ICanDoThis

You boil quinoa like rice. When the grains pop and turn to circles, they're done! Then add your favorite sauce and veggies and you have a nice meal.

I like Vega Food Optimizer as the base for my smoothie. It's got good stuff in it. I usually drink it in the morning. If it's late and I'm drinking it post workout because I don't want to eat heavy before bed time, I'll add some protein powder to it.

Welcome! Weight training will definitely help you build the strength you're looking to achieve. I have Bill Phillips' book, Body for LIFE. In it he sets out a simple program to follow. It's a 1-2-3 punch of upper body, lower body and cardio. You can also download the workout sheets for free. If you can't, let me know & I'll email them to you. The program framework is there and all you have to do is plug in the specific exercises for each muscle group.

Well that was a long week. Early mornings. Late nights. That’s the way it goes. Mostly stayed on course with my workouts except for Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday was the longest and hardest. The fall out was felt the rest of the week. But it was good for business so I can’t complain about that. This happens to all of us. The demands of family, career and other things cut into fitness time. It’s hard balancing it all sometimes. I definitely think being vegan got me through the week. It’s happened before too. How? Exactly I don’t know. What I do know is that I’ve experienced more energy, clarity and calm since making the change. There are probably scientific studies that explain it. Just as all politics is local, all nutrition is personal. To put it bluntly, it’s all about me. How do I feel? How fit am I? When you eat, it’s all about you. Sure we dine together. Sunday dinners with the family are some of the best times. But what we eat is individual – all about ourselves. Looking forward to the week: I think I’ll stay with my current routine for this week. It’s been good and I can feel the strength gains. I banged out 10 wide grip pull ups for the first time in a long time! I have a somewhat loose shoulder that sometimes makes them difficult. So I hope the fact that I can do them now at will means there’s been some muscle gain. The journey continues. GO PATS!

Vegimator, thanks for posting the link. I was listening to the program live and wanted to pass the word quickly. The link for Post Punk Kitchen is: http://www.theppk.com. It's a great site.

On Point on WBUR, 90.9 FM Boston is currently doing a program on veganism! It will be live until 12:00 PM today. The number for live call in is 800-423-8255. If you missed the live show, the recording will be available online. www.wbur.org

Thanks. I moved here from Boston. GO PATS! Just trying to hang in there and make a strong run for a "summer body" right now. I'm in Queens after living in the Bronx for 3 years. NYC definitely has a good vegan scene. I found a place on the Lower East Side, which I have to Google to find again, that makes vegan chocolate ice cream that beats the cream out of anything from a cow. Seriously it's the best I've ever had. Good luck with your workouts!

hsorlando, you're 100% dead on. Leading by example is the best we can do. We can tell people not to eat fast food and pizza delivery and that they should exercise. As we all know, actions speak louder than words. By showing our loved ones what can be achieved is the arguably the best thing we can do. I'm going through this myself. I know people who eat way too much processed food and empty calories and don't workout. Yes, it shows. There are also very strong & healthy people among my family & friends too. Quite a few vegetarians and vegans But for the ones leading an unhealthy lifestyle I do feel a responsibility to show them what's possible. This is especially true with the kids in my family. The kids look up to me and I don't want to let them down.

Week one, game won. 51 more to go this season. Right now I'm super motivated. I guess everyone is. New Year's resolutions. For me this isn't "The Year" everything will change. It's part of a everything I do. The motivation comes from The Challenge and that's good. If it started on March 9, I would be equally motivated and focused. It was just the spark that lit the fire. It will be a long season and there will be ups and downs. Games won. Games lost. Whatever happens tomorrow is another day to lace up and play. So what else makes me go? It's the role model thing. Actions speak louder than words and all politics is local. While I can name vegan / vege athletes, the one thing that will have the most impact is me showing those around me that a strong athletic body can be achieved without meat. Also, I know the younger generation in my family looks up to me (I have yet to start my own if you are wondering - any vegan women in NYC?). I have a responsibility to show them it can be done. Post Game Review 1: Killed my calves Sunday. No really. Then on Tuesday they were stiff as boards. Friday I was finally flexible enough in the legs to work them. Stretching only for the calves. There's no more bread in the house. Ate the last of the pita bread Sunday. Lunch was mostly lentil chili or multi bean soup. The menu said they were vegan. Watch out for sodium. Nutrition should be online. I like Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer at breakfast. I have chocolate and berry. Looking forward: Muscles are back in the groove and ready to go. Sunday night I'll cook some meals for the week. Just keep going. Don't give up and don't quit.

Thanks Lean and Green. I'm all in.

Rest is part of the process. Along with good nutrition, it's how you build muscle & recover. Sometimes it varies. For example, today I should have done legs. But, since I didn't warm up and stretch properly and was over motivated the other day, my calves are still kind of lame. So I gave them a rest so they can recover and worked around them.

Nothing like accountability! I'm in.

So, you're going to hold me accountable. Ok, I'm in. Here's where I start 2011: 5' 11", 157 lbs. The goal, like everyone else, is to gain lean muscle mass. http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan201_1.jpg 1 January 2011 - In The Beginning...There was much room for improvement. http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan2011_3.jpg Not quite Popeye but I can shovel snow faster than the City of New York can plow it. http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan2011_4.jpg Just to make it official

Ok, with the New Year here, a friend got me into the Bodybuilding.com Challenge. Here's my link: http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/CastIronWarrior/ As of right now, I'm 5' 11" and 157 lbs. and a long way from being 160 with 10% bodyfat. I'll get there. I have to. Rather than make you go there and see my beginning pix, here they are. Yup, I have a long way to go. Just keep at it one day at a time. That's all you can do. http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan201_1.jpg In The Beginning - Flexing so I can see some sort of abs. Good for motivation. http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan2011_3.jpg http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan2011_5.jpg http://i756.photobucket.com/albums/xx204/KBFreak/Jan2011_4.jpg

Happy New Year! I'm back in the zone and it feels real good. Didn't stray off diet although Christmas Day was kind of like Thanksgiving. Feast day. Was the only vegan. Our host was a hardcore steak eater. I was a family affair and we like our veggies anyway. Now I'm motivated to push hard for summer. A friend got me into Bodybuilding.com's transformation challenge. Here's my link if you want to check my profile out. http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/CastIronWarrior/more.php?section=progresspics. As you can see, I have a long way to go. Pictures don't lie. Right now, I'm at 5' 11" and 158 lbs. Bodyfat needs to come way down and muscle mass up. Sounds like everyone else's goals too. Athletically, I've always been an endurance guy. Never the strongest or fastest. Just the guy who lasts. Speaking of which, it's late (23:47) and I need to hit the hay. Gotta recover properly. Peace

Congratulations! Hope 2011 is just as good to you.

So my first vegan Thanksgiving came & went uneventfully. Didn't even notice or care about the turkey. We always have plenty of vegetables on the table so it was no big deal. I made spanakorizo (Greek spinach & rice) for the first time. Damn good Combined two recipes. With the holiday season in full swing, the big thing is people eating too much and too much of the wrong things. Well, if you wouldn't eat it, or eat a ton of it the rest of the year, why do so now? Sure the cookies in the break room look good. But you don't have to have any. There's no rule that says you do. The question to ask is, "what do I want more, insert food here or six pack abs or big guns or whatever?" This happened to me today. Sure the goodies looked good but they won't help me get what I really want. On we go. Happy Holidays!

It's so devoid of any nutrition you're just wasting your money. Here' the link to figure out what you get...or don't: http://wendys.com/food/Nutrition.jsp

I've been vegan since May and have experienced the exact opposite. Weight (150 to 157) & strength (heavier weights & more reps) are up. Energy is up. Mood is up. I feel great. Way better than I ever felt as a meat eater. I'm never going back. Ever.

Momentum = Motivation = Success! Workouts have been going great. I'm in The Zone. Nothing is going to stop me. That's what The Pump does to you. It's that kick-ass feeling the next day. It gets you back to the gym after a long day at work when you just want to crash. So does seeing everyone on VBB pushing and succeeding. Also, being an example to friends and family. Working to show them than you can have an athletic body without meat. Speaking of which, I spoke to an aunt about this being my first vegan Thanksgiving. This & that later, she said, "...you do need red meat once in a while. You do know that, don't you?" It was an email exchange so I didn't get into it. Even when I did eat meat I hardly ate red meat. Not at home and not at restaurants. I wanted to say that 90+ year old Jack LaLanne hasn't eaten meat in 80+ years. That guy can kick some serious ass. So on to The Holidaze. Just keep doing what you're doing. When they're over, you won't have to make a healthy resolution because you will still be on the right track. Do it now. Don't quit. Ever.

My vote is cast. Good luck. Vegan Power!

Welcome!

5' 11" (180.34 cm) but my license says 6'.

Ok, it's been a while. So here's the latest. First, it's 12:23 AM and I should be in bed resting & recovering. But my motivation is high and I can't wait to get out of work and work out! Strength, endurance, etc. are up. I'm just working out as hard as I can. The desire to succeed keeps pushing me. Ok I really should cut this short and hit the hay. Tomorrow's another day. Pump It Up!

Thanks for the link. I think that's my key to making progress. Now if the day were longer than 24 hours...