Any vegan or vegetarian crossfit athletes out there???

[Lisa Butch]

Join the Facebook group for CrossFit vegetarians and vegans. Very helpful.

[Mike Quinones]

I've been discussing this topic (vegan diet & Crossfit) with one of our gym members who has been vegan for a number of years, and gives 100% in her workouts, but has been having difficulty gaining strength. I'm not certain how long she's been Crossfiting, but I'm thinking around a year or two. My original thought was that strength and muscle gain would be more difficult on a vegan diet, but anecdotally at least, it seems there are a number of Crossfitters that have had success while eating vegan. I understand there are many variables beyond just diet (i.e. genetics, activity level prior to Crossfit, specific foods consumed, etc), but I'd like to get some general feedback from those who are vegan and do Crossfit.

Have you found it difficult to gain strength and muscle mass? What supplements do you take, if any? I believe only animal products naturally contain B12 and Creatine - do you supplement these? If you were active before and after going vegan, did you experience any significant changes in fitness level; energy level? Did you lose weight? Have you felt being vegan has affected your Crossfit performance positively or negatively?

I get a lot of this is subjective - that's what I'm looking for.

I did read other threads throughout the board, as well as various other sources (example links below), but would still like more feedback to flesh out this topic.

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/...an-crossfitter
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/vegan_athlete.pdf

Thanks in advance and kudos to you that have made it work.

[Mike Quinones]

Originally Posted by Mike Quinones

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/...an-crossfitter
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/vegan_athlete.pdf

Links are WFS

[Bill M. Hesse]

Interesting articles.

[Mike Quinones]

Originally Posted by Mike Quinones

I've been discussing this topic (vegan diet & Crossfit) with one of our gym members who has been vegan for a number of years, and gives 100% in her workouts, but has been having difficulty gaining strength. I'm not certain how long she's been Crossfiting, but I'm thinking around a year or two. My original thought was that strength and muscle gain would be more difficult on a vegan diet, but anecdotally at least, it seems there are a number of Crossfitters that have had success while eating vegan. I understand there are many variables beyond just diet (i.e. genetics, activity level prior to Crossfit, specific foods consumed, etc), but I'd like to get some general feedback from those who are vegan and do Crossfit.

Have you found it difficult to gain strength and muscle mass? What supplements do you take, if any? I believe only animal products naturally contain B12 and Creatine - do you supplement these? If you were active before and after going vegan, did you experience any significant changes in fitness level; energy level? Did you lose weight? Have you felt being vegan has affected your Crossfit performance positively or negatively?

I get a lot of this is subjective - that's what I'm looking for.

I did read other threads throughout the board, as well as various other sources (example links below), but would still like more feedback to flesh out this topic.

http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/...an-crossfitter
http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/vegan_athlete.pdf

Thanks in advance and kudos to you that have made it work.

This post probably belongs as a separate thread, so I'm reposting in /Nutrition

[Monika Simon]

Yeah me !

Originally Posted by Brian Neal Carpenter

Lots of topics in the forums if you search, but here's my two cents.

Male, 32, 6’4", 195. Vegan, advanced athlete, intermediate Crossfitter. Have to scale the heaviest weights but usually destroy metcons, CFT is 700. Ran a 4:01 mile in college, didn't make the Olympic Trials, gave it up to focus on all-around fitness. Been vegan for two years, tried it and liked it. I do the HQ WOD before breakfast every morning. My meals don't seem like a lot but they are large amounts of what's listed. Here's the last two days:

Sunday
Pre-WOD: multigrain roll from German bakery across the street, 48oz water
Breakfast: quinoa, spinach, chickpeas, hot sauce microwaved together
Snack: two Larabars, three large handfuls of nuts, apple
Lunch: huge sandwich with portabella mushroom 'meat,' avocado, tomatoes, spinach, mustard, red pepper
Snack: green tea, organic blood orange juice, large handful of nuts
Dinner: NFL Sunday means bar food! Breaded buffalo cauliflower 'wings,' pizza made with whole grain crust, layered sliced tomatoes, shredded spinach for cheese, topped with artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, red onions

Monday
Pre-WOD: same
Breakfast: can of diced tomatoes, black beans, spinach, curry seasoning microwaved together
Snack: same
Lunch: whole wheat penne pasta with marinara sauce and mushrooms
Snack: spinach salad with balsamic vinegar; kimchi, rice
Dinner: tofu scramble with green onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, green pepper

The question I always get is 'where's the protein?' This is my opinion, and my opinion only, but I think in general we've all been sold the notion that we need massive amounts of protein to survive. Horses eat nothing but grass and hay and they are 1600 pounds of twisted steel. Also, all whole foods have protein and I think eating a variety will get you enough. Once again, my opinion only.

If you're still reading I hope this helps.