I've been lazy and haven't been posting. Sorry to anyone that cares...
I currently weigh 178lbs, and that makes me happy! I'm on the slow road to 165lbs, and still feeling good. I'm being very cautious not to get too excited - why? Well, as you start losing weight it can become addicting, so you can do silly things like "well, today I'm only going to eat fruits and veggies" and then at the end of the day you realized you were so busy you hardly ate anything, and then you just leave it and lose an unnecessary pound or two of water weight. You've GOT to keep eating throughout the day! It helps you lose weight much faster anyway, because your body is continually in the mode of digestion. If you drink water and eat when you wake up, around lunch time, a small snack in the afternoon, and have an early dinner around 6 or 7, and then have nothing but water and juice after 8, you'll be in good shape. Literally!
So far I've lost an average of about 3 pounds per week, but that's just from the shock of getting back on the diet strictly after the honeymoon. I've got 60 days until my target, September 1st, and I just have to lose 13lbs! Totally doable. So far I've lost nearly 50 pounds on the vegan diet, and nearly 80 pounds in the last two years of dieting. I'm now at a 32 waist, whereas a 38 was my only option a few years ago. I wear medium shirts, which used to be XL, and I used to have trouble sleeping, feeling full, and having energy throughout the day. Not anymore!
My hope is to lose some more weight, and do some cardio and training to get rid of some belly / love handle fat. Like most guys that were once very overweight, I also gotta do some chest training to minimize any manboob-ish formations.
One thing that is exciting is that I finally am in the "normal" range for my BMI numbers! This has not happened in I don't even know how long. My BMI is currently 24.8 kg/m sq. My freshman year in college weighing 256 and being 5'10, my BMI was 36.7, which in case you didn't know, is in the "Severely Obese" category. Now it's sitting at the top of the "Healthy" range of 18-25. When I weigh 165, it will be at 23.0!
I still haven't quit smoking, but I'm on the road to doing that as well. It's very strange how my story is so similar to everyone else out there. You think "ah, I won't get addicted to it." And then you do. Go figure. Jeez. I feel so stupid for getting into it in the first place. Trying to quit though. I know I have to!
Exciting times, these are.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Month 4: day 15 - 21
Still going strong! I'm back down to 180 and Just 15 pounds to go. I downloaded this cool app called TargetWeight Pro that helps you keep track of almost everything in your day to day health: blood pressure, pulse, cholesterol, weigh and BMI, etc but it also shows you visual representation of where you are in relation to normal ie healthy numbers. This is nice because not everyone knows that healthy BMI ranges from 18 to 25 and they may be surprise to see themselves in the obese category!
It also let's you set a goal date and loss amount and shows a graph of your progress. After each weigh in it tells you your loss average and keeps you informed about how fast you'll reach your target at this rate. A very cool and FREE app.
Been watching my habits as usual. It's so easy to Just grab something snacky and eat it on the way to work. The problem is that so few things in that category are actually even decent for you. It's almost impossible to even get fruit or moderately healthy snacks at the gas station. Sad really.
More to come!
It also let's you set a goal date and loss amount and shows a graph of your progress. After each weigh in it tells you your loss average and keeps you informed about how fast you'll reach your target at this rate. A very cool and FREE app.
Been watching my habits as usual. It's so easy to Just grab something snacky and eat it on the way to work. The problem is that so few things in that category are actually even decent for you. It's almost impossible to even get fruit or moderately healthy snacks at the gas station. Sad really.
More to come!
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Month 4: Days 11-14
So I was talking to a friend the other day who has recently started to take a look at what he's eating. We were talking about portion control, veganism, all sorts of different things, and somehow the topic came up and I listed these things as the biggest factors that helped me in my "diet." Now personally, I don't think "diets" work. I
think lifestyle changes do. I chose to be a vegan, and it's changed my
life for the better. I don't think "eating less" is necessarily a big
enough change to be considered a lifestyle change, however, it's a GREAT
thing to do. ANYWAY. Here they are in order:
1. Get enough sleep. This will affect everything about your life: your energy, your weight loss, your mood, your metabolism, your stress, your recovery from workouts. All of these things are affected by sleep. Get enough of it. 6 hours is not enough, more like 8 or 9. Go to bed early and wake up early. It's tough, but it's the most important part of dieting.
2. Drink water. A close second - drinking primarily water and a whole lot of it will help you in ANY type of diet or lifestyle. Drinking a glass of water in the morning when you wake up will jump-start your metabolism by 20% almost immediately.
3. Eat less, but more often. No matter what diet you're doing, this is good for you on so many levels. I suggest 4 meals a day - most Americans only have two real meals a day. Eat breakfast every day. This is the absolute most important meal of the day, so eat whole grains like granola, barley cereal, oats / oatmeal, and also eat lots of fruits. Don't load up on toast, meat and dairy, and especially not sugar.
4. Cut out sugars, salts, and oils. For some reason people still think that just because you pick out healthy produce, it's okay to still put a bunch of crappy stuff on top of it. We often cook in olive oil. Did you know Olive Oil is 120 calories per TABLESPOON? Did you know that all cooking oils and sprays are basically 100% fat? (to find the fat percentage, divide the calories by calories from fat - 100 calories, 50 calories from fat = 50% fat).
5. Discover your love for vegetables, fruits, and legumes! You will find things that you like, it just takes time. Trust me on that! These things are fantastic for you and will help you lose weight, especially raw fruits and veggies.
6. Be Aware of your Progress Constantly! Weigh yourself every day at the same time(s). Keep yourself in check and make small goals. Don't just sit there and be like "I'm going to lost 50 pounds!" You'll get discouraged every day that you're not there. Start with 5 pounds at a time, using each weight marker as a goal. 180, 175, 170...etc. Try hard to make your goals with yourself, and do whatever it takes. Buy one outfit a few sizes down. One pair of jeans and a shirt. Work hard to fit into that. Once you fit into it perfectly (as in, it's comfortable on your body) then GET RID OF YOUR OTHER CLOTHES! Don't let yourself be tempted. I got rid of hundreds of dollars of clothes to Salvation Army, and yes, had to buy new ones. But, it's worth it!
7. Don't give up! You will lose weight. You will lose inches. Be confident and surround yourself with people that care. Be patient. Read. Learn. Experiment. Cook. Educate yourself!
1. Get enough sleep. This will affect everything about your life: your energy, your weight loss, your mood, your metabolism, your stress, your recovery from workouts. All of these things are affected by sleep. Get enough of it. 6 hours is not enough, more like 8 or 9. Go to bed early and wake up early. It's tough, but it's the most important part of dieting.
2. Drink water. A close second - drinking primarily water and a whole lot of it will help you in ANY type of diet or lifestyle. Drinking a glass of water in the morning when you wake up will jump-start your metabolism by 20% almost immediately.
3. Eat less, but more often. No matter what diet you're doing, this is good for you on so many levels. I suggest 4 meals a day - most Americans only have two real meals a day. Eat breakfast every day. This is the absolute most important meal of the day, so eat whole grains like granola, barley cereal, oats / oatmeal, and also eat lots of fruits. Don't load up on toast, meat and dairy, and especially not sugar.
4. Cut out sugars, salts, and oils. For some reason people still think that just because you pick out healthy produce, it's okay to still put a bunch of crappy stuff on top of it. We often cook in olive oil. Did you know Olive Oil is 120 calories per TABLESPOON? Did you know that all cooking oils and sprays are basically 100% fat? (to find the fat percentage, divide the calories by calories from fat - 100 calories, 50 calories from fat = 50% fat).
5. Discover your love for vegetables, fruits, and legumes! You will find things that you like, it just takes time. Trust me on that! These things are fantastic for you and will help you lose weight, especially raw fruits and veggies.
6. Be Aware of your Progress Constantly! Weigh yourself every day at the same time(s). Keep yourself in check and make small goals. Don't just sit there and be like "I'm going to lost 50 pounds!" You'll get discouraged every day that you're not there. Start with 5 pounds at a time, using each weight marker as a goal. 180, 175, 170...etc. Try hard to make your goals with yourself, and do whatever it takes. Buy one outfit a few sizes down. One pair of jeans and a shirt. Work hard to fit into that. Once you fit into it perfectly (as in, it's comfortable on your body) then GET RID OF YOUR OTHER CLOTHES! Don't let yourself be tempted. I got rid of hundreds of dollars of clothes to Salvation Army, and yes, had to buy new ones. But, it's worth it!
7. Don't give up! You will lose weight. You will lose inches. Be confident and surround yourself with people that care. Be patient. Read. Learn. Experiment. Cook. Educate yourself!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Month 4: Days 6-10
So I'm finally back from my honeymoon and glad to say I only gained 5 pounds in the two weeks of the trip! Haha. I was expecting a lot more since I took a break from the vegan thing some days so I could have some amazing seafood in Seattle. But alas I've been back a whole day and a half and I'm circling around 183 lbs.
I've been debating a lot about the 155 goal I set before. I don't know if that's really going to look right on a guy with wide shoulders like myself. I don't know. I looked up some NBA point guards around 5'11 and most of them weigh like 170. Now these guys are in good shape...Skinny yet very muscular. It seems like that's more logical than being a tiny bean stalk, which is not my body type at all! Regardless, I'm going to continue on the path and once I hit 165 I'll reevaluate if I need to lose more fat or just start working out more. That's still 20 pounds from now so a lot can change! I'm excited.
Two of my friends Just decided to switch to a vegan lifestyle recently and that makes me very happy. It takes a lot of courage to do such a thing but it also takes a lot of willpower and motivation. Food is an addiction and I'm very certain that, as with any addiction, the hardest part is admitting you have a real problem. Overweight people don't deny their weight, but often they choose to ignore it, like it's not a problem, though they know in their heart they aren't happy with the way they look and most likely never have been. Trust me I know exactly what's up with that situation. My skinny wife has never experienced that, and we were joking about it the other day and it came up about how she doesn't understand what it's like to be overweight for most of your memorable life. It's hell! I know! This is exactly why I went on this "diet" in the first place. There comes a time when you just throw up your hands and say that's it I'm finally going to do something about this...
So to anyone reading and any of my friends that have changed their lifestyles, I commend you for taking an active role in your own health.
I've been debating a lot about the 155 goal I set before. I don't know if that's really going to look right on a guy with wide shoulders like myself. I don't know. I looked up some NBA point guards around 5'11 and most of them weigh like 170. Now these guys are in good shape...Skinny yet very muscular. It seems like that's more logical than being a tiny bean stalk, which is not my body type at all! Regardless, I'm going to continue on the path and once I hit 165 I'll reevaluate if I need to lose more fat or just start working out more. That's still 20 pounds from now so a lot can change! I'm excited.
Two of my friends Just decided to switch to a vegan lifestyle recently and that makes me very happy. It takes a lot of courage to do such a thing but it also takes a lot of willpower and motivation. Food is an addiction and I'm very certain that, as with any addiction, the hardest part is admitting you have a real problem. Overweight people don't deny their weight, but often they choose to ignore it, like it's not a problem, though they know in their heart they aren't happy with the way they look and most likely never have been. Trust me I know exactly what's up with that situation. My skinny wife has never experienced that, and we were joking about it the other day and it came up about how she doesn't understand what it's like to be overweight for most of your memorable life. It's hell! I know! This is exactly why I went on this "diet" in the first place. There comes a time when you just throw up your hands and say that's it I'm finally going to do something about this...
So to anyone reading and any of my friends that have changed their lifestyles, I commend you for taking an active role in your own health.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Month 4: days 1-5 (91-95)
So I've been enjoying life at sea for a few days now... But all the complimentary food has got me overeating. Gotta watch it, it's said that the AVERAGE cruise passenger gains 7-14 pounds per week! Crazy! It took me about a month to lose my last ten pounds and I know it could come back in a matter of days. Sure it's my vacation, maybe I should indulge a little, right? Maybe not I say. I've got a goal and a commitment to myself that I won't break.
I'm going to set some mini goals or milestones. My 155 goal is too far from here for it to seem doable so saying 175 by July 1st and 165 by August 1st helps it seem a little less challenging.
Weight loss is nonlinear. As you get closer and closer to your ideal weight it becomes harder and harder to lose the weight. When you first start out its easy to lose 10 or 15 pounds in an early week or two. That's good. Its behavior shock for your body. It gives you confidence and willpower. As you try so hard to lose just a pound or two per week towards the end, it gives you discipline. It makes you focus hard on what you're eating, when you're working out, and if you're pushing yourself to the limit.
I'm going to set some mini goals or milestones. My 155 goal is too far from here for it to seem doable so saying 175 by July 1st and 165 by August 1st helps it seem a little less challenging.
Weight loss is nonlinear. As you get closer and closer to your ideal weight it becomes harder and harder to lose the weight. When you first start out its easy to lose 10 or 15 pounds in an early week or two. That's good. Its behavior shock for your body. It gives you confidence and willpower. As you try so hard to lose just a pound or two per week towards the end, it gives you discipline. It makes you focus hard on what you're eating, when you're working out, and if you're pushing yourself to the limit.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Month 3: Days 26 - 31
This last week I got married to my lovely fiance, now whom I am proud to call my wife. I know it seems superficial of me to remember my weight on the day of our wedding, but it was 180lbs. I've been on my honeymoon for the last few days, and I've been enjoying it. Been breaking the vegan diet slightly so I can enjoy some great seafood in Seattle. WOW it's the best I've ever had. Been to SF Bay area, been to New England, and in my opinion Seattle is my favorite. Pike's Place is awesome with all of its shops, fresh produce and fish, flowers, dealers, etc. The atmosphere here is gorgeous and inviting, it's friendly and yet bustling. It's like a friendly New York with less crime and more environmental awareness...
I already reached my original goal of 185, and I've been slowly climbing down the weight ladder. I've been really debating what my new weight goal should be. According to three different medical websites, my BMI is 26, which is still one point over the highest I should be in the "healthy" BMI range. My wife's BMI is of course in the LOW range because she's skinny and can eat whatever she wants...makes me jealous.
My freshman year in college I weighed 256, which I just realized that made my BMI about 37...wow! Weird to see that on paper. That means that I was considered medically obese for my height. It was very upsetting to me even though I haven't weighed that much in over two years. Still, I feel like more people should see what they weigh in relation to their height so that they can realize where they stand in the scale of "low" to "high", "underweight" to "obese" etc. Check out this simple calculator:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/weightcalculator/index.aspx
According to many different sources, a BMI ranging between 18 - 25 is normal, and 19 - 24 is considered "healthy." I decided what makes sense is to just select the middleground here and get right in the center of "healthy." By these figures, that'd mean a BMI of about 21.5 - let's just round to 22 for ease. Using this same website, I tried out some different figures and found that around 155lbs for a guy of my height (5'11) was a totally healthy, middle of the road figure for weight and BMI.
Now at first my natural inclination is to say "wow that's still 30 more pounds...isn't that too much?" but then I started to realize that this isn't necessarily factoring in appearance choice (i.e., men are usually "more attractive" when they are muscular builds, and sometimes weigh more than recommended) and same with women, who are generally "preferred" to look a little bit skinnier than their medically recommended weight. Many times these calculations do not factor in age, and since I'm in my early twenties, I feel like I'm not really in the "Test zone" for most of these medical figures. So I did some more research and found this other website...
http://www.icb2001.com/What_You_Should_Weigh.asp
This website you enter in your wrist circumference along with your height and your weight and it tells you what your frame size is. I don't know how exactly accurate this is, but it told me I should weight between 132 and 179...so...the average between the two is 155. Considering that's what my other figures showed up to be, the vote seems unanimous so far: I'm still slightly overweight, and I could stand to lose up to about 30 more pounds. Crazy!
So, my new weight goal is 155. That would put me right in the middle of the healthy zone. I know it seems like a huge milestone away because I've lost over 40 pounds on this diet so far and now I'm saying to myself "hey self, lose another 30," BUT I know from my belly and my arms that I could stand to lose some more weight, and one of the hardest things to admit to oneself is that when you have extra weight, you have it EVERYWHERE, not just your belly. So if you lose 30 pounds, you lose it equally all across your body, which may only translate to 10 pounds out of your belly and 20 from all other parts including your neck, back, arms, butt, and legs. 30 pounds really starts to not look like that much when you consider THOSE things!
155 here I come!
I already reached my original goal of 185, and I've been slowly climbing down the weight ladder. I've been really debating what my new weight goal should be. According to three different medical websites, my BMI is 26, which is still one point over the highest I should be in the "healthy" BMI range. My wife's BMI is of course in the LOW range because she's skinny and can eat whatever she wants...makes me jealous.
My freshman year in college I weighed 256, which I just realized that made my BMI about 37...wow! Weird to see that on paper. That means that I was considered medically obese for my height. It was very upsetting to me even though I haven't weighed that much in over two years. Still, I feel like more people should see what they weigh in relation to their height so that they can realize where they stand in the scale of "low" to "high", "underweight" to "obese" etc. Check out this simple calculator:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/toolkit/weightcalculator/index.aspx
According to many different sources, a BMI ranging between 18 - 25 is normal, and 19 - 24 is considered "healthy." I decided what makes sense is to just select the middleground here and get right in the center of "healthy." By these figures, that'd mean a BMI of about 21.5 - let's just round to 22 for ease. Using this same website, I tried out some different figures and found that around 155lbs for a guy of my height (5'11) was a totally healthy, middle of the road figure for weight and BMI.
Now at first my natural inclination is to say "wow that's still 30 more pounds...isn't that too much?" but then I started to realize that this isn't necessarily factoring in appearance choice (i.e., men are usually "more attractive" when they are muscular builds, and sometimes weigh more than recommended) and same with women, who are generally "preferred" to look a little bit skinnier than their medically recommended weight. Many times these calculations do not factor in age, and since I'm in my early twenties, I feel like I'm not really in the "Test zone" for most of these medical figures. So I did some more research and found this other website...
http://www.icb2001.com/What_You_Should_Weigh.asp
This website you enter in your wrist circumference along with your height and your weight and it tells you what your frame size is. I don't know how exactly accurate this is, but it told me I should weight between 132 and 179...so...the average between the two is 155. Considering that's what my other figures showed up to be, the vote seems unanimous so far: I'm still slightly overweight, and I could stand to lose up to about 30 more pounds. Crazy!
So, my new weight goal is 155. That would put me right in the middle of the healthy zone. I know it seems like a huge milestone away because I've lost over 40 pounds on this diet so far and now I'm saying to myself "hey self, lose another 30," BUT I know from my belly and my arms that I could stand to lose some more weight, and one of the hardest things to admit to oneself is that when you have extra weight, you have it EVERYWHERE, not just your belly. So if you lose 30 pounds, you lose it equally all across your body, which may only translate to 10 pounds out of your belly and 20 from all other parts including your neck, back, arms, butt, and legs. 30 pounds really starts to not look like that much when you consider THOSE things!
155 here I come!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Month 3: Days 17 - 21
I swear to date I have told about 50 people about forks over knives. Everyone keeps asking me how I am losing all this weight and how I'm looking so good. It's simple, I tell them, all you have to do is adopt a plant-based diet and focus on whole foods and minimize sugars and oils and you can lose lots of weight and get yourself healthy.
I really don't want to gain a lot of weight on my honeymoon, though I feel like it will be very easy to do so... I really want to enjoy myself and try all that Seattle and Alaska have to offer but I also don't want to splurge. I guess in the end that just means that I have more self-control now because about a year ago I would've never said anything like this. It's funny I can't believe that I just said it myself.
My weight is circling around the hundred and eighty one pounds right now. I makes me feel very good because that means I've lost about 47 pounds on this diet so far. I know that most my updates recently have just been the same thing over and over, so today I figured I would do something a little different.
What I'm going to do is challenge you to ask yourself the following questions:
First, what is it that I am putting into my body every single day? Is there anything that I eat every single day? What about food groups that I eat every single day?
Do I eat enough vegetables? Do I eat enough fruits? How often do I use olive oil or vegetable oil or canola oil?
how often do I eat white bread or dyed sugars?
When was the last time I cooked something made from organic plant based food that I liked? Has there ever been a time like this?
What do my parents look like? Do I look like them? What medical issues are in my family? What should I focus on?
Do I understand how to read food labels? Do I know what saturated fats are and do I know how to find the percentage of Fat that a food product is?
Do I know what ingredients cause what reactions in my body? Do I know what ingredients cause me to retain fat and what ingredients caused me to help myself lose fat?
What are the health benefits of meat? Dairy? Are there any? How much protein do we actually need?
I really don't want to gain a lot of weight on my honeymoon, though I feel like it will be very easy to do so... I really want to enjoy myself and try all that Seattle and Alaska have to offer but I also don't want to splurge. I guess in the end that just means that I have more self-control now because about a year ago I would've never said anything like this. It's funny I can't believe that I just said it myself.
My weight is circling around the hundred and eighty one pounds right now. I makes me feel very good because that means I've lost about 47 pounds on this diet so far. I know that most my updates recently have just been the same thing over and over, so today I figured I would do something a little different.
What I'm going to do is challenge you to ask yourself the following questions:
First, what is it that I am putting into my body every single day? Is there anything that I eat every single day? What about food groups that I eat every single day?
Do I eat enough vegetables? Do I eat enough fruits? How often do I use olive oil or vegetable oil or canola oil?
how often do I eat white bread or dyed sugars?
When was the last time I cooked something made from organic plant based food that I liked? Has there ever been a time like this?
What do my parents look like? Do I look like them? What medical issues are in my family? What should I focus on?
Do I understand how to read food labels? Do I know what saturated fats are and do I know how to find the percentage of Fat that a food product is?
Do I know what ingredients cause what reactions in my body? Do I know what ingredients cause me to retain fat and what ingredients caused me to help myself lose fat?
What are the health benefits of meat? Dairy? Are there any? How much protein do we actually need?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Month 3: Days 12 - 16
Today I'm tipping the scales at 184.2! That means I only have four more pounds to my previous goal weight. However I've decided to set a new goal weight of 177, which would mark an even 50 pounds lost being a vegan. It's very exciting- all of this. I'm very confident that I can lose the other 4 pounds in the next 11 days if I work out hard and stay strict on my diet. I certainly feel a lot better and I feel more confident about the way that I look, which is very hard for me to admit because I don't think I ever have before. I'm starting to really experience what many people experience when they look at themselves and wish that they were fit like all the people on P90 X. It's not even that those looking at those people think that they are fat or anything, it's just that they wish that they were very fit and muscular, which I'm really starting to understand and see the potential for now that I'm skinnier.
Once I reach my goal weight of 177 ish I will post three photos, the first of me on a day close to when I started my diet (March 1) when I weighed 227. The second will be me now weighing 177 so you can witness the total loss of 50 pounds in 3 months. Obviously it will be a real photo unedited so you can really see the effectiveness of a vegan diet without doctoring up the photos like they do on television. Then I will post a photo of myself just two years ago when I weighed 257 and I really decided at that point to get my health straight. From that day two years ago to today I will have lost 80 pounds. That is absolutely ridiculous to me!!! Cannot believe that I had just 80 pounds of extra weight sitting on me that I did not need. I am so excited to weigh 177 pounds. That's just seven more pounds from now!
I know it seems like I say it a lot but I can't explain how much better I feel, how much better I'm sleeping, and how much happier I am overall because everyone can tell and so can I! It seems like at least every day I have someone coming up to me saying"Kendal, bro you are looking so skinny!"
More soon
Once I reach my goal weight of 177 ish I will post three photos, the first of me on a day close to when I started my diet (March 1) when I weighed 227. The second will be me now weighing 177 so you can witness the total loss of 50 pounds in 3 months. Obviously it will be a real photo unedited so you can really see the effectiveness of a vegan diet without doctoring up the photos like they do on television. Then I will post a photo of myself just two years ago when I weighed 257 and I really decided at that point to get my health straight. From that day two years ago to today I will have lost 80 pounds. That is absolutely ridiculous to me!!! Cannot believe that I had just 80 pounds of extra weight sitting on me that I did not need. I am so excited to weigh 177 pounds. That's just seven more pounds from now!
I know it seems like I say it a lot but I can't explain how much better I feel, how much better I'm sleeping, and how much happier I am overall because everyone can tell and so can I! It seems like at least every day I have someone coming up to me saying"Kendal, bro you are looking so skinny!"
More soon
Friday, May 11, 2012
Month 3: Days 10 & 11
So today was the big day that I've been waiting for for quite a while... the day of my final tux fitting. Well in a word, it was great. The woman who is fitting me said I had lost a little over an inch in my neck and 4 inches in my chest, and even though the tuxedo pants range across three sizes, I may have jumped to the lower size bracket. For now at least we decided to keep the pants the same because she said it would be better to have a larger pair of pants that you tightened than a looser pair of pants that you had to loosen. Honestly I don't know if that's true but she said if don't like the way it fits I can just send it back within a couple of days because after all I'm the groom and they can get it rush shipped just for me, which I thought was really nice.
Aside from that, today was a very stressful day. There's lots of wedding drama that goes on, and I don't understand. I'm so thankful that my family has been very supportive and my friends have not said anything other than gracious things, and it upsets me that my fiancé has not been as lucky in that regard.
This month is extremely busy for me at the studio, first of all because I got my wisdom teeth out like I said, so I'm really backed up. Also, I have a lot of projects going on at one time and I'm trying to get them all at least somewhat finished if not completely finished before the wedding. So to put simply I'm trying to do four weeks of work in two and a half. I'm working the 4 or 5 local artists, one out of town artist, and one out-of-state artist, and scheduling and coordinating all of them gets very difficult. Like I told my students in the past, it's much more difficult to learn and do the business side of running a studio than it is the actual skill...
I currently weigh about 188. 39 pounds lost! My next goal on this path is to get down 180 by the wedding. I've still got 15 days, and while it won't be easy, and while I probably will have to work out and eat very very healthy, I'm pretty confident I can do it. Luckily I've got a ton of yard work to do in the next few weeks to prepare for the wedding, so I will be getting plenty of exercise. Not only that, but I'll be running on the studio like crazy. I was standing in the mirror this morning and I looked at myself and said "you know, I feel like I look a lot better, but now I still look like a lot of those 'average Joes' that submit their pictures to P90X." The people that aren't obese or fat, but aren't toned or ripped. So I guess that's my next challenge - get toned and or ripped, haha.
Like most people, I hate working out. I don't mind eating healthy, in fact I really enjoy it. However, working out is something that is not fun, not enjoyable, painful, and at that, takes a lot of time to actually get better. Another difficult thing is that a common misconception of working out is that you can spot target. When you work out, you can only spot tone. You can't just work out your arms until you have these huge muscly arms and then your stomach is still fat. I feel like I need to lose a little more weight via diet and cardio before strength training workouts will really be super effective. That is unfortunate because I hate cardio more than anything. haha.
Aside from that, today was a very stressful day. There's lots of wedding drama that goes on, and I don't understand. I'm so thankful that my family has been very supportive and my friends have not said anything other than gracious things, and it upsets me that my fiancé has not been as lucky in that regard.
This month is extremely busy for me at the studio, first of all because I got my wisdom teeth out like I said, so I'm really backed up. Also, I have a lot of projects going on at one time and I'm trying to get them all at least somewhat finished if not completely finished before the wedding. So to put simply I'm trying to do four weeks of work in two and a half. I'm working the 4 or 5 local artists, one out of town artist, and one out-of-state artist, and scheduling and coordinating all of them gets very difficult. Like I told my students in the past, it's much more difficult to learn and do the business side of running a studio than it is the actual skill...
I currently weigh about 188. 39 pounds lost! My next goal on this path is to get down 180 by the wedding. I've still got 15 days, and while it won't be easy, and while I probably will have to work out and eat very very healthy, I'm pretty confident I can do it. Luckily I've got a ton of yard work to do in the next few weeks to prepare for the wedding, so I will be getting plenty of exercise. Not only that, but I'll be running on the studio like crazy. I was standing in the mirror this morning and I looked at myself and said "you know, I feel like I look a lot better, but now I still look like a lot of those 'average Joes' that submit their pictures to P90X." The people that aren't obese or fat, but aren't toned or ripped. So I guess that's my next challenge - get toned and or ripped, haha.
Like most people, I hate working out. I don't mind eating healthy, in fact I really enjoy it. However, working out is something that is not fun, not enjoyable, painful, and at that, takes a lot of time to actually get better. Another difficult thing is that a common misconception of working out is that you can spot target. When you work out, you can only spot tone. You can't just work out your arms until you have these huge muscly arms and then your stomach is still fat. I feel like I need to lose a little more weight via diet and cardio before strength training workouts will really be super effective. That is unfortunate because I hate cardio more than anything. haha.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Month 3: Day 8 (ish) and 9
It's the last day before my tux fitting. Today and yesterday have been filled with lots of delicious foods. I've been really getting into adding rice to my diet in interesting ways. It really goes great with so many things - and there are also just so many kinds of rices to choose from. Just rice and beans and corn tastes so good, and it's possibly the cheapest meal next to Ramen noodles. I got 1/2 can black beans, 1/2 can corn, and a cup of brown and wild rices from a bulk package, and made myself a seriously tasty and filling lunch all for what came out to be about $1.75.
With the whole wisdom teeth thing I've had to put a lot of my love for fruits on hold because hurts to eat them - apples, strawberries, berries, they've all been a little too tough to chew...bananas and small berries are fine, pineapple and oranges are fine, but I miss green apples. I was getting in the habit of eating about an apple a day, every day. Since, as you know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away...
My dad has been getting into the whole plant based diet and even bought his own copy of "Forks Over Knives." He's been reading books and really taking a look at what he eats, and I'm so, so, so glad. I read recently that Paula Dean was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Forks Over Knives team contacted her and basically is trying to set up a partnership where she will try the plant based whole foods diet, and if it cures her diabetes, she can be a huge health advocate for plant based, whole food living. I mean, it's only expected - Paula Dean cooks with more butter, oil, and meat in one show than most people can afford to buy in a month. It's so so true that it DOES matter what you eat. It's not just about eating less of everything. You can't simply count calories. There are skinny people that have heart attacks. This would be a perfect opportunity for a national fanbase to see that -- it's very sad and I hope that Paula seriously considers working with Forks Over Knives.
Tux fitting is tomorrow at 1pm! I'm excited to see how many inches I've lost and what my new sizes are compared to my fitting in March.
With the whole wisdom teeth thing I've had to put a lot of my love for fruits on hold because hurts to eat them - apples, strawberries, berries, they've all been a little too tough to chew...bananas and small berries are fine, pineapple and oranges are fine, but I miss green apples. I was getting in the habit of eating about an apple a day, every day. Since, as you know, an apple a day keeps the doctor away...
My dad has been getting into the whole plant based diet and even bought his own copy of "Forks Over Knives." He's been reading books and really taking a look at what he eats, and I'm so, so, so glad. I read recently that Paula Dean was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes. Forks Over Knives team contacted her and basically is trying to set up a partnership where she will try the plant based whole foods diet, and if it cures her diabetes, she can be a huge health advocate for plant based, whole food living. I mean, it's only expected - Paula Dean cooks with more butter, oil, and meat in one show than most people can afford to buy in a month. It's so so true that it DOES matter what you eat. It's not just about eating less of everything. You can't simply count calories. There are skinny people that have heart attacks. This would be a perfect opportunity for a national fanbase to see that -- it's very sad and I hope that Paula seriously considers working with Forks Over Knives.
Tux fitting is tomorrow at 1pm! I'm excited to see how many inches I've lost and what my new sizes are compared to my fitting in March.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Month 3: Days 7 & 8 (ish)
191, here I am. Things are looking up and I've still got three days left before the fitting. I've been trying to work out and eat light and healthy the last few days. Since I had my wisdom teeth out I've already been eating really light because of a) the pills for pain and swelling sort of upset my stomach and make it hard to really eat anything heavy or rich, and b) I can only eat soft foods anyway. So, there has been a lot of soup and smoothies going on, which are very low calorie without using dairy or meat products.
I've really been enjoying smoothies a lot because it's a nice way to combine lots of different fruits, getting lots of vitamins, and condensing them down to something a little more handy for the day. I can combine two apples, half a pineapple, a banana, and some strawberries all in the blender and make a smoothie for lunch that fits in a 1 liter mug. Otherwise, I'd have to bring all of those things together and spend 30 minutes eating it. Not that I can't spare 30 minutes, but on a day like today, I'm substitute teaching up at a vocational school in town, and it's just easier to munch all day rather than eat at the lunch break. You're walking around helping the students out with their projects, and you're on your feet for 6 hours - it gets tiring.
When I get my tux fitting I'm going to see if they had my very first measurements, which I got in March or February before I was really doing the vegan thing really seriously. Regardless, I'm excited to at least see how far I've come since the last measuring. As far as I can remember, I've lost about 18 pounds since then, which is significant! I'll be circling around 190 by Thursday and that makes me very proud. I'm really going to try to get down to 180 by my wedding, which is in EIGHTEEN DAYS. It's crazy! I feel like I just proposed the other day but it's been 8 or 9 months.
More soon!
I've really been enjoying smoothies a lot because it's a nice way to combine lots of different fruits, getting lots of vitamins, and condensing them down to something a little more handy for the day. I can combine two apples, half a pineapple, a banana, and some strawberries all in the blender and make a smoothie for lunch that fits in a 1 liter mug. Otherwise, I'd have to bring all of those things together and spend 30 minutes eating it. Not that I can't spare 30 minutes, but on a day like today, I'm substitute teaching up at a vocational school in town, and it's just easier to munch all day rather than eat at the lunch break. You're walking around helping the students out with their projects, and you're on your feet for 6 hours - it gets tiring.
When I get my tux fitting I'm going to see if they had my very first measurements, which I got in March or February before I was really doing the vegan thing really seriously. Regardless, I'm excited to at least see how far I've come since the last measuring. As far as I can remember, I've lost about 18 pounds since then, which is significant! I'll be circling around 190 by Thursday and that makes me very proud. I'm really going to try to get down to 180 by my wedding, which is in EIGHTEEN DAYS. It's crazy! I feel like I just proposed the other day but it's been 8 or 9 months.
More soon!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Month 3: Days 1-6
I am now tipping the scales at a lean mean 192, making my total loss around 35 or 36 pounds. My final tuxedo fitting is in four days...the 10th. Not a ton more I can do in the next four days other than just keep doing what I'm doing and hope that I drop another pound.
It has all been very encouraging from people that know and love me that say I look skinny and I look healthy and I look great etc. The support and understanding of my friends, fiancé, and family has been outrageous and awesome. I really thought that me being a vegan would interfere a lot more with my normal life but it turns out that everyone is so happy for me and everyone sees the results and sees how much better I feel and how much healthier I look that they don't really ever make any negative comments. I guess the only hard thing is that it's a little hard to go out and meet with the guys since we usually want to go grab a couple of drinks but not many bars have a vegan friendly menu. Still I've made it work and it's all good!
I had to get my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday. I'm not going to say that it was an enjoyable experience but it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. However one of the coolest things happened to me while I was there about to get my surgery. The nurse was talking about how great it would be that I could eat ice cream and yogurt and soft foods like chicken noodle soup... she was very sweet but I laughed and said "that's funny because I can't eat any of those since I'm a vegan..."
Then to my surprise she looked at me and said you don't say your surgeon is a vegan... that's right Dr. Seagraves has been a be in for five or six months now. So Dr. Seagraves comes in the room and we start talking for a short bit. He was saying that he was proud of me for taking an active interest in my health and he asked me what made me change to the vegan lifestyle. I said you going to think I'm crazy but it was actually a documentary... and he smiled and pointed at me and said "Forks over knives?" we continued to laugh and smile when I realized that what he was saying was that FOK is what convinced him to become a vegan is well. Of all the surgeons in my entire city-- of all the operating times that I could have chosen--I happen to get a converted Forks over Knives vegan surgeon!!! It made my entire week.
My lovely fiancé's been very supportive of me this whole week and taking care of me when all I could do is sit around and lay and be in pain. Fortunately my pain was very minimal and my swelling was almost nonexistent. The hardest thing has been getting enough fiber, sleep, and not smoking cigarettes. Compared all of those things the toll this has had on my body is pretty minimal. I'm back to work tomorrow. and slowly working my strength up to eating more solid foods. Luckily since I've been on this vegan diet the food that I ate during my wisdom teeth days was not odd to me at all; things like smoothies, coconut milk, lots of fruit, hummus, and really soft things like oatmeal have slowly been seen in my diet much more often anyway. I feel bad for those that eat diets primarily of meat, bread, and starches because they would be miserable this entire time. I know that this diet came to my life at the perfect time.
posted from my iPhone
It has all been very encouraging from people that know and love me that say I look skinny and I look healthy and I look great etc. The support and understanding of my friends, fiancé, and family has been outrageous and awesome. I really thought that me being a vegan would interfere a lot more with my normal life but it turns out that everyone is so happy for me and everyone sees the results and sees how much better I feel and how much healthier I look that they don't really ever make any negative comments. I guess the only hard thing is that it's a little hard to go out and meet with the guys since we usually want to go grab a couple of drinks but not many bars have a vegan friendly menu. Still I've made it work and it's all good!
I had to get my wisdom teeth out on Wednesday. I'm not going to say that it was an enjoyable experience but it wasn't nearly as bad as I imagined. However one of the coolest things happened to me while I was there about to get my surgery. The nurse was talking about how great it would be that I could eat ice cream and yogurt and soft foods like chicken noodle soup... she was very sweet but I laughed and said "that's funny because I can't eat any of those since I'm a vegan..."
Then to my surprise she looked at me and said you don't say your surgeon is a vegan... that's right Dr. Seagraves has been a be in for five or six months now. So Dr. Seagraves comes in the room and we start talking for a short bit. He was saying that he was proud of me for taking an active interest in my health and he asked me what made me change to the vegan lifestyle. I said you going to think I'm crazy but it was actually a documentary... and he smiled and pointed at me and said "Forks over knives?" we continued to laugh and smile when I realized that what he was saying was that FOK is what convinced him to become a vegan is well. Of all the surgeons in my entire city-- of all the operating times that I could have chosen--I happen to get a converted Forks over Knives vegan surgeon!!! It made my entire week.
My lovely fiancé's been very supportive of me this whole week and taking care of me when all I could do is sit around and lay and be in pain. Fortunately my pain was very minimal and my swelling was almost nonexistent. The hardest thing has been getting enough fiber, sleep, and not smoking cigarettes. Compared all of those things the toll this has had on my body is pretty minimal. I'm back to work tomorrow. and slowly working my strength up to eating more solid foods. Luckily since I've been on this vegan diet the food that I ate during my wisdom teeth days was not odd to me at all; things like smoothies, coconut milk, lots of fruit, hummus, and really soft things like oatmeal have slowly been seen in my diet much more often anyway. I feel bad for those that eat diets primarily of meat, bread, and starches because they would be miserable this entire time. I know that this diet came to my life at the perfect time.
posted from my iPhone
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Day 60
So today marks 60 days on the diet! I'm going to rename this blog after tomorrow to something else...just gotta think of something snappy...
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Month 2 - Day 28
So technically this is Day 59 and soon to be 60 of my "diet" if you will. I've lost 33 pounds and gone down two pant sizes and one shirt size. I feel better than I have in...well...as long as I can remember! I plan on changing the name of this blog to something else because it wasn't necessarily all 60 days with no processed food but rather about 15 days no processed food and then 45 days vegan with as little processed food as possible. Still.
I've really been trying to get all of my friends and loved ones to watch "Forks over Knives." It really amazes me the whole idea that some people can "look" skinnier, lose weight, be small, but still be extremely unhealthy. These people can still have heart attacks and coronary artery disease. There are some people that think "hey well I can eat whatever I want and then work out really hard and never have any problems." Eh...not so much. There are people that are in their 40s that are seemingly fit, and they have heart attacks out of nowhere. The plaque buildup in their arteries is too strong. Granted, if someone is already very fit, at or below their recommended weight (that is, not overweight at all!), they can probably get away with eating meat and dairy more often (though it's still recommended to eat them MUCH less than the typical American does) as their metabolisms are faster, they are already living a fit lifestyle, and their heart and arteries are kept in check all the time. Still, for those people like me that are on the road just to being NOT overweight (like many people) I think repairing the damage done to your heart and arteries is the top priority.
I tried the high protein low carb diets and they didn't work for me because I always felt hungry, I always felt run down, I had very little digestive regularity, even though I was losing weight, and I felt like I REALLY had to watch EVERYTHING I ate, and I was sort of cheating on some things like "oh look, it's a brownie, but it's low carb, so it's okay" or something like that. In the end it just didn't make any logical sense to me.
What makes sense to me is vegetarian / vegan lifestyles. You take care of your body and put in extremely healthy foods, and the rewards are endless. I feel so much more awake, aware, and healthy on this vegan diet than I ever have on any other diet. I've tried the low carb, tried the high protein, tried the calorie counting, tried some other seriously weird diets, I mean I've tried them all. This one is so much less of a diet and more of a lifestyle. It's easy to follow, and the food is delicious.
When I finally reach my goal weight of 180lbs, I'm going to post two photos. The first photo will be of me in late 2009 when I weighed 256 pounds as a college freshman. This is when I first admitted to myself that I needed a life change. I've tried three diets in the last two and a half years and the one that I've had the most success with is clear. I kept teetering back and forth on the other diets between 256 and 225, 240, back to 230...in the end I really only lost a net of 30 pounds in 2 years. The second photo will be of me at my goal weight of 180 pounds, smiling proudly, which means I would have lost a total of 76 pounds in 2.5 years, but 46 of those pounds in just the last 3 months. As you can tell, the Vegan thing has really been the ticket.
It's very difficult for non-overweight people to understand what it's like to be overweight for the majority of your life. I've probably been overweight my entire life and just never admitted it until I was old enough to actually actively do something about it. Before, you ate what was on your plate, you didn't complain, and you got it all for free from your parents. It's not that I'm blaming them, I just wish they would have known then what I know now.
I've really been trying to get all of my friends and loved ones to watch "Forks over Knives." It really amazes me the whole idea that some people can "look" skinnier, lose weight, be small, but still be extremely unhealthy. These people can still have heart attacks and coronary artery disease. There are some people that think "hey well I can eat whatever I want and then work out really hard and never have any problems." Eh...not so much. There are people that are in their 40s that are seemingly fit, and they have heart attacks out of nowhere. The plaque buildup in their arteries is too strong. Granted, if someone is already very fit, at or below their recommended weight (that is, not overweight at all!), they can probably get away with eating meat and dairy more often (though it's still recommended to eat them MUCH less than the typical American does) as their metabolisms are faster, they are already living a fit lifestyle, and their heart and arteries are kept in check all the time. Still, for those people like me that are on the road just to being NOT overweight (like many people) I think repairing the damage done to your heart and arteries is the top priority.
I tried the high protein low carb diets and they didn't work for me because I always felt hungry, I always felt run down, I had very little digestive regularity, even though I was losing weight, and I felt like I REALLY had to watch EVERYTHING I ate, and I was sort of cheating on some things like "oh look, it's a brownie, but it's low carb, so it's okay" or something like that. In the end it just didn't make any logical sense to me.
What makes sense to me is vegetarian / vegan lifestyles. You take care of your body and put in extremely healthy foods, and the rewards are endless. I feel so much more awake, aware, and healthy on this vegan diet than I ever have on any other diet. I've tried the low carb, tried the high protein, tried the calorie counting, tried some other seriously weird diets, I mean I've tried them all. This one is so much less of a diet and more of a lifestyle. It's easy to follow, and the food is delicious.
When I finally reach my goal weight of 180lbs, I'm going to post two photos. The first photo will be of me in late 2009 when I weighed 256 pounds as a college freshman. This is when I first admitted to myself that I needed a life change. I've tried three diets in the last two and a half years and the one that I've had the most success with is clear. I kept teetering back and forth on the other diets between 256 and 225, 240, back to 230...in the end I really only lost a net of 30 pounds in 2 years. The second photo will be of me at my goal weight of 180 pounds, smiling proudly, which means I would have lost a total of 76 pounds in 2.5 years, but 46 of those pounds in just the last 3 months. As you can tell, the Vegan thing has really been the ticket.
It's very difficult for non-overweight people to understand what it's like to be overweight for the majority of your life. I've probably been overweight my entire life and just never admitted it until I was old enough to actually actively do something about it. Before, you ate what was on your plate, you didn't complain, and you got it all for free from your parents. It's not that I'm blaming them, I just wish they would have known then what I know now.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Month 2: Days 21-27
Things have continued as they always do and life goes on. Been feeling great still, I have a spring in my step, and I'm sort of shocked to look at old pictures of myself. LOTS OF CHANGES. I'm moving in to my new house on Monday, which is a huge change. It's great though because I'll have my own kitchen and plenty of room to cook and make things, and I'll have more space to live, and I have a large yard that will need lots of work (which is more exercise for me).
You know, on this blog I talk about my "60 days" and then I talk about the whole diet and the vegan thing, but really this has been going on much longer than 60 days. As I mentioned in a post before, I weighed the most I've ever weighed during the beginning of my freshman year in college. I did diet for about 5 months then and lost about 45 pounds, and then gained about 35 of it back over the course of the next year. I also felt like crap. I felt like I was starving myself and had no idea what I was really doing. Not cool. I've been dieting VEGAN for two months now and have lost 32 pounds, I feel great, and never have looked better in my fiance's opinion, haha.
So this last week has been great, I've lost another pound, putting me around 195. I cannot remember the last time I weighed 195! Cannot believe I only have 10 pounds to go. I also only have 2 weeks until my final tux fitting. I get my wisdom teeth out in 5 days, which is not exciting, but...if nothing else I'll have to go on sort of a liquid diet for a few days. Lots of juice and smoothies for me. Not necessarily a bad thing!
For lunch the other day, I had one of my new favorite dishes. It's an Indian type dish that's got soybeans, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, chiles, cadamom, and pepper. I mixed it in with a little brown rice and wow it was absolutely delicious. Because I'm a hipster here's my instagram photo...
You know, on this blog I talk about my "60 days" and then I talk about the whole diet and the vegan thing, but really this has been going on much longer than 60 days. As I mentioned in a post before, I weighed the most I've ever weighed during the beginning of my freshman year in college. I did diet for about 5 months then and lost about 45 pounds, and then gained about 35 of it back over the course of the next year. I also felt like crap. I felt like I was starving myself and had no idea what I was really doing. Not cool. I've been dieting VEGAN for two months now and have lost 32 pounds, I feel great, and never have looked better in my fiance's opinion, haha.
So this last week has been great, I've lost another pound, putting me around 195. I cannot remember the last time I weighed 195! Cannot believe I only have 10 pounds to go. I also only have 2 weeks until my final tux fitting. I get my wisdom teeth out in 5 days, which is not exciting, but...if nothing else I'll have to go on sort of a liquid diet for a few days. Lots of juice and smoothies for me. Not necessarily a bad thing!
For lunch the other day, I had one of my new favorite dishes. It's an Indian type dish that's got soybeans, onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, garlic, cumin, chiles, cadamom, and pepper. I mixed it in with a little brown rice and wow it was absolutely delicious. Because I'm a hipster here's my instagram photo...
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Month 2: Days 15 - 20
So this last week has been very special...
I've officially been on the no processed foods / vegetarian / vegan / whatever combination of these things diet for 51 days, and I am proud to say I have lost 30 pounds.
So wow! Under 200. This hasn't been the case in probably 7 years. Granted, I was never "obese" and no, I was never "at risk of death" but I certainly wasn't nearly as healthy as I should have been. I finally got my dad to watch "Forks Over Knives" and he liked it a lot. He's pretty healthy in terms of his weight and he gets a lot of exercise and drinks a gallon of water daily, but I know he eats too much snacky foods and eats just as much meat and dairy as the average American. I feel like this whole experience has really helped my parents see how much it actually works. My mom of course is like "well don't get too skinny" being the worrisome mother she is. I still have tummy flab and know that I have plenty of room to get skinnier.
The goal still stands to be May 10th - my final tux fitting for the wedding. My dad asked me today "so how long do you think you'll do this? Forever?" Confidently, I answered, "yes, probably forever." There's no reason for me not to. Granted, I'm not afraid of meat and dairy, they don't gross me out, they don't repulse me, and so if I have a little bit of cheese on my Caesar salad, or if I have some chicken with my stir fry, I'm not going to die or vomit or anything. The goal here is to minimize them to as little as possible. Like I've said, it's almost impossible to find some things without animal products. A great example is desserts - even healthy desserts usually have some kind of butter or egg-wash in them for decorative features / "golden brown" stuff. My fiance likes to make pies, and even if she makes an apple pie without any sugar or added sweeteners, there is still going to be egg and butter used in making the crust from scratch.
The idea is to never be afraid of foods. You have to consciously control your diet because otherwise, the American lifestyle tells us otherwise. We've grown up eating these portions of these foods and expecting that this is the way we should balance our diet. We go to a nice restaurant and get a meal and it may consist of 50% meat (e.g, a steak), 30% starch (e.g., mashed potatoes), and only 20% vegetables...this is just how we've all been trained to eat, and that's okay - change is possible! We have to consciously think about it.
One good thing is that by changing the diet even to PARTLY vegetarian/vegan, you can eliminate a ton of strain on your body and help your body our tremendously. For example, if you took that meal and ordered more vegetables instead of the mashed potatoes, and only ate half the steak, you would have cut it down to 25/75 forks over knives, if you will. Taking your meal to-go never goes out of style. You'll save money, and you'll save your body.
It's amazing to me how many things we bypass assuming they are healthy. The first thing that comes to mind here is olive oil. Sure it's an oil, we don't drink it like water, but we use it liberally. We think, oh it's great for you, much better than canola oil or butter or crisco or etc....but in reality, it's 100% fat. Look at the label. Calories per serving: 120. Fat Calories per serving: 120. That means it's 100% fat. Guess what a serving size is? One TABLESPOON. Ridiculous! We use so much more than a tablespoon in most modern cooking. The idea that you have to saute veggies in oil is a myth. I made a dish the other day using NO butter, NO oil, and it was fantastic. Vegetables have their own oils in them (hence, vegetable oil...) so you can saute a lot of vegetables like onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc., with water alone and they get plenty juicy and sweet! I'd like to try to learn to make my own vegetable oil substitute using only raw veggies.
I've been really trying to find recipes that feature things like cloves, cinnamon, oregano, and thyme. These are some of the best spices out there for you with some of the highest antioxidant properties possible. You always hear about this berry and that superfruit and blah blah blah, but in reality, the highest ranked antioxidant substances is clove, with thyme, oregano, and cinnamon right underneath. They are all strong spices with a kick to them. That's sort of a trend I've found - spices that have a kick generally are better for you! Spices that are mild often have less healing properties to them. Things like cayanne and paprika and garlic powder and other strong spices are great for your digestion and liver, and they should be used more often!
I've got 21 days left on this "diet" and I have to lose 12 more pounds. Seems sort of crazy...but the truth is I'm not starving myself one bit! I'm eating plenty of food, I feel great, I'm sleeping better (and getting plenty of sleep), I feel more on top of my work, I feel more alive and well. Go figure, right? Eat healthy, feel good. It seems too simple. In reality, it's very simple, it just takes discipline.
Until next post. My hope is to be under 190 by the end of the month!
I've officially been on the no processed foods / vegetarian / vegan / whatever combination of these things diet for 51 days, and I am proud to say I have lost 30 pounds.
So wow! Under 200. This hasn't been the case in probably 7 years. Granted, I was never "obese" and no, I was never "at risk of death" but I certainly wasn't nearly as healthy as I should have been. I finally got my dad to watch "Forks Over Knives" and he liked it a lot. He's pretty healthy in terms of his weight and he gets a lot of exercise and drinks a gallon of water daily, but I know he eats too much snacky foods and eats just as much meat and dairy as the average American. I feel like this whole experience has really helped my parents see how much it actually works. My mom of course is like "well don't get too skinny" being the worrisome mother she is. I still have tummy flab and know that I have plenty of room to get skinnier.
The goal still stands to be May 10th - my final tux fitting for the wedding. My dad asked me today "so how long do you think you'll do this? Forever?" Confidently, I answered, "yes, probably forever." There's no reason for me not to. Granted, I'm not afraid of meat and dairy, they don't gross me out, they don't repulse me, and so if I have a little bit of cheese on my Caesar salad, or if I have some chicken with my stir fry, I'm not going to die or vomit or anything. The goal here is to minimize them to as little as possible. Like I've said, it's almost impossible to find some things without animal products. A great example is desserts - even healthy desserts usually have some kind of butter or egg-wash in them for decorative features / "golden brown" stuff. My fiance likes to make pies, and even if she makes an apple pie without any sugar or added sweeteners, there is still going to be egg and butter used in making the crust from scratch.
The idea is to never be afraid of foods. You have to consciously control your diet because otherwise, the American lifestyle tells us otherwise. We've grown up eating these portions of these foods and expecting that this is the way we should balance our diet. We go to a nice restaurant and get a meal and it may consist of 50% meat (e.g, a steak), 30% starch (e.g., mashed potatoes), and only 20% vegetables...this is just how we've all been trained to eat, and that's okay - change is possible! We have to consciously think about it.
One good thing is that by changing the diet even to PARTLY vegetarian/vegan, you can eliminate a ton of strain on your body and help your body our tremendously. For example, if you took that meal and ordered more vegetables instead of the mashed potatoes, and only ate half the steak, you would have cut it down to 25/75 forks over knives, if you will. Taking your meal to-go never goes out of style. You'll save money, and you'll save your body.
It's amazing to me how many things we bypass assuming they are healthy. The first thing that comes to mind here is olive oil. Sure it's an oil, we don't drink it like water, but we use it liberally. We think, oh it's great for you, much better than canola oil or butter or crisco or etc....but in reality, it's 100% fat. Look at the label. Calories per serving: 120. Fat Calories per serving: 120. That means it's 100% fat. Guess what a serving size is? One TABLESPOON. Ridiculous! We use so much more than a tablespoon in most modern cooking. The idea that you have to saute veggies in oil is a myth. I made a dish the other day using NO butter, NO oil, and it was fantastic. Vegetables have their own oils in them (hence, vegetable oil...) so you can saute a lot of vegetables like onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc., with water alone and they get plenty juicy and sweet! I'd like to try to learn to make my own vegetable oil substitute using only raw veggies.
I've been really trying to find recipes that feature things like cloves, cinnamon, oregano, and thyme. These are some of the best spices out there for you with some of the highest antioxidant properties possible. You always hear about this berry and that superfruit and blah blah blah, but in reality, the highest ranked antioxidant substances is clove, with thyme, oregano, and cinnamon right underneath. They are all strong spices with a kick to them. That's sort of a trend I've found - spices that have a kick generally are better for you! Spices that are mild often have less healing properties to them. Things like cayanne and paprika and garlic powder and other strong spices are great for your digestion and liver, and they should be used more often!
I've got 21 days left on this "diet" and I have to lose 12 more pounds. Seems sort of crazy...but the truth is I'm not starving myself one bit! I'm eating plenty of food, I feel great, I'm sleeping better (and getting plenty of sleep), I feel more on top of my work, I feel more alive and well. Go figure, right? Eat healthy, feel good. It seems too simple. In reality, it's very simple, it just takes discipline.
Until next post. My hope is to be under 190 by the end of the month!
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