Let me give this a shot...

[Guile]

Hey guys, you can call me Guile. I'm 23 years old and hail from Manila, Philippines.

 

In the world of iron, I'm currently a powerlifter and wannabe bodybuilder (come for the strength, stay for the aesthetics), currently weighing in at 70kg at 170cm height (that's 154 lbs at 5'7 for those who measure in Old English) with bodyfat at around 14%.

 

Now for why I'm here...

 

I have been on a high animal protein diet for the past 3 years. For most of my time lifting weights to build muscle and get stronger, that was (and sort of still is) the only way I knew how to eat. I did try to eat my veggies when I could, but for the most part, the only thing that really mattered was the protein. And since I subscribed to the whole "real men eat meat" ideology that most bodybuilding sites like to shove to your face, that's exactly what I did.

 

However, this sort of eating came back to bite me in the ass, as my diet has led me to develop kidney stones.

 

They say that kidney stones is the worst sort of pain in the world. While that may be true, I find it nowhere near as bad as the realization that the lifestyle and approach to eating that I championed for so long has in fact been leading my health into the shitter. Even worse for me is the prospect of losing everything that I've been able to achieve so far because of no longer being able to eat the way I "should."

 

After reading up on the benefits of a vegetarian or vegan diet (and yes, I know the difference), I decided that it may be time for me to try something completely different in the interest of my health and my strength training aspirations. That is the honest to goodness reason why I am here.

 

I've been reading up on the articles on the site and so far I am pretty impressed. I'm very, very new to the vegan world, so I hope that you all can bear with me as I make this rather drastic change in my lifestyle. From past experience, I know for a fact that one of the best ways to implement a change in your lifestyle is if you have a supportive community to back you up, and that's why I signed up here.

 

I'm looking forward to corresponding with you all.

[Richard]

Hey, nice introduction. Is your real name Guile, or are we talking Guile from SF?

 

Sorry you've been through kidney stones, I've not experienced something like that but I understand it's pretty hardcore. If there's anything you need to know, just ask and someone will help you out. How are your friends and family reacting to your change?

[Guile]

Thanks! No, it's not my real name but it's very loosely based on my last name. Not to mention, his theme song does go with everything.

 

I'm lucky not to be experiencing that much pain at the moment (probably because the stone is currently not blocking anything), though I know that if it gets bigger it's definitely going to cause problems in the future, and I wanna nip it in the bud before that happens. I'm still deliberating what kind of treatment I will get, as the stone is currently 1cm long and not going to be pissed out so easily.

 

My family has always been into healthy eating (nothing sports nutrition-like, but healthy enough for sedentary people) so it's not much of a problem for them. As of today, I actually have not told my friends about the change I'm about to make. Considering that one of my favorite social circles happens to be made of strength athletes who love their red meat, I'm guessing my decision to switch to a plant-based diet will be quite the shocker.

 

The first thing I'd probably like to know is if I can get away with lower to moderate levels of protein (at the moment) than the high amounts I am used to, and from what sources I can get them from, if not animal sources? Information on supplementation would be highly appreciated as well.

[Guile]

I should probably add that I'm also interested in lower bodyfat levels, as well as ways to gain lean muscle.

I wanna be able to do away with dirty bulking, and I don't want that bloated musclefat look.

 

I am also quite inspired by what other vegan/vegetarian athletes such as Mac Danzig, Jake Shields and Jon Fitch have been able to achieve.

[asparagus]

Good luck on the diet change!

 

I can relate to the kidney stones, as I suffer from them as well. However, I didn't know I was producing them until I passed my first stone about 6 months after I stopped eating non-aquatic meat. It was easily the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I was hoping they would dissipate over the years with my improved diet, but no luck. My doctor told me that once you get them, you tend to have them for life. I'm not sure I subscribe to that theory, as getting stones has a lot to do with diet. I've since modified my diet a bit to remove some of the more problematic foods (they are plant based foods, ), and have had a bit more luck with only one serious occurance in the past 3 years. You can find a lot of information online about dealing with stones.

 

Best advice for stones - drink at least a gallon (4 liters) of water every day, more when you work out!

[chewybaws]

Welcome mate! What's your stats for squat/bench/deads?

 

Foods with more protein than carbs/fats are soy products (tofu, fake milk/meats) and protein powders really. Apart from them most people on here will get their protein from carb heavy sources (beans/grains) and fatty foods (nuts/seeds). Of course you get some amount of protein from all foods, but you'll get more bang for your buck with them.

 

Then again I'm usually trying to bulk up, so for lean gains I'd look for advice from the users Derek, Octopussoir, Robert, etc.

 

I remember checking out derek's blog and it was pretty awesome, lots of recipe stuff as well;

http://66.147.244.208/~veganmu1/

 

Hope this helps mate!

Lift heavy

[No-excuses]

Nice intro. A must read: "The China Study" and "Becoming Vegan".

 

You can also do seitan and tempeh. Tempeh is soy based, but seitan is not. Seitan is easy to cook with also. Don't freak out about the protein, most humans can only digest about 20 grams or so at a sitting, which is why people such as yourself can suffer from stones....all that protein cannot be processed. So the argument goes like this: It was on EXCESS calories that have allowed you to put on size, since you weren't using the protein anyway.

Jen