Raynak

You look great, amazing progression!

Hier nog eentje vanuit Nederland! Daar had ik nog nooit van gehoord, van die vegansportweek, klinkt leuk. Ga vaak zat op vakantie naar Italië of Oostenrijk, dus dat ga ik zeker in de gaten houden. En als er wat georganiseerd wordt in België/Nederland qua meeting hoor ik het graag!

I often use avocado's in my shakes, and this gives it a silky, smooth texture much like a standard dairy milkshake. For me, just a 1/4 to 1/2 of an avocado is enough to give it the right texture.

I would definitely not risk it, since I have heard/read many times that bb atheletes say they retain water after going to the sauna right before their contest.

I actually had my first artichoke hearts this evening in a restaurant with a buffet. I saw them, thought of this thread and just had to try them They were really good.

Thanks for the recipe, sounds great.

Sounds good, might try this soon and then probably with some sort of curry with even more coconutmilk

Those look amazing! Just curious, how do you eat your artichokes? Because I've been wanting to try them out, but I have no idea in what kind of dish/recipe they would taste good.

Me too, a few times I've even eaten so much carrots in one sitting that I got muscle soarness in my jaw muscles afterwards 'cause they were so hard/crunchy Do you but these or make them yourself? If you make them yourself, what do you put in them?

Agreed, it doesn't matter at which exact time you'll reach it. It's amazing that you've come this far already, that you kept it up, and that you are still going strong. You should be super proud of yourself!

Good luck with the 100-lbs-lost milestone, that's a huge accomplishment!

Oeh, those look great, and very easy to make, with very few ingredients. I'll definitely try them soon.

Great that it's going so well with the cravings, your weights, your health ánd your sports. I've gone vegan very recently, and chocolate was one of my 'concerns' too I usually had 1 cheat/junk meal a week, and for the last year it was almost always some chocolate bar. So I just went to 6 different stores, read aaaaall the labels and found a few nice vegan options. I bought 2 different kinds (one with marzipan and one with hazelnuts ) a few weeks ago, to have something vegan ready in case I would get a huge snack-craving , but they're still in my cupboard, waiting...

Nice, he is indeed very inspirational and an amazing example of a very healthy, succesfull vegan athlete. Can't wait to read his book.

Great progression! Especially in only a few months. Looks like you lost only fat and really hardly no muscle at all, if any. Good job, you look great.

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely look into cashew 'cheese'. Just bought a foodprocessor, so can't wait to try it. Do you maybe have the recipe your mom uses?

That really sucks about the tan And not having any great pictures of yourself on stage, that must be a real disappointment... But you look really great! Maybe just try and use this as a motivation to look even more amazing at your next show, and try to get a friend to bring a good camera and take lots and lots of pictures of you on (and off) stage, so you have some great pics of your contest shape.

'Vegan Spring Cleaning', I like that

@ Dylan: I'd never even thought of hemp seeds before I started reading about vegan diets/foods But they're on my wish list to try out soon. And unfortunately Daiya cheese (or any other vegan cheese) I've not been able to find yet around where I live I use the lemons to make my own sauces and dressings, I never eat them on their own.

What foods do you eat every day/week, and are always in your shopping cart/fridge/pantry? Just ‘cause I’m curious to see what you all eat and also for some inspiration on products I might not have thought about, since I’ve only recently became vegan. This is my list (I’ve added some products to categories which I know are not botanically correct, but who cares ): Shit load of veggies: favorites are broccoli, kale, spinach, endive/escarole, haricot verts, bamboo, bell peppers (all colors), celery, zucchini/courgette, eggplant/aubergine, tomatoes. Shitload of fruits: favorites are bananas, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, avocado, oranges, pears, apples, grapes, kiwi fruit, lemons. Mushrooms: champignon/common mushroom, chestnut mushroom, shiitake mushroom, Portobello mushroom. Nuts: walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, macadamia’s, hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pine nuts, peanuts. Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin, sesame. Nut butters: mostly peanut- and almond butter, sometimes cashew butter (delicious but very expensive). Grains: Quinoa, oats, brown rice, muesli (unsweetened barley, oat, wheat, and rye flakes). Legumes: favorites are chickpeas/garbanzo beans, green beans, black beans, kidney beans, lima beans, soy beans, brown and green lentils, green peas, sugar snaps/snap peas. Dried fruits: raisins/sultana’s, dates, cranberries, apricots, apples, prunes/plums, figs, peaches, mango’s. Vegan ‘milks’: Almond, rice, oat, soy and coconut milk. Tofu, tempeh, seitan. Flaxseed Wheat bran Unsweetened coco powder Shredded coconut Sun dried tomatoes Extra virgin olive oil, walnut oil Soy sauce Looking forward to seeing what you all eat every day/week!

Thanks for all the suggestions! I absolutely love avocado also, but I don't think my tastebuds will 'accept' it as a worthy substitute for cheese on something like a pizza Yeah, i already have loads and loads of new recipes I want to try out. And if i find anything that works for the pizza, I'll let you know.

How did it go with the whole-food-challenge? Did you find it hard to stick to it? I'm really curious to hear what your experiences where, expecially during contest prep. I don't think I could ever go without my protein powders or a little tofu/tempeh Good luck with the last stretch before your competition!

Just wanted to let you all know that since I opened this topic, I haven't eaten any animal (by)products and it's been going great. I'm loving my new diet and I'm really feeling confident that I'll be able to keep it up. Only things I'll really 'have' to look for are vegan versions of my favorite snack-type foods, like pizza, cheese and chocolate. Where I live there are basically no vegan options available but I'll just keep searching. I also started reading 'Vegan for Life' (great info). And in 1-2 days my 'Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness' book will be delivered. Can't wait to start reading that as well!

Maybe it's an obvious suggestion, but I forgot to add that upping the amount of fiber for me also works great for keeping a 'full' sensation for a longer period of time. Let us know how it goes, if you've found anything that works.

The thing that really makes a difference for me in the amount of hunger I feel, and how fast I get hungry again after a meal, is protein. Now matter how much carbs, fat or kcal there is in my meal, I'm always hungry again too soon That is, unless I eat a sufficient amount of protein each meal. For me the source of the protein doesn't really matter. How much protein is enough for you to not get hungry again so soon, you'd just have to try, but for me about 20-25 g per meal works.