A meat kind of day

Lorelai and I headed over the hill to Napa and had a girlie day! We stopped at Target, then Playground Fantastico, then Taylor's Refresher for Lunch. If you've never heard of Taylor's Refresher, it is a very yummy Burger Joint with organic meat. Kind of a high end In-and-Out. I splurged and had a cheeseburger and fries. After lunch, we stopped in next door to the Oxbow Market and shared a petite Gluten-Free Chocolate Cupcake! Within an hour after our splurge, I started to feel run down and completely out of it. I haven't had a meal like that in almost 2 months, my body totally freaked!! So for dinner, I made a veggie-pot-pie with gluten free pie crust. I feel much better! I don't think my body can handle those kid of meals any more. It's a very very very very rare kind of thing. Just thought I would share. I'm about to watch Amelia and Ryan made Vegan Popcorn! Vegan Butter and popped the popcorn from scratch! Yumm!!

Test Results

I got my results back and everything looks great! Everything is within the normal range. But a few things still need slight improvements!

Cholestrol: (Less than 200 is desirable)

12/15/08 - 180
3/3/10 - 160

HDL: ("Good Cholesterol" Optimal level for women is 50 - 60)

12/15/08 - 38
3/3/10 - 38

LDL: ("Bad Cholesterol" Optimal is 100 or less)

12/15/08 - 123
3/3/10 - 101

Glucose: (Levels 70 - 99 are normal)

12/15/08 - 97
3/3/10 - 88

I'm very happy with the results and am now convinced Veganism is the way to go (most of the time!)

The End!

Hey all! So Sorry I haven't had a chance to write since the Vegan ended. I did it! I made it an entire month as a Vegan and loved it! I kind of missed cheese and chicken, but not to the extent that I thought I would. This experience really put me out of my element and taught me how to eat. I knew how to eat before, but I learned to eat the good stuff and enjoy it. The research really scared me, and I am completely done with Cow's Milk. But I've learned to buy the other stuff correctly, from the farmer, or from the store, but Organic & Free-Range!

This week, I have had chicken twice and truthfully, not a huge fan! I eat it, but I don't feel good after eating it, so it may be an occasional thing. I say, everything in moderation! In the morning, I am going to go in and do my fasting blood work. The test should come back by the end of the week, or next week some time. When I get the results, I'll be happy to share them.

Now that I am at the end, I want to thank you all for all of your support throughout this very challenging month. I loved hearing your thoughts and ideas and words of encouragement. I couldn't believe I had that many followers out there! I couldn't have done this for 28 days without you all behind me, egging me on! (Sorry for the pun!) My husband really started to support me when he saw that I was losing weight and feeling good. He also started to like the food a little. Who knew he was such a fan of Tofu?? It was great! And now, he isn't pushing me to eat meat right away, he thinks I should just eat meat occasionally! What a great guy. In the beginning, I thought this would be a real strain on our marriage, but it turned out to be a challenge to our marriage that turned out for the best. Thank goodness!

I will continue to update this blog, just not everyday. I'll let you all know how things are going as I continue on my quest to lose 40lbs! 5 down, 35 more to go! My new goal is to shed most, or all by Lorelai's 3rd Birthday on August 22nd.

Until next time........

1 more day!

So..... I have one more day?? I kind of want some meat, but I'm not craving it. I think it will still be a while before I have some meat. And when I do, it won't be very much. My doctor told me yesterday that I should still have some lean animal protein every now and then. I plan on doing that, but I believe you really can go your entire life not ever having meat or dairy. I have been doing so much research on the Vegan subject and have come to the conclusion that Meat and dairy are the cause of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and various other illnesses. And can be a factor in cancer. Meat isn't sounding too great. We think we need meat and dairy because the meat and dairy industries have been telling us for a century that we have to have it. Most of the research done has been paid for by the meat and dairy industries. Makes me wonder. I've also been reading that a diet high in green veggies and brightly colored fruits is just as effective as a diet high in meat and dairy. It all just seems confusing. But, I guess as long as I keep everything in moderation and eat as healthy as possible and cut out the bad stuff, I should do just fine. I've already lost 5 pounds, evidence enough for me that eating nothing but fruits and veggies (and some whole grains & pastas) is good for you. My body is as energetic as when I was in high school. It's a great feeling!

So this morning I woke up to rain! Big shock. I really needed to get my exercise in, so I turned on the tv, went to my cable's OnDemand and turned on a 10 minute cardio workout. I'm now really trying to throw in more cardio with my walking and biking. And I then spent 2 hours scrubbing my kitchen and dining room. After a good lunch, I spent another hour scrubbing both bathrooms. I think I got my workout in for the day! Now I'm going to blow off all those calories I burned and have a 1/2 of a Vegan Chocolate Cupcake! It's Saturday night, and I'm splurging!! Only 1 more day!! YAY!

48 Hours

That's right......48 hours!!! How did this happen so quick??

I had my doctors appointment today, and have lost 5 pounds!!! My scale is right! I did get high praises from my doctor. She said to continue with this healthy eating lifestyle, but still add a little bit of animal protein every now and then to keep up the protein. I don't know if I completely believe in that, but I planned on doing meat every now and then anyways, so it was good to hear. She also recommended that I carry 5lb weights as I walk to get my muscle strength up and help me shed weight faster. I had thought of that, just haven't gotten around to buying any. I will have my blood work done next week since I have to fast first. I should know by the end of next week what my levels are at. From what the doctor saw of me and felt, she said everything looks good. It's great to hear! What a relief! Now the last hurdle is the blood work. I did notice that my BMI has gone down 2 points. It needs to go down about 4 more points to be in the healthy range.

Since I had some time for the doctors visit, I got to enjoy a lunch to myself! I treated myself to Japanese food, Avocado Rolls, Vegetable Tempura, Miso Soup, Salad, Brown Rice and Green Tea. It was so yummy! And all completely VEGAN!!

I think next week I will make a nice chicken dinner with fresh veggies to celebrate. I just have to go get myself a free-range, humanely raised chicken!

Weight: 175lbs
Breakfast: Muesli & Hempmilk
Snack: Best Smoothie EVER!
Lunch: See Above
Dinner: Broiled Tofu with Panko Breadcrumbs, Couscous Blend and Salad with Red Onion & Avocado and Balsamic Dressing.

Until Next time......

72 Hours and Counting!

So, it's 3 more days and the challenge is over. I have fully rocked this challenge and feeling great! I have a new feeling of full and my energy level is way more than I could have imagined. I have been going on my scale for the past 4 days and now it's saying 174!! My scale might still be wrong, but I have a doctor's appointment in the morning, so we'll see what that one says. I feel like I have lost weight. Monday morning I walked 1 mile. Wednesday, I rode the bike, towing Lorelai, 3 miles. And today, I pushed the stroller with Lorelai in it for 2 miles. And last week we had some nice days, so Lorelai and I went on bike rides every day for 4 days. I'm really trying to pump up the exercise. Now I have the energy for it!

People have been asking me what I'm going to do after this month. My plan seems confusing and weird, but it seems like it will work for me. I will be a vegetarian-ish. I will probably only eat meat on occasion and will not eat anything with cow's milk in it. If I do go to a party or somebody's house and there is meat and dairy, I won't be rude and refuse. It's just not in me. But at home, no more. If I eat eggs, it will be from a good source, like straight from a humane farm. And I'm still doing research on how humane Goat & Sheep Milk products are. I'll decide on it from there. I know, it sounds kinda complicated. Little to No Meat, and No Cow's Milk Products. Sweet and as simple as I can get it! Veggies, Fruit, Nuts & Seeds are my new food groups!

Monday and Tuesday, I did the semi-cleanse. Fresh fruits & veggies, no coffee and a semi-filling dinner. I just can't stand to go to bed hungry. On Wednesday, I broke it and went back to my normal Veganess. Just lightening up. I also discovered Muesli! It's a cereal with oats, barley, rice puffs, dates, raisins, dried apples and cinnamon. I have a small bowl with Hempmilk in the morning. It's very yummy. I don't know why I haven't found this stuff earlier. Lorelai loves it. But she prefers cow's milk. I gave her a sippy cup of hempmilk this morning and she started drinking it and I asked her if it was good, and Lorelai said, "It's Weird!" LOL! Too funny. But Ryan won't give up Cow's Milk either, so I still will have to buy it. No biggie, I don't miss it.

Weight: 174lbs
Breakfast: Muesli
Lunch: Leftover Pesto Gluten-Free Pasta with Tofu
Snack: Apple & Dried Cranberries
Dinner: Leftover Blanched Kale & Red Swiss Chard with Citrus Garlic Sauce, Basmati Rice with Carrots wrapped in a tortilla with peanut butter

Until next time.....

A Semi-Cleanse

This morning I started a new routine. My 2 year old alarm clock always goes off about 7:30am. I woke up not feeling very hungry (odd for me), so I had a cup of warm water with a slice of lemon. This aids in digestion and should be drunk first thing in the morning before breakfast. While I enjoyed my warm glass of lemon water, Lorelai had egg & toast. Then we did our stretches, loaded up my bundled kiddo in the stroller, and went for a 30min brisk walk around the block. I came back and felt great! So for breakfast I had a smoothie. I call it the best smoothie ever. It's a mix of strawberries (this time of year I get them frozen), a banana, 1 cup of Hempmilk & 1/2 cup of Nana's All Naturals Granola and a scoop of GreenFood Powder. It smells and looks weird, but it tastes great! For a snack, I had an apple. For lunch, a salad with Avocado, Green Onion, and Balsamic Dressing. For an afternoon snack, I had a cup of Tropical Green Tea and roasted Pumpkin & hemp seeds. But, for dinner, I had Gluten-Free Penne Pasta with Crisped Tofu Strips and Sauteed Shallots & Garlic. I threw in homemade Pesto Sauce. It turned out great! I probably should have had a salad with dinner, but at night, I need a little something heavy. That's why I called it a Semi-Cleanse. I don't know if I have it in me to do a full cleanse.

This morning I went on the scale for the first time in 2 days. I weighed 176! After doing the 30min walk, I took a shower. Before getting in the shower, I weighed myself again and it said 174! WTF??? I have no idea if it's my scale or what! I'll try again first thing in the morning and see what it says.

I hope to do this new routine every day for the remainder of the Vegan Month. I WANT to lose weight and feel good. I felt great today and didn't have my normal cup of coffee! Tomorrow may be another story!


Until next time.......