I have been eating alot of the same foods that I usually do, so from that perspective it hasn't been too hard. I've been having my usually eggs, egg whites, and pepper/onion mixture with either avocado toast or oats with chia seeds, peanut butter, and honey. I have actually not been eating a full meal in between breakfast and lunch as I have read that 3-4 hours is best for your muscles to take full advantage of the first meal as far as muscle protein synthesis goes. I've been having a BCAA shake with pumpkin seeds, almonds, and a banana. That has been working pretty well. I don't feel too hungry before lunch. Other foods I have been eating are my usual brown rice, black beans, spinach, spicy kimchi, and salsa mixture. The next meal gets a little dicey, because it is usually my pre-workout meal, so I need something to give me good energy. I had tuna with white potatoes and broccoli one day. I had some plant based deli slices on multigrain bread one day with some peppers and hummus. One day I didn't workout, some I had sweet potatoes, broccoli, and a BCAA shake. I have my usual post workout shake and some quick carbs such as gummy bears or gatorade. Then I have dinner. I had the broccoli cauliflower Alfredo a couple days, and a sweet potato three bean chili one day that turned out more like a stew, but it was good. I had some gluten free multigrain bread with that. I always have salad with dinner also. I finish off with berries and cottage cheese before bed, or a casein protein shake.
Overall I have been feeling pretty good. Energy wise I have felt fine or about the same as I did before this experiment. I have been struggling a little bit mentally and with motivation, but I think that is mainly due to this whole corona virus thing. It is harder to get motivated when doing home workouts all the time. I did a strength training workout the other day with some heavy weights and it felt good. I didn't notice any drop in strength.
It can be hard eating healthy foods all the time as far as taste goes. For example, one day I tried a buffalo tofu with brown rice, peppers, and celery. It was ok, but not great. I need to learn different ways to eat tofu. I had salmon one night also. There are many meatless options though. Finding protein options is not hard either, which is a major misconception of vegetarians.
I am down about a pound, but that little fluctuation isn't necessarily due to this experiment. I am not trying to lose weight afterall. I did notice myself feeling a little hungrier than usual, especially during my workouts. This is probably due to the lack of animal protein, which can leave you feeling fuller. Eating vegetarian is mostly carbohydrates. My fat content is probably down also having no red meat. I might try having a pre-workout protein shake to combat this.
A potential negative effect that I have noticed is going to the bathroom A lot (meaning #2). This could be due to the increase in fiber and eating so many vegetables. It is something I am going to have to keep an eye on.
Overall, being vegetarian hasn't been all that hard. Being vegan on the other hand seems incredibly difficult. I might try a day here and there, but doing it more than that is very difficult.
Thanks for reading and I'll keep you up to date on every going on with this experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment