LoganKost

For people who have naturally low body fat percentage wouldn't doing sit-ups and other core work define one's abs even more though?

There really isn't any question as if honey/bee pollen is vegan, it IS NOT vegan. Clearly by definition it is not. And by any other loose defintion of veganism. Bee pollen/honey is harvested through the power of bees. Plain and simple. Many posts have been made in this thread that clearly explain that bee products are not vegan. I'm not sure where the confusion is. Also, it's not like honey is necessary by ANY means, so avoiding it should be/is extremely easy.

I get about 6.5-7. But to be honest, I hate sleeping that much. Over the summer I was sleeping Biphasically, getting only 4.5 hours of sleep. I felt WAY better and more energized than ever. It was just difficult to sleep that way when school started up, so I had to give it up.

Mostly things like beans and tofu. I have significantly increased the calories I'm eating in raw foods as well. I've started adding more things like coconut oil, almond butter, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to my smoothies. The only cooked foods I'm eating are usually very calorie dense. I have also been eating more oatmeal and a lot of cooked red potatoes (I love those things). If you have any ideas on what would be better to eat then I'd really appreciate it! I could use all the help I can get.

Thanks for all the replies everyone! Tuc: I lost some weight when I initially went 100% raw (I knew that would occur). But now that I'm more in the 80-90% range my weight is climbing again. I've gained back four pounds only, but I think it's going to start increasing pretty rapidly. It's still been hard for me to gain weight on that high percentage of a raw diet, I'll just see how it goes I guess. Lean and Green: Thanks for the tip about the pose, you're completely right, next time I take some progress pics I'll definitely take that into consideration. Thanks for the encouragement everyone, it's awesome being able to have so many helpful people on these forums. It's a definite motivation booster!

Thanks for the replies! I was eating 100% raw up until around 2 and a half weeks ago. I loved it, but it was really difficult for me personally to put on weight. I still eat roughly about 90% raw, however. Once I put on some weight I'm definitely going to 100% again!

I started working out about a month ago. I've been trying hard to up my calories, and my diet is getting much better because of all the helpful people on this forum! Febuary 18th- March 15th http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/7917/musclles001ci7.th.jpg http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/8296/march15th005ye7.th.jpg http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/2324/musclles002kw0.th.jpghttp://img227.imageshack.us/img227/9944/march15th001iz4.th.jpg http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9061/musclles005nb1.th.jpg http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5549/march15th002zn5.th.jpg I have some more pictures, but imageshack had some problems when I was trying to upload the rest. I couldnt figure out how to get the pictures showing up without the thumbnails, sorry about that! Anyways, I know I'm getting stronger because I am lifting much more than when I started, but the physical gains aren't that apparent, if there are any... let me know what you think!

Thanks a lot for the replies! I'm very lean, so I think I'll just keep killin' my abs in the gym. I'll see how that works out for now.

Hey everyone, I have only recently started working out hard, but I'm a little confused on something! I am 6'1, almost 6'2, and I weigh 145lbs. I am trying to gain weight, but at the same time be cut as well. I am skinny for my height, so I figure any muscle gains will be obvious (In fact, after only a little less than a month I can see some noticeable results). Now, I'm wondering how I can gain weight, but get my abs showing as well. Since I'm consuming more calories it seems like the cardio I am doing to get my abs showing is slightly counter-intuitive. I have just recently started killing my abs, so maybe they will show up. But If not, I'm pretty confused on how to gain weight, while still losing the VERY thin layer of fat over my abdominals. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

Yeah, I agree completely. My comment was just assuming that a varied diet was being consumed.

I think that the problem is just the inital shock of adding SO much fat to your diet in a small period of time. I'm going to try easing into a higher fat more calorie dense raw diet over the next couple of weeks, we'll see if that helps me out too. As far as the complete proteins...you don't need to consume complete proteins in any or all of your meals. Your body will pick and choose from a protein pool. There is a lot of controversy over that subject, but if you really want to get "complete" proteins, then there wouldn't be any harm. But I wouldn't stress over something like that too much. Adding a lot of fresh fruits should help too. I find that making smoothies is the best way for me to get some good fat and protein. I just make a fruit smoothie and add some sunflower or pumpkin seeds in there. Even almond butter and coconut work too.

I've been 6"2 for about 2 years, and I've eaten ALL kinds of different diets. Ranging from classic fat-filled american diet, to vegetarian, to vegan, and now to raw. I've never been able to gain much weight, but to be honest, I've never really tried. I have been skinny and tall my ENTIRE life so I'm not too worried about it. But as far as what cooked food on my vegan diet...I eat a lot of soy and tofu products, lots of pastas, lots of breads, lots of fruits and veggies. I used to eat a lot of fried rice as well. But I've definitely heard of people being as skinny as me...especially since I interact with them every day at school. Not too sure why you find it that unusual?

Yeah, I've been adding a lot of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, avacados, coconut oil, almond butter and peanut butter to my diet. Since it's so early in my raw journey I can't really see if I'm gaining any weight. I only lost about 5 pounds throughout the whole transition so far, which seems relatively low. So I'm assuming I'm getting enough calories. I'm 6'2 and only 145 pounds, and I can't eat much. So it's difficult for me to gain weight period. Even when eating cooked food. It would be nice if there was some concrete guidelines for a raw diet, but it really is completely subjective. I hope you can keep it up belleadonna, and MSshoulerUK, you'll be happy you pushed through the detox once it's finally over . This is my second time trying all raw, and I haven't experienced much detox symptoms yet. But the first time I tried I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian and the detox symptoms going to raw from that were pretty terrible. So much so I didn't proceed.

This is my 24th day being all raw...and I've had a dislocated knee since around day 8. I feel excellent so far...I hope that I don't start to experience any adverse side-effects like some people do. I feel that my diet is nutritious enough to support me. And as belleadonna said, there is a LOT of conflicting info out there. Almost impossible to figure out what to do, so it's all a personal journey of finding out what works best and what doesn't. I'm trying to gain weight, but when I add a lot of fats to my diet my stomach doesn't seem to like it too much!

Anyone participate in any form of martial arts? I'm really considering taking some Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu classes. I have been eating all raw for 17 days now, and I've recently started working out again. I'm 6"2, and only 145 pounds. I'm hoping to put on some more muscle mass. I wonder if BJJ will help with that at all? Any input?

Just a quick update...today is day 14! It's going well, but I've decided to add more calories to my diet. I want to gain some weight. So far I've only lost about 3 pounds. I'm beginning to work out more, I'm wondering how long it will take to see some noticable results? I'm pretty skinny so I think any improvement will be obvious.

I went to the doctor today, and it's fine . I just need to take it easy for a couple weeks and do some simple therapy on it. This is my ninth day being all raw and I feel awesome! I am having more cravings lately than I have throughout the whole experience. I think I need some more variety in my meals.

I have only been raw for seven days, but even then I've recieved negative comments about that choice. I'm 18, so I'm a senior in highschool. When people ask me why I choose to be Vegan, or raw, I just tell them that it makes me feel better, both physically and mentally. I told a girl that eating raw has already started to affect me positiviely and I feel great and she replied with, "Like...I mean, HOW do you feel better? What's different?" But I knew that I could never explain it to her, she's living an unhealthy lifestyle that has become "normal", it's something everyone needs to experience for themselves, I believe. It does suck that people can't be more open-minded about it, or even most things to be honest. All I know is that once I find a girl who is at least ok with me being raw, or hopefully she is raw too, I'm sure I will appreciate the situation much more .

Ok, thanks for the advice. It's still swollen right now, but I haven't iced it. If it's still bad tomorrow I may just go to urgent care and have them take a look. Or wait until monday and I can see a family phsyician.

Yes, I looked at my kneecap and realized it was on the side of my leg, like it slid down. And I sat there wondering how the hell I deal with something like that. So I tried to straighten out my leg and my kneecap slid back into its original position. It hurt but I was in shock so it wasn't too bad. Recently it's swollen up pretty good, but I'm going to ice it more tomorrow morning.

No, this is the very first time it's happened.

Thanks. I'm not sure how bad it really is. It popped back into place almost immediately. And It's feeling better. So, I'm not sure what type of rehab I'll really do.

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately I dislocated my knee today, pretty bad stuff! Are there any special food items I should incorporate to help heal my knee?

Well I feel a little better at least knowing something about it. Which would benefit me most? The supplement, or the algae?

Thanks Raven. As far as b12, I have that covered, and I'm in the sun for at least 15 minutes, so I should be getting adequate vitamin D. As far as the DHA and EPA, I have hardly any knowledge of what that is, or how to obtain it, to be honest. I don't want to consume any supplements that come from animals, of course.