Welcome to the most narcissistic video I’ve ever made.

It’s all about making me look as good as possible.

Strong.

Flawless.

Professional.

[record scratch & music stops]

Well that didn’t last long.

Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan
and welcome to another vegan nugget.

I typically shy away from content focused
on my body and physical appearance

as I have so many educational topics to address
that are of far greater importance than my abs.

That said, there is validity in providing
a visual example of what one can achieve

without animal products.
So I’ll bust out the final pictures

at the end of the video
after sharing the shoot experience.

Be sure to stay for the finals
but here’s a lil’ sneak peak.

So, this past August I flew out
to Los Angeles for a photo shoot

with my friend Melissa Schwartz
for the book she’s writing.

I had a lot of work to do
to get into shape for this shoot

and about two and a half months to do it.

But after literally working my butt off,
though not all the way off

thanks to squatting heavy,
I was ready for my close up.

For those interested, my routine consisted
of a core weight training regiment

that varied in reps and sets
over the two and a half months,

ample outdoor bike rides,
sometimes twice a day,

and some high intensity interval training
in the form of TABATA and PACE sessions.

For some tips, tweaks and ample moral support,
I consulted with the chiseled Derek Tresize

and the stunning
vegan fitness model Crissi Carvalho,

both of whom you can find
in the vegan athlete series playlist

linked in the sidebar and below.

I’m so thankful to them both
for their guidance, wisdom,

and for putting up with
my photo-shoot-prep-induced insanity.

So, on to the shoot itself.

Melissa Schwartz
is an incredibly gifted photographer

and the mastermind behind
the vegan revolution website

and upcoming book.
I’ll let her tell you a little about it herself.

Hi, I'm Melissa Schwartz.

So the book is aimed
at helping people transition to veganism.

And it's kind of--
everybody gives their own little story

about how they became vegan
and what works for them

for their health and fitness.

So today we shot some great pictures of Emily.

Emily: And those great shots
have everything to do with Melissa

because I had no idea what I was doing.
I’m not a terribly photogenic person,

nor aware of how to position or angle myself,
so luckily she gave a lot of direction.

And of course, as always,
I went makeup free,

save for my home-made vegan chapstick,
which you can find out how to make

in the video linked up there and below.

While I had Melissa,
I asked her about her own vegan journey.

It wasn't until I moved to L.A.
and I was down on Third Street Promenade--

and now I'm friends with the people that do this,
but there were people out there

showing on a screen slaughterhouse footage
and I had never seen that before.

And I was just shocked that it took
till that age for somebody to show that to me.

Anybody that shows that kind of stuff to people,
the people react not so much badly

to the message,
they react badly to the messenger.

So it takes people with a lot of balls
to come out and say what needs to be said.

And that's one reason I have
tremendous respect for people like Emily.

And not only that,
but she does it in such a way that is very...

you know,
she's not talking down to people,

she's just telling you the truth.

And often that is what people are doing;
they're just telling you the truth.

Even when they're showing you
some violent, graphic video.

We're not doing it to shame anybody,
that's the truth!

There it is. If you feel ashamed
that's something internal for you.

Melissa’s book will cover
the “why” of veganism

with her own rigorously-researched writing,
and the “how” with the stories

and advice of the impressive array
of vegan contributors she has put together.

And somehow
I’m in there too.

The accompanying website,
which is in development but viewable,

will eventually have a social functionality
whereby you could hire the contributors

for personal training, coaching,
or whatever services they may have to offer.

But back to my body.

Because that’s
what’s really important here.

So, let’s see the final results, shall we?

So here’s me doing
a nice squeeze side pose,

looking down
to be sure I’m flexing my abs.

And on the insistence of Melissa,
a booty shot.

Then the stare down.
And the booty pop side view.

A black and white option, more subdued.
The same one in color.

And for some fun, yoga.
There’s camel

and crow.

So there you have it!
My vegan muscle shoot.

If you want to see
some actual athletes of the vegan variety

and get some serious fitness inspiration,
check out my vegan athlete series,

which still has more videos to come!

If you liked
this gratuitous display of my musculature,

do give the video a thumbs up.

If you’re new here,
I’d love to have you as a subscriber.

I put out fresh content
covering all aspects of veganism

every Monday, Wednesday
and some Fridays.

Not typically
consisting of my own body.

To help support Bite Size Vegan’s
educational efforts,

please see the support link below

or click on the Nugget Army icon
or the link in the sidebar.

Now go live vegan,
build some vegan muscle,

and I’ll see you soon!