KumaraMash

Yesterday was a very good day for me, food wise, and I was happy that I was eating healthy food and had no crap whatsoever. I was tempted a couple of times, but I am starting to get my mind into the space that I am aiming to compete in May and that I need to get m food and exercise sorted.

Yesterday (Tuesday) is as follows:

Breakfast

- Oats

- Raisins

- Shredded coconut

- Almonds

- Banana

- Soy milk

Morning Tea

- nothing, as was not hungry

Lunch

- Went out for lunch at a vegetarian/vegan cafe. Had scrambled tofu with wilted spinach, along with two slices of wholegrain gluten-free toast with mashed avocado on top.

Afternoon tea

- Nothing, as I was still full from lunch

Dinner

- Went to a Hare Krishna restaurant with friends. As expected, had the vegan options. I had dahl, potato and pea curry, salad, carrot and okra curry, and small round flat bread thing. I only got a small plate (as it was a buffet), and I was satisfied with the serving I had.

I also managed to drink 4 litres of water (yay!), and also had two cups of herbal tea. I walked about 4km yesterday, which isn't a lot, but was out and about socialising with friends.

I head back to Auckland tomorrow, so today is my last day on holiday. I've now read Robert's book on vegan bodybuilding three times since being on a holiday, and have also been re-reading Brendan Brazier's book as well. Along with my nutrition training, I should be back on track when I get back home.

I'm getting really excited about this phase of my life at the moment. I will be starting at med school at the end of February, and I like that I have a health and fitness goal to work towards while I am studying. I also find working out a good form of stress relief

This is a update for the past three days.

Saturday is as follows:

Breakfast

- Soy milk

- Almonds

- Banana

Morning Tea

- nothing, as did not feel hungry

Lunch

- Quinoa and Millet Crackers

- Hummus

- Vegan pate

- Almonds

- Raisins

Afternoon tea

- nothing, as did not feel hungry

Dinner

- Vegan sausage

- Quinoa and spinach salad

- Soy protein stuff on skewers

- Bean salad

Dessert

- Doughnut

I managed to drink 3 litres of water that day, and had one alcoholic beverage. I did one hour of yoga and walked 13.5km; burned about 690 calories. It was a fairly warm day as well.

Sunday is as follows:

Breakfast

- Spirulina smoothie made from spirulina, hemp protein, soy milk, and a juice

- Almonds

Morning tea

- Cupcake

Lunch

- Quinoa and spinach salad

- Avocado

- Beans

Afternoon tea

- Soy ice cream

Dinner

- Went out for dinner and had vegan laksa and a sago dessert

Drank 3 litres of water that day, along with a couple of glasses of herbal tea. No exercise, as was travelling to my next destination.

Today (Monday) is as follows:

Breakfast

- Oats

- Raisins

- Shredded coconut

- Banana

- Soy milk

Morning Tea

- Banana

Lunch

- Quinoa and Millet Crackers

- Vegan pate

- Almonds

- Raisins

Afternoon Tea:

- nothing, as was not hungry

Dinner

- Homemade Vietnamese fresh rolls made with: lettuce, carrot, beetroot, parsley, beetroot leaves, red onion, tofu, sesame seeds, and avocado. Dipping sauce was sweet chilli

Dessert

- Soy ice cream with berries

Drank 3 litres of water, along with 4 cups of green tea and a cup of herbal tea. Walked 3km today, so not that good.

I have about 3 to 4 days left of my holiday, but I am going to make a concerted effort to update this daily from now on and get some form of exercise fitted in daily whilst I am on holiday.

Feel like my eating is starting to sort itself out while I am on holiday.

Yesterday (Thursday) is as follows:

Breakfast

- Oats

- Raisins

- Shredded coconut

- Banana

- Soy milk

Morning tea

- Peach

- Almonds

Lunch

- Brown rice crackers

- Hummus

- Almonds

Afternoon tea

- Nothing

Dinner

- Smoothie comprised of the following: hemp protein, spirulina powder, banana, orange juice, soy milk

Evening snack

- quarter of a pack of Salt & Vinegar chips

I also enjoyed a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc witha friend that I had not seen for quite sometime. Exercise wise, only got in a 4km walk.

Today (Friday) is as follows

Breakfast

- Tofu scramble: tofu, silverbeet, onion, capsicum, tumeric

- Beans with a sauce made of tomatoes, mushrooms, and fresh herbs

- Homemade hash browns

Morning tea

- Raw chocolate thing a friend made from almonds, coconut, cocoa, and raisins

Lunch

- Almonds. I couldn't eat anything else as I didn't feel hungry

Dinner

- Broccoli sprinkled with soy sauce and shredded coconut

- Fresh corn

- Vegan schnitzel, made by Frys

- Garlic bread

Walked 8km today and it felt good.

I sometimes feel like a fraud doing this challenge whilst I am on holiday, but it is a good accountability thing for me. I am loving your mentorship Michelle, and will most definitely be back on track with what I have planned when I get back home in 6 days time

Yesterday and today have not been good diet wise, however, I have done a fair bit of cardio.

I know I shouldn't use the fact that I am on holiday as an excuse to eat food that is not going to help me towards my goal.

My food for Tuesday is as follows:

Breakfast

- Oats

- Raisins

- Shredded coconut

- Soy milk

Morning tea

- Peach

- Banana

Lunch

- Garlic bread

Afternoon tea

- nothing

Dinner

- Marinated tofu

- Sir fry veges

- Rice

Dessert

- Soy ice cream

- Chocolate sauce

- Chopped peanuts.

I went for a 2 and a half hour walk. Walked 13.5km in total and burned 694 calories. I use Endomondo Pro on my phone to work out distance and calories burnt. I also managed to drink 3 litres of water on Tuesday.

My food today wasn't that good

Breakfast

- 4 Weetbix

- Raisins

- Shredded coconut

- Soy milk

Morning tea

- Salt and vinegar chips

- Peach

Lunch

- Broad beans

- Peanuts

- Ginger beer

Afternoon tea

- Cupcake

Dinner

- Quinoa and millet crackers

- Hummus

- Avocado

- Popcorn

I walked a total of 10km today and burned 506 calories.

I use Cron-o-meter on my phone and on the web to track my calorie intake, but to also make sure that I am getting the right amount of nutrients. At the moment I am running a deficiency in calcium, some of the B vitamins, and Omega 3. My iron and zinc levels are fine, as some of the foods I eat are fortified.

It is summer here in NZ, and I find it strange that I am eating the amount of fresh fruit and veg that I normally do.

So what I did was go to a bulk food place that sells many of the the foods that I normally eat, today, and brought food that I can eat for the rest of my holiday that will ensure that I will now remain on track.

I also have to stay away from gluten, as I have gluten sensitivity. However, I have been in gluten overload and my body looks and feels quite puffy from water retention and my body's reaction to gluten. I don't feel well because of it and I wonder why I do things like this to myself, when I know it affects my body the way that it does.

Hi all,

So sorry to start my online journal early, but it is summer in New Zealand and I am currently on holiday.

At the moment my diet and training is not that good and I am starting to feel and see it in my body. The holiday that I am on is much needed for rest and relaxation.

I have a goal of competing in my first competition, sometime in May, and I thought doing this challenge would be good for me. I need the extra little bit of help and motivation to reach my goals.

My food today is as follows:

Breakfast

- Oats

- Raisins

- Shredded coconut

- Soy milk

Morning tea

- Cupcake

Lunch

- Hummus

- Quinoa and millet crackers

- Vege sausage

Afternoon Tea

- Cupcakes x2

- Salt and vinegar chips

- Peach

Dinner

- Vege protein satay stick/kebab things

- Stir fried veges

- Garlic bread

Also consumed four alcoholic drinks after dinner.

In terms of exercise, I managed to only walk about 3km. This is rather low for me, I walk 10 to 15 km most days.

I also help run at vegan outreach stall today in a small semi-rural town near the sea at a carnival/festival. We didn't do as well as we expected, in terms of shifting vegan cupcakes, but we did manage to talk and influence a couple of people to veganism.

And before I end this, I shall introduce myself. I am 27 years old and a mother to a very vibrant 3 year old vegan boy I will be starting med school at the end of February (our academic year is different to the northern hemisphere). I have been a vegan for 4 years now. I have been interested in bodybuilding training and competing for a number of years.

I would like to thank Robert and the team for accepting me as a participant, and I am looking forward to the mentorship from Michelle Risley.

Denise

Email sent

I am so looking forward to this!

I also love your book Robert, have read it and have taken notes.

This is such an awesome thing to do Robert

I'll definitely be signing up, as I need the extra help from a mentor as I start training for my first contest next year.

I haven't placed an order yet, but if you can let us know how much shipping is, that would be much appreciated

I was just reading an article today about Raechelle Chase, which is an IFBB Figure Pro (but she isn't vegan. She just competed in the Olympia and was the first female figure competitor from NZ to gain entry to it). She said her bodyfat is 8% on competition day, and stays between 10 to 12% in the off season. Obviously, figure girls are more shredded and have a bit more muscle than women competing in the bikini division.

For physique, a couple of former pros in NZ were about 3 to 4% on competition day, but like Raechelle, about 10% in the off season. As for menstruation, a former world champion (from NZ again!) has said she still menstruated when her body fat was at competition level (3 to 4%). So obviously the amount of lean mass also plays a part. Plus most bodybuilders consume fat in their diets, so the body at least has something to make the appropriate hormones from.

Robert, is this offer available to NZ residents? How much extra for shipping to NZ? If it is around the US$30 mark, I'll be able to afford due to favourable exchange rates at the moment.

For any NZers in the forum -

Ceres Organics have started selling Growing Naturals Raw Rice Protein Powder. It is pretty much the same as Sunwarrior (raw, sprouted, organic), minus the $90 per kg price for in NZ. Ceres charge $27.45 for a 459g bag, so it works out to be $49 per kg. Most soy protein powders are nearly $40 a kg, apart from Red8 Rice Protein Powder (which isn't raw, organic and very gritty) which is around $25 per kg.

The taste of the Growing Naturals is very nice, smooth with no grittiness. Mixes well. I've only tried original (which is flavourless) and vanilla (which tastes nice blended with frozen banana chunks for a high protein dessert) and will try chocolate next time.

I was considering buying Sunwarrior from iHerb, but when you take into consideration currency conversion rates and shipping, it works out at $60 to $70 per kg. If there is enough demand then Ceres will continue importing it.

You can currently get from the Ceres Wholefoods store in Ellerslie, Auckland or from Huckleberry Farms (so you should be able to order online if you live outside Auckland).

I don't work for Ceres or receive any financial contribution from them, but got quite excited when I saw them post about this on their Facebook page

Hi everyone,

I joined this forum in July (or was it August) of this year, wrote an introduction but it never got approved!

I'm 26 (will be 27 next month, and feels kinda scary I will be hitting my late 20s very soon), female, and a kiwi I've been vegan for nearly 4 years and it was the best decision I made for my conscience, animal welfare, environment, and my health. I also have a son, who is nearly 3, and he is also vegan.

I've decided to enter my first bodybuilding competition in May 2012, so gives me sufficient time to diet and train for it. I am aiming for something between figure and fitness model in terms of muscle definition and body fat. I have four federations to choose from, but am leaning towards NABBA for my first competition.

In terms of how I look, I'm 176cm tall and currently weigh between 63 to 64kg. My body fat percentage is currently at 20%. What would be a good weight and BF% to aim for?

I'm also have a blog, but I'm not sure if I am allowed to promote it in a signature.

D

I think I know who VeganResistance is now from the Auckland Vegan Fitness group on FB

The B12 injection that is subsidised by the Ministry of Health is vegan, just contains a crapola of synthetic preservatives.

In New Zealand, I use the Clinicians sublingual B12 (methylcobalamin). It costs $16 a bottle and lasts for 4 months. Only one drop a day, which contains 50mcg of B12.

Also, cyanocobalamin isn't the best form of B12 to have. A build up of cyanide from it when it metabolises can be a problem for some people, plus you need intrinsic factor to absorb it. The good thing with co-enzyme forms of B12 (like methylcobalamin) means you can absorb it more readily as it does not require the intrinsic factor.

As for the effectiveness of D2, a study from the Boston Medical School in 2008 showed it is just as effective as D2 and has the same toxicity as D3. If you do take a D2 supplement, do it when you are eating something fatty to help increase absorption. Humans have obviously evolved to obtain Vitamin D from plant/fungal sources as well when we migrated from the African savannah into cooler climates with greater variations of UV radiation during the year (this is just my theory).

I live in New Zealand, and normally buy non-GMO organic tofu from my local tofu shop (so it is fresh, so tastes better). If I am away somewhere, I then buy Tonzu organic tofu.

The fresher it is, the better it tastes.

Hi everyone,

I am wanting your opinions/advice on the Thrive diet by Brendan Brazier. I have just started training towards my first bodysculpting competition in May 2012 and have been researching what the best approach will be for me.

I've been vegan for 3 years now and eat a healthy, varied diet. However, I obviously need to step the game food wise. I've been reading conflicting information on how harsh a high protein diet is on the human body. Currently my macronutrient ratios are: Protein 20%, Carbs 50% and Fat 30%.

I did do Thrive for 2 months last year, and I felt absolutelty fantastic. I did primarily to help my body cope with doing night shifts at a hospital while I was studying midwifery. Now I want to do it full-time. I also like the high raw aspect of it.

As for my measurements, I am 176cm tall, weigh 64kg (well it varies between 61 to 64kg, depending which time of the month it is) and my bodyfat is at 20%. Plus I am female

Sorry if this post seems disjointed, but any general advice would be great (as a side note, I posted an introduction post on Saturday night and it still hasn't been approved!)

TIA