Looking back on my life, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have given any thought to a vegetarian life style! No way Jose! Yet, my newest undertaking is to embrace vegetarian cuisine for 30 days; I'll technically be called ovotarian. Why would I ever want to do this? I have always been interested in trying new things. So, here goes.

Recently, ShowUp Fitness has been training a lot of individuals who are vegetarians and/or fasting due to religious and culture beliefs. One of the biggest hurdles that I've faced has been nutrition questions regarding protein intake. Consequently, I wanted to see how I could take on this quest of no animal meats for a month and voila, the Veggie Man! My plan now is to consume no meats AND no grains during my 30 day adventure – this will be very challenging and interesting.

Note a few different types of life styles: vegan (no animal products) and pescatarian (only protein from fish) to name a few. I will be combining the Chris Diet with a vegetarian one to make myself the ultimate Veggie Man (I really like the sound of my new name)! A major impediment in the vegetarian diet is protein consumption. I want this to be carefully monitored, so I took the following measures: I had my blood drawn so I can compare my before and after blood lipid profile; body fat percentage calculated so I can compute my lean body mass; I will roughly need 175g of protein per day. I also had measurements for my arms, abdominal s and thighs to see if and how much muscle I lose. My daily food intake will follow something similar to this: 1-2 whey protein shakes (20g of protein), 8-10 eggs with only half of the yolk (48-60g), a smoothie with pasteurized egg yolk (20g), 1 to 1-1/2 cups of mixed nuts (30g) and then the rest in legumes and vegetables. Spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts and cauliflower are some of the highest producing vegetables ranging from 2-4g of protein per 1/2 cup. Let's take a closer look at some potential pros and cons of this diet.

PROS: I expect a decrease in blood pressure and resting heart rate which would definitely be a plus! Eliminating red meats will help decrease my exposure to unhealthy chemicals and processing which will lower my exposure to free radicals.

CONS: Cost and time! I will need to go to the store at least 3-4 times a week which will be expensive. I will need to manage my time better. Also, the removal of meats will make it difficult to stay full, so I will need to find foods that fill me up!

Resting measurements before (August 30th): Blood Pressure: 125 / 62, Resting Heart Rate: 72, Weight: 189lbs, Body Fat: 8.3%, Bicep: 17in. Abdominal: 33.5in. Thigh: 23.25in
Blood measurements: LDL: 53, HDL 69, Total Cholesterol: 135, Triglycerides: 63
Awesomeness meter: Pretty Freakin High!!
Expectations of the diet?
– Gain 1-2lbs of lean body mass
– A potential Increase in total cholesterol due to increase in egg consumption
– Decrease in blood pressure and resting heart rate
– Change my viewpoint on animal protein consumption and become a vegetarian forever! PSYCH! Seriously though, alter my perception, therefore consume less animal meats
– 1 to 2 cheats due to social occurrences, aka drinking too much and possibly eating Taco Bell

I am super excited to report my weekly progressions and challenges! Stay tuned for more and check me out on instagram #showupfitness for daily fitness and nutrition pictures. Remember& Keep Showing Up!!