Vegetarian Bodybuilding

[Ash]

Pseudonym mentioned that he was interested in the concept of vegetarian bodybuilding and asked me to start a thread about it, so here we go...

I've been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for about 9 years and it hasn't really impacted my training all that much. If I was a vegan, I think it would be much harder to put on muscle although there are a few dedicated vegan bodybuilders out there who do quite well.

Being from South Africa originally, I used to be a serious meat eater and I always found it relatively easy to gain muscle as long as I could get enough protein. Since I've gone vegetarian, I've found it's no problem to maintain that muscle but in order to make continual progress, I really have to focus on my diet because my protein sources are a bit limited.

Whey protein has been such a consistent part of my diet for so long that I don't even regard it as a supplement - it's just another food for me. I get a lot of my protein from whey - up to 150 grams a day on training days, much less when I am not going hard out at gym.

I don't eat eggs anymore, so I get the rest of my protein from cottage cheese, tofu, yoghurt, milk, Nutmeat (a wheat gluten and peanut mix) and Casserole Mince (a wheat gluten and soy mix). Of course I also get protein from all the other foods that have a bit of protein in them, even if those proteins are mostly incomplete. Lose the dairy in my diet and I would struggle

I'll admit it does get a bit boring eating the same stuff over and over but I cope.

I've found it a bit hard to maintain a reasonable ratio of carbs/fat/protein. To get about 20% fat and 40% each of carbs/protein, I would need well over 400 grams of protein a day and that's not happening for me, so I do the best I can and it seems to work well enough. I am not sure how many other non-competitive bodybuilders get that much protein anyway.

I think the biggest hassle for me in terms of being a vegetarian is traveling. It's easy to get vegetarian food almost anywhere but not so easy to get lots of protein away from home. I miss the convenience of being able to grab a can of tuna, some salad and whole-wheat bread to make a quick meal or to be able to buy a high protein meal. I usually drag some whey around with me or buy some on site and that allows me to keep training.

All in all, it's been very positive for me and certainly hasn't ruined my bodybuilding.

Any other vego BBs out there?

Ash

[CutTaBits]

Yes i bet the convenience factor is tricky. Vegetarian food requires alot more preperation dosen't it?

I like defrosting a big 300g Bosten scotch fillet steak over night. then putting it on the grill when i am getting ready for work. mmm

I alternate steak and chicken breast for a good Pro/fat lunch.

Excuse my ignorance but what does the lacto-ovo in lacto-ovo vegetarian stan for?

[tallulahangie]

I can imagine how difficult it would be travelling and maintaining your diet, it is difficult enough when you are on a pre-contest diet - you have to be very organised indeed!

What reasons were behind your decision to become a vegetarian?

[Growth]

I think lacto-ovo means that he eats dairy foods and eggs as well as the usual vegetables.

[Ash]

Yes i bet the convenience factor is tricky. Vegetarian food requires alot more preperation dosen't it?

Well that depends. Vegetarian friends of mine are always cooking up some kind of incredibly tasty vege casserole or pasta dish, which can take a while to get ready because some of the ingredients (like lentils) need to be soaked before cooking.

Most of the meals I eat at the moment couldn't be simpler - Nutmeat and Casserole Mince are ready to eat from the can. Tofu can be eaten raw (although it's great when fried). The dairy products are pretty easy to get ready as well, so it's not too much like work to add some carbs and veggies and get stuck in.

Excuse my ignorance but what does the lacto-ovo in lacto-ovo vegetarian stan for?

A lacto-ovo vegetarian eats dairy products and eggs.

I don't really eat eggs any more, so I am probably a lacto vego but that just sounds silly :grin:

Vegans eat nothing of animal origin - quite a hardcore group in my opinion.

[waldo]

Vegans eat nothing of animal origin - quite a hardcore group in my opinion.

Like cutting the gelatin caps away from your supplements eh Ash!

[deegee]

Like cutting the gelatin caps away from your supplements eh Ash!

at this stage things have probably gone too far, I have nothing against vegetarians but some of them do take things to the extreme.

I just cant imagine how hard it would be without chicken, which would be my staple meat.

[Pseudonym]

Thanks, Ash. I have a friend who's a vegetarian, and is trying to get in shape. He finds it hard getting a varied source of vegetarian protein that isn't high in carbs as well. So I was interested in how you did it.

You don't have any problems with such a high dairy intake?

[Ash]

What reasons were behind your decision to become a vegetarian?

About 10 years ago I started to worry about the amount of red meat I was eating and started cutting back on it for health reasons.

It went from every day, to 3x a week, to once a week etc etc and slowly but surely I just sort of gave up by default. At one point I thought about it and realized that I hadn't eaten red meat for about 6 months and I just never went back. There wasn't any "save the animals" thinking behind it because I was still eating fish and chicken at the time.

I actually gave up chicken to avoid having to eat the dodgy roast chicken we used to get served regularly by an elderly relative. :oops:

I told her I had gone completely vegetarian so she didn't get offended and once I started thinking about it, the idea just seemed to make sense. I wasn't really missing red meat and I thought I could easily go all the way and have some positive health benefits. That was that....I haven't touched the stuff since. I occasionally miss biltong a tiny bit (typical South African) but I'm not tempted at all.

[Ash]

Like cutting the gelatin caps away from your supplements eh Ash!

at this stage things have probably gone too far, I have nothing against vegetarians but some of them do take things to the extreme.

LOL - that's me! :grin:

I've just picked up yet another pack of vegecaps and I have to transfer some nasty brown powder (Tribulus) from the standard capsules to the vegecaps. It's a PITA but if I keep telling myself it's good for me, then I don't feel too silly :pfft:

Oh well - every forum has to have it's resident loony.

[Pseudonym]

I know gelatin used to be made from animals, but I thought most now was made from seaweed extract?

I can understand missing biltong, Ash. I miss it too, and I'm neither a vegetarian or South African! (I remember when you could get it from the deli in Foodtown... *sigh*) :wink:

[deegee]

I have heard that it is still both animal and the seaweed tyoe in common use I guess if it doesnt say then you dont know

[Ash]

I have heard that it is still both animal and the seaweed tyoe in common use I guess if it doesnt say then you dont know

I usually check with the manufacturer to save myself the hassle of swapping the contents to vegecaps but just about everyone uses animal gelatin.

[deegee]

I can see that being a real hassel having to check everytime, mind you there must be companies out there that would do all there products the same way so it would help a bit

[Ash]

I can see that being a real hassel having to check everytime, mind you there must be companies out there that would do all there products the same way so it would help a bit

True enough. For example most of the Solgar vitamins and supplements are suitable for vegetarians and the bottles confirm this. Musashi on the other hand say all their caps are made of animal gelatin, so I just transfer any of their products that I use.