" first published in 1971. Unfortunately, she did not research those facts correctly and her errors were corrected in a following edition. Unfortunately, animal product industries have desperately hung on to that myth and continue with stupid scare mongering directly aimed at vegetarians & vegans.

 

All plant foods have a various mix of essential amino acids in varying %ages (many respected web sites such as the USDA National Nutrient Database) and although it is wise to eat from the wide variety of plant foods available to ensure correct %ages of not only proteins but all macro & micro nutrients, one can do so over the course of a day rather than at any given meal unless they like to eat in that way of course. This information comes from Dr John McDougall's website, his books and from various references he always cites.

[Marcina]

Been a vegan about a year now and i'm not happy with my "skinny-ness"...I once had a nice "thickish" build, but in those days i was still a carnivore....I was eating alot of calories..high protein - animal protein... gave it up ...So, what do I do? As a vegan .. that wants a muscular bod?????

 

I wonder if you're talking about muscle density.. Which takes years to achieve.

 

If you've been inactive for awhile, your muscles become less dense.

[BigG.]

Been a vegan about a year now and i'm not happy with my "skinny-ness"...I once had a nice "thickish" build, but in those days i was still a carnivore....I was eating alot of calories..high protein - animal protein... gave it up ...So, what do I do? As a vegan .. that wants a muscular bod?????

 

The funny thing is alot of it was probably bloating.

 

You are smart to have given it up for you and the our friends.

 

Train right

Eat right

Sleep Right

Think Right

Drink Right

[seitan_man]

My advice would be wait for Robert Cheek's book to be released, then follow his advice on diet and training and you should be able to create a decent, muscular body on a vegan diet. Also try eating this:

 

THE NO-MEAT MENU

 

THIS ONE-DAY VEGAN PLAN WILL HELP YOU BUILD MUSCLE AND BURN FAT

 

BREAKFAST

 

OATMEAL

1 cup oats (measured dry)

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup raisins

8 oz soy milk

 

MID AFTERNOON SNACK

 

SHAKE

1 1/2 servings of Vega meal-replacement

powder

1 cup mixed berries (strawberries

and blueberries)

 

MIDMORNING SNACK

 

SHAKE

1 1/2 servings of Vega meal-replacement

powder

1 cup mixed berries

(strawberries and blueberries)

 

DINNER

 

LENTIL STEW

1 1/2 cups lentils (measured

cooked)

1 cup barley (measured

cooked)

2 cups broccoli

 

 

LUNCH

 

VEGETARIAN BURGERS

2 Boca Burgers with

lettuce, tomato, and onion

1 whole-grain pita

8 oz yam

 

NIGHTTIME SNACK

 

PB&J SANDWICH

2 tbsp natural peanut butter

2 tbsp All Fruit Spread

2 slices whole-grain bread

8 oz rice milk

2 tbsp rice protein powder

 

TOTALS 3,560 calories

216 grams protein

510 grams carbs

73 grams fat

[backonthewagon]

I've been big and strong on nearly every diet known to man. Even Doug Graham's 80/10/10 raw vegan diet. The key is, calories, calories, calories. But doing it healthfully is important too. You don't want too many oils, especially olive oil. Olive oil slows digestion and makes food travel through your digestive system more slowly. Not good when you're eating a lot of fruit or grains. This is instant fermentation and you'll quickly be a host for molds, parasites, and candida.

 

One of the best ways to bulk up as a vegan I've found, is trail mix. Get an organic trail mix, or make your own. Get the mycotoxin free raw peanuts from rawfood.com, get raw cashews, goji berries, raisins, and so on. You can down 1,000 without blinking an eye, and they're healthful calories.

 

Calories are king.

[BigG.]

My advice would be wait for Robert Cheek's book to be released, then follow his advice on diet and training and you should be able to create a decent, muscular body on a vegan diet. Also try eating this:

 

THE NO-MEAT MENU

 

THIS ONE-DAY VEGAN PLAN WILL HELP YOU BUILD MUSCLE AND BURN FAT

 

BREAKFAST

 

OATMEAL

1 cup oats (measured dry)

1/4 cup walnuts

1/4 cup raisins

8 oz soy milk

 

MID AFTERNOON SNACK

 

SHAKE

1 1/2 servings of Vega meal-replacement

powder

1 cup mixed berries (strawberries

and blueberries)

 

MIDMORNING SNACK

 

SHAKE

1 1/2 servings of Vega meal-replacement

powder

1 cup mixed berries

(strawberries and blueberries)

 

DINNER

 

LENTIL STEW

1 1/2 cups lentils (measured

cooked)

1 cup barley (measured

cooked)

2 cups broccoli

 

 

LUNCH

 

VEGETARIAN BURGERS

2 Boca Burgers with

lettuce, tomato, and onion

1 whole-grain pita

8 oz yam

 

NIGHTTIME SNACK

 

PB&J SANDWICH

2 tbsp natural peanut butter

2 tbsp All Fruit Spread

2 slices whole-grain bread

8 oz rice milk

2 tbsp rice protein powder

 

TOTALS 3,560 calories

216 grams protein

510 grams carbs

73 grams fat

 

Hi,

 

You must have a lot of gas eating all this mix.

 

Don't mean to be blunt but gee I try to keep things simple.

[seitan_man]

 

Hi,

 

You must have a lot of gas eating all this mix.

 

Don't mean to be blunt but gee I try to keep things simple.

 

 

 

It's just an example of a vegan 'muscle building' meal plan, not what I actually eat. I'd be interested to learn what your simple meal plan looks like though.

[googoo]

would you be willing to share some tips ?? I am interested in body building...not too crazy, just to gain some mass. I was wondering about meal plans / protein sources and such. Could you maybe share some info? Thanks

[boardn10]

I've been big and strong on nearly every diet known to man. Even Doug Graham's 80/10/10 raw vegan diet. The key is, calories, calories, calories. But doing it healthfully is important too. You don't want too many oils, especially olive oil. Olive oil slows digestion and makes food travel through your digestive system more slowly. Not good when you're eating a lot of fruit or grains. This is instant fermentation and you'll quickly be a host for molds, parasites, and candida.

 

One of the best ways to bulk up as a vegan I've found, is trail mix. Get an organic trail mix, or make your own. Get the mycotoxin free raw peanuts from rawfood.com, get raw cashews, goji berries, raisins, and so on. You can down 1,000 without blinking an eye, and they're healthful calories.

 

Calories are king.

 

Can I get an Amen brother!

[googoo]

Amen Brother! Thanks for the info...googoo