Somewhere along the way, we’ve started confusing discipline with constantly pushing ourselves.

Training harder, doing more, staying productive, and feeling guilty whenever we slow down.

But discipline isn’t just about knowing when to push. It’s also about recognising when you need to pull back.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is absolutely nothing.

Watch Netflix. Play some games. Have a lazy day. And don’t feel guilty about it.

Rest isn’t something you have to earn, and taking a step back doesn’t undo all the work you’ve put in.
Recovery is part of the process, not a failure of discipline.

Crazy how a little over a year ago, this was a PR for me. Now, I’m about week 7 into my program & had to record an RPE 6 bench single. Threw up the 3 plates like butter. Good feeling!! Sorry about the crappy angle, I don’t like setting up tripods & stuff lol

If I need to carry anyone and pick stuff off the ground I’m ready! Mainly all my boxes of soy curls.

I've never been a fan of protein powders in general, but the vegan ones suck even more in my experience. Any recommendations that taste good? My criteria is texture (the last one I tried was all grainy and it made it hard to drink), taste, and protein content (preferably 1 gram or more of protein for every 8-10 calories (so a scoop with 260 calories would have 26 grams))

I'm looking for a new protein powder brand and here's the context on why:

I used to use KOS and thought it tasted pretty good, especially the chocolate flavor, but then I found out about the whole heavy metal thing, as well as the fact that it contains PFAS. I'm still not 100% sure what to make of this tbh--I've heard that a lot of the Prop 65 stuff is fear-mongering, which doesn't shock me at all in 2026, but I've also heard that third-party testing for supplements is legitimately important and some protein powders have lower levels of lead than others. Normally I'm not this cautious about "eating clean" or whatever, but because I consume protein powder on such a regular basis, I just want to make sure I'm making an informed decision about this. I keep hearing conflicting things like, "No amount of lead is safe to consume; however, Prop 65 is completely overblown and unscientific." I have an arts background, not a science background, so I'm feeling a little lost in the sauce on how to interpret any of this. Anyone want to ELI5?

Anyway, I started looking into which vegan protein powders had the most rigorous third-party testing and landed on Truvani (I know). I knew nothing about who founded it or what its mission was, I just thought it was a protein powder brand marketed to yoga moms. It tasted ok, not as good as I remembered KOS being but definitely drinkable. Then I found out about the founder's questionable history and ties to MAHA and immediately noped out of there.

I tried VivoLife, which also says it does comprehensive third-party testing, but it was a little expensive to ship from the UK (I'm in the US, if you couldn't tell from the brands), and the chocolate and vanilla were both really chalky and bland, so I got a refund. I also tried Garden of Life Vanilla, which isn't terrible but had too strong of a coconut sugar flavor for my preference.

And then I decided to try TrueNutrition because of all the good reviews here, the number of flavors, and customization. Oh my god, guys. I never understood what people meant when they complained about protein powder foaming, but now I get it. I've never once made a creamy shake with these in my shaker; it foams like crazy, and even if I fill the bottle all the way to the top with water, I'm left with a nasty, thick sludge. The vanilla is whatever (chalky and bland like VivoLife but I usually don't drink vanilla straight up), but the strawberry literally tastes like eating a flavored latex glove. I don't mind an artificial flavor so long as it tastes good (like candy or something) but this actually tastes like I'm consuming something that isn't supposed to be edible and, as a result, I don't feel great after drinking it. Am I insane or has anyone else had this experience?

So anyway, I'm back on the protein powder market, and just wanted to crowdsource some more opinions before I dive into yet another brand. I'm intrigued by Be Amazing (I'm always looking for a good strawberry protein, and some of the other flavors look tasty too, but they oddly don't have chocolate) but haven't seen people talk much about it in this sub. Do they taste good and are they third-party tested (if that even matters)? Should I check out Vedge for basics like chocolate and vanilla (sadly, no strawberry)? Or give Garden of Life another shot? Is there another brand you'd recommend for someone who likes a sweeter, more flavorful protein powder (since I often use it to sweeten oats)? Like, are Ghost's vegan proteins worth checking out? Or if all the stuff about PFAS is fear-mongering anyway, should I just go back to KOS (though maybe my tastes have changed, idk)?

TLDR: I'm looking for a new protein powder and am trying to figure out how much third-party testing should weigh into my decision. The ones I've liked in the past have supposedly scored poorly in that regard, and the ones that touted better testing had... other issues.

I was thinking of how to calculate the nutritional value of hypothetical high protein foods and meals that I was considering cooking.

My doubt is whether how the values change with the volume and weight. For example: combining Vital Wheat Gluten and Pea Protein, do I get the info from just the powders or do I gather it from an other source?

This came from the fact that I was thinking about how dry products like TVP and legumes changing a lot in their value once they become "ready" to be consumed, and are not the same displayed on their nutritional facts tab.

Had to spend since Friday up in Belfast recording an album, so this was my first session back and I cant tell you how much I needed it, being trapped in a box room for 4 days can send you a bit nutty. And now I’m looking forward to getting back in in for legs tmrw.

God I love training. Did you train today?

I've wanted to go vegan for years and have never been able to fully do it. I am also wanting to really dial in my nutrition. I'm thinking I'd tackle both at the same time and I'm considering working with a nutritionist. I'd love recommendations if anyone has a legit rec for someone I could work with. Ideally someone who knows what's up with women in late 30s and early 40s, trying to recomp and conceive. TYIA!

!! ~ 2 SPOTS LEFT - 2026-10-14

We need a few more owners in our all vegan NBA Fantasy League on Sleeper.

Hey, join my fantasy basketball league on Sleeper http://sleeper.com/i/Y28E5WOelDxa4

DRAFT is Sunday, October 18 at 5pm EDT United States

Free. Just for fun.

Hi! Anyone in the Stratton VT area? 29029 is there next week and it’s a super fun event to come cheer for. The resort has some vegan options in the restaurants and the event draws a lot of plant based athletes. Join us as we cheer people fueled by plants!

Hey fit and healthy vegans, happy Monday.

I’ve seen a couple of people here and on other vegan subs discussing honey in their breakfasts and preworkout meals, and have also been made aware of one (a fairly prolific poster on here) taking a honey-based supplement.

Please remember that honey is an animal product. Bees make honey to feed their colony and help them make it through the winter. I know insects in general tend to get forgotten when we talk about protecting animals, but bees are exploited just like any others, and veganism should always seek to avoid exploiting animals wherever possible.

Agave, maple syrup, date syrup, apple syrup (so many syrups!) exist if you need a sweet little boost in your diet, let the bees be!

Next month I'll be attempting my second marathon. My first attempt was earlier this year and a bit of a disaster. One thing I've learned is that I need to be scarfing food if I'm doing anything long (say, 12+ miles). To be specific, I ran 17 miles and 19 miles as long runs the last few weeks and was able to run the entire distance, which I had not been able to do at that distance before, but with help from my partner I had established a pit stop of bananas, a Larabar, and my usual breakfast oat porridge.

My concern is not having anything like that on the day of the marathon, and I'm not really used to carrying food with me. If you carry food on long runs, what to you use as a bag and what do you take? Does it cause a rash? I am thinking of taking my day pack from my backpacking gear and pre-peeled bananas in ziplock bags (I can't count on the bananas there being properly ripened), maybe some oat porridge in a bag, and Larabars.

And I may need more water than those little cups they set out; I hope they won't mind me taking multiple cups lol. Thanks in advance!

This was my first meal of the day at around 12:30 PM hence the heft of it. Not the best macro breakdown for a meal but l balance elsewhere: 87.5 protein, 99 carb, 14 fat

The seitan is literally 98g vital wheat gluten, 10g nutritional yeast, seasoning, water, liquid smoke, aminos

The salad is your standard vegan mayo, chickpeas,onion, celery , and this one had grapes!

The bread was made by my friend as a request from me. It’s sourdough. With pickles in it.

Cat tax included

If any of these ideas sound good to you, you can find the recipes for them here!

https://proteindeficientvegan.com/tag/silken-tofu

🥇 First place Debut
🥇 First place Novice
🥇 First place Bikini Open
🏆 OVERALL BIKINI & PRO CARD WINNER

Monika, we couldn’t be more proud of you. What an epic first show!

This is a huge win for vegans, showing everyone what’s possible when you choose compassion and kindness.

Show Monika some love in the comments and share this post to show others that you can be strong without exploiting animals! 💪 🌱

Coach: @gretaivesdallifts

Team: @vegansquadcoaching and @ thebodybuildingvegan

Having never even completed a marathon, I did a 53k trail race! Vegan seven years!

Ran my first 50K last weekend and came in 3rd for women! Vegan for almost a decade and never looking back 🤘🏻