I would say it would be hard for your diet to make positive changes to your body that quickly, while resting from overreaching definitely could. The second workout feeling better than the first makes sense for a number of reasons. I would continue plant based like you are and try monitoring fatigue and getting adequate recovery.
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pretty much the same. Add in soja products, and good to go.
Take a look at the cook book i mentioned above, it will provide a lot of ideas. Generally, use tofu (flavour by soaking in spices, quick dry fry), black beans and sweet corn in wraps, rice and all other grains, chickpeas, peas, veggies (lots of), dips like hummus, oat combinations, pasta (wheat, bean based - those are awesome), nut based recipes (https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/vegan_nut_loaf_99997 as an example…)
Thanks! I’ll check it out.
I am also vegan. I was vegan for the whole my life, then I started to eat meat- for better results in my training but it wasn’t a good choice for me. I didn’t feel ok (physically and mentally).
I got rid of meat 2 years ago and I am vegan again which makes me happy, but I have to remember to keep my diet rich in nutrients 
Here is a good article about the most important supplements for vegans if someone of you want to read
https://foodclinicdiet.com/most-important-supplements-for-vegans/
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I’ve already pre-ordered.
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I’m currently in my eighth year as a vegetarian who mostly abides by a vegan diet. My experience has been nothing but positive and would never consider going back. Breakfast is fruits, grains, and nuts. The balance of the day is grains, vegetables, and legumes.
I’ve been cycling for thirty years with twenty years of racing within that time frame. I never advanced beyond a Cat 2 racer so I can’t speak to the higher levels of the sport. Eating a wide variety of foods is key for nutrition and recovery. If anything the dietary restriction makes me more diligent to ensure that I eat properly to fuel the training sessions. The transition has made me more creative in the kitchen which is an added benefit beyond health.
I typically only ride 5,000-7,000 miles per year now in my late 40s but have ridden in the 10,000-12,000 mile range without issue. Even taxing events like the Rapha Cent Cols Challenges were possible. I’d recommend vegetarianism to everyone.
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So now that I’ve watched some of those vegetarian documentaries I’m really curious…does meat really trigger endothelial inflammation in our arteries? Does milk? Does fermented milk? How about cheese?
I did a 6 year stint as a “barely vegetarian” and felt fine but I’m really wondering about dairy and eggs these days as I’ve always had a lot of those.
Finally, one movie talked about casein and liver cancer. Now…I’ve got a big tub of casein, I like the idea of slow digestion overnight to keep the protein trickling in all night long. But if what was in the movie is true…why is casein powder even legal to buy?
Why are cigarettes (vegan!) legal to sell & buy? 
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Nothing close to quality studies for the question asked
I’d like to recommend the blog and books by green Kitchen stories. A bit hipster but Lots of great recipes!
They were more or less neighbors of mine a while ago.
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That’s a nice book, the Vietnamese crepes look interesting, thank you.
Would like to explore this as well? Which product do you use? the powder or premade drink? 400 grams per meal seems like a lot (have never used huel before)?
Ah, sorry not been on here in a while. That’s a typo - 100g, being 400kcal. I use the powder, usually buy 4 bags a month.
I have been Vegan (WFPB) for about 3 years now and I have never been stronger in terms of FTP and w/kg. I am no pro and never will be(I have no illusions) but I am better than I was before and I am 46
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Hey just wanted to add to this thread. I’ve been an on/off vegan for about 3 years. Initially I changed after being shocked at how bad the meat and dairy industry was for the environment and also learning that I wouldnt fall over and die without a steak in me. Usually I would fall off the wagon after 6 months or when life started to get busy/stressfull. Plus then we moved to Spain, who are crazy about meat, especially pork and while even though the veggie produce is amazing, their idea of a veggie salad will still have tuna in it!
But I know my cycling always improves when i’m on it, and my big Strava PRs are from Winter 17/18, annoyingly before I had a power meter but when I was 100% vegan even over Xmas and NY. After another crazy summer I started back on a vegan diet this October and have focussed alot on cooking everything fresh as I can, loosely following the Dr Greigers Daily Dozen guide which means alot of beans and chickpeas, but loving it. And God bless Sriracha sauce!
My FTP dropped over the summer, due mainly to not riding rather than diet to 226, I was at 266 in April but hoping to quickly get back and surpass that.
Great to see so many vegans in this thread, hopefully will encourage more people who are curious to take it up. But I 100% agree with people who say if all you are interested in is a bit of performance gain and not some of the other sustainability, health and ethical benefits then you may struggle to keep it up
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3 weeks ago and went on a completely plant-based diet. Prior to that I was eating healthily - 3 eggs a day and chicken about every other day, beans, lentils, cheese, milk, lots of vegetables and whole grain carbs.
Well hold on. A plant based diet is the very DEFINITION of restrictive. You are restricting your intake to only plant based foods, which is drastically more restrictive than eating all foods.
That’s not to say nutritionally deficient. But it is IS restrictive. And for a lot of people, especially those just embarking on a vegan/vegetarian/plant based diet, there is no guarantee they will be able to navigate the new restrictions successfully in terms of nutrition.
No guarantee of that with any diet. But yes, it is restrictive (along with any other diet that doesn’t allow you to eat whatever you want whenever you want). It’s really not that hard to work around the restrictions though.
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