trent

Hey xjohanx, it is going great bro, thanks for asking. I feel great and will post some progress photos in a couple of weeks. I am still eating egg whites but that will be the next and last thing to go!

Thanks everyone for making me feel so welcome!

Hey Dave just read about your journey and all I can say is WOW! That is an accomplishment that you should be very proud of bro. Keep up the great work.

Very cool! I want to lean out as much as possible! Any suggestions? Record a food log in a notebook, calories/day, grams of fat, carbs, protien/day. If you haven't already, post a training and food log on this forum so people are able to make suggestions/changes you may need in regard to nutrition or training. One of the most common mistakes lifters make is increasing their caloric intake too much because they think they need the extra calories to build muscle mass, however they end up putting on fat. I didn't realize I was doing this until 2 two days ago. Yeah, I need to start counting everything I put in my mouth. I'm gonna start using Fitday.com to record everything. I was doing it last year for awhile so I have a general understanding of correct portions, but now I am eating alot differently obviously. I will start a food/excercise journal here. I have been eating 5-6 small meals a day every 3.5 hours. I eat protein with every meal and I'm getting in the fruits and vegetables. I'm guessing each meal is appx. 450-550 calories. I am also drinking alot of water. My clothes are fitting looser and I feel strong and energized. Give me a few weeks and I will post some updated pics. Peace.

Thanks DV. I feel great, I wake up with ample energy and feel awesome all day! I have been sleeping great as well. I feel very focused and will definitely post some new pics in a few weeks. I am really digging this site.

Amen! I forgot my IPOD a few weeks ago and turned right around and went and got it! Great journal Joe!!

Thanks for the input RawVgn. Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I will get alot of my food from the grocery store and go to the natural/health food store for certain things. I really do like the health food store. It is mom and pop owned so I am going to try and support them as much as possible ya know? I am also excited about checking out the local farmers market! Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to reply.

Very cool! I want to lean out as much as possible! Any suggestions?

Thanks Amy. I haven't tried the Veganaise yet but will let you know what I think when I get around to it.

My first time as a vegetarian in the health food store! I felt like a kid in a candy store! I bought organic fruits and veggies, natural peanut butter, raw almonds, sunflower seeds, McCann Irish Oats, Soy milk, cubed soy, vegan cheese, tempah, organic raisins, edamame, veggie burgers & hot dogs, whole wheat buns, black beans, brown rice, Garbanzo beans, veg. baked beans, whole wheat pasta, vegenaise, etc., etc, whooohooo!! I took the garbanzo beans and mashed em with a little garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, red peppers, black olives, and curry powder and shoved it in a whole wheat pita. WOW! Delicious. Also, my first time eating a pomegranate, what a cool, tasty and fun fruit to eat!! Sorry if I sound spastic but i am loving going vegetarian/vegan! I wish I would have started earlier. Anyway, I have to go look in the classifieds so I can find a second job to afford all of this organic/health food! Ha, Ha!

Right now I weigh 205lbs., I am 6'0". My lean bodymass is 164lbs., so I have 41 lbs of fat. My caloric intake is probably about 2800 calories, not real sure. I know I need to keep a journal. For the last 3 weeks I have been doing 45 minutes of cardio 5-7 x a week and lifting 4 x a week. I feel amazing, and I have lost about 5lbs., so I think that I am on track. I don't care if I lose a little muscle. I am determined to have the long, lean look. When you cycle your calories are you cutting down on the complex carbs? Also, do you think I should focus mostly on cardio and a clean diet and cut back on the weights? I really enjoy lifting.

Thanks Amy, It is great to be here! Awesome website!!

Thank you for the prompt and informative response DV. My fitness goals are to hold on to the muscle that I have and strip the fat away and be as lean as possible. I posted a few pics under the before/after thread. I understand the importance of eating 4-6 small meals a day and drinking plenty of water but perhaps you can take alook at my pics an give me some tips?! Thanks again for your fast response.

Okay I know the benefits of doing cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach but most of the time when I wake up I have alot of energy and would like to lift weights and do my cardio immediately after. I have done this before and did not feel like my cardio suffered from fatigue, it felt good. My question is will I still benefit from waking up, hitting the gym and lifting for 45 minutes, and then doing my cardio/fat burn for 45 minutes, and then eating immediately afterwards??? Thank you in advance for your help everyone!

Welcome! I'm a new vegan myself!

Welcome Drone. I am a new vegan, and although I just started I feel so good about the change in every way. I actually look forward to grocery shopping!! It is a new lifestyle and it feels so right. Oh yeah, I play alot of cards online and at the card room so we have that in common. NLHE!!

Thank you veganmomma!

Don't feel dumb, I updated my profile after you posted.

Very cool hsorlando! Thank you for the heads up, I will definitely check that out!

Thanks xjohanx, I will update the photos in a few weeks. I'm finding alot of useful information here on the nutrition side of things, take care.

thanks u guys. My goal is to get rid of the "puffy" look and get as lean/ripped as possible. I will chart my progress periodically, and again, any advice or insight is mucho appreciated!

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I just posted some pics on the before/after thread.

Okay here goes, this is my first day going vegetarian/vegan. I am 40 yrs. old, 6'0", 205lbs., 18-20% body fat(thats a guesstimate!) I have always lifted weights and have kept a relatively clean diet eating 4-6 small meals a day(clean except for the meat of course!). I am now going to up my cardio and of course eat a clean vegetarian/organic diet. Any insight/advice would be highly appreciated! Thats why I'm here. By the way, words cannot describe how inspired I am by the before/after transformations I have browsed here! I must have been checking them out for over two hours!! I posted in the Introduction thread if you would like to know a little bit of what made me see the light. Thanks for everyones time and feedback. I would really like to get as lean as possible so please, any advise would be great.

Hello everyone- I am converting myself to a vegan after 40 yrs. of eating meat! I found this site and think that it is a great source of motivation and inspiration. My reasons? Well my wife has been a vegan for 22 yrs. I have recently started doing some research and WOW! As an animal lover alone I feel ashamed for what I have been contributing to. I have always excercised and bought into the "you have to eat chicken breasts, fish, lean red meat" nonsense. Well let me tell you, I was looking through the before/after pics on this site and again, WOW, some really amazing transformations! I am not delusional and realize that it might be difficult at first but I am determined! The more I read about the way slaughterhouses are run and the cruelty that is inflicted on these beautiful animals the easier it will be. Not to mention all the crap they pump into these poor creatures! Anyway, glad I found you guys/girls. I am going to post my Pre Vegan Pics on the before/after thread and update periodically. trent