No-excuses

I agree with TheGray! Unless you are overweight, I would build nice lean muscle and utilize this time.

Hey there everyone! I haven't been on this forum is such a long time, but it seems my kids are older and I finally have some time again! My name is Jen and I've been vegan for 7.5 years now. My whole family is too. What do you all think of drinking vodka and seltzer while leaning out??? I'm trying to lean out a bit more for summer and my one vice is an occassional vodka and seltzer along with something sweet. Will this really kill my progress!? I'd love to hear anything more on the subject!

Ok, I'm back. Took forever between everyone in our family being sick and me caregiving! Today: Workout: Cardio intervals for 45 min/abs Bfast: Vega Sport Perf. protein mixed in water with 1 banana Snack: Vega "" Lunch: seitan stew with veggies Snack: same Dinner: black bean and zucchini tacos with vegan "cheese", vegan brownie from health shop

Lately, I've been having a few!! BF: Vega Sport protein with water, orange Snack (postworkout: " " Lunch: veggie and hummus wrap Snack: Vega sp. protein mixed in water, vegan cookie Dinner: 1/2 yam, lots of kale, and 1 Morning star veg burger WORKOUT: Back - 3 exercises of 4 x 12reps 15 min intervals on spin bike 15 min. intervals on elliptical My low back is really bothering me today, so I took it easier than I'd like. Did some rehab exercises for it and my shoulders, which have also been strangely bothering me! How about you guys?

SYNNY667, Thanks for the kind words! I appreciate it I was beating myself up a bit. Today: BF: Vega sport protein mixed in water, banana (post workout) SNack: Vega, strawberries Lunch: veggie wrap with hummus Snack: Vega sport protein mixed in water Dinner: Vega sport protein in water, green beans, brussel sprouts with a lil olive oil, and red potatoes roasted in O. oil and rosemary Workout for today: Back : 4 sets of pulls down, close grip: 4 x 15 reps Back: Bent over rows, reverse grip: 4 x 10 Bent over single arm rows: 2 x 15, 2 x 10 This took about 30 min. Cardio: 40 minutes: Every 3 minutes, go super high intensity for 1 minute. Repeat for 40 minutes.

What I ate today: BFast: Vega Sport Protein mixed in water, banana Snack: 1/2 vegan protein bar Lunch: Spring mix with vinegar and oil, 1 Morning star vegan patty Snack: skipped today, Dinner: Too much Vegan "quesidilla", veggie burger on white bread, yam fries..just bad. I ate too much because I skipped my mid-afternoon meal and we had friends over for "take out" dinner. Between my 2 daughters running around and trying to hold a conversation, I was just inhaling food. This was a high calorie dinner. On top of that, today was a rest day! What do you guys do to make up for a poor eating day? Do you do extra cardio/workout?

Hey Everyone! I am so happy to be back, had some login trouble and didn't get it resolved till now!! So here's the diet for today... BF: Vega Sport Protein with water, 1 rice cake unsalted Snack: (postworkout) Vegan " (usually I have a banana also, but today was crazy) Lunch: green leafy salad with vinegar and oil, 1 veggie burger Snack: Amy's bean burrito Dinner: 3 bean soup with pasta and tomato type broth Today was not stellar in the eating department, I need to clean things up a bit more. My goal is put on a bit more muscle in the next two months,then lean out like a bad ass! haha. Any thoughts on this process would be appreciated as always. Todays workout was legs.

Day 3, Week 1 Breakfast: jarrow protein mixed with water, plain oats made in water with 1tsp of agave nectar Snack: Vega sport protein, 1 C blueberries (post workout) Lunch: Brown rice (1/2 c) 2 Morning star "vegan patties, ketchup Snack: Vega sport protein mixed in water Dinner: eggplant cutlets-4..too many , broccolinni sauteed in olive oil and garlic, vegan pita chips - too many! 2 servings Cardio Today, low intensity/steady state: on the elliptical for 50 minutes. Incline at a 10, resistance at a 7. No lifting today.

Day2, Week 1 Breakfast: vega sport protein, 1 C blueberries (postworkout) Snack: oatmeal and apple slices made in water, seitan plain Lunch: Tofu and broccoli chinese style with brown rice Snack: Vegan sport protein Dinner: Seitan, 1/2 C wild rice, cauliflower "mash" Supplements: b12, multi, calcium Workout: Back: 3 exercises. 4 sets of 12 for each exercise - 30 min. Cardio: 30 min. of hard intervals running, increases speed each minute, then a 1 min. recovery. Total workout time: 1 hour Any comments are always welcome!

What I ate today: Breakfast: 2 scoops jarrow protein, 1 serving of plain oatmeal with water Snack: Vega Protein Shake, 1 cup blueberries Lunch: Seitan with tomato sauce, 1/2 cup brown rice with "carrot/veggie" homemade "Gravy Snack: Cliff Bar, "vegan" Dinner: 1 Morning star "vegan" burger (the new kind), brussel sprouts sauteed in olive oil and garlic, mashed cauliflower with olive oil and garlic, a lil vegan "butter". Cals: 1,477 Protein: 118g Carb: 161g Fat: 48g P/C/F: 29/42/29% My workout: Biceps and Triceps: 4 sets of 12 reps exercises. 3 exercises per muscle group. Cardio: Walking uphill at 8%incline for 30 minutes (low intensity today) Total exercise: 1 hr, 30 min lifting, 30 min. cardio. Any thoughts?? My goal is to put on a lil muscle b4 leaning out. I am 5'1.5'' and weight 120lbs. I am 5-10lbs too much on this frame and the farthest I have ever been to being lean. I struggle the most with my vegan diet and understanding how to lean out on it. While on meat, I never struggled. I am 31years old and have been vegan for 1.5 years. Thanks everyone in advance for any advice! -Jen

Haha! I know the deal. I am going hard core "clean" on Monday. I will still need lots of support to lean out properly. It used to be so easy when using meat, so that is my challenge, get ripped without the help of meat. I have been unable to achieve those results or even close since going vegan. Today: Breakfast: Vega sport protein in water, plain oats with water Snack: Vega "", 1 plain rice cake, unsalted Lunch: Veggie fajita wrapped in 2 wheat tortillas, guacamole (3 TBSP) Snack: 2 Xmas cookies (yes, I know and one vega sport protein shake in water Dinner: Seitan, mashed parsnips and potatoe (1/2 cup), brussel sprouts in olive oil and garlic I rely heavily on Vega for lack of what else to do that;s not too starchy. My goals are to gain muscle for the next 4-6 weeks. Will post workout later, along with bf% Current stats: Female Weight: 118lbs 5' 1.5''

Hello All, So I have been vegan for about 1.5 years. I love the lifestyle, but still struggle with how to properly balance my diet. My physical gains have slowed dramatically since my crossover and I cannot figure out what the deal is! Ok, part of it is that I bake too often! (Vegan of course) So here's what I ate today (i'm being honest about the X-mas cookie splurge) Breakfast: Vega sport performance protein with water, 1 cup blueberries Snack(post-workout): Vegan sport protein with water, 1 rice cake, unsalted Lunch: Seitan and carrot souffle. 2 Xmas cookies Snack: vega sport perf. protein with water, 1 xmas cookie Dinner: Brussel sprouts sauteed in olive oil and garlic, seitan, and vegan "stuffing". 1 more Xmas cookie! I realize that I have totally splurged with cookies this time of year. I have never been so sloppy with my diet as I have in the last year I am ready to clean it up and need some support! Thanks for any verbal beatings!

where do you get the black bean spagetti? That sounds awesome! I wish I could find more lower sodium options vegan also..

Hey, I know what you're going through. I am female, 116 lbs and 5'1'' Couple questions.. Do you currently weight lift or do cardio? If you do, what do you currently do? Do you have access to a gym or will you be working out at home? What is your preferred form of exercise? As for eating, what is a typical day of eating like for you now? I will check this again soon or u can pm or email me.. - Jen

Thanks everyone. I would like to put some muscle on, but since it's summertime, I'd like to just focus on leaning out a bit. Get rid of the fat and "see" whatever muscle is left over. Since going vegan, my bodyfat is the highest it's ever been. At 116pounds, I am 20% bf. I am still adjusting to the diet over the first year so I realize I'll get it. When you say get more protein, my issue is that I seem to always get more carbs in the process. That is not ideal for leaning out. Any suggestions? I'm trying to follow what the RD had suggest to start out in the first year which is: 1,500-1,600 cals 90g - protein 190 g- carb 50g - fat P/C/F is 20/50/30 I thought the carbs were kinda high and protein was low, but she said people are too hung up on protein and it matters less with a vegan diet. (I have 2 admit, I always got the best results with high protein) Sounds like you all agree too! Ok, I'll wait 2 hear what you suggest. And thank you so much 4 responding. I came here so I wouldn't be so alone in this process. Jen

Anemia was ruled out, yes. I will ask when I call Tuesday about the CBC..they said it was a very thorough workup. I have never felt this way before, so it's a bit scary. I will probably have more bloodwork once I explain my symptoms. Just curious, does anyone know how to get more vegan sources of amino acids? I noticed I feel extremely bad the day after a tough lifting workout. Jen

Wow, thanks for the information. There's seems to be more to the story lately... I have been suffering from extreme exhaustion. I have also been feeling light headed and shaky. Nothing in my diet has changed and this has come on mostly in the last month or so. A few months ago I started to notice more fatigue as my workouts have gotten more aggressive. It seems the WORST after I lift. I cannot function the next day, my whole body cannot recover. Any thoughts? What recovery foods/supplements may be advisable? I have been vegan for about a year, the first 6 months sloppily and the last 6 months eating more whole foods, no processed vegan stuff. If anyone has any advice, I'm begging for it. I have been feeling desperate enough to try consuming some meat (eww) just to see if it's diet related or not. I will also post this in the nutrition section. Jen

I'd love to hear also from anyone who knows...

So you are both saying keep the calories the same and get rid of some carbohydrate? Then replace carbs with either protein or fat depending on what I respond better to. I am extremely tired lately, not sure what's going on. Any reason why this might be? Life is not any more stressful or different than usual. Keep thinking I'm not getting enough of something. I'm running in a 5K race tonight, then I will ditch some carbohydrates from my current program. Will try to get some progress pics soon..

Hello, I'm new here. I'm been vegan for about a year. Still struggling with getting the same "leanness" and results with the new way of eating. I put a sample of what I ate today. Could anyone give me some pointers? My goal is to be leaner than I currently am (around 20% bf) Here are my current stats: 5' 2 117 pounds 20% bodyfat Breakfast: brown rice protein shake, banana Snack: Brown rice protein shake, scoop of greens first, nectarine Lunch: grilled veggies on whole wheat pita with a dash of shoyu, guacamole Snack: 1/2 oz. almonds, 7 triscuits Dinner: tofu "cutlet", veganaise dipping sauce, green beans sauteed in olive oil, wild rice Cals: 1,685 Protein: 78 grams Carb: 209.6 g Fat: 65.5 g P/C/F: 18/48/34 Ok, so I can certainly see that my protein intake is too low. Please help. I would like to shed some bodyfat. I put fruit back in since I became so exhausted in the last few days, not sure why. Thanks in advance!

Favorite meal: Veggie fajitas with guacamole. I use green squash, carrots, red pepper, and a lil garlic. I roast em all in bulk. Everyday at lunch I put a big spooful in a wheat tortilla cook until a little crispy and dip in guacamole...it's heaven

Hummus is like a blended chickpea spread. It's delicious and you can get it in different flavors. Where are you located? You can look up some tasty recipes on Foodnetwork.com and make your own substitutions to veganize them. I love to do this. It keeps my meals interesting when I get bored. Do you have access to seitan? It's high in protein and fun to cook with also. I agree that you need calorie dense foods. The only way to know what they are is to try different foods and input them into fitday. Over time you will learn what tends to have more calories. Keep your head up! You will get this and over time feel fantastic. Take it one day at a time

Hey All, I'm a little concerned. I had a routine physical this week and my EKG came back questionable, my Vitamin D levels were low enough that the Dr. prescribed that I get supplements (1,000mg/day) and more sunlight, AND my white blood cell count was low. I have yet to do some research and look into what this all means so I'm not in a panic. I was told that the Dr. thinks it was a mechanical error as far as the EKG. But I've never had anything abnormal in bloodwork, especially a vitamin deficiency. Everyone who knows me would be quick to blame my vegan diet. I am a healthy 115 pound female with 2 kids (3 and 1). I am 31 years young and quite fit. Any information would be appreciated on this subject. Thanks!! Jen

Hey, I'm new here too and psyched. Been vegan for about a year, hard core the last 6 months (worked out all the kinks!) I'm in NJ. I will look 4 u on the boards Jen

OMG! You crack me up!! Everything looks pretty good so far...and you have time. LMK if you do it! Yea, you're eating is a little crazy! haha. Do you eat frequently? I eat every 2-3 hours for sure. Can't survive if I don't.