Can You Build Muscle without Eating Meat?

Today we have an interview with Jeremy Inabnit who placed 2nd in our latest Adonis Index Transformation Contest.

Check out his pictures:

Training is important, but if you don’t have much fat to go, diet is what will make all the difference.

And here is one more:

Jeremy’s pictures are awesome. Here’s why: Once you get ripped you need to get a tan, learn to pose and set up proper lighting and background before the photoshoot. How you present yourself and capture your physique will determine whether the photos will be any good.

Jeremy was working in California and had a pretty good job. As things started to spiral down in 2006 he decided to sell some stuff and travel. He was tired of his lifestyle and of working for less and less money.

This desire to travel lead him to some amazing placed like Kenya or Republic of Georgia. He traded one lifestyle for another.

As he was changing his lifestyle and overall approach to life, he also began searching for ways to improve his diet and training.

This lead him to Eat Stop Eat, which he incorporated almost instantly and shortly afterwards to Adonis Index.

He didn’t jumped right into the program and instead just started listening to the podcasts.

At that time he was still following his old workout routine, but searching for a better, more efficient way of training.

After listening to dozens of the Adonis Index podcasts he realized that this is the right choice for him.

And he decided to give the workouts a shot.

He was teaching, doing volunteer work, was constantly around tasty food and thought he wouldn’t be able to follow the program.

But he decided to stop making excuses and jump right in, and the rest is history.

Small Sacrifices Can Lead to Big Benefits

Jeremy actually competed in AT6, but he didn’t like the pictures, so he didn’t submit them. He worked on improving his approach and entered AT7.

For AT7 he used the Eat Stop Eat lifestyle and fasted a few times a week and followed the Adonis Index 3.0 program with some specializations.

What was really interesting was his diet. Jeremy decided to become a vegan and he stayed vegan during the whole AT7 contest. This is a big one, because most people would think that not eating meat, eggs and all the usual sources of protein would lead to strength and muscle loss, but if anything Jeremy GAINED muscle.

And as you can see on his pictures he is far from skinny.

So, if you were curious whether you can be a vegetarian or vegan and still pack on some muscles and get ripped, well the answer is yes, you can. As stated in Brad Pilon’s book How Much Protein, you really don’t need that much protein in your diet as some fitness marketers would have you believe. From research we know that once you are above the average intake it just doesn’t make any difference.

Jeremy wasn’t concern with his protein intake during the whole time, why?

Well, why would he…he wasn’t feeling weak. Quite the opposite and he liked what he saw in the mirror, so there wasn’t any need for him to worry about protein at all.

What we are also getting from research is that as you progress in the gym and gain more experience, your body actually becomes efficient at how it’s using protein. As a result you will need less of it, not more.

Quite contrary to the conventional bodybuilding myth huh?

What Jeremy also noticed is that not only he could continue building muscle while being vegan, but he even lost cravings for all the sweet stuff.

And that’s huge, because this just proves that you can condition yourself in or out of food cravings. Test this yourself, try eating a donut every morning at 9am for 30 days. At day 31 stop and write down how you feel about not having your regular donut. Chances are you will want that donut and will do anything to get it.

Jeremy freed himself from cravings by being a vegan. He threw in some protein shakes just to keep the protein intake in check.

You would think that’s already more than enough changes and “sacrifices” to make even more.

Well, he made one more.

Jeremy completely eliminated alcohol intake.

This is something most people are not willing to give up.

What you eat is your personal choice and no one should tell you otherwise (just limit the amount), so even if you enjoy steaks and ribs, that’s fine. However, eliminating or at least limiting alcohol will have a lot of positive benefits for your life.

So, you might want to give this one a chance. Like Jeremy said, it was a very freeing experience.

As you can see there is a lot more to this transformation besides just a better looking body.

Jeremy was constantly evaluating what he was doing and what kind of person he was and what does he want to do in life.

He is a man of action and the results speak for themselves.

Take home message from Jeremy :
  • If its bringing you down, cut it from your life (habit, people, activity) because no one else will do it for you
  • There is no destination, it’s just a work in progress this goes for your whole life, not just your body
  • You only got one body, one life, so do something about it, take action
  • Find out what you want and go for it, don’t settle for less
  • Its not necessarily easy, but it’s simple
  • Go for it, rock it, don’t settle for excuses, you deserve it
  • Surround yourself with people who are like minded, to help you reach your goals and who won’t bring you down

Links form Jeremy’s interview:

  • Eat Stop Eat – Lifestyle approach to get lean and stay lean all year round, by Brad Pilon
  • Adonis Index 3.0 Program – The Main workout program, also responsible for one of the most amazing transformations online
  • Adonis Index Community – The friendliest and most supportive community in the fitness world. UPDATE: Free access when you buy any Adonis Index program here
  • Adonis Index podcast archive – More than 40 hours of free audio, dozens of interviews and blog posts and the whole uncensored season 1 all at one page
  • How Much Protein – The book that lets you in on the biggest myth of fitness and bodybuilding industry, if the public knew about this, the supplement companies would went bankrupt

Read Jeremy’s experience in his own words:

I first found the Adonis Index program online a couple of years ago but was already engaged in another workout program.  Looking back, I realize that at that time I was still caught up in searching the internet for the better, more-efficient, more rewarding way of working out.  I stuck with the program I was doing but followed along with the podcasts long enough to figure out that the Adonis concepts and the philosophies behind reaching the Adonis Index made sense.  I felt relieved and enlightened when I was able to finally comprehend that I simply needed to work harder in the gym with a good program in order to build muscle and that I needed to eat less than I was burning to lose fat.  For the previous few years, I had become more and more confused by fitness marketers’ programs that asked me to eat more of this and that at various times for various reasons.

I picked up…

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Listen to the interview here:

About Allen Elliott

Allen is the Editor-In Chief of the Adonis Index Blog, bringing you weekly articles on contest prep, transformation testimonials' and much more!

Additionally he is a published Fitness Personality, Certified Personal Trainer, and National Competitor in the NPC Men's Physique Division.

Last but not least, as an Adonis/Venus Index Transformation Coach, he works to provide guided solutions for people who sincerely strive to meet their fitness goals.

Being a fitness model and competitor gives him a lot of valuable insights that nobody else talks about. Among other things, he will teach you how to prepare for a live show or a fitness photoshoot yourself.

Click here to get more from him.

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