Diet: Vegan Lifestyle

LMT

Well-Known Member
I'm an advocate of the Vegan lifestyle, which incorporates a high carb, low fat plant based diet.

I won't go into the why and what for, as there is the scientific research out there which backs up the benefits of this type of lifestyle. If anyone has any questions ask away.

I feel as good as I have ever felt, have lost 11 lbs since mid Feb (when I went Vegan) and am training and recovering really well.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Please read this first post before replying to this thread. Failure to do so may result in your reply being moved to it's own thread. We don't delete posts in almost all cases unless requested to by the poster; but we do occasionally move them to improve thread integrity, but even then it's rare. This thread and other like it to come, may be the exception.

It's become clear we need a good safe place to discuss diet strategies here in the forums both for general members trying to get fit and for our racing sub community. The problem with those discussions are that humans are varied and different things work for different people. Unfortunately it seems that as a side effect of that, diet strategies can sometime take on the fervor of religion and politics. If you doubt this see BROL's health section, by rights that should be an awesome resource unfortunately that is rarely the case as a user subset over there will hijack most threads to convince people that there is only 1 right way to eat and live. We don't do that here. So this thread will be different and hopefully more useful.

So here's the deal after some thought and introspection I'm willing to spend the time to truly moderate some high quality threads about diet. This should allow use to have very good resources for Vegan, LowCarb, Vegetarian, and Even Donut centric thread. I'm going to treat each one as a resource for those following the approach; if someone drops in a post asking for honest question about "but how does that work" it will stay. But post that are clearly of the implication "that's stupid it won't work, this is better" will get promptly moved to there own thread where the debate can continue. If a subthread gets into a long back and for about I'm confused how can that be, even if it's helpful I will also spin that off so it can continue but be separate from the main resource in a healthy constructive manager. Frankly with the quality of our community I don't expect to have to do much of that unless a newbie misses this message or a good intention discussion between Aussies devolves (looking at your Slim and Jon) :p If you want one of these thread's PM me and I will start the thread with this same header (I can't insert it after you start your thread due to datestamps). All threads are welcome for various Diet/Train-Style approaches.

On topic for this type of thread: Books on the subject, research papers, podcasts, websites, recipes, person success stories, person struggles, user to user support and encouragement, race/event results, training results, failures, strategies.

If this is immensely popular we can lobby Lucia to great a diet and training top level forum that's moderated to hold all such thread. If it's boring and not interesting then well all I lost was the time it took to compose this (twice I deleted the first one on accident:mad:) and the time you spent to read it.

Please join in and let's see what the tribe can make of this sort of topic.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Have at it Lee if you have the why and where for's go for it if you have the time share. I suspect a good segment of our lurkers (looking a you lurkers ;)) wouldn't mind having some of that info in written form especially on how to structure the eating in support of ride time energy levels.

While I've never learn to like enough of certain foods to even experiment with vegan I've stollen some great food recipes and ideas from several of my close cousins that have live the lifestyle and have for 40+ years. If it worked for Steve Jobs.... My goal in starting these threads was to make sure the info on each topic can be posted in detail and given complete respect. Vegan gets beat up in many quarters; not going to happen here.
 

LMT

Well-Known Member
The environmental impact of what eating animals is doing to the planet. Who would have thought that Animal Ag contributes so much to the CO2 emissions? Not to mention solving world hunger.
 

LMT

Well-Known Member
In a non pious way Gary Yourofsky putting to bed the many myths out there regarding Veganism, giving a great talk in a very educating manner imo.
 

LMT

Well-Known Member
When it comes to eating Vegan food, my diet is very, very simple.

I eat the main staples, these being a large does of greens (kale and spinach), many bananas, white rice, whole oats and flax seeds.

Breakfast is typically two smoothies, which will be a mix of half a large bag of spinach with some kale, 8-9 bananas, four tablespoons of whole oats, a tablespoon of flax seeds.

Lunch will be a large bowl of white rice

Dinner will be the same as breakfast.

During the day at work, I'll usually have 2-3 four banana smoothies.

You can of course get more exotic vegan food then the above, but I find the above very simple to prepare and eat. Not to mention I of course get my full quota of minerals, vitamins and protein every day, (put the above in Cronometer...) The only exception being vit B12 which I supplement with.

The amount of fiber in the above diet means no spike in blood sugar.

Before a ride I'll usually have a banana smoothie and then when out on the road I'll have some Cliff shots. Very nice, go down well and they are of course Vegan.

My current weight is 77kg and my FTP is 330w, am looking to maintain this power but get down to about 65kg by the end of June.

Should be easy to do on this lifestyle. You get very lean, whilst at the same time embracing a lifestyle that is sustainable and does not rely on stimulants to get you through the day i.e coffee.
 
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ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
My current weight is 77kg and my FTP is 330w, am looking to maintain this power but get down to about 65kg by the end of June.

That will put you in +5watt/kg that will be some pretty elite company; Larry better watch his back or he'll be watching yours.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
My current weight is 77kg and my FTP is 330w, am looking to maintain this power but get down to about 65kg by the end of June.
That will put you in +5watt/kg that will be some pretty elite company; Larry better watch his back or he'll be watching yours.

For sure! I for one can't compete with those numbers! I am weakling compared.. ;(
Amazing stuff Lee!
Where do you live? Can I talk you into joining our Vendetta team at Calvin's? You should win it with numbers like that!
Would love to see some test rides of yours. watts per mph over some nice closed courses. Are you on Strava?
Would be amazing I am sure. :)
 

LMT

Well-Known Member
For sure! I for one can't compete with those numbers! I am weakling compared.. ;(
Amazing stuff Lee!
Where do you live? Can I talk you into joining our Vendetta team at Calvin's? You should win it with numbers like that!
Would love to see some test rides of yours. watts per mph over some nice closed courses. Are you on Strava?
Would be amazing I am sure. :)

I'm from the UK, so won't be able to get over to the US any time soon. I am on Strava and belong to the Cruzbike group on there.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
I'm from the UK, so won't be able to get over to the US any time soon. I am on Strava and belong to the Cruzbike group on there.
Ah ha you will be on the short, need to visit list, I did a semester of school in the UK and it was far too short. Definitely jealous of your access to PBP.

I thought I had follow everyone in our strava group and just release like 8 new people joined since I last reviewed the list. That's great!
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Ok coming back to this one.

Lee you did PBP correct? What did the event strategy look like for your fueling? I'm guessing you didn't have room for an Extractor on your V20. Did you mix ahead, source on the fly, did you count nutritions level, or wing it. Just what does the Vegan do when prepping for a multi day ultra event. I'm thinking that info would be very useful to get recorded here.
 

LMT

Well-Known Member
I did do PBP and I was not a Vegan then and TBH gave no thought to nutrition.

I had some shot blocks/biscuits on me should I become hungry but I never really eat them periodically throughout the ride as I paced myself throughout, only really opening up the taps in the last 200k.

What I eat at the controls was:-

If I was keen to get a move on and did not feel the need to rest I'd have a ham baguette and a coke.

If I was sitting down for a meal, IIRC it was a mix of pasta, chips, mash and orangina.

If I was to do it now, my nutrition would be some banana and spinach smoothies before hand, some shot blocks throughout sitting down to rest eating pasta/mash.
 

LMT

Well-Known Member
What annoys me even further is the smoke and mirrors that the meat and dairy industry use in order to further the attitude that it is okay to eat meat. Organic, free range, humane slaughter, a load of rubbish if ever there was. Meat is still meat, meat still contains near enough the same amount of saturated fat and cholesterol be it grass fed, free range, whatever. What you may find slightly different is the amount of growth hormone and antibotics will differ from free range to factory farming. And how exactly is it 'humane' to slaughter an animal that is free range and is probably happy free grazing on a farm?! All this is to do with furthering the cognitive dissonance, what's this? Watch:




The rates of disease are going up, the US will find itself in serious difficulty within the next few years due to high medical bills in particular to do with diabetes medication. Low carbs very own (who incidentally suffers from T2) Prof Noakes thinks the US will be bankrupt withing 10-15 years? I recall watching one of his videos. Inicidentally, red meat is just as insulinogenic as pure glucose, eating tuna with mash will raise insulin levels higher than just eating the mash on its own. I thought only foods high in sugar raised insulin??

I'll leave you with this, a Doctor is trying to save your life, and not someone who is selling you a book which reinforces poor dietary choices along with the rape of the natural world. See here: http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/
Dr Esselstyn reversing heart disease with a plant based diet:


And what some blood values should look like: Mind the swearing! Dr Mercola who is the Dotor mentioned in the vid is another advocate of HFLC.
 
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