AlexNLP

I like his ideas and I think he's definitively a good advocate for a healthier eating.

Most of his ideas work for me. I do eat starchy foods but also mix it up with legumes, some raw veggies, fruits and nuts,seeds, tofu. I am just hungry every 1-2 hours if I don't eat complex carbs.

You guys should remember his advice is for a starch based Diet, and not starch only.

As far as I saw he isn't saying you should eat only starch.

His standard plan might be less compatible for somebody that has no muscles mass whatsoever. And wanna pack on some mass. Most people will probably need more Protein when training for muscles mass. I've tested this on myself. I couldn't gain much with 50g-60g protein.

It's understandable everybody think they are right and I respect that. But I can't agree with many ideas that people call "the best".

I am for once can't agree with raw only or fruitarians. Too much fiber from fruits or veggies makes my stomach unhappy. I can't really call eating only loads of bananas, mangoes and a few more fruits as balanced Diet. Or drinking mostly green or vegetable shakes etc...

For me it's unbalanced almost as your typical western animal based Diet.

if you don't want to eat green leafy vegetables for iron try hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower. all have iron. quinoa is also good for iron

I already eat these and much more(we don't seem to have here hemp seeds though). As I said my Diet pretty much balanced that's why it seems weird.

I know that I do get a lot of fiber. I'd say even too much. I've been Vegan for a year now.

I did build myself a balanced and junk free Diet. It does contain cooked and raw foods.

I avoid eating fruits like one hour before and after a meal.

But for the last couple weeks I've been feeling bloated. And like my stomach just gets irritated too much.

I did a blood test lately. And it seems I am a bit on the lower end of hemoglobin and ferritin levels.

Although I really don't like taking anything that was made in lab. I decided to take Iron supplement for couple months just to balance the Iron levels.

Since I do eat lots of Vegan foods that are rich in Iron. I really thought my Iron levels should be ok.

So it makes me wonder maybe all that fiber interfere with the Iron absorption.

Also I try not to eat Iron rich foods with calcium rich foods. Not that it's always possible as as some Vegan foods have both.

And I eat foods that have Vitamin C with Iron rich foods.

I don't see how else I can get more Iron from my nutrition without taking it in a form of supplement.

I am wondering if I am missing something?

What's your WHY? Why do you workout? What's the result you wanna achieve? what will it give you once you achieved it? How will you know that you achieved your big goal?

After you come up with answers for these questions. You should build yourself some smaller specific goals, that will support the big WHY.

Just to add to what Richard and Robert said.

Do you know the difference between perfection and excellence?

Perfection = That is when nothing is good enough, it comes from lack of self appreciation.

It strives for something that can never be achieved. And it takes every temporary stumble as negative.

Excellence = That's when you understand that your true competition is only with yourself. That is when you learn to appreciate yourself for the things you do. And from that strong place strive to get even better.

That is when you learn from the things that didn't work for you. That is when you are no longer see things that didn't work as failures.

It's a bit commercial but I really like it how they put it in that video. And I think it says it all.

Hi Emma,

 

 

I like Alex's advice above, and I'm taking it to heart as well. Maybe I'll post it in my house so I see it everyday.

 

Do it! and let it serve you as a daily reminder. That's what I teach the people I work with, and that's what I do for myself. My house is full of these written reminders in different strategic places.

Many people find reasons why not. I say find enough reasons why YES.

Many people get caught up in reading too much theoretical stuff. There is no need for so much theoretical stuff for taking consistent daily action.

Processed or far from its natural form = JUNK.

If a product has some nutrition in it doesn't mean it's healthy.

clean tofu/soy can be ok to add to your plan. But I wouldn't eat it 3 times a day that's for sure.

Balance it with some clean Whole foods.

Hi and welcome again.

Advices are pretty much useless without action.

- Ask yourself what's your big Why that gonna help you follow thru this time. Even when challenges arise and even when usual daily excuses arise.

- Make a true decision and commit to the outcome that you want. A true decision is when you cut any other possibility.

- Remember that greatness is built by small daily action.

Make it happen...

Hi and Welcome,

If you are looking for a study that will give you some absolute truth you won't find any. You can get info from different places but at the end the decision is yours.

There isn't even such thing an absolute truth. There are so many studies that contradict each other.

Science already came to the conclusion that all studies are affected by the beliefs of the researcher.

Since this is basically a healthy vegan forum -- does anybody think they have a healthy eating obsession. I'm guessing the majority of people posting and reading this forum understand what is in the foods and how certain foods, toxins, sweeteners, preservatives or process foods could lead to future health problems or unhealthy weight gain.

 

Ever since I became a vegan, I read a bunch of books, watched a bunch of videos, and read a bunch of articles which lead to an obsessive healthy eating pattern. I wouldn't think it is a bad thing but find it hard to explain to friends and family why I wont eat a bunch of foods. It can take control of your life being too healthy when it comes to healthy foods for vegans

The question that needs to be asked is whether you control your Diet or does it control you.

Many people can't distinguish between a Diet choice and cult like behaviors.

I'm all good after the nap. But it's 1- 2 hour nap and cutting my day shorter.

 

Two hours sounds more like making up for a lack of sleep than just enjoying a quick, post-workout refresher. Do you feel like you get a good night's sleep? Some people sleep in chunks like that instead of just once during the night, so it's all good. If you feel comfortable with it then it's working for you.

 

Baby Herc

I thought maybe I don't sleep well. But I sleep around 8-9 hours. On the other hand I am having a hard time with building my Business.

Alos I think it's about time I do that B12 test as I don't take a supplement.

I've taken naps and rests here and there after my workouts all my life. It's called listening to your body and giving it what it needs. There's a tradition among 14ner baggers (people who hike the 14,000' mountains in Colorado) of taking a nap on the summit. When you get to the top, it's not uncommon to see a lot of "dead bodies" lying around, their packs off, their sunglasses on, and the remains of their lunch strewn at their feet. It's kinda fun waking up from a deep, short sleep on a rocky peak in the middle of nowhere, looking around and asking yourself, "How the hell did I get up HERE?"

 

If all you need to get your energy back after a killer lifting session is a short snooze, consider yourself lucky. If you are still tired after your nap, then yeah, it's a nutrition thing and you would do well to make some adjustments. My personal routine is to lift, munch protein, snooze, wake up, eat some fruit, and then dive into the next phase of the day. By the by, naps can be ten minutes or an hour, don't let anyone tell you that twenty minutes is the only legal "nap." Let your body take what it needs and learn from that. It will be different each day.

 

Zzzzzzzzzzz.

 

Baby Herc

I'm all good after the nap. But it's 1- 2 hour nap and cutting my day shorter.

Lately I've been lifting heavier and I am getting super sleepy like 2-3 hours after a workout.

I thought maybe the meal after the workout is too big. I am trying to break and eat even smaller meals.

But I am not sure that's the issue. Today for example I just had to take a nap. When I was doing more cardio and low weight training this never happened. Also I sleep at least 8-9 hours. Maybe I am missing something in my nutrition?

It doesn't look like I have a problem with Gluten.

But I was actually thinking of trying it. Maybe it could help me burn that last fat I have to expose a six pack.

Question is how do you get enough Calories/Protein. I already don't eat any junk food, not too much Tofu and I don't use Protein supplements. If I cut the Gluten aswell that's seems to narrow the stuff I can eat even more. Also it seems like it will take even more time for preparing the food.

I haven't used protein powder in years, and don't intend to go back to it. Building lean muscle takes time. Even world class IFBB pro's using steroids take more than a decade of training to get to the mr. Olympia stage, Dorian Yates and Jay Cutler both come to mind. They were both big dudes active in bodybuilding that spent more than a decade training before they won.

 

I know not everyone agrees with the 80-10-10 diet, but I've had pretty good success with a high carb (900+g's), low fat (50-60 g's) and moderate protein (less than 100 g's) per day.

I actually tried many combinations including 80-10-10. I can say it didn't really help me build muscles or totally expose abs.

It's only when I raised the amount of nuts and seeds I eat, and started to eat some Tofu. I was able to build at least some Muscles mass.

Also too much Fruits and crazy amounts of fiber from raw veggies just wasn't so friendly for my stomach.

I really don't understand how Frutarists do it.

I am really not into body building, I am mostly doing endurance stuff. But I've been trying to build some muscle mass for the last 8 months. It shouldn't take me years to build that small amounts of muscles and expose six pack.

I eat all of these and more, beans, rice, oats, nuts, seeds, potatoes, veggies, some tofu and more.

Maybe I don't get enough Calories or it's something in the training routines. I'll test it thanks.

I completely agree, I know it has been hard for me to just ignore the negative slur especially from people who have diabetes and obesity it just blows my mind, and i never try and force something on anyone but it has gotten to the point where I dont see why I should try and explain to people the benefits of being this way because clearly they dont understand the main reason why I am a vegan. I LOVE ANIMALS!

sigh

but you make great points and I think eventually Ill learn to ignore the haters and Embrace the interested.

It's a process and it takes some time. The first step is to be aware of your reactions when people trying to criticize. Once you don't give it fire it just goes away. Ignorance is their problem It doesn't have to be yours.

I can say that it really helped me to understand that I don't have to justify or explain my food choices to anybody. Other people's opinions are not even relevant once you live constantly by your own values.

I didn't see anybody asking fat people why they stuff themselves at MacDonalds or eat cookies all day long. It doesn't happen since being fat, lazy and pharmacy dependent became a norm.

I won't even waste my time explaining to somebody that just looking to criticize or reassure his own Negativity.

Most People are only open to hearing something new when something is really bad for them and doesn't work anymore. And only then when they are willing and open enough, I would educate them about a Vegan Diet so they can choose by themselves.

The secret is to change your response to people not to try and force somebody else to change.

Ye, I know everyone wants to be right. That is the human nature. But the fact is you can't force people to change. If somebody doesn't want to change he won't! You can try and prepare the best arguments and you can even argue everyday and win many arguments. But even if you win arguments people are not gonna change cause of that. It can actually create more fire if you trying to prove that somebody else is wrong.

I am Vegan only for a year but started eating healthier/no junk food couple years back. And even then people used to criticize. When people see something different they are starting to criticize that is just like that.

I mean I get sick people, fat people, lazy people, no fitness whatsoever people, mentally, physically, spiritually broken people, family that criticize me for my healthy Diet, for me not having extra fat...

So what I don't go by anybody's standards. Why would you wanna go by ignorant people's standards?

If they become really pushy I tell them "I don't measure myself by anybody's else standards but my own".

Why would I wanna feel bad cause they are trying to infest me with their beliefs that they probably got from the media, TV, Commercials or some other cr4p. All this criticism comes from what people were told, many are just brainwashed.

It is not restricted to Vegans. I've learnt over the years to be proud of doing different stuff than everybody else. And I am not talking only about my Diet. Why would I wanna be a copy of somebody else?

I think the secret is to be really proud of yourself and do your thing. Those who have a view beyond the social conditioning will get inspired.

I've been busy so didn't have the time to post here lately.

I am training regularly though. I've been testing this for some time.

I am a total health freak so I don't really like using any supplements. I eat mostly whole foods, Veggies, Fruits, nuts, seeds and some tofu.

I've gained some muscle mass and some fat with it. My goal is to gain some more and burn the little stomach fat I have left. I've been raising the weight I lift all the time, and eating more. I don't really count Calories everyday now, I mostly go by an instinct. It seems like I am stuck at some level now, where my muscle mass is just the same and I can't seem to finally expose a six pack. I am starting to think it is really hard without using at least some Protein powder to give me more protein without the extra carbs.

I don't think that raw Diet is for everybody. I know that it's actually works for some people. Personally for me it is not a complete Diet. I do eat lots of raw but also cooked whole foods(not industrial junk). I like complex carbs else I just have to eat like every hour. Also too much fruits and too much fiber can actually cause the bloating you are talking about.

Noted. Thanks for your help guys. So backing off seems to be the key. I am coming from cycling where you can jump from 20 to 200miles within a a few months... but it's low impact so injury isn't such an issue. I'm eager

 

My aim was to complete a 5km race but i'll aim to do it at the end of the year and give myself a bit more time.

 

I will look into the minimalist shoes also, as I have said previously when running barefoot I actually felt a lot better, no aches and pains.

 

The best thing about running... you can do it anywhere! I have been travelling a lot and you can't drag a bike with you everywhere.

Ye, the impact when running is totally different compared to cycling. Also different muscles are used. And when running on hard surfaces it takes them a good amount of time to really adapt. But it's better to take it slow when training for your first race so you can do many more in the future. Simple fact is that our legs had millions of years of evolution. They are much better in absorbing the impact than any shoe created in the last couple years. It's better to improve technique and muscles over wasting time with orthodics and cushioning shoes that actually can make your muscles weaker.

Thanks guys. Yea I started with the run/walk thing... it's been about five weeks. But yea once I could run for 10mins I did bump it up pretty quickly.

 

I was hoping that in time the Achilles would get stronger/longer as you mentioned. I have had two days off and it feels back to normal again, so perhaps i'll go back to 8mins run/ 5mins walk or something like that for a few more weeks.

 

I put a small insole in my shoes today and went for a walk and they feel a lot better with a small amount of arch support. I am definitely mid-foot striking but feel as though i'm landing on the outside of my right foot (it doesn't roll in and pronate like it should)

 

I remember a few years back when I was running a bit I did a 60min barefoot run on the beach in the hard sand. I was mid-foot striking (and could feel the perfect contact with the ground and my foot) and those runs left me with zero pain!

 

Where do you do your bare-foot running? I'm no-where near a beach now... maybe using something like vibrams as a complement to shoes?

It may take couple months for muscles to get longer and stronger. Do NOT bump your distance so fast.

When I started running I earned myself a long injury that kept me from running a whole year. You don't want this to happen. Sometimes you can feel ok but you are hitting your muscles pretty hard and it may create an injury. I agree with ForwardConcern Raising your distance 10% is a good way to go.

Barefoot running can be great but remember to do it very gradually. Before going Barefoot you can try transition minimalist shoes. To name a few good minimalist shoes, Altra, Merrell trail glove, Saucony Hattori, Mizuno Wave Universe 3, Saucony Shay XC2. Some of them are Zero Drop maybe that's what you need.

Here is a good guide for minimalist shoes: http://www.runblogger.com/2010/07/runbloggers-guide-to-minimalist-running.html

I have started running in the last 4-5 weeks and get a niggling pain in my right ankle (on the outside of my achilles)

 

I did the wet feet test dipping my feet in water and standing on some paper and my right foot has a very very high arch. I feel when i run that i'm landing on the outside of my foot and it's not rolling inward as it should, hence the pain.

 

Does anyone know a solution for this? Over time will the muscles accommodate, get stronger and get less sore? I am trying to land more on the ball of my foot, but over a 30min run I lose focus on this and tend to go back to my usual running style.

 

I have correct shoes for supinators, although they don't have much arch support at all. Maybe an insole or orthodic would help?

 

Otherwise I'll go see a podiatrist I suppose. Thanks for your help

That's a typical pain that many beginners have. It takes time for Achilles muscles to get longer.

You should build your running more gradually and let your legs adapt! Believe me it's better to be patient than create an injury that can last for a long time.

30 minutes running that's quite a lot for somebody that isn't used to running regularly.

My advice would be to rest for couple days till you are pain free. And then start with shorter runs and increase gradually.

You said you are trying to land on the ball of your foot. Are you trying to do Forefoot Running ?

If so you can find info about Forefoot techniques like Pose and Chi Running.

It takes time till a new running technique becomes automatic just keep doing it. That's another reason to do shorter runs. Also it's better to have minimalist shoes for Forefoot Running cause they are much lighter and don't have that big heel.

How many Calories to you get daily?

Do you workout ?

What's your goal? Just gain weight ?

You are probably not getting enough Calories and you just need to eat more.

After 5 weeks of no workouts waiting for my rib to rebuild I am back!

Did an easy run yesterday. And 40 minutes weight workout today pain free. Seems I lost some strength and endurance. But I don't care it feels so great to be able to train again !