The pair regularly work out together. @vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

By Rebecca Drew

 

THIS RIPPED British vegan duo have revealed how they have achieved their sculpted bodies through a strict plant-based diet they say has cured back pain and given them MORE energy since foregoing meat four years-ago.

 

Before adopting a vegan lifestyle in 2014, copywriter Dan Treasure (29) and personal trainer Ant Rogan (29) from Birmingham, United Kingdom, had always been into their fitness and thought they felt good within themselves despite their meat-eating diet.

Dan’s vegan transformation.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

However, Ant struggled with digestive problems and his skin would often break out. As well as this he suffered a slipped disk in his spine in 2012 that doctors said could leave him paralysed, Ant treated his pain with prescribed medication, but still struggled.

 

After reading up on veganism, both Dan and Ant decided to swap animal products and their weekly fast food treat in favour of a plant-based diet, consisting of lots of vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and grains. Dan also enjoys experimenting with vegan recipes in the kitchen and frequently cooks up vegan friendly chilli, coconut curries and jerk jackfruit.

Ant before and after the transformation.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

Almost instantly the pair found they had more energy to fuel training six-times a-week, which consists of bodybuilding weights, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Olympic lifting and bodyweight sessions. Ant also found that his skin cleared, and back pain started to ease.

 

The duo have documented their journeys on Instagram to their 25K strong following under the handle @vegan_athletes.

Ant and Dan own a vegan fitness company in Birmingham, UK.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

“Right before making the transition, I thought I felt good. I had started gaining more weight and I was always trying to learn. That’s why when I read up on veganism and all of its benefits, something really resonated and I knew I had to delve deeper,” said Dan.

 

“I was soon to discover that in fact, I had never felt too great before adopting this way of living, I wasn’t to know this until going vegan though.

Dan and Ant are pioneering the benefits of being vegan.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

“There was something about it that caught my interest and it was a complete different perspective to mine at the time. I was quite desensitised to animal cruelty and it was more the health benefits that appealed to me until I later discovered exactly how evil the meat and dairy industry actually are, I was naive to have ever of thought otherwise.

 

“After thorough research, reading, podcasts and forums I decided to find out more via experience.

Ant has transformed his physique since leading a vegan lifestyle.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

“One of the first things I noticed was, how much energy I had from all the healthy greens and nutritious foods I was eating. I also had an unexplainable mental clarity after a few months of eating a plant-based diet.

 

“There are lots of benefits- energy, digestion, hormonal regulation, reversing illnesses via alkaline foods and much more.”

Dan before turning to veganism.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

Ant went into detail about his decision to go vegan: “Before I adopted a vegan diet I had bad skin and terrible digestion. I would regularly break out in spots as well as have a bad stomach on a daily basis,” he said.

 

“Also, I had an awful back problem and one doctor said that I’d be paralysed. I had a slipped disc in my spine that I dealt with for a long time taking all kinds of medication.

@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

“It wasn’t until I changed my diet that I started to recover from all the pain I was getting from my back.

 

“I read a lot of books, websites, and blogs of people recovering from all kinds of injuries and diseases so thought why not give it a go to see if that can help me. I started within a month and never looked back.”

Ant has since found that his digestive problems and his skin issues have cleared up.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

Dan has maintained his weight of 11st throughout the lifestyle change and Ant has gone from 12st 3lb to 12st 11lb, they are proof that adopting a vegan diet has no negative effect on performance in the gym with Ant deadlifting 180kg and Dan deadlifting 170kg.

 

Although making the transition to veganism was not without its problems for the pair with both experiencing weight loss at first.

Ant suffered a slipped disc in 2012 and medication didn’t help, but fitness has increased his strength.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

“One of the hardest parts of being vegan at first and is one of the most common errors someone has is not eating enough food,” explained Ant.

 

“I made this mistake and ended up losing a lot of weight at first. My advice would be to track your calories for the first few weeks until you get used to it so you are not losing to much weight at first, unless you want to lose weight of course.”

Before trying it out, Dan researched veganism and found himself gripped.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

The pair initially set up their Instagram account to connect with other likeminded vegans as a means to learn about the lifestyle and to educate others.

 

“We have helped hundreds of people transform their lifestyle because we have been there ourselves,” said Dan.

Dan shows off his strength since going vegan.
@vegan_athletes / mediadrumworld.com

 

“We have read so many books and educated ourselves over time to be able to do so. The best way to start is to set a realistic aim to begin with, understand why you are making the change and experiment with recipes.

 

“There are lots of substitutes for everything these days, it has evolved tenfold since we began our journey and it is so exciting that many people are coming to the realisation.”

 

For more information see www.instagram.com/vegan_athletes