Thread: Need Advice: Vegetarian & Weight Training

So, I've worked out pretty much for the last 10 years, cardio, weight training, etc, I've done Atkins, Weight Watchers (WW), etc. I've found that WW works best for me. Last June (2008) I gave up meat (I still occassionaly eat fish, but not even 1x per week) and feel great. For the last 2 years, my cardio pretty much has been belly dancing, Zumba, and sometimes kickboxing.

I realized about 1 month I needed to start weight training again. I also now work at a gym so kind of need to "look the part". I'm finding though I'm losing weight (which I do not need to do), but am not gaining any muscle tone OR if I am, it's not like I was when I was still eating meat. I'm figuring this is because I am not getting enough protein and/or carbs, and working out is "attacking" muscle instead of fat, I'm not a nutrionist not entirely sure.

I've always been pretty healthy (sizes have ranged), and am not a fragile skinny chick (no offense to anyone), and do not want to be. I like my curves and my muscle tone.

Any advice from a nutritionist/personal trainer out there on how I should eat now??? I'd like to remain a "pesce"tarian, I know after you work out you should have protein, but do not want to eat fish all the time either. Or advice from other vegetarians who weight train?

Thanks.

stumptuous.com has excellent workout and nutritional advice.

My advice is to first log what you eat for a couple of weeks on fitday.com. You probably need more protein but you won't know this for sure until you know how much protein you are eating now. Fitday will show you what percentage of your calories are coming from protein, fat, and carbs, how much fiber you're getting, how much calcium, etc.

An easy way to supplement protein is to get some protein powder (no or low sugar, and made from milk and/or egg) and use it to make protein shakes or bars.

Hiya, I used to work in a gym and I weight train. I'm also a vegan and get the protein question a lot, so here's what I know.

Protein is not as big an issue as most people believe and the amino acids that make up protein are found in essentially everything we eat. It's unlikely that you're not getting enough if you're eating a balanced diet - especially if that includes fish. Also, adding extra protein to the diet doesn't do much towards building muscle mass (unless you're adding calories too - that is, in a bulking phase).

I personally avoid the protein shakes as it's just too much and it gets discarded by the body. Besides, they usually taste awful.

I'm a fan of almonds or cashews after a workout. But other nuts and seeds are great too. Nut butters are versatile and cashew butter blends really well into smoothies.

Quinoa and hemp are excellent sources of what we call complete proteins (meaning they have all the amino acids needed by the human body to build protein).

Soy is of course an easy way to get protein, but I know a lot of people avoid it. The nice thing about it is that it is versatile and comes in a lot forms, so it doesn't get boring. Also of course beans and legumes do a lot to dress up a diet.

Fruits and vegetables all have protein as well, just less of it. But eating a varied diet that include a lot of those, as well as whole grains and legumes will get you what you need.

The vegetarian food pyramid might be helpful: Mayo Clinic medical information and tools for healthy living - MayoClinic.com

Good luck!

ETA: I second the recommendation to check out stumptuous.com

For protein, be sure to consume beans, milk, cheese, tofu, peanuts, almonds. Just dont go overboard with nuts because they contain a lot of fat as well. If you really want to gain muscle visibility, be sure to life heavy and do low reps. Perhaps 6-8 reps per set. You'll see significant muscle growth this way.

Hi, from one vegetarian to another:
I was born and raised vegetarian (lacto-ovo), to look at me most do not believe it, I am very muscular and strong but still look like woman with curves.
My diet is very high in protein, I eat many lots of raw nut, and beans of all sorts as well as the soy based product from morning star farms (Welcome to Morningstar Farms®), and a few other products from the health food store, using them in recipes.If you wanna know which taste best let me know :)
I have recently added the Natures sunshine protein drink mix "love and Peas" made from 100% yellow pea protein and it is Vegan certified! best of all it tastes awesome, even my 17 yr old step-son loves it! (Nature's Sunshine Associate Website)
I do eat some cheese, but try to keep it to a minimum and substitute soy-cheese where I can, and I do not like the taste of eggs, though some do.

as for working out, I use a treadmill several times per week, belly dance and lift weights. But when I lift, I use light weights and lots of reps, otherwise my muscles get large, i do not want them large just nicely formed :)

Hope this helps


Christie Giles

Originally Posted by WildAnmar96

For protein, be sure to consume beans, milk, cheese, tofu, peanuts, almonds. Just dont go overboard with nuts because they contain a lot of fat as well. If you really want to gain muscle visibility, be sure to life heavy and do low reps. Perhaps 6-8 reps per set. You'll see significant muscle growth this way.

ummm- milk & cheese have just as much fat as nuts & it's harder to process for most people, so I'm not sure where you're coming from on that one-

but I do agree that having a variety of protein sources is helpful, and you will find it in all kinds of unexpected places- just go browse the ingredient nutrition charts back of 'the Joy of Cooking' and I'm sure you'll be surprised where we get some of our necessary nutrients! I don't really chart anymore, I figure my body will tell me what I need- if I clear my house of what I shouldn't be having & everything there is healthy, then I can give in to any of my 'cravings' with a clear conscience, knowing my body is still getting the good stuff- whole grains (especially Quinoa- love quinoa!) lots for fresh fruits & veggies- I do tend to do a lot of cashews after a work out because it's easy to pack around & that's what I'm craving after a work out. I can't do dairy, eggs or soy, so a lot of the guidance books are pretty much null & void for me, but some of the stricter Indian cooking guides have been helpful in finding tasty stuff I *can* eat. I don't eat all that differently when I am working out than when I am not, besides maybe eating more! and probably more nuts as I think of it. I think a lot of the protein pushing comes from advisers overcompensating for those who don't eat a balanced diet in general, most folks I know (and I admittedly work with pretty health-conscious folks already!) don't need to think twice about their diet. I can't tell you how many times I have gone to doctors appointments or nutritional counseling (when we have been on WIC aid) and the professionals really wigged out when I told them what I eat (or rather what I don't!) until they talk to me for a minute and see that I am healthy and know what I am talking about. If my ancestors survived on mostly barley mash with a little bit of fish every once in a while and seasonal veggies, I think I can live without mass quantities of red meat and protein shakes/bars.

WildAnmar is probably on the right track when they suggested looking at how you are working out- what are you doing for weight training?

oops should have specified. Be sure to drink skim milk. Whole milk and 2% do have a lot of fat.

RE: protein.

I do think that different people have different physiology and require different amounts of protein. Just because X amount of protein is optimal for one person doesn't mean it will be optimal for the next person.

One important role of dietary protein that is often overlooked is that it is a source of calories that is not carbohydrate. One of the most important underlying issues in determining optimal protein levels is determining optimal carb levels.

I eat a high protein diet because eating a high carb diet makes me fat, and my fat is visceral fat which means when I gain even moderate amounts of weight my cholesterol shoots up and I also get acid reflux, probably from a hiatal hernia because my fat is carried high on my abdomen and puts pressure on my stomach and other organs (I could feel this when I was heavier).

Also, some people gain muscle mass much easier than others, another reason why one person's protein level might not be right for another.

If you are naturally a hard-gainer, you might need to pay closer attention to dietary protein if you are trying to build some muscle.

Thanks ladies I knew I'd get some good tips/advice. Keep it coming and I will check out the links you all sent.

I'm so glad you asked this question as I have been a vegetarian for 14 years or so, but I do eat fish and some seafood. Thanks for all the info!

I have heard it commonly recommended that to build muscle you should be eating 1g protein per 1lb of lean body mass. As for vegetarian sources of protein, you can't go wrong with greek yogurt, shakes, beans + rice, eggs, etc.

New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women is a great book as well, maybe that'd help out.

Just saw this thread. Did you find a good diet to suit you, SaNoorah? I'm a vegetarian and go through bouts of heavy weight training. I eat a lot of egg whites--scrambled or boiled. Fortunately, I love boiled eggs, so it's easy for me.

How is the weight training going? Weight-training vegetarians aren't the biggest group, so I'd be interested to know what's working for you and what isn't.