18, veggie, desperately trying to tone up

alicejane2
alicejane2 Posts: 7 Member
in Introduce Yourself
desperate to lose about 10lbs, and tone up. Sick of being so weak and hating what I see in the mirror every morning. My biggest challenge is getting the protien in since I'm vegetarian and I really struggle to eat protien bars/shakes/supplements! Any advice other than the usual beans, tofu, nuts would be fab! I'm getting desperate here!! Love to be able to join the community to give me more motivation, and to try and help others doing the same!

Replies

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    21 (profile) or 18 (post) .....or under 18? Hmmmm
  • alicejane2
    alicejane2 Posts: 7 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    21 (profile) or 18 (post) .....or under 18? Hmmmm

    Definitely 18! No idea why it says 21 since I signed up with facebook which had my actual birth date on. I can show ID if needs be! :P
  • ano463s
    ano463s Posts: 21 Member
    Try some seitan recipes. They're easy and cheap to make, in addition to often being relatively low calorie, so you can stick them into a calorie deficit pretty easily. Also, you don't really need a ton of protein. Obviously, yes, you need some, but in order to put on some muscle you would probably benefit more by choosing a weight lifting program rather than figuring out a protein supplement. Lifting heavy things is great. :)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,046 Member
    I've been a veggie (ovo-lacto, though) since 1974.

    You named the basics - it can help to figure out fun new ways to eat them, or to eat varied versions of them. Refried-type (nonfat) beans or hummus are significantly different foods from a kidney bean salad, for example. And consider some of the other soy options - I like tempeh, for one, and miso. (I stick to the more-nearly-whole-food stuff like this, not yucky fake meats.)

    If you start logging your food, you'll find that some veggies have worthwhile amounts of protein for us (though meat-eaters might scoff at the amounts). For example, yesterday I got 4gm in 50 calories of cauliflower, and 4 more from tomatoes. Obviously, vegetable sources have imbalanced amino acids, but you can eat varied foods to make up for this.

    You didn't mention grains, but don't forget them. I got 4 gm from 1/4C of oatmeal, and some of the "ancient grains" like quinoa, amaranth and teff have more. Think about seeds, too (though you may have included them in nuts), like hemp, chia, pepitas, etc.

    Nothing startling here, but I hope it helps!
  • alicejane2
    alicejane2 Posts: 7 Member
    ano463s wrote: »
    Try some seitan recipes. They're easy and cheap to make, in addition to often being relatively low calorie, so you can stick them into a calorie deficit pretty easily. Also, you don't really need a ton of protein. Obviously, yes, you need some, but in order to put on some muscle you would probably benefit more by choosing a weight lifting program rather than figuring out a protein supplement. Lifting heavy things is great. :)

    Never heard of seitan before so I'll have to give it a go, thanks! Yeah I do a bit of weights at the moment but I'm having to build it up so slowly because my body takes so long to repair (immune system problem)
  • alicejane2
    alicejane2 Posts: 7 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I've been a veggie (ovo-lacto, though) since 1974.

    You named the basics - it can help to figure out fun new ways to eat them, or to eat varied versions of them. Refried-type (nonfat) beans or hummus are significantly different foods from a kidney bean salad, for example. And consider some of the other soy options - I like tempeh, for one, and miso. (I stick to the more-nearly-whole-food stuff like this, not yucky fake meats.)

    If you start logging your food, you'll find that some veggies have worthwhile amounts of protein for us (though meat-eaters might scoff at the amounts). For example, yesterday I got 4gm in 50 calories of cauliflower, and 4 more from tomatoes. Obviously, vegetable sources have imbalanced amino acids, but you can eat varied foods to make up for this.

    You didn't mention grains, but don't forget them. I got 4 gm from 1/4C of oatmeal, and some of the "ancient grains" like quinoa, amaranth and teff have more. Think about seeds, too (though you may have included them in nuts), like hemp, chia, pepitas, etc.

    Nothing startling here, but I hope it helps!

    That's some dedication there!! I've only been veggie for a year and a half. I do love whole foods but they're just so expensive when you're a student! Never really thought of seeds as a protien source which is silly of me, better start loading up my cupboards! Thanks :)
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
    You're welcome to friend/check out my diaries. I'm vegetarian and have been for about 25 years. I'm motivated to complete Tough Guy and Gal (a local 12km mud run) in late August, in a great time and have been training for this for a while, so I guess you could say I'm 'toning up'.

    I tried protein shakes and found after two months they made no discernible difference to how I felt or any of my training metrics. I've been an office worker with bad eating habits most of my life, so I have other areas I need to work on before I bother about being some kind of muscular beast.

    After about 4 months into my journey I had a physical crash and just ran out of 'go'. I discovered via blood tests that for the amount of running I was doing, I had way too low an iron count, so on the days I am low, I take a small supplement. Yes, my protein count is low by this software, but I prefer to use my gym schedule to manage my progress.

    Otherwise, I can keep up with most in my local running club, my gym weight limits have increased over time and I workout almost every working day.

    When protein is 'low': Grains are good, green leafy vegetables are good and quinoa is easy to cook and prepare (I usually mix it 50% with wild brown rice).
  • dennisputnel
    dennisputnel Posts: 1 Member
    18, veggie. You should try shakeology as well... really a great shake that leaves you full and gives you the protien among much more..
  • alicejane2
    alicejane2 Posts: 7 Member
    GWehsling wrote: »
    You're welcome to friend/check out my diaries. I'm vegetarian and have been for about 25 years. I'm motivated to complete Tough Guy and Gal (a local 12km mud run) in late August, in a great time and have been training for this for a while, so I guess you could say I'm 'toning up'.

    I tried protein shakes and found after two months they made no discernible difference to how I felt or any of my training metrics. I've been an office worker with bad eating habits most of my life, so I have other areas I need to work on before I bother about being some kind of muscular beast.

    After about 4 months into my journey I had a physical crash and just ran out of 'go'. I discovered via blood tests that for the amount of running I was doing, I had way too low an iron count, so on the days I am low, I take a small supplement. Yes, my protein count is low by this software, but I prefer to use my gym schedule to manage my progress.

    Otherwise, I can keep up with most in my local running club, my gym weight limits have increased over time and I workout almost every working day.

    When protein is 'low': Grains are good, green leafy vegetables are good and quinoa is easy to cook and prepare (I usually mix it 50% with wild brown rice).

    Thanks for reply. Good luck with your 12km, I've always thought they look so tough so I really admire your motivation!

    Do you find iron supplements work when you're on a low? I have iron tablets but I always forget to take them!
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
    alicejane2 wrote: »
    Thanks for reply. Good luck with your 12km, I've always thought they look so tough so I really admire your motivation!

    Do you find iron supplements work when you're on a low? I have iron tablets but I always forget to take them!

    Mud run is not for the faint, not that one anyway, it requires a great deal of all round strength as there are military styled obstacles scattered throughout the course, as well as the mud and inevitable rain that time of year.

    The iron tablets make a noticable difference but I also don't depend on them. I eat other things that are iron rich, just with so much activity at this time, it's easy to go under and I only find out I'm too low when it will take a few days to recover. If that makes sense. The little bottle of iron tabs sits next to my toothbrush, so it is easy to remember to take one as I brush my teeth often :-)
  • GWehsling
    GWehsling Posts: 120 Member
    Oh, I should add, the biggest difference to managing my food and getting it right: buying and using a digital food scale. I now measure everything and it really does make a difference.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    Friend me and you can see my diary too. I get costco-sized containers of MorningStar Farms 1/4 lb black bean burgers. They're 17 g protein per burger. Seriously I eat them 2 at a time crumbled over veg, blended into dip, layered with guac and salsa, in lettuce boats. I also eat tofu by the brick (32 g protein per brick). My favorite way to eat tofu is to press extra firm tofu with paper towels, then salt, garlic powder, and pan fry in shallow oil in thin slices. About 7 minutes per size and it's golden brown and crispy on the outside. I then season based on mood. Curry powder and lime for a tangy tofu. Rosemary, basil, and thyme for an Italian taste.

    I really like gardein meat substitutes (orange chicken, fishless filets, breaded tofurkey), but they're pricier.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    dennisputnel wrote:
    You should try shakeology as well.
    No.
    There's no need to waste money on meal replacement shakes or other MLM scams.
    Eat real food. You'll save money & have fewer calories, more bulk, be satisfied longer.


    Read these, esp. sexypants.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1
  • konawalker
    konawalker Posts: 6 Member
    MKEgal wrote: »
    dennisputnel wrote:
    You should try shakeology as well.
    No.
    There's no need to waste money on meal replacement shakes or other MLM scams.
    Eat real food. You'll save money & have fewer calories, more bulk, be satisfied longer.


    Read these, esp. sexypants.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1

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