stcalico

What a great intro. I'm so glad you are inspired here and ready to do what you wanted to do all along. It is sometimes hard to find the right people to support you and your goals so it is great you found this group. There is also a group on facebook.. crossFit vegans & vegetarians... so far it seems like a really good, helpful bunch of people too. Meat is really expensive compared to rice, beans, lentils, tofu etc so you will save money in that respect. You may be able to afford the protein powders... I buy them, but I only use half the suggested serving size in my shakes so it actually goes a really long way .. and you save some calories. I'm not that big, so I feel like I don't need the full amount anyway and I only have them a few times a week. You will need to buy b12 tho... that one's not really optional I don't think. What other supplements were you thinking you needed?

I'd recommend crossfit type training... they do Olympic lifts (for strength building) and also do a lot of cardio type interval training (for cardio/endurance). Of course based on my experience, be careful with the lifts - I hurt my shoulder lifting too heavy, and being out of it sure doesn't make you stronger.

I'd recommend crossfit type training... they do Olympic lifts (for strength building) and also do a lot of cardio type interval training (for cardio/endurance). Of course based on my experience, be careful with the lifts - I hurt my shoulder lifting too heavy, and being out of it sure doesn't make you stronger.

Seattle is definitely on my list of places I want to visit sometime soon, so I will check out that place.. hopefully this summer. Thanks!

Cool I did not know about the Armstrong place. I will watch for their Harvest Events ... they hold them all in places I usually visit or drive though at least once a year. Don't know what $500 worth of nuts looks like (their minimum wholesale order), but pretty sure I can't eat that much... maybe I could start a business tho.. hahah. Or perhaps everybody I know is getting nuts for Christmas. I did look at nuts.com. Still a bit pricey.. but I did learn that cashew pieces are cheaper than whole ones. Good to know. Good luck with your job hunt Dylan. Hope you end up working somewhere you love!

I've been using avocado on things that I used to have cheese on (like sandwiches and wraps). It has a nice consistency imo, and although it is not cheese, it is a pretty good (and healthy) substitute. I used cashew cream in place of cheese in cauliflower soup recently and it was awesome. Look at some of the recipe sites suggested here.. some of those recipes will make your mouth water and you will soon find new favorite foods.. . I know I have already. I've kinda given up on pizza (it was one of my favs too), but if you find something that works, let me know.

Veganism is not the plant-based diet which based on your musings here you appear to think it is. People following a plant-based diet are doing that out of ego - their choices are about what is good for them and their health. A person following a plant based diet may use some 'vegan' justifications for their diet - but more often a person on a plant-based diet will easily switch back to eating meat if they felt it would do them good or do them no harm. True, some plant based eaters do eventually switch to vegan. Veganism is not ego-based. It is on the other side of the morality scale and leans toward altruism. (ego=concern for self, altruism=concern for others). I'm not saying ego is bad, but nor is altruism. For survival of a species there needs to be a balance and they both are part of our experience here on earth. Veganism is a philosophy and a value system about minimizing harm to other beings. Vegans are against the exploitation of non-human animals for human-animal pleasure and gain. Vegans can feel the physical and emotional pain of the animal when they see or hear people talking about eating animals (otherwise known as empathy). It has been proven that many species feel empathy. Personally, even if you told me that I would die at an earlier age from being vegan, I would still think it is worth it since my life would STILL be a million times better than the animals who suffer through horrendous living conditions, are inflicted with a short life of degradation, abuse and torture, which is then topped off with slaughter. Would you go to a 'peaceful parenting' site and discuss how you spank your own children and wash out their mouths with soap when they swear? And if you did, would you really expect a favorable response? Feel free to ask questions to satisfy your curiousity here, but I would hope that in your discussions you are respectful of the values on this vegan forum. I think based on what you are looking for you may be do better consulting a vegetarian rather than vegan site. Though you should be aware that vegetarians are against eating fish (ie. they are against killing animals for food). ------------------------------------------------------- "To create suffering without recognizing it - this is the essence of unconscious living; this is being totally in the grip of the ego." Elkhart Tolle

Thanks. I actually don't normally pay too much attention.. maybe just a little on my breaks. I don't expect to lift anywhere near as much as most men do ... but you gotta wonder when your legs are weaker than someone's arms don't ya. lol. Tho, now that I think about it, doing a squat, I'm also lifting my own weight - not just the bar. Curious.. do you have a spotter when you try 1 rep max? I don't work out with anyone so I'm always scared I will hurt myself going too heavy or taking it one rep too far. I think that might hold my progress back some. That last rep I usually end up going... nah let's not risk it.

Try switching to brown rice or wild rice. It is complex carbohydrate and should give less of a spike. Also as soon as you hull the rice you lose minerals like iron and a little of the protein value of the rice.

nuts, granola, and dried fruit pack well, are nutrient dense, and are not necessarily expensive.

Umm I did a 135 squat today 4x. The guy in the rack beside me was benching same. So I felt ridiculous. sigh. so... did you make your 500 (way back in 2005)?

Is there any way I can lose fat .. just not from my boobs? lol. I wish. Your body has a preferred place to store fat (depending on genetics and sex) so I don't think there is too much you can do about it. I read once that yo-yo dieting may be bad since your body is inclined to store fat in certain places and then let go of it from there last... making any fat distribution problems more exaggerated. Of course I've read other articles that dispute this idea too. Nevertheless I've had that imprinted so you'll probably never convince me to try out 'bulking' .. just in case. I read another article that suggested keeping the parts you want to lose fat hot - like with a heating pad. Something about increased blood flow to that area. That one I didn't get on board with. Probably about as effective as drinking cold water to lose weight. I found one article for you... I made my judgment already, but you gotta make your own judgements ... http://www.drclay.com/2011/03/spot-reduction-possible/

Not sure what the point of the dead bird in your video is.

I'm in BC, Canada, and I don't know if this is the only place that Cashews are like the price of diamonds, but I'm just wondering if there is a good place to get them in bulk. I get mine at Costco but even there is expensive. I've seen all these recipes that I'm dying to try out that have blended cashews but I cringe and clutch my purse tightly when the recipe asks for a cup or two of them. On a side note, in my cashew quest I just read that a couple handfuls of cashews a day has the equivalent antidepressant effect of prescription dose of prozac. lol. How cool is that.

Hmm.. maybe easier to just do cardio in the a.m. after you fasted all night.

I'd find a different place to get your supplements. Then go back later and show them how wrong they were. I thought this site was pretty good on vegan nutrition: http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein And if you have specific questions about it, you can always ask here. Welcome and good luck ...

I've never tried giving up gluten... but saw this on Livestrong site: Physical Removing gluten from your diet may, in some cases, cause physical symptoms such as diarrhea, cramping and nausea Psychological Typical withdrawal effects may include anger, depression and brain fog. As many as 70 percent of people experience these types of symptoms when withdrawing from gluten... Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/489566-gluten-withdrawal/#ixzz1tsCh95ha

I love Squamish! Mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, windsurfing, kite boarding, kayaking, skiing... it's all there, definitely the dream. I wanted to live there and actually could have landed a good job there - but I gave it up for guy... doh. Welcome to the group. Looking forward to seeing your input.

What province/territory in Canada are you in? Sorry to hear about your injuries. That can be discouraging. But good for you for pushing forward - Sometimes you gotta make the best with what you got & focus on working toward something better. Remember to set realistic goals for yourself.. slow steady progress is best. Personally I would give up after a week too if I only did stationery bike - I need a bit more variety to keep me interested. If you are concerned that you will give up again after a few weeks, you might want to sign up for a class or something. That could be a different type of motivation than you've given yourself in the past.. ie. financial commitment and social outing. Depending on your physical limitations, some instructors will give you modified exercises etc. so at least ask before you cross things off your list of possibilities. Welcome. And like Kareno says.. Happy New Year. I'm actually on the second year of my New Year's resolution to get fit... I've had a setback with a shoulder injury, but am doing my physio exercises and lower body workouts still.

That sounds tough, but probably people who don't eat gluten are healthier in the end than the rest of us. If you haven't already done so, you may want to consult a doctor just to make sure it is not celiacs disease.

I like your blog and I already have bookmarked. Saw it mentioned on Facebook- CrossFit Vegans and Vegetarians. Looks like you have a good blog with some good info started here. Thanks!

You can look these up yourself to verify, but in my own 'vegan research' I've read that testosterone levels will decrease if you over train. And I've also read that omega 3 is crucial in your diet for testosterone production. Just some other things to consider.

Hello Leo, Sounds like you have the same reasons and motivations as me. Welcome and hope to see you around here.

Oops, never mind about the name.. I just saw it on the caption. Charlotte. I like it. I like the spider Charlotte too.

Hi Amelia, How long till your black belt testing? ie. how long will you be training before you have to 'blow them away'? Cute bunny rabbit ... what's his/her name?