muchidna

awesome, i just ordered a (rather pricey) set from fitbit, called the fitbit aria, it automatically uploads each weighin and plots it on a graph on a webpage for you, will be very useful i think,accuracy isnt important, just as long as i can see if i'ts going up or down

could it be you aren't getting enough fiber? i know when i've gone overboard on certain foods and get a bit constipated, it's harder for the gasses to come out and it's quite painful

erm that last point is a bit long

From the sounds of it, you are getting loads of carbs, and very little protein and fat, bananas and salads/fruits don't have much protein in them at all

if you are working out and want to build the muscles bigger, you might like to change your diet

if you arent, and just want to loose body fat so your abs show, try counting your calories for a few days, then reducing it and tracking progress on some scales

dunno, i haven't had a french fry, chip, soda etc etc etc in years, or cheat meals, i guess mine might be splurging on sodium occasionally, using agave syrup in shakes, and lots of ketchup on bean burgers, small stuff like that

think i've systematically cut out almost every junk food from my diet with no regrets lol

Hi natasha, you should go to your gym and see what machines they have, may also want to look into something like yoga, and kalesthenics (not sure how it's spelled)

you may also like to look into some ab exercises as alot of those involve the leg muscles

soy is a very complete protein ( it's what tofu is made from), from my knowledge it has a very balanced amino acid profile

as for relying on tofu for a good deal of protein intake, i probably wouldnt, some have a good amount of fat (less than beef i think??) and from my memory, i don't believe tofu is very calorie dense, meaning you would have to eat alot more tofu to get the same amount of calories ( and therefore protein ) as from say, beef

just from checking nutritiondata.com, the best tofu i could find, came in at 6g of protein per 84g serving, whereas sirloin beef (i have no idea what that means, i was looking for mince) for an 84g portion of it, it would be 17.7g protein, approximately 3x as much

if you wanted to replace beef in a bodybuilders diet, you would have to feed them 3x as much tofu, so it's not too viable, i like to add it to stir fries and stuff, for a decent protein hit, but i wouldnt be relying on it heavily for protein because i'd have to eat too much of it

Do the assisted pull ups, find out what weight you can do at 3x15 ( split between the different grips on the machine, ie one set could be 5x grip A, 5x grip B, 5x grip C ) and just remove a weight every week or two as you get stronger, or as andi said, negative pullups

when i started i did negatives at home, and later when i joined a gym i did the assisted pullups, the assisted pullups are a little less awkward to do, and the variable weights are helpfull

hi, i know the feeling, vegan diets tend to be much more filling per calorie, particularly with fruit, more fiber and stuff, meaning you could feel alot fuller, with alot less calories

if it were me, i'd either swap some meals for more calorie dense meals or add some stuff to it, stuff like wholemeal sandwiches with bean patties, or wholemeal wraps , anything calorie dense, i particularly like whole grains + beans as both have a good amount of protein in them

but yeah, vegan, unprocessed diets tend with an emphasis on fruits/vegetabled tend to be less calorie dense, more filling than other diets

well, i'm not a raw vegan, but here's what i'd say

first two questions arent exactly related to being a vegan but

1: just like everybody else, use a site like myfitnesspal and track calories and macros

2: when i started, i used a calorie calculator to tell how much i needed, and used some online reccomendations to see how much more i needed to gain weight, i'd suggest using a calorie calculator (won't be hard to find, google "calorie calculator bodybuilding" or something) and add 200-500 calories per day for gaining weight, though these calculators arent extremely accurate, so you'll have to figure out how your body reacts and adjust your calories on your own

3: healthy? i don't know what you mean, is any diet unhealthy when working out?, if you're living off of big macs, it would still be beneficial to work out, only time it might not be healthy is if you're very thin and at a caloric deficit or something, but that could happen with any diet

does he have to listen? lol

is it as problem if he wants to keep improving his body? i don't see the problem

the only health food shop round here is much overpriced, they sell stuff like wheat gluten, dry beans, dry chickpeas, agave syrup, coconut flour, proteins etc

but yeah, i could buy almost any of them off the net including shipping for cheaper

yeah, there really isnt much you can do about it other than washing hands, once the virus makes contact with your body, it's then a matter of, can my immune system deal with it, by having had this cold before, and if not, i have a cold

also, you might consider eating oranges rather than juice, i like juice also, but if you're watching your calories, an orange will have some fiber and other stuff that's removed when it's juiced, will also be less concentrated, and have no preservatives/added sugar

alot of orange juices are also reconstituted/ concentrated and stuff which will also drive up calories

vitamin c tablets are fun also, they taste like oranges

again, i'm no doc lol

Hi mythil, my usual safest bet is italian resturaunts, they usually have meatless pasta with tomato sauce and stuff, and olives for side dishes

second best bet is indian, great food, but they sometimes use butter, and ghee, and yoghurt in some breads and stuff, but alot have dishes cooked with vegetable oils and stuff

then there's health food places, they'll usually have nice wraps and stuff, but maybe not the best atmosphere

and last but not least, is local resturaunts owned by locals, we've had a few things at local resturaunts where we know the owners, and they have been able to prepare a small menu especially for me, usually involves pasta, or stir fry type dishes, but yeah, the locals are usually willing to arrange something special for you if you call ahead, or just ask when you get there

though the pizza without cheese stuff... not worth the calories lol, not to mention, in my more naive years, when i was vegetarian, we looked up dominoes, said they used non-animal rennet cheeses, and had an occasional pizza with them, but almost every time there was meat or shit mixed up with the toppings, stopped eating pizza pretty quick

anyway good luck

also a disclaimer, i'm no professional, this is personal experience

Hi madeleine, i think it's just bad luck, i had a few colds this year, whereas last year and the year before i didnt have any noticable ones

Usually when i get a cold, i try to eat as much fresh fruit, especially containing vitamin C as i can, also try to eat as much raw food as i can with the most micronutrients, like spinach, brocolli, celery, just general raw fruits and vegetables- i think vitamin c has some sort of properties that help fight cold and stuff, i'm not sure

but yeah, there really is no way to prevent getting one, unless you've had it before, a good diet can certainly limit the duration and severity

other things (i believe) a good (vegan or otherwise) diet really helps with is headaches, and puking sickness, i havent had either of these since i went vegetarian over 10 years ago while the people around me have these all the time

summary: to prevent a cold, wash hands regularly, whenever you touch people, things that get touched alot, especially in cold/flu season, to help once you have a cold, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, and plenty of water

hey guys, just wondering if anyone has had any experience with body fat scales?

http://www.betterscales.com/product%20images/USHM180G.jpg

i'm thinking of buying some just to keep track of my body fat, i wouldnt care if it's accurate, just as long as it's consistant

so yeah, anyone ever used scales like these before?

my approach is this

make annoyed faces and remarks when they buy candybars and chips

possibly not the best approach

Choline and inositol are classed as vitamin B complex factors, they are not considered as essential vitamins because the human body can synthesise them. ~ info on some choline supplement on amazon

yeah, i'm thinking we produce and eat enough to be healthy, which is why we never hear about choline

this is a semi-stupid statement, but if beef has so much choline in it, then either grass is a amazing source of choline, or the body produces it naturally

could be stupid because it could be a cumulative effect of eating 2mg/day over 5 years

either way, i aint worried, if i find a supplement or something with extra choline, i'll give it a shot, but i'm not too concerned

weird, my multivitamin has choline added to it, but only at 15mg, the max i can find in a supplement is 50mg

i'm thinking, either we get alot of small doses in the diet, making up enough of it or

it's produced in our bodies

i don't remember anything about choline in my last blood test also, if i find a choline vitamin, i'll add it to my next order

i recommend buying unflavored pea/rice protein in bulk, the flavored stuff usually has stevia and er... flavorings in it, which dont go well with rice/pea

never heard of it, and i'm not dead yet

hey, i'm not sure if anyone's asked this, but how old is the poster? gyno is common in teens and goes away on its own

Hi, the place i get my stuff from is bulknutrients

http://www.bulknutrients.com.au/view/bulk-nutrients-protein-products/Protein

this is an au/nz site, but if you live in the US, i'm sure you could find something similar, US has way better mailing system, so someone's bound to be able to post you something

i could also guess it's alot cheaper elsewhere, AU stuff is always overpriced... in everything

Here's what i packed yesterday, from about 7am to 6pm

bottle of water (refilled a couple times)

protein smoothie in a cold flask - powder, frozen strawberries, ice, soy milk and a drizzle of agave syrup blended

banana

bean patty sandwich (7 grains whole bread)

few handfulls of smoked almonds