Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I just finished week 3 of the Shred It vegan muscle building challenge. This is based on the Shred It book by Robert Cheeke.

Robert Cheeke has been a vegan for over 20 years, and judging by the photo on the cover of his book, you can tell he is not missing the protein that so many other weightlifters think they need.

I love food and have a big appetite. This was part of the reason I was so obese just a few short years ago. Excessive eating of candy, bread and processed foods caused my weight to balloon to over 350 pounds.

I was like many of you... I thought I could exercise my way to a healthier weight. I walked the treadmill, sometimes 40 minutes with knees that were sore from the excess weight. I took swim classes because I heard that swimming was a good way to lose weight. I didn't exercise as consistently then, but still, I did try, only to discover, you just can't lose weight by not changing your eating habits.

Last Sunday, I began a seven day challenge of eating only plant based foods... no animal products at all. This was the second time I did such a challenge in two years. Here's what I found out...

I loved the way I felt being vegan!

I had so much energy and my workouts seemed to improve. My strength increased, when I had my body fat check ed the other day and actually gained three pounds of muscle.

As you probably remember, I decided to challenge myself to be vegan for a week. This happens to coincide with my body fat percentage getting checked this week. I wanted to prove that muscle gain is possible, even without animal products.

So I went to Southern CT State University for the seven site skin fold test. The technician weighed me and it read 3 pounds higher than last time. I wondered if this was a good or bad sign.