Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Long Overdue

That's right. I'm back. It's been far too long and for that I apologize. It's been about 5 months since I have really had the time to write anything.

That's not a problem, though, because I have had a lot happen to me in the last 5 months.

I had decided to try a full vegan diet just to see how it effected my energy level, metabolism, body fat, and sports performance. The diet wasn't that complicated. I cut out all animal products of any kind. (honey was an exception from time to time) Dairy, eggs, and meat are the primary focus of elimination. In general, I'd have to say the vegan diet was very beneficial. I felt more energetic and I was able to improve my cardio over smaller amounts of time. I definitely saw more tone in my physique, but I also saw a decrease in muscle restoration. I was able to maintain a good weight training regime, but the progress was slower.

I did a few trial tests to see how dairy, and meat would effect my health by introducing them back into my diet in controlled doses.
I had a very negative reaction to dairy and beef. I felt heavy, sluggish, and sick to my stomach every time I ate them. I have been eating chicken again for the past 2 weeks now. It seems that if the chicken is not fried or poor quality it has no ill effect on me. It's a nice source of protein that is low in carbs. Although a large quantity of carbs is crucial after a good workout I found myself eating far too many just trying to get the protein I needed. I think I've reached a healthy medium by including chicken into a mostly vegan diet.

I believe I initially lost some more body fat during the vegan diet, but I also believe I gained a little back near the end due to overzealous carb consumption for weight training.

I feel confident that I can get down again with a combination of chicken protein, more veggies and complex carbohydrates.

There's a quick rundown on the great vegan experiment. I have so much more to post regarding some pretty exciting new cardio developments I've been working on. More posts soon to come.

1 comment:

  1. Hooray for the great experiment! I'm glad you've found something that works. What will you call this diet, the "nearly vegan" diet? Heh. :)

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