Will a Vegan diet make me look more like a runner?

You can still be an overweight fatty even if you are vegan, though it might be harder.

Portion control is probably the main issue here.

actually I would say that most vegans I have known were definitely not going to be confused for distance runners. I think its because your diet is so limited you eat alot of poor choices and large quantities of those choices. Like when I was a vegetarian I wouldn't be able to eat alot on a restaurant menu so I would get anything with cheese... I didn't get fat like this but my nutrition was just horrendous and after 5 years of having less iron in me than a f1 car I finally switched to a 'normal' diet and looked at eating a balanced range of foods with a emphasis on vegetables.

So yeah I don't think your going to cut pounds on any diet unless you actually commit to reducing the crap that you eat.

I'm really not fat. You can see my abs I'm just kinda big but not really strong.

Try a raw food diet.

That will make you lean.

I'll try to be quick because saying "vegetarian" makes people lose their minds.

I've been vegetarian for 20 years. I was 6'0 and 150 pounds at age 21. About 168 at age 30. About one-seventy-five (my numeral seven doesn't work on my keyboard) at age 40. I ate my share of cheese and eggs.

Then I went vegan. My weight went down to 150 after about one year. I went down slowly, so I stayed strong. My times dropped like crazy because I felt light as a feather.

The vegan diet helped me. I also kept an eye on my fat intake (stopped using so much oil in cooking mostly). The weight came off very easily, went below 150 and still felt strong.

To get the build you're looking for, I'm sure you realize you must go vegan and give up the cheese, milk, and other foods. My wife did the diet with me. She's medium to large boned--she looked fantastic on this diet--not anorexic, but thin and muscular. I had a 6-pack and did no situps.

Go for it. It will help your running. Try to stay away from the sweets too. A good, simple diet is the one thing American runners are missing--something that could really help them. I wish I would have tried it while I was young and competitive.

Bulk Hogan wrote:

In the past year or so I started emphasizing protein in my diet in an attempt to become more lean. Now I am 20-30 lbs heavier than i was last year, but am running the same times, despite increased training. I know its not 20 lbs of fat. If i switch over to a vegetarian diet that is lower in protein will it get me back to the slim running machine i was last year? and help my energy level which has been pretty low.

Sure. If the pasty, sunken-eyed, chemo patient with no libido look is for you, Go Vegan!

Enjoy your flu, btw.

first of all, how old are you? Is it possible you're still growing a little?

I aint got no head wrote:

Sure. If the pasty, sunken-eyed, chemo patient with no libido look is for you, Go Vegan!

http://www.amazon.com/Skinny-Bitch-Rory-Freedman/dp/0762424931

Enjoy your flu, btw.

In all seriousness, there is a lot of truth to that--be careful about what you wish for:

I went essentially vegan about three years ago and lost about 100 pounds (ages 19-22). That said, when I recently decided to lift weights again, I was shocked at how pathetically weak I was vis-a-vis myself 3 years ago--I definitely lost a lot more than just fat...I knew there would be a drop-off, but my arms and such are so skinny now it'll probably take years for me to get back to being a semi-decent weight lifter (i.e. not embarrassingly bad).