I don't need meat to be faster

3 months ago I decided I wanted to gain weight.  A little research and a little help landed me on deciding to intake about 3100 calories a day.  A significant jump from the 1800-2200 I was eating each day.

Here I am 3 months later, I've gone from being stuck at 148lbs for 6 months to a happilly increasing 168lbs.  My weight is up increasing, every week I'm increasing the weights I'm lifting and I'm felling great.

All without 1 bit of meat.  No beef.  No chicken.  No fish.  Nothing, not even broth.

I'm sorry to all those vegans out there, but I am actively stuffing my face with eggs, milk, cheese and the like.  But I still am having all the vegan classics like tofu, hemp protein, spirulina, chlorella, quinoa, etc.

Almost all resources on 'gaining weight' say you must eat meat.  Hell, CrossFit lives and dies by the Paleo diet, but seriously has anyone ever tried doing this on a vegetarian diet?  I'm get the same results I see and hear about from other CrossFiters and weight lifters, my wife is in better shape than most women that workout (yes including crossfiters).  Yet she hasn't eaten meat since she was 14 or so.

Here's an interesting study:
http://www.annals.org/content/153/5/289.abstract

This is a 20 year study (20 YEAR!) with over 130,000 subjects run by The Annals of Internal Medicine and funded by The National Institute of Health ie the Government.

The conclusion:
A low-carbohydrate diet based on animal sources was associated with higher all-cause mortality in both men and women, whereas a vegetable-based low-carbohydrate diet was associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality rates.


The Annals of Internal Medicine is as close to a non-biased source as you could have for a study like this.  They have been a cornerstone of the medical community since the 1920's.  The funding came from the US Government, not freakin' PETA.

What's my point?  My point is this...  I love CrossFit and working out, but everyone jumps into crossfit and starts doing lo-carb.  Yes, low-carb can have quick weight loss benefits, people get great results in 2 months and all the sudden CrossFit and Paleo are the ONLY answer.  Neglecting that doing CrossFit is actually what got more results, why do I say that?  Because I saw the exact same immediate improvements when I started crossfit as a vegetarian.

If the only 2 people I know that actually have done Crossfit on a vegetarian diet (and I'm not talking about a crap vegetarian diet where you just eat french fries and white toast all day) do just as well as others on a Paleo diet.  Why is it not only only an option people don't consider, but they shun?