Monday, May 4, 2009

Made it through the weekend....

Soooooooooo.....so far so good! Last week had some yummy meals....green thai curry one night, lettuce wraps another. Had my go-to salad at the Mexican Connection as usual, shredded romaine with guac and black beans....so yummy :-)

Also had a taco salad sans chicken and cheese twice last week at Cantina. Do you think I eat enough Mexican food??? I certainly drink enough margaritas!!

Today for breakfast I had some pineapple and for lunch made a veggie burrito: diced avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalepenos wrapped up.

My recipe books arrived last week, though I have yet to make anything from them yet. But I am REALLY excited about the one from this restaurant called the Blossoming Lotus....basically all the recipes are super delish exotic fusion recipes. Can't wait! Gonna have to drive to Albany to go to the Asian market though...

Lastly, eating out is tough....it is do-able, it's just the self restraint required stinks. Here's a menu, full of delicious items you have had and want, but you know you shouldn't....however, I must say I have done exceptionally well at the restaurants. All week last week the only non-vegan things I had were eggs...Saturday and Sunday morning. Wooohoo!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Off the wagon....

So clearly it's been a long time. And no I have not been eating like a good little vegan girl. But I am climbing back on!! Enough is enough is enough. So right now am having a strawberry banana vanilla soy smoothie.

I ordered some vegan cookbooks from Amazon.com and I think that will help....not always having to google vegan recipes every time I want to cook! Also, spring has finally sprung, and I think having "more better" haha fresh veggies around will help.

So here's to second chances....and those bikinis sitting in my drawer...

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Day 18....Time Flys!

So I was kind of scared to weigh myself, as I had a gluttonous weekend and then promptly got a terrible cold. Thanks to the cold I have been having cough drops that contained sugar (didn't have the energy to get new ones at the Health Foods store) and honey and sliced lemon in hot water. So I have followed the diet, but sneaked in some sugars. I am getting better though, finally!! Today I feel much better. Which is why I decided, time to weigh in whether good or bad. And it's good! I am down to 138 lbs, 7.8lbs less than I weighed 2.5 weeks ago. Which is really exciting.

I am STILL struggling to eat enough GREEN vegetables. But I will get there.

One thing I am working on in life aside from eating better is living better, and for me that means decluttering and reorganizing. I am not a neat person by nature, much to my mother's frustration ;-) I seriously spent half of high school grounded (or "on restriction" as they say in GA) because my room wasn't clean.

Yet I have FANTASTIC organizing skills. Give me a pile of crap or a job at an office with no system, and BOOM I can make it work. I just have trouble KEEPING it that way.

So long story short, the tie with Eat to Live and Organization is this: most local food pantries are desperate for food right now. I happened to have tons of canned food (thanks to our BJs membership) that I shouldn't be eating....canned peaches in syrup, baked beans (full of high fructose corn syrup....don't get me started), etc. So off I went....double duty....getting rid of stuff I don't need and giving back just a little.

Time to go make some soup.....portabella mushroom something....will let you know how it turns out.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Day ?

So I have lost count and am in a hurry....this week has been SOOOO busy. But regardless of what day it is of my lifestyle change, I have several good news items to report.

Weight is down to 139.6, fat percentage is 33.5 and water percentage is 46.5, yay!

Next--if yo uwant to do any sort of healthful eating, check out your local health food store. DUH you all say, but I just hadn't gotten around to it til last night. MMMMM. Plenty of VEGAN options...including ice cream!!! Not that the ice cream is low in sugar, the kind I bought uses agave syrup (tequila anyone?) but the point is it's non dairy and delish!!! Even Tory loved it. So for the times you NEED the ice cream, it is there.

Also, bought some porabella mushroom caps at BJS, so I have like ten of them. Sounds like soups on to me. In looking for some recipes, I stumbled upon this blog. Again--if you want to start eating healthy, check her out!

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Day 9

Morning :-)

So the weekend was great, had a blast in Stowe! Will try and upload some pics at some point. This week is crazy busy for me with work, which I am grateful for.

I was very good over the weekend, only "failing" was having more than one drink Saturday night.

Yesterday I followed the rules, but decided to allow myself for the first time in 8 days some animal protein. 10% of your diet can be animal protein, so technically that isn't breaking a rule, but I am REALLY trying to only have animal protein 1) outside of my own home and 2) on a special basis.

The owner of the Mexican Connection, Jay, made an after-hours dinner and TV show watching (Bourdain's No Reservations) at 10pm of phenomenal paella. I seriously could have had 3x as much as I did, but I kept my portion in check. Yellow rice, onions, peas, peppers, chorizo sausage, mussels, scallops, and shrimp. SOOOOOOOO good. Glad I picked his cooking as my treat!!! Plus it was fun to see everyone.

Long story short is I am feeling good, excited about the weight loss, and the olny thing I am struggling with is eating enough greens. But that's why Dr. Fuhrman tells you in the book to work up to 2 lbs. per day....because they really do fill you up and it's a lot of chewing, haha!

Back to work......

Friday, January 23, 2009

Day 5, Feeling Strong!

So weigh in today is 141 lbs, 33.5% fat, and 46.5% water. Have lost just under 5 lbs in 5 days, and 1 percent fat. Water weight is up. When I have more time I will let you know what the ideal water % is for a woman....today's not that day. Off to a meeting!

Feeling great, motivated for being good and repeating my "commitment is something you stick with NO MATTER WHAT" mantra. have already packed my tea and oatmeal and nuts. will pack soon the fruits and veggies. i am bringing some wine but am going to stick to a glass a day!! also bought some chocolate soy milk if i am CRAVING hot cocoa....we'll see if that is drinkable or not, haha! never in my life did i think i would purchase soy milk. also, found a breakfast joint online that makes vegan breakfasts in stowe!!! super excited to try that, as going out to breakfast is one of my favorite thing :-) a happy and healthy weekend wish to all of you!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

day 4 (already?)

this is quick...super crazy busy!! heading to vermont for the weekend with 3 girls, 2 boxers, and a pug! wish us luck :-)

gained .2 lbs, not sure why other than normal weight fluctuation, because i have been VERY good!! we'll see how it is tomorrow. this weekend will be tough, but i am super motivated and finding it surprisingly easy to stick with this diet.lifestylechage.whatever you want to call it.

happy weekend!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

day 3

Okay...so last night/today has been nuts. Google "ice dam" and you'll know why. Let's just say I'm out $300. The joys of home ownership. Anyhow, today I weighed myself but have misplaced the info. All I remember are my pounds...not the fat and water %. So I am 142.

Last night met a gf (becky!) outr for "drinks" which normally means 2+ margaritas :-) she had the margs and I had a glass of wine. only one! we ended up eating there (the mex!), and i had romaine lettuce with sliced avocado and salsa on top. and a side of their black beans. they have salt & a teeeeensy amount of oil. 2 Tablespoons for the 40 pounds of onions and beans. I figured that was ok.

Today I had oatmeal with raspberries for breakfast, a little bit of black bean chili for lunch, pineapple for a snack, and for dinner a yummy vegan burger (no bread!) with sliced avocado and sliced jalapenos. Have made some vegan cole slaw (store-bought bag of shredded broccoli, carrots, and cabbage) to which i have added apple cider vinegar and shredded organic apple. Will probably eat that around 8. pm. Haven't eaten as much "green" as I should have today. But tomorrow's another day......

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Day 2

So yesterday went well....had some more fruit and salad for din-din! Today's stats are 143.6, 36% fat, 45% water. This morning had a banana and a grapefruit for breakfast. Lunch will probably be potato leek soup and a side salad. I want to share another really good resource with you....because most us cannot afford the fabulous Liebehrr BioFresh Refrigerators, haha, it is super important to keep the costly fruits and veggies nutritious and well for as long as possible. I REALLY don't want to be throwing away good, expensive, nutirious food because it has gone bad.

Check this website out. It tells you the 4 key things you need to know about fruits and veggie storage. 1) The ideal temperature it should be stored at 2) Whether the item produces a gas called ethelyne 3) whether the item is ethelyne sensitive and 4) the ideal level of humitidy

Basically some fruits and veggies produce a gas called ethylene as they ripen or age. And some are what it is called "ethylene sensitive" which is why if you have an ethylene producer in the same bowl as an ethylene sensitive, your ethylene sensitive item goes bad much more quickly than it should.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/fruits-vegetables-storage-conditions-d_710.html


I have this printed out on my fridge for easy reference when unpacking from the store/farmers market.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Day One....

Hola....so I am starting this blog as a way to keep myself accountable & to share my experience with others. Thanks to celebrity songstress Alanis Morissette, I heard about this book called "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I went to his website, http://www.drfuhrman.com/default.aspx and checked it out. Then on to Borders, to pick up the book.

It has taken me awhile to get through it, but last night was the night. It is finished, and I am ready to start my new "lifestyle." The key to this change is health. Weight loss is an added bonus.

The basics of this way of eating are as follows: 1 lb a day of raw GREEN vegetables. 1 lb a day of steamed/cooked veggies, 1 c. of beans/legumes, 4+ fruits per day (yay!!) limited raw nuts (2oz or 200 calories). NO salt, animal protein, no dairy, no oils. Wish me luck!

I have printed and posted 3 mantras around the house:

1. "commitment to achieve wellness"
2. "a commitment is a promise you stick with no matter what"
3. "the salad is the main dish"

So this morning I got on the scale, and here is the TRUTH: I weigh 145.8 lbs, my body fat percentage is 34.5% and my water weight is 46%.

Yesterday I made two soups to help get me through the week, black bean chili and potato leek. The vegetable broth I used has salt in it, so I am already being naughty. Next time I will by sodium free, I promise!!

One of the hard things about essentially becoming a fat-free vegan is finding recipes....basically oil can be omitted when sauteing veggies...just use the exact same amount your recipe calls for and exchange with veg. broth.

Here are two sites that have some good recipes:

whfoods.org

http://www.fatfreevegan.com/etl/index.shtml

Today breakfast was a banana and an orange. I'm getting hungry, so will head for a salad with tangerine balsamic vinegar as the dressing (http://www.oldtownoil.com/) AMAZING! and some of the black bean chili.