The KInd Life Community Forum

Hi Julie, I work out constantly and did not notice a change in soreness. I don't even eat a lot of tofu or tempeh or anything like that, but I do get a lot of beans in my diet. I do P90X as well as running and kickboxing and have seen great advances while being vegan. The P90X program suggests a recovery drink after each workout within 1 1/2 hours to help your muscles recover. I did not get the one that they offer because it contains whey, but we do make green smoothies with spinach, kale, parsley, a mix of fruit, and hemp protein supplement. You could start drinking this after workouts using hemp, soy, rice, or pea protein supplements. You would also get iron from this as well. This will also give you a great energy boost! Good luck!

Hi Julie, I have some thoughts, but first, how long have you been vegan? Did you transition slowly or all at once?

Hi Julie--okay, my guess is that your body hasn't adjusted to not eating meat. My suggestion is, for the next couple of months, to take at least a day off between workouts. Keep your workouts low key, things like yoga, Pilates, walking. Nothing crazy. Eat plenty of food. Eat whenever you're hungry. Then in two months go back to more strenuous workouts and see how you feel. You might consider having the doctor check your iron levels just in case. You could also add a sublingual B-12 supplement into your routine. However, I suspect it's just your body adjusting to new fuel. Last year I went whole-hog vegan from eating meat 2-3 times a day and I got so exhausted and emotional, I had to go back to eating meat. This time around, I've been slowly transitioning to vegan for the last 8 months or so, first giving up red meat, then white meat, then fish, and, about a month ago, eggs...strangely, going from just eggs to no animal products was the most profound and difficult transition of all. There's something abut giving up animal protein that really changes your body. Anyway, once I gave up eggs I got crazy hungry for a couple of weeks, then I got sleepy for a couple of weeks, and now I'm feeling pretty good and actually putting on muscle easily. All that to say I think your body just needs some time to adjust to living without meat.

I'm willing to bet you haven't quite "adjusted" yet. If you're eating beans and tofu frequently, you're likely getting more than enough protein and iron. Are you also getting enough whole grains and water? Those can be involved too.

I would try incoporating more low-fi excercises like yoga, pilates, and matwork to whatever you're doing. I found that doing more yoga helps me recover after my swimming sessions that much better. Plus, it helps to tone up that much quicker - nothing bad there, right?

Let us know how it goes....

I highly recommend the epson salt.

I have been vegetarian all my life but noticed if I run more than 13 miles I need to eat constantly. I started to transition to being vegan and surprisingly it isn't hard since cheese is somewhat difficult to find in Asian and most Asian dishes don't include cheese or dairy.

I do find it frustrating because I am literally eating 6 meals a day and that doesn't include snacks. I eat until I am way past full but about an hour later I am hungry again. I haven't noticed anything about the recovery time but I do know I get light headed really easily and have to eat all the time. I have also started losing weight even though I eat what feels like all the time. Does anyone have recommendations on what to eat after long runs for speedy recovery?

(I have been eating a soup made with vegetables and 18 different beans, lots of grains, vegetables, fruits seeds and nuts. I removed almost everything processed, I did sample soya milk and hazelnut milk other than that I eat lots of tropical fruits since I live on the equator.)

Any recommendations for runners who want to stay vegan but don't want to lose weight?