vegetarian question

B

briee

Cathlete
Hi I noticed one of you out there is called veganchick and i wondered if indeed you are a vegan. My question is do you feel you have the energy you need to do Cathe tapes, i.e. what kind of protein do you live on? I just got MIS and Power hour and loved them (did them both the first day I received them with 25 lb bar and dearly paid for it, ouch, incredibly stupid!!!!) I have been dairy and meat free for about two years and sometimes my energy is zapped, though not too often (this could also be due to the fact that I have a 4 month old nursing baby!). In general I feel great, but sometimes find it hard to work in protein. I live on salads and veggies primarily. I keep carbos to a minimum as I have had candida problems in the past, so obviously no sugars of any kind.

Another question, when Cathe says she has 30 pounds on the bar, this doesn't include the bar correct? She is incredible!!! I have a 20 pound bar and put these whimpy little 2 1/2 pound weights on each end and I was fried. I've never quite experience muscle burn until Cathe, my body had a lactic acid party when I was finished with the two tapes. I think I should pick up a hollow five pound bar just so I can look a little tougher, haha.

Briee
 
Oh My!

MIS AND PowerHour in the same day! :-wow!!! Yes, when Cathe says she is using 30 pounds, it DOES include her bar. Sooo, when you are using your bar and what you call your "whimpy" weights, you are using 25 pounds! Not so whimpy after all, is it? :7

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
RE: Oh My!

Hi! I'm not veganchick, but I have been a vegetarian for 13 years - I do eat dairy, but I'm not wild about it.

Anyway, I find that I have energy to do Cathe's tapes, but I have a two year old, so sometimes that energy gets sucked up before my workouts! I do cardio in the early AM and strength during her afternoon nap. You have a small child, too, so remember to give yourself a break when it comes to working out. Even though my daughter was adopted, it still took us several months after getting home to get a routine going where I could spend some time on me (similar to a newborn).

And remember that energy is more than the food you eat. It's how much you sleep, any stress in your life, your general outlook on things, etc. Even Cathe in one of her videos (Power Hour?) says that if she's been up with her sons the night before she doesn't have as much energy for working out. I don't know a whole lot about nutrition (probably should learn) but I try to eat beans, cottage cheese and other high-protein things at least every other day.

FYI: For lower body my barbell plus weights equal 26 lbs, for upper it's less. It took me several weeks to get there, though.
 
> In general I
>feel great, but sometimes find
>it hard to work in
>protein. I live on
>salads and veggies primarily.
>I keep carbos to a
>minimum as I have had
>candida problems in the past,
>so obviously no sugars of
>any kind.
>
>Briee

I'm perplexed. You live on salads & vegies but don't eat carbs? Vegetables, fruits, grains etc are carbohydrates.

Vegans get their protein from combining incomplete plant proteins: grains, nuts, seeds, & legumes. Soy products fall in the legume category. It is a challenge for vegans to get all of the nutrients they need including protein.

If "salad" means leafy greens rather than quinoa w/ vegies, you might not be eating enough calories. Just a thought.

I believe the bar used in the most recent videos only weighed 5 pounds. So the weighted bar Cathe used in Power Hour & S&H looks pretty intimidating.

Debra
 
I am a vegetarian, too. I am not vegan, although I used to be. I eat dairy products, now but in very small amounts, cheese maybe 2x's a week, yogurt 2-3x's a week. I also eat beans, nut, and other higher protein plant foods.

I would take a serious look at your diet and see exactly what you're eating. I did, and it was a shocker, even being a vegetarian and knowing exactly what I eat. You're also nursing (I assume exclusively) a 4mo baby. That takes a lot of energy in and of itself. I know how it is, my 18 mo. nurse 2x's a day now and my older child nursed until she was 22 mo. You're getting excellent foods to make great milk - all those fresh fruits, vegetables and grains; but, you need to make sure you're getting enough food for you, too. Anyway, I found out I was taking in far too few calories per day (like 800-1000!) to sustain myself, intense workouts, plus taking care of my kids and house and anything else in life. I wasn't getting nearly enough protein and too much fat! I've tweaked with my diet a bit and have better energy, less cravings and don't feel hungry a lot anymore. What's really nice, is that my body is finally starting to shed that last bit of fat that is almost impossible to remove without lipsuction!

Remember, too, that you're body is still in repair mode from your pregnancy, and that it takes time to build back up to the fitness level you were at pre-pregnancy.
 
Along with what others have said, some good sources of protein are "Spirutein" protein powders, brewer's yeast, all soy products, spirulina. Nuts, wheat germ, textured vegetable protein for chili and add to soups and such.

I make tempeh "chicken" salad, put tofu in pasta dishes, stir fries, burritos.

I eat occasional eggs and occasional cheese also. But I'm sure I get plenty of protein.
 
Debra, Thanks for your comments. I don't believe I expressed myself quite correctly (something I have a problem with frequently). I stay away from simple carbos and lots of grain type food because we lived in a moldy house for about 5 years and I developed a candida problem. Complex carbos are structured differently and affect the sugar levels differently that simple's do. I have had allergies my whole life until I began eating dairy and meat free. Now they are completely gone, no hay fevers etc.. I eat primarily leafy greens and raw veggies with flax oil on them. I stay away from carrots (I do eat them occasionally) as their sugar content is higher in general. I do eat nuts, primarily almonds so I know I get protein from these but I wish they didn't have the fat (although I may need that for nursing.) I suspect your right that I'm not getting the calories that I'm supposed to be getting. I was primarily curious if there were others eating similarly and are you still able to build some muscle without a high protein intake. I've seen some of these body building sites that push protein big time. Do you really need that to build muscle and can one be a vegan and still build muscle? (I'm refering to Cathe's type of muscle not these bulked up girls taking who knows what to build muscle!!)

Thanks so much for all your feedback. This is a great site!!
 
Thanks Mogambo, I'd love your recipe for tempeh chicken salad. That sounds wonderful!!!! I've been making veggie tacos - I love them, but would love some tempeh recipes.
 
Wow! PowerHour and MIS in one day - I could never to do that. As far as diet goes, I am a veggie who doesn't like diary (apart from yogurt) but not a vegan. I used to live on fruits, veggies and white bread before I was using Cathe but I realised they were 'volume' foods and I had to adjust my diet a bit to allow for Cathe's workouts. I don't eat a lot of protein but I think the amount I eat is adequate. I use soy mainly - tofu (the fat free products like hot dogs), soy milk, soy kaas (veggie cheese), soy protein crumbles and soy nuts. I also like Boca burgers, morning star burgers and quorn. I also add in a scoop of protein powder to supplement my protein intake if I feel I need it. I know that you like to limit your carbs but a few servings of the denser carbs will really help with energy (maybe you could include them in your pre-workout meal). Sprouted whole grains, beans and legumes are slightly less starchy and higher in protein. Contrary to what I thought, it doesn't take a lot of protein to build sizeable muscle as long as I am eating adequate amounts of other nutrients (including carbs). I do make it a point to eat protein at every meal though because if I didn't think about it I would probably eat things like pita bread and salad - I know now that adding a bit of hummus can make all the difference. Hope this helps.
 
Hi Briee,

LOL, you're not the first to say they avoid carbs & eat lots of vegies &/or fruit.

Kotocam had a good point about the calorie needs during lactation. They're higher now than during your pregnancy. A web based nutrition calculator like Dietwatch.com might be helpful. You're excluding a lot of food groups, so it takes a lot of effort to get the nutrition you need. Can't imagine tackling that with a 4 month old!

Debra
 
Hi Its me! Sorry I didnt get back to you sooner....I am a true vegatarian and I have more than enough energy to tackle Cathe tapes...I do 3 weight tapes and 3 cardios each week whcih include Imax at least once per week...I eat alot of low fat tofu in a scramble with veggies and some soy meat, salads with chick peas or salad beans and xtra virgin olive oil, oatmeal w/ soy milk, blueberries, bananas, boca burgers, cheeseless pizza...everything has protein in it and I get plenty. I eat legumes everyday and they have a lot of protein. Tofu and soy meats also....My diet may not be perfect but I try to eat foods as close to there natural state as I can. My Boca's are an exception. Sometimes I feel tired but only if I didnt get enough sleep. I have felt better eating vegan than any other time in my life...
 
Tempeh salad

I am at work, so I don't have the recipe with me, but I figure, you all have a favorite chicken salad recipe anyway, just use that, but buy the tempeh, cut it in quarter-inch slices. Steam it 15 minutes, then after it cools crumble it in the bowl with the other stuff.

My recipe has chopped onion, celery, salt and pepper, some mayonnaise, sweet relish, some turmeric for color and medicinal value, some celery seed, minced parsley (I put lots for the vitamins). Just put things in the proportions you enjoy. It is very very good.

Other possibilities are celery seed, curry powder, chopped nuts, oil and vinegar instead of mayonnaise.

Enjoy! It's healthy, vegan and delicious.
 
RE: Tempeh salad

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-15-02 AT 01:02PM (Est)[/font][p]Tempeh is very high in protein, too!
I'm not a veg, but I eat like one. I eat a lot of tofu (I too get the reduced fat variety, the one I get is available by Nasoya). I also eat seitan, which is wheat gluten. It is very high in protein, (more protein than tofu, on par with tempeh, about 20 grams a serving, I believe) as well, and very low in fat. I like to use whole grains such as wheat berries and bulgur, which also have protein, too. Egg whites/egg beaters are high in protein and available frozen or refrigerated and in a small easy-pour carton. Someone said they like cheeseless pizza (was that you, veggiequeen? oh, now I see, it was Veganchick :)!). Chick, have you ever tried Amy's brand frozen cheeseless pizza? WOW, is that good!!! Also not bad for you. Wouldn't eat it every day, but not ****bad**** for ya. I always keep a back-up in my freezer!
Thank goodness I just had lunch or all this talk would be making me hungry!
Kathy

ps. edited because I looked back and saw that it was Veganchick
(not Veggiequeen) who mentioned cheeseless pizza ;)
 
Thanks Thanks Thanks and also thanks for the chicken tempeh recipes from mogambo and all other ideas, this gives me something to consider!!!!! Happy exercising!!!
 
Briee:
I am a vegan also.
I try to make sure I'm getting a good source of protein with each meal.
SOy is a great source of protein (contrary to older beliefs, it IS a complete protein). I like to saute cubed tofu (the water-packed kind, not the asceptically packaged stuff) in a bit of oil or cooking sherry, or mirin (a japanese cooking wine) with a variety of vegies (red pepper, carrots, peas, onions, whatever looks pretty!).

I also do the same with seitan, which has a meat-like texture andis high in protein (from wheat). I sometimes will use the tofu or seitan with one of those Green Giant vegie blends to make a main dish.
 
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