Well, surprisingly I made it! I got through all 21 days of my challenge and did not cheat once. I feel great and am excited to report that the final total loss is 13 pounds!!That is pretty exciting stuff, seeing as how I didn't work out one day!! I really feel like I need to start though so that will be the new challenge -- we'll see how that goes. My will power has been great so far, I just need to channel that into working out.
My day started off not great but not too bad, but then ended on an "interesting" note and I will admit that my first thought was to eat something that I shouldn't... (my go to choice of emotional snacking is definitely chips), but, I refrained and ate my apples and grapes and chomped the heck out of them. Then I called my sweet friend who talked me off the ledge so to speak. :) Now, I am feeling much more calm and sane and I didn't eat a bunch of unhealthy food.
All in all, I enjoyed the past 21 days and my tummy thanks me!! Yay!! :)
Monday, January 23, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
21 Day Vegan Challenge: Part Three
Well, I have lost an additional two pounds, making the total thus far 8 pounds. That is a good thing!! I hope that I at least lose a few more this week to make it an even ten.
A few things I have noticed:
1. The green tea/dandelion root tea really does work. I mentioned it briefly in post one but it's worth mentioning again. Not only does it help flush all the gross stuff out, it works as an appetite suppressant as well.
2. I had some tater tots this week with my vegan burger and the next morning I had gained 1.8 pounds!!! Holy Cow!!! I mean I know potatoes turn to sugar and all that, but I didn't think about it until I saw numeric evidence. I guess I will be sticking to the sweet potatoes after all.
3. It has been a fairly easy transition, as I have mentioned, however, I miss salmon. Boiled salmon with lemon pepper = one of my fav meals....Maybe I can be a vegan like 28 days out of the month and just have some salmon every once in a while??
4. I ordered some veggie fajitas from a Mexican restaurant this past week, and while the girl taking my order was very clear on what vegetarians could eat, she wasn't very schooled on the vegan diet. She kept asking me if I wanted sour cream and cheese with that -- silly girl. They were super good though! I found a website for a place in Austin that will cook and deliver a weeks worth of vegan meals --- one more reason why I should move to Austin.
All in all, I have been sleeping better, feeling better and I feel full and satisfied after every meal. I think the last week will be just as great as the first two!
A few things I have noticed:
1. The green tea/dandelion root tea really does work. I mentioned it briefly in post one but it's worth mentioning again. Not only does it help flush all the gross stuff out, it works as an appetite suppressant as well.
2. I had some tater tots this week with my vegan burger and the next morning I had gained 1.8 pounds!!! Holy Cow!!! I mean I know potatoes turn to sugar and all that, but I didn't think about it until I saw numeric evidence. I guess I will be sticking to the sweet potatoes after all.
3. It has been a fairly easy transition, as I have mentioned, however, I miss salmon. Boiled salmon with lemon pepper = one of my fav meals....Maybe I can be a vegan like 28 days out of the month and just have some salmon every once in a while??
4. I ordered some veggie fajitas from a Mexican restaurant this past week, and while the girl taking my order was very clear on what vegetarians could eat, she wasn't very schooled on the vegan diet. She kept asking me if I wanted sour cream and cheese with that -- silly girl. They were super good though! I found a website for a place in Austin that will cook and deliver a weeks worth of vegan meals --- one more reason why I should move to Austin.
All in all, I have been sleeping better, feeling better and I feel full and satisfied after every meal. I think the last week will be just as great as the first two!
Monday, January 9, 2012
21 Day Vegan Challenge -- Part Two
Well, here it is 8 days later and I am alive and well. I am also six pounds lighter. It is definitely nice to see that scale go down about a pound a day -- it is the kind of motivation that I need and what I respond to. I am impatient and need to see results quickly or I get bored, so this has worked out perfectly! I didn't lose anything from Friday to Saturday and I was kind of sad, but I reminded myself that it is about being healthy on the inside and not just about the outside. I also know that six pounds is not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things considering that I think I probably gained about ten lbs. from the middle of November to the first of the year. Emotional/Holiday eating is not your tummy's friend!!!
But on the upside, I feel really good and I am not starving to death. I have been sleeping better, I feel I have more energy and I can see a little bit of a change in my skin. Downside is that after the first few days I did start craving all the gross stuff -- I guess I was going through withdrawals, but I did not cheat. Also, I am a little bored with meal choices but that is just because I'm broke, lol!! When I get to go to the grocery store, it will be better!
I am determined to stick it out the 21 days. My prediction now is that I won't stay strictly vegan -- I do miss some things. But, I do love the healthy feeling I have now...is the old way worth losing that?! I guess we will see!!!
But on the upside, I feel really good and I am not starving to death. I have been sleeping better, I feel I have more energy and I can see a little bit of a change in my skin. Downside is that after the first few days I did start craving all the gross stuff -- I guess I was going through withdrawals, but I did not cheat. Also, I am a little bored with meal choices but that is just because I'm broke, lol!! When I get to go to the grocery store, it will be better!
I am determined to stick it out the 21 days. My prediction now is that I won't stay strictly vegan -- I do miss some things. But, I do love the healthy feeling I have now...is the old way worth losing that?! I guess we will see!!!
Monday, January 2, 2012
21 Day Vegan Challenge
So, I decided that I would just test the waters and see if I could do the vegan thing without becoming completely overwhelmed and stressed out. I found the challenge as a link on the website that sends me news and information about my adopted turkey, Payton, and how his friends at the Farm Sanctuary are doing. (One link was to a video message from some gal named Lisa, I think -- I was kind of disinterested in her and what she had to say after seeing all the ADORABLE animals running around in the snow.)*insert moment of silence to reflect on the cuteness of chubby little pigs and hefty cattle running amok -- awwwhhhh!!!* OK!!! Back on topic -- I clicked on the website for the PCRM, which is the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. They showed a 21 day plan for establishing better eating habits and it just happened to be a vegan diet. They even give you a 21 day menu, making it super simple, and allows for leftovers, which is a dream come true for me and my "I hate getting up at five am so I can get my lunch ready for school." (Even though, I have been known to do that on several occasions.)
I have discussed my issues with food in prior posts, and this will maybe alleviate some of that stress, or it could make it a million times worse. Today was a pretty good day. I ate three completely vegan meals and I feel really good right now compared to what I felt like this morning. I ate a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't have over the holidays and my system is kinda paying for it now. But it will all be okay!! :)
So, here is what I ate today. Honestly, it wasn't that far off of what I normally eat, so I feel confident in saying that it might be a lot easier than I thought. And, this wasn't even the proposed menu. It's just stuff I had at the house, and it will just have to make do for a while, because I am poor & don't get pd til January 26th (sad face!!!)
Breakfast: small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with dried cranberries, 4 oz. orange juice & 1 cutie clementine
Lunch: 1 can of Amy's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup (which costs like 4 dollars at Brookshire's -- I won't be eating that a lot, but oh my goodness, it is worth it because not only is it completely vegan, it tastes flippin' amazing!!!)
I had NO chocolate on my break at work -- YAY for me!! In fact, I had a very nice chat with the sweet custodian lady and that totally kept my mind off my snacking and I really wasn't even hungry anyways.
Dinner: Thin spaghetti with asparagus, purple onion, minced garlic, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. I sauteed the veggies in a little bit of olive oil. I was super proud of myself because I didn't add any salt to it at all!! I just put in a little black pepper. It was good, a little bland, but good.
I just drank water and tea -- in fact I did the green tea and some dandelion root tea, which is "supposed" to be a detoxifier. I didn't add stevia or anything else. I didn't even miss my morning coffee.
Now, I want to make clear that this is not a resolution by any means. I would have done this regardless of what time of year it was. So, with that in mind, maybe I won't be like the 80% of people who fail to be successful in their resolutions. I think I have even talked my mama and daddy into doing it as well. They take a lot of medications, I really believe if they cut out a lot of the foods they eat, they would feel better and be able to get off those meds.
So, I will let you know how it goes in the next few days!! :)
I have discussed my issues with food in prior posts, and this will maybe alleviate some of that stress, or it could make it a million times worse. Today was a pretty good day. I ate three completely vegan meals and I feel really good right now compared to what I felt like this morning. I ate a lot of stuff that I probably shouldn't have over the holidays and my system is kinda paying for it now. But it will all be okay!! :)
So, here is what I ate today. Honestly, it wasn't that far off of what I normally eat, so I feel confident in saying that it might be a lot easier than I thought. And, this wasn't even the proposed menu. It's just stuff I had at the house, and it will just have to make do for a while, because I am poor & don't get pd til January 26th (sad face!!!)
Breakfast: small bowl of steel-cut oatmeal with dried cranberries, 4 oz. orange juice & 1 cutie clementine
Lunch: 1 can of Amy's Organic Lentil Vegetable Soup (which costs like 4 dollars at Brookshire's -- I won't be eating that a lot, but oh my goodness, it is worth it because not only is it completely vegan, it tastes flippin' amazing!!!)
I had NO chocolate on my break at work -- YAY for me!! In fact, I had a very nice chat with the sweet custodian lady and that totally kept my mind off my snacking and I really wasn't even hungry anyways.
Dinner: Thin spaghetti with asparagus, purple onion, minced garlic, black olives and sun-dried tomatoes. I sauteed the veggies in a little bit of olive oil. I was super proud of myself because I didn't add any salt to it at all!! I just put in a little black pepper. It was good, a little bland, but good.
I just drank water and tea -- in fact I did the green tea and some dandelion root tea, which is "supposed" to be a detoxifier. I didn't add stevia or anything else. I didn't even miss my morning coffee.
Now, I want to make clear that this is not a resolution by any means. I would have done this regardless of what time of year it was. So, with that in mind, maybe I won't be like the 80% of people who fail to be successful in their resolutions. I think I have even talked my mama and daddy into doing it as well. They take a lot of medications, I really believe if they cut out a lot of the foods they eat, they would feel better and be able to get off those meds.
So, I will let you know how it goes in the next few days!! :)
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