De-Vegetarianize?

I think you can do it if you know how to get enough nutrients through a meatless diet. One of my teammates is mostly vegetarian and only eats fish if he has to eat meat, and he's already won two races this year.

Of course you should probably consult a nutritionist if you're getting into serious training. It could definitely be that you're just getting used to training again, or something else. I guess one of the main things you'll be missing out on is protein. The general rule is 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. Whey and milk are very good sources of affordable protein if you have problems keeping your intake up.

RaeVan said:

So, I've been a vegetarian for about 6 months now, but am starting to wonder if I can keep it up...

I was formerly a competitive athlete in rowing and in figure skating, and became a vegetarian after 'retiring' from competition. For mostly ethical reasons, I figured I couldn't justify eating meat anymore if I could meet my new, more sedentary nutritional needs with a vegetarian diet.

I didn't manage to stay away from sports for very long though, and I'm now training for cycling (road/track) as well as starting some speed skating. I'm finding I just don't have the same 'oomph' in my legs as I did before, and that I'm not recovering as completely between training sessions. Maybe I'm just out of shape, but I'm also wondering - could it be my diet? I hate tofu, and any type of 'fake meat', so maybe I'm not getting enough protein? I find I've started to crave meat after hard training days (which is a bit strange after not having missed it for months!) Is my body trying to tell me something?

If I'm going to get serious about training, will I need to start eating some meat again?

Robert Millar was a vegetarian throughout his pro career.

If you are eating correctly then there is no problems with a vege diet. I'm a lifelong vege and haven't had any diet limiting issues so far with training. Biggest "issues" would be protein and iron, but these are easily fixed if you are aware of them.

mattp1975 said:

Robert Millar was a vegetarian throughout his pro career.

That he was. He was brilliant in the hills when he was on form... but unfortunately, that form was very inconsistant. Some have suggested that it was because of his diet.