"usual suspect" wrote in message
.. .
Belial wrote:
I'm all for getting your nutrition through regular meals rather than
supplementation, but I really recommend you do a little more research
into protein intake as it relates to health problems. Exercise is a
wonderful thing, too, but it should add to health and not detract from
it. Frankly, sounds like your priorities are out of whack.
Thanks for all the advice 
You're welcome.
Just to clarify, I'm not particularly image-conscious. I've started to
take weight-lifting more seriously only because I enjoy it, not because
I wanna turn into an ape Increasing protein was because if I'm going
the work I want to get the most out of it, and most things I've read
seem
to say you need heaps of protein to do that.
"Getting the most out of it" is relative. I still hear you saying that
you want to add bulk even though you say you're not particularly
image-conscious. If your goal is good health, then bulking up is
irrelevant and consuming a lot more protein is beside the point (not to
mention pretty hard on your body).
The mere act of resistance training is very beneficial, helping to
strengthen connective tissues, bone, not to mention increasing your
metabolism. Those things are all healthy, whether you add additional
protein to your diet or not. I applaud such effort.
Is "bulking up" inherently healthy, though? I don't think it is. You
could make a case that adding x amount of lean tissue will improve your
metabolism, but I'd counter that y amount plus cardio work will speed it
up even faster and offer more health benefits. Going for protein
overkill is unhealthy in either case. It all goes back to your real
goal: are you doing it for health or for appearance?
I don't think sulking up and cardio is mutually exclusive although lots of
meat eating lifters would laugh at my cardio- from my experience you can do
both-but I do have borderline high blood pressure(so does my father)
but am a bit bulked up--personally I think a bit of lifting and running is
wonderful-gets those endorphins going and you look and feel wonderful-it is
nice having big arms and chest--ha ha..It might a bit slower on veg diet but
I have always been one...for serious competitive bulking I don't know....
Michael
You're going to have a healthy appearance just from working out with
regularity and some measure of intensity. I guess that's not enough for
some people.
I thought 50% was a little high.. I'll read up on the info you
have me.
Good deal. I'd also encourage you to do your own research. The links I
gave aren't even the tip of an iceberg.
As for priorities.. I'm a vegetarian who's slowly moving towards vegan.
I'm not about to go on an animal eating rampage just so I can bulk up -
I
just wanted to know if there was a "vegan" way to do it.
Only in a most unnatural way, by focusing on protein isolates from soy,
nuts, and other plant-based foods. Remember that soy is loaded with
phytoestrogens. Estrogens in any form aren't beneficial to bodybuilders
since they "soften" things. I know guys at my gym who won't touch soy at
all because of that. If you want the big, hard look, you'll have to go
with the non-fat dairy products, and probably skinless chicken and
turkey breast meat as well as low-fat cuts like tenderloin.
Pretty much every
vegetarian recipe I can find that has high protein also has high fat and
a
whole lot of dairy. Guess it's supplients and a whole lot of soy milk
and
soygurt for me...
That's a lot of phytoestrogen, too.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/satter6.htm
http://www.cheapbodybuildingsuppleme...estrogen.shtml
http://www.t-mag.com/articles/185soy.html
I don't agree with all the conclusions in the above articles, but I do
agree that overconsumption of soy, like any other food, can have some
nasty consequences. That's particularly true the more processed foods
are -- and soy protein powders concentrate the protein isolates AND
isoflavones. Isoflavones are estrogenic. Please do your own research on
all this. Estrogens soften, they're feminizing hormones. You already get
them from the environment.
That's another reason why I've not exactly been encouraging of your
dietary goals, but I do encourage you to keep lifting. Keep your focus
on what's *healthy*, not on the appearance factor. I do wish you well.