First of all, can someone tag Pete Morris in this topic 
[tag, per request @Pete]
Pete mentioned that he went plant-based few months ago. It would be good if he can share his experience with this transition and point out any benefits or problems with it and share how this transition affects his numbers and feel.
Iām plant-based for 7 years but I started before cyclingā¦
If someone other moves to or from plant-based I would like to hear your experience.
Why donāt you post your general experiences over your time plant based and cycling for us?
I was ultra running at the time when I moved to plant based and that had a big impact on my training.
The biggest impact was in shortening recovery time but also on cramps, RPE, body fat, feel and performance.
Even I see a lot of benefits sometimes after the race when Iām nitpicking what I could I do better Iām questioning the plant based diet. I know that I would be probably slower as a meet-eater but It is good to here others experience!
Iām 32 years old with 4.5W/kg and racing road and MTB.
I did Ironman VR14 (Olympic tri), VR15 (Olympic tri) and VR16 (70.3 tri) three Fridays on the trot and made sure to eat plant based before and the 2-3 means after each eventā¦ never had any stomach issues at all after and felt like i could drag myself through the hardest stages of Half IM Build phase through the events tooā¦ historically, Iāve never had issues during long events but my stomach usually goes on holiday for a few days afterā¦
Do you eat any processed meat free stuff (i.e. Quorn/Other meat substitutes) or cook everything fresh from actual plants?
Iām predominently plant based now, maybe 9 months in.
Itās hard to make any claims because;
Saying that, Iāve no downsides to report, except fruit and veg are really low in calories so getting around 3,500 a day is quite hard. Iām around 2kg lighter than last year but almost certainly eating a better diet (it wasnāt that bad before but relied heavily on cheese for calories).
Iām running at around 4.4-4.6 wKG and have been for many years.
Iāve been plant based/vegan for a few years now. In this time I went from running and biking recreationally, probably averaging one run and bike ride a week, to actually training. I now think of myself as a runner and cyclist. Just laying that out for some context.
The biggest different Iāve seen is that I donāt seem to get nearly as many aches and pains. Iāve always suffered from knee pain, and now itās largely gone, even when I worked up to running 50+ miles a week for while, which would have been completely impossible before. I know thatās not high mileage for a serious runner, but I think that it gets into the realm of serious running.
I very seldom eat any processed fake meats or cheeses, so I guess Iām pretty close to whole foods plant based, but I donāt prescribe to any particular methodology about this. Just lots of veggies, fruits, legumes, and carbs in all forms.
Whatās a typical day of meals look like for you to get 3500 calories a day?
I canāt imagine getting the macros I aim for now without cheating and having whey protein.
I was plant based for a couple of years but I dropped it recently because of weight concerns. I would like to get back to it but Iām not at all a big eater and with the amount of training I will be doing now with TR Iām not sure Iāll be able to eat enough. Performance-wise I canāt say I noticed any difference when I went plant based to begin with nor any difference when I went back to an omnivorous diet.
I was vegetarian for a very long time and have been totally vegan for 3 years. Going plant based is not a silver bullet, it wonāt give you magic powers. Iām vegan for ethical reasons and take the approach that Iām fit, strong and healthy ādespiteā being vegan, not because Iām vegan. Getting enough calories and protein(without powders) has never been a problem. I average over 200g protein a day and I weigh 61 kgs.
Despite? Wouldnāt āā¦healthy and veganā¦ā be more appropriate. Donāt feel like being plant based has had a deleterious effect on me, anecdotally the opposite.
I use that word as a way of making the point that itās possible to perform as an endurance athlete whilst being a vegan rather than push the idea that I perform because Iām vegan. Way too many people want to push the false narative that going vegan gives you an edge over being a non vegan athlete. I personally find this attitude damaging. Itās always anecdotal (as you point out yourself) and not based on solid scientific evidence. Vegan for ethical reasons? Well thatās a different issue.
Disclaimer, Iām not tracking macros but maybe I should for a week, to answer the questionā¦
Morning, typically oats with banana/nuts/peanut butter or toast with peanut butter
Lunch. Either pasta or wraps. My goto quick pasta with veg dishes are currently:
Dinner can be anything from pasta with plant based meat balls, home made pizza, home made chick pea burgers to curries based on coconut milk to vegan chillis. We also use pre-prepared alternatives a few times a week (burgers, sausages, shredded duck, etc.).
Snacks range from more toast to a variety of nuts & fresh fruit. Tend to use oat/nut milks that are fortified but I do cheat & have been adding calories with Huel bars and the powder (though plan to stop with the powder once the current batch runs out). Add these when I feel like I need a second dinner or been a bit slack before a big workout.
Currently weigh 63kg, my daily protein needs wonāt be massive so pretty sure it is covered.
Also went plant-based several years ago for ethical and environmental reasons with no deleterious effects. The most common question I get is āwhereās the protein,ā but looking closely at the macronutrients in plant-based food shows it to be protein-rich with foods such as whole wheat products, beans, lentils, breads with sprouted grains, and peas, then also seitan and tofu for the more interested/adventurous. These foods are also obviously much, much higher in fiber than meats/cheeses/milk products, which adds another whole category of health benefits.
Following this. Iāve been a vegetarian for almost two years now. I still have a little dairy here and there, so I def canāt claim to be vegan although we do eat mostly vegan. No processed meat replacements, just Whole Foods as much as possible. I am doing powder post workouts. Iām 200 lbs so I feel like Iām constantly eating to fuel my body during a training block.
I will admit, some days it is a struggle to motivate myself to eat a proper healthy meal that doesnāt include meat. I used to only eat lean meats and veggies, no carbs. Meal prep was easy and thoughtless. But then I realized to have the energy to train the way I wanted to, I need carbs, and a decent amount of them to boot. Feeding 3 little kids and a wife that works evenings, prepping and making dinner can be a daunting task at times.
Usually a good easy dinner for me (big bowl of health, as phil gaimon says it) is a big old bowl of spinach, chickpeas or black beans, brown rice and/quinoa, and whatever vegetables I have laying around ready to go.
This year we were fortunate enough to start our own garden and grow a lot of the vegetables that we eat on a daily basis.
Iād appreciate seeing your list of protein sources and approximate quantities of each. Iām doing slightly more protein/day than you (250-275g) but rely on animal products for a decent portion of it (greek yogurt, lean meats, etc.). Wouldnāt mind reducing that and would love the to review your list
I went plant based for 18 months, but started to feel fatigued and run down, integrated some meat back into my diet and started to feel better againā¦ seems to be a common themeā¦ was not deficient in anything so confused why, butā¦
Main Protein sources are:
Breakfast and afternoon snack
half a box of Weetabix per day = 25g
1L Alpro Soya Milk = 30g
Lunch
60g of wheat gluten/seitan = 48g
100g of tempeh = 20g
Dinner
200g of tofu = 30g
Iāll eat some oats in a smoothie before bed and have either quinoa, millet, or buckwheat with my lunch and dinner. Lots of fruit, veg, some nuts and seeds as well as nutritional yeast and Iām around 210g of protein for my 3ā500cals. Iām going to reduce to about 180g protein per day as I think 210g is definitely more than I need.
Common theme with who?
Thank you