Week one has been a breeze....well, for the most part. I'm going going to say there weren't times when I sat at my desk at work and longed for a bag of trail mix to munch on or one of my hemp seed bars, but I pushed through. And you know what? I'm feeling awesome. I've lost about 5 pounds so far (maybe more, I stupidly didn't weigh myself before the first day), I find it easier to get up in the morning, and my mood has improved a lot. J has lost about 10 pounds so far and has had a harder time adjusting then me, but now feels pretty good about all of this.
Week two is when we get to add back in tofu and beans/legumes. It's funny, I'm almost tempted to do one more week of the week one plan, but I think I'll just stick to it the way it's written and see what happens. My biggest goal is to become more active. I've never been one to be excited about exercise...it's just not in me. I'm bummed that I'm not more excited about it, but it's hard to change that about yourself. I've been pulling out the WiiFit again, walking more, and still going to weekly Pilates sessions. I hope to keep up with the weight loss.
The biggest help is doing this with someone. I hear negative comments around me all day long. "That doesn't look like enough food." "I'd still be hungry if that's all I ate for lunch." "Who cares? One cup of coffee won't hurt you." And I've been superbly deflecting them all. I need to feel positive about me and not care what others think and perhaps my positivity and great results will inspire them to make changes in their lives too! Who knows!
Insights, quips, and queries on the vegan way of life
Showing posts with label WiiFit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WiiFit. Show all posts
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sunday, April 10, 2011
It's a slow and steady climb
Since January 1st two of my goals were to: incorporate a fully veganized diet into my life and lose weight. Becoming fully vegan has been a snap. I'm enjoying the foods I eat and my body is thanking me so much for cutting dairy out of my life. The weight thing on the other hand...
Within the first few weeks of going vegan I shed about 5 pounds. But since the weight has been coming off extremely slow, in incremental baby steps. I'm very much a "make it happen" type of person and always seeking immediate results, so this is certainly a test of my patience.
I can't beat myself up though, and I must attribute all of the lost weight so far to my diet - not activity. Unfortunately I have a really bad back; we're talking wicked bad. I have 3 herniated disks and all three of them are rapidly degenerating. I've been in physical therapy since February and have seen numerous doctors. Although they aren't telling me to just lay down all the time, which was a common treatment 5-10 years ago, I can't just jump on a treadmill or go for a jog. So needless to say, exercising has been extremely limited. I do my PT exercises which are extremely mild but focus on strengthening specific muscle groups so I can better support my back, and occasionally I do some mild exercises on the WiiFit.
I'll be 100% honest with myself though; I could be doing more to shed the pounds. Sometimes, if I get starving at work and don't have a snack with me, I reach for that scone at Starbucks. I also bake weekly, which is needed since I'm running a baking service, but I need to find people to hand off the excess baked goods to so that they aren't laying around our house. Yes, the baked goods are vegan, but that doesn't mean they aren't high in calories or fat.
I jumped on the WiiFit this morning and found that I'm down another 4.6 pounds, bringing me to 15 pounds lost. I'm hoping that if I start getting in the habit of bringing healthy snacks to work, find more taste testers to give my baking loot too, and regain some of my mobility through PT and an injection I'm getting tomorrow, that maybe these pounds will shed a little easier. At the same time though, slow and steady is probably the best way to lose the weight and keep it off! I know that losing the weight will really help with my back, so I will just keep at it!
Within the first few weeks of going vegan I shed about 5 pounds. But since the weight has been coming off extremely slow, in incremental baby steps. I'm very much a "make it happen" type of person and always seeking immediate results, so this is certainly a test of my patience.
I can't beat myself up though, and I must attribute all of the lost weight so far to my diet - not activity. Unfortunately I have a really bad back; we're talking wicked bad. I have 3 herniated disks and all three of them are rapidly degenerating. I've been in physical therapy since February and have seen numerous doctors. Although they aren't telling me to just lay down all the time, which was a common treatment 5-10 years ago, I can't just jump on a treadmill or go for a jog. So needless to say, exercising has been extremely limited. I do my PT exercises which are extremely mild but focus on strengthening specific muscle groups so I can better support my back, and occasionally I do some mild exercises on the WiiFit.
I'll be 100% honest with myself though; I could be doing more to shed the pounds. Sometimes, if I get starving at work and don't have a snack with me, I reach for that scone at Starbucks. I also bake weekly, which is needed since I'm running a baking service, but I need to find people to hand off the excess baked goods to so that they aren't laying around our house. Yes, the baked goods are vegan, but that doesn't mean they aren't high in calories or fat.
I jumped on the WiiFit this morning and found that I'm down another 4.6 pounds, bringing me to 15 pounds lost. I'm hoping that if I start getting in the habit of bringing healthy snacks to work, find more taste testers to give my baking loot too, and regain some of my mobility through PT and an injection I'm getting tomorrow, that maybe these pounds will shed a little easier. At the same time though, slow and steady is probably the best way to lose the weight and keep it off! I know that losing the weight will really help with my back, so I will just keep at it!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Satisfaction!
I just spent the morning playing with our Wii Fit -- yes, it does make exercising fun for those of us who hate, hate, hate it. I'll admit I haven't been using it every day as I had planned, but I am using it at least 2-3 times a week, which justifies the purchase :) I am happy to report that when I stepped on the board today, I discovered that I've lost 8.5 pounds since starting to use it on the 3rd, the day we switched to vegan eating. I haven't been doing a lot of exercise because I have a herniated disk that has decided to be unruly again, but I have shoveled a few times and again I've been using the Wii Fit on and off....I think though, I need to credit the loss with being vegan! My goal is to lose 20 pounds within 6 months- which I've done before in much less time- but the goal is to not think of it like a diet, but as a way of life.
It feels so gratifying to know what's going into my food; to know that the ingredients I'm cooking with are fresh and the majority of them unprocessed. I'm feeling healthier, more alert, more active- and it feels good! I'm still at the point where I'm craving cheese and desserts, but I think if I just continue to avoid cheese for a few months it will become a thing of the past and as for desserts, I'm learning not to deprive myself, but to concoct healthier alternatives like fruit salad or a mug of hot chocolate.
Last night I was starting having only eaten a muffin I grabbed on the go (which was not vegan, but I was in a rush and unfortunately most places don't have vegan options) and an apple all day. My boyfriend suggested we us our second "out to dinner" pass (we get 2 a month- a decision made to save money and to make eating out a special thing rather than a habit). He passed out on the couch and I wandered into the kitchen to search through the cabinets for inspirations.
We had a butternut squash left over from the Portland Winter Farmer's Market and a recipe in Vegan on the Cheap for Linguine with Lentils and Roasted Butternut Squash. I bit my lip and wondered if I should risk making it. My boyfriend is NOT a fan of lentils, though I prepared a lentil soup for him last winter that he loved and said was the first time he'd had them and liked them. Looking around our empty fridge and cupboard, it looked like this was my only option.
I'm glad I took the risk! He loved it and so did I. It's a great recipe though it does take quite a while to prepare which isn't optimal when you're as hungry as I was! Nevertheless, here's the recipe with a few modifications (the writer of this book LOVES garlic, and I'm Italian too but I don't need to ward of vampires for a month!). Enjoy!
Linguine with Lentils and Roasted Butternut Squash adapted from Vegan on the Cheap
1/2 cup green lentils
1 med. butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded (this takes forever and I'd suggest just buying on that's already dismantled at the food store)
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced (she uses 4...I used 1, try what you'd like!)
2 tsp crumbled dried sage (I'm going to try using fresh next time as I think the flavor will be...well fresher!)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup veggie stock (make it yourself!)
12 oz linguine
Bring a pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add lentils, return to boil and then reduce to low. Cover & cook until tender, about 45 mins. Drain & set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 & lightly oil a 9x13in baking pan. Cut the squash into 1/2-in dice and spread in the pan in a single layer. Drizzle with some more oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast until tender, turning once halfway through, about 30 mins. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat some oil. Add onion, cover and cook about 5 mins. Add garlic and cook about 30 secs. Stir in the sage, tomatoes, and cooked lentils. Stir in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash and keep warm over low heat, adding more stock if needed for a saucelike texture.
In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the linguine over med-high, stirring, until al dente about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the lentil-squash mixture and toss gently to combine. Serve hot.
It feels so gratifying to know what's going into my food; to know that the ingredients I'm cooking with are fresh and the majority of them unprocessed. I'm feeling healthier, more alert, more active- and it feels good! I'm still at the point where I'm craving cheese and desserts, but I think if I just continue to avoid cheese for a few months it will become a thing of the past and as for desserts, I'm learning not to deprive myself, but to concoct healthier alternatives like fruit salad or a mug of hot chocolate.
Last night I was starting having only eaten a muffin I grabbed on the go (which was not vegan, but I was in a rush and unfortunately most places don't have vegan options) and an apple all day. My boyfriend suggested we us our second "out to dinner" pass (we get 2 a month- a decision made to save money and to make eating out a special thing rather than a habit). He passed out on the couch and I wandered into the kitchen to search through the cabinets for inspirations.
We had a butternut squash left over from the Portland Winter Farmer's Market and a recipe in Vegan on the Cheap for Linguine with Lentils and Roasted Butternut Squash. I bit my lip and wondered if I should risk making it. My boyfriend is NOT a fan of lentils, though I prepared a lentil soup for him last winter that he loved and said was the first time he'd had them and liked them. Looking around our empty fridge and cupboard, it looked like this was my only option.
I'm glad I took the risk! He loved it and so did I. It's a great recipe though it does take quite a while to prepare which isn't optimal when you're as hungry as I was! Nevertheless, here's the recipe with a few modifications (the writer of this book LOVES garlic, and I'm Italian too but I don't need to ward of vampires for a month!). Enjoy!
Linguine with Lentils and Roasted Butternut Squash adapted from Vegan on the Cheap
1/2 cup green lentils
1 med. butternut squash, peeled, halved, and seeded (this takes forever and I'd suggest just buying on that's already dismantled at the food store)
Salt & pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup minced yellow onion
1 garlic clove, minced (she uses 4...I used 1, try what you'd like!)
2 tsp crumbled dried sage (I'm going to try using fresh next time as I think the flavor will be...well fresher!)
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup veggie stock (make it yourself!)
12 oz linguine
Bring a pot of salted water to boil over high heat. Add lentils, return to boil and then reduce to low. Cover & cook until tender, about 45 mins. Drain & set aside.
Preheat the oven to 400 & lightly oil a 9x13in baking pan. Cut the squash into 1/2-in dice and spread in the pan in a single layer. Drizzle with some more oil and season with salt & pepper. Roast until tender, turning once halfway through, about 30 mins. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat some oil. Add onion, cover and cook about 5 mins. Add garlic and cook about 30 secs. Stir in the sage, tomatoes, and cooked lentils. Stir in the stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash and keep warm over low heat, adding more stock if needed for a saucelike texture.
In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the linguine over med-high, stirring, until al dente about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the lentil-squash mixture and toss gently to combine. Serve hot.
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