About working out and being a vegetarian

[happygolucky]

Hey all, can vegetarians share their experiences on their diet while they were working out. I think it is generally healthier but I find it more difficult to loose fat and gain muscle on a veggie diet. Anyone done this before? I know the difference since I have tried both.
I think I dont get enough protein also there isnt much choice for vegetarians in this country except for everything stuffed/substituted with cheese. Also, anything veggie (except milk) that is possibly high in protein is also high on either carbs or fat.
Any ideas, suggestions and experiences are welcome.

[kozak]

I'm not a vegetarian, but some things that you can try is before you work out, have a little snack. Anything will do, just to have some food in your stomach speeds up your metabolism. If you're stomach is empty when you go to the gym, your body slows down it's metabolism to conserve energy. By tricking it like this, you will burn more calories. Also, eat high protein foods within 2 hours of working out. That will help your muscles to rebuild. And it's best to have several small meals during the day instead of a couple large ones. It keeps your metabolism in overdrive.

[BaroqueJim]

You're wrong about vegetarian protein sources all being fatty. There are two types of protein (simplified) in food - complete and incomplete. The complete protiens have the full chain of amino acids and exist in such things as cheese, milk etc. But other foods have incomplete proteins - food like pasta, bread, grains, vegetables. They don't have the complete aminos. But you can combine foods with certain aminos to make the full protein. Bread and beans is one such combination. Do a little research and you'll find plenty of combinations to get a complete protein.

Don't forget that if you're working out you can take protien supplements. My favorite was always the "Designer Whey" that most health food stores carry. You can mix it with milk or water. If you can though, I would reccommend taking some amino acid supplements. Free form if you can. They're not just good for muscles but also nails, skin and hair. As well as the brain! People who are deficient in aminos can get depressed.

I worked out a lot in my early 20s as a vegetarian and I had no trouble gaining muscle or losing fat. But I used to sprout my own seeds too. Sunflower, wheat, lentils, alfalfa. Sprouting seeds increases the aminos in them and also the vitamins and minerals. It also removes the enzyme inhibitors which stop the enzymes becoming active. You need enzymes to digest food and when you cook food in kills them (or when you eat seeds that aren't sprouted) and your body has to produce the enzymes itself which puts a load on your organs. You can find out how to sprout seeds on the internet quite easily. It's a piece of cake and you can soon have a little garden of amazing nutrition growing (very fast) in your kitchen. I used to make a smoothie of grapes, bananas, sprouted wheat, spirulina, raw honey, alfalfa, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, ginger and ginseng. It was extremely tastey, full of protien and other nutrients and kept me going through my morning workout and through the rest of the day without needing any more food.

[chaturganj]

Daals (Pulses, or you can call it lentils) are excellent sources of protein. If you are too concerned about protein, why not have a protein bar as a part of your diet. Too much milk or cheese (or non-vegetarian stuff like meat, fish, milk, eggs etc.) is invitation to heart diseases. Not just heart diseases but bloated feeling because the body cant digest it easily. Its like you have been stuffed with rubber. You cant digest it for hours. I converted to vegan diets 8 years back and I used to work out a lot after that (when I had more free time). I plan to start working out more now. hehe

There is only this much protein and nutrition that a person needs. Its not like calories. Protein is needed to repair the body cells, produce new body cells etc. We use calories all the time on the other hand. We think that oh we are working out, we need more proteins, we need more nutrition. That is all BS created by all these food companies who want their supplements to sell. A blacksmith or a farmer 300 years back would have worked ten times more than any of us today - at the very minimum. Did he eat 10 times more? There are people who can run 40 miles. Do they eat 10 times more than people who can only run 4 miles? It is just natural for us to exercise. It is unnatural for us to worry about nutrition when we hardly move our butts. It is natural to exercise for 8 hours a day. It is unnatural to worry about nutrition after exercising 1 hour a day.

Lentils and stuff like kidney beans, chana (chik peas), also wheat, rice, most grains, they all have proteins, in addition to having lesser fat than meat.

I find subway is a great place for veggie subs. Lentil Soup is another easy thing to catch. And many thai and indian places have good vegie stuff. Besides fruits are every where. There is a lot a choice for veggie stuff here too. Almost all restaurant have some thing vegetarion on their menu. If they don't have anything vegetarian, be assured you are not eating at a healthy place!

[bonacera]

I'm not a vegetarian, but some things that you can try is before you work out, have a little snack. Anything will do, just to have some food in your stomach speeds up your metabolism. If you're stomach is empty when you go to the gym, your body slows down it's metabolism to conserve energy. By tricking it like this, you will burn more calories. Also, eat high protein foods within 2 hours of working out. That will help your muscles to rebuild. And it's best to have several small meals during the day instead of a couple large ones. It keeps your metabolism in overdrive.
The personal trainer at the Newport gym told me the same thing. I could not develop any muscle for months, and sometimes felt dizzy during the work-out. I told the trainer about the problem and he told me to eat something 30-15 minutes before work-out.

[Pacific Blues]

Have you tried soy based products like tofu? Soy is high in protein and relatively low in fat. You may want to look into whey protein supplements like the others have suggested. When I first started working out I lost a bit too much weight since I didn't change my diet. Now I'm using supplements sparingly and it has helped. If you've been working out for an extended period of time and have not seen much progress, you should see a trainer and a dietician.

[BaroqueJim]

I have something else to add. I remain convinced that a few years ago I read an article in the scientific press which linked excessive protein consumption to brain problems, including a form of meningitis and that people like weight lifters who eat large amounts are most at risk. However, I can't find a link to the story. I know I read it though!

Nevertheless, it is becoming more apparant that the body doesn't need as much protein as people think and in fact too much is bad. It certainly puts a strain on the liver and kidneys and the body finds it hard to break down if it's from an animal source. In fact, did you know that when you eat a large cooked meal which includes a high source of animal protein, most of the energy in the food is spent digesting things which are hard to digest - in fact up to 75% of the energy is wasted in this way. Digestion takes a lot of energy and this is why we feel tired after eating a huge meal. You body wants to shut down non-vital circuitry to conserve energy for the digestion! It's for this reason that eating raw food is essential, because it contains digestive enzymes and hence requires no body energy to digest.

I was on a raw food diet for 6 months (no cooked food of ANY kind) and I have to say I looked 10 years younger and had so much energy I didn't know what to do with it. I could only manage 4 hours sleep a night and then I was up and going jogging, doing press ups etc. Mind you it's hard to maintain and it affects your social life. An easier way to get raw food benefits is to eat something raw before EVERY cooked meal (cooked doesn't have to mean HOT by the way - bread is cooked). It doesn't matter what it is, but I would recommend an apple or a couple of carrots. Pineapple is FULL of digestive enzmes and should always be eaten if you're suffering from bloating or indigestion. Anyway, have a salad or some fruit before every meal and I promise you'll notice the difference in your health and energy levels within a month.

Atkins - pah! A lot of people are doing themselves damage with this crap. Sure, limit your carbs and it's also a good idea to refrain from mixing carbs and protein (since one requires acid to digest and the other requires alkaline, there is a digestive conflict which results in ph neutralization and hence no digestion!) but people are going protein crazy and risking liver disease, and severe migraines. What's more, some people incredibly enough are eating fried meat every morning for breakfast because they've read it helps you lose weight. The problem with most people's view of nutrition is that they have this one-dimensional, linear view of things in which weight loss is the only concern. This is a huge mistake. There is so much more to health. You can be overweight and yet still healthier than a slim person, who may have all sorts wrong with them from organ disease to high cholesterol. People get so obsessed with losing weight they forget about the rest of their diet and their skin becomes saggy and sallow. They have vitamin deficiencies. They have no energy. Also, there is a side of Atkins which discourages the consumption of fruit and vegetables. I've actually heard people say this. But the body needs roughage and fiber! There are many phytonutrients in raw fruit and vegtables which have only been discovered in the last decade or so and are absolutely magical to health. Stopping eating raw fruit is a terrible mistake. I just wish people would get over this Atkins fad and go back to eating sensibly in the long term. The trouble is people are desperate to follow a "branded" diet which lets them lose weight without making the effort to exercise, etc. Sensible, balanced diet with lots of exercise, raw food, juices and grain combinations is MUCH healthier than sitting on your butt worshiping Dr Atkins and eating pork chops every morning.