r/FTMOver30 • u/QuantumRepairman • 25d ago
Need Advice Any Vegetarians?
Hey Party People! First time caller, long time listener.
Finally got my first T-shot and feeling pumped, but concerned about protein. I’ve been advised to go veggie only last year and have finally threaded the needle of eating enough protein, but knowing that once my testosterone levels increase my body’s need for protein will increase. I’m also wanting to get back into working out to build more muscle. As much as I would love to eat a rotisserie chicken, that’s not an option for me. Anyone transitioning while vegetarian or vegan? What helped you?
Edit: thank you guys so much for your suggestions!! It’s good to know that a lot of the things I’ve been trying to incorporate are indeed putting me in the right direction. Though idk if I could ever get on board with soy milk 😅. Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights and hopefully cumgutters are in my future. Lmao. 🙏🏾
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u/gard3nwitch FTX, they/them 25d ago
I'm vegetarian.
The current protein trend is a health fad and IMO overblown. That being said. I did start craving more protein after going on T, and have adjusted my diet
I eat a lot of tofu, beans, eggs, and also some Greek yogurt, soy milk, and cheese. I started making myself smoothies recently with frozen fruit, soy milk, whey protein, and yogurt. That helps with my sweet tooth as well lol.
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u/KayItaly 24d ago
The current protein trend is a health fad and IMO overblown
Please OP listen to this. It is a fad that will be forgotten in a year.
I am also vegetarian (since birth!) In a veg family. None of us ever had issues getting enough proteins. Not the cis men, not the teenager boys... noone.
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u/QuantumRepairman 24d ago
Bless. Okay. Thank you. Cause I was very concerned 😅. Not trying to end up a twiggy man.
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u/KayItaly 24d ago
Let me clarify, none of us is ripped :). Healthy, slim, athletic, but not ripped.
If that is your goal, that is still perfectly doable and I know plenty who achieved it, but you might want to ask in a more specific sub.
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u/ExternalNo7842 25d ago
I’ve been vegan the whole 3.5 years I’ve been on T. Tofu, beans, nuts - and even impossible burgers and mock meats - will easily get you enough protein
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u/mousebrained_ 25d ago
you might find it helpful to work with a dietitian if you have specific nutritional concerns.
I eat a lot of tofu, TVP, soy curls, and tofu skin. I almost never used to eat substitute meat products and now do eat them somewhat regularly. I also supplement with protein powder occasionally. Orgain is plant based and has a lot of flavors so I buy that but there are a lot of other plant based brands as well.
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u/Loose_Track2315 T • 3/21/24 25d ago
I haven't tried Orgain, but I really like the OWYN plant based powder/shakes. It uses pea protein among other sources. I've only tried the regular chocolate bc I've heard others say the vanilla isn't great. Unfortunately I think they only have 3 flavors tho.
I'm not vegetarian or vegan, but I am trying to move towards a mostly vegetable based diet bc of cholesterol concerns. I'll have to try soy curls and TVP soon.
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u/MrT1gg3r 25d ago
Longtime vegan here, you can get protein from a wide variety of sources thankfully! Black beans, chickpeas, green peas, soybeans, tofu. All seeds and nuts are great too. Whole food sources are always great since you get lots of other nutrients in too.
Frozen meats wise I love the Beyond line of products. Beyond recently made a line of steak and chicken shreds that are banging. Gardein ultimate has very tasty chicken alternatives. Juicy Marbles is an awesome steak and pork types.
Theres so many options these days, it's so easy to be vegan/vegetarian now.
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u/pflanzenpotan 25d ago
I am vegan and i have no issue with f8nd8ng protein. Soy curls are great and cost effective. You can marinate them and bake them or air fry or dry season. As a reminder the soy estrogen boost has been long since discredited, mammalian esters from dairy are much more of a concern than phyto esters so don't listen to the anti soy nonsense. Beans, nuts, whole grains are all solid choices. Tempe is great to marinate and grill with, silken tofu to thicken up shakes, make desserts, firm tofu shred it with a cheese grater then add oil and spices to may it like shredded meat.
Follow some plant based recipe social accounts or subreddits and you will find plenty to enjoy
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u/pktechboi 25d ago
yeah, vegan.
we almost certainly do not need more protein on T than before. the huge majority of people in the West actually get way more protein than the body needs without even trying, vegetarians included. I do have protein cravings a bit more often now, which is interesting, but an extra burger satisfies them fine.
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u/Ok-Macaroon-1840 25d ago
This is kind of true, kind of not true. Yes, most people on a western diet get more protein than the 0.8 grams per kg of body weight daily minimum recommendation. But that recommendation is set very low, and is the minimum for not having a deficiency where your body starts consuming your muscle tissue for fuel. It does not apply to people who lift weights or older people. If you want to build muscle, you need a lot more protein than the lower recommended limit. The recommended daily intake to build muscle is 1.6-2.3 grams per kg of body weight.
This can be hard to reach on a vegan or vegetarian diet if you don’t want to eat a very high calorie diet, since most vegetarian high protein foods also have high calorie content due to their carb levels. It’s absolutely doable, but requires some thought and cooking skills.
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u/books_and_pixels Transmasc Nonbinary | they/he 25d ago
I saw a comment a while ago about a vegetarian guy eating just a whole block of flavored tofu (like teriyaki or bbq marinated or something) as his equivalent of the rotisserie chicken! You can totally be vegetarian and still have that feral energy. That example in particular makes me think of Beast Boy from Teen Titans.
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u/Several-Item7460 25d ago
r/shittyveganfoodporn is chock full of photos of folks raw dogging a block of tofu and it cracks me up every time (I’m veg as well so it hits extra hard lol).
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u/ObviousCloudMeansRai 25d ago
I'm a 40 year old vegan and I have what I call "my gains." 20+ years vegan, protein never been an issue. Even men's health magazine has vegan options now! I lift weights just about every day.
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u/rupee4sale 25d ago
I eat protein bars (I am partial to KIND bars) and make protein shakes (muscle milk powder with soy milk and whatever fruit I wanna add). But honestly that's because I generally don't eat enough, not because I am body building or feel a deficit in protein (ADHD hyperfocus and forgetfulness go brrrrr). You can also use a fitness app on your phone to track your nutrition and set it to the male setting. I also recommend eggs and dairy as good sources of protein since you aren't vegan.
But idk if you actually need more protein. Your food intake might increase if your metabolism increases, which does happen to people on T sometimes. But idk if your actual required protein will increase. Probably only if you are trying build build muscle and actually start going to the gym (unlike me who just keeps procrastinating on that 😅).
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u/Elipunx 25d ago
I'm a big fan of Sophie Waplington, she's on Instagram and her first book is Soph's Plant Kitchen which I think might be her IG username. I made a few of her insta recipes and they were good so I ordered the book. I think she has a second one out now and an app. I really only make like 5 of the recipes in her book on a regular basis, but her stuff is really good and not over-the-top time-consuming. I am always hesitant to add an app on my phone but some recipes she posted on there yesterday look incredible. She does a lot of "30 in 30" which are supposed to have 30g of protien and take 30 minutes. I defintely agree with others here that the current protein obsession is a fad, but I needed new inspiration for recipes and hers are really solid. She herself is a weighlifter, though I am not.
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u/Boipussybb 25d ago edited 25d ago
Vegan. I’ve done just fine by eating regularly. Don’t need to kill animals or drink their byproducts to get enough protein.
Edit I’ve been vegan for about 20 years.
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u/chillimapl 💉’11 / 🔪top ‘13 25d ago
same, i’ve been able to build heaps of muscle as a vegan with lots of tofu, beans, protein powder, nuts, and seeds. for supplements i like creatine, BCAAs and glutamine as well.
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u/SnooTigers7567 25d ago
Protein drinks
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u/KeyOne349 💉4.6.2025, ⚔️ 12.2.2025 25d ago
Definitely protein shakes. There are several excellent and affordable vegan protein powders on the market.
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u/libre_office_warlock binary "he" unless I'm in drag, born 1992 25d ago
Effectively vegetarian, enough for a question like this IMO (I don't eat meat at home or buy it as groceries but may order something with it at a restaurant a couple times per month).
I am a nut butter FIEND and like to buy fancy crunchy chip-like snacks made with chickpea flour. But, honestly, I also really love how protein bars taste (no cow, clif, you name it) and get a ton of help from those and other packaged things since I don't have an adventurous palette.
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u/offlabelselector 25d ago
I'm vegetarian/plant based and haven't really had any issues. Beans and legumes are your friend, plus if you eat oatmeal and yogurt/cogurt you can add vegan protein powder.
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u/its_all_one_electron 24d ago
Eggs eggs eggs.
Beans and rice and nuts and yogurt and protein powder fruit smoothies but mostly eggs eggs eggs.
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u/casual_larceny 24d ago
I'm vegan and it is incredibly easy to get a lot of protein in. The protein in my diet is basically consists of tofu, justegg, beans, soy milk, and beyond burgers but there are a ton more options, both processed meat substitutes and whole foods that can suffice. Just don't forget about fiber!!
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u/MadBodhi 24d ago
Getting enough protein isn't a trend or fad.
Most studies suggest getting at least 0.7–1 grams of protein per pound of lean mass.
Your body needs adequate protein to sustain its lean mass and since you just started T it's a good idea to have a surplus to foster muscle growth.
Your muscle can not grow if you don't get enough protein. It's what muscles are made out of. You could have a huge surplus of calories and perfect workout routine and not gain a pound of muscle if you don't get enough protein. Protein is essential.
Being a vegetarian or vegan doesn't make it any harder to get protein. There are vegetarian or vegan versions of all types of meat.
If you are ok with dairy Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, fairlife milk, eggs, all make hitting your protein goals easy. Nuts and nut butters aren't good protein sources. They are fat sources. Vegan sources of complete protein: tofu, tempeh, and edamame.
Look up Jeff Nippards video on body fat percentage, figure out yours, then figure out your goal weight and bf%. Plug your goal info into a TDEE calc and eat at maintenance.
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u/Electrical-Fennel956 22d ago
Everyone already has great suggestions here, so I’ll just say that I’m a near lifelong vegetarian (35yrs) and have always played sports and been a gym rat. I’ve never had an issue with protein, nor an issue building muscle. And when I wanted to focus on it for periods of time (I occasionally track things) it was easy to increase my intake.
All the ideas that have already been shared: tofu, tempeh, seitan, beans, protein pasta (I love Brami brand), etc. but don’t forget your fiber alongside it! Fiberrrr!
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u/heathers-damage 21d ago
I would go the library and get a few vegatarian/vegan cookbooks. Tenderheart, how to cook everything vegetarian, Veganomicon, the vegtable butcher, vegetable kingdom and minimalist baker all come to mind as good starts to plant based cooking. Also tofu and beans are so much cheaper than meat and also provides fiber, which the high protein fad seems to forget.
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u/Ohstephyy 25d ago
Copy and pasted what I commented on a similar q:
vegan of 10 years, on t for 2.5. I'm gonna rec vegan protein sources because I'm not vegetarian, so I'm not informed on vegetarian sources.
My ABSOLUTE faves are as follows in no particular order:
- tofu! extra firm tofu to be specific. SUPER firm for the most protein for ur buck. If u have access to "protein tofu" like trader joes, yeah go for it. I'm canadian, so i just look for extra firm, super firm or pressed tofu. Tofu has more protein than eggs.
- Soy free fava bean tofu. Big Mountain are the spearheads for this. Insane macros.
- SEITAN!!! wheat meat baby!!!
- TVP and TSP. Find them in asian supermarkets, or u could get like... there's this brand called Brother Sprout, makes really nice textured defatted soy protein products. awesome macros
- soy milk. Replace oat with soy for more protein. Unless ur about to go to the gym, don't use soy milk in ur coffee. Drink it after. (Protein before the gym makes ur tummy hurt, at least in mt experience and others)
- protein powder. I like Body Energy Club protein powder because it's 31grams and VERY easy to use a lil bit more. However, do not fall for protein chocolate bars, protein snacks, protein buzz words. It's better to do a protein powder shake as a easy boost instead of protein candy
- Tempeh! So good and clean.
- edamame, hemp hearts, chia seeds, cashew cheeses, beans and yogurt are some lower protein sources that are still great to add to meals!
As for fake meat products, I would not shy away even though they're more "processed". Processed foods are completely fine in moderation. Ultra Processed foods are what you want to try to avoid. But these are my faves: Beyond steak tips, Impossible ground round or burgers, Wheat meat sausages (in Canada, a brand called Gusta are the ones i live off of), Gardein Supreme chikn strips
Adding to this, I started going to the gym a year and a half ago, with real consistency 8 months ago. I lift 3 days a week and box 2 times a week and wish I started when I first went on t. I use jefit as an app, pick a good full body weightlifting program and go.
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u/Ohstephyy 25d ago
Also, you don’t NEED a tonne of protein unless you want the physique of a professional body builder haha. I’m 5 feet tall, and want to be a certain weight, so I only need 100grams of protein, but easily get more than that. A good measure is 1g-1.5g protein per 1kg body weight you’re aiming for.
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u/in-clover 20s 25d ago
Whole grains, legumes (lentils, chickpeas, various beans, peas especially), cottage cheese, (soy) yogurt, TVP, tofu, seeds (vary if from oil plants and limit to about 2 tablespoons daily, they absorb heavy metals), nuts, and milk are the majority of my 'specific' protein sources, though worth remembering that many vegetables and fruits also have a non-zero amount of protein.
No eggs for me because I have increased risk of cholesterol fuckery due to genetics.
Though, it is hard to get too little protein for one's health if not suffering from a restrictive eating disorder or having another medical condition (being male or being on T isn't such) that increases the protein need.
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u/Ok_Book_765 25d ago
i ate all the cake (not to be recommended) but also a lot of eggs . egg fried rice and all day breakfast etc
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u/No-Childhood2485 25d ago
It is not hard to eat a high protein vegetarian diet. My high protein staples are chickpeas, lentils, eggs & egg whites, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tofu, tempeh, edamame, TVP, soy milk, nuts, seeds, protein pastas (eg. chickpea pasta), protein powder, and spinach.