remember when?

remember when i worked out on a regular basis? and had way more energy than i do now? and weighed 15 pounds less than i do now?

remember when i used to be diligent in counting my calories using the loseit app, and a splurge meant one hershey's kiss instead of a bag (yes, a whole bag) of totino's pizza rolls?

remember when my breakfast was actually treated as the most important meal of the day? and i had energy for the whole morning?

it's time to go back to those changes. you'd have thought that these last four weeks would jump start that, but with husband being off track, it makes me be off track, too. so we bought more fruits and veggies for snacks this weekend, and i hope to cook dinner on a more regular basis. we've been eating out lately, which is bad for my wallet AND my waistline.
here's to new beginnings.

The Road to Healthy Eating

I actually have a progress report this week. Last Saturday, I bought groceries. I got a LOT more produce than I normally get: two bags of baby carrots, some bell pepper to cut up for snacks, a bag of oranges, some apples, some bagged salad, fresh mushrooms for roasting, among other things. I also bought all whole-grains and all lean means: a large bag of tilapia, shrimp, lean pork chops. I bought substitutions for more healthy quick-meals for weeknights and lunches: whole wheat tortillas for steak quesadillas, whole grain buns for BBQ, whole wheat pasta for shrimp arrabiatta, lots of steamed veggies, low-fat canned soups, etc. I also bought a ton of healthy snack options: low-fat granola bars, fat free yogurt, hummus to go with the carrots and bell pepper. I also got brave and bought some almond milk--not a huge fan but it works in my cereal. The almond aftertaste is a little daunting.

I spent a lot of money but got enough to last us two weeks. And I spent about the same amount as I normally spend. But I went to Kroger and I usually can find some really good deals and utilize their sales combined with their coupons and come out really well. Here's a breakdown of what my day of eating usually looks like:

Breakfast: cereal with almond milk
Morning snack: fat free yogurt
Lunch: lean cuisine and carrots with hummus
Afternoon snack (if hungry): orange
Supper: Regular supper but smaller portions since I'm not starving from all the snacking during the day
Drinks: water and a little bit of coffee

I'm doing SO much better with my portion sizes. I have not gorged myself (really, this is a huge step forward) once this week. I even leave food on my plate. One night, I was craving ice cream, so I just bought the little bitty tub of Skinny Cow low-fat ice cream. It was a very small, single-serve tub and just enough to give me a chocolate fix. I haven't eaten much sugar at all this week. Mostly, just in my cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios or Cocoa Puffs--I usually don't eat Cocoa Puffs but some days I just want something chocolatey). Yoplait has so many great yogurt flavors that I feel like I get a treat every time I eat one. At first, the hummus was a little peculiar but it's growing on me.

I still need to eat more veggies at suppertime, but it's been one of those weeks when I'm lucky if I get supper on the table before the baby's bedtime. I'll try to do better next week. I think I may cook fish tonight and I'll pop in a bag of veggies if so and maybe some brown rice. Maybe not even any carbs at all.

Honestly, I'm not craving junk food like I did. I'm not have the ravenous chocolate withdrawals like I used to. I can't say that I've lost any weight or that I feel GREAT yet, but I know I'm on the right track. Now, if I could just get some exercise in. Tomorrow will be a lovely day in the high 60s, so I may take the baby out for a brisk stroll. I'm sure he'd love to get out of the house, as would I. I want to try to go to bed earlier and get up a little earlier and do my workout DVD. That's my next goal. That, and continuing to buy healthier foods. If I have to buy snacks for my hubby, then I'll get stuff I don't like. That way, I'm not even remotely tempted to eat it.

How have you all been doing?

Dragging...

There are days when I am so tired by 1 pm (like today) that I don't know if I'll make it through the next 7 hours. (Yes, SEVEN hours still at school.) I'm lucky to get my lunch packed (which I try to do every day) and so what's in it is dependent on what we have around the house.

Today? It's turkey summer sausage and a variety of whatever block cheese was left from other recipes. It also includes crackers, pudding, and carrots. Overall, not bad. Not good, but better than what I would get at McDonald's or Taco John's. I'm in limbo right now: speech season is almost over and my night class lasts another 5 weeks.

After that, I have somehow convinced myself that I will be happier, healthier, and actually go to the gym. But, it's warming up a bit outside today. I think I might go for a walk around campus. I only need 30 minutes of being :purposefully" active every day and I've already walked for ten. So that's the plan after I've digested some lunch and begin to feel more sluggish than I do now.

This is the worst time of year for me. Tiny bit of sun, cold, holidays over (no seeing my family until Spring Break)... I'm ready for a break. A nice weekend. Luckily I have no class on Friday so I can catch up on homework, spend some "me" time alone, and get cleaning and grocery shopping done. I can only hope...

So you're probably wondering what this all has to do with my health? Well, when I'm depressed or stressed... I eat. And not healthy things. I eat a whole bag of popcorn by myself (and not the single serve ones), a HEAPING bowl of ice cream, almost an entire frozen pizza... you guys know what I'm talking about, right? So... for the next few weeks, I just need to curb these tendencies until the stress can disengage itself and I can settle into a more normal routine. Night classes suck, being gone 15 hours a day sucks... but I only have 3 semesters left after this one. Just THREE more. Then I an student teach and then start a fantastic new career in something I will love.

So for now, I'm taking care of my mental health so that once it's back where it should be... I can take care of my nutritional health. One thing at a time... Luckily, being active helps me feel more happy. So I can work on those two at the same time. Planning on buying Zumba for Wii as soon as I get my coaching money! I'll let you know how I like it! :-D

Check-In Time!

Oh my heck, is it Wednesday again? The weeks are just flying by!

I had this weird 'aha' moment yesterday. The realization came to me that it's now been 26 days since I've had a cup of coffee. It's been 26 days since I've had a soda, or for that matter, any drink that isn't juice, soymilk, water, or tea. I also have had very little refined sugar since then as well, a fact that was actually driven home for me hardcore when I was cooking this week.

After a REALLY successful attempt to make vegan sour cream, I decided to attempt another recipe in the book, vegan whipped cream. I intended to make a berry dessert and thought it'd be a delicious topping. I eyed the recipe, which called for sugar, with some apprehension. But, hey, the first recipe had been successful, I wanted to give this one a chance before I started tweaking it.

I made the whipped cream, and did the standard chef move of tasting it along the way. Honestly, it wasn't good. I decided to add some agave nectar (love that stuff!) and tasted it again. Still awful. Not sweet at all and with this horrid soy aftertaste (the basis is tofu and vanilla soy milk). I added more vanilla soy and threw in some stevia, then tasted it again. Nope. Atrocious. Only, a slightly sweeter version of atrocious. I finally decided that it was a lost cause, nixed the dessert idea, and rinsed it down the sink.

About an hour later, oh my word, did I feel AWFUL. I had a headache, I felt jittery, and I could actually feel my heart racing faster. That night, I couldn't sleep a wink. I tossed and turned, too wired to drift off. And I felt SICK. You know how you reach that moment where your body finally protests all of your attempts to fight off a sickness, and you finally give in? Yeah. That's how badly I felt.

It took about 24 hours before I felt better. I blame all the sugar in the recipe (there was 1/2 c in there!). Even the few tasting spoons I had were chaos on my system. I guess this means that I'm finally retraining my body to process the nutritious stuff, which made me completely aware of how hard my body (and yours!) has to work to process the refined, non-nutritious white sugar that abounds in our food supply.

It also makes me wonder if I'd always felt it, if every time I'd had too much sugar, if my body had protested, and I just hadn't noticed? I wondered if I'd just written it off as a bug that I was fighting? It's food for thought, definitely.

whoops... now to week 4 of the challenge

well, whoops on a few things.
1) that i totally forgot to post last week. forgive me. it was my birthday.
2) i definitely flaked on the week 3 thing.

so anyways, weeks 3 and 4 are pretty much the same. most allergens have been reintroduced. you're mainly working on continuing healthy habits like increasing vegetable intake, keeping sugar and processed foods to a minimum, and making healthy substitutions when possible (applesauce instead of oil, anyone?).

working out... have i already mentioned that i didn't do any of the exercises? yeah. none of them. but hannah has been, and she's my little yoga hero.

i'm still hovering at around 4 lbs down since the beginning of the year. not bad for three weeks. thing is, i'm not exactly sticking to the plan. the good thing is that the recipes are basically anything listed on the whole living website, which means a TON of good foods. the bad thing is that husband and i decided this would be a good few weeks to clean out the freezer and pantry and see how long we can go without buying food. so, i'll still be trying to make healthy changes, and i'll be counting calories, and adding veggies (we have a lot of snack bags in the fridge with fresh carrots, etc, and also lots of frozen veggies), and, and, and...

i'm working on it. i'll wii this week some, too. so that's something. my hopes are to continue with this energy high that i seem to have (yay, more sleep! yay, healthy food!), and lose about another pound or two this week. i can do that, as long as i don't eat pizza. or popcorn. whoops. and as long as i do SOMETHING active, even just the wii boxing. have you done that? it's rough.

Following Through

I think I've mentioned before that I have major problems with follow-through. I can plan and plan and plan to my heart's content but then never take action on it. It's not just with exercising or eating right. It's with organization, cleaning...you name it. Or I start something (like a book, for instance) and then just quit halfway through if I get tired of it.

I would love to shout "NO MORE. FROM THIS MOMENT ON, I WILL FOLLOW THROUGH!!!" but I can't make that promise. But I will TRY to do better. I have a few things I want to do to slowly change how I eat and exercise and hopefully, one of them will stick. No quick and fast changes here because in my experience, those usually flop.

Exercise. The bane of my existence. I loathe working out. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those people who immediately feel better once they start walking on the treadmill. I hate it. I hate it with every fiber of my being. It's not that I'm lazy, I just don't like to get sweaty and huffy and puffy and I honestly just don't feel better afterward. Some people love working out; I don't. Plain and simple. But it's a necessity if I want to get back down to my pre-baby weight and then some. And I want to be healthier and have more energy. I know that exercise contributes to that. I have a very, very energetic little 8-month-old and I can already tell he's going to continue being rambunctious. I need to be able to keep up with him.

There are Zumba classes in my town three nights a week. I would love to attend but I have a dilemma--the classes begin at 7:00 p.m. That is a little late for me, as that's around the time we start the baby's bedtime routine. He usually gets a bath in between 7:15 and 7:30 and then goes to bed around 8:00. This would really mess up that schedule and my dear husband could just do the routine for me, but he's recently had hip surgery and is on a walker. Therefore, he can't kneel at the bathtub, pick the baby up and get him dressed for bed (and the boy is REALLY squirmy) until he is able to put weight on that leg. That may be a month or more. However, when he's able to do these things, I do want to go because for $5 a class, who wouldn't? My mom is even considering going so I would have an accountability partner. She's trying to get healthier as well. In the meantime, I bought a $6 Gold's Gym "Lose the Baby Weight Fast" DVD but I have a hard time doing workout DVDs in our house because I like to have privacy and the only TVs we have are in the living room (where my husband hangs out and is always watching TV) or the baby's room (don't worry, my baby doesn't watch cartoons all the time...it was already mounted to the wall in that room before we turned it into a nursery and it hardly gets turned on). So, I can't really work out after the baby's in bed because the extra TV is in his room...I guess I could get up earlier and do it while Hubby is showering. Ugh. I have an accessible gym at work and I just need to suck it up and use it.

Food. I need to make healthier substitutions and cut out most of my sugar. I've been doing fairly well on the no sodas goal I have except for the past few days. I need to buy a stainless steel water bottle so I can utilize the cold spring water we have here at work. We have disposable cups but they are so tiny that I have to go back and get refills every 5 minutes. Good for my legs, not so good for my productivity.

I've cut out sugar before with pretty good success. Just starting the detox process is the hardest. I will go grocery shopping this weekend and the sweets that I do purchase for Hubby will be stuff I don't like. And I'll be mindful of my bread and grains so that I get whole grain. I found a website called Eat Better America that gives you recipes but includes the healthy substitution. It's even got healthy appetizers and snacks. So, you can still make chicken enchiladas, but they are less fattening because you have subsituted it with healthier options. And "healthified gravy"? Sign me up! I'm going to try out some recipes and may report back here.

Substitutions will be the easiest thing for me to do. I don't do well with a diet if I stay hungry constantly. And I need something acceptable for Hubby because we can't afford to buy two different sets of food and he's kind of picky about diet stuff. He wants to lose some weight too and I've seen his portion sizes get smaller since his surgery (and before, probably due to the pain medication). He's already lost some weight without meaning to. I know that I need to cut down my portions but I want to stay satisfied. I have a really hard time with that. And I'm not a big snacker, but maybe I should snack more with healthy options so I'm not constantly hungry.

Anyway, this is my plan. Time will tell if I follow through or not...

Making Good Choices

First things first; the check in. I'm still feeling fabulous and hovering right around 10 pounds lost. I still have ridiculous amounts of energy, and I'm so excited because this week I've gotten experimental and made an amazing vegan white pizza! This weekend, I'm making a vegan portobello ravioli with a sun dried tomato sauce. (Hey, I'm broke, I have to wait until payday to go shopping for the ingredients, so it'll happen this weekend.)

One of the questions I've been getting a lot these days is, what do you eat when you go out to a restaurant? I think that's a question that we all face when trying to make healthy choices. For me, personally, it tends to be a lot of veggies! Most restaurants that I've checked out don't use egg or milk in their breads or pastas, sot that opens up a lot of options for me right there. But what about other healthy eaters, not just vegan ones?

Most restaurant meals are overloaded with calories, grease, and unhealthy elements. Why? Because it's a lot cheaper to load up your plate with a 1/2 pound of french fries than a side of fresh fruit.

So, you're in the restaurant, you're looking over the menu, listening to the latest gossip from your friends half heartedly as your eyes skip the nutrition facts. Many restaurants are offering a 'healthy choices' option, usually noted by a little symbol by the 'healthier choices'. That, coupled with your common sense leads you to pick out the best choices....

But does it really? Could we actually be getting derailed by our own mislead thinking?

Subway, you look at the menu. Tuna, you think. Tuna's a fish, it's healthier, lighter. Certainly better than the majority of the menu! But hold up there, friend. The 6 inch tuna sub? Yeah. That's 510 calories. No, really. That roast beef sub over there? Piled high with meat and probably a lot more filling? Only 310.

Wendys, ah the home of the most glorious food combination ever, fries dipped in a Frosty shake. Trying to find something healthy to eat there? You might wander the way of the chicken sandwiches, the chicken club. Healthy right? Whoops, no. That's 620 calories! Get a burger instead, and load it up with all the toppings they have. It's still only going to be 470 calories.

So, what the heck do you eat when you go out to restaurants (or, fast food. Come on, let's be honest!) Here's a quick guide to the healthiest choices out there.

Arby's Melt
Add on a chopped side salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and you've got a 570-calorie meal.
Burger King BK Broiler Chicken Sandwich
Add on a chunky chicken side salad and a vanilla frozen yogurt (dessert!) and you've got a 519-calorie meal
Chick-Fil-A Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich
With barbecue sauce and a large fruit cup, this meal is 425 calories.
Hardee's Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwich
Order a side of mashed potatoes and gravy, your meal is 390 calories.
KFCs Original Recipe Chicken Strips (order of 3)
Have two sides of mashed potatoes and gravy and baked beans, your meal is 610 calories.
(special note here; stay CLEAR of the coleslaw! That little cup is NOT a vegetable, and is a whopping 210 calories!)

McDonalds Asian Salad
Get the low-fat balsamic vinaigrette and it's 340 calories.
Taco Bell Fresco Bean Burrito
Along with a side of Mexican Rice Fresco, it's 460 calories.
Wendy's Jr. Hamburger

It's 320 calories if you add on a side of mandarin oranges.

So what about vegan and vegetarian options? I'll save you another list but THIS PAGE has a pretty decent list of options at most restaurants, fast food and otherwise. 

Sources:

KOMO News
CNN NEWS
Health Check

Week 2 - a little Progress

These are just going to be my observations on how I am dealing with the challenge. Last week I complained.  I still stand by a lot of that, I didn't feel better. Ryan and I made a deal that if we were not feeling improvements at the end of week 2 (once all the allergens had been reintroduced) we were going to scrap it.

The first day of week 2 we got to reintroduce eggs and that one thing made a BIG difference in how hungry I was all the time. Having just one egg in the morning really decreased how snack-y I was throughout the  day. I guess I underestimated the importance of protein in a morning meal. Now we are having scrambled eggs and smoothies as part of our morning routine.

 On Wednesday I went to playgroup and pretended the diet didn't exist. I had the potluck lunch provided, I drank a soda and even had a cookie for dessert. When I came home the diet was back on and I cooked a veggie heavy meal with lean protein. And, throughout the week, with the addition of all the different foods, wheat, and nuts etc I found it easier and easier to stick to the plan. This is meant to be a lifestyle change and I think, if nothing else, we will succeed in that.

I was still getting headaches not-quite-daily for the duration of week 2. So we debated quitting the diet. Ryan didn't want to and I was torn.  BUT, week three is simply to make more healthy substitutes to your diet. Whole grains, lean protein, brown rice instead of white etc.  Lots of homemade and, as with the previous weeks, cut out the pre-packaged and processed foods.  Those are easy for me, meaning week 3 will be easier.  That is how I try to cook anyway. Although I am still craving sugar and sodas I am ok with not having them daily. My current plan is I can have a soda when we are out,  but never buy a case to bring home and have sitting in the fridge.

The yoga routines this week were pretty fun, hello tricep workouts! I was sore after just 10 minutes of yoga. I decided to add the workouts from week 1 and 2 together and I am really enjoying them.

Something I am NOT doing very well with, drinking water  (possibly part of the reason for the headaches) I am certainly not drinking as much as the diet calls for.  I am also not following many of the "mind" prompts for this "mind and body" challenge. That's just some room for improvement in week 3.

January Goal

So I had this written up very nice and then somehow I selected it all and I typed over it and voila! It was gone. 

So, here is the challenge I will be taking over in the next year. It's Cooking Light's 12 Healthy Habits! I've been working on January's for the past 13 days and have made a bit of progress. I'm working on downloading their goal sheets that I can magnet to the fridge to keep better track of the goals each month. Without further ado, here is January!

VEGGIE UP!

ADD 3 SERVINGS A DAY

 The idea behind this is that less than 25% of Americans eat 5+ servings a day and most adults need about 9 everyday. Fruits and veggies provide all kinds of nutrients and fibers that help prevent disease and displace higher-calorie foods to help balance your diet and control hunger. Here are some of the tips they give for helping to add more veggies into your diet!

• Incorporate more veggies into recipes. Add grated carrots to a fruit smoothie or pancakes; grated zucchini into pasta sauce or meatballs. (I also buy the Ragu with 2 servings of veggies in each 3/4 cup serving.) Puree winter squash or cauliflower into white lasgna, potpie, or baked ziti. 
• Keep dried fruit in your desk (or backpack). 1/4 cup is one serving.
• Add raw veggies and dip to lunch. Try snowpeas, cauliflower, radishes, or cucumber for variety. Use tzatziki, hummus, or romesco for dip. (I really like carrots in salsa.)
• Try one new veggie at home each week. Try kale, collard greens, winter squash, celery root, or sweet potatoes.
• Have a small salad every night with dinner. Use no-prep bagged lettuce and add shredded carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. And low calorie dressing. (Or salsa. God, I love salsa!)
• Keep fruit or veggies on the counter or at eye level in the fridge. That way you can't forget you have them!
• Prep veggies dishes on the weekend and freeze. Also, don't forget about the frozen veggie aisle. (Much better than canned!)

Overall, I am making okay progress on this goal and am getting 3 servings a day or more most days. This is a lot better than before when I was getting 0-1 a day. Also, I'm finding I like more veggies than I did when I was a kid. I can eat corn as long as it's in something and I can't really taste it. I also like raw veggies, could eat cabbage until there was no more left in the entire world, and am even starting to like more raw-type tomatoes (think pico de gallo and bruchetta) instead of sauces. Between pico and bruschetta, I can make so many more foods. My next project is to make them each from scratch, which I'm worried about right now because I don't know how good the tomatoes are. But, we'll see!

Update from the Crazy Vegan :-)

At the risk of being the unpopular girl in the room, I have loads of positive things to report! I've been 100% vegan in my dietary habits since January 1st, and I feel absolutely amazing.

Okay, okay, I'm sure you want the juicy details, so here they are. In 12 days, I've lost 6 pounds. I don't know how many inches, because well, I didn't measure, but I know I've lost those, too. I'm officially down a pants size as of this morning.

I tried, as a long shot, to put on a pair of my favorite brown cords that I haven't been able to fit into in ages. They'd been hanging out in the laundry room, but like an idiot, I put all of my clothes into the washer without remembering that I had an appointment to keep...BEFORE my clothes were dry. I figured, hey, I can squeeze my ass into them long enough for a quick drive, right? To my surprise, they PULLED ALL THE WAY UP! With wrinkles of fabric to spare!

Other physical changes, I'm using much less makeup now because my problem skin is clearing right up and looking more even than it has in years. I also have so much energy, and this may seem odd, but my body doesn't crackle like Rice Crispies every time I move. I don't know if that's a result of the healthier food, or the weight loss, or what, but it seems significant, so I thought I'd mention it.

I haven't had a cup of coffee in more than a week, just taking daily vitamins, and I have tons of energy. I'm able to fall asleep at a decent hour, sleep through the night (unless Vegas pushes me out of bed - silly dog!) and I wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go.

It's actually been a LOT simpler than I thought it was going to be. I plan my meals in advance, and I shop much less often, since I'm doing more planning. (No more random trips to the store because I'm hungry after work). I've even gone out to restaurants with friends, and not had to annoy the kitchen with special orders, since nearly every place has a searchable menu online, and I can see exactly what I can eat before we go. I've found things at ihop, Dennys, and Olive Garden that I can safely eat, and not look like a schmuk.

And I just FEEL good. I'm in a better mood, have more energy, and I'm never hungry between meals. No, really. I eat three meals a day, and maybe a snack to tide me over, but when I get hungry, it's time to eat a meal. I don't feel like I'm depriving myself at all.

As my good friend Erin says (not the Erin from this blog), this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change, and she is SO right. Going vegan has been the best decision I've made in a long time, and it's completely changed my life.

My thoughts on the challenge - Week 1

When Erin posted about the Whole Living 28-day challenge I thought it sounded pretty interesting. I had looked into “Clean Eating” a bit before and this seemed similar, although more focused on the whole person not just the diet. So, Ryan and I decided to try it. Having him on board makes it a lot easier (and harder) to do. It's easier in that I have someone there to be accountable to, someone there to motivate me, someone to discuss the recipes with and to hold my hand on the bad days. But it's also harder to cheat. HA!

So far it's been rough and getting rougher every day. I really want to say that it's been fantastic, that I feel great, that my energy level is higher but I. just. can't. I am proud of the small victories. I passed up coffee and doughnuts at my bi-monthly bookclub meeting, I skipped a lunch at the bowling alley with the playgroup. I didn't steal a fry when I grabbed lunch for my oldest at a drive-thru the other day. Which is another problem, the kids. Their treats are still in the cabinet, I still prepare “regular” food for them, milk, cheese, eggs and bread. They eat some of the meals, but the big one won't touch green food with a 10 foot pole since he eats like the picky 3 year old he is. The baby, on the other hand, loves the smoothies, granola and brown rice, he even ate a decent portion of the vegan risotto I made. I have managed to maintain my willpower and have stuck to the diet and the recipes on the website. (Full disclosure I have had 2 cups of full caf tea, a week ago now, to stop the raging withdrawal migraine but none since then) The food has actually been really tasty, and there are definitely a few keeper recipes in there. But the cravings are not going away, and in fact are getting worse. I would sell my soul for a Dr. Pepper.

The program focus not just on the food but on the mind and body as well. Yoga is part of the daily routine and I only missed one day, hurray me! You are also supposed to de-clutter, reorganize and de-stress. But, I am HUNGRY. I don't feel satisfied after meals and snacks and my mind is constantly on the next meal, even though I am not calorie restricting myself at all. Since I now cook for both lunch and dinner plus the 3 daily snacks I find myself prepping, cooking, eating, cleaning up and starting the prep all over again. Toss in the kids needing attention and I just don't have time to do the other prompts. This is even accounting for the fact that I did a partial media fast. I checked in on twitter on my iphone but I stayed off my computer until after the kids were in bed and I haven't watched any of “my” tv in over a week now. I found a restaurant that offers vegan meals and will prepare anything gluten-free as well if you ask, it that was a marvelous day. I stuck to the diet and got a break from cooking! But when the big one spilled my leftovers I wanted to cry.

Honestly, I shouldn't even be writing this post. I am not supposed to complain anymore and that's all this is. What do you think? Should I give it more time? Am I expecting too much? I feel like I am doing this all wrong because I am not getting the results I am supposed to get. I am supposed to be feeling amazing and all I feel is... cranky.

challenge, week 2

how'd week 1 go? not gonna lie- it wasn't easy for me. and yes, i cheated. but i knew i would. plus, it wasn't terrible cheats. let's see. monday was alright. felt tired, tired, tired, and had a headache. tuesday got better, so did wednesday. never really had cravings for sweets, so much as for FLAVOR. so i adjusted the menu, and changed some days, and i'm sure i had some things that were forbidden. but this isn't about following all the rules. it's about being healthy. and i felt better. AND, i lost 1.2 pounds.
huge plus to me! (but i didn't do yoga once. i did do wii tennis with husband, though.)

i also documented many recipes over at the domestic daredevils. go check it out!

now, this week. here's the recipes online. and, here's the action plan.

not gonna lie, the recipes look WAY better than week 1. also, you're "allowed" to reintroduce many of the forbidden foods, some on certain days, and others at your discretion. well, i'll probably just do all of them at my discretion. but, here's my "planned" menu for the week. we all know, this can change at any moment.

(i was going to post a picture like i did last week, but, well, i'm not.)

monday: the moroccan steamed salmon with quinoa.
tuesday: chickpea, tomato, and spelt soup (but i'll substitute something for spelt).
wednesday: out to dinner with friends. this is my cheat day of the week.
thursday: awesome salad with grilled chicken.
friday: steak with warm red-lentil dal and pita chips.

lunches will be salads with grilled chicken, or leftovers. like the soup.
snacks, similar to last week. nuts, fruits and veggies, and that lentil dal. it looks really really good.

enjoy! hope you have a great week!

New Year, New Way to Live

I did something rather drastic for New Years. I took the plunge and did something that I’ve been circling around for about 4 months; I went vegan. If you want all the juicy details of how I started and how it’s going, you can check out my personal blog at http://shieldmaidenconfessions.blogspot.com.

I made the choice for a variety of reasons; my health, the animals, the planet. I just knew that this was the right choice for me to make, and five days in, I have no regrets. And, surprisingly, it hasn’t been all that challenging. Probably because, like I said, I’ve been circling this decision for about 4 months, trying to integrate different vegan substitutions into my diet and recipes.

This blog is all about getting healthier, not necessarily about losing weight. Well, I can tell you that, even though it’s been a little less than a week, I FEEL healthier. I can tell the difference in my body and in my mind. I feel more focused, and I have more energy. Which, is a little silly, because I’ve been cutting down on coffee and have completely eliminated all soda or sugary-drinks from my world. It’s juice, water, soy/almond milk, and tea for me. And yet, I’m not crashing in the middle of the day.

I’ve also noticed that I’m not getting hungry as often, and I’m definitely not ‘grazing’ at all. I don’t have the munchies. My thoughts on this are twofold – I think it’s because the meals that I eat are actually nutritious and fulfilling, and I also have to plan my snacking a bit more. I just can’t go to the cupboard and grab a bag of popcorn, I have to consciously decide what I’m eating and how much. I know myself and my sweet tooth, and I know that sometimes, a girl just needs something sweet. So, I found Newman-O cookies. They’re a vegan, wheat free version of an Oreo cookie, and I’ll tell you what, they’re TOTALLY delicious and could pass for the real thing. Anyway, they’re my sweet indulgence. Now, I’m ashamed to admit, before when I had Oreos, I could easily finish off half a row (or more) in one sitting. But last night, I made the conscious choice that I could have 5 Newman-Os. No more. So, I took the cookies, left the bag in the kitchen and went to write for awhile.

Funny thing, I had two, and my sugar craving was done. Finished. I had to take 3 cookies back to the kitchen, because I was satisfied.

I think my body’s making better use of what I put into it. There aren’t a lot of junk or filler ingredients, just the good, solid nutrition my body needs. And I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself of anything; I have a craving, I fill it, like the cookies.

And I feel better. I don’t feel like I’m on a diet; if I’m hungry, I eat. And still, I’m losing weight. How awesome is that?

Okay, okay. So going vegan is a major life choice, and definitely not practical for everyone. I made the choice, because it works for me and what my goals are.

I would, however, say that the number one thing I’ve learned is something that EVERYONE can benefit from: READ THE LABEL.

No, seriously. You have no idea what’s lurking in your food until you read through every ingredient in that long list. I’ve spent half of this week staring at the backs of labels at the supermarket, then quickly googling (yes, it’s a verb, learn it, live it, love it) what the heck these long names are. If something is 18 letters long, and isn’t a known mineral, do I really want to be putting it in my body? If the saying is true, and you are what you eat…what the heck does that make me?  (And, from a vegan perspective,  did you know that animal products creep into the oddest places?) Why does it take an ingredient list 14 ingredients long to make ice cream? When I was a kid (okay, okay, 2 summers ago…), we made that from scratch with some milk, sugar, vanilla, and strawberries, coupled with some ice and rock salt. All of these preservatives and fillers can’t exactly be doing wonders for our health.

I think it’s just really about consciousness. I think back to how many times I sat with a book, or in front of the TV, eating, and before I knew it, my plate was empty, and I’d barely tasted whatever I’d had. I never actually paid attention to how much I was eating, or what it really was. Whether vegan, vegetarian, carnivore…whatever…I think it really just comes down to paying more attention. Both the amounts (everyone’s heard the fist-sized portion-size rule), and what’s actually IN the food you’re eating.

28 day challenge: week 1

alright. i'm ready. seriously. i've been psyching myself up for this all week. i've been tapering off on my caffeine intake-- down to a cup sunday morning, and i didn't even have a headache. so i switched to caffeine-free tea instead of coffee. sometimes you just need that hot drink in the morning. i also stocked up on tons of fruit and really healthy, but still hearty, snacks.

so here's the plan this week:

breakfast: fruit (blueberries, blackberries, apples) with sweet tahini sauce and plain sunflower seeds.
this morning, i forgot the tahini sauce. 
which means i probably forgot fiber.
but the fruit was still delicious. 

snacks: half a smoothie in the morning, healthy nuts in the afternoon.
and i do plan on trying one green smoothie this week.

lunch: brown rice, steamed veggies, in a viniagrette.

dinner: as shown below.

all recipes can be found here, along with many many more options for meals.

remember- adjust this to work for you. i'm not making millet. i'm using brown rice in its place. i couldn't find plums for my breakfast. no big deal. they had no shitake mushrooms at the grocery store i went to, so i'm using baby bella mushrooms. didn't have baby bok choy, so i'm using regular. it's okay. the point of this is not to beat yourself up if you don't do it perfectly. the point is to find ways that you can live healthier. is it cutting out soda? sweets? limiting television? sleeping more?