This Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint: Setting Up A Plan - Going On A Raw Vegan Diet While Staying Fit

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This coming week, I am going to start taking my body measurements. Weight loss is not just about dropping the number on the scale; it is a combination of many things. To properly monitor physical changes when on a specific eating plan, it is often best to take pictures, measurements, as well as do regular weighing sessions, to get a proper sense of any changes. Saying that, I am not a big fan of taking pictures of myself and never really cared for it; but I have found body measurements very helpful. Sometimes the numbers on the scale can stop changing but that does not necessarily mean that the body also has.

What's in store?

Lately, I have been eating a plant-based diet but not 100% raw. I am going to use the next couple of weeks to properly re-embark on a fully raw plant-based eating lifestyle. I will be monitoring how often I eat, what I eat and also make a solid meal plan for the coming weeks. I will most probably recycle much of the meals I ate in 2021. I used a local supermarket to do all my shopping last year. I do feel that maybe using a wholesaler might be worthwhile especially if I am going to take on both strength training and Muay Thai – I will be eating a LOT!

My meal plan is probably going to consist of no more than 8 recipes; it makes things easier both for shopping and sticking to the lifestyle. I will revamp the recipes every 2/3 months so that I do not get bored with my eating habits. That will also help in incorporating more seasonal fruits and vegetables. Once I have re-established a solid eating routine, I will restart strength training first. I have been off my old routine for a few months now. I did powerlifting as a strength training program last year. I followed a strength program called Stronglifts 5X5. Hold your guns, breathe…… I am talking to the person that has already heard about this program. I know, this is a strength program where one should eat at a surplus to “realistically” benefit from the program, plus protein intake should be high to promote gains…… let us hold that thought for a bit.

What is stronglifts 5X5?

Stronglifts 5X5 is a strength training program that is performed by just using a barbell. This factor was very important to me when I was looking into the type of exercises I wanted to do. As I disliked spending time at the gym and exercising with machines, I needed a routine that would allow me to perform a full body workout in the shortest time possible. The second I touched a barbell, I feel in love with it.

Stronglifts 5X5 consists of two workouts: Workout A and B. Workout A is made of the Squat, Bench Press and Barbell Row and workout B is made of the Squat, Overhead Press and Deadlift. In general, the program is performed 3X a week where workout A and B alternates, with a rest day between each training day. As an example, for a training routine done on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the sessions over a 2 weeks period will look as follow:

Week 1

Monday – Workout A: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row

Wednesday – Workout B: Squat, Overhead Press and Deadlift

Friday - Workout A: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row

Week 2

Monday – Workout B: Squat, Overhead Press and Deadlift

Wednesday - Workout A: Squat, Bench Press, Barbell Row

Friday - Workout B: Squat, Overhead Press and Deadlift

Repeat cycle

Each exercise is performed for 5 sets of 5 reps except for the Deadlift, which is only 1 set of 5. Wait! What? What are sets and reps? It all feels like you are reading a whole new language right? It felt like that for me too. Not to worry, let us take this one step at a time.

Reps is short for repetitions, or the number of times that one performs any given exercise in a workout: 5 reps of the Squat means that you will repeat the exercise 5 times.

The sets in a workout tell you how many times you will repeat a particular number of repetitions of a given exercise. 4 sets of 5 reps for Bench Press means that you will perform 5 Bench Presses four times total or 4 rounds. You will usually rest between each round. In total, you will be doing 20 Bench Presses.

5X5 in the Stronglifts 5X5 name indicates the number of sets and reps performed for each exercise: 5 sets of 5 reps throughout.

Reps is short for repetitions, or the number of times that you performs any given exercise in a workout

Earlier, I touched upon the fact that this routine, being a strength routine, requires eating at a surplus to “realistically” benefit from the program. Now, there is reasoning behind first starting with a strength program at this stage while eating the way I do, and being aware of the claim above.

Lifting weight requires a great deal of energy; energy during training, energy to repair muscle, energy to build muscle. One needs to eat at a surplus to create all this energy. Eating at a surplus on a raw food plant-based diet can be challenging but not impossible. By eating at a surplus, after about 12 weeks on the program, having built strength by consistently increasing muscle mass, one will eventually be considered to be at a calorific deficit – with every workout and increased weight lifted, an increased amount of energy is being burnt. Increased muscle mass implies a higher metabolic rate – muscle burns fat. If the ultimate goal is to become stronger, then consistently eating at a surplus is required; however, if fat loss is the goal and not how much one can lift, then eating at a slight deficit or just staying on the same calorific intake should be perfectly fine.

On a side note, it is important to note here that there have been many recorded cases where people have embarked on a stronglifts 5X5 program while eating at a slight deficit and seen noticeable body fat loss.

Now the question is to see if a plant-based raw food eating lifecycle can be sustainable while on a strength program such as the Stronglifts 5X5. Or any strength training program for that matter.

By building strength first, I am giving myself time to build my endurance so that I can be able to take on other activities, in this case Muay Thai. I am a strong believer that to properly do things, one should start slow and steady and cover all the bases. Also, I am going to try a variety of strength programs this time around, not just Stronglifts 5X5.

The plan

I read somewhere that when on a fitness journey " It takes 4 weeks for you to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your friends and family, it takes 12 weeks for the rest of the world". For the coming weeks, here is my plan:

Week 1 - 2: Back on a fully raw plant-based eating lifestyle; set up a meal plan

Week 3 - onwards: Diet combined with various strength training programs

Week 12/16 – onwards: Start to dabble into Muay Thai

Every 12 Week cycle: Review overall progress

" It takes 4 weeks for you to see your body changing, it takes 8 weeks for your friends and family, it takes 12 weeks for the rest of the world".

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Disclaimer

I am not a health professional. All ideas shared on this blog are my personal opinions and experiences. Any information provided is purely for educational purposes and do not constitute professional advice. You should consult a medical professional or health care provider if you want to go on a diet