Show me lean and muscular raw vegans!

[dmd]

So, I was doing a Chalene Extreme weight workout this morning and it got me to wonder....All the women in the video are lean and sculpted, yes. I have seen the food guide that comes with the workouts and it is not vegan or anything close. So....Where are the athletic vegan BABES?! All the forum and youtube hunts I have done on the subject turns up skinny and soft looking women and men. What is up with that? Discuss...:) dmd

[Christy Seguin]

Just saw this and wanted to answer--I was attempting to compete in Figure as a raw vegan. I did two shows, and got top 5 in both, but was nowhere near the winner. I kept getting told I was too skinny and needed to put on muscle, and was retaining too much water. The large amount of carbs in my diet and lack of low-fat protein was an issue.

I hooked up with one of the top coaches in the nation, and their diet they have their girls on is completely cooked and meat-based. We discussed this and reached a compromise. I could easily eat most of the things raw, and would agree to eat fish, especially sushi which I was eating occasionally anyway. We agreed that I could substitute as I saw fit, and would take responsibility if I didn't progress as quickly as they wanted.

The cold hard truth is, there is no real substitute for meat that is completely raw and vegan, with the possible exception of Sun Warrior protein. Fish for example, has about 21 grams of protein for 3 oz, 1 gram of fat, and zero carbs and sodium. The raw vegan protein sources, although wonderful, are never just protein in isolation. They are always combined with either fat--like nuts, or carbs in some cases. I have tried and tried to find the ideal substitute and I have not.

But on my current very high-raw diet, eating about 50% vegan protein (seitan, Gardein, Sun Warrior), and the other 50% sushi, raw eggs, and some cooked fish, my progress has exploded. I just won my first show!!! So my way has definitley worked---I won a show months ahead of when they thought I would!!

I know that none of the other competitors eat like I do--raw sprouted oats, spirulina, raw sweet potatoes, etc etc. So although I cannot seem to align the goals of 100% raw veganism and the stage, it is a temporary thing. Plus, high-raw is still great! After the precontest diet I can go back to my fruit, green smoothies, etc. Again, it's a cold hard truth that fruit causes you to retain water. For the real world that is perfectly fine and healthy--but stage isn't real life!!!

Check out my blog at www.Defiant-Health.com to follow what I have been doing. Also, check out Markus Rothkranz who is a muscular hottie and completely raw vegan!

Blessings,

Christy