stcalico

Hello Morris and welcome aboard. I'm the only one in my household who is vegan too.. I think a lot of us are in the same boat. So although you are alone, you're not really alone. I've incorporated small changes for my spouse that he can handle.. like spinach smoothies (with banana and berries so he doesn't get scared away).

Gary Yourofsky did it for me too... particularly the video he showed of the dairy operation.

I thought Colin T. Campbell's book Whole was better than China Study. Makes you look at health and science very differently. I took that book out of the library and read it 3 times actually. So if you are looking for your next book to read you might like that one.

Discovering new recipes that you love and crave really makes it easier so don't be afraid to experiment with your cooking/eating. You might even show your wife some 'veganized' southern recipes... if she likes to cook she may be convinced to give them a go. That being said... be careful because there is a lot of vegan food that is not at all healthy. I'm sure that is not the route you are looking to go.

For best results, make sure you follow recommendations on VeganHealth.

Cycling may work for you.. if leaning over the handle bars bothers your back .. there are different bike options. Some stationary bikes definitely come in a more seated upright position. Agree with esquinchi.. pool exercises may work.

There is inline skating which would be less jarring than running.. but it comes with falling risk so may not be palatable to you.

Diet is far far more important than exercise in keeping off or losing weight so maybe while you are in recovery phase you could focus a bit on exercise, but more on learning about and incorporating good nutrition .. Fuhrman, Esselstyn and Mcdougall are good sources and all have books out and websites.

Sounds like that was quite a nasty fall.

I'm really liking McDougall plan so far.. it is whole food, plant based with no added sugar or oil. Never feell hungry on it. You do have to give up everything processed. But eliminating processed food is just good sense imo... it is unnatural with so many nutrients removed that it leaves you feeling hungry for more. Great for marketing/sales, but not so great for the body.

On McDougall I eat about 1800 calories per day and weigh in at 113 .. down 2 pounds since I started McDougall 1 month ago... not much but slow and steady is best and I don't aim to lose more than 3 more lbs. The hardest part for me was giving up alcohol.. but haven't had a beer in a month now and it's summer!

Your meals look not too bad to me. You may want to add some veggies to your rice or tofu... if you don't like chopping, you can always buy the frozen bags of mixed veggies and dump some in. Try to get in some citrus too... either half orange in your a.m. smoothie, or a little lemon juice in your rice dish. These small changes will add very few calories but lots of nutrients to your plan.

What supplements are you taking and how often? Is it possible you are missing something in your diet? Are you following recommendations from VeganHealth?

2 things I would change if I were you:

1) Give up the shake before bed... they are full of sugar, are processed and definitely not a health food, despite their marketing. You will gain fat weight if you are eating too many calories. The beans, rice and nuts you are eating have enough protein (if the rice is whole grain, not white). Hopefully you are also including lots of greens in your diet for iron and calcium needs.

2) Run AFTER your workout.. not before. You need gylcogen stores to lift heavy and make muscle gains. Running will deplete those stores and make your lifting routine rather useless... you won't have the fuel or energy left to focus on the heavier weights that you should be.

Here is a sweet potato recipe for you. A little heavy on the maple syrup imo.. so you may want to cut back on that. It is reminiscent of muffins with a crumb topping.

http://www.cookingquinoa.net/sweet-potato-casserole-with-crumbly-quinoa-topping

I've had it with this salad and goes well together:

http://www.marthastewart.com/315398/kale-slaw-with-peanut-dressing

You are doing great! Don't sweat it.. the longer you are in the easier it gets - you find more and more foods to fall in love with. Just keep far away from the process stuff and you'll do well.

btw... no offense taken earlier. I was just sort of laughing at the 'dark side'. (insert evil laugh here).

Thanks for the update.

Great progress! omg I've never had a deep fried snickers. Probably never will.

Everybody is different. I will only eat carbs within an hour before a workout (or I feel sick), and any other time I just eat when I'm hungry. That works for me.

There are different opinions too depending if your goal is weight gain or weight loss.

B12. Calcium if you don't eat at least 3 cups of greens per day or fortified 'milk'. And for me personally, I started to add iodized salt. I never cut out salt, but after I had issues, I realized I was not getting anywhere near enough iodine. I could buy an iodine supp... but 1/4 tsp of salt's easy too.

Best source isher e

Welcome to the forum Greg. Weight training will help you with your other sports.. it is a good add-in. Lots of advice and opinions to be had here.. sometimes hard to decipher it all, so make sure to do your own research too and don't be afraid to change your diet to something you think will work better for you. Good luck.

Hair loss can be related to lack of iron or thyroid problems.

If you are eating enough greens for iron, then your next step is to to ensure you are including legumes in your diet... beans, lentils, peanuts.

According to veghealth: "The amino acid L-lysine plays a part in the absorption of iron and zinc. Among plant foods, L-lysine is only found in high amounts in legumes, and a vegan who doesn't eat many legumes could find themselves falling short on lysine. "

To prevent thyroid issue, make sure you are getting enough iodine. (found in iodized salt or sea veggies). You need about 1/4 tsp iodized salt per day. If you don't use iodized salt then you should be eating sea vegetables or taking a supplement.

Veghealth gives a breakdown of exactly what you as a vegan should ensure is in your diet.

I agree.. it is not as easy as being omni... but if you follow those recommendations from veghealth, you should be covered. Good luck.

Everything I've read says no; you just have to make sure to include a variety of protein sources throughout the day.. ie grains and legumes.

Maybe the owner of that video is who's in your house.

Maybe. I feel a bit shell shocked in the grocery store passing the meat section. And sometimes the dairy section if I think about it too long.

Is it possible you are lifting too heavy? You could lower weight and focus on form... that would help to prevent injury.

Hi Jocelyn and welcome.

What do you usually eat - maybe we can offer some suggestions to improve.

I always think I hear someone in my house whenever my DH leaves town. I have to check all the closets and bathtubs etc just to reassure myself, otherwise I would never fall asleep. lol.

When I was little I would sometimes hear marbles rolling around on the linoleum floor of my bedroom closet.. I didn't own marbles. And sometimes there would be a cat purring in my bed.. I didn't own a cat. Much as I liked cats I opted to go sleep on the couch cuz that was just freaky. I know how you feel...

Hi Dave.

Sounds like you have an engaging work and home life! Dogs and kids should take care of the cardio portion of your workout shouldn't they.

Welcome to the group.

Hi Wendy

Welcome!

I was a cheese fiend at one point and am now clean for a year and half. It was easier than I thought. Once I learned that cheese contains a morphine derivative.. it is easy to understand why you might feel compelled to eat it... but the knowledge also makes it easier to just let that urge go.

My new favorite pizza is by Oh She Glows. A bit more work than your usual pizza.. but soo worth it.

Good luck in your fitness goals.. you can get started on a bit of lower body work while you hand heals too.

I'm starting to follow the McDougall plan.. it's a starch based diet: Whole foods only, nothing processed, no added sugars or oil. imo it seems like a pretty common sense approach to food so I'm giving it a shot - I'm 2 weeks in.

There are a bunch of vegan athletes (different forum) who are ecstatic about the results they are seeing with it. I'm really liking it so far. I don't ever feel hungry. I'm still including a bit of nuts and nut butter, but I suppose if I got serious about weight loss, I would just cut them out for awhile. I don't even own a scale.. so probably I'm not serious about weight loss.

The McDougall plan may not have as much protein as many people want.. but at this point in time, I'm in the camp that protein is highly over rated in our culture. It is a very low fat plan (the fat you eat is the fat you wear motto). I mention it as a suggestion only for something to look into to see if it might work for you.

Hi Kenny.

I like Crossfit and join for a month here and there when I have a few extra bucks.. it is expensive. I like it because there is a bit of a competitive feel there... so I definitely push harder than I do on my own. I feel I get a better workout particularly when it comes to cardio intensity.

That being said.. yes you do have to be careful not to push too hard or you will get injured. Pick a weight that is a little bit less than what you think you can do. It might feel like you are cheating a bit.. but I figure better safe than sorry.

I haven't heard of gym jones... but if it is a do it on your own approach, I know myself, and I know I just wouldn't be motivated on my own. Not everyone is like me tho.. and you may not need the push that I need.

You can always just try it for a month and see if you like it. Also you can just go to the main crossfit site and get the daily workouts for free... but again, that would only work if you are self-motivated to do them.

Welcome Ritesh. Enjoy the journey, and yes, do ask questions... but remember to do your own research too since there are so many opinions out there and everybody needs to find their own 'truth'. Good luck on your goals.

Hi Chris and welcome back. Your meals and workout look good to me. No suggestions for improvement here (sorry). Bland is okay if you like it.