Vegercize

Any one from Australia on here? Where are all the VBB's living?

Any good restaurants or meet-ups in that area? Pensacola looks pretty close...

Are there any/many vegans or vegos living in Fort Walton Beach or Navarre Florida? I am an Aussie who might be moving there next year with my husband who's in the military. From the other side of the world it looks like a very small place... I'm nervous about how we'd survive if there wasn't a vegan community. Anyone there into fitness and veganism? Cheers

How did the smoothies go?

Well a tbs = 3tsp so I'm not sure what the problem is? In any case your talking about such a small amount of calories, does it really matter?

http://www.theveganrd.com/2011/10/an-essential-resource-for-pregnant-vegans.html

Got these in the mail today and looking forward to testing them out this weekend! Nice and light for a Vegan Boot http://www.altrec.com/salomon/womens-3d-fastpacker-mid-gtx-hiking-boot

This would be quite accurate. The Australian Institute of Sport recommends 1.4-1.6g/kg of body weight for muscle growth. However women typically require 10-15% less than men as they have less lean body mass, so you could say about 1.3-1.5g/kg for women. For your weight this would be 106-123g protein. Try and increase your intake of beans, lentils, soy-milk, tempeh, tofu, seitan etc at lunch and dinner... that way you won't have to rely on protein powder for the majority of your protein intake. I aim for around 110g per day myself and manage to do this with one shake a day. At the moment your main meals are pretty low protein so making a few adjustments will help significantly. Good-luck

Soaked/cooked. Perhaps a good excuse to use them! Maybe start with only half a cup per smoothie and work your way upwards until you find the maximum amount you can tolerate without altering the taste or texture too much.

No idea but you can only try. I wouldn't use a whole tin, maybe 3/4 cup. White Cannellini beans don't have much flavour, but they would make it thick.

My boy-friend has similar stats to you in height and weight. I have been pumping a steady 4,000cal into him, sometimes more and only now is he starting to see some weight-gain. He is doing zero cardio at the moment and heavy weights 3 x week. Try smoothies and make them high calorie. Derek Tresize had a good one posted on his website http://www.veganmuscleandfitness.com/vegan-weight-gainer-revision-and-more/ Liquid meals are often easier to get down! Good-luck

If you're not gaining weight then no. The only way you'll know how many calories you need is to track your input and monitor your weight. If you're not gaining you need more

So we are looking at getting a dog from the pound and the discussion has come up will the dog be vegan. I really want to try it but my boyfriend is apprehensive. Does anyone here have a vegan dog or pet? Or tried it and reverted back to giving their pet meat? I have read online it is definitely possible... keen to hear of some real life examples and perhaps the type of food you give/buy for them. Cheers

You can get wrist straps for less than $10 from sports stores. Sports strapping tape works as well... but in the long run wrist straps will work out cheaper and more environmentally friendly

Nerds

If you look at Derek's diet log... he has soy-milk and tofu 3-4 times per day https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkmOcUtqsvw6dGdSdlFmMVRVN1VVeWJBVVZVYWlCUGc&hl=en_US#gid=2

What is the rest of your diet like? i.e. by healthy foods are you mostly eating low calories foods like fruit, veg etc? These foods are of course healthy, but they are not calorie dense. And when your appetite is poor, they are not the foods to be filling up on. You need to eat foods that are calorie dense, which can still be healthy of course. So as Nicholas said nuts and seeds (or nut spreads), avocado, oils (sunflower, olive, peanut - use a variety), and sweet foods if that's what your appetite desires. I make my own soy ice-cream and 'tofu chocolate mouse for desserts http://video.about.com/vegetarian/Mousse.htm Too many people get hung up on eating a clean diet (no oils or sugars), but in the case of the former, there is evidence that quality oils are actually healthy for us (reduce cholesterol and improve blood lipid profile) and in the case of sugar... well the main detriment is that if you eat it in excess it can cause weight gain... which is what you want! There is no point having a sugar free, oil free diet if you are losing weight and become emaciated and malnourished. So long as you still get your vitamins and minerals from some fruits/veg and quality protein foods like lentils, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds, calcium fortified soy-milk, then don't feel bad about adding extra calories with fats and sugars. You may find that once you start gaining weight your appetite will return. It's often a vicious cycle... Good-luck!

I don't think the occasional oreo is going to be the difference between life and death

Do you think you have lost much muscle mass after doing 80/10/10 for 2months? You were ripped to start... be interested to see if it can be maintained. Cheers

Technically Bodybuilding is a form of body modification involving intensive muscle hypertrophy. That's the strict definition. If you're not looking to get bigger, and are after a thin look then why feel the need to label yourself as a bodybuilder. It's kind of like calling yourself vegan and still drinking milk. Why not just say you lift weights or do strength training? Bodybuilding is a specific sport. I run, cycle and lift weights. I'm not a bodybuilder. Serious? Those women look ill

Muscle memory is an amazing thing! A few years ago I had to take 3 months off after a scooter accident. I was fine but had a sore on my foot which got infected so I couldn't wear enclosed shoes! Took forever to heal. Anyway after I finally got back on the bike (I end up cutting a large piece out of my cycling shoe I got so frustrated), 8 weeks later I rode a 160km community ride. Your body bounces back fast, especially it's endurance capabilities. Lessons learnt... wear appropriate shoes (not flip-flops) whilst scootering and cleaning sharp kitchen equipment it seems!

Nice one! Good luck with the comp... you look strong. How did you go with your bench and military press after you injured your arm? Looks like you've gained more upper body mass.

I've made squidgy seitan before... but to save it I cooked it in the pan as usual then I put the pieces in a 400degree oven for 10-12 mins. They dried up (probably too much) but they still tasted pretty good... even better cold the next day This was the recipe I used http://www.theppk.com/2010/11/doublebatch-chickpea-cutlets/ I assume I used too much liquid, so next time I will be more careful.

Far out girl! I don't even thin our leg press holds 9 plates per side! That is huuuuge! Great work

$1.80 per kg for organic in Cali, love it