Building muscle as a vegan
AoifeElmo
Posts: 23 Member
Hey guys,
I'm trying to up my muscle mass and gain weight. Since going vegan I've had more of an interest in health and fitness. Over the past 4 months I've started strength training 4 days a week..
Right now I am aiming for 2,600 calories a day (60/20/20 macros). Ideally 3,000 would be better until I gain more weight (9 lbs) but finding it difficult to get that many calories in. Have seen great results in terms of muscle so far.
Would love to hear what you guys have achieved on plant based diet / your journey to building lean muscle.
I'm trying to up my muscle mass and gain weight. Since going vegan I've had more of an interest in health and fitness. Over the past 4 months I've started strength training 4 days a week..
Right now I am aiming for 2,600 calories a day (60/20/20 macros). Ideally 3,000 would be better until I gain more weight (9 lbs) but finding it difficult to get that many calories in. Have seen great results in terms of muscle so far.
Would love to hear what you guys have achieved on plant based diet / your journey to building lean muscle.
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Replies
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Which of those is the 60? Protein, fat or carbs?0
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60 carbs.0
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How did you figure out those macros? You may want to adjust and up your protein.0
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It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
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Ok gotcha
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Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
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Vegan lifter here also. Add me 0
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Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
Branch Chain Amino Acids. They are considered to stimulate muscle growth and possibly prevent muscle breakdown. There is some evidence to suggest that diets high in Soy protein can promote estrogen production which is not a good thing when trying to build muscle. I would imagine it's not ideal for women either as hormones fluctuate throughout the month as it is. I have heard there are Vegas protein powders that contain BCAA's, so try and look for them. Online stores like Bodybuilding.Com might be a good resource. Are cheeses off-limits for you? If not, cottage cheese could be helpful for you as well.0 -
Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
If you buy vital wheat gluten in bulk, you can make seitan at home. It's vastly cheaper, and easy to make! Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is another delicious and cheap protein source - it's pretty flavorless, so you can use it for mock ground meat all the way to a high-protein hot cereal. I'm also a big fan of chickpea flour.
Also, I'm not sure where you're located but I love TrueNutrition's vegan protein blends - I do a gemma pea/brown rice blend and get the cake batter flavor - delicious!0 -
Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
Branch Chain Amino Acids. They are considered to stimulate muscle growth and possibly prevent muscle breakdown. There is some evidence to suggest that diets high in Soy protein can promote estrogen production which is not a good thing when trying to build muscle. I would imagine it's not ideal for women either as hormones fluctuate throughout the month as it is. I have heard there are Vegas protein powders that contain BCAA's, so try and look for them. Online stores like Bodybuilding.Com might be a good resource. Are cheeses off-limits for you? If not, cottage cheese could be helpful for you as well.
Okay thanks so much for your help! I don't eat cheese so I'll defo look into getting a new protein powder.0 -
daffodilsoup wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
If you buy vital wheat gluten in bulk, you can make seitan at home. It's vastly cheaper, and easy to make! Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP) is another delicious and cheap protein source - it's pretty flavorless, so you can use it for mock ground meat all the way to a high-protein hot cereal. I'm also a big fan of chickpea flour.
Also, I'm not sure where you're located but I love TrueNutrition's vegan protein blends - I do a gemma pea/brown rice blend and get the cake batter flavor - delicious!
Sounds a little daunting! Is it difficult to make? I have no idea what to eat it with either. Never heard of TVP, I'll check out where sells it online. I'm in Ireland, I've only seen super processed mock meats in the health shops here, which I'm trying to avoid. Cake batter flavor! Hmm that sounds good. Do you mix yours with milk? Thanks for the suggestions!0 -
AoifeElmo wrote:Over the past 4 months I've started strength training 4 days a week.
Um, it's best to have at least a day between sessions which stress the same muscle.
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Here's a table which explains the healthy macro ranges, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:Right now I am aiming for 2,600 calories a day (60/20/20 macros).
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html
carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)
So you're really low on fat, but should probably be OK.
To get more calories, do the opposite of what the rest of us need to do:
choose higher-fat foods.
Avocado is yummy.
Full-fat dairy (Greek yogurt).
Nuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds.
Olive oil, for cooking or salad dressing.
I'd suggest fatty fish like salmon as a healthy option, but that wouldn't fly here.
Higher-calorie carbs would be fattier beans or bean paste (think garbanzo / hummus).
Heck, beans in general have lots of calories, and would also have protein.
I was shocked at how many calories brown rice & pasta have!0 -
Farro is another good protein source, and personally I find it a more pleasing texture compared to quinoa, as well as just tasting a little better to me. Nutritionally almost the same as quinoa, but a little tiny bit higher in carbs and calcium.
I like lentils for being quick, since they require no soaking. And in some varieties they can be done from bag form in 12-15 minutes.0 -
AoifeElmo wrote:Over the past 4 months I've started strength training 4 days a week. Um, it's best to have at least a day between sessions which stress the same muscle.
.
Here's a table which explains the healthy macro ranges, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:Right now I am aiming for 2,600 calories a day (60/20/20 macros).
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html
carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)
So you're really low on fat, but should probably be OK.
To get more calories, do the opposite of what the rest of us need to do:
choose higher-fat foods.
Avocado is yummy.
Full-fat dairy (Greek yogurt).
Nuts, peanut butter, sunflower seeds.
Higher-calorie carbs would be fattier beans or bean paste (think garbanzo / hummus).
Heck, beans in general have lots of calories, and would also have protein.
I was shocked at how many calories brown rice & pasta have!
I get 57 g fat a day, didn't think that was low. I eat an Avocado and nuts, seeds everyday for fats. I thought I was having too much.. Greek yogurt is dairy so not vegan unfortunately. I eat a lot of beans a day but have yet to fall in love with hummus haha.0 -
robertw486 wrote: »Farro is another good protein source, and personally I find it a more pleasing texture compared to quinoa, as well as just tasting a little better to me. Nutritionally almost the same as quinoa, but a little tiny bit higher in carbs and calcium.
I like lentils for being quick, since they require no soaking. And in some varieties they can be done from bag form in 12-15 minutes.
Haven't heard of that, it's a grain? I love the texture of Quinoa, even though it looks strange, I cook mine in vegetable stock so gives it a bit of flavour. I am lacking in calcium though so might be worth a shot if I can find Farro!
Lentils, the texture and taste of those... My tastebuds don't like haha. I'm quite picky, I'm thinking of maybe trying them in Soup.0 -
Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
Branch Chain Amino Acids. They are considered to stimulate muscle growth and possibly prevent muscle breakdown. There is some evidence to suggest that diets high in Soy protein can promote estrogen production which is not a good thing when trying to build muscle. I would imagine it's not ideal for women either as hormones fluctuate throughout the month as it is. I have heard there are Vegas protein powders that contain BCAA's, so try and look for them. Online stores like Bodybuilding.Com might be a good resource. Are cheeses off-limits for you? If not, cottage cheese could be helpful for you as well.
Cheese (dairy cheese) would be off-limit for all vegans.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
Branch Chain Amino Acids. They are considered to stimulate muscle growth and possibly prevent muscle breakdown. There is some evidence to suggest that diets high in Soy protein can promote estrogen production which is not a good thing when trying to build muscle. I would imagine it's not ideal for women either as hormones fluctuate throughout the month as it is. I have heard there are Vegas protein powders that contain BCAA's, so try and look for them. Online stores like Bodybuilding.Com might be a good resource. Are cheeses off-limits for you? If not, cottage cheese could be helpful for you as well.
Cheese (dairy cheese) would be off-limit for all vegans.
Okay, makes sense. I honestly was just not sure what rules entailed being "Vegan." Thanks
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Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »Sam_I_Am77 wrote: »It sounds like you're on the right path. Carbs should be fairly easy to come by, your protein sources will be challenging depending on how strict of a Vegan you are. You may need to supplement much of it, as you probably know already. Just make sure your supplementation choices have BCAA's in it. Often some supplements will use collagen as a protein source but it doesn't contain amino's and will only help you with your skin and hair.
For protein I eat Kidney / black beans, Quinoa instead of rice .. Oat bran, seeds and nuts, and Bagels have nearly 9 g protein. I am using pea protein in my smoothies although the taste isn't great. I guess Tofu / seitan would up my protein more it's very expensive where I am. What are BCAA's??
Branch Chain Amino Acids. They are considered to stimulate muscle growth and possibly prevent muscle breakdown. There is some evidence to suggest that diets high in Soy protein can promote estrogen production which is not a good thing when trying to build muscle. I would imagine it's not ideal for women either as hormones fluctuate throughout the month as it is. I have heard there are Vegas protein powders that contain BCAA's, so try and look for them. Online stores like Bodybuilding.Com might be a good resource. Are cheeses off-limits for you? If not, cottage cheese could be helpful for you as well.
Cheese (dairy cheese) would be off-limit for all vegans.
Okay, makes sense. I honestly was just not sure what rules entailed being "Vegan." Thanks
Vegans avoid, when possible and practicable, animal products or activities that involve unnecessary animal exploitation and/or suffering. That includes meat, eggs, dairy, and honey as well as non-food animal products (wool, silk, beeswax, leather, etc) and animal entertainment. Vegans are not required to supplement protein, as there are abundant sources of non-animal protein. However, like non-vegans, some of us do choose to consume protein powders, as they're an easy and convenient way to meet this nutritional need. But we don't need to supplement it any more than a non-vegan would.0 -
robertw486 wrote: »Farro is another good protein source, and personally I find it a more pleasing texture compared to quinoa, as well as just tasting a little better to me. Nutritionally almost the same as quinoa, but a little tiny bit higher in carbs and calcium.
I like lentils for being quick, since they require no soaking. And in some varieties they can be done from bag form in 12-15 minutes.
Haven't heard of that, it's a grain? I love the texture of Quinoa, even though it looks strange, I cook mine in vegetable stock so gives it a bit of flavour. I am lacking in calcium though so might be worth a shot if I can find Farro!
Lentils, the texture and taste of those... My tastebuds don't like haha. I'm quite picky, I'm thinking of maybe trying them in Soup.
Farro is a grain, larger than most rice, with a bit more texture to it as well. I think in raw form it has a lot more flavor than quinoa. Similar to an earthy brown rice maybe, or along those lines. It's not quite as popular as quinoa, so a little harder to find. But a lot of stores carry it.
I've only made quinoa a couple times. I'm ok with the texture of it, but to be honest... it doesn't have much natural flavor IMO. It's so neutral I feel like it takes on the flavor of whatever you spice it or mix it with.0 -
Since you like smoothies, I'd make a habit of them. You can sneak all kinds of things in there, including soaked oats, hemp seeds, protein powder (there are plenty of vegan options, but I like SunWarrior vanilla), raw cacao, even powdered peanut butter. Using a frozen banana for sweetness and texture will also give you some extra calories.0
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