Can I build a large amount of muscle being vegan?

[valgal123]

1.5x(body weight)= recommended daily protein intake

That is what I've read and been told. I know everyone is so different though, and has their own approach.

I looked at the book, I'm not going to buy it and I can't get it from my library and I can't find any of the recipes from the book online.

I've read a lot of bad stuff about soy, especially soy protein isolate. I avoid soy like I avoid corn syrup, white flour, sugar, hydrogenated oils, artificial sugars, colors, and flavors, have it only occasionally or not at all.

Thanks for all the help!

[vegimator]

Ha, not sure we've given you any help but you're welcome.

[Fallen_Horse]

1.5x(body weight)= recommended daily protein intake

 

Yes, but bodyweight in kilograms. 1.2g/kg to 1.6g/kg for building real muscle are the referenced numbers I have seen.

[vegimator]

1.5x(body weight)= recommended daily protein intake

 

Yes, but bodyweight in kilograms. 1.2g/kg to 1.6g/kg for building real muscle are the referenced numbers I have seen.

 

Same here. Which would have you eating 67 grams of protein a day. I do flying trapeze and one of my catchers also does a strong man routine with a partner. He's the heavy one, over 6 feet tall and 200 lb of solid muscle. He eats about 150 grams of protein a day and says that that's more than he needs (works out to about 1.6 grams/kg).

[luna_rossa]

Why not soy? I heard many people going away from soy... any particular reason or rumor?

[vegimator]

Why not soy? I heard many people going away from soy... any particular reason or rumor?

I'm going to guess she's afraid of the phytoestrogen which is in no way harmful unless you're ingesting extremely large amounts of soy daily. From what I gather, unless you're allergic or intolerant or have a thyroid condition (or aren't getting enough iodine), it's good for you to eat a couple servings of soy a day, particularly in fermented forms like tempeh and miso or sprouted like wildwood sprouted tofu.

[valgal123]

Check this out

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/randy11.htm

 

and this: Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement

 

One calculator told me this

 

Bodyweight: 98 lbs

Endurance Training: 63 grams

Strength & Power Training: 81 grams

Weight Loss Training: 89 grams

Weight Gain Training: 89 grams

 

 

http://www.bodybuildingsecretslive.com/how-much-protein-do-i-need-a-day/

 

and this formula tells me I need 111 grams

[Im Your Man]

Of course if you want to avoid sugar and carbs then yes you need more proteins because since your body cannot use enough sugar/carbs for energy it will use proteins. So on a low carb diet you need proteins for energy and for muscle building. But if there,s quite a lot of fat in the diet then your body can use it for energy and keep protein only to maintain and build lean mass.

 

Check this out

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/randy11.htm

 

and this: Lean Mass Weight (Kg) x 2.75 = Daily Protein Requirement

There's different calculators, some will tell you to eat 300 grams of protein and some other will say 60 grams is enough. So you chose what's best for you; from the first link:

 

High protein diets should only be reserved for the advance athletic bodybuilder or fitness competitor who must accomplish a short-term goal in a certain amount of time at the amateur or professional level!

 

And I have "read" that the body cannot "absorb" more than 50 grams of protein per meal. Not in all cases. I have proved it to myself that, yes, we are all different and our body's respond differently to what we impose on it.

 

The way I eat and the way I train is for a specific purpose and is for me and nobody else. Your job is to find out what works best for you. Have a plan, be consistent, workout hard, not long and have fun!

[vegimator]

Rarely am I in such agreement with you IYM!

 

It might not be a bad idea to figure out the maximum amount of protein you can get it in on a vegan diet with all your restrictions, try out that plan (even if it's a bit less than your goal of 100+) and see if it works for you?

[vegimator]

Also check out Derek and Marcella - http://veganmuscleandfitness.blogspot.com/

 

They're both incredibly strong vegans and they show quite a bit of what they eat on their blog. There's even a low carb recipe tag. They do use a fair amount of soy though.

[chrisjs]

Daiya is delicious, but it is pretty expensive (and pretty processed) so I don't buy it all that often, I use it more as a treat.

It's expensive, no doubt, but at least in the Whole Paychecks in my area it's actually a bit cheaper than the organic cow cheese FWIW.

[valgal123]

Ok I just went to the daiya website and looked at the nutrition info. It has 1 gram of protein per serving! Now I don't understand why people on here recommended it to me, am I missing something? Do you buy it just for taste? for fat?

[vegimator]

Ok I just went to the daiya website and looked at the nutrition info. It has 1 gram of protein per serving! Now I don't understand why people on here recommended it to me, am I missing something? Do you buy it just for taste? for fat?

 

Because it's soy free which is rare in a store bought vegan cheese. It has a decent resemblance to cheese in flavor and texture too but, no, it isn't good for you. The Dr Cow cheeses are nut based and a little better for you and good tasting but very expensive. I think I'm done giving you recommendations though.

[beforewisdom]

Hi vaigal123

 

Hi, I'm not new to a vegan lifestyle.

 

Then you might want to read this. As you have discovered there a lot of people who don't know what they are talking about in regards to vegan nutrition.

 

Reliable vegan nutrition information

http://beforewisdom.com/blog/vegan-diets/

 

 

MAIN QUESTION

I would love to eliminate these foods from my diet, but if it means that I don't get to build large amounts of muscle then you can forget it.

 

You can go to this link to see what past members of this forum have achieved and decide if those possibilities are good enough for you:

http://veganbodybuilding.com/?page=galleries

 

Contrary to the name of this forum, many of the present members are not bodybuilders.

 

There is another site you might find useful

http://www.veganfitness.net

 

There aren't many bodybuilders there either, but there are a number of very large strength athletes and many people who know what they are talking about in regard to those kinds of things.

 

Growing muscle is not just about exercise and protein. It is also about getting enough calories and enough sleep. Some of the diets you were on were not only inadequate in protein, but were very, very low in calories.

 

I DO NOT WANT TO EAT ANY SOY!

 

From what you wrote in your first post it sounds to me like you have been on an adventure of people giving you misinformation. Some of which hurt you. .

 

Choosing not to eat soy is your decision and I respect that.

 

Soy foods are a safe and valuable resource for people looking to put on large amounts of muscle. You may want to read the other side of the soy story before you remove a powerful tool from your bodybuilding tool box.

 

I have a section of my web site where I collect positive articles about soy, written by reliable authorities with formal credentials who have no financial or other investments in soy. None of the experts are vegan or vegetarian so they have no pro-soy bias.

 

My section on Soy

http://beforewisdom.com/blog/category/soy/

 

HTH

Edited December 13, 2010 by beforewisdom

[Richard]

beforewisdom's site kicks ass