Vegan diet and doing intense workout

[CaptainFarzad]

Hello fellas, 

I've started to follow vegan diet and continue to workout intense to be ready for "CrossFit" competition.

I DON'T Consume any Refined sugar also NO Flour too and Doing at least 320 Push-ups a day and minimum 100 each (sit-ups, Squats and bench dip). running 7 Km a day and One hour walking. 

anybody else here try vegan diet (or vegetarian diet) and doing everyday workout plan and see the result? I will Share my experience too soon.

Cheers 

Farzad

[DanielleinDC]

I've been vegan for well over 15 years, but I admit I'm not the healthiest eater. I started working out perhaps a year and a half or two years ago. I do 30-35 minutes of walking video in the morning, a lot of walking on my commute to work, and half an hour or so of various exercise videos in the afternoon. I also take a weekly free barre class offered by a business improvement district in my city (but as it's outdoors, the last class is at the end of the month) and have signed up with Class Pass and take other weekly classes. I've lost a modest amount of weight, but I also want to get more toned.

(I'm vegan primarily for ethical reasons.)

[CaptainFarzad]

Hi Danielle,

First thank you for sharing your experiences. 

It seems being vegan for 15 yrs already has good results for you. Are you consuming refined Sugar or bread? have you ever felt exhausted after workout or running because of vegan diet?  

[Dominique]

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@CaptainFarzad wrote:

and see the result?

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What is the result you are seeking? Is it to lose weight, to have enough energy to sustain these very heavy workouts, to increase your fitness level so you can compete in CF at your best, something else? 

I’d say you belong to a group that shouldn’t be worried too much about refined sugar and other "bad" carbs, especially if they are consumed during or around your workouts: high glycemic carbs are ideal to replenish depleted glycogen stores; carbs also have an anabolic effect (= enhance muscle building) post-workout. In sedentary people, they would easily put them in a caloric surplus, resulting in extra fat being stored; for someone extremely active, they would just be used as fuel.

[DanielleinDC]

I do consume sugar--I like it in my tea, and I have the occasional treat--but not much bread. I'll have pita chips with my gazpacho or a falafel wrap once a week, but not a huge amount, I don't think. I just finished my morning workout, and I feel okay.  Whenever I take my barre classes, I come out feeling a bit tired but exhilarated.

[emili]

@CaptainFarzad are you vegan for religious or ethical reasons? I must admit that I don't know too much about the food choices you have such as protein sources, carb sources and all the other micro and macro nutrients a body needs to handle the workout you are putting it through. I would just encourage you to listen to your body - it will tell you when things are wacky- don't ignore it.

I also noticed that you put vegetarian in parenthesis.. vegetarian and vegan are not the same- you probably already know and I am preaching to the choir...

Good luck to you in the competition!

[MagsOnTheBeach]

There are a lot of professional athletes who are vegan.  I'm pretty sure they see dietitians who make sure they are getting what they need from their diets.  I think it's always a good idea if anyone plans on cutting a food group from their diets to consult a dietitian.

[DanielleinDC]

@MagsOnTheBeach There are indeed a number of vegan pro athletes, including a  handful of football players and even some bodybuilders. Some do it for health, but a former NHLer did it for ethical reasons toward the end of his career. 

[KimberlyNicole]

Hi!  I'm a vegan (going on 2 years now) and I work out quite intensely as well.  I am currently training for a full marathon and I do heavy weight lifting to exhaustion as well.  I do not eat any grains either, as I find them to irritate my stomach.  I have definitely seen results from this lifestyle.  Most notably, my mental clarity and emotional stability are so much better.  Also, I've lost 25 lbs and improved my running times.  The key is to make sure you are getting enough calories, so you have to eat a lot of food all the time.  I consume a lot of nuts, nut butters, seeds, avocados and other high calorie, nutrient dense foods to make sure I am getting enough healthy fats and calories for the day!  Hope you're doing well!