Need help with a Diet???

RE: Need help with a Diet??? (danmirage)

Sun, 15 Jan 2006 13:40:03 GMT

Yea, that post that was linked was pretty limited.

First, I want to say that if you are going to be a vegetarian, then you need to LEARN about how to be a healthy vegetarian. An uneducated vegetarian is NOT a vegetarian, it is just someone who avoids meat and eats unhealthlily.

The thing is, if you want to "get some muscle mass" you have to learn to food combine.

In relation to vegetarian vs Non vegetarian...I have found little difference as far as muscle growth.

I was a vegan bodybuilder for many years. Then switched to ovo-lacto. Now I eat meat.

I started at 145 lbs and wanted to be cut and ready to compete at over 200 lbs. People in the gym said I was crazy to hope for such gains as a vegetarian.

As a Vegan (no animal byproducts at all) I started bulking at just under 145 at 11% BF and went up to 160 at 11% BF in 12 weeks.

I continued up over 200 while keepin the BF% at 11 or 12% over the following 18 or so months as an ovo lacto-vegetarian.

I ONLY ate whole foods. No supplements other than a multivitamin and BCAAs....during certain phases I had Meal Replacement Drinks, but that was mostly because of my work...for the first 4-6 months.

While there are differences in the way you have to plan your meals...you just plan for complete nutrition.

I also did complete vegetarian nutrition plan studies for optimal performance...no matter how you eat, you should plan to eat smart.

Vegan sources of protein (not necessarily complete and therefor not supportive of uninturrupted muscle growth)
Cereals and grains - quinoa (<--this one is a complete protein), amaranth, rice, wheat, rye, corn...
Leafy green vegetables, including spinach
Legumes - beans, lentils, peas, peanuts
Nuts - almonds, walnuts, cashews...
Seaweed - kelp, spirulina...
Seeds - sesame, sunflower...
Soy products - tofu, tempeh, soy milk... (the healthiest are fermented sources!!)
Vegetables - Brussel sprouts, potatoes, yuca

Ovo-lacto sources of protein
Eggs
Cheese
Milk
Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Dried Cottage Cheese

If you want to be absolutely certain that you are getting enough complete protein, you should eat food combinations which form a complete protein, such as:
Legumes + seeds
Legumes + nuts
Legumes + dairy
Grains + legumes
Grains + dairy

Here are some tasty and healthy complete protein combinations:
Beans on toast
Cereal/muesli with milk
Corn and beans
Granola with yogurt
Hummus and pita bread
Nut butter with milk or whole grain bread
Rice with beans
Pasta with cheese (e.g., lasagne, macaroni and cheese)
Rice and beans, peas, or lentils
Rice with milk (rice pudding)
Split pea soup with whole grain or seeded crackers or bread
Tortillas with refried beans
Veggie burgers on bread

I could go into some of the more esoteric complete food combinations...but I encourage you to learn about this on your own...then post specific questions!

I have read that one of the best things to eat is tuna

That is crap. The reference protein is eggs...meaning all other foods are compared to egg protein to see how balanced (or efficient, rated as a percent of the complete protein's refernece profile) in protein they are.

While there are valuable oils to be obtained from fish, at this time, with no known uncontaminated fish...refined fish oils such as Carlson's fish oil can better and more safely meet this need.

Keep in mind that carbs and fats are also essential for muscle growth!

Oh, so much to tell....the point is, you CAN do it!!!

RE: Need help with a Diet??? (Italianangel)

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 14:59:39 GMT

Well I am not vegan, did it for a spell but I am lacto pescatarian.
Do you eat eggs or dairy?
There are some great replacements like I just found one called Zoglos, they have mock chicken and it actually had a high protein reading, low carb n fat! Most veg replacements and tofu are higher in carb or fat but you need to focus on protein, good fats and clean carbs.

RE: Need help with a Diet??? (The New Guy)

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 15:10:48 GMT

those things seems pretty limited but I'll try some of that stuff which one was the best replacement for like tuna since it is so essential from other places I have read topics , someone on there said about someone who was a good in shape vegan and used to be fat, I used to be pretty big till I started eating vegetarian too i was like up around 260 then i lost almost a hundred lbs now I'm around 180 and I still want to lose the rest of the fat so I can get a six pack I'm jealous of people who do, that's one of my only motivations to not be as lazy as I used to be too sometimes I find it hard though my goal for this year is to get up to around 190-200 but have somewheres like 9 or 10 body fat % I'd say right now I probably have somewheres between or around 16-20 and I don't like it very much so I'm also trying to get a program to lose that and gain muscle and strength thats about my goals (New Years resolutions) for this year, I hope i can find some help here.

RE: Need help with a Diet??? (Marc David)

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:57:09 GMT

Vegetarian needs protein!

Kinda the same question. Should provide a lot of useful info for you.

Need help with a Diet??? (The New Guy)

Thu, 05 Jan 2006 14:34:52 GMT

Hey, I just recently started what I wouldnt really consider body building but I want to get some muscle mass and strength but everything I have read tells me it will be quite a challange and doesn't offer me and nutritional help as I am a vegetarian i don't eat any meat poultry or fish, so if anyone could help me come up with some replacements for these. I have read that one of the best things to eat is tuna so I hope to find a replacement for that if there is one? well if anyone can help me that would that would be a great....thanks.