stcalico

FYI: http://veganhealth.org/articles/protein Just want to make sure you are aware is all.

Broccoli monster is correct saying that eliminating gluten and all legumes from your diet is a pretty big thing. Vegans should be consuming at least 3 servings of foods per day that are high in the amino acid lysine... (ie. lysine is the limiting amino acid in plant food). Legumes and seitan are usual options to meet that requirement . Other than that your options are quite limited : quinoa, amaranth and seeds (pumpkin, squash, sunflower, sesame)

Hi and welcome Jane. There are ways to go wrong on a vegan diet, so good you found us. Take a look around and check out some of the posted links on vegan nutrition. They will be helpful to you. And feel free to ask questions. Vegan food can be very cheap.. or very expensive .. there are options to go either way. Grains and beans are the cheap route whereas specialty foods like quinoa or processed vegan meats are more expensive. Many MMA fighters are going vegan these days .. apparently unclogging arteries helps with high intensity cardio.. lol. I think in roller derby you would need some good cardio fitness ... so you are probably on the right track. Good luck.

They have a nutty taste / texture... softer than other nuts tho. You can get a small scoop from the bulk food section before you decide whether to buy a big bag of them. I'm going to try making these with some hemp hearts: http://thecopycatcook.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/coconut-hemp-seed-bites/

Go to one of the billions of pages on weight loss.... do the opposite of whatever advice is posted there. I think if you are eating clean, you will have a hard time gaining weight. Maybe add more olive oil to your salads? This smoothie looks good. I haven't tried it yet so can't say for sure: http://www.lifeologia.com/good-morning-super-smoothie/ Beer and sugar are my weaknesses.. so I can pack on the weight pretty easy if I'm not careful. lol.

Yah, that first push-ups can be hard... (jk)

So, to put the ratios in perspective: macadamias... 1/6 ratio walnuts ... 1/4 ratio You want omega 3-6 ratios less than 1/10 overall. Almonds and peanuts are terrible 2000/1 and 5000/1. I still eat lots of them tho... can't stop.

DHA supplement is probably your best bet. I take DHA sometimes and ALA sometimes. I don't think you need a lot of chia or flax seeds... maybe a tsp a day only. Hemp seeds might work for you.. again, you don't need a lot. Just sprinkle a spoonful on your salad. Walnuts too are good source of omega 3. I often have a handful with a handful of dark choc chips... kind of a healthy chocolate bar replacement (or so I tell myself).

Most vegan proteins are limited in their amino acid profile (legumes are lower in the amino acid methionine while other plants foods are lower in lysine.).. so a mix is generally good - ie. a mix of grain and legume proteins will ensure you are getting enough 'complete' proteins.. Hemp and soy both contain complete proteins. Since lysine is the limiting amino acid in a vegan diet, I would be most concerned about how much of that your protein powder has (ie. a 140lb person needs about 2400mg of lysine /day)

Been delinquent on doing my practice pushup sessions, but I tried for max pushups last night. Made 48 regular pushups in one set. So close to 50 now .. I might be more motivated to work harder at it. 86950 + 48 = 86,998

I feel so out of shape after watching this video on fb: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151393440761294 So yah.. you can get a pretty good workout without a gym membership.

Coconut, coconut milk. Olive oil for cooking in or use in salad dressings. Nut butters. Omega 3 supplement.. or just flax, chia or hemp seeds which all have omega 3s. You can add them to health shake or use as a salad topping. You should be getting about 20% of your calories from fats. Muscles are fine working with proteins and carb but your brain needs fat to function properly.

All vitamins make me nauseous on an empty stomach.. especially the omega 3 stuff.. blech. I recommend this page to explain b12 supplementation. I recommend this page for recommended vegan supplements. I think you need a specific b12 supplement (a multivitamin will not do). Since you don't eat meat... you need more than the 'RDA' suggested for meat eaters. So if a food or vitamin says '100% of RDA' for b12 ... that doesn't mean 100% for you. Use the recommendations in the articles above. Myself... I take b12 daily, and I tak vit D, zinc, and omega 3 (flax) here and there. I don't recommend you do what I do as your lifestyle/eating will be different than mine, but those are the vitamins I thought I needed based on those articles.

I would not normally use the machines, but at my gym there is one for the back that you push back against... no arms involved - perhaps you have something like that at your gym? Back extensions... unweighted to start, and try with 5..10.. 25lb plate as your elbow can handle. Single leg glute bridges work glutes and a little bit of lower back. I can't think of any trapezius exercises that don't involve extensive use of arms. You may want to just focus on 'core' exercises for now while your elbow heals... like planks. Not sure if you can do a dead hang ... but if you can, you could try some toes to bar (ab workout). The hang will prepare your grip strength... which will help when you are actually ready for a pullup. Not sure if you've been to physio ... but a physiotherapist may be able to give you some rehab exercises to work on. I'm getting over a shoulder injury and I had to go back to doing shoulder presses with 5lb dumbbells at the beginning. I've progressed up to where I was prior to the injury (35lb dumbbells) but it took more than a year. It was really slow and frustrating progress .. but my most important goal was not to reinjure. So my advice... Focus on your progress from today instead of on what you used to be able to do .. ie. progress is progress... take it easy and you will get there.

Personally, I wouldn't trust body building forums/sites for any info on training/diet - they are usually filled with brainwash, groupthink and dogma. But here's an article I'd recommend for info about creatine. It seems like legit info to me. I tried creatine in January for the first time. Am off now as I'm not sure if it effects your own bodies ability to create it naturally.. (something I read once). But I will probably try cycling too since I did feel like it improved my performance - tho I guess I will never know for sure, since I won't know how I would have performed without it?? From my research, it at least doesn't hurt to take it. Probably a good idea to drink extra water when you are on it.. and that is just me talking based on reading about possible kidney/liver side-effects. I agree with jif - due to water retention, you'll definitely want to get off it closer to your competition date. GL

Weight loss is apparently 80% diet and 20% exercise. So definitely your diet needs to be in check. When I'm trying to lose, I always log my calorie intake vs weight ... that way I can adjust my calories after a week if what I'm doing is not working. It is a bit time consuming, but if you are committed to a goal, logging is definitely a good way to manage. Eating clean, like you said you are aiming for, will definitely help you to feel full and satisfied earlier so stick to that goal. To lose fat and not muscle I recommend aiming to lose more slowly, and to include some weightlifting.. 5x5 is good. For example, I've lost 4 pounds in 8 weeks while still making strength gains. Also, imo, going more slowly helps you to recognize how much you should be eating normally... ie, when you are 'off' your diet, you really shouldn't be eating a whole lot more than you did on your diet. GL

Hi and welcome Bryan. A very nice gesture to make that commitment to make your sweetheart happy .. but you may need to find other compelling reasons if you are wanting to stick with it over the long run. Oft cited reasons for making the switch are animal welfare or health.. or both. Let us know if you have any specific questions.

I haven't tried it yet.. but here is one I saved that sounds similar to your description: http://kidtestedfirefighterapproved.com/2011/10/15/italianish-lentil-tomato-soup/ And this lentil/veggie soup I have tried and I like quite a bit .. it has broccoli in it. Obviously, I used veggie broth and skip the paramecium chz: http://www.marilyn.ca/HealthFitness/WeightLoss/RecipeCreamyBroccoliLentilSoup

Put the block in the fridge the night before to start the thawing process. It might be still somewhat frozen when you go to use it by dinner time, but your water method will work much faster. If you didn't plan ahead, then microwaving it on defrost for a couple minutes will work.

Your body fat distribution is most effected by genetics. Unfortunately your body prefers to hold fat in the abdominal area... so you will lose it there last, and you will gain it there first. The last 10lbs are often reported to be the hardest to lose - diet and exercise are key. Unfortunately it is well known that spot training does not work to get rid of fat... but it will give you more strength and muscle in that location. Natasha Turner.. a Naturopath, says "Extra belly fat can indicate one or more of the following hormonal imbalances: high estrogen, low testosterone, low DHEA (a hormone of the adrenal glands), high insulin and high cortisol." I've not researched it, so can't say how valid I think her statement is but I mention it in case you think it is worth looking into. Turner suggests the following solutions: - Eat more protein to balance blood sugars (I personally also recommend whole grain vs refined) - Get more quality sleep (7-8hrs) to decrease cortisol/stress and to increase growth hormones - Flax & chia seeds can help to lower estrogen levels - For testosterone production … make sure your are getting enough zinc

Quinoa and Amaranth... they are seeds not grains. Pumpkin, squash, sunflower and hemp seeds. Avocado and coconut are fruits with a higher protein than most other fruit.. but they are also fairly high in fat so you may not want to eat too much of them in a day.

You might like this one too...chickpea cutlets- this recipe uses chickpeas instead of the almond flour. My first try at seitan turned out awful.. ie. rubbery gluey texture. To avoid my 'mistake' I recommend making the 'patties' fairly thin. The chickpea recipe turned out much better for me. I froze the leftover cutlets and reheated them (frying pan) for various meals... they go great with mashed potatoes.

This is a good article and basically indicates that .82g/lb is max you will possibly need... and that is likely only if you are just starting out in weight training and are also in the genetically gifted pool of people who put on muscle very easily. This article agrees with most of the science and dietitian info that I have read. (tho it does not fit in with the general muscle head theories and supplement company hype you will find out there) I generally get less than 40g/day myself (at 116 pounds) and only occasionally have a supplement (protein bar for bkfst cuz I'm lazy) and I've managed to make strength gains that I'm happy with even in the last month. Here is a chart with protein in common plant foods.

3 sets for 129 85486 + 129 = 85,615

Yes they are considered a healthy fat and should be included in your diet as they are needed for uptake of fat soluble vitamins and minerals. They are calorie dense (lots of fat) but not necessarily the best source of protein.. nuts are missing the amino acid lysine so make sure grains are included in your daily intake to. Walnuts are best nut for omega 3 fats. Nuts have about 2g protein per small handful and an avocado has 4g protein. I would eat both in moderation... I think they are beneficial in small quantities. Trail mix is super portable so is great for mid meal snack.