Thanks!
I am actually getting more net carbs according to chronometer than i was before by a decent amount.
I have been taking a b12 supplement as well. Will keep an eye on iron. I do get my blood drawn every 3 months for a long term health issue and blood counts etc looked good. So i suspect my iron is still ok but definitely noted.
Thanks!
Good to hear that your carb intake hasnāt dropped but as others have said you just might not be eating enough for you, especially based on the above comment in your original post. Repeated injury and sickness could be a symptom of not eating enough or too much training load for your current fitness level or not enough rest and recovery, or a mix of those factors.
Even just 3 indoor sessions could be too much, depending on how much outdoor MTB you are doing.
To make it easy, you can aim for 2g/kg carbs for all meals on your hard days, 1.5g/kg carbs on easy days, and before really long rides 2.5g/kg.
Always start with carbs and work backwards. Carbs, protein, the lastly fats.
When I first went vegan I really struggled with feeling weak and as mentioned it was simply carb sources.
I went full plant based no processed food and while it sounds ideal to have zero refined carbs or even white rice, cycling hard is not really a natural thing either so getting over the fear of sugar/processed foods for fuel is really important.
It probably took me 2 months to get used to the increase in fibre and volume. However, my digestive system feels amazing now. I used to get debilitating stomach aches (which I think was milk based) but no I am super regular and only get the odd bit of trapped wind. Itās well worth the effort and winter is the best time (assuming you are North hemisphere) to get used to it. Even if you add some meat in back later, getting a bulk of your calories from plants is really good.
Yeah I definitely think I was overdoing it and that was partially why I kept getting sick. Iām working in more rest weeks now and have lowered my load a bit. My bigger concern right now is just that I canāt get through one hard interval workout so definitely going to try getting some more carbs in the system
Great to hear. Ill keep chugging along and take some of the recommendations here. Its getting cold here so i have all winter to work this out haha. Hopefully wont take that long though.
Echoing a point above. Iām veg but eat dairy. My diet is very Jekyll-Hyde: I strive to eat whole foods, fresh vegetables and plenty of fiber off the bike, but absolutely house simple sugars just before and during rides. Carbs gels (50g carb) are my fave for easy and pretty cheap fast sugar. Home made rice bars are another great option, thereās a thread on them here if you search.
A gel ~30 min prior to the workout and additional as needed makes a huge difference for anything with intensity. You should obviously avoid overdoing it in terms of total calories, but if youāre tracking via Chronometer that should be easy. Personally Iām incapable of eating as much as I burn during even moderate workouts, so coming in fed and staying on top of calories, all via simple sugar, has made a huge difference. Then back to healthy eating for all other meals.
Thanks! I have some gels here so will chomp one a bit before my next hard ride and see what happens.
Hey @DGride! Welcome to the forum! 
I am so glad that youāre starting to feel better in general. Now letās make sure youāre also feeling good on the bike. 
There are a couple of things that come to mind when someone is struggling on a plant- based diet.
What are your needs?
As I often do, Iāll point you toward our conversations with Dr Kyle Pfaffenbach on the Ask a Cycling Coach podcast here and here.
Based on these conversation, here are some principles I suggest you follow, as a starting point:
Metabolism varies from person to person, over time, and in response to a host of different external factors (changes in training volume and intensity being a couple of many reasons your nutritional needs could change). Dialing in your optimal carbohydrate intake will take a little trial and error.
In terms of what āthe restā is, start at figuring out your basal metabolic rate, then adjust up or down depending on training performance, energy levels, and weight changes.
Now that you mention it, this may be a good topic to discuss on an upcoming podcast 
. Iāll start digging into the research! 
Iād recommend tracking all of your intake with an app for a while to get a better sense of how many calories and grams of carbohydrate you are actually eating.
Thanks! I was thinking of doing inside tracker or similar but wanted to give myself time to adapt fully first.
Will definitely check out the podcast
Thanks Iāve been using chronometer for tracking
I went plant-based for 9 months, and while I felt good off the bike and leaned out a bit, I lost energy on it. As soon as I reintroduced meats, my energy levels and stamina returned.
I know a plant-based diet works for some cyclists but I wasnāt one of them.
While on the plant-based diet, one interesting observation was that my heart rate would increase much faster during efforts. I attributed this to my āpipesā being clean and free of restrictions but that was just intuition.
Thanks for your response. Im gonna give it at least 3 months and see what happens. Might be the same thing
Iāve been been plant based for the past 10+ years. As long as you have your macros dialled and get regular bloodwork (no different than you should be doing anyways if not plant-based) then there really shouldnāt be a difference. I ride over 20,000km / year, weight train 2-3x week as well as occasional running etc.
I have always weighed my foods so for me it comes down to numbers as well as ensuring micronutrients are in check. At 46 years old, 155 lbs my baseline eating is ~3000 cals/day and then based on activity that day it can get upwards to 6000 cals/day.
I think the plant based vs. non plant-based argument is a bit overblown. If you keep the nutrition principles simple you should be able to adjust. I personally prefer to run on more carbs than fat so my ratios tend to be ~ 200p, 70f, 400c as a baseline. The carbs will increase or decrease as needed.