Hey guys a little about me I am 22 5'11 and i weigh an astonishing 235 lbs! I was 210 lbs, but after I moved to a different country and started eating allot of junk food/fast food, I gained weight quickly. So yesterday, I joined a gym and decided to drop to 200 lbs by the end of the summer. I also decided I want to be a vegan (been thinking about it for a long time) and after seeing some of the videos on youtube of the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses, I am convinced that this is the right way to go (health benefits are also a plus).

Can I still lift weights and be vegan? I dont want to try any protein shakes or suppliments, I want to go all natural. Also, I am basically interested in loosing fat and toning some of my muscles, not really want to get big. And lastly, I want to get more energy so I stop feeling tired all the time with back pains.

What kinds of foods do you like? That's a good place to start.

Feeling tired can be related to the types of foods you eat, specifically refined carbohydrates and those that are high in the glycemic index (sugar, white bread, white rice, pasta, potatoes)

As a vegan, you'll need to put a strong focus on nuts, seeds and legumes to be sure your protein levels are adequate. Make up a sample plan on fitday. com and check the protein levels. If they're less than 1 gram per pound of body weight, that might be too low, and if it's less than one gram per kilogram of body weight, you really should try to make some changes and boost it up for the best results. And don't be afraid of fats!!!! Be sure to include good sources of fat in your diet like avocado, olives, almonds, flax seeds, canola oil, etc.

There's a vegan bodybuilding website that might be helpful.
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/

As well, Robert Cheeke has some nice dietary tips on this site:
http://www.vegetarianteen.com/articles/robertcheekeprotein.shtml

What kinds of foods do you like? That's a good place to start.

Feeling tired can be related to the types of foods you eat, specifically refined carbohydrates and those that are high in the glycemic index (sugar, white bread, white rice, pasta, potatoes)

As a vegan, you'll need to put a strong focus on nuts, seeds and legumes to be sure your protein levels are adequate. Make up a sample plan on fitday. com and check the protein levels. If they're less than 1 gram per pound of body weight, that might be too low, and if it's less than one gram per kilogram of body weight, you really should try to make some changes and boost it up for the best results. And don't be afraid of fats!!!! Be sure to include good sources of fat in your diet like avocado, olives, almonds, flax seeds, canola oil, etc.

There's a vegan bodybuilding website that might be helpful.
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/

As well, Robert Cheeke has some nice dietary tips on this site:
http://www.vegetarianteen.com/articles/robertcheekeprotein.shtml

The problem with plant protein sources, though, is that they have a protein:carb ratio that I personally find less than ideal. In order to get 1 g of protein per lb of body weight from plant sources you would need to eat huge amounts of carbs and excessive calories. Then there's the whole incomplete/complete protein issue, which may be a problem. Plant protein has a lower biological value than animal protein, meaning your body can't use it as readily in protein synthesis as it can animal protein.

I don't know. Personally I would say that being a vegan and serious weight lifting just don't mix.

Hey guys a little about me I am 22 5'11 and i weigh an astonishing 235 lbs! I was 210 lbs, but after I moved to a different country and started eating allot of junk food/fast food, I gained weight quickly. So yesterday, I joined a gym and decided to drop to 200 lbs by the end of the summer. I also decided I want to be a vegan (been thinking about it for a long time) and after seeing some of the videos on youtube of the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses, I am convinced that this is the right way to go (health benefits are also a plus).

Can I still lift weights and be vegan? I dont want to try any protein shakes or suppliments, I want to go all natural. Also, I am basically interested in loosing fat and toning some of my muscles, not really want to get big. And lastly, I want to get more energy so I stop feeling tired all the time with back pains.

hey! nice to have you join the site. i have been vegan for years and it's totally easy to be vegan and work out HARD as long as you make smart diet choices.

i run harder and faster than most guys at the gym and the vegan thing has only helped. also, i workout 6 days a week and i find that i recover as fast and as well as i did than before i was vegan.

i eat a very natural diet and, like you, i don't like shakes and supplements too much. however, the one thing i consume regularly is a protein shake. by "regularly" i mean that i eat 6 or 7 small meals a day and i have a protein shake with each one of them. i use nutribiotic brand rice protein. the only ingredient in it is rice (they have a process to extract the protein from it, but there are no chemicals and it's completely organic). so despite not liking supplements, i think you would be safe using a very natural protein supplement.

many alternative protein sources (outside the land of protein shakes) require you to eat too many calories for a sufficient amount of protein to recover from workouts.

also, just to point out: losing weight is a great goal, but it's a huge mistake to do so without liting weights. cardio is also essential, but cardio and weights go hand in hand. lifting raises your metabolism and prevents you from losing muscle as you lose fat. i really like the way bill phillips puts it: (not an exact quote here, but this is the general idea) "if you are shaped like a pear and you do a ton of cardio without lifting weights, you'll lose weight and look like a smaller pear."

so lifting weights is really key if you want to change your body, rather than just your weight. anyway, i hope this helps. feel free to message me if you have any specific questions. also, be sure to google brian cheeke and vegan body building as these will bring up a TON of useful information on the subject.

I'm not a meat eater myself but do enjoy Eggs/Milk..

I bought some tofurkey kielbasa's a few days ago and they are very high protein and very low digestible carbs. Most of the other "natural" (unprocessed) components to a strictly vegan diet cutting will contain a large amount of carbohydrates in my experience which may make it more difficult to lose weight. Focus on soy/tofu and add other legumes and nuts for most of your protein. Without eating a mostly processed vegan food diet, I expect that around 40% or more of your daily calories will be coming from carbs.

If I had to do a pure vegan/low carb diet it would be mostly tofu/soy/seitan/protein powders and high amounts of greens for fiber etc.

I think the tofu egg scramblers may be low carb.. I know the yves meatless ground is low carb too..

Hello. If you're serious (I noticed the date you posted) you'll have no problems building strength as a vegan. As suggested, have a look at those two sites

I've been vegan for 28 years and would never change back to a slaughterhouse diet.

Good luck.

Can I still lift weights and be vegan?... I want to get more energy so I stop feeling tired all the time with back pains.

Well sure you can be a vegan and lift weights. There are plenty of examples.

Just make sure you eat enough. Then you will have energy.

And make sure you burn enough Calories in exercise, and that you get in a good amount of leg and back exercise. Do you deadlift? If you have back problems, then back exercise is usually a good idea.

The problem with plant protein sources, though, is that they have a protein:carb ratio that I personally find less than ideal. In order to get 1 g of protein per lb of body weight from plant sources you would need to eat huge amounts of carbs and excessive calories.

You can burn off the excess Calories to round out the diet. If you lift seriously, being able to burn Calories is not an issue.

It is tougher to be a vegan and bodybuild or lift seriously, but it's been done successfully.