Struggling Vegan

Hello, I am 21 years old and I have been vegan for a year or so now and have been having a hard time at it. Before going vegan I was already pretty skinny (6'0" at 156lbs) since the change, my weight has remained the same. I have been trying an at home calisthenics routine at home on and off but have not reamined consistent because I have not been experiencing any gains. I know the root of the problem is my diet, not the vegan diet, but the way I have structured mine in particular (not structured at all). I have been doing a lot of reading and have been going in circles but most of the evidence suggest that any bodybuilder, vegan or not, requires a caloric surplus of carbs in order to put on muscle weight. I beleive this not only because of the studies but because time and time again, I have been told that carbs are the trick. I eat a lot of oatmeal and beans but It's not enough. With my schedule, I don't really have time for 6-8 meals like many bodybuilders suggest to eat. I usually try to cram most of my calories in at breakfast and lunch and the rest at dinner. But it's still no where near enough. I know I need more carbs but im struggling with finding carb rich plant foods that I can squeeze into three meals a day and still get enough carbs to build muscle. I am at my witts end guys, I am tired of being skinny , I want to be strong. I don't care about having a beach bod, I just want to be more than capable. Please if anyone could help me out, this would be greatly appreciated.

Genuinely, a struggling vegan.

Hey there,

Hopefully you'll read my response, and haven't left the forum yet, despite its apparent lack of activity. If you're looking to gain weight, and have few opportunities to sit down for a meal, I'd recommend consuming a weight gainer shake. Something high calorie that you could either make yourself, or just take out of a tub. Things like bananas, peanut butter, protein powder, coconut oil, dates, and other high calorie stuff would be great. Hell, if you have some tofu ice cream you could toss that in there. Bet you'd put on weight that way!

I use this modified recipe for 'fridge cookies' a lot. They're great to eat if I'm out for a while, when I'm away, long train journeys, hotel breakfasts, before and after the gym/ raving... they're pretty handy!

I melt cocoa, peanut butter, sugar, mashed banana and soya milk in a pan. Then add in oats, protein powder, nuts, dried fruit, coconut, anything really! I make them into little ball shapes and they travel well. Nice and high in energy/ calories and a good protein boost.