I have no clue what to eat haha, or even how much I need to eat. Any advice would be appreciated

[progod951]

Hey,

So I’ve been vegan for like 9 years, pretty much been at the same weight the entire time, 72-73Kg.

Never kept track of what I’ve eaten, I just eat whenever or whatever I want whenever I’m hungry.

Started going gym today for the first time ever really, with the idea of putting on muscle mass. Actually feel really happy in my mood after going to the gym haha. Met a really nice guy there who has the exact physique that I want, it just so happens he’s a personal trainer too which is great. But he’s never worked with a vegan so can’t give me any advice on what I should be eating.

I’m like 5 ft 8 or 9 (need to check lol). How do I know how many calories I should be eating a day? And how can I even get a enough protein?

Everyone says 1grm of protein for every lb of weight, so doesn’t that mean I need to then be eating like 150g a day? Isn’t that an insane amount haha.

Today I’ve just had a banana and protein shake before gym (20g in the shake), and then for lunch I just had some Levantine Table Freekeh, Black Rice & Chickpeas and the packet said it has 12 grams of protein.

How the hell am I supposed to get another 120g of protein today? Seems crazy lol.

Are there any good vegan food guides out there for lifting etc, that I can just follow to make it easier?

Thanks!

 

[sidelined]

@progod951 It might be a good idea to just get a baseline of your weight and height so you can estimate your TDEE (a calculator online will help, it’s an estimate of your total daily energy needs). From there I’d just say get into it and refine as needed. You’re just starting out so it’s not like you need to worry about exactness yet. Nutrition and fitness are marathons: they take years to make real changes to your body. So you have plenty of time to refine your needs. For now just make sure you’re eating enough, that you’re eating plenty of protein (I’d recommend chronometer, which uses some databases that track partial proteins often found in plants). Don’t worry too much about the micronutrients yet btw (it’s easy for me personally to get sucked down the rabbit hole that is perfect nutrition and it’s not necessarily what is needed).

People require less protein than 1g/lb, but some will promote up to 1.5g/lb for gainz. However, you can even do just 1g/kg. There’s plenty of support for all of these ratios, so it’s about finding what weekend for your lifestyle imo. Work on finding something you can aim for for years. And I’m saying it this way because you’re just starting out. If you want to eventually bodybuild and are aiming for hypertrophy, that will require a different lifestyle than if you want to be able to to handstands and flips. If 1.5g/lb is hard on your wallet/GI tract, it’s ok to scale back. What’s most important is to sleep well, eat enough, and try hard every time!

And way to go getting into the gym etc! Fitness feels good and is a lot of fun

 

[bubbles0023]

@progod951 To calculate how many calories you need per day, you can use an online calculator that takes into account your age, height, weight, and activity level. This will give you a rough estimate of how many calories you should be eating in order to maintain, gain, or lose weight.

In terms of protein, it is true that athletes and bodybuilders usually aim to consume around 1 gram per pound of body weight. However, this is not a hard and fast rule, and some experts suggest that even lower amounts of protein can be sufficient for gaining muscle mass, especially for vegans who may have different nutrient needs.

There are many plant-based sources of protein, including beans, lentils, tofu, tempeh, seitan, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. By incorporating a variety of these foods into your meals and snacks throughout the day, you can easily reach your protein goals without having to rely solely on protein supplements or powders.

As for vegan food guides for lifting, there are many resources available online, including blogs, YouTube channels(Brian Turner has a ton of how to eat to build vegan muscle videos)and social media accounts of vegan fitness enthusiasts. You may also want to consider working with a registered dietitian who specializes in sports nutrition and can give you personalized advice on your diet and goals.

Good luck with your fitness journey!

 

[craighah]

@progod951

Here's a link to a video you should watch which speaks directly to your issue.

In the beginning of building muscle, your protein goals will be on the lower end, as you steadily build more muscle, you will require more protein to maintain that muscle.

You should aim to get 20-30 grams of protein per meal which is as simple as beans and rice in a nice sauce, or oats and bananas.

Most people are under the false impression that you should be eating 200 to 150 grams of protein a day but that is just unnecessary, start by aiming for 60, 3 meals a day of 20 grams, that's enough to be in a positive nitrogen balance for someone new to training. Then just ramp it up steadily.

By eating certain foods, you can easily get 100grams of protein a day without even needing to take any protein powders.

 

[misssensiblility]

@progod951 Not sure about guides but the 2 grams of protein per gram bodyweight is a great goal in my opinion.

I’m 96kg and I AIM to eat 200g. If I miss something then I’m sweet. I think it’s smart to aim high with vegan protein as they all aren’t full proteins so good to go above and beyond for bulking.

I have:

muesli, chia seed, soy milk

Hemp protein shake (full protein + fats)

Lentil pasta with nutritional yeast

Hemp protein shake with soy milk + berries + flaxseed

Tofu Fried rice + spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, carrot, onion, garlic, Avocado oil

Sometimes hemp shake again

Hemp has all the amino acids you need so a couple shakes in your day will fill the gaps of the other proteins.

My snacks are pappadums, toast and almonds. They are all high in protein and calories to bump me into a surplus of calories. That’s what you need to build

Just an example but it works wonders for me!

In terms of putting on muscle you want the macros. Fats, carbs and protein.

In the above diet I have:

Fats:

Almonds
Chia
Flax
Avocado

Carbs:

Lentils
Rice
Oats (muesli)
Pappadums
Toast

Protein:

Hemp
Lentils
Soy milk
Flax
Chia
Almonds
Tofu

If you’d like to build you need all three macros in as many meals as possible

Eat a collection of these while being over your calories used over the day and you will gain muscle

 

[kwalston]

@progod951 https://www.nomeatathlete.com/vegan-meal-plan/