New Year, New Goals

It's been almost a month since I posted last.  This is me this morning, 12/30/17.

The last month has been long and hard.  I know I've put back on a few pounds but it's not as bad as it could have been.  Going vegan was the best thing I ever did.  Now, when I'm tempted to overeat, and I have over the last month, I pick something like oatmeal, or potatoes or dried fruit.  I definitely ate too much over this holiday season, but I overate on things that are really healthy.  You can still gain weight eating a healthy diet and I did put some weight back on.  But not much.  I'm still wearing my size eight pants, although they are a little tight at the moment.  My point is that, had I been binging on donuts instead of oatmeal and potatoes I believe my weight would have gone way back up. 

So, on the eve of a new year I've been making plans for the next year.  I want to make my good habits more permanent.  I still have some weight to loose.  I still want to get down into the 120's.  I know I can get there if I stick to a vegan, whole foods diet that is as free as possible from salt, oil and sugar.

To this end, for the coming week I will be eating vegetable soup for breakfast, salads for lunch and fruit for dinner.  It's a tried and true formula for me.  If it ain't broke don't fix it.

I have been making some changes to my fitness program.  Monday, Wednesday and Friday I will continue with my routine of the 3 mile walk/jog in the mornings, and in the evenings 30 minutes of step and 30 minutes of strength building.

Tuesday and Thursday will be P90X Stretch, and  hour long long, intense stretching video in the mornings and in the evenings, 30 minutes of step and building up to 30 minutes of what I call fun exercises: jump rope, hoola hoop, jumping jacks, jumping up onto my step.  Lots of jumping.  It builds core strength and balance and is good for the whole body.

So basically, I go forward into this new year sticking to what I know works and adding some new things for variety and continue growth.

I also wanted to touch base about the "How Not To Die Cookbook".  It's great and I highly recommend it.  Every recipe I've tried was good.  I would specifically recommend both the kale soup and the collard green soup.  I made both and love both:

 Above is the collage green/black eyed pea soup.  I had it for dinner every day for a week.  It's hearty and filling but low in calories. 

Pictured above is the kale/sweet potato soup.  I thought the collard soup was the best soup I'd ever had until I made this one.  The kale is superb and pared so well with the sweet potato.

November Weight Loss Update

Two things happened in the last week.  My boss's boss said to me that there seemed to be a lot less of me around the office, lol.  I said yes, almost 50 lbs. less.  He was shocked and asked me how I did it.  I didn't want to be too specific because I don't tend to get positive reactions when I say the word vegan, so I just said it was a combination of diet and exercise.

Secondly, I went to the funeral of a beloved uncle that I haven't seen in almost 20 years.  I haven't seen most of the people who were there.  At least ten people came up to me and told me that I looked fabulous; like I hadn't aged at all since they last saw me.  This time it was me that was shocked.  I just smiled, blushed and said thank you.

So, even though I'm still not where I want to be ultimately, my hard work is paying off.  I feel better than ever and apparently I look pretty good for an old gal of 53. 

There hasn't been any change in my weight.  I would really like to loose at least five lbs. before the end of the year.  At this point I think I'll either have to add exercise or subtract calories.  I'm already exercising about an hour in the early mornings and again in the afternoons.  What I haven't been doing is exercising on the weekends.  So I got up at 5 am this Saturday and walked two miles.  I'll do that again tomorrow, Sunday. 

As for diet, I'm going to tighten that up too.  I've been eating starch in the evenings instead of my usual fruit.  It's definitely more filling, but I'm going to go back to just fruit.  Fruit is much lower in calories per pound than starch.  That means I'll go back to being hungry when I go to bed, but it also means I'll probably start loosing weight again.  It's a trade off that I'm willing to make to get back on the weight loss train.  I was hoping to avoid any more food cutbacks but I have a goal and I want to get there, No Matter What.  That's the mantra that got me almost 50 lbs lighter and I want it to carry me further.

The Simple Life - Reaching My Goal for the Year; Now What?

This is me this morning, October 8, 2017 and that's me about 10 years ago on the right.

On Friday I reached my 40 pound loss goal for this year.  At the beginning of the year I promised myself that I would would loose 40 pounds this year No Matter What.  After 25 years of yoyoing, and for the last ten years loosing the battle, my health was at great risk.  I literally spent the entire year of 2016 in and out of the doctor's office about my health.  My blood pressure was dangerously high to the point that I was having to go for checkups constantly.  At one point I saw a nutritionist; what a waste of time that was.  By the end of the year my weight was up to 185.  At that point my doctor told me that if I didn't start doing something to improve my blood pressure I would have to start on meds. 

That's when I made the decision.  At the beginning of January 2017 the journey that led to this day began.  I'm there.  Now what?  Actually I'm not there.  I'm almost there.  According to my doctor, I need to get down into the 120's to be at a weight that is in the healthy range for my size.  So I've got 20 more pounds to go. 

So now the rest of my journey begins.  I won't make it into the 120's by the end of this year.  I'm purposely trying to loose my weight slowly in the hopes that it will help me keep it off. 

So, that's where I am.  Now it's a matter of staying the course.  I believe I can do it.  It's not fun and it's not easy but I feel better and I like the way I'm looking as my body shrinks.  It's a good feeling being smaller.  I feel better about myself.  It's a good place to be.  Stay the course.

The Simple Life - September 2017 Weight Loss Update

This is me today, Sunday, October 1st. I weight 143.  That's 2 pounds from my 141 lb. goal.


I haven't posted about my weight loss during September because I only lost 2 pounds for the whole month and I lost those two pounds in one week.  September was the hardest month since I began this journey in January.  I struggles and fought.  I was hungry most days and still I only lost 2 pounds.  I've been depressed and afraid that I might actually start gaining all the weight back.  At the beginning of the month we had a two day visit with relatives and I ate some stuff that I shouldn't have; namely butter.  For some reason that really turned on my appetite and I spent the month battling not to overeat. 

I'm not reevaluating my weekend "cheat days".  I never eat anything that's not vegan but I just eat way too much.  I know the cause is boredom so I need to come up with a strategy that will allow me some leway to enjoy the weekends but not put my weight loss in jeopardy.

To that end, I'm doing an extra batch of soup this weekend, that I will freeze.  That way, when the weekend arrives I'll have plenty of lower calorie soup ready to eat.  Hopefully that will help with my boredom eating.

I'm also making some changes in my exercise.  I've been having pain in my knees so I'm taking some of the weight out of my weighted vest this weekend.  I was up to 11 pounds in that vest and I guess that's too much for my old knees.  Since I know the pain is a signal that something is wrong, I'm backing off.  I actually didn't wear the vest much last week because I was whether or not I should just discontinue its use all together.  I'm not ready to give up on it.  I'll lessen the weight and see how that works.  If the knee pain persists I'll act accordingly since I want to be able to walk later in life.  The benefits have to outweigh any the negatives for me to continue to use it.  I think it's a great tool, but I may just need to lighten it in order to keep using it.

My evening exercise continues to get better.  As my strength grows I add movements that require more muscle.  I'm doing more situps than I thought ever possible.  My hip and thigh areas have really slimmed down.  As I build strength I enjoy this part of my workout more and more. 

I really want to get down into the 120's and now that I'm in the low 140's I'm looking at my eating plan and thinking about what I can do to continue to loose weight and keep it off.  Right my only changes will be to my weekend eating.  No more processed soy products on the weekends.  That stuff tastes great, but it's high in fat and calories that I don't need.  I'm also going to really try to stop eating at 5 pm on the weekends.  Yesterday that was a bust so I'll try today.  The weekends are tough because I'm mostly just at home, which puts me way too close to the kitchen.  My strategy is to fill the kitchen with low calorie foods that I I will be drawn to on the weekends.  I'm still working on this.

Overall I'm thrilled.  I'm smaller and healthier.  I look forward to my yearly checkup after the new year.  I'll have a full blood workup done to make sure I'm getting everything that I need.  And for the meantime, I stay the course.

The Simple Life - Weight Loss Update - It's Time to Buy New Pants

I thought that once I lost some weight and my clothes got loose I would feel great.  Initially I did.  But as my clothes have gotten bigger and I've gotten smaller I began to just feel frumpy.  That's not a good feeling when you're working so hard to be healthier and look better.  This last week I felt like I was bearing bags to work, belted to keep them on.  I've been trying to put off buying new work clothing because it's office attire that I only wear to work.  But by Friday I had decided it was time.

I went to my go store for buying cheap stuff; Walmart.  I'm in the loosing phase of my new way of living so these will hopefully just be transitional pieces to get me to my goal weight.  It's not the right time to invest.

Fortunately, Walmart carries a work attire line; George suiting.  I was able to find two skirts and three pairs of plants.  None of the pieces were over $15.  I wear a uniform shirt, so there's no need for me to buy tops.  I will have to request smaller blouses, but I'm not ready for that yet.  My uniform blouse can be tucked in and still looks alright for a while longer.  I'm pear shaped, so my bottom half was much larger than my upper body; hence the need for new pants and not new tops.

I worked very hard this last week during all my workouts.  I added weight to my weighted vest and I could feel it.  I'm still trying to make sure I make my workouts count every time.  I have a sitting job so it's essential that I really put all my effort into my exercise time because that's really the only time I move during the day.

I felt a little empty every night last week so I knew I would loose weight.  I'm at 148.  My goal for this year is 141, so I'm getting close.  I won't lie.  It's hard not to eat a real meal at night.  I've thought about it endlessly and there's no other way for me to loose weight.  I've spent eight months trying different plans, timing of meals, sequencing meal, you name it.  The bottom line is that I'm doing what I know will help me continue to loose weight.  Eating two good meals for breakfast and dinner and having something very light in calories when I get home, then exercising, works.  So for now I'm not going to try to fix what ain't broke.

I plan to continue with eating vegetable soup for breakfast, a high carb lunch and fruit for dinner.  I'm also still fasting from 5 pm until I eat breakfast the next morning.  I'm not going to add any weight to my vest for the next week.  I can really feel it in my knees so I want to take it slow.  I'm in a downward trend for my weight so I don't need to push it and end up laid up with a knee injury.

This is a time to just keep on keep'in on.

The Simple Life - 30 Pounds Later - Before/After Pics

This week I started hearing that little voice that starts when my resolve is failing.  It says, "you've lost enough weight, you look fine like you are, just eat what you want and enjoy life, not everyone is meant to be thin, you can't win this, you'll eventually go back to what you were eating and gain all the weight back." 
I've been fighting the same three or four pounds for the last month.  Up one pound, down one pound.  I'd get really excited and then I'd gain back the pound I'd just lost.  And when I looked at what I had eaten the week before I realized that it wasn't a food plan that I could live on for the long term. 

So, on Monday, instead of eating salad for breakfast I had a thick, hearty, filling vegetable soup.  It was actually store bought Campbell's Old Fashioned Vegetable soup.  One can is about 300 calories.  I put a can of green beans in a big bowl and poured the soup over that and then added a can of water.  It was at least four cups of soup.  For lunch every day I had home made vegetarian chili.  Some days I had it over greens and some days over rice.  For dinner every night I had fresh fruit.  I had tried this before; eating heavy for breakfast and lunch and very light for dinner several weeks ago.  I noticed that I was going to bed hungry and I abandoned it.  I don't like the feeling of hunger; it makes me feel anxious.

I know how to create a deficit so I went back to what I know will work.  Do I enjoy going to bed feeling a little empty?  No, but it works.  So, this week I'm down two pounds.  I have officially lost 30 pounds.  I started the year at 181 and now I'm 151.  I still have 10 pounds to go by the end of the year.  It's going to be a hard road.

To help with the continued loss I bought a weighted vest today.  I got it at Walmart for $38.  I'll start by adding just a couple of weights and slowly work my way up.  Now that I'm 30 pounds lighter it doesn't take as much energy during my workouts.  So, instead of working out longer, I'm going to work harder.  This will allow me to continue to burn calories without having to work out any longer than I am now.

So, that's where I am.  I'm thrilled.  I'll work the plan and hopefully the weight will continue to go down.

Simple Life - Winning the Battle

Some things stayed the same and some things changed.  I'm still fasting from 5 pm - 7 am the next morning.  No that I'm in the habit of fasting every day I can't imagine not.  It gives my body time to full digest my last meal.  I don't feel so full when I go to bed and I sleep better.

I'm still doing my 3 mile walk/job every morning at 5:30 am.  It gets my metabolism going and energizes me for the day.  I has become so much of a habit that I never set an alarm and I wake up and get up early on the weekends too.  I'm a morning person and I embrace it.  The downside is that I'm ready for bed early in the evening.  That can be a bummer for my husband sometimes but I'm doing what works best for me.  On the weekends I stay up a little later to watch a movie with him. 

I'm still doing 45 minutes of step/weight bearing exercises in the afternoon, after work.  I've added weight to my workout but I keep the workout to 45 minutes.  I feel like this has become so important.  I've let myself get so soft and when you add my age to that you get a recipe for a flabby old lady.  I don't want to be that so I put all my effort in this.

I'm still eating a plant based whole foods diet.  I really don't miss dairy at all.  I will admit that when I smell fried chicken or a cheeseburger I want one.  But I want to be skinny and healthy more.  So, although the smell is still pleasant to me, I'm not going backwards.

What's new this week is that I'm paying attention to food density.  My morning meal and lunches are both made up of foods that are very low in calories; fruits and non-starchy vegetables.  I have my starch at dinner.  Here's what that looks like:

Breakfast - I had cooked, non-starchy vegetables for breakfast each day.  I don't normally reach for these foods for breakfast, but I love vegetables so I just pretended it was lunch or dinner.

Lunch - For lunch I took a container of chopped greens with a sprinkling of tomatoes or bell peppers.  My goal with lunch is to fill up on greens.  I love salads, so as long as I have a little bit of topping that I like and a dressing that I like, it's not a problem.  I use the Skinny Girl dressings because they are sugar and fat free and taste great.

Dinner - I had my starches at dinner each night.  Most nights that mean a mixture of rice, beans and a starchy vegetable like potatoes, carrots or sweet potatoes.  I did limit the amount I ate to 3 cups.  It was plenty and I never went to bed hungry.

I lost a solid pound this week so this plan definitely works.  I feel lighter, my clothes are getting loose and I feel great.  I'm not saying that this sequence of eating is for everyone, but for those like me that are trying to loose weight, it works.  Once I get down to where I want to be I'll add a little starch back to my breakfast and lunch.  Until then, I'll keep doing what works.