Vegan Fitness Model Meal Planning
I begin this blog with hindsight,
the what it takes to prepare for a fitness model comp….this time only plant-based, Vegan!
Yes, I said this time….
I competed over 20 years ago, as a carnivore at 19 years old, back then I was an instructor, a trainer, the traditionally educated fitness leader, the meat and dairy industry funded and educated way – aka – the only way…starving and depriving my way to the stage!
My memories of doing the fitness/muscle shaping comps are tragic, the hardest thing, the most depressing thing I had ever done til this time around.
True Story….
Sure it was great on the day, but getting there was hard…and yes most competitors still go through this, most trainers, still preach the same stuff I was preaching 20 years ago…the system of education, doesn’t like change.
23 years old versus now 40 years old.
For me now at 40 years of age,
going back into the fitness industry after a 10 year + lapse,
I decided to give myself a challenge,
to open the minds of people,
to inspire people of ALL ages and of course to promote the VEGAN message.
This time around I was armed with wisdom, knowledge and experience….
they say knowledge is power, and not only did i have power, I had energy til the stage!
I decided to enter a few different category’s, and possibly 2 different competitions….but i had one huge obstacle…I had under 8 weeks, I hadn’t been training for years and years….except the occasional power walking, riding my oldskool bike & 2 or 3 chin-ups at the park, and that’s it!
I joined a gym, wrote myself a training program based on my years of prior knowledge, studied Vegan bodybuilders (yep-there are many out there!) and then wrote myself a Vegan prep diet based on a healthy split in macros, using all my plant based education and nutritional medicine experience.
Macro-nutrients are the building blocks, nutrients for your body’s output in energy, muscle building, repair and what all your organs need to survive on to keep you going. The Carbs, Protein and Fat of your food intake. If, you want a more detailed explanation of macro-nutrients hit this link…..http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/macronutrients.htm
When it comes to bodybuilding, let’s say this people go all ‘cray’ ‘cray’ on the protein! Our bodies only need approx 10-15% protein to keep us going, day in, day out…yes don’t believe me, look up….’The China Study”or ‘WHOLE’ books by Dr T Colin Campbell. These amongst others are awesome books to read, and re-educate yourself. Forks over knifes, healthy eating, healthy world and so many others are paving the way to worldly truths…
Ok, Ok, before you jump up and down…let’s say you want to build muscle!? This amount could be increased to a level, so that the body can regenerate and build upon what you already have. Most bodybuilders and trainers suggest as high as 60-70% protein!!….whaaaa!!! Going this high, would have your carbohydrates dropped to an all time low, and your fat….well, if your a meat eater it would all be in that! So, as a fitness model competitor, the boring old chicken/fish and broccoli is on the meal plan for you….I’m not sure about you, but eating that for nearly 3 months, would have me gagging, constipated, withdrawn, light headed, foggy…well, it did all those years ago…not to mention, you miss out on vital micro-nutrients with such restrictive one-sided diet.
We humans are built for high carb, low fat diets, nothing processed just straight from mother natures garden….so think the ‘Garden of Vegan!’ Yep, easy….fruits and vegetables, all too easy, these are all first foods, they come in a ready to eat form, have all the fibre, vitamins, minerals and enzymes all intact ready for our digestion and for the body use.
Now that’s real FAST FOODS right there!
No need for supplements, bodyfat burners, digestive aids, enzymes….and all that crapola!
So if your in training, or thinking about it and have been wanting to build lean muscle, whilst losing fat and require a little more protein in concentrated form, add in foods like grains, legumes, tempe, tofu, nuts and seeds….However, limit these foods, as you can get most of your requirements from the first foods group. And wait…you can eat a truckload more of these too!!
Firstly, start an account on My Fitness Pal or Cronometer….these are great to track your progress and actually, you learn what you are putting into your body. These are great for you to reach health or weight-loss goals or preparing for comps.
Links are: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ or http://www.cronometer.com/
When it comes to macro’s, I am for balance and if your building muscle a lil more is recommended…but NOT the extreme protein requirements that ones body cant process. So if we can survive on 10-15% protein, than surely an increase of 10-15% is enough to build muscle?
Yes, it is…I increase muscle size, whilst depleting for my competition. I had a short term goal, that require rapid fat loss, without losing muscle tone…on well balanced macros and plant foods, I gained muscle!!!!…1.5kgs of muscle on my tiny 50kg frame.
I haven’t mentioned I lost a total of 7-8kg of fat, and over 8-10% total bodyfat! All in 8-10 weeks preparations.
Keep the Carbs high my people!!!…keep the fat low, a minimum of 10% is all that is required by the body….now do the maths???
30% max Protein, 15% max fat…so lets indulge in at least 55%+ carbs…
Remember Carbs are brain food, happy food, energy foods….just make sure you get most of your carbs from mothers ‘Garden of Vegan’.
My next blog, will have my training regime, photos of my progress and body composition. An easy to follow plan and results when you combine these 2 blogs together, actually all the blogs I post on here are what it took me to get to this point. To reset my body, I had to detox, cleanse and re-build it to a point of pure awesomeness!! Feeling lighter, tighter, happier and more youthful.
The energy in, and the energy out….must all be good for your temple, your body!
CC xx
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