I am a personal trainer with 6 years of experience and have been a vegan for the past 5. I'm here to help, ask me anything

[eyeofthebeholder]

@extraneous What percentage of my daily protein should be from tofu/ seitan / tempeh as well as protein powders? Since these are technically processed foods, is it bad if this is where i get the majority of my protein? It’s so hard to keep your fats and carbs low from vegan Whole Food protein

 

[extraneous]

@eyeofthebeholder As I've answered here and here, the most important factor to muscle growth as vegan is caloric intake, not macronutrient ratio. It's so especifically in our diet because it's richer in fiber and water, you can find more info on that on those answers. Here, as a side note, I also point out how we shouldn't worry about health while bulking on a vegan diet as the biggest health impact will most likely always be the weight gain itself (even if it's muscle).

Now that the context is out of the way, if you're worried about health (which I infer from your first question), the percentage of daily protein intake should be as much as you can possibly get from whole foods (tofu/seitan/tempeh as you said, but other beans and cereal also work, you'll find some recommendations on the links above for sure). Now, if you really want to bulk efficiently (disregarding health, which is a must for that). You'll have to eat as many calories as you can, a minimum surplus to gain muscle mass at a pace of 2kg/month is around 400kcal daily. It's increased (but also fat gain, sadly) with higher intakes, regardless of protein intake.

I pointed in the threads which I linked about how most of the daily recommendations (ranging from 1,4-2,2g/kg of protein per day) were either performed on unrealistic diet conditions and decades ago or are tailored for professional athletes who train two times a day, six days a week. For the rest of us mortals, caloric intake is BY FAR the most important factor (as long as we remain whole-foods plant-based).

 

[kitkat_6]

@extraneous I’m interested in becoming a pt. what major do i study and what classes usually come with that major?

 

[extraneous]

@kitkat_6 Sadly, I'm european and the certifications range from country to country even here. It's a completely different system in the USA. Unless you're spanish I can't answer your question.

 

[artsy23]

@extraneous Testing

 

[extraneous]

@artsy23 Reply?

 

[artsy23]

@extraneous Hey. I’m sorry. I tried commenting on other threads and moderators preventing my comments from going up. Hence, “testing” thank you so much for taking time out for us. That’s pretty awesome of you.

 

[extraneous]

@artsy23 Anytime, I'll probably make more of these as this one was pretty popular. Cheers!

 

[nolt]

@extraneous What would you recommend for macros during a cut to maintain muscle. I’ve been reading that I may not need as much protein as been recommended. 30/40/40 still apply if you’re vegan?

The game changers doctors say we can need as little as 10% protein. Not sure if this is for maintenance or those who don’t lift and do cardio.

 

[kwang23]

@extraneous Hi, I’m 50+ F and I’ve been vegan for 2 years and it’s been last 6 months I’ve seen my weight drop from 55k to 47k. I’m in good shape, exercise daily including a light weights program twice weekly. My problem is my skin, particularly on my arms and stomach is loose even though I’ve got a reasonably strong body. Any tips to firm up excess skin?

 

[extraneous]

@kwang23 Hello, sorry for the late response, I normally don't check reddit on weekdays as I'm pretty busy.

Loose skin is a natural process of degradation that comes with age and weight loss (if you've maintained a higher weight for a long time). Sadly, the only two proven ways of toning up excess skin are either to gain mass (muscle mass will get you looking good even though you'll be bigger) and plastic surgery. Creams and balms do not work, pills do not work and exercise only works if you're building muscle.

 

[stasmodeus]

@extraneous Do you find supplementing with creatine/taurine helps vegans who may be deficient in these?

Also what are your go to high protein easy snacks with minimal sugars?

Should i be trying to limit my fiber to increase quicker protein absorption...weird question i know. But as a vegan the amount of fiber i get in my diet is astronomical.

 

[extraneous]

@stasmodeus

Do you find supplementing with creatine/taurine helps vegans who may be deficient in these?

Taurine has been historically used as a treatment for heart disease, hepatitis and other metabolic syndrome comorbidities. I have yet to find a study concluding that taurine boosts performance in healthy humans outside of petri-dishes.

Creatine supplementation, on the other hand, has been shown to increase storages of PCr in the muscle up to a 20% and boost athletic performance.

No healthy adult following any diet is deficient in neither of these, though.

Also what are your go to high protein easy snacks with minimal sugars?

I don't have go-to high-protein snacks with minimal sugars because no one needs them. Unless you're a bodybuilder who trains twice a day, six times a week, and you don't eat only fruit, your main focus should be caloric intake instead of macronutrient ratios. I've explained that in-depth in these answers too.

Should i be trying to limit my fiber to increase quicker protein absorption...weird question i know. But as a vegan the amount of fiber i get in my diet is astronomical.

You shouldn't be limiting your fiber intake, unless you're in a hypertrophy mesocycle focused on extreme bulking, and that means you're going to gain 20-40% of whatever weight you can put as fat. Again, I'm sure your protein intake is more than enough to satisfy your training, unless you're going to compete in this year's Arnold.