stcalico

Wow, is that your website!? It looks like you will have lots to share with us too. Welcome.

Hmm, could be. Generally, the only month it is warm enough for me to wear shorts here is July. I was born in the wrong country for sure. I do have vitamin D in the house and now that you mention it, I did take one last week .. not since then, but if I start feeling 'off' again, I think I will test that theory. Thanks!

If you find it hard to eat more, you can always add protein shakes - drinking calories is easier than eating them. You can mix in a banana and flax seeds with your shake. Or try other fruits or nuts or oatmeal. That will add lots of calories. The Clif Builder bars may be good to include on occasion too - by themselves, not in a shake.. tho that might be good too. Definitely 1100 calories is not enough. I eat more than 1800 each day and I'm 116 lbs and (because of injury) not working out too hard lately.

Hello. Thanks for the intro. I'm newish here too, but I like giving advice... hahah, so I've been posting a little. I'm recovering from a shoulder injury too. Taking waaay longer than I thought it would (a few months already), but I've still been doing lower body workouts. I guess that is why you should not work through the pain. p.s. You can always add someone to your 'foe' list and you will not longer see their posts. Welcome.

I like/agree with what Richard says too. (There is no like button here).

I've only been doing this for 3 weeks myself... but I've researched enough that I definitely believe with proper planning you can get adequate protein for bodybuilding. The meat and supplement industries will have you believe otherwise. But marketing is not equal to facts. The protein myth is a result of marketing as much as the milk myth. You would expect anyone with a brain could fathom that all humans should be fully weaned by 2 years of age - none of us needs milk as an adult. And particularly we don't need milk from another species. But the commercials convince us otherwise. Marketers are excellent at their job and most people I've met are fully brainwashed. If you plan to be a lazyass vegan who eats popcorn and cherry licorice all day, you won't have a lot of success but it sounds to me like your wife has your back and will look after you. To stay on track you will be forced to eat healthy.. which imo is a good thing. You will need to have some form of grains & legumes or soy product each day to ensure you are getting complete proteins. Protein shakes/smoothies I'm sure are good to include if you have concerns. I've read you want a mix of pea and rice protein to make it a complete protein - I can't remember the split for them so you'll have to look that up. I think Vega includes both anyway. At the beginning you may want to log your nutrient and protein intake to make sure you are on the right track and aren't sabotaging yourself. Personally I enjoy a challenge and I'm in it to show it can be done. Grr. Well, right after my rotator cuff is better anyway. Nope.. no gas, but I was vegetarian before, so probably my body is already accustomed to those foods (beans, lentils). Ask me for my 9 bean soup recipe when you are ready for it. Definitely give it a go and I hope you have great success with it.

Hi and welcome. I imagine it would be harder being vegan in a farming community... I feel like a loner myself and I live in a big city. I used to say that not one of my friends or coworkers is even vegetarian, but one of my coworkers told me that after our xmas party he decided to make the switch after talking to me. I now wonder what the heck I said since I don't consider myself very influential. haha. Great work doing the rescue. You mention the animals are not small.. so I'm assuming they are farm animals? I used to foster for small dog and cat rescues for a few years. I have a dog and cat of my own now, so stopped doing that.

Hi Nicholas. Great that you are having some success so far. Looking forward to seeing you progress. I just tried Vega One .. not sure if it made by same place, but I thought it tastes not too bad.

I'm not an expert - but looking at your diet, I would guess you need to add some fruit (vitamin c) to help with iron absorption (altho wine may help with this too). You could easily add fruit to a protein shake. Also you may want to throw some flax and chia seeds into your shakes for omega 3. I think the clif bars are not so healthy (and they are super expensive) .. they are an easy protein snack so I can see the appeal but I would limit it to one a day. Assuming you are taking b12 too. Once your diet is in order to support your training, make sure you are not overtraining. I didn't really understand all the numbers you posted but someone mentioned you are working out more than once a day .. more is not always better and too much can actually slow down your results.

If you are just beginning, try focusing on compound rather than isolation exercises. Here is an article that explains it better than I can (http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark55.htm). I'm not a big fan of fruit either (only bananas for breakfast), but I buy frozen ones and am happy to make a proteins shake with them. That works for me and frozen tends to be cheaper than fresh. I've never tried six meals a day.. but I will often have nut for snacks in between meals .. they are filling and easy to carry. As long as I pack raw nuts (not roasted and salted), I never overeat on them. You can always just eat half of one meal at each sitting... though I imagine your cereal could get quite soggy while it sits.

Hey Ryan. Welcome. Looking forward to your 'baking secrets' under the recipes topic. Kidding really... I'm weak, so healthy stuff only please.

I've found since I've been eating vegan (healthy vegan lots of fiber) I feel very satiated... no big snack cravings anymore. So I think if you can give up the junk food and start exercising then you should be well on your way. I read somewhere if you want something you find a way, and if you don't you will find an excuse.. I put that quote where I see it and it motivates me to go to the gym even if I don't feel like it. I find it quite motivational too when people tell me I 'can't' do something. lol. Welcome!

Thanks for the replies! I only felt tired for a couple weeks and now I'm feeling better. Could not tell you if either of these is the reason (it may have just went away on its own) but the 2 thing I changed were: 1) I was taking a 'b complex' - I switched that for a specific sublingual b12. 2) Had a few 'green monsters' with flax and chia seeds Again, I don't know if those had an effect, but I'm just throwing it out there in case anyone has same and wants to give it a try. I really only gave up cheese.. I was already a soy milk convert and eggs have always kinda grossed me out (slimy or rubbery). Still I had cheese every day and I've seen several online articles or forum conversations mentioning dairy withdrawal symptoms which were very similar to what I went through (headache first week, and hard time sleeping and feeling tired for couple weeks after). I won't quote sources, since the url's were not necessarily 'professional' type sites so not sure of their validity - Still, it was interesting information to consider. I would like to try tempeh and I think I read about seitan? which sounds intriguing too ... I'm not usually very adventurous when it comes to food, but this vegan thing is sure forcing me. lol. I don't mind tho .. I've promised to try everything 3 times before I consider omitting it. Even that kale I said I don't like.. I've been mixing a little into my smoothies or pasta. Again, thanks for replying.

Hello. Welcome. Yup, weight loss is part of the 'whole' picture of bodybuilding so you are in good company. I don't consider myself a bodybuilder either really.. I just like being strong, healthy, and lifting weights. Hope you find the resources you need here.

Squirrelly bread in Canada.

I am feeling less exhausted this week so all is good. I've been having fun trying new foods and have a couple new favourite recipes.

Welcome Sarah, Glad you are starting your journey to a healthier, happier you. I'm curious about your tattoos.

Oh She Glows: http://ohsheglows.com/recipes/ Honestly I haven't tried any of her recipes yet tho ... I'm still collecting new and interesting ingredients that I never knew existed.. like kale and nutritional yeast and steel cut oats etc. Her website was definitely inspirational on my decision to go Vegan. Her vegan cooking looks amazing... I wish she would invite me over to taste test with her.

Hi Caroline, I'm new here too and approaching my mid 40's. Vegetarian 10 years, and recently decided to commit to vegan. I ate out yesterday - Mexican - bean and rice burrito with salsa and guac... so good! I've read that decreasing estrogen later in life makes it is !much! harder to keep weight off. And less estrogen also means any weight gain will directed to the middle section (whereas with estrogen it goes to hip area). Yup, girls have all the fun. ;D Anyway.. welcome. Hope you find the motivation and role models you are looking for here.

Sorry .. I don't know history. But have you looked into massage therapist of ART chiropractor? You may want an assessment before you give up.

I understand what you are saying - there probably is a bit of a 'stigma' to the word - some people automatically think granola, hippy, peta protester, not-like-me person. But then again, vegan is a 'way of life' whereas plant-based diet refers only to eating habits and does not necessarily mean one is vegan. I'm new to veganism, and once I'm firmly grounded in it, I hope to proudly announce to others that I am vegan. They can judge if they want - there are no witch burnings anymore so I won't worry about judgments too much. It says more about them than it does about me and anyone who judges me negatively based on a vegan lifestyle .. pretty sure I didn't want their friendship. That being said, not sure I'm ready for a vegan t-shirt yet. lol.

I'm starting 3rd week vegan. Going vegetarian was super-easy for me but my adjustment to vegan is not going as smoothly. I don't miss any foods, but so far I am feeling tired all the time. Anyone else experience this at the start? If so, wondering what did you do to resolve? True, I am eating less calories and losing a bit of weight, but I've been on weight-loss diets before and never felt tired from them and indeed felt pretty good while dieting. I have done some research and wondering if iodine supplementation might help.. After seeing an article (http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein#lys) that suggests how much lysine need and how much each food contains I'm now concerned about my protein intake. Other than b12 I was NOT expecting to need supplements. But looking more into it, I'm worried I may need b12, calcium, iron, iodine, lysine, zinc, omega 3. And it appears it is not enough to just take these, but I'll need the right kinds and to make sure I'm not getting too much and not too little. Is it really that complicated? Is there no quick multi that I can take? It is hard to imagine eating to be such a huge chore. I think other than not eating much fruit, my diet is fairly healthy. (stirfrys, wraps, veggies, rice, beans, pasta, potatoes, nuts, soups, granola, x-milk, grapefruit juice). ie. pretty much same stuff I ate before just minus the cheese. Tofu, mushrooms, kale or seaweed are a big bleh for me. But if you have any other suggestions or tweaks you think I can try, please reply. 'Specially if you had similar symptom of tiredness and were able to fix. Thanks!\Tracie

Thanks much for the welcome Rob. Yes, very simple.. I'm going to google macronutrients and micronutrients now... lol. (jk). I'll refrain from posting my questions on nutrition here and will instead put them under nutrition topic. Cheers. Tracie

Thanks for the welcome Karen. I don't mind losing a few pounds.. hopefully not too many tho.. don't wanna look sickly. lol.

Hi Sara, I'm new to veganism, but based on my research, there are tons of types of beans and lentil and rice which are super cheap and excellent sources of protein. Buy bulk and it is even cheaper (they keep well). The internet has tons of creative ways to cook them - one of my new favs is corn, black beans and rice (tho I often use Quinoa which is more expensive and not likely available for you). I often will mix chili and rice together (especially if I have left over rice) . Or I will use lentils and barley in a soup. Peanut butter is one of my staples.. I have it with breakfast several times a week. Sometimes you can get nuts in bulk for cheap too and they are easy to put in a snack bag and carry in your purse. If you are wanting to bulk up then the fat content shouldn't be a huge concern. I eat tons of nuts and I'm not fat yet - I should be huge if the nutritionists are telling the truth about their calories, but I'm not. With those and the protein powder you are getting, that should be more than enough protein for a female. Here is a link that might help too: http://www.livestrong.com/slideshow/556369-the-21-best-muscle-building-foods-for-vegetarians/?utm_source=articlebottom&utm_medium=1#slide-16 p.s. .. don't get discouraged because of the mindset where you live. You gotta do what you think is right. I go to Crossfit and they mock vegetarians, but screw them and their paelo, I'm going vegan now. Cheers, Tracie ------------------------------------------------------------------------ “Cowardice asks the question, ‘Is it safe?’ Expediency asks the question, ‘Is it polite?’ Vanity asks the question, ‘Is it popular?’ But conscience asks the question, ‘Is it right?’ And there comes a point when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor polite, nor popular, but one must take it because one’s conscience tells him or her that it is right.” Martin Luther King --------------------------------------------------------------------------------