Weight Training/Sample Diet

ThirdMan

Hi.

I'm predominantly vegan, so as you'll see my daily diet is not geared toward weight training. I'd like to improve on it in that regard, although I realise my options are somewhat limited in terms of protein, etc.

My goals are fairly modest. I'm just looking to strip off some stubborn fat and build-up a decent level of muscle. I've stripped off over four stone of fat since September, so I have a few flabby bits that need sorting out. Simply put, I want to look like I'm in good shape.

Before you laugh at my pathetic vegan diet, I should warn you that I've had some success so far, and have made some decent gains in the past three months. However I know I need to change it up a bit.

I'd appreciate any tips or advice you can give me

Sample Diet

7:30 am: Bowl of muesli with quinoa, banana & soy milk. Glass of orange juice.

11:00 am: Toasted/roasted nuts & seeds. 1 piece of fruit.

2:30 pm: Large bowl of cous cous/whole-grain rice or noodles, with nuts/seeds, raisins and veg (carrot/onion/pepper/garlic, etc). Once a week this will include a tuna lunch, and once or twice a week this will include vegetable soup (usually home-made) with whole-grain bread.

6:30 pm: Whole-grain rice/pasta/noodles. Essentially an Italian/Asian type dish, almost always with home-made sauces and fresh ingredients. Once or twice a week this will include feta, mozzarella or some sort of cheese. Once a week this will include a fish/meat dish.

10:00 pm: Peanut butter, soya milk & banana shake, or peanut butter on whole-grain bread or crackers.

I use a very broad range of ingredients in each meal, so the above sample is just that, a sample. I really enjoy cooking, as does my girlfriend, so it's not going to be possible to have a methodical, repetitive daily routine. I'm just looking for some general tips in terms of making by diet more conducive to muscle growth.

Thanks for reading.

ThirdMan

I posted this in the wrong forum. I've reposted in Health & Fitness > Diet & Nutrition.

Burkatron

Your vegan but you bought whey protein that you're selling in your other thread?? Anyway, that's not the point!

There are athletes out there that are 100% vegan, UFC fighters Mac Danzig is ,Frank Mir recently turned vegetarian & says he's a better athlete for it...I still don't believe he gained all that size eating tofu though
Carl Lewis (rumours similar to Mir) & Joe Namath are 4 that I can think of! Not saying just because it works for them it will work for you but I know Mac Danzig has posted plenty of diet templates, have a look around his articles

http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-training/ufc-fighter-mac-danzig-vegan-diet.html

Mellor

Burkatron wrote: »

Your vegan but you bought whey protein that you're selling in your other thread?? Anyway, that's not the point!

You mentioned whey but not the tuna, meat, cheese he eats.
I think his reasons are medical and not ethical.

As for athletes, you can add Shields and the Diaz bros to the lsit of UFC veggies. And Fitch is a a vegan. Although his record tumbled after making the switch. And he is definitely a smaller.

ThirdMan

Burkatron wrote: »

Your vegan but you bought whey protein that you're selling in your other thread??

I said I'm predominately vegan, not completely vegan. I faced a bit of scepticism/confusion here as well.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056587450

People are never happier than when they're trying to discredit someone. The word 'vegan' in particular is like a red flag to some people.

Simply put, dairy gives me sinus trouble, and possibly skin trouble. I also don't digest meat very well. It blocks up my system. So I try to avoid both as much as possible.

So my reasons are not ethical (at least not wholly, I do have certain reservations about the way meat is processed, but it's not part of my life's philosophy). Dairy is naturally mucous forming, and for me that causes problems. However, I'm not lactose intolerant, at least not that I'm aware of. My sinus problem seems to relate to dairy's wet state. My doctor has suggested as much. I'm yet to visit a dermatologist so I'm not sure in exactly what way dairy aggravates my skin, or if it would still do so with something dry, like a protein supplement.

It was slightly disingenuous of me to ask if a protein powder would be beneficial when I had already bought one (see the other thread). But I asked that having just realised there were vegan supplements available, and I was interested in finding out about their quality as compared to other supplements. I then done a bit of research yesterday and found that whey seems to be the best, as well as the cheapest. Both reasons for me to take a chance on it considering it's not in a wet state.

Thanks for the info.

ThirdMan

Burkatron wrote: »

Your vegan but you bought whey protein that you're selling in your other thread?? Anyway, that's not the point!

There are athletes out there that are 100% vegan, UFC fighters Mac Danzig is ,Frank Mir recently turned vegetarian & says he's a better athlete for it...I still don't believe he gained all that size eating tofu though
Carl Lewis (rumours similar to Mir) & Joe Namath are 4 that I can think of! Not saying just because it works for them it will work for you but I know Mac Danzig has posted plenty of diet templates, have a look around his articles

http://www.mikemahler.com/online-library/articles/mma-training/ufc-fighter-mac-danzig-vegan-diet.html

Just reading that article and his problems sound similar to mind. He also said whey is hard on his sinuses. I might have to give it a miss so.

Hanley

ThirdMan wrote: »

Just reading that article and his problems sound similar to mind. He also said whey is hard on his sinuses. I might have to give it a miss so.

Without reading the article, it could be a lactose issue.

Whey isolate tends to be a good bit lower in lactose so could solve it for you.

ThirdMan

Hanley wrote: »

Without reading the article, it could be a lactose issue.

Whey isolate tends to be a good bit lower in lactose so could solve it for you.

Cool. Thanks.

Burkatron

Mellor wrote: »

You mentioned whey but not the tuna, meat, cheese he eats.
I think his reasons are medical and not ethical.

As for athletes, you can add Shields and the Diaz bros to the lsit of UFC veggies. And Fitch is a a vegan. Although his record tumbled after making the switch. And he is definitely a smaller.

Thirdman, gonna apologise for this! I wasn't trying to take a swipe, but I can see how it came across! It was also late! Anyway, sorry if I caused offense, I wasn't suppose to, it just confused me! I didn't read the full post as Mellor has pointed out, so mistake 2!

Reading what you've said RE dairy is similar to myself & I'm lactose intolerant, dairy normally messes up my stomach (like today, that's karma was in a rush & had to grab a protein bar, had lactaze tablets shortly after hoping it work, they have to be taken before!!) & I have skin issues from it!

As Hanley said Whey isolate has far less lactose in it then Concentrate! I still take concentrate (as I'm cheap & I have loads of the stuff) but I'll normally use colief mixed in with it! It's colic medicine for babies but has the same ingredient profile as other Lactase products you have to buy online & works for me & others I've recommended it to! Holland & Barrett also sell lactaze tablets & they're half price & on a buy 1 get 1 half price deal at the moment so instead 120 for 12€ you can get 240 for 9€, they're good if you're stuck! Hope this helps!

As for athletes, you can add Shields and the Diaz bros to the lsit of UFC veggies. And Fitch is a a vegan. Although his record tumbled after making the switch. And he is definitely a smaller.

Forgot about Fitch & Shields I didn't know that about the Diaz bro's , is it a Cesar Gracie team thing??

ThirdMan

Burkatron wrote: »

Thirdman, gonna apologise for this! I wasn't trying to take a swipe, but I can see how it came across! It was also late! Anyway, sorry if I caused offense, I wasn't suppose to, it just confused me! I didn't read the full post as Mellor has pointed out, so mistake 2!

Reading what you've said RE dairy is similar to myself & I'm lactose intolerant, dairy normally messes up my stomach (like today, that's karma was in a rush & had to grab a protein bar, had lactaze tablets shortly after hoping it work, they have to be taken before!!) & I have skin issues from it!

As Hanley said Whey isolate has far less lactose in it then Concentrate! I still take concentrate (as I'm cheap & I have loads of the stuff) but I'll normally use colief mixed in with it! It's colic medicine for babies but has the same ingredient profile as other Lactase products you have to buy online & works for me & others I've recommended it to! Holland & Barrett also sell lactaze tablets & they're half price & on a buy 1 get 1 half price deal at the moment so instead 120 for 12€ you can get 240 for 9€, they're good if you're stuck! Hope this helps!



Forgot about Fitch & Shields I didn't know that about the Diaz bro's , is it a Cesar Gracie team thing??

No worries my man. Forget about it.

Thanks for the advice and recommendations. I think I'll give those Lactaze tablets a go.

Mellor

Burkatron wrote: »

Forgot about Fitch & Shields I didn't know that about the Diaz bro's , is it a Cesar Gracie team thing??

Shields was raised vegetarian. He convinced nick to convert when they were trainign together as teens. Nate followed later.
So it was a team thing, but from to Shields as opposed Gracie.

Orla K

ThirdMan wrote: »

I said I'm predominately vegan, not completely vegan. I faced a bit of scepticism/confusion here as well.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056587450

People are never happier than when they're trying to discredit someone. The word 'vegan' in particular is like a red flag to some people.

Simply put, dairy gives me sinus trouble, and possibly skin trouble. I also don't digest meat very well. It blocks up my system. So I try to avoid both as much as possible.

So my reasons are not ethical (at least not wholly, I do have certain reservations about the way meat is processed, but it's not part of my life's philosophy). Dairy is naturally mucous forming, and for me that causes problems. However, I'm not lactose intolerant, at least not that I'm aware of. My sinus problem seems to relate to dairy's wet state. My doctor has suggested as much. I'm yet to visit a dermatologist so I'm not sure in exactly what way dairy aggravates my skin, or if it would still do so with something dry, like a protein supplement.

It was slightly disingenuous of me to ask if a protein powder would be beneficial when I had already bought one (see the other thread). But I asked that having just realised there were vegan supplements available, and I was interested in finding out about their quality as compared to other supplements. I then done a bit of research yesterday and found that whey seems to be the best, as well as the cheapest. Both reasons for me to take a chance on it considering it's not in a wet state.

Thanks for the info.

Just noticed you posted here too, I still don't think you can be 'predominately vegan' you either are or you arnt there's no middle ground in my head. So to me your someone who doesn't eat much meat because of health problems. Which leads me onto this bit was looking up things/reading things you popped into my head because something was mentioned about digestion problems with meat when there's low stomach acid, someone with more knowledge might be able to give you more info on it, I just thought it was worth mentioning it could be something you can look into.

I'll also stand by what I said on the other thread, cut out the wheat and up the protein, either animal or vegan sources, I also saw the hemp protein in a health shop it's a fairly small bit and don't know how much it was.

I also wasn't trying to discredit you, a vegan(no middle ground) eating meat makes no sense. Decided to post here as it's gotten more attention and some of the other posters might know about low stomach acid thing with meat.

Hanley

Orla K wrote: »

Just noticed you posted here too, I still don't think you can be 'predominately vegan' you either are or you arnt there's no middle ground in my head. So to me your someone who doesn't eat much meat because of health problems. Which leads me onto this bit was looking up things/reading things you popped into my head because something was mentioned about digestion problems with meat when there's low stomach acid, someone with more knowledge might be able to give you more info on it, I just thought it was worth mentioning it could be something you can look into.

I'll also stand by what I said on the other thread, cut out the wheat and up the protein, either animal or vegan sources, I also saw the hemp protein in a health shop it's a fairly small bit and don't know how much it was.

I also wasn't trying to discredit you, a vegan(no middle ground) eating meat makes no sense. Decided to post here as it's gotten more attention and some of the other posters might know about low stomach acid thing with meat.

80% of the time, he's 100% vegan.

ThirdMan

Orla K wrote: »

Just noticed you posted here too, I still don't think you can be 'predominately vegan' you either are or you arnt there's no middle ground in my head. So to me your someone who doesn't eat much meat because of health problems. Which leads me onto this bit was looking up things/reading things you popped into my head because something was mentioned about digestion problems with meat when there's low stomach acid, someone with more knowledge might be able to give you more info on it, I just thought it was worth mentioning it could be something you can look into.

I'll also stand by what I said on the other thread, cut out the wheat and up the protein, either animal or vegan sources, I also saw the hemp protein in a health shop it's a fairly small bit and don't know how much it was.

I also wasn't trying to discredit you, a vegan(no middle ground) eating meat makes no sense. Decided to post here as it's gotten more attention and some of the other posters might know about low stomach acid thing with meat.

A vegan diet is a diet free of animal products. My diet is largely, but not totally, free of animal products. That to me is a predominantly vegan diet. The word 'vegan' comes with a lot of ethical connotations. I'm not a vegan in any sense, but I'm definitely not one in that sense, and have never claimed to be. 'Vegan' is the most descriptive and concise word I can use to describe my diet 85% of the time. If my diet was 85% gluten free, I'd be happy saying my diet is predominantly gluten-free. I can't make that any clearer.