Question about health (what to eat while exercising heavily)

[Funner]

I've been doing a lot of gym lately... at the same time, I'm trying to eat a lot of tofu, nuts, etc... but my relatives keep telling me that it is not enough since I'm exercising almost everyday, where I keep replying that I feel good, better than before, I even have more stamina. But they go: "You can say that because you're young, when you're 40 it won't be the same."

To be honest, I'm not pessimistic, but I got a little worried, if I keep on exercising will my diet affect me? let's say physically wise?

Thanks !

[Rincewind]

Let, exercising it /totally/ unhealthy. So is earing a varied diet. So, whatever oyu do, make sure you eat nothing but junk and watch TV at least eight hours a day. Healthiest thing you could do.=/

[SomebodyElse]

But they go: "You can say that because you're young, when you're 40 it won't be the same."
I wonder how they know? Donald Watson was a vegan, and he lived to be 95.

[Lothar M Kirsch]

I've been doing a lot of gym lately... at the same time, I'm trying to eat a lot of tofu, nuts, etc... but my relatives keep telling me that it is not enough since I'm exercising almost everyday, where I keep replying that I feel good, better than before, I even have more stamina. But they go: "You can say that because you're young, when you're 40 it won't be the same."

To be honest, I'm not pessimistic, but I got a little worried, if I keep on exercising will my diet affect me? let's say physically wise?

Thanks !

Don't worry!!! :)
Best triathletes are veg*ans!

[felishi]

That's terrible that they would say things like that!
But don't worry. My friend believes vegetarianism is unhealthy, but she's always chugging down burgers and fries everyday.

So I think if you're feeling better than ever before, that's a sign that you're on the right track!

[inkie51]

If you look at the first chapter of Daniel in the Bible, you will find Daniel and his companions were vegetarian/vegan. He refused to eat the Kings meat and fancy foods--and proved they were in far better health because of it.

Lothar is right--vegans are in much better health than any omnivores....and it shows!

[Hypatia]

You might want to check out the veganfitness.net nutrition forum, if you haven't yet. I've found it quite informative myself, and there are many experienced vegan athletes there willing to offer guidance. The book _Becoming Vegan_ also has a good chapter on diets for vegan athletes.

[halo_zero]

You might want to check out the veganfitness.net nutrition forum, if you haven't yet. I've found it quite informative myself, and there are many experienced vegan athletes there willing to offer guidance. The book _Becoming Vegan_ also has a good chapter on diets for vegan athletes.

I also recommend this. Other guidelines include:

Water. Drink lots of it. This is the #1 overall health supplement. There are lots of guides out there for how much water to drink for your height, weight, age, gender, etc. I find 2 liters works pretty well for just about everyone.

Don't overtrain. Unless you're a professional athelete with a coaching staff 6 days a week is more than adequate. Your body needs some time to rest, especially if you're weight training. This leads me to my next point...

Sleep. Try to sleep regularly for a decent amount of time (6-8 hours a night is the most widely recommended amount.) When you are sleeping your brain is basically performing maintenance on your entire body. This lets your body take advantage of the training you're doing!

Eating is the most difficult aspect to make recommendations upon. Some "experts" say 1g of protein per 1lb of weight is best for maintaining lean muscle! I personally aim for about .7g per 1lb of weight, and I really don't think it's necessary. If you want to have an awesome metabolism, eat 5-6 small meals a day, every 3 hours or so.

I could go on, and there are books upon books upon books written about this subject. Drinking lots of water and eating a healthy veg*n diet is generally all that is needed. Your body will tell you if you're doing something wrong. Everyone has different dietary needs, absorption rates, and so on. Take a multivitamin also!

[Funner]

Thank you for the support guys, http://veganfitness.net/ this site was very useful aswell.

Take care !