It’s been a week since I did the Spartan ‘Beast’ and I’ve been reflecting on the race experience and my athletic performance in general. Although I do need to adjust my training methods for that type of event, I’ve always been of the mindset that our body does what our diet tells it to do.
I’ve found there’s been some compelling evidence for the athletic gains that can be made with an all-plant based diet, and decided to give it a try. I’ll be doing my best to write this blog in real time as I’m experimenting with this diet for the next week(ish).
I went shopping last night and purchased the following:
- Hummus
- Lentils
- Beans (several types)
- Salad Mixes (broccoli, kale, etc.)
- Tofu
- Vegetables
- Oats
- 1lb Beyond Meat
I also reached out to two people:
- My boy Carl, (IG @_carlmorse_)who has been vegan for the longest time (I think for health reasons), but who absolutely loves getting creative with vegan recipes.
Me: Homie, gonna go vegan for a week to see how I like it
Got any good tofu recipes you can send over? Preferably ones that are easy to make?
Carl Blink 182: Ooo, speaking of which I’m about to go in on a Thai, basil fried rice with fried tofu.. it’s nice to fry or bake it while cooking it. If you’re willing to go the extra step and make a type of batter for them it makes it next level but you can totally get away just frying it in a pan to crisp the edges.
Think bowls, and or oven/grill roasts with veggies. Or stack up a veggie sandwich with some “Buffalo” tofu after you give it a saute, and sauce it.
Lookup on Youtube, wicked kitchen.
That should get the wheels turning; lately I’ve been referencing that Youtube, straight up. A great resource – Wicked Kitchen.
2. A friend and client Dennis, who has a lot of athletic and dietary experience and who (I think) has also experimented with several types of diets.
Me: Hey Dennis, I was thinking about doing an experimental week eating only plant sources of protein / vegan menu. Do you have any thoughts / recommendations?
QDA Dennis: You have to make sure you get complete protein sources (rice and beans) because separately they do not have all of the essential amino acids.
More water as fiber will likely be much higher.
Be prepared for some bloating / gi distress.
Me: I wanna give it a try for a week, but it seems impossible to get the same macro ratios…I might have to go higher carbs as well, but keep things around the same total daily calories, does that make sense to you?
QDA Dennis: yes, it makes sense
___________________________
I’ve been such a heavy meat / animal-based protein eater since I can remember. Up to this point, on average daily I consume about 1lb of animal protein and a dozen eggs. My macro ratios up to this point have been (approx):
45% Protein
35% Carbs
20% Fat
The point I made speaking with Dennis comes from the observation that, with the exception of Beyond Meat and Tofu, every other protein source has more carbs than protein. For me to rely on these sources to hit my current protein numbers, my carb intake would skyrocket.
Having a higher carb than protein intake ratio is something completely foreign to me, and probably the scariest part of this whole process (which is why it’s an experiment). Of course I’m concerned about losing muscle and putting on fat because of the unused carbs.
I think the reality of the situation (and I could be wrong) is that I do a good deal of daily cardio (usually around 4 miles) and I’ll have to signal to my body that it needs all of the muscle through intense resistance training workouts. For that reason, I’ll try to enter my daily workout info.
_____________________________
Day 1:
724 Calories* 37gP / 82gC / 31gF
Daily ratio: 25%P / 55%C / 21%F
*I’d say that day 1 was a pretty big fail. When I got to work I realized I only brought a mixed salad, some beans, and hummus. It highlighted the importance of thinking ahead and meal prepping BEFORE I leave the house. Luckily I rallied and had a good dinner of sautéed teriyaki tofu, white rice, and asparagus.
Workout: 4-6sets, 15-20reps
1000m row
Calf raises
Leg press
Leg extensions
Leg curls
Adduction
Abduction
100 floors – stair stepper
Day 2:
1740 Calories 96gP / 183gC / 78gF
Daily Ratio: 27%P / 51%C / 22%F
Workout: 4-6sets, 15-20reps
1000m row
Pec dec
Incline DB press
Weighted crunch machine
100 floors – stair stepper
Incline machine press
Day 3:
1740 Calories 73gP / 299gC / 61gF
Daily Ratio: 17%P / 69%C / 14%F
Workout: Cardio Only
4.5mile Run – Low Speed, High Incline
Day 4:
1360 Calories* 43gP / 228gC / 35gF
Daily Ratio: 14%P / 75%C / 11%F
I did get two teeth removed this day (for future orthodontics), making it really hard to eat anything other than really light carbs. I’m surprised I got this many calories in at all.
At this point I’ve gone a few days well below my normal calorie intake. It’s important for me to distinguish not feeling optimal due to a brief period of low calories versus not feeling good due to poor diet. I’m starting to wear down because of the calories, but I do feel really good all the time, and my energy during physical exercise is still really good. With an animal-based protein-heavy diet, there’s always times when I don’t feel this good.
__________________________
UPDATE: I continued this ‘strict’ vegan diet for a few more days, but wasn’t diligent about documenting my progress because of my travel schedule. What I will say is that I need to work on meal prepping and collecting more recipes as this will help ensure I get enough calories.
I’ve also been taking a more moderate approach. If I were to use definitions, I would say that I’m more of a vegetarian, preferring a predominantly plant-based diet, but have included more animal-based food sources that a ‘vegan’ diet would allow.
For example, I’m eating eggs (produced at-home), some dairy, fish, and whey protein supplements (powder, etc). I have NOT eaten chicken or red meat in about 6 weeks and although it has still been challenging to get enough calories on a consistent basis, I’m definitely feeling I have more sustained energy during endurance events/activities and prolonged exercise.
