Bulking and Protein Sources

[crookedfinger]

Dude, what is it with the vegans? I will never understand. You guys post a handful of folks with a modicum of success in their discipline who have been vegan for a little bit. Almost none, if any, started their journey as a vegan and few, if any, are at the top of their sport where there is actual competition. The number for omnivorous competitors dwarfs vegan competitors by such a degree that we could plausibly write off any successful vegan as a statistical error.

Are there some strong vegans? Sure, but since strength and athletic prowess are multifactorial, we'd be delusional to think the vegan diet helped them with this. If anything, they are succeeding in spite of a sub optimal diet considering the muscle protein synthesis, bioavailability, and potentially the micronutrient status of these individuals. I'd expect an equally matched vegan and omnivore to have disparate training results on an order of magnitude great enough to convince a motivated vegan to convert to eating meat, or kill themselves.

I just don't get it. When will vegans just shut the fuck up about being vegan? Nobody cares. It's not saving the world. You aren't going to live any longer than you normally would have any way and sure as hell not getting any performance benefit from it.

Beautiful! and besides, BACON!

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

Wow. Sorry to hear that you feel so strongly about it but I think you're reading something into what I wrote, that I didn't.

You felt the need to post something insinuating that "hey man you can get strong being a vegan, just look at these folks" and for the vast majority of people, that's not really going to be a viable option for them and it's CERTAINLY not helping them. So why post about it? If you want to be a vegan, do it, but do it for you- evangelizing about it is helpful for no one.

In my experience, truly passionate vegans think it is wrong to kill animals. All the other stuff that gets brought up (health, performance, environment, or whatever the thing is these days) is because they have already decided that they aren't going to eat animals and they want to sell their diet/worldview for reasons other than the true one. After all, it is really hard to convince meat eaters that it is morally wrong to eat animals whereas all those other things can be debated (if poorly and without much justification in my opinion). Just my own interpretation of course, I don't know enough vegans to say for sure.

Could be!

[Sean Herbison]

So why post about it? If you want to be a vegan, do it, but do it for you- evangelizing about it is helpful for no one.

It could be, from the perspective of a vegan. If it's for moral reasons, if they can convince someone to give up meat, they've prevented some suffering in the world. If it's for health and/or performance, they've help someone else live a better life. So even they're going to get shut down the majority of the time, it might still be worth their time.

None of that convinces me not to eat meat, since I'm not morally opposed to it (though some practices should be improved), and I don't see a case for veganism leading to better health or performance. But I can see why someone would bother posting about it.

[Sean Herbison]

Oops, forgot to combine my posts.

Nobody cares. It's not saving the world. You aren't going to live any longer than you normally would have any way and sure as hell not getting any performance benefit from it.

I'm sensing ambiguity. Could you be a little clearer?

I got into a very heated and very loud argument against veganism in a restaurant last night. And my voice already carries as it is. Not my proudest moment, but seriously -- WTF.

Why? Was he trying to force you to give up meat? If not, why bother?

[MattBraunstein]

In my experience, truly passionate vegans think it is wrong to kill animals. All the other stuff that gets brought up (health, performance, environment, or whatever the thing is these days) is because they have already decided that they aren't going to eat animals and they want to sell their diet/worldview for reasons other than the true one. After all, it is really hard to convince meat eaters that it is morally wrong to eat animals whereas all those other things can be debated (if poorly and without much justification in my opinion). Just my own interpretation of course, I don't know enough vegans to say for sure.

I agree that this is the point of view for some. But there are also people, my friend is one, that has religous beliefs that require a vegetarian diet. Basically, his religion states that they cannot eat anything that "moves". There are also Buddhists, depends on region, that are vegetarian. I think there are multiple reasons people will take this position on their diet. I think it would be a mistake to assume this motive when having a debate with someone on this type of diet.

[crookedfinger]

In my experience, truly passionate vegans think it is wrong to kill animals. All the other stuff that gets brought up (health, performance, environment, or whatever the thing is these days) is because they have already decided that they aren't going to eat animals and they want to sell their diet/worldview for reasons other than the true one. After all, it is really hard to convince meat eaters that it is morally wrong to eat animals whereas all those other things can be debated (if poorly and without much justification in my opinion). Just my own interpretation of course, I don't know enough vegans to say for sure.

Well, that and how cool it is to say you're vegan on Instagram while posting videos of your sumo pulls.

[Jordan Feigenbaum]

It could be, from the perspective of a vegan. If it's for moral reasons, if they can convince someone to give up meat, they've prevented some suffering in the world. If it's for health and/or performance, they've help someone else live a better life. So even they're going to get shut down the majority of the time, it might still be worth their time.

None of that convinces me not to eat meat, since I'm not morally opposed to it (though some practices should be improved), and I don't see a case for veganism leading to better health or performance. But I can see why someone would bother posting about it.

Oh I have no doubts that the rationale you post is likely motivation. However, these are very short sighted by the poster in my opinion and I beg of them to please shut the fuck up.

[Sean Herbison]

Well, that and how cool it is to say you're vegan on Instagram while posting videos of your sumo pulls.

Is butt vegan?