Three men who went vegan have reveled how they managed to bulk up their bodies and develop ripped six packs despite not eating meat.

Michael Waldron, 32, from Somerset, Thomas Waterfall, 28, from London, and Luigi Miccolis, 32, from Italy, decided to stop eating animal produce mainly for ethical reasons.

However, they soon discovered that their new diet had an impact on both their appearance and overall wellbeing.

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Luigi Miccolis, 32, from Italy, he made the choice to go vegan after he watched the film Limitless - which prompted him to research the diet online

The Italian, who now boasts a six-pack, said that before going vegan he often felt low on energy, had frequent colds and a weak immune system

And now the men, who all boast washboard stomachs, say that they won't ever go back to their meat-eating ways.

Michael said: 'I have always been focused on fitness, having been involved in boxing from an early age, so my body and general health were okay, but could have been improved on.

'I was eating a lot of meat at the time (almost at every meal), and I saw some videos on YouTube selling the benefits of a vegan diet, so I decided to give it a try as an experiment to see if the benefits claimed were accurate.

'It was quite difficult to begin with as it was a big change from my usual diet.

'The biggest challenge was eating out, as there were no restaurants in my town offering vegan dishes, so I had to travel further afield.'

Luigi explained: 'The choice to go vegan was made after I watched the film Limitless, which prompted questions that I researched online.

Michael Waldron, from Somerset, decided to go vegan as an experiment to see if it would improve his health

The 32-year-old said he started to see results within the first few days. He claimed he wasn’t as bloated and his digestion was much better

'My strongest motivation is ethics: I remember feeling both astonished and a bit embarrassed to make the connection between the slice of meat and the living being it came from.'

However, both men recalled their shock at how dramatic the results were and how quickly they occurred.

Luigi told how he had felt much healthier since changing his diet.

DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MALE VEGAN: LUIGI MICCOLIS REVEALS HIS DIET PLAN Breakfast: green smoothie made from bananas, dates and raw spinach, or plant milk (soy, rice, almond) with wholemeal cereal Mid-morning snack: 2-3 organic apples or other seasonal fruit, or nuts Lunch: brown rice with oil, salt and parsley, or any other whole grain or steamed potatoes, with steamed vegetables such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans or other preferably seasonal vegetables. I accompany this with homemade hummus and toasted wholemeal bread. Afternoon snack: 2-3 oranges or other seasonal fruit, or dried fruit such as dried apricots, dates, figs or raisins. Dinner: veggie burger with steamed vegetables or oven-baked sweet potatoes, or roasted tofu or tempeh with the aforementioned veggie sides. Wholemeal bread with a vegan topping. Advertisement

He said: 'Before going vegan I often felt low on energy, I had frequent colds, sore throats and inflamed tonsils. My immune system was quite weak.'

Michael added: 'I started to see results within the first few days. I wasn’t as bloated and my digestion was much better.'

Meanwhile Thomas had already adopted a vegetarian diet three years earlier, but had resisted going vegan because of the impact he thought it would have on his strength and fitness.

But he now believes the diet has had the opposite effect.

Londoner Thomas said: 'I feel more alert, I sleep better, I feel fitter, my complexion is much brighter - the list goes on.

'Before, I would go to the gym a bit but never really achieved the strength and fitness I had hoped for.

'I did in fact end up exercising more, but as an indirect result, because it just made me generally more interested in my health and fitness.'

However the change of lifestyle did impact other areas of their life in a more negative way.

Luigi, said: 'The only thing I found hard was social life and relationships: the frequent criticism and judging from those who didn’t share my choice were stressful.

'The big challenge for me has been staying calm and in control, accepting the fact that I couldn’t always presume that other people would change the way that I had.'

Thomas Waterfall had already adopted a vegetarian diet three years earlier, but said that he had previously been against going vegan because of the impact he thought it would have on his strength and fitness

And Michael agreed: 'I have seen benefits on a vegan diet, so I will follow it, but sometimes it can be quite restrictive so in the future if I needed to I might make adjustments to my diet so it doesn’t have a negative impact.'

What's more all three men have now inspired other people to take up veganism for themselves with their friends, partners and even children joining in.

Michael said: 'It hasn’t had too much of an impact, my girlfriend follows the same diet which makes things easier, and my son even eats vegan meals with us.

'Sometimes it is difficult when eating out with friends, but a lot of Indian food is vegan (as long as they don’t cook with ghee) so we can go for a curry without problems.'