Protein, protein, protein. Such a hot topic in the world of vegan & vegetarian diets. When it comes to creating change in the body, as a woman, I noticed a BIG difference in my physical progress when I started incorporating a protein shake post workout. When I started to incorporate 25-30g protein shakes after I trained, my progress accelerated.
Why?
Muscles require protein to grow and recover - it's essential - but the female body and related hormones somewhat battle against building lean muscle (which is why it's hard for us to build, maintain & keep muscle - not to mention, why it seems our progress is slower than our male counterparts - their hormones SUPPORT muscle building!).
Female hormones (estrogen & progesterone) do not make it easy put muscle on (I'm speaking about MY body & experience, and this is very general, some women find it much easier than others) but for me and the way I train, post-sweat protein is key! Namastay Sweaty Club, my weekly fitness program, is designed to build lean muscle & burn body fat, helping to change body composition versus the "lose weight" mentality.