Who says you need to eat meat to build muscles? I picked the brain of Jill Holland, Eat-Clean Diet Ambassador, former vegan and now pescatarian, who gave me the inside scoop on finding balance, staying motivated and how she got that amazing physique!
When it comes to Eating Clean as a vegetarian, Jill Holland knows where it’s at! She’s been fine-tuning her exercise and nutrition plan for the past 18 years! She’s also an awesome Eat-Clean Diet Ambassador who helps spread the word on our online forums (see sidebar) and at events across North America. If you’ve ever come out to see me at a fitness show, chances are you’ve seen Jill working the booth, chatting with fans and just being her super-energetic, kind and helpful self.
So, what made Jill give up meat in the first place? She says it was “by choice, not by protest.” She was a young working professional with little interest in cooking and more interest in enjoying a social life. For her, foregoing meat was just easier than going through the preparations of thawing, marinating, cooking and so on.
A Rocky Start
Jill is the first to admit that her initial foray into the vegetarian lifestyle wasn’t the Cleanest. “I just cut out the meat, leaving me as a really lousy vegetarian who was eating processed foods.” Luckily, though, an “aha!” moment helped her realize it was time to say goodbye to frozen dinners. She started chopping up fresh veggies and tossing them in the fridge to grab and go when she headed off to work.
Although this transition was Cleaner, Jill’s mostly raw, vegan lifestyle still left her with little in the way of balance. Her hectic schedule made it difficult for her to ensure she was getting enough nutrition to maintain her high activity levels. She decided to introduce fish and eggs into her diet to round things out. “I work best when I have guidelines to follow,” Jill says. “Becoming vegetarian gave me boundaries and made me feel kind of unique. I especially love that it greatly increased the volume of food I could eat.”
Challenges and Choices
Although it’s a lot easier for Jill to eat at restaurants now that she has expanded her diet to include some animal products, she still likes to check the menu online and plan ahead. “I try to morph into any scenario so as not to draw unnecessary attention to my choices,” Jill says of her dining-out strategy. “If necessary, I’ll take an easily portable and discreet protein source with me. I emphasize discreet as I would never want my choices to be anyone else’s consequence.”
When it comes to the challenges of living as a vegetarian in what can sometimes feel like a meat-centered world, Jill knows she is fortunate to have a family that is so supportive. She doesn’t mind when people are curious about her vegetarian lifestyle and will willingly answer neutral questions in meaningful conversations. “As I don’t flaunt my choice of vegetarianism, I don’t entertain negative comments either.”
VEGGIE TECH
Jill uses the iPhone app Lose It to keep track of her daily food intake, but she stresses that she doesn’t obsess over the numbers and listens to her body instead.
Find Jill and many other supportive and knowledgeable Eat-Clean Diet® followers (including vegetarians!) on The Kitchen Table (eatcleandiet.com/kitchentable) and on the Eat-Clean Diet Facebook page.
Getting Ripped
After adopting a vegetarian lifestyle, Jill quickly became interested in fitness and joined her local gym. Of the transition, she says, “It creates a whole package. When you start to see positive changes happening in your body there’s a curiosity of what could be, as well as an excitement for feeling whole.” She even went on to become an aerobics instructor, but these days she focuses on building her sculpted muscles with the help of a personal trainer who keeps her motivated, challenged and accountable.
Name: Jill Holland
Age: 40
Occupation: Computer technician and systems administrator
Location: Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
On being vegetarian: “It’s become my lifestyle, and I can’t imagine not doing this!”
When you’re as fit as Jill is, protein is an essential part of your day. Jill feels better in the gym because eating a semi-vegetarian diet ensures that she is getting her daily doses of omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality proteins. She doesn’t combine proteins, but simply relies on the basics of eggs, fish and Clean protein powder (Again, convenience is important to our busy gal!).
Supplements
When it comes to her nutrient levels, Jill is vigilant. She takes a multivitamin each day, a calcium supplement and omega-3 fatty acids. She expresses the importance of being a responsible vegetarian. “It isn’t a decision to take lightly because you have to be so careful that you are varying your diet to get enough of what you need. Do your research and find out what you need to replace,” she says. (See ch. 9 for info about important nutrients for vegetarians.)
Jill also visits her doctor on a regular basis to test her iron, vitamin B12 and calcium levels, and for the most part her numbers are off the charts! Aside from sitting down with her copies of The Eat-Clean Diet, Jill also meets with a nutritionist on occasion to make any necessary adjustments.
The Quotable Ms. Holland
On motivation:
“I love striving for super-health and fitness, but being able to help others to even a basic level of health and wellness is what really pushes me.”
On cravings:
“I can count on one hand the number of times in almost 19 years that I would crave anything to do with meat. I do, however, crave my raw veggies!”
On Eating Clean:
“Eating Clean is an easy stress-free lifestyle. It’s not meant to tie you to journals and scales but rather to listen to the signals that your body is sending you. Eat unprocessed foods, and enjoy the tastes and flavors that come out in the fresh unaltered states. Be creative!”