Emrys

Anybody can get a job. You just can't have the mentality that some jobs are beneath you. If that's the only job you can get it's actually the only job you qualify for. People only want to know that you are a hard worker. If you work at a minimum wage job for a few years you can easily move up to a better job. However if you have absolutely nothing on your resume an employer is going to question your work ethic.

My dad forced me... I mean "taught" me how to get a job when I turned 16. I had to go to every goddamn place I can think of that will give me an application and fill it out and return it. Follow up in a week or 2 and ask for a manager. You'll have a job in about a week or 2 guaranteed. There's nothing wrong with minimum wage. I admire all the cashiers and stock boys a lot more than someone who is too lazy to work.

As for finding a place to live. After you have a job getting into subsidized housing is pretty easy. Either that or find a roommate.

I think honey has less of an impact than other sweeteners. The fields need to be plowed, instantly killing thousands of insects. Then they spray the fields to kill any that are left over or decide to land there in the future. I guess you could argue for organic however they just use organic pesticides and not synthetic. I think you are having way more of an impact, but you just think it's less because you never see it happening. Vegans really have to draw the line at some point or at least figure out which is the lesser of two evils.

Mild bee disturbance vs insect holocaust I really don't see it as being close.

My current opinion on honey is that yes I will eat it. Prove me wrong and I will stop.

My doctor admitted to me that my diet was healthier than his. He did this readily with no bias. He actually understands the problems associated with meat because he has to deal with treating them on a day to day basis. His opinion is based on science and not an "I do it so it's the best" mentality.

There is a goldilocks zone for longevity. I think its around 10-15 miles per week. C.O. Posted an article about over exercising. viewtopic.php?f=47&t=28399 That is the reason why you see some long distance runners having heart attacks. Not because of their diet like most people assume. Running seems to be the way to longevity, however, only to a certain extent.

10 miles per week really isn't that much. I think you could take an in between approach and do both running and bodybuilding at the same time.

There is no such thing as a cleanse that works. I would just have a smoothie every day in inclusion to your regular meals. Juicing is fine. It's still healthy and it tastes good, but you are taking out a lot of good stuff too. Anything too extreme is going to do your body more harm than good.

I consider myself against them as long as their genetically modified plants can pollinate with others, they are not labeled, if they are purposefully made to require/withstand more pesticides.

Social media is effective if you can get enough people aware. You can only buy organic. I think all organics are required to not be GMO. You could make a group on facebook or maybe some already exist. I joined a local group on facebook but it's very small.

I've noticed a few things since I started to buy organic. They don't last nearly as long in the fridge. Meaning most likely the other ones I'm buying were probably modified somehow to not decompose as fast.

I wish you luck. Going to be a huge hill to climb. Lots of money to defend the interests of the seed companies. Money generally trumps ethics until enough people are aware of what is going on.

I found this link via the vegan bodybuilding facebook page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGbbmXjg1h8

"Vegetarian bodybuilding myth." By VinceDelMonte.

I just wanted to point out the fact that he disabled his comments. I assume from embarrassment because of how badly he got owned(I think most of us were nice. I only used facts to refute his arguments). Good job to anyone that contributed. At least he has to question himself if he is no longer willing to debate about it. He said he was willing to debate about it as long as everyone was respectful. I'm surprised he didn't delete his video but I think that would mean he would have to admit he was wrong(since I am sure people have downloaded copies).

I personally have nothing against him or meat eaters. I used to be one myself and wouldn't have appreciated being talked down to or shunned when I did so I try not to do it to others. Just looking to educate others and hopefully at least open their mind to it so in my opinion its a win for the cause.

I will try to chime in here I hope it helps. I wouldn't buy into the "cut this one thing out of your diet and you'll lose ten pounds" fads. Fat is energy. It's stored energy. The reason it is so hard to lose is because people don't realize the amount of stored energy it actually is. The real tried and true method of losing fat is eating at a calorie deficit. This way the extra calories come from fat. Losing 1 pound a week is realistic. 1 lb of fat is roughly 3500 calories. At a deficit of 500 calories per day you'll lose 1 lb per week(roughly). Lifting probably doesn't burn nearly as much calories as you think and if you are following the prescribed pre or post protein consumption those calories are most likely replenished immediately.

Random side not you probably don't care about but is a recent pet peeve of mine. When someone tells you they gained 5 lbs (which would be 17500 calories worth of stored energy) over the holidays it was most likely not fat. It's just increased water retention from eating salty foods. They will lose it in at least a week.

HIIT is also another option, although only effective depending on your goals. Running will generally lessen your gains if you are just going for strength and size.

Hey Mike. Welcome. Don't get too hard on yourself over the transition. Eventually you'll be there. Don't worry about eating out. I've always found things to eat. Just at mothers day while eating out I ordered 2 side dishes and combined them to make my meal. (Rice and grilled veggies) Everyone commented that my meal looked the best.

Hey we have very similar stories. I've been sober (drugs and alcohol) for 6 1/2 years. Quit smoking at the same time. It may take a few years but your lungs should be 100 pct. Good luck and welcome to the forums.

I think a lot of people would switch over if they just did the research. Welcome to the forums.

http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios

I found reading the bios very inspirational. Seeing vegan bodybuilder pictures helped me to turn vegan because I still had biases that vegans couldn't get complete/enough proteins.

Cool thanks for posting. One of my main motivations is to show people that the protein myth is just that, a myth. Doing it for the animals. Hard to convince anyone without evidence + the ONLY way to teach is by example. Preaching gets you nowhere. Although I currently have to take a break I look forward to starting again. I really enjoy lifting and getting stronger. Have a few things I need to straighten out first and hopefully I can start again.

Granola cereal is at least double the calories for the same amount of oatmeal. I think they have vegan granola without honey(if you are against honey).

Hi. Don't worry probably most of us were vegetarian before going vegan. I just transitioned from vegetarian to vegan around the end of December. Hope if works out for you, welcome to the forums.

Hi Nick. Sounds like you are making good decisions. I quit smoking about 7 years ago. I don't think I could exercise if I did. You'll love it. I can run for a long time with barely getting winded at all. Used to get tired walking up stairs (sad I know). Welcome to forums hope you stick with it.

Hi. I have Alzheimer's in the family too. You can try eating Omega 3 DHA or ALA. DHA you can get from algae oil. ALA can convert to DHA but the conversion rate is very low. Your brain is 60% fats, 90%+ of those are DHA's. DHA's can improve memory and reduce your risk for Alzheimer's.

Also I think monounsaturated and saturated fats can increase your testosterone. Fats make hormones so make sure you aren't on a low fat diet.

I think the best thing we can do is lead by example. I had my own biases about protein before trying veganism (from vegetarian) so I can understand how hard it is to prove to someone else. Welcome to the forums.

I like those straps/chains that catch the bar from falling. I've never seen that before. Personally don't have the patience for all that stuff although I would probably benefit from it. My main goal I think is health. Not very competitive at all. I like basing my goals on personal bests.

My stomach right now. Not fat but my actual stomach. I keep getting ulcers. Screws up all my gains. Have to rest and eat a bland diet until it gets better(which takes at least a month... took me 5 because I kept cheating on the diet and making it worse). Not sure what is causing them. Last time my diet was horrible so I wasn't surprised. This time my diet was pretty good at least by my standards. No soda, coffee, very limited junk food.

Going to try running this time. It's too depressing to lift for a few months then be chair

bound watching all my results go away. Maybe add body weight if I feel like it, like pushups/pullups.

On a positive note I did cut during that time. Lost about 20 lbs.

Is all L-Tyrosine vegan or where do they get it from? I've seen "vegetarian" but that could mean that they get it from dairy. I've had a hard time finding out where they get it from. I was considering supplementing with it. I wouldn't have a problem getting it from food but I figured if I supplemented while eating my regular diet I would be able to see if I benefited from it.

Maybe about once a month it crosses my mind that some mc donalds would be good. Was always a sucker for double cheeseburgers. Can't even have the fries there either because they are prepared with beef fat. I've been on a bland diet for the past month due to health reasons and I've really been craving polish. It's like someone else said. As you walk through those aisles you can just feel the despair. It's hard to watch people plopping it in their carts without a second thought. It's been a few years since I've eaten any meat. I think I didn't have any slip ups because of my convictions. Eating a bland diet is worse. Anything that has any flavor whatsoever I have to pass it up or just longingly gaze at it on the shelf. It's funny that I cheat more on my bland diet when I'm making my ulcer worse and risking getting stomach cancer. I guess I care more about the animals than I care about myself. I just can't really justify the torture and slaughter of animals simply because of flavor.

That sounds really good. I am so far one of those vegans who has very low expectations. The only faux meat I've eaten so far at soy burgers and soy chicken patties from the local supermarket. The price is high (probably because of low sales). They are also very dry, which I think is because they try to make them low fat. Also I think it would help a lot of meat eaters to become more open to the idea of a diet change if some of our food was more palatable.

Would also be nice for more awareness of the ethical and environmental impact. People are baffled to find that I have answers when they ask me "what is wrong with eating meat?"

I guess hobbies would be planting stuff. Trees and gardens. For planting trees yes. My back got really bad for a few years from an injury and took a long time to recover. Since doing deadlifts my back has got a lot better. Shoveling out the holes for the roots is the hardest part. You also have to go shovel some good soil and lug it around in the wheelbarrow. I'm on a break right now though because of an ulcer but had to do some snow shoveling and didn't have my normal back pain from it.

I like planting trees the best because it's only a little bit of work and you get so much food from them over the years. To me apples fresh from the backyard are SOOO much better than the ones you buy in the store.

deleted due to revised hypothesis

It can increase memory and IQ too so not just good for muscles.