Hey Veeky Forums, I'm going vegan and I'm looking for any tips/pointers/experience (is it possible to be a Veeky Forums vegan?)
Background: I'm 22 and a recovering alcoholic who quit drinking 5 months ago. In that time, I've lost 45 lbs just adding light exercise and eating what I want (I was drinking A LOT). I'm still chubby but getting down to my goal level of body fat. Even though I've been losing weight, my diet is still pretty shit. Lots of sodium, processed foods with empty carbs, lots of sugar and fats. For me, going vegan is a way for me to start eating a healthier diet and try to lose the rest of my beer belly. I plan on integrating some light weight training/bodyweight exercises to get muscle tone, but I'm not trying to get shredded (yet).
Most vegan groups I've checked out are filled with whiny shits, which is why I'm here for a more realistic perspective. I'm not in it for the ethical/moral reasons, I'm just trying to get more Veeky Forums, how do I do it and not die?
(pic related, maybe: I got some free samples of vegan protein powder recently and they're not bad tasting. one serving of the powder I tried mixed in 10 oz of unsweetened soy milk is about 24 g of protein, which is....not a lot)
Being a vegetarian will make it 100x easier. As you can eat eggs, drink milk and use whey.
Lincoln Rodriguez
Sorry if this isn't the board for this, I know that the standard Veeky Forums diet is whole milk, chicken cutlets and oats but all the vegans I know seem unconcerned about protein which makes me think they might be malnourished
Lincoln James
I'm lactose intolerant as well, so I've already cut most dairy out of my diet. (I can tolerate some) but the biggest change will be cutting out the meat and cutting out things that have non-vegan ingredients (which is attractive to me because I want to eat less processed food like frozen meals and fast food).
Another struggle I'm having is that I see so much conflicting information on how much protein I should be eating. Usually the numbers I see people saying in communities like Veeky Forums is a lot higher than the numbers you would see on a vegan board
Jaxson Morris
Vegans on average are probably less concerned with making muscular progress than the average Veeky Forums poster. You can lose weight without going vegan. The FDA recommends 50g a day or something like that, but you won't make big gains with that low amount.
Logan Jones
Nice to see you're being realistic OP
You'll probably have to shell out extra dough for vegan safe products and pick up your diet to accomodate lower bioavailability of protein in sources, or simply deal with not having as optimal a protein intake.
You should be ok, I would advise maybe not being a strict vegan if you can afford not to and try to have as full a diet as possible while being satisfied with the effort you've put in.
Connor Jones
Being vegetarian is still way better than vegan. You will get to eat healthier as a vegetarian. Vegan is going too far if youre concerned about your health.
Its a lot easier to build muscle and stay healthy with options like eggs, lactose free dairy products and whey. As they provide nutrients which you have to suplement in a vegan diet.
Owen Lee
Base your meals around beans, lentils, and whole grains like oats and brown rice. Incorporate a variety of veggies, and snack on fruits (especially berries) and nuts/seeds (especially walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds, and pumpkin seeds).
Whether you stay vegan or not, those core diet principles are always applicable.
Brandon Morales
I've been vegan for two years. I lift, but I generally do more endurance training, working towards my first marathon. So, I can't give you advice for putting on a ton of muscle, but maybe I can offer some general health insights.
Make sure to get on a vitamin D and vitamin B12 supplement. You should try to incorporate enriched foods into your diet, but it's easy to miss these two vitamins and you should plan to supplement. Get your blood levels tested at about six months to a year on the diet to make sure that you're maintaining your iron level. I also take a multivitamin about once a week and use iodized salt, just to cover my bases.
I try to eat mostly whole fruits and vegetables, which is affordable if you shop in season, buy frozen, and eat plenty of cheap bananas and apples. I try to add some kind of protein to each of my meals to help recovery, although you don't have to be so concerned about protein supplements for general health (you might to build muscle, but someone else would have to advise you on that front). You can get more protein in by mixing quinoa or hemp into your oats, and including tempeh, tofu, beans, or lentils into your other meals. Remember that mixing brown rice and legumes will give you a complete protein in terms of amino acid breakdown. You can try nut butters, but I prefer them as a snack instead of a main protein source (although you could look into PB2 or something similar).
My biggest recommendation when starting out vegan is to track your calories. If you're eating vegan, and especially if you're eating clean and unprocessed stuff, your meals will be way less calorie dense at the same volume that you're used to. A ton of people make the mistake of eating the same volume of plant foods, and then get sluggish because of the lack of calories. Use an app like Cronometer to get a handle on how many calories you get through, and don't start calorie cutting until you're used to the diet.
