christopherv
New member
Hi all,
I did a search and while there's lots here on protein, I didn't see this question come up. I hope it's okay to ask here, because I feel like it's the only sub I've found that merges the veg*n communities and fitness communities and won't be biased in one direction or the other.
I'm currently in transition to vegetarianism (with the goal of maybe, eventually, going vegan). I spent a lot of time in the r/xxfitness subreddit and its Facebook group, so I am well acquainted with the science-backed protein needs of lifters, bodybuilders, and the like, and the importance of protein in building and maintaining muscle. I dabbled in lifting for a while but I'm more sedentary at the moment thanks to shin splints from running and life being hectic.
However, since I've started cutting meat out of my diet and frequenting subs like r/vegetarian, I'm seeing the total opposite arguments: that we don't need as much protein as everyone thinks and that we get too much. Maybe that's true for the average sedentary person, but I'll be honest and say that most of the time, it seems common for some veg*ns to use this statement as a tool to further their "agenda" (for lack of a better term), despite the science showing otherwise for people who are active.
Anyway, what I'm really asking is: how do you reconcile these two attitudes, being both vegan and into fitness? How do you decide how much protein is right for you? I'm wondering what the right amount for me to take in is, as a 5'3 woman sitting at ~135lbs who wants to lose a little weight (maybe 10 lbs or so). I'm not a lifter at the moment, and I mostly just do a bit of cardio and dumbbell/bodyweight stuff to stay healthy until I recover from shin splints and can start running again. I may get back to lifting heavier again someday too, but one thing at a time.
I'm currently eating 70g protein--30g less than I was eating when I was lifting relatively heavy. It's a number that I'm sure most veg*n communities will tell me is too high, but that most fitness communities will tell me is too low.
I'm just curious to hear your thoughts on the matter while I figure out my diet. Thanks to a sedentary office job, I can only really eat around 1800 calories at MOST when I want to cut, so it's hard to get much more protein within that restriction without lots of protein shakes, bars, or tofu (all of which I do like, but I prefer to not rely on too heavily).
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and/or answer!
I did a search and while there's lots here on protein, I didn't see this question come up. I hope it's okay to ask here, because I feel like it's the only sub I've found that merges the veg*n communities and fitness communities and won't be biased in one direction or the other.
I'm currently in transition to vegetarianism (with the goal of maybe, eventually, going vegan). I spent a lot of time in the r/xxfitness subreddit and its Facebook group, so I am well acquainted with the science-backed protein needs of lifters, bodybuilders, and the like, and the importance of protein in building and maintaining muscle. I dabbled in lifting for a while but I'm more sedentary at the moment thanks to shin splints from running and life being hectic.
However, since I've started cutting meat out of my diet and frequenting subs like r/vegetarian, I'm seeing the total opposite arguments: that we don't need as much protein as everyone thinks and that we get too much. Maybe that's true for the average sedentary person, but I'll be honest and say that most of the time, it seems common for some veg*ns to use this statement as a tool to further their "agenda" (for lack of a better term), despite the science showing otherwise for people who are active.
Anyway, what I'm really asking is: how do you reconcile these two attitudes, being both vegan and into fitness? How do you decide how much protein is right for you? I'm wondering what the right amount for me to take in is, as a 5'3 woman sitting at ~135lbs who wants to lose a little weight (maybe 10 lbs or so). I'm not a lifter at the moment, and I mostly just do a bit of cardio and dumbbell/bodyweight stuff to stay healthy until I recover from shin splints and can start running again. I may get back to lifting heavier again someday too, but one thing at a time.
I'm currently eating 70g protein--30g less than I was eating when I was lifting relatively heavy. It's a number that I'm sure most veg*n communities will tell me is too high, but that most fitness communities will tell me is too low.
I'm just curious to hear your thoughts on the matter while I figure out my diet. Thanks to a sedentary office job, I can only really eat around 1800 calories at MOST when I want to cut, so it's hard to get much more protein within that restriction without lots of protein shakes, bars, or tofu (all of which I do like, but I prefer to not rely on too heavily).
Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and/or answer!