Hello from a new Vegan

[PumpkinGuy]

Greetings!

I suppose I wouldn't start this thread if I didn't have some question or something to say. Like everyone I guess I have a story. To make mine as short and painless as possible, I finally gave up all animal based food april 25 of this year. I like to say I had an epiphany while vacationing in Phoenix; my doctor telling me I had to do something about my cholesterol and glucose. Then a light bulb turned on, I got a book and discovered that my desire was deeper than my own dietary needs.

In no way do I regret my decision to become vegan. My two biggest flashbacks being cheese and ben & jerry's (chubby hubby.) I love food and enjoy trying new vegan dishes. Cooking is my passion.

What I'm dealing with now is weight loss. Just prior to going vegan I was on what I call a vegetarian diet with chicken and fish once a week. I began a cardio workout of 30 minutes a day/ 5 to 6 days a week. I was also lifting 3 times a week. I lost 15 pounds on my chicken/fish diet and since going vegan I've lost an additional 10 pounds.

I don't want to give up my workouts but I want to bulk up a little bit. My concern is my protein intake. My guess is that I'm getting about 30 to 40 grams of protein a day. Does anyone have suggestions on menu tips??

I feel like I've got a good start. I'm also a gay man and looking forward to meeting vegans from the bay area.

Peace
_________________
Carve a pumpkin, go to prison
That's the law

[Warren]

Hey PumpkinGuy,

Based on everything that I have read and heard from Doctors such as Dr. Neal Barnard and Dr. John McDougall, It is actually very difficult to not get enough protein on a vegan diet and in fact too much protein is not healthy. Protein is founds in many plant foods. If you eat beans every day along with vegetables, fruits and whole grains and nuts you should have no problem getting enough protein even if you want to bulk up.
Don't be fooled by the old myth that athletes need "tons" of protein everyday if they want to get bigger. If you feel that you must, however, add even more protein to your diet there are a number of Soy and Rice based protein drinks on the market but like I said, from what I have read you don't need those to get enough protein and all you'll be doing is damaging your health, wasting your money and making some manufacturer of protein shakes rich.
Good luck.
PS there is a local gay veggie group that I belong to. It's a yahoo group that meets for various events. Here is a link for them http://groups.yahoo.com/group/QVSSF/
Warren

[PumpkinGuy]

Hey Warren,
thanks for the reply. You have reinforced what I have thought to be true of protein. Occasionally I'll relapse into pre-vegan thinking. I had dinner with some meat eaters for a friend's birthday. He wanted to go to Red Lobster. I know, what was I thinking, but I went and there was not one vegetarian entree. I ordered 2 baked potatoes plain and 2 sides of steamed broccoli. I had the healthies food at the table and all it took was the comments of a couple individuals to set my mind in question mode.

My weight has hit a plateau so I not as concerned. I also feel my cardio workouts are better for me than bulking up so it's all good.

Thank for the tip on the veggie group. I'll check it out.
_________________
Carve a pumpkin, go to prison
That's the law

[stevebarnum]

Hey there. I must admit I felt you a bit contradictory in what you were saying, as you were aiming to both losing weight and bulking up. It's always good to let your body accommodate into a certain rhythm, one step at a time. I know that once you lose weight you feel like you're running on raw energy, but you have to ease up a bit so that you don't put your body through a shock.

[nirp1981]

hey pumpkinguy!
i read your problam and i was asking myself why
u r not using some protein powders - they have soy protein
witch is good for vegeterians....try DiscussFitness you might find some answer if you still need some help...
nirp