vegansludge

^ Your ability to eat that much is enviable. I thought I just did well killing a can of black beans, half of a huge onion, a tomato, two whole wheat rolls, and a banana.

Buying local is more important to me as, for the most part, buying locally generally means buying organically since small producers don't tend to use poor agricultural practices - they just won't have the organic label because there are a lot of hoops to jump through for them to obtain it. That said, this isn't a viable option all the time so, if there isn't a local option, I always opt for the organic version. Ideally, I'd grow my own food but I live in an apartment so that's a bit difficult currently.

I have a pretty nice array of simple, go-to meals that I rotate on the regular. I also still loosely follow IF because it works best for me so amounts of each item varies based on how I feel at that meal. Sometimes it's 2 cups of oatmeal in my first meal with less CHO during the second; sometimes I save up my CHO intake, aside from Pre- and Post-WO, for a big dessert; sometimes I combine dessert and my post-work out meal; if I'm off work and have time to eat more often, IF falls to the wayside. Basically, as long as I hit my protein and get CHO before/after working out, I'm not that strict about everything else, especially since I once was one of "those people" who believed in clean/dirty foods. A typical day goes something like this: Meal 1 Black coffee Kamut puffs/oatmeal Soy milk Banana/pumpkin puree Berries Scoop of protein powder Nut butter PWO Scoop of protein powder Scoop of pure protein Soy milk Meal 2 TVP/Seitan Lentils/beans Rice/pasta Tons of vegetables Nuts/seeds with dried fruit Dessert Whatever fits into my macros.

Definitely will try this as I always neglect incorporating pasta into my diet. I tend to favor potatoes and oats for my carb sources. I do love me some baked beans, though.

Like divamom said, it varies depending on your size, build, daily maintenance needs, etc. as you need to lift heavy, eat over your maintenance calories for the day, and get 1g of protein for your LBM (if not more).

Your log and progress was a huge inspiration not only to register here but to work towards getting stronger and putting on mass. Congrats on the transformation, mate.

Not to call you out, but this statement is not true because it's all about calories in/calories out. What you eat determines how much of it you can eat. For example, there's a big difference between eating a ton of spinach and eating a ton of nuts because of how many calories they contain respectively. That said, I agree that it's really all about hitting your protein needs and then figuring out what works best for your body. Some people do better with high fat/low carb because of the satiety factor and the opposite is true. Just remember that your mental health is just as important as your physical health. So, take the time to find out what works best for you - mentally and physically - before you commit to setting your macro-intake as it really is able calories in/calories out so, other than hitting your protein, you could really divide the rest up however satisfies you and keeps you happy.

Thanks a lot! I might do that once I get my calories/macros set and re-work my split if I'm not too sure about some things.

I feel you - I just relocated and am now working two jobs. And while one of them is at a grocery store (at Whole Foods, nonetheless) it's still hard for me to plan my meals and because I'm strapped for cash and always on-the-go. I've been seriously slacking on making sure I'm eating big and hitting my protein-need but I plan on changing that as soon as I get paid this Friday. Luckily, that'll also be the last session I'll be testing 1RMs so I can jump right in on Monday. From then on it's Eat Big, Sleep Big, Get Big.' To prepare for that, I plan on making a massive PWO shepherd's pie with sweet potatoes for the top layer instead of those boring old regular ones. Quick question: I know you don't count your macros but whereabouts do you think your fat-intake is? Unless there's a lot in the fake chicken/meats, I assume you get most of it from just the 2TB PB and the eggs?

I just cycle different proteins - currently using rice then I'll probably switch to pea for a bit. After that I think I'm going to buy a thing of Vega for the first time since I'll have a steady income for the first time in a long time (and I finally used one of the 1-time-use packs the other day and, I have to say, it is definitely the best tasting powder I've had to date).

That's how you know you're doing it right! I'm hoping this slow bulk I'm embarking on does me well this winter/early spring and I'll use the spring and beginning of summer to trim down. Though, I've been slacking on eating enough the last few days - definitely need to do something about that. Pizza might be the answer.

I noticed that to, there's no love for the sweet potatoes. I know sweet ones have more fiber, but I'm not sure if one has more calories/carbs than the other which is important if you're trying to bulk. After a quick google search, according to NutritionData.com, a 5" sweet potato has less carbohydrates than a 4" red potato and a 4" russet - though, I'm not sure how accurate that site is. Personally, I prefer the sweet potato version of everything - sweet potato fries and mashed potatoes > regular fries and mashed potatoes. Not sure why they aren't getting more love around here.

Voted! Most definitely a great photo.

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread and for this response! I've been seriously considering getting my certification but haven't had as much time to look into going about it the best way since starting my new job.

veggiesasquatch - When you upped calories and portion sizes did you track your macronutrient intake? To answer your question about cheap vegan food, are you talking about replacer products or specific kinds of foods? Because fake meats and things like that will always cost more than whole foods. As someone else who is always strapped for cash, I tend to stock up on the following: beans (black, kidney, chick, lima, pinto), peas, lentils, peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, seeds, broccoli, spinach, whole grain breads/pastas, oatmeal, and potatoes.

Yeah, I definitely had to do some tweaking to get it just right and I definitely have a 3-400 calorie difference on rest/work days but I don't always adhere to that. Once you know what you do need, though, life gets a lot easier.

It's really all about your personal goals and ethics. For me, I eat whole foods 90% of the time and then choose what processed foods I eat based upon the company producing them and their dedication to environmentalism/sustainability. However, that's just me and it's always about what you, as an individual, want to get out of what you eat - if you're only concerned with the aesthetic repercussions of your diet, you could eat only processed foods and, as long as you stay within your caloric/macronutrient needs, see good results even if other aspects of your health decline. If you want good all-around health, though, I'd say moderation is the key since physical appearance is not the only marker of health.

The Katch McArdle formula is pretty accurate (if you know your bodyfat%): BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM) Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100 And then multiple that number by the following: 1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and desk job) 1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week) 1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week) 1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week) 1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job) (note: make sure you're not just considering work outs but also your lifestyle) If you don't know your BF%, there's always this: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/ MyFitnessPal is also pretty helpful and relatively accurate.

I think my first question is what do you mean by "good results"? And my second question, which ties into that, is what are your goals? Are you looking to get leaner, put on mass, curb cravings, etc.?

Other than seeing a difference on the scale, how's the difference in the mirror? While it's impossible that you put on 10lbs of lean body mass, I bet you can attribute at least some of that weight gain to building muscle and some of it might be water retention because those Amy's entrees have a ton of sodium in them. Also, this is going to seem relatively creepy but ... do you post on theb9?

Another alternative, if you can find it, would beHarmonized Vegan Protein. I try and stay away from soy and it's the powder I can get around here with the most bang for my buck. I'd also be interested to know if anyone's had success grinding their own powder, though, because that would be ideal.