I’m David Carter, the 300 Pound Vegan. I was a defensive end at UCLA and played in the NFL from 2011 to 2015. I now devote my time to promoting plant-based eating.

How do you think more athletes, particularly in contact sports, could be convinced to go vegan? Have you gotten anyone to try it?

contact sports are usually short lived. for example we say NFL stands for not for long. our bodies begin to deteriorate because of the heavy contact also 99% of players know nothing about nutrition so they eat bad and die early from food related illnesses like heart disease diabetes etc, and because of this the average age of death for a football player is only 56 years of age. i have gotten plenty of players to try it and many looking to go vegan after they retire. its not hard to get them to change when they hear these statistics. also cholesterol only found in animal products causes erectile disfunction.

What is your opinion of products from Companies like Gardein and Beyond Meat that strives to replicate the taste and texture of meat using plant based products?

i didn't know how to feel about those products in the beginning either, but these products have proven to be a great conversion tool. it replaces things like the chicken nugget thats not really chicken anyway. every garden patty or beyond meat product eaten is an animal saved and a mind opened up to the possibility of adopting a cruelty free life style without much change

Why did you choose Vegan Outreach over all other groups doing animal advocacy? I love Vegan Outreach, just curious why they stood out to you!

Vegan Outreach is the only AR group that wanted to do a Diversity Program the right way. Not only are they trying to be more racially diverse they also have more than 50 percent of their board are women. they are ahead of the curve on everything. i love a group that doesn't run away from a challenge, they remind me of myself.

What's a typical day of food and exercise for you?

my workout and eating schedule are always changing. now i work out twice a day. the first workout is lifting second is boxing or some sort of agility training then i stretch out at the end of the day with a yoga session or rolling out. for eating i try to reach my goal of 8000-10000. if i don't hit my goal for calories i start to drop weight

for eating i try to reach my goal of 8000-10000. if i don't hit my goal for calories i start to drop weight

What are you working towards that makes you want to stay at 300 pounds?

i am an in your face example that you don't have to take a life to gain muscle. when i am speaking in front of hundreds of people they need to see what vegan muscles look like. also i am a free agent i am not retired

Hi David! What inspired you to become vegan?

i was suffering from extreme tendonitis, high blood pressure nerve damage at 23yo watched the Forks over Knives doc and realized i was feeding all of my illnesses with the food i was putting in my body. my wife had been vegan for six years before me so that had a lot to do with it but i didn't change until i began to educate myself

Thanks for the work you do, David!

As a fellow plant-based-eater, how would you say is the best way to truly feed one's passions for the industry?

I'll be starting my first backyard garden this month, but would love to have my sights set on some other goals! Holler if you're in Seattle and need a vegan food tour.

the best way to truly expand your passion for the industry is to spread your knowledge of healthy eating. maybe using your garden to teach others how to garden so they can start their own. one drop of knowledge creates a ripple effect.

Hi David! I follow you on Instagram and think you're super rad and I love the work you do spreading all that vegan love and knowledge! So my question is, What is your favorite dish to roll into events with? Especially those where there are tons of omnis in attendance.

nachos. none can say no to nachos

Hi David, as an NFL player and someone trying to maintain your 300 pound weight, what kind of foods to you eat in order to get the number of calories that you need in a day? How many calories per day do you generally need to get?

i rely heavily on grains and legumes for calories/ protein / and protein everyday i try to eat between 8000-10000 calories. i also eat lots of greens and loads of water. its not hard you just have to eat ...alot

How do you respond to racism, erasure and tokenizing of people of color by many prominent vegan and animal rights groups and activists?

i respond to the racism tokenizing of this movement by working hard to diversify the movement, because right now the Vegan Movement does feel like a country club.

If you suddenly developed a soy allergy, how would that affect your diet?

i don't eat a ton of soy now so not really. i would just have to be careful at veggie grill lol

How long, typically, does it take you to mention that you're a vegan when you meet new people?

once we start talking about food or working out it always seems to work itself in somehow, i make sure of it lol