Bonn1997

Well I see that many fruits are higher in calories than veggies and are low in GI index (which I think means they're slow-digesting and provide long-term energy). I assumed fruit carbs were faster digesting because they were sugary.

I think the OP meant they have been a vegan for the past 4 years, not since 4 years of age.

I have arthtritis in both knees and have read about the benefits of both gluten-free and grain-free diets. I'm trying to figure out how to get enough slow-digesting, complex, non-inflammatory carbs without eating any grains but I'm stuck. I've been looking at http://nutritiondata.self.com/ I see some that are only mildly inflammatory like green peas and a few kinds of beans (pinto, black). I realize many vegetables are anti-inflammatory like broccoli and spinach but they tend to be quite low in calories. I'd have to eat 50 or 100 servings of these per day just to get an adequate number of carbs. I'd appreciate advice on what to eat. Thanks!

I think 80/10/10 refers to % of calories from carbs/protein/fat Welcome and good luck, OP!

Welcome! Is that you in your avatar? You look amazing!

Yeah that was my reaction too!

Welcome and good luck! Any time I see the word "bikini" and it is not accompanied by pictures, I am disappointed!

Just wondering - How do you judge progress without a before picture?! OP: Welcome and good luck!

Are these statistical facts ? I don't know if you can generalize. At least here, I actually see many that do it for Ethical reasons. But they are still stuck in their old beliefs regarding what's healthy and what not. Or they don't care about making their Nutrition healthy enough. They just remove animal products and eat Vegan junk. Without including enough replacements or eating healthy Vegan Diet. So it makes them blame Vegan nutrition and sometimes break or go back to an "easier" Vegetarian Diet. I don't know if what you've said is right or not but it doesn't seem relevant. If someone is a vegan solely for animal rights/welfare reasons and, hypothetically, they stick to their vegan diet by eating a lot of vegan junk food, then they are still achieving their goals (helping animals).

Just in the sense that it makes it taste better but is less good for you Ah well i prefer it steamed. Although i do enjoy the healthy lifestyle, it was not the main reason i chose to become Vegan. Oh it wasn't my primary or even secondary reason! Anyway, eating steamed broccoli is still very good for you.

Do you have it plain and raw or do you cheat? If the former, it's hard to imagine it being a favorite food. Well for myself i steam the broccoli. But how is this cheating? Just in the sense that it makes it taste better but is less good for you

Do you have it plain and raw or do you cheat? If the former, it's hard to imagine it being a favorite food.

It's an identity level change. Another example for that would be smoking. Couple years ago I used to smoke, today I wouldn't touch that crap. When you have a certain self image in your head it will make your behavior match that self image. I stopped eating junk food and stuff like pizza 2 years before even discovering Vegan Nutrition. The switch for me was much easier than many ethical Vegans I saw. Mainly cause I believe I just did some more replacements to a more healthier Diet. I don't believe in moderation when it comes to stuff that I think they are junk for my body. Western science can't see the whole process that creates bad health before something happens. But the process is there. So I don't need to wait for something to happen. I believe in prevention and I refuse to put in my system any foods that I think to be far from natural and human body friendly. So it's very simple when you make a perception switch of that kind. There are some stuff that I used to eat and I don't even see them as food anymore. I used to drink bottle of coke everyday. Today coke is no more than a bottle of poison for me. We learn to eat certain foods and avoid others so we can unlearn it. Fair enough. I do see what you're saying.

Welcome. What are your goals?

Well how's everything going? You didn't reply to any of us. I'm interested in your case because it looks like the sky is the limit in terms of your ability to add muscle.

Interesting. I've never really understood how someone could do it just for health because I think it would be so easy to make exceptions. Your health isn't really going to deteriorate if you have a slice of pepperoni pizza once a month for example. I'm not trying to criticize health vegans; it's just a rationale that's hard for me to fathom.

This. I take pride in the soreness! You shouldn't be in pain, though, or serious discomfort.

This is my view too. I was curious about the composition of the forum here though.

What's the biggest motivator of your vegan diet? Please select one choice.

Thanks for the sweet information! I actually think supplements are fine, but to completely depend on them for your nutrients is foolish. Right now I take CGT-10, Amino Acids, L-Arginine, any on sale pre-workout (or green tea), and occasionally I add a bottle of T-Bomb II. I just looked up Quinoa and seeing that made me think that I might try to add it as a breakfast meal. As far as the Kale, I might occasionally use it as a substitute for my broccoli. The only Vega I know of is from Street Fighter...Is it a supplement company, and do they have a website? Glad to see another fan. Spirited Away is still my favorite! I really like them all, but Princesse Mononoke is probably my favorite. Although, Spirited Away is the film that got me hooked. As far as I know Seitan is soy free (being it is baiscally boiled wheat gluten remains). I did some research (very limited), but I figure that with a massive intake of cruciferous vegetables any negitives from bad estrogen will mostly be eliminated. I feel like the gavel hasn't slammed down a sentence regarding the issue and that it is still undecided about the whole soy estrogen issue. Anyway, thanks for the precautionary hint. Seitan isn't soy-based; tofu is. I have no firm conclusions personally about the effects of soy on hormone levels, but if there's anything higher than a 0% chance of negative effects, I'd rather just have something else. A lot of my protein comes from beans (especially pinto and garbanzo because I like how they taste), vegetables, seeds (sunflower, hemp, and pumpkin), nuts (cashews & almonds), and grains (whole wheat and quinoa).

Welcome! You look great and it's nice to have you in the veg community. RE: Your diet: That's a huge amount of seitan! Although there's no consensus in the scientific community, you may want to read about soy and testosterone before adding tofu to your diet.

Yeah that's 5g of some combination of Creatine Monohydrate, Creatine Alpha-Ketoglutarate, and Creatine MagnaPower (not just monohydrate). By "bloating," I mean that I feel full, have gas, and feel constipated even though I do poop. I figure those symptoms mean that the monohydrate is not good for my body. I think I'll give that product a try though.

Thanks; these are great tips. Do you know what percentage of the creatine in CGT is monohydrate? Monohydrate seems to have by far the most research support as a muscle builder but it's also the form that gives me bloating.

A little update: 1 - My lifts have gone up although I was hoping to see more of a visible difference by now. 2 - I've decided that I should start eating cruciferous vegetables. I feel like an idiot for neglecting them but I've never loved how they tasted. I did eat a lot of green beans and corn but rarely got cruciferous vegetables. I'm going to eat broccoli, spinach, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts daily. 3 - I went to a store and got arch supports and seem much better balanced. I've just started wearing them and I really hope they help with my knees. The store salesperson showed me by gently pushing me that I am much better balanced with than without the arch supports. I have a very mild arch support that I wear 24/7 and a bigger one that I'm gradually wearing more and more of in order to get used to it. I know some argue that arch supports weaken your foot muscles. But these are highly flexible arch supports that are supposed to still make your feet work while you walk rather than doing the work for your feet. I'm going to do some arch exercises too, though.

Good luck. I can tell you have a lot of muscle under that fat.