Craving a lot of meat since I started weights
Graelwyn75
Posts: 4,404 Member
I was a vegetarian for over a decade, then a pescetarian for well over another decade, but not long after I started weights, I found myself craving meat, especially chicken, and ended up eating it again. Since then, I find myself often having chicken on a daily basis, and my protein is sometimes hitting 160g , no matter how much I try and contain it.
Is it normal to find yourself craving a lot more meat when lifting? I totally went off fish and find that vegetarian sources just do not seem to deal with this, unfortunately.
Is it normal to find yourself craving a lot more meat when lifting? I totally went off fish and find that vegetarian sources just do not seem to deal with this, unfortunately.
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I am no specialist but I would say yes
I do vary my protein sources, just because I don't think that eating meat all the time is a good idea. So I always have dairy, eggs, tofu, legumes, grains, soy, seafood, white and red meat in rotation. If you are omnivorous, you should be able to get enough protein from dietary sources alone, without sups (not that there is anything wrong with sups).0 -
I am no specialist but I would say yes
I do vary my protein sources, just because I don't think that eating meat all the time is a good idea. So I always have dairy, eggs, tofu, legumes, grains, soy, seafood, white and red meat in rotation. If you are omnivorous, you should be able to get enough protein from dietary sources alone, without sups (not that there is anything wrong with sups).
I usually get over 100g protein a day. I generally have one or two chicken breasts 5 days a week, along with eggs, beans, fish, seafood, cottage cheese, nuts and greek yoghurt. I tend to have just one large meal in the evening, with a smaller bedtime meal, and the odd snack in the day if I need it, so I suppose it seems like I am eating a lot of meat because I have it often for my main meal, more often than say, fish or seafood. I do try and have a vegetarian day a week however. I never thought chicken would be so moreish to me.0 -
I have never had that problem to be honest. I am a vegetarian and have not noticed any difference.0
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I have never had that problem to be honest. I am a vegetarian and have not noticed any difference.
Yes, I want to get back to that, or at least, only eating fish and seafood, as I feel uncomfortable morally eating meat.
But finding it pretty hard as I am not a cook and before, when vegetarian, my meals consisted of a lot of microwave meals and baked potatoes. I really must get another freezer so I can start cooking meals and freezing portions.0 -
Well you know meat is delicious and it smells fantastic... eating meat begets eating more meat lol
As for the craving, yeah sure I guess it makes sense. I mean, after a workout I want something substantial not just a lot of ruffage and plant based food. Hearty fish would do it for me though, like salmon or tuna, but I think it's totally cool that you're craving meat now. Really interesting.0 -
Well you know meat is delicious and it smells fantastic... eating meat begets eating more meat lol
As for the craving, yeah sure I guess it makes sense. I mean, after a workout I want something substantial not just a lot of ruffage and plant based food. Hearty fish would do it for me though, like salmon or tuna, but I think it's totally cool that you're craving meat now. Really interesting.
Why is it totally cool for someone who has ethical issues with it to be craving it?
Also, I think you have a very large misunderstanding of what a vegetarian or pescetarian diet can include.0 -
Well you know meat is delicious and it smells fantastic... eating meat begets eating more meat lol
As for the craving, yeah sure I guess it makes sense. I mean, after a workout I want something substantial not just a lot of ruffage and plant based food. Hearty fish would do it for me though, like salmon or tuna, but I think it's totally cool that you're craving meat now. Really interesting.
Why is it totally cool for someone who has ethical issues with it to be craving it?
Also, I think you have a very large misunderstanding of what a vegetarian or pescetarian diet can include.
Oh, missed the ethical thing. My bad didn't meant anything by it. I thought it was a lifestyle thing and she was curious about the change in habits.
Also... if it's not coming from animals... it's coming from plants right?
Either way though I would say that craving meat is normal for someone who is exercising, lifting especially. I get how that can be a real problem if you have a moral concern about it though, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure the Mod can suggest some stuff that she eats that might be a vegetarian equivalent.0 -
My (half) educated guess is that vegetarians sometimes struggle to get enough iron, weight lifting has been shown to result in low iron, and low iron can lead to meat cravings.0
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Well you know meat is delicious and it smells fantastic... eating meat begets eating more meat lol
As for the craving, yeah sure I guess it makes sense. I mean, after a workout I want something substantial not just a lot of ruffage and plant based food. Hearty fish would do it for me though, like salmon or tuna, but I think it's totally cool that you're craving meat now. Really interesting.
Why is it totally cool for someone who has ethical issues with it to be craving it?
Also, I think you have a very large misunderstanding of what a vegetarian or pescetarian diet can include.
Oh, missed the ethical thing. My bad didn't meant anything by it. I thought it was a lifestyle thing and she was curious about the change in habits.
Also... if it's not coming from animals... it's coming from plants right?
Either way though I would say that craving meat is normal for someone who is exercising, lifting especially. I get how that can be a problem if you have a moral concern about it though, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure the Mod can suggest some stuff that she eats that might be a vegetarian equivalent.
I am a mod and I am a vegetarian. Vegetarians can have eggs and dairy which is not plant based. She is a pescaterian so she has fish.
Not necessarily normal to crave - does not happen to me.0 -
Iron is obviously contained in a lot of other sources, but heme iron (meat) is what your body is best at utilizing. I'd actually commented on Rock's feed before reading this thread, and I concur with Rock.
Your body is typically just not very efficient at utilizing plant sources of iron or iron (II) suppliments (ferrous iron).
Taking concurrently with some vitamin C and having adequate vitamin A intake helps, but for some cases (especially women, not to say ALL women) it's just not enough.0 -
I don't mean to derail this, but is it the treatment of animals or/and the killing them for food that bothers you? Is there more to it?0
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Well you know meat is delicious and it smells fantastic... eating meat begets eating more meat lol
As for the craving, yeah sure I guess it makes sense. I mean, after a workout I want something substantial not just a lot of ruffage and plant based food. Hearty fish would do it for me though, like salmon or tuna, but I think it's totally cool that you're craving meat now. Really interesting.
Why is it totally cool for someone who has ethical issues with it to be craving it?
Also, I think you have a very large misunderstanding of what a vegetarian or pescetarian diet can include.
Oh, missed the ethical thing. My bad didn't meant anything by it. I thought it was a lifestyle thing and she was curious about the change in habits.
Also... if it's not coming from animals... it's coming from plants right?
Either way though I would say that craving meat is normal for someone who is exercising, lifting especially. I get how that can be a problem if you have a moral concern about it though, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure the Mod can suggest some stuff that she eats that might be a vegetarian equivalent.
I am a mod and I am a vegetarian.
Not necessarily normal to crave - does not happen to me.
^ open cans of green beans with her thighs ^0 -
My (half) educated guess is that vegetarians sometimes struggle to get enough iron, weight lifting has been shown to result in low iron, and low iron can lead to meat cravings.
^^this is a very possible reason.
Also, it may be protein levels in general.
OP: how much protein do you get a day on average? Do you track your iron?0 -
I don't mean to derail this, but is it the treatment of animals or/and the killing them for food that bothers you? Is there more to it?
I am not sure that this is relevant.0 -
Well you know meat is delicious and it smells fantastic... eating meat begets eating more meat lol
As for the craving, yeah sure I guess it makes sense. I mean, after a workout I want something substantial not just a lot of ruffage and plant based food. Hearty fish would do it for me though, like salmon or tuna, but I think it's totally cool that you're craving meat now. Really interesting.
Why is it totally cool for someone who has ethical issues with it to be craving it?
Also, I think you have a very large misunderstanding of what a vegetarian or pescetarian diet can include.
Oh, missed the ethical thing. My bad didn't meant anything by it. I thought it was a lifestyle thing and she was curious about the change in habits.
Also... if it's not coming from animals... it's coming from plants right?
Either way though I would say that craving meat is normal for someone who is exercising, lifting especially. I get how that can be a problem if you have a moral concern about it though, I'm sorry about that. I'm sure the Mod can suggest some stuff that she eats that might be a vegetarian equivalent.
I am a mod and I am a vegetarian.
Not necessarily normal to crave - does not happen to me.
^ open cans of green beans with her thighs ^
^gives popeye a b0nar0 -
OP could have some micronutrient deficiency that meat is satisfying. Hard to tell without knowing more about her diet.0
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I don't mean to derail this, but is it the treatment of animals or/and the killing them for food that bothers you? Is there more to it?
It is the way they are generally treated before being killed, as well as the manner in which they die.
If I were to hunt my meat and do things that way, I would not have such an issue.
It is factory farming, basically, that I have issue with. I love animals and do not like the idea of them suffering.
Given I do not drive, it is quite hard to find ethically sourced meat locally, where I live.
I try to get organic, free range, but even a lot of that is becoming mass produced these days.
My craving for meat was an occasional thing not long before I started weights, in that around my TOM I would pick at the cooked liver my bf had leftover from his dinner. But once I started lifting, it sort of got harder to ignore.0 -
My (half) educated guess is that vegetarians sometimes struggle to get enough iron, weight lifting has been shown to result in low iron, and low iron can lead to meat cravings.
^^this is a very possible reason.
Also, it may be protein levels in general.
OP: how much protein do you get a day on average? Do you track your iron?
I have not been tracking my iron, no, though I do have multivitamins and minerals.
I do have pretty heavy tom so that could be an issue, I guess. I might need to get that checked into.
My protein is generally over 120g a day, sometimes as high as 180g recently.
Without the meat, it would be around 75g or thereabouts from eggs, vegetables, nuts and dairy.0 -
My (half) educated guess is that vegetarians sometimes struggle to get enough iron, weight lifting has been shown to result in low iron, and low iron can lead to meat cravings.
^^this is a very possible reason.
Also, it may be protein levels in general.
OP: how much protein do you get a day on average? Do you track your iron?
I have not been tracking my iron, no, though I do have multivitamins and minerals.
I do have pretty heavy tom so that could be an issue, I guess. I might need to get that checked into.
My protein is generally over 120g a day, sometimes as high as 180g recently.
Without the meat, it would be around 75g or thereabouts from eggs, vegetables, nuts and dairy.
Definitely get your bloodwork done0 -
I don't mean to derail this, but is it the treatment of animals or/and the killing them for food that bothers you? Is there more to it?
It is the way they are generally treated before being killed, as well as the manner in which they die.
If I were to hunt my meat and do things that way, I would not have such an issue.
It is factory farming, basically, that I have issue with. I love animals and do not like the idea of them suffering.
Given I do not drive, it is quite hard to find ethically sourced meat locally, where I live.
I try to get organic, free range, but even a lot of that is becoming mass produced these days.
My craving for meat was an occasional thing not long before I started weights, in that around my TOM I would pick at the cooked liver my bf had leftover from his dinner. But once I started lifting, it sort of got harder to ignore.
^^that definitely sounds like an iron issue. I agree with Rock that you should get bloodwork done.0 -
I don't mean to derail this, but is it the treatment of animals or/and the killing them for food that bothers you? Is there more to it?
It is the way they are generally treated before being killed, as well as the manner in which they die.
If I were to hunt my meat and do things that way, I would not have such an issue.
It is factory farming, basically, that I have issue with. I love animals and do not like the idea of them suffering.
Given I do not drive, it is quite hard to find ethically sourced meat locally, where I live.
I try to get organic, free range, but even a lot of that is becoming mass produced these days.
My craving for meat was an occasional thing not long before I started weights, in that around my TOM I would pick at the cooked liver my bf had leftover from his dinner. But once I started lifting, it sort of got harder to ignore.
^^that definitely sounds like an iron issue. I agree with Rock that you should get bloodwork done.
Especially if you would even get to the point of picking at liver.0 -
Especially if you would even get to the point of picking at liver.
Liver and clams would be my suggestions if you had to break a vegetarian diet for personal health reasons due to iron deficiency though.
Iron can be a really tricky nutrient to try to supplement as again some people just won't absorb enough even with "adequate" intake. Also too much ferrous sulfate (the form most likely in supplements) can cause issue in and of itself.0 -
Yeah, my brother and mother were both vegetarians for a while, but both had to stop as they were not feeling well on it. I maintained it the longest of all of us, before adding in fish, mainly salmon and tuna, and now meat, which I added in a few months ago.
Will definitely get my iron levels checked as this is a thing that has coincided with a heavier cycle as well as the increase in activity.0 -
In the mean time, here is a good site that lists good sources of iron.
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-iron.php
As has been mentioned, also make sure you get enough Vit C to help absorption of non heme (non meat) iron and Vit A.
Sources of Vit C are:
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vitamin-C.php
and Vit A are:
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-A.php0 -
In the mean time, here is a good site that lists good sources of iron.
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-iron.php
As has been mentioned, also make sure you get enough Vit C to help absorption of non heme (non meat) iron and Vit A.
Sources of Vit C are:
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/vitamin-C.php
and Vit A are:
http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/food-sources-of-vitamin-A.php
Thanks, will look into those and see if I am missing anything.
Vitamin C I am definitely fine on, I know, I intake a lot of fruit and vegetables daily. Vitamin A - going to look into that one.0 -
If you must eat meat, why not try lamb? 0
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If you must eat meat, why not try lamb?
Just not felt like venturing into lamb, though apparently I liked it as a child.
I feel less guilty, oddly, eating more things on two legs than on four, lol. It sounds terrible, but I don't mind eating chickens so much as I would mind eating four legged beasties.0 -
Locking so we can keep track of active threads and it seems as though you have gotten a decent amount of responses. If you wish for the thread to be unlocked for further questions, please feel free to PM either myself or SideSteel, including a link to this thread and we will unlock it so you can.0
This discussion has been closed.