BUILDING YOUR BODY WITH PLANTS
Author of Shred It! and Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness; two-time champion bodybuilder; founder/president of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness
In combination, the words vegan bodybuilding might seem like an oxymoron to many. And yet, they accurately describe my lifestyle over the past two decades. Since 1995, I have been a vegan athlete of one type or another, from runner to bodybuilder. During a stretch of eight years, I built my body from a 120-pound, newly vegan teenager, to a 195-pound champion bodybuilder. The entire time, I was battling against the belief—very common in mainstream fitness culture—that the massive consumption of animal products, especially animal protein, is synonymous with building muscle. This is simply not true; you can effectively build muscle on a reduced meat or plant-based diet. And I can prove it.
Though the overconsumption of animal products in athletic culture is still the norm, we are starting to see a shift in the awareness of the reduced meat lifestyle. Everyone from Olympic champions to weekend warriors are beginning to choose plants over animals when it comes to fueling their athletic pursuits. Our reasoning includes everything from preventing farm animal cruelty, to better health, to preserving the planet.
When evaluating nutritional choices as an athlete, the number of questions and uncertainties can seem endless. How much protein do we really need? Where should it come from? Are some forms of protein better than others? How many calories should I consume if I want to burn fat or build muscle? Should I avoid carbohydrates? However, if you grasp a few of the basic concepts, you’ll be well equipped to attain your goals.
First, establish your basal metabolic rate (BMR). A search online will easily turn up a BMR calculator, which you can use to calculate your daily caloric expenditure based on your gender, age, height, and weight. Next, determine your caloric expenditure based on your average daily activity level using the Harris-Benedict equation, and combine the figures to get your true total caloric expenditure. Input your data using the “Harris-Benedict calculator” (also available online) to reveal your score. For example, at six feet tall, 185 pounds, thirty-five years of age, and male, my BMR shows that I burn 1,814 to 1,904 calories per day without doing any additional activities. When you factor in my exercise regimen, however, which includes weight training and plenty of cardio, I actually burn an additional 1,500 or so calories, making my total caloric expenditure ranging between 3,230 and 3,406 per day. This means, due to my active lifestyle, I need to eat 3,200 to 3,400 calories per day just to maintain weight. The numbers vary slightly from one Web site to another when using online calculators, but the range is close enough.
Not everybody is the same, of course—some people have more lean muscle mass, others may be affected by stress, hormones, thyroid function, and numerous other variables. What is most important to understand is that if your goal is to burn fat, you will need to reduce your caloric intake or increase your caloric expenditure to the point at which your expenditure exceeds your intake. The reverse is true for wanting to gain weight. In this scenario, if the excess calories consumed come from whole plant foods, combined with an effective weight-training program, muscle should be gained instead of fat. A traditional rule of thumb is that a caloric consumption deficit of 500 calories per day from your actual caloric expenditure will lead to about one pound of weight lost per week. This would total a 3,500-calorie deficit for the week, burning off a pound of fat. A pound of fat is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, so if consuming 500 fewer calories per day sounds too daunting, try reducing caloric intake by 250 calories per day and allow a couple of weeks for a pound of fat loss. As a warning: These numbers should be treated as more of a baseline rather than universally accurate. There are plenty of factors involved that can tweak the results somewhat, including the aforementioned lean body mass. Generally speaking, the more fat you have, the faster you will lose it on a calorie-deficit diet. If you have very little fat to lose, it will be a challenge to lose fat because our bodies naturally want to maintain a certain level of body fat for health, organ protection, and to protect against starvation.
Once you have established your true caloric expenditure and constructed a nutrition program with an appropriate caloric intake goal, you are ready to put the plan into motion. We now know that the human body requires only about 10 percent of its calories to come from protein. To build muscle while eating mostly plants, it’s best to consume 70 percent of your calories via whole food complex carbohydrates and 15 percent of your calories from both fats and proteins. Plant foods contain significant amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, fiber, water, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and other compounds that aid in healthy living. Plants are also free from dietary cholesterol. By eating a diverse diet of whole plant foods, you will obtain a nutrient-dense dietary plan to support your athletic endeavors.
As you can see, burning fat and building muscle do not require animal products. In fact, one could make the argument that a diet composed exclusively of plants might help accomplish fitness goals more efficiently, due to the nutrient density of whole plant foods. Not all foods are created equally, and some foods will provide a higher net nutritional return on investment than others. Just remember how many calories you need to consume—then throughout the day, you can tailor what you eat to reach your targets. When combined with a consistent exercise program, this type of diet provides the recipe for success.
For the exercise portion of your new lifestyle, remember that consistency, accountability, and transparency are very important. Document your workouts so you have an accurate record of your work. If weight training is part of your program, try to use free-weight dumbbells and barbells for compound, multijoint movements that stimulate muscle growth. Whether weight training, endurance, or a team sport is your focus, provide ample time to warm up, stretch, recover, and prevent injuries from overuse so you can keep your routine on track.
Ultimately, there is simply no need to consume animal products to burn fat, build muscle, or attain other fitness goals. Train hard, eat well, and learn and understand the science behind your pursuit—and enjoy your fitness journey.