I’m 28M, 6’1” 150lbs, and I’ve been vegan for over a year, but have been transitioning to a plant based diet for 6 years.
I’ve been working out for about six months consistently at least 3-4 times a week and gaining significant strength increase but not much weight since I started. I’m hoping to add on maybe 10-15 lbs of health muscle. Any tips/rituals/habits for a skinny vegan trying to bulk up?
@gracia1 All of these are good - no need to focus on one over the others. Tofu is cheap, easy, and high protein and my go-to... But I've gotta say Seitan is my all time favourite.
@mathomas1965 Same, they are now my go to. Very versatile and can be used in or for pretty much anything, lower in fat then tofu but with all the protein and fiber.
@gracia1 Seitan is probably the highest concentration of protein in a vegan food item outside of protein powder, for instance I make a huge batch of seitan "chicken" nuggets and pre-portion them. It's the cheapest option too.
I bought a 500g bag of vital wheat gluten for £1.70. I used 200g of that and all I added to this was a small amount of plain flour, a tsp of chicken flavour stock powder, some garlic and onion powder and salt, it made 8 servings of nuggets and each serving was 134 calories and 22g protein, and it cost something like £0.09 per serving. The whole bag of wheat gluten makes 20 servings. Also, I don't knead or boil the seitan - just mix with water, cut into chunks and steam them for 10 minutes. After that you can toss them in a bag in the fridge, and either fry or air-dry them when you want to eat them.
@gracia1 Pea protein is my go-to. I love soy, but my body doesn't tolerate it very well. The protein powders and protein shakes I use are usually pea-based.
@gracia1 Good luck putting on 15 lbs of muscle. It's doable but it's going to take time. I've been on a similar mission and have added exactly 15 lbs over the last 3/4 of a year but it isn't pure muscle. You gotta crush caloric intake, above your daily needs for maintenance, and lift often and heavy. Once you build up to the 15 lbs, if you've been eating clean, it should be a majority muscle that you can then carve out with maintenance diet and lifts. It just takes time and dedication but you'll get there!
@dawn16 Certainly my biggest problem I admit is not eating enough. It can be hard with my job sometimes to have consistent meal times (live events). I certainly could be setting the bar to high with my goals but I’m for the stars here I was 165 in the past, though if just wasn’t as healthy weight. I’m going to work on crushing that caloric intake! Thanks for the advice.
@gracia1 Tempeh is a great source of protein. I personally enjoy the texture more than tofu and I find it a lot easier to get it to soak up flavour. TVP is a good one too, with insanely high protein.
@weallknowfrogsgoladida Love tempeh....great protein source, tasty and with extra health benefits since it's fermented, meaning improved gut diversity and decreased inflammation.
