Shelby

I have digestive problems as well.... I won't bore u with the details, but I have Celiac Sprue, so I can't eat anything with wheat/gluten. Plus, most other non-gluten grains upset my stomach as well. It sucks, especially being vegan, since it cuts out a lot of your food options. As for protein, I do soy protein shakes (one per day, with OJ or some other fruit juice to replenish glycogen stores... try Jay Robb Soy Protein Powder), I eat a bunch of tofu (marinade it in Bragg's Liquis Aminos... it's a gluten-free soy-sauce that is low sodium and very yummy!), Hummus (YUM!), Peanut and almond butter (organic) on apples, Soycrips, ANDI Bars (vegan and gluten-free protein bars...delish!), nuts/seeds, and Soymilk (Pacific Ultra... it has the most grams compared to other soymilks: 10g per cup!). As for the amount u need, it depends on many factors: weight, workout goals, Kcals, amount of activity u do, the type of protein u eat..... Hope this helps.... let me know if I can help ya out some more! -Shelbs

Hey all! Thanks for the congrats!!! I'm SO excited about the position! There is one other trainer there, so I'll be the second one. It's a small gym, with no thrills, but I like it cuz everyone knows eachother and are very down-to-earth. I'll definitely keep u all updated! (Oh, and I could DEFINITELY use a Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness shirt too! Everyone at the gym can't comprehend how I am a lifter AND a vegan... I totally blow their sterotype of a vegan out of the water, lol). -Shelbs

My b-day is April 9th (1986). Yah, I'll finally be out of my "teen" years! whoo-hoo!

YAH! Cardinal Fitness hired me as their Personal Trainer! I'm the only female PT there and their male trainer is probably going to be fired (he's a bad trainer---very condecending and puts together poor workouts). Plus, they said that many of the members have been wanting a female trainer.... Score! I'm SO excited! I just hope I have enough time to do this job well along with going to school fulltime and maintaining my grades. Anyways, Thanks for letting me share my good news!!!! -Shelbs )

Why would adding fruits to protein powders not be a good idea? I just made one today with OJ... it was delicious! From what u wrote, though, I hope it doesn't cause me tummy problems later!

Yeah, I don't do honey either, but I saw some posts about the PureFit bars, which prompted me to check out the ingredients. What drives me INSANE is when manufactueres claim that their product is Vegan, yet include honey in their products. Excuse me, but the last time I checked, honey is NOT vegan. Grrrr. P I found ANDI bars at a local health food store. I'm Celiac (I'm allergic to wheat/gluten and sensitive to most other grains), so these bars are a staple in my diet. They are actually intended to the Austism diet (which claims that austistic children will thrive if caesin and gluten is cut out of their diet)... but since the bars are vegan and gluten free, i thought I may as well eat them too! I doubt u'll find them at Whole Foods or other health food stores.... no one really carries them b/c they are run by a small company. Please do try them tho... they are the BEST bars I've ever had... and are very nutritious too! )

What are some are your favorite Protein Shake creations? In the summer, I would make a shake using soymilk and extra powder to make the shkae really thick and freeze it for a few hours to make it taste like icecream. I was thinking of starting up the powder again, but want more variety instead of soymilk. What do u think of using fruit juice? Is that a good combo? I have a juicer, so I was thinking of juicing apples, pears, oranges and/or carrots and mixing in the powder. WOuld that taste nasty? lol

Hey! I just wanted to inform u all on another protein bar that I haven't seen anyone mention: ANDI Bars. They are AWESOME (especially Blueberry Muffin and Chocolate Shake). They are vegan and gluten-free. They contain 15g per bar. They are hard to find in stores, so order them online. http://www.autismndi.com Has anyone tried Pure Fit bars? I saw them at one small health store and want to try them (however, they claim they are vegan, yet have honey in them.... what is your opinion on honey? Some vegans consume it, some don't....) ttyl!!!!!

Try Jay Robb Soy Protein Powder.... 23g of pro and it tastes delicious! It's made with stevia, so u know it's gotta be good! It mixes very easily too, unlike other powders that clump.

I'm having the same problem... I feel very run-down, tired, and exhausted.... my workouts have definitely suffered b/c of it too. On top of that, I can't sleep. I think I may be iron and B-vit deficient... I'm making an appt with the doc to make sure b4 I supplement.

Hey Aaron! No prob... I hope it was helpful! That's cool that the masters program is a year! Do u want to teach Highschool? Being a PE teacher would be a fun job, but social studies is also an interesting subject. I'm sure u'll excel at teaching! ttyl!

Thanks for the input and support, Meg and Nat! It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one who struggles with this. As for my mom, she is not an animal-lover... more like a tolerater. She puts up with my "mini-zoo" but doesn't like the fact that I have animals. (lol, i bet she can't wait for me and my kids to move out!) In fact, she even gave away my old Basset Hound behind my back when I was away one summer. I was SO upset that I didn't talk to her for over a month. (and yes, I am scared to death that she will do the same thing with Simon... hence the reason I almost never leave the house, lol j/k). So, that's how my mom is.. not exactly fun to live with, let me tell ya! I'm praying that this ner Personal Training job will bring in enough money (QUICKLY) so that I can move out--- heck, I'd be happy with the smallest studio apartment available! Ugh... I swear I was adopted! LOL Thanks again u guys! U all rock! <3 Shelby

I've tried discussing this with her (I've been vegan since I was 12 and a vegetarian long before that)... she's never been accepting, nor will she listen. She's very closed-minded. She refuses to even discuss veganism with me. It hurts, to be honest. I mean, it's who I am, what I believe in, and what I am passionate about... yet she could care less. Thats kind of the attitude of everyone around here... very closed-minded and unaccepting of anyone's differences. So, I've just learned to accept that my views aren't accepted. It sucks and is rather frustrating. She gets angry whenever I talk about veganism... literally annoyed and agitated (and then procedes to eat more meat!) hmm.. could her actions be a result of guilt? LOL... ugh, i dont know anymore. Awww.. u'r animals sound SO awesome! What fun personalities they have! My cat is very vocal too.. he sings all the time, as does my frog. My dog is like a 2 year old with a chronic case of ADHD... he desperately needs some doggy-ritalin! He's a blast tho and cheers me up whenever I'm down (like today, lol!) Thanks for the advice, Nat.. and for letting me vent!

WOW.... 22!!! That's absolutely AMAZING!!! Whats your secret?! As Nat says "Details please!" Bad Charlie is absolutely adorable! You must be a great parent to him! My Kids include my dog, Simon, a 2 year old cocker spaniel, my cat, Bennett, a 3 year old DSH, my turtle, Teddy who's 25, and Binya-Binya, my 13 yr old aquatic frog. Nat, i agree with u on how it's a tease to leave one-liners about one's furrykids!!! hehehe! I also love to hear about other's animals! Rambo and Riley sound adorable as well.... post some pics of them too! (how do u post pics on a post?) On another note, does anyone live near the chicago area? I'm sick of being the only vegan... today, my mom told me how she "hates how different" I am from everyone and that me being vegan is a huge inconvience. Yeah, I was hurt and shed a few tears... especially since I dont force my views on people and try to be very accomodating in all situations. I'd never change my ways, but I want to be able to hang out with people whom have my same views, so I don't feel so isolated. It's getting old... it's amazing how ignorant people can be... even family members!

Hey Aaron!!! Simon, my dog, thanks u for the compliment! ) As for the Personal Training, I went to the National Personal Training Institute... they have them all over the country. It's an awesome program, tho rather expensive. But it's worth it, for it's a lot more comprhensive and practical than those on-line certs (like ACE). NPTI is a 6m program where graduates receive a diploma and cert in PT and Nutritional Counseling. The day is divided into 2 parts: 2.5 hours of lecture and 2.5 hours of practical experience training actual clients. So, u leave the program with over 200 hours of Personal Training experience. Check out their website if u want more info.... I highly recommend it! Due to school (I'm trying to get into a nursing program), I took a break from PT for now, but I did apply to Cardinal Fitness and it looks like I'll be hired soon. Not only that, but the manager hinted at the possibility of me becoming the Head Training! How cool is that?! ) It's Independent Contracting there, but they take 30% of what I charge. So, i'm employed by them, but at the same time, I'm not... kinda confusing, isn't it? Thats awesome that u are studying to be a teacher! What do u want to teach? Are u almost done with school? ttyl! -Shelby

HEHEHE... Floyd looks like he is smiling! What GREAT pictures! He is a very handsome dog! Megan: Cats rock... I have one as well. Yours sound adorable!

Hey Meggy! Thanks for the welcome! And I totally agree with you and Michael... we vegans obviously know whats best for us, even if that means going against the grain. I love that whole protein debate thing that non-vegan bodybuilders are obsessed with... more protein DOES NOT equal more muscle! Ugh, I won't go into detail, cuz I know that you've all been thru it numerous times... Just eat healthy, exercise, and the mass will follow. Consuming hundreds of grams of protein will not help... in fact, it may just have the opposite effect and turn into fat (or much worse). I'd rather eat sensibly and experience slower gains than try to do it really fast and unhealthily. (Ok, enough venting for today, lol). PEACE!!!!! -Shelbs )

Tarz: Floyd is absolutely gorgeous! He does look like a very strong dog (he could probably beat me in arm-wrestling... well, if dogs were able to do that, lol). Sorry to hear about your dog.... 15-1/2 years is a very long time! You must've been a wonderful dad to him! Richard: yeah, it seems like no one really understands veganism and sometimes I just get too tired having to explain it, b/c it always seems to turn into me having to almost defend myself! It's crazy... some people just can't be open-minded and/or accept notions that they aren't accustomed to. And I also get that "what-are-you-nuts!?!" look from people all the time too when I tell them I'm vegan and a weightlifter. They just understand how someone can bodybuild without massive amts of steak, creatine, and protein powders. Veganism goes against what all the mainstream bodybuilding philosophies preach... i don't know if some people feel almost "threatened" by it or if it's just too "new" of a concept for them to grasp. Who knows, who cares, lol. I know to a fact that I'm not gonna change just b/c some meat-head (literally, lol) at the gym tells me I should if I want to see gains. -Shelby )

Hehehe... Simon (my dog) says Thanks! I adopted him from a shelter when he was 3 months old! I couldn't believe someone would wanna give up such a sweet (and young!) puppy! But, it totally worked to our advantage! He's a great dog... VERY hyper, but very smart, cuddley, playful, and absolutely nuts! ) I swear, he needs to go on Ritalin, lol. He's about 2.5 yrs old and definitely behaves like a toddler! The pic isn't a good one, but he actually has an afro (I groom him myself, and I like to give him cool 'dos!) What Furry-Kids does everyone have? -Shelbs:o)

Cristian----You are awesome!!!!!! Photobucket.com worked and I got my pic up! YAH! Thanks! I totally appreciate it.. it was driving me crazy, cuz it wouldn't work, lol!

HAHAHA... hey, instead of Spain, why not Australia?! At least it's not a totally foreign language (although they do use some pretty interesting words, let me tell ya! My brother is studying abroad there now and their slang is hilarious!)

HAHAHA... you guys are all SO awesome! Johnathon, that was hilarious...and totally random! And Cristian, thanks for the tip on the photo.. I'll try that and see if it works! Alex, cool news about your Spain plans! (Too bad my Spanish is muy malo!) However, Oregon is sounding better and better by the minute! Thanks again for the awesome Welcome everyone! You all ROCK! Shelby

Oh wow... that would be the COOLEST summer vaction EVER! Oregon DOES sound enticing.... Never been there, but I heard it's a beautiful and peaceful state! Do ya have room for a 4th roommate? LOL!!! -Shelby ps--I can't get a picture to post on my profile! Grrr! P

Hey! Thanks u guys for the awesome welcomes! (I feel SO loved, lol!) ) I'm really glad that I joined the forum too... I'm very excited to meet more veggies... I swear, there are NONE in my area, which really sucks. ( (Almost makes me wanna move, hehehe)

Thanks for the awesome welcome! I have seen the pics.... they look absolutely amazing and I admit that I am quite jealous, lol. But they work HARD, so they deserve it! -Shelby ps-the private message thing wont work, so thats why i had to reply on my own post! how dorky, lol!