Going Vegetarian? Going Vegan?

I went mostly plant based about 7 years ago, was running around 80-90 mpw. I did lose weight and lost some muscle as well, times at long distance races were pretty good and still able to run faster, but lost a lot of natural speed and would've been better off having included some more quality protein sources to keep on some muscle. A lot of vegans will say no problem with protein but from my experience I don't think the protein I was getting was able to be assimilated in the body as easily as animal products. I was also training pretty hard so my needs were different than a sedentary vegan. No issues with iron or b12 though but I ate a lot of fortified foods. You can try it and always change it later, that's the key don't make it a religion, monitor your body and if you don't feel as good on it then have the humility to try something different or go back to what you were doing.

I stopped eating meat a few months ago. Didn't lose any weight, or have any issues. I have a veggie based protein shake every morning.

Absolutely love the diet, and haven't had any issues and feel great.

I can't imagine going vegan though. Way too restrictive for me. At least I can cop a veggie power burrito from Taco Bell if I'm on the road and in a hurry. I don't have how vegans manage.

Been veg for about 2 years. Keep protein bars and shakes on hand, vitamins. If you like eating meat substitutes and protein rich foods like lentils and some less popular grains like barley you will be good. There are a lot of foods that most Americans (assuming you are) don’t keep as staples that can make a meatless/animal free diet work.

veggie runner wrote:

Anybody want to share their story of going vegetarian or vegan as a runner? Any problems with iron or protein? Did you lose weight or notice changes in your body shape as a result? I went vegetarian a little over a month ago and I'm considering going completely vegan. Other info: I'm female, in my late teens, and my BMI is somewhere between 18.2 and 19.0

I because vegan / vegetarian almost 50 years ago, thank goodness.

Doing so has helped me to be much more healthy, and has saved my life many times.

Another benefit is that vegan / vegetarians are much more intelligent than heavy meat eaters.

Within a few months to a year, I smashed all my times from 2 miles on up that had been set 10 years previously.

My marathon time improved by an hour. I became more lean and flexible. My life span increased by a great amount.

My attitude changed, and I did become more intelligent.

I've never done anything special for iron or protein. No supplements, no pills, no protein bars, no drugs ever.

There is plenty of everything that is needed in vegetarian food.

Hi,

I usually don't respond to let's run boards but wanted to respond to yours specifically since I had similar questions about veganism before making the transition-- not to mention I'm a big vegan advocate and love helping others to live this lifestyle!

I went vegan the winter of my junior year because my fall XC season had went poorly, but a girl on my team who I had used to be running circles around (and who had recently went vegan at the time) ended up beating me consistently by the season's end. So I decided that that was the way for me to improve. I had a decent amount of natural talent (that previous track season I had run 66 for 400, 2:30 for 8, 5:51 for 16, 12:25 for 32, and 20:37 XC 5k as an omnivore) but that next season after being vegan for a few months I ran 64 for the 4, 2:24 for 8, 5:28 for 16, 11:49 for 32, and 19:49 XC 5k. Mind you this improvement was all off no additional offseason training whatsoever-- I only did swim team in the winters, with no running until about 2 weeks before the season's beginning. Because I did nothing different in my training between the seasons, I can only accredit this success and drop in times to my new diet. It made me feel fresh and allowed me to no longer feel weighed down in my training. I had better recovery time. I felt energized. Obviously not everyone will experience the same increase in physical ability as I had by going vegan or even vegetarian, but I promise you, if you give it a try you will see something positive! I did lose a little bit of weight after going vegan (from 130 to 120lbs)-- but this is natural, and will NOT be at the expense of any intentional or unhealthy method of weight loss. Make sure you eat enough to satisfy your hunger needs.

Just be sure you're doing veganism the right way (i.e. eating nutrient-rich foods, take B12 supplements.. these could even be daily multivitamins, and research how you can get all your essential nutrients through eating foods that you already like + adding some new foods such as veggie burgers/mock meats!) and you'll be fine. Doing it the wrong way can make your health worse!!

I don't run anymore but that's not because I feel 'weak' or any bogus reason like that-- I just lost interest! Unfortunately I was injured my entire senior year from stress fractures so I never got to see my continual improvements :/ My iron levels also test really high on a regular basis, so no need to worry about having low levels by going vegan; now I've been vegan for 3.5+ years and I can honestly say that it's the best decision I have ever made for myself. But of course, you do you!! You know yourself best.

Hope this helps girl!!

Went Vegan 3 months ago. Haven’t had an e rection since. Libido plummeted, gf dumped me, and all the phallic-looking veggies I eat are reminders of what I am not.

I am not Vegan, but next best thing, I suppose - ust don’t eat meat. “Nothing with eyes”, so dairy, yoghurt, eggs are good eats for me

As another poster mentioned, I keep protein bars handy.

And it’s a dietary choice, not a religion...

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/08/04/cyberbullying-by-vegan-activists-a-source-of-stress-for-farmers-psychologists/

I went vegetarian at age 36 over eight years ago, mostly since my wife did. I didn't notice any difference in any aspect of my life. A few months later I went vegan and noticed I had better and more consistent energy, my running performance improved, my recovery was quicker, and it was easier to lose extra, stubborn body fat. A few years ago I had a few life stressors and became a junk-food vegan out of convenience. Some, but not all of the positive outcomes of going vegan were negated by being a junk-food vegan. For the past year I've been back on what most people refer to as plant-based vegan (whatever that means, since cows eat plants too). I've noticed similar improvements in my performance, recovery, energy, etc. since I've gotten away from being a junk-food vegan. I live where it's very easy to eat fresh local produce year round and have a strong biology/health science background. I think it would be harder to be a healthy vegan in most other parts of the US, and it's hard to ensure you're getting a fully nutritional vegan diet without a lot of knowledge. Getting that knowledge is usually a process so I don't advice just completely slashing significant elements of what you're used to eating.

To answer your questions directly:

I never had an issue with any deficiencies. I get blood work done every year and take a B12 supplement (and get lots of sun). Protein has never been an issue, I'm at

Forgot about the damn coding on this site.

...I'm at less than 10% protein as a macronutrient intake and have put on a few pounds of lean mass with just two weekly strength session in my mid-40's.

I am a former vegetarian, was vegan for a couple of those years.

I discovered a gluten sensitivity while I was vegan and had to stop eating that which led me back to vegetarianism as it was too restrictive.

I eat some meat now. I don't believe that my body was processing foods well, there are some conversions that you need to make in order to be vegetarian and I think that some people are not as good at it. I know vegetarians who have been that way for decades with no desire to eat meat and no need. I don't think I am that way. I still eat a lot of plant foods and don't eat meat all the time. But I feel a lot better.

I would recommend reading a book or two on veganism to make sure you do it right. And be open to how you are feeling and get bloodwork done every year to make sure you are doing well.

Just eat meat like a normal human being. Your times will improve

just look up how much protein is in beans, quinoa and even some green veggies

more than enough

veggie runner wrote:

Anybody want to share their story of going vegetarian or vegan as a runner? Any problems with iron or protein? Did you lose weight or notice changes in your body shape as a result? I went vegetarian a little over a month ago and I'm considering going completely vegan. Other info: I'm female, in my late teens, and my BMI is somewhere between 18.2 and 19.0

I am a meat-eater and a male so I can't say I have your experience. But given you're a female runner, I would highly recommend you don't. I'd say about 75% of the girls on my college distance team had anemia issues at some point, I don't think any were vegetarians. A couple of the guys on my team were vegetarian and they both suffered Anemia at some point. Anemia is extremely common in female runners and while you can manage your iron levels as a vegetarian or Vegan it is much tougher.

Protein I wouldn't worry about but you almost certainly will have Iron issues. Especially if you are in a college environment where you aren't cooking for yourself, most college food is already crap, if you take the meat out of the equation good luck getting the nutrients you need. If you are serious about competitive running do not go vegan and give up the vegetarianism. At some point, you will have issues with anemia. If you are a casual runner then whatever, you'll probably be fine. I think having some meat in the diet is healthier than being vegan, but the amount most Americans consume is way too much.

In my 70s wrote:

Another benefit is that vegan / vegetarians are much more intelligent than heavy meat eaters.

Hahahahahaaha. Bullshit.

the p word wrote:

just look up how much protein is in beans, quinoa and even some green veggies

more than enough

Word. And I'd add nuts.

Humans cannot live without meat, they will eventually die. Veganism is a death cult.

veganism is a death cult wrote:

Humans cannot live without meat, they will eventually die. Veganism is a death cult.

Everyone will eventually die.