View Single Post
  #4   ^
Old Sun, Mar-18-12, 17:10
LowCVegan LowCVegan is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 42
 
Plan: vegan lowcarb (self-made)
Stats: 178/172/160 Male 72 inches
BF:
Progress: 33%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MandalayVA
First off, welcome.

Thank you!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MandalayVA
Secondly, I think you've set yourself a very hard road to travel.!

I'm actually finding it pretty doable so far. I just gotta figure out a few more things. But I guess time will tell if I get sick of it and lose willpower.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MandalayVA
You should be eating real food, not shakes and powders.

I agree that the reliance on protein powder is not ideal, and I do plan to lessen my dependence on it (should've mentioned that). I started using it last year as a post-workout drink and I only increased my use of it just a few weeks ago when I began dieting. With all the muscle-building exercise I do, I need to ensure adequate protein intake, so that's why I'm doing it. It's just hard getting 130 grams of protein a day when you're vegan (actually, it's challenging for pretty much any diet - just more so when you're vegan). I'm experimenting with trying to eat even MORE nuts and seeds, and I'm also seeing how much volume of tofu and legumes I can reasonably expect to be able to do on a daily basis. My goal is to halve my protein powder intake in the next two weeks. I also may decrease my protein intake a bit as long as I continue to make gains with weightlifting (which would be a pretty good indication that my protein intake is adequate). 130 grams is probably on the high side for me. I'm just eating more than I truly need because I know that some protein-burning is inevitable when I'm eating only a small amount of carbs.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MandalayVA
Being a low-carb vegetarian is very doable since one can eat eggs and dairy.

I hear what you're saying, but it's not like it's really EASY to get a huge proportion of your daily protein from eggs and cheese. At 9 grams a piece for jumbo eggs, and c. 7-8 grams per ounce for cheese, I'd be eating a LOT of eggs and cheese to get even 1/2 of my protein. I'd still have the problem of being too full. Because that's been a big part of the challenge so far. It's not that I couldn't get enough protein from the combination of nuts, seeds, legumes, soy products and (limited) grains. I totally could. I've done the math. It's just eating that volume of food on a daily basis gets challenging.

Quote:
Originally Posted by MandalayVA
Start eating coconut oil, totally vegan and a very quick way to add fat to your diet.

That's a good suggestion. I've also been thinking about eating more coconut milk. It has good mineral content, it's high fat, and best of all, it's delicious!

Quote:
Originally Posted by MandalayVA
You're a young man and don't have much weight to lose.

Like I said above, my TWO main goals are to lose weight AND to ensure adequate intake of vitamins and minerals. So I'm trying to make changes that I can stick with long-term. I'm willing to be patient with the weight loss. And I am committed to eating lowER carb for life. Probably not as low as what I'm currently doing, but certainly lower than what I was doing before. I just don't have room for all the nutrient-rich foods when I'm eating so many carbs. It just doesn't work.
Reply With Quote