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Bikini competition prep is hard enough as it is,
but being vegetarian can present another challenge to the
equation.
The reality is that some plant-based proteins won’t agree* with your taste
buds.
*This is a kind way of saying that some plant foods don’t exactly taste like a
juicy steak or chicken breast.
Tiffany Brooks (VB fan) recently sent an email mentioning that she’s having
a hard time eating some foods on her vegetarian bodybuilding diet/meal plan.
In particular, Tiffany doesn’t like choking down tempeh.
I get that. My aversion also happens to be tempeh, as well as some forms of
tofu.
We all have different tastes, so your thing might be broccoli, peas, etc.
The point I want to make here is that we can easily make adjustments to our
meal plans in favor of our palate.
With Tiffany’s permission, I have provided the correspondence between us via
email to illuminate this common challenge with a bikini competition diet as a vegetarian bodybuilder.
Tiffany:
My current struggle is bikini competition prep. I have a current meal plan from a good coach, but she
doesn’t specifically make meal plans for a picky vegetarian like me. My current plan looks like this:
Snack 1: (pre-workout) Ezekiel bread w/ 1 tbsp. peanut butter
Meal 1: Protein shake w/ 2 tbsp. wheat germ (post workout)
Meal 2: 1 cup oats w/ 1 scoop of protein
Meal 3: Tempeh salad (10 oz. tempeh, 2 cups spinach, 5 asparagus spears, 1/2
cup avocado, 1 tbsp. olive oil)
Meal 4: 1 cup Greek yogurt w/ 2 tbsp. chia seeds
Meal 5: 5 oz. legumes, 1 cup quinoa, and 1/2 cup broccoli
Meal 6: Protein shake
My main concern is the 10 oz. of tempeh, which has been VERY difficult for
me to eat. I don’t usually eat tempeh, and I’m not a big fan of it (I guess I
really don’t know how to prepare it because it has no flavor and is dry).
Do you have any suggestions on how to replace some of the tempeh or how the
plan can be tweaked some to get the best results? Do you think 10 oz. of tempeh
is really necessary?
Most plans I see have around a 4 oz. portion per meal.
I am 11 weeks out from competition, currently weigh 134 lb., 5’4″.
Thanks,
Tiffany
Chris:
Tiffany,
Thank you for reaching out.
My first suggestion would be to read up on ways to make tempeh taste better.
Half the battle with a vegetarian bodybuilding diet is not only learning
what to eat but also how to prepare it so that it tastes good.
There are thousands of tasty vegetarian recipes on Pinterest, for instance.
You can also try to replace tempeh with black beans or quinoa.
One cup of black beans has 15g of protein, 41g of carbohydrates, 1g of fat,
and 227 calories.
One cup of quinoa has 8g of protein, 39g of carbohydrates, 4g of fat, and
222 calories.
Finally, you may want to try a vegan protein powder that has more than one
kind of plant protein so you are sufficiently covering all your amino acids and getting more nutritional variety.
I read in your meal plan that you are already drinking two
protein shakes a day; however, I’ve noticed that many vegetarian bodybuilders and bikini competitors dial it up to three to
four shakes a day. Especially for bikini competition prep, I see more protein powder
being introduced to help lean out.
Q: Does your meal plan look the exact same every day, or if there’s
variation, what does it look like?
Tiffany:
Thank you so much for the feedback. A concern with the addition of black
beans is the increase in carbs. Does high carb intake seem to be a problem with
other bikini competitors?
I’m having the problem of keeping carbs lower while having adequate protein
intake.
Right now, there is no variation and the plan is to continue this meal plan
at least six weeks before any changes are made.
Chris:
Tiffany,
You bring up another common concern with a vegetarian bodybuilding diet regarding carbs.
The thing is, carbs
from plants aren’t quite the same as carbs from say, potato chips,
bread, cereal, etc.
What I mean by that is those carbs function differently within the body, and
you’re not as likely to store fat from plant-based carbs because they aren’t
calorie-dense.
Even though a plant-based diet is optimal, a variety of diets can help
us lose fat. What matters most is consistently eating
fewer calories.
Competition prep is clearly more complex than
that, but you get my main point. What I would suggest is to give yourself a
little more freedom with carbs derived from plants and carefully monitor your
calories and results.
For more ideas relate to bikini competition prep, watch these 2 videos
below – Bikini
Contest Prep What To Know
Bikini Competitiors MEAL PREP- How I meal prep! Bikini
Prep Diaries
Author
Bio:
Chris
Willitts (creator of V3), is the founder and owner of Vegetarian Bodybuilding.
V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System
is a mixture of science and author’s advice, providing users
with optimal diet and exercise. This system is designed for vegans and
vegetarians only.
A
lot of research has been put in this program. Furthermore, a lot of
professional bodybuilders and athletes tried and tested the program, praising
its progressiveness and efficiency.
The
program is about taking control of your own body and health according to your
potential and needs. And worry not; you’ll get plenty of proteins with this
system. It will boost you with energy, and you’ll feel just a strong as any
carnivore would (perhaps even stronger, depending on how much you invest in
your exercise). It avoids vitamins deficiency and provides you with a lot of
proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Instead
of saying things like “I think a plant-based diet is good for athletes and
bodybuilders,” the V3 Vegetarian Bodybuilding System claims “I know a
plant-based diet is good for athletes and bodybuilders, and I have results to
prove it.”
To
find out more, visit the website at V3 Bodybuilding – Bikini Competition Prep Routine
