Diet/Training Advice for a VEG

[VeggieLifterChick]

I haven't been on a steady lifting/dieting/cardio program for months and I am determined to get back on track. Right now I'm 19, 5'4'', and 137. I would estimate my body fat to be at about 24% (got love handles and saddle bags bad right now). I gain strength and muscle pretty quick, I don't easily lose fat, and I'm hard to overtrain. I'm very dedicated when I start a program. My goals are, like most people, to drop body fat and gain strength and tone. I'd be happy if I had a bf% of 16-18.
The problem is this: I don't know what to eat or how much cardio to do. I know I gotta eat every 3 hours or so, my body has responded very well to that in the past. But I'm a student now, so thats especially tough because i can only go to the dining hall 2x a day. Keep in mind that meat is out of the question (I'm vegetarian). Fish isn't. I can also use supplements and shakes, but those kind of suck. When I eat clean lately, I eat a high fiber/high carb breakfast, then a salad/fruit/cottage cheese or fro-yo meal, then a high protein meal.
Now about the training: I've heard that people do cardio 2x a day, but I've heard others say that this is too much or unnecessary. Should I do this some weeks and not others to keep my body shocked? Can anyone give me a hardcore fat loss program regarding cardio that has worked for them? I would say I'm more of a mesomorph if anything.
The lifting part is the one thing I have down pat. I've got good form, I train hard, and I'd plan to lift 6 days a week, on a 4 day split. Shoulders, back and biceps, legs, chest and triceps, rest day, then repeat (I might not do the muscles exactly in that order, but it would still be 4 on-1 off). Abs every other day.
Here are the supplements I've got: comprehensive multivitamin with B-12, glutamine, creatine (I'd take 5g/day to make up for lack of meat eating), and I do also have chromium and citramax but they dont seem to do shit for me.
Can anyone help me out with designing a diet and cardio program? Thanks to everyone who has read this far, you're all awesome!!!

 

[diamonddiceclay]

you cannot really get cut or strong being a vegetarian-I was veg for 7 years and after a few months of eating meat I was a lot thinner and able to put on more muscle

 

[Sassy69]

Being a student if you are living in student housing w/ no kitchen can be very hard. You can usually rent or buy those little cube fridges to keep stuff cold. Since you dont' want to eat meat (BIG CHALLENGE FOR MUSCLE BUILDING...), you need to be knowledgeable about the alternate sources since most people here will suggest diets that are higher in protein than anything else. Protein shakes are a good start. I dont' know much about veg protein alternatives -- I can suggest nuts e.g. fresh walnuts, etc. and also tofu and soy. I suggest fresh nuts because I once they are cracked open or if you buy the already shelled ones, some people are sensitive to that - i.e. the meat of the nut is now "rancid" (not like 'gone bad', but just not fresh and at its optimal state). You can get chunks of tofu in the refrigerated produce section - I've mushed up like 1/3 or 1/2 of one of those tofu blocks and mixed in some protein powder to make a sort of "pudding" -- it takes a little to get used to, but not bad. You can also get soy burger and stuff like that. I don't know if eggs are an option for you -- if you have access to a microwave you can nuke carton egg whites & maybe mix in some thawed soy "crumbles" (like morning sausage or "Boca Burger" stuff). Other soy alternatives include soy "lunch meat" which is not bad at all. This with soy cheese can make for a nice sandwich on some good bread. Also watch use of wheat - many people are allergic to the gluten or just the wheat and dont' even know it. I prefer sprouted organic bread. The only drawback to all this stuff is that it aint' real cheap..... If you can do fish, TUNA! 'nuff said there.

As far as having access to meals limited to only 2 times / day - well, I work 30 minutes from my home and I work thru lunch so rarely leave the building to go to a restaurant or the cafeteria -- I pack everything. So plan ahead and carry a soft-side cooler pack with you.

Good luck! Just like for the rest of us trying to do the 5-6 meals /day, eat clean, etc. It means you have to plan ahead, sometimes get creative and figure out the best way to do it. But it can be done.

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Thanks for being so informative. Now, how much cardio?

 

[MS]

Well the cardio thing is as much a matter of opinion as anything else. SInce you haven't really been lifting OR cardio OR clean dieting for a while, I would suggest you just start out with weight training (go heavy or go home) and clean diet, and gradually add the cardio in as you go (starting with none until you've got the above two things going strong).

The diet is a non-issue guys and gals. Read again what she wrote. She can basically eat everything most of you gals eat when "dieting" except chicken! So with that in mind would someone else like to make an attempt to draw her up a basic meal plan. It really is all about planning. I make the bulk of my meals on Sunday and store them either in the fridge or freezer until needed. I carry a big bag of food with me to work, gym etc....Whatever you do, please try to stay away from cafeteria food and processed foods such as 'soy burgers', though sometimes protein powders (which are also processed) are good to use when all else fails. Stash your locker/car or whatever with spare 'convenience food' like high protein snack bars and protein powder plus a shaker FOR EMERGENCIES. Learn how to count carbs, protein, fat, and learn how to distinguish optimal sources of these nutrients from suboptimal (such as sugar and saturated or trans fats). Eat lots of veggies

 

[wilson6]

Gotta watch how you mix your veg protein sources so that all the essential AAs are there at the same time. That will take some homework.

I can imagine being a vege. I eat red meat twice a day, couldn't live without it. If it weren't meant to eat, it wouldn't taste so good.

One side note. Every female client that I have converted to a meat eater has lost fat, gained muscle and felt better (more energy, better lifts, etc.). There's something about meat protein that is hard to beat. Plus it burns calories to digest it. Just need to keep the cuts lean.

W6

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

i like your plan MS, in which I don't have to do cardio for awhile, I lift hard, and I eat clean. That's ideal for me because I love lifting and I hate cardio. But, will I lose any fat at all that way? I am seeing my boyfriend on November 17th, and I want to look good. Its long distance and we only see eachother every couple of months. I am willing to be realistic and admit that I can't lose 10 lbs of fat in one month, but 5 less sure would be nice. Is it possible to lose it without cardio? If not, whats the minimum I'd have to do?
MS, even though I still eat fish, I've heard repeatedly from people like W6 who swear that if I ate chicken I'd make enormous gains. I am tempted to try it out, but I've been a veg for 3 years straight and I'd hate to start breaking my beliefs now. Is it really impossible to get big without it?

 

[KBgrl]

i was a veg. for about 4 yrs and it wasnt bad at all. i didnt gain any weight from being veg. i gained weight from the evil estrogrn pills i took --- NEVER AGAIN!! . if this is a moral decision for u then STICK WITH IT!!! even if it does hinder ur fitness goals a little (which it shouldnt). salmon, flounder, tuna, ***cottage cheese*** soy, tofu, ehh whites (if u do dairy) ur not vegan right? so then u can do egg whites too good luck girl!

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

KB, yes I will eat dairy. So egg whites and cottage cheese are available in the diet. Can anyone give me an idea of what a typical day's diet should look like, using plain tofu crumbles, tuna, cottage cheese, egg whites, soy milk (same amt of protein as milk), and protein powder? I'll have to make many of my meals ahead of time and I'm limited to the above protein sources by whats in the cafeteria. Occasionally they have salmon there, but only a couple nights a week. This morning I had Fiber One cereal with soy milk and I mixed in some rather flavorless protein powder. Well as you can guess its not delicious but its not terrible either. What should the next meal be? (Yeah I'm being weird today, I got up at 3 in the afternoon!!!!!!!!!!!!) I'm going to the gym in a couple minutes to lift chest and do 30 minutes of cardio. Thanks everyone for weighing in!

 

[VeggieLifterChick]

Forgot to add that I can eat beans and lentils too.