kckas Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 Hi, I've been a vegan for almost a year now. I've been working out 3-6 days a week regularly for 14-months. I started by running for about an hour (5-6) miles a day, about 6-months later I added in weight lifting because I wasn't seeing any changes to my body. And for the past couple of months I've been focusing on weight lifting for 30-50 minutes 5 days a week with 20-minutes of cardio once or twice a week. I'm still not seeing results. I just checked my body measurements from a year ago and everything has basically stayed the same. I started incorporating protein shakes (either organic hemp or organic rice protein) a few months ago but I haven't noticed a difference. My weight at first went up by about five pounds but I'm back down now. I eat really clean too but I do not keep track of what I eat. I'm 5'4 and 125 lbs. I've weighed 125 lbs. for most of my adult life. My body seems to be happy at this weight I guess but I'd really like to lose fat and gain muscle. I also do not put on muscle easily, never have. So I'm wondering if P90X or Insanity would help shake things up and allow me to see the results I'm looking for? I'm not sure why my body is not changing. Even when I became vegan I thought I'd see some weight loss or something but nothing changed. I've always eaten a pretty clean diet though so maybe that is why? Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fallen_Horse Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 ....I do not keep track of what I eat....Start! for any weight loss or weight gain program you have to track how many calories you are taking in every day. Odds are good that you are someone who feels full quickly, and will have to eat more than you are currently eating in order to gain weight. Tracking what you eat also helps look for imbalances in the protein/carb/fat ratio of your diet... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katz Posted November 20, 2010 Share Posted November 20, 2010 What Fallen_Horse said... There are many fitness trackers on the 'net (free) where you can input your food intake/exercise/goals & go from there. Most folks aren't gifted genetically to the point that they can just eat/exercise & see marked results without close monitoring of what they are doing. I've not done P90X yet, but I am an Insanity workout freak & I can tell you that it is the most kick-butt intense cardio work I have done since my wresting coach would work us to death in high school! I would highly recommend Insanity - there are several members on here that do this program. If you track what you eat, cut out the junk & follow the program, you will see results, for sure. After almost 3 months on the program at this point, I have a lot of definition all over & have really cut the belly fat! When I pop in one of my old workout/cardio dvds now, I almost fall asleep 'cause they are so low key. BTW, do you eat frequent meals? I would guess not... I noticed that when I increased my meal frequency to every 3 hr. or so, my body really started to change. Before that I would go long periods of time without eating... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckas Posted November 20, 2010 Author Share Posted November 20, 2010 BTW, do you eat frequent meals? I would guess not... I eat breakfast around 6am, a protein shake a 10:30am, lunch at around 1pm, then a snack around 3pm, dinner around 6pm, and then a snack at 7pm. I never eat junk so I've never felt the need to track my calories. I eat when I'm hungry. And I only drink water besides my daily protein shake which I make with water. I'll look for a calorie tracker online and see if that sheds any light on anything. Thank you for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plantivore Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I've done Insanity and I'm doing P90X now. I think P90X is much closer to what you want than Insanity. I love the Insanity program, but it is not really designed to increase muscle mass. You pound the same muscles almost the same way every day. Some muscle groups are almost totally neglected (traps, lats, biceps). It's an incredible program for developing a high level of cardiovascular proficiency and as well as speed and agility. It's also a big character builder. It will not make you particularly muscular, though. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katz Posted January 20, 2011 Share Posted January 20, 2011 I've done Insanity and I'm doing P90X now. I think P90X is much closer to what you want than Insanity. I love the Insanity program, but it is not really designed to increase muscle mass. You pound the same muscles almost the same way every day. Some muscle groups are almost totally neglected (traps, lats, biceps). It's an incredible program for developing a high level of cardiovascular proficiency and as well as speed and agility. It's also a big character builder. It will not make you particularly muscular, though. Good luck! In that case, I think the OP should do a round of both, lol! I have not done P90X yet, although I plan to at some point. What you say about Insanity is true, about the hi energy cardio effect. What I was thinking is that since kckas body seems to be stuck at that weight, Insanity may be enough of a shock to break it out of the mold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plantivore Posted January 21, 2011 Share Posted January 21, 2011 What I was thinking is that since kckas body seems to be stuck at that weight, Insanity may be enough of a shock to break it out of the mold! One thing we can be sure of no matter what, Insanity would shock his body! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_T Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 i think he should get his testosterone levels checked or start supplementing with HGH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganEssentials Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 EAT MORE! There, I said it! Now that the elephant in the room has been pointed out and revealed.... Probably the most common factor in someone not being able to gain weight/size/etc. is a simple lack of eating enough to make a difference. For some eating isn't the problem, it's a lack of effort/intensity in training, but this sounds to me like a classic case of undereating, ESPECIALLY since you haven't tracked your calories. Many guys I know who have fast metabolisms and have a tough time putting on weight need to eat twice as much as I do, despite my outweighing them by 50-100 lbs. A fast metabolism and high activity level may require you to eat massive amounts to put on mass, just eating when you're hungry isn't going to fix that, you may need to eat a few extra times per day to get things moving in the right direction. The best place to start is to write down EVERY CALORIE you eat for the next two weeks. Better yet, track your nutrients including protein/carbs/fat as well, even making sure to note that spoonful of ketchup you might put on something, and post it back here when you've got a good running log of your daily eats. It is not at all uncommon for someone of your size who may have trouble putting on mass to need to come close to doubling their calories. Some are fortunate and can just add maybe a few hundred more calories per day and be fine, but others may need to really pack in tons of extra calories per day just to add a few lbs. of lean mass each season, that's just the way it goes. Before thinking that there's any sort of magic program that can really make a radical difference, you have to assess your diet and identify any glaring problems that could hold you back. If the diet fails to be adequate for adding mass, then all the hard/smart/crazy training in the world isn't going to put a pound of muscle on you. So, I'd say that nothing would be better than starting to keep record of what you're eating daily, it could well be the root of the problem if you're simply not getting enough for your body to grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckas Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 i think he should get his testosterone levels checked or start supplementing with HGH I'm female, would I still want my testosterone levels checked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckas Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 EAT MORE! The best place to start is to write down EVERY CALORIE you eat for the next two weeks. Better yet, track your nutrients including protein/carbs/fat as well, even making sure to note that spoonful of ketchup you might put on something, and post it back here when you've got a good running log of your daily eats. I calculated my calorie intake once and I HATED it probably because I have to calculate every gram (literally) of food and drink my toddler puts into his mouth due to a metabolic disorder. So the thought of having to do it not only for him but for me I think takes me over the edge. Everyday I wake up thinking I'm going to start keeping track and I get as far as breakfast since I weigh out how many grams of hemp and chia seeds I put in my oatmeal but after that I just can't bring myself to do it. Obviously something needs to change though and I may have to suck it up and get over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganEssentials Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Even if you have a tough time getting motivated to keep track of calorie counting right away, then perhaps just start adding in some extra snacks to begin with and see what that will do. Perhaps two extra protein shakes per day for a few weeks and maybe 400-500 extra calories could get things moving a bit . I always found that a big one with about 30g protein and 30-40g carbs shortly before bedtime helped me out a lot for recovery AND sparked some extra mass gaining. It's possible to still figure this thing out without having to count every calorie - if you're not gaining anything and the lean mass to fat ratio stays about the same for you, then it's probably just a matter of getting in more quality nutrition to spur progress. And, as drinking in the extra calories tends to be easier to do than force-feeding solids when you're not hungry, try putting in a few extra shakes and see what it does! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kckas Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Great, thank you! I'll start adding a protein shake right before bed with the 30 grams of protein and 30-40g carbs and see if that helps! What carbs do you usually add? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeganEssentials Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I used to add some maltodextrin powder with my protein, that always seemed to work well and was pretty cheap. I'm sure there's other stuff out there that you could use, but maltodextrin powder from someone like NOW Foods is pretty cheap and gets the job done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherylinelkford Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 Give P90X a try. I have been doing it for 2 years now. I used to be a runner, no weights at all, and although I maintained my weight, I did not have any shape. After doing P90X I have defined muscles. I am 5'9" and 116lbs. I have dropped 4 lbs over the last year, not intentionally, but I feel amazing. I barely run at all now. Maybe 30 minutes on the treadmill just for cardio. You need to mix up you workouts and surprise your body. Good Luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pazios2002 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I actually just saw an ad for a dvd set that mimics the programs for about 20 bucks. http://asseenontvexerciseequipment.com/supreme-90-day/ I havent really looked it over but you can take a look. I happened to see the ad last night during SNL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fallen_Horse Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I actually just saw an ad for a dvd set that mimics the programs for about 20 bucks. http://asseenontvexerciseequipment.com/supreme-90-day/ I havent really looked it over but you can take a look. I happened to see the ad last night during SNLThis looks exactly like P90X, but not ridiculously overpriced. It's about $30 total, so if you use it for a month then that's the cost of a gym membership and you have gotten your money's worth. http://www.supreme90dayworkout.com has some better information. EDIT: The comments at http://athomeworkoutreviews.com/exercise-equipment/supreme90dayworkoutreviews/ seem to mention that their shipping takes FOREVER, so keep that in mind.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pazios2002 Posted February 13, 2011 Share Posted February 13, 2011 I went to the site that fallen horse posted and it also says that some people have purchased it at their local Bed Bath and Beyond or Walgreens Pharmacy in the As Seen On TV display, which I believe CVS has also. . You might want to try there too. Could save on shipping and avoid the long wait. I dont know where you live exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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