The Long Road to Healthy

As I'm nearing the end of my 4th week with my "no critter diet" (as my boyfriend calls it...haha), I can't help but think about the up's and down's I've had since I've started this journey.

Giving up meat and dairy products has been very hard. That simply wasn't enough, so then I decided to give up soda and fast food as well (cue the temper-tantrum my body gave me!). I didn't realize how much I had come to rely on my trips through the McDonals drive thru (super-sized for only a dollar more? sure!) or how often I ate something that had dairy in it.  I had to give myself a bit of a pep talk going into this whole thing and writing this blog has helped tremendously with that, as well as the friends and family in my life who have created an awesome circle of support for me (thanks guys!).

Giving up bad habits is not easy. As Mr. Ben Franklin once said, "It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them." and he is so right in that! I wish that I had taken better care of myself when I was a child. I wish that my parents had taught me the importance of exercise and healthy eating choices. I wish I had created a better image of myself so that I wouldn't hide my feelings with binge eating. Fact is--I wish a lot of things. But, I can't go back in time to change what has been done. I CAN however, re-train my mind and body with a healthy choices and try to make that cross over into a healthy lifestyle.

I've changed my eating habits and patterns. I no longer turn to food when I'm bored or stressed (or try not to!). I instead, go read a book, do my homework, take my puppy for a walk to the mailbox or take a hot bath and take some time to meditate. Planning ahead of time has been a key to my success. When you're waking up at 4:45 to quickly take a shower, do your hair and get ready for work, the last thing you want to do is figure out what you're packing in your lunch for the day! So, I've been packing my lunches at night before I go to bed. I specifically think about my day and what kind of protein I'm going to need and how much of it and pack accordingly! This has helped me a lot! Here's a peek at what a basic lunch for me consists of. Some form of protein (today I went with vegan friendly noodles and red sauce!), gotta remember the carrots and celery, soy nuts (a favorite of mine and also packs a lot of protein for my long days at work and school). I also need a little something sweet to conclude my meal, so I have found that all-natural, no sugar added applesauce with a sprinkle of cinnamon hits the spot!And wash it all down with lemon water!

I have lost a total of 9.6 (I've been rounding up to 10!) pounds, 2.5 inches from my hips, 1.5 inches from my waist and 1 inch from my arms in 25 days! **Happy Dance time!**

I will continue to make clean eating choices for the next couple weeks. I plan on staying on the vegan diet for a total of 6 weeks and then start adding healthy lean meats into my diet, mostly fish but maybe a chicken here or there :) I also want to start running. I really really badly want to become a runner. When I hear people talk about their experience with running, I just get goosebumps. It's just you and the pavement (or treadmill, or whatever it may be!) in sync with one another. Sweat pouring down your face and back and legs. Breathing hard. Pounding your stress and worries out on the road with your feet. It sounds so rewarding. I am sure I am going to be regretting saying all this while I'm running and I'll think to myself, "Oh this is just stupid!" or "Running is for crazy people!" but at least I'll be getting in shape while I'm thinking it huh? 

Anyways, that's my next goal for myself. To be able to make it through the Couch to 5K program for runners. I am looking forward to starting it as soon as I get my tax refund money to get a gym membership! Yay! :) 

Until next time fellow-bloggers!
Always Believe in Yourself and Never Say Never. 

Wallowing...more like wailing

Blah. Plain and simple, that's how I feel this week. My motivation is way down...almost feels nonexistent right now. I'm the type of person that takes everything so personally that when bad things happen or I make a bad decision, I make myself pay for that until I feel I've made up for it. I will be making up BIG time for this week.

Work has been crazy insane with inventory this week. I take my work home with me (bad habit!) so that hasn't been helping at all either.  Lot's of early morning runs to 7-Eleven for my Red Bull and a yummy fruit and cheese-filled pastry fix as I head into work for a long day. I have been drinking a lot of water which is an upside, however; I doubt the amount of water I drink can contend in the ring with a cheese pizza from Domino's (I'VE BEEN A NAUGHTY GIRL!). Cue the tears and the anger.

It has also been an emotional week for me and I'm taking it out on my eating patterns. I either don't eat all or eat too much of the not-so-good stuff. I don't want to make excuses (Ashley, isn't that what you're doing??) but that's just how it's gone over the last few days.

I will get back on track, I've made too many promises to myself to turn back now. I plan on joining a gym with my tax refund money and continuing to try this Vegan lifestyle.

GOOD NEWS= I have none. :( I'm going to go wallow in self-pity and have a glass of wine. Or maybe two.

Na na na na...hey hey hey, Goodbye Fat!

Good morning, everyone! Today when I woke up, I planned on sleeping in and being lazy since I don't have to be at work until later this afternoon (after 5 mornings of 6am at work--a girl needs her beauty rest!) however I got my lazy tooishy out of bed and greeted the day. And what a day it is! First, the sun is shinning and the skies are a deep blue today. It warmed my whole body, even my heart a little, when I took the puppy out for a bathroom break. I love when the sun comes out and it feels like it might be getting closer to spring (ok--that's me being a little hopeful. It's still January in Denver.)

After coming back inside, I got on the scale thinking I'd gained a pound since yesterday I didn't eat much of anything good (breakfast was a pastry and a protein bar, lunch was 5 bites of a salad I hated and tasted like nothing and a couple peanut butter cookies, dinner was healthy with my first attempt at eating tofu--I fried it in soy sauce and added it to my noodle and veggie stir-fry. and dessert, well--let's just say I have a major weakness for chocolate and peanut butter cups. So, I was doubtful I had lost anything even though that was my only day of weakness this week. BUT, I got on the scale--2 more pounds down!! That brings my total weight loss to 8 pounds nearing the end of my 2nd week of veganism!

After seeing what 5 pounds of fat looked like (and knowing I have lost 8!), motivated my workout for today. I used my The Biggest Loser Power Walk DVD and walked 2 miles with the low-impact things they incorporate to get my heart-rate up! I sweated lots of got my heart-rate up there and I felt great afterwards, plus it's low-impact for my bad knees which is great!

**Always believe in yourself and never say never!**

Drop It Like Its Hot!

I made it through the week! *Doing a happy dance*

I have been impressed with my strength this week. I honestly didn't think I had it in me to resist the temptations from my no-no foods this week, BUT I DID! I have to tell you, it feels really good but I wont be celebrating too much. I heard somewhere that it takes 90 days to make something a permanent change and a way of life, so I guess I have a little ways to go. I will tell ya this, if I can do this you can too! I am one of the most wishy-washy people when it comes to sticking to a plan (especially diets) and I usually end up making an excuse for why it didn't work out for me when in reality it was just me not giving it 100%.

So, this week paid off mucho mucho! I re-took my measurements and was shocked. I actually took them three times before I actually believed the numbers were real and I didn't need to go to the eye doctor.

That being said....*Drum roll please!*

Weight as of the 13th= 234 (5.6 pounds lost since the 6th!)
Hips as of the 13th= 44.5 inches (2.5 inches lost since the 6th)
Waist as of the 13th= 42.5 inches (1.5 inches lost since the 6th)


Alright, so here's the tricky part. I really need your help friends! I need continuted encourgagement and prayers that I stay strong and don't give up. I also would LOVE tips like recipies. I find that I'm eating the same foods and its getting a little boring.

I plan on exercising more this week. I did some light stuff this past week, but I want to really start breaking a sweat and burning those calories this week. 

Thanks for following me on this journey--it's been super fun so far!

Not Dying...Weird!

Well...I'm closing on the fourth day of my "Veagalicious" (I decided to give Vegan a new name that fits me more. Ha!) lifestyle change. AND...I'm still alive! More importantly, I haven't snapped from my lack of animal spirits whom visited me multiple times a day.

The days have actually passed fairly easily and I find as long as I don't spend my time looking at coupons filled with lots of pictures of perfectly cut meat or think about the things I miss, I'm OK. I'm still eating plenty of things I like and crave. Granted, I have kept a little bit of dairy into the mix of things (I have a mad obsession with Chobani Greek Yogurt--even if it does make my stomach hurt!). I've been keeping a food journal using the My Fitness Pal app on my iPhone. That thing is super easy to use and I can use the barcode scanner to easily add food I've eaten. There's even a section to keep track of your water intake and your workouts! I'm not sure how accurate the calories burned is, but I thought it was pretty neat!

Although I haven't noticed a huge difference in my weight (I am slightly obsessed with getting on the scale--such a bad habit that I need to break!), I do feel like I have a little bit more energy and I've been sleeping great at night! For years I've struggled with insomnia. I usually have to take melatonin to wind my body down at the end of my day. I haven't had to do that at all since I've started this diet. I was amazed! OK--and let me clarify, I am NOT a fan of those cheesy infomercials where the actors and actresses totally fake everything and say the product is amazing when they probably haven't even tried it! So, you can trust me when I say the things I do about this diet. I wouldn't lie to ya'll, what's the point to that?

So, I guess we continue on this journey and see how everything ends up. I do know I need to get some more vegan-friendly recipies and start venturing out there with my food choices because if I don't, I'm going to resort to yelling at the McDonald's drive-thru lady demanding a cow and probably get thrown in jail. Let's not do that. :)

"It took more than a day to gain the weight, I'll take more than one to lose it."

Clarifications

Soooo...just a bit of clarification because I left some out of my inital blog that I thought I typed in there.

I am not following this diet to a "T". I will be consuming some dairy products (like Greek Yogurt). I am just trying to cut all meat when I'm preparing my meals at home. I won't be one of those annoying dieters who insists on not coming over to someone's home because they are cooking meat.

A lot of people in the last two days have said, "Oh well you're a vegan!" after telling them about my new lifestyle approach. I guess I am? But I don't really like that whole "vegan" term. I LOVE meat and dairy and all the animals that produce these for us, so vegan is a foreign term to me (my dad would ground me for telling him I'm a vegan--kidding?).

So there you have it people! I just want to test this out for a couple weeks and see how my body responds. I don't plan on starving myself to lose this weight, I love food too much for that.

Thanks for following me and encouraging me on my journey! :)

New Year

Hello everyone! Thanks for reading my blog. I wanted to start a detailed journal of my weight loss journey (or hopefully loss anyways!). I am not a personal trainer or a nutrionsalist nor do I plan on giving people advice on their lifestyle; I simply wanted to track my progress, motivate myself and maybe help insipre others. If I can do this, anyone can. So....that being said, let's start! :)


Diet:
*No-animal product based (no eggs, dairy products, meat, etc).
*No Fast-food
*No Soda


Now, I know what some of you may be thinking when you read "no-animal products"...and I can assure you I love eating them and am not against meat at all. A friend of mine tried this and said she felt better and had more energy, so I decided to give it a go. This will be hard for me because I grew up eating meat products (especially red meat) at every meal, BUT....I've tried the Adkins diet and it made me a very unpleasant person to be around (just ask my boyfriend).

For the next month I will be eating only carbs, fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. I also plan on drinking at least 8 eight-ounce glasses of water each day along with green tea to boost my metabolism (or some such bullshit). :P My goal is to be down half an inch around my waist. I wont be totally obsessed with counting the pounds this month, at least not on here!

I will be doing some light walking and free weight workouts for the next week or so until my body adjusts to this new way of living ("AHHH, NO COWS OR CHICKENS!!!).

Feel free to chime in with POSITIVE comments and suggestions. I don't need negative comments. Yes Sherlock, I know I am overweight. That's why I'm doing this. Duh! Anyways, wish me luck!

Measurements as of January 6, 2013
Weight: 239.6
Waist: 44
Hips: 47
Thighs: 28
Calves: 15.5
Neck: 14.5
Arm:15
Chest: 45.5

I will taking before pictures tomorrow morning. :)