A herbivore's trilemma
Wednesday, September 3, 2025I'm vegan, I like to work out, and I have (probably) some form of IBS. This is a difficult triangle to square — you can probably see where this is going.
See, I get plenty of benefits from lifting weights (despite being a relatively casual lifter):
- I don't need to worry about putting on fat;
- I enjoy my simple lifting routine (mainly big barbell lifts)
- I like the (still relatively small) difference I can see to my muscle definition in the mirror; and
- I like knowing strength is good for my health and longevity.
However, you can't get these benefits just by lifting. Equally important is nutrition — if you lift but you're not eating to support it, you're basically just damaging your muscles and getting weaker. You have to be eating enough protein and calories to recover your strength and energy, and also gain that tiny bit of extra strength for next time.
Now, as a vegan, this is challenging. Getting enough protein and calories to be healthy is easy on a vegan diet, but supporting strength gains... well, it's a bit trickier. Firstly, vegan foods, i.e. vegetables, tend to be lower in calories than meat/dairy counterparts. Lots of people lose weight naturally when they go vegan. So, already, you're going to have to eat larger servings just to make sure you have enough to refuel after a workout. Also, there aren't too many vegan foods that are naturally super high protein. Fake meat alternatives are delicious these days, but they can be pricy, and they're pretty highly processed. Tofu and tempeh are great, beans are pretty good. But unless I'm eating what feels like a crazy amount food, it's easy to fall well-short of these macro target. And that even with the aid of protein powder.
But I just can't seem to digest this quantity and this type of food well. The serving sizes alone can be a challenge. And then as I say, I seem to have some kind of IBS (not diagnosed, but I have, well, an irritable bowel), and I'm having to eat large amounts of food, which is mostly high protein beany stuff.
So there are 3 factors — veganism, strength training, and IBS. I feel it's really only possible to have 2 of these and have a pleasant life. Veganism + strength training — fine if you can handle lots of beans and tofu! Veganism + IBS — fine if you don't mind limiting your intake of certain trigger foods and staying skinny. strength training + IBS — fine if you eat chicken!
I'm not going to start eating animals again, essentially just to improve my appearance. And my IBS isn't going away any time soon (maybe one day we'll have ways to improve the gut micro-biome and cure it), and it really does make me feel crappy when I'm not digesting something well. So that unfortunately means it's the strength training that will have to suffer. I may try seeing if I can manage switching to a routine aimed at maintaining what I already have. I'll have to remain mostly skinny, but at least it should keep the fat off and bring the health benefits associated with working out. But I should be able to get away with eating less. If I still can't find a happy balance, well, I'm stuck, I suppose.