A Natural Renewal

Okay...since most of the people who read this are off of facebook, you guys may have been realizing i've been posting about my "vegan" meals....well here's the story behind it all. Scoff if you want, I've already lost 3 lbs just by eating HEALTHY.


So here goes:

  Last Saturday, Daniel and I went over to his parents' house to celebrate his dad's birthday. While we were over there, we got on the subject of diet. His brother kept on saying "cut out dairy. period. its awful. get rid of it" and being the stubborn old me, i rolled my eyes thinking "ya ya, whatever." (sorry christian, its true. thats what i was thinking... LOL) but anyways...so we talked and talked about nutrition and stuff, and then Christan mentioned this documentary called Forks Over Knives on Netflix (and that is a link to the website in case you were curious).... they started to play it, but then daniel and his mom wanted to watch more of Surviving the Cut (a military documentary series)...so we forgot about it...until Sunday.

Daniel turned it on, and for the first 30 minutes, i didn't give a rats you-know-what about it. I was just chillin looking up random stuff on the internet and browsing...then after about 30 minutes, he turns to me and said "i'm pausing it until you stop what you are doing and watch this with me." when i realized he was serious, i begrudgingly shut the netbook and sat up to watch it.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I never realized half the stuff they talked about. (if you haven't watched it, download it or watch it on Netflix.) It showed a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she switched to a plant based diet (which is what this documentary focused on) and it went into remission. countless people on here showing that diabetes was almost cured where they didn't have to take the medicines anymore... people with headaches (like ME) who switched and they hardly ever get headaches anymore...stuff like that...not to mention, they lose weight. So it got daniel and i talking.

We decided right then it was time for a change. We went to The Fresh Market, Barnes and Noble, and Target that day to try to come up with pricing, and we found the book that went with the documentary (it has some delish recipes!) we bought that...found some recipes we wanted to try, and got a few items from Target to start us off. On Tuesday, we went to Earth Fare and bought 5 different kinds of beans, basmati brown rice, and quinoa (and spent some time with Daniel's mom--which was fantastic!) we got a lot of items to kind of jump start us.

Now, I know you're thinking "bethany, what the HECK has gotten into you?!? are you crazy?!?" no i'm not crazy. i just want to get healthy. and after watching that documentary, i didn't see what i had to lose by attempting to eat a bunch more whole grains, veggies, and fruit. like seriously? not that hard. We're not going COMPLETELY vegan...at least not right now...mainly because we're living with my parents and that would be hard as heck to do. but, the past 3 nights we've made our own meals while my parents made theirs. just because we wanted to....we aren't technically "starting" until Sunday, but we were anxious to try some random stuff. lol. for example:
   Wednesday night I got home and was like "hmmm. i want to throw a bunch of random veggies in a pot with brown rice and veggie broth and a little bit of our soy sauce alternative..." and daniel was like "okay?!?" so we cooked brown rice, chopped up some carrots, celery, onion, and some of that soy sauce stuff...and it was FANTASTIC. lol and filling, of course.

Last night i made vegan tacos (sorta)...boca crumbles, a tiny bit of cheese (hence the sorta), spinach, tomato,  black beans...whole wheat whole grain tortilla.....and of ccourse for breakfast we've been doing this recipe from the cookbook called "cinnamon raisin oatmeal". old fashioned oats, cinnamon, and raisins. easy. and if you like it creamy, add a bit of almond milk and you're good to go. ;)

the only thing i'm gonna really have a problem with is work. -.- i wish there was a way for me to step out of the room and eat a few carrots or celery or something...but alas there is not so i'll just have to make do for now. :)

but yeah. so... thoughts?  been wanting to post a blog for a while now, but all i was gonna post before hand was one titled "dark wings, dark words" because i was about to give up completely with everything going on. working out is out of the question for right now (too much stress between work, cooking, and working out)...so...i'm trying to be more active (if thats even possible) at work....and just..eating "vegan." or as close as we can. but i seriously was gonna give up completely...but after seeing 3lbs come off just this week??...yeah okay...i'm stoked. not gonna lie. but anyways.

this is dinner from tonight--quinoa topped with squash, zucchini, broccoli, chickpeas, carrots, celery, onion, and a bit of veggie broth. ;)

 comments appreciated! :)

Chalkin' it up to Stress

I've been looking for answers over the last week as to why I haven't been losing like I was or wanted to...and everywhere I've read its stated "stress is a leading factor in weight gain, you should avoid getting too stressed out or your body will start storing fat."  and i'm like "avoid stress? how!?!"

That is what i want to know from you guys...stress busters, stuff to help...cuz this is ridiculous. I've been so stressed out over the last week...(i got a lot going on, and work isn't helping me AT ALL). I don't know what to do. I'm assuming that the massive migrane that has about made me pass out 3 times this morning was from the stress over the week just building and building until BAM. migrane. yuck.  I know why i get stressed out... I'm a planner (in case you guys don't know that)...I like everything to be in order, i want to know whats going to happen and when, and i'm slightly OCD about it.

My mom has told me for years I need to be "more flexible" and for YEARS i've tried and tried again...but this little thing inside me makes me want to plan every moment of every day and clock it to the millisecond. When shit hits the fan, however, I go bonkers. I'm immediately in emergency mode trying to re-plan everything and stressing out if i can't get it all done. I dont know how to fix this. I mean, its just who i am. I grew up saying the verse: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Phillipians 4:6


a bit ironic, don't you think? I've been saying that since i was like...12...and yet..thats the one aspect of me i need work on. being anxious. stressing out. worrying. I'm a mother hen worrying over everyone including myself. I guess i just let it get the best of me. When people tell me that i need to chill out or stop worrying so much...i look at them and i'm like "how. you show me how. cuz i've been trying to CHILL OUT for 10 years now...and I STILL haven't figured it out."

But i'm assuming this is why i'm not losing. Now, don't take that the wrong way and think "oh no, you've gained those 10lbs back already?" NOPE. i'm stuck at 248.6. which is better i guess than gaining it back. lol.  but thats my issue. I have a FANTASTIC diet. (aside from cheat days, which are OKAY in my book as long as i don't go overboard, and i usually don't because i do not want to undo my work so far). I am eating healthier than i ever have...and i've gotten my parents on board too. which is HUGE. my mom is slowly growing to like the wheat versions..like brown rice, low cal bread, wheat buns, ect. slowly, but i'm trying. i eat more fresh fruit and veggies than i ever have...and fiber and protein galore. Little to no processed foods. I think i'm doing fantastic on my diet.

My exercise? I have never felt so great about exercise. I love it. I miss it when I'm sick or have to miss it (like last night) because i have more pressing matters to face. Now granted, i could have gone after I had taken care of all that crap i had to do when i got off last night, but by that time i was starving, it was 7p, and the gym closed in 2 hours...and i was like 20 minutes away without my clothes. so i was like "nope. couch time." so....yeah...and obviously if i can't get this damn migrane to go away i wont be able to go tonight--seeing as i want to go to work tomorrow.

I do resistance training 2days/wk. the other 3 i do cardio (with 2 rest days preferably...) but 4 days at the gym is better than none, so sometimes i may have 3 rest days...but i wont kick myself too much over it. I think it will be easier once everything is sorted out with Daniel and the USAF and we have dates and stuff and i can plan and he can plan and we'll all be hunky dory. also after some other stuff sorts itself out, we will be good. but right now? I got so much going on that i cannot even think straight. I was trying to pray before going to bed and kept getting sidetracked. within a 2 minute prayer. really?! i got too much going on.

but anyways...i know most of you don't get stressed out like i do...but you can't possibly NEVER get stressed...so tell me...what do YOU do to keep yourself  virtually "stress-free"?

that is all. comment or message me on FB

adios

Discouraged. :(

I know the weight loss journey hasn't been easy yet, and i know it wont be...but today i'm feeling a little bit discouraged. I've been fluctuating between 248.6 and 250.6 for the past three days and I do not understand it. I'm eating below my calorie max on spark people, i'm working out, i always have a deficit of 1000 or more....i don't understand it. I've been eating fresh fruit like there's no tomorrow, doing protein shakes after resistance training, making sure what i eat is healthy....i should be losing, not hitting a plateau this early. It makes me mad... i don't know why i'm not losing. I don't know why i'm stuck. its just really discouraging.

i have no motivation right now. at all. there's so many stressors in my life right now, I've got better things to worry about than my weight. Which it shouldn't be this way. I mean, i still want to lose weight--don't get me wrong...its just...even with me making all these changes and making sure that i'm below my calorie limit and stuff...i'm not losing...and its really REALLY disheartening. I just don't know what i'm doing wrong.


I'm so...idk..scared that my efforts are not making progress...i mean obviously they're not...because after 10lbs of loss, i'm stuck exactly at 10lbs lost...and some mornings i'm only 8lbs lost. its irritating. i don't know what i'm doing wrong! heres a look at my day yesterday...

breakfast--1 cup multigrain cheerios w/ milk; fruit (strawberries, banana, blueberries)

lunch--tuna salad sandwich, 100cal popcorn, apple

dinner--protein shake made of pure protein powder, milk, strawberries, and blueberries; graham cracker

my total calorie intake for the day was like...1450 or something like that...my max is 1680... i had a calorie differential of 1052 or something like that. -.- that slightly irritates me. i did my resistance training yesterday too.  idk... i'm just so discouraged... i don't know what i'm doing wrong. i should be under 240 by now. :(


help? i need advice.... tips....encouragement...something. :(

In Sickness and in Health

Okay. so. let me just start by saying that i feel awful right now. for more than one reason.  1) I went up on the scale (which doesn't really bother me that much, i just know it would have gone down if i had gone to the gym last night instead of eating dinner...lol) 2) I didn't go to the gym last night because I was past the point of exhaustion and i didn't want to get sick 3) i'm sick. -.-

It seems to me that every freaking time i try to get back in the swing of things, i get sick. Part of that is probably because i work in a daycare and these kids are like little germ monsters trying to get rid of me or something. Another is probably because I have been working so hard, and pushing myself past where i usually go (which is nowhere on most days before trying to get healthy) so my systems like "whoa whoa, let me catch up!" now i've been trying to get about 8 hours of sleep. Which means on a day where I "wake up" at 6, I go to bed around 10ish. which is easy to do when you go to the gym and aren't home til at least 7ish...cuz i still have to go get a shower, eat something, ect. So by the time thats all done, its 9p. lol...

but last night i made the ultimate decision to stay another day home from the gym (wednesday was my rest day)...and well...i feel bad...but i made that decision because i was so tired that on my lunch i almost didn't have time to eat because i about collapsed on the couch. Idk why i was so tired, but i think it had something to do with 1) i am coming down with something; 2) we had water play yesterday morning so i was in the sun for 2 hours.

*sigh* i'm hoping I can make it through today mainly unscathed. I'm gonna take B12 on my lunch...hell i may go ahead and take one now. but today is supposed to be a resistance day and i loveee doing my resistance training. I work 730-430, so i'll end up getting home about the time i would if i worked 830-530. :)  so i mean thats not bad. and i can take a benedryl and sleep as late as i want tomorrow. LOL. i'm also going to take an airborne or 2 today. idk. sore throat started out wednesday night...and it just has slowly gotten a little bit worse. not to the awful point of not being able to swallow (thank GOD)...but its like that nasty drainage sore throat stuff. its irritating.

OH so let me explain my title for the blog. I've figured out this morning that getting healthy is like a marriage of sorts. You should try to get healthy no matter what, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, ect ect. Healthy is a lifestyle. Working out is a lifestyle. You should always try to better yourself.....(unless you're obscenely sick). I was reading somewhere that if you're sick above the neck  (cough, runny nose, mild sore throat) but don't have a fever or anything like that, you're good to go do your workout, just lighten the load if you feel the need...however, if you are sick below the neck (chest congestion, fever, body aches, ect) then steer clear of the gym and just wait until about 48 hours after your symptoms chill out before going.  So all i have is this nasty drainage-produced sore throat...so i guess i'm good to go to the gym tonight...i just hope i can. i really would like to see a 3lb loss this week...i mean, 2lbs is fine...but... yeah...and i know that my weight fluctuates really from day today--but i like to weigh in daily because it helps keep me accountable. though i may try to wait until sunday to check again. lol. idk. im not sure i can actually stop weighing myself daily. tried it before, and i end up weighing out of curiosity. lol.

anyways.

thats really all i've had on my mind...just that i feel bad about not going to the gym last night and stuff...but... i mean...you win some you lose some.

now here's a question for you guys....with me working full time (monday-friday 830-530 chasing 3 year olds) do you think that going to the gym 4/7 days is enough for me to see weight loss? i'm scared that 5 may be too much and i'll get sick and stuff.... but idk.

ya'll have a good friday. and TGIF. so glad its the weekend. just wish it was 4 days long instead of 2. whoever came up with a "2 day" weekend was seriously crazy. should have made it 4 days. lol.

Oh the smell of victory!

First goal? Accomplished. -10lbs exactly this morning. Been going slow, but  i guess thats a good thing. :) I have gone from 258.6 to 248.6.

This is a sweet victory for me. It shows that I'm doing something right...oh and I havent been under 250 since Daniel and I got married 3 years ago.

Next goal? under 240. haven't seen that number since I was in high school. It will be a fantastic breakthrough! Anyways. I'm really enjoying this cooking schedule (if my parent's wont mess it up!!! they're wanting to change stuff around already and i'm like NO. i have my week planned....lol) But the schedule is really helping. I've also increased my FRESH FRUIT intake. its fantastic. why didn't i buy fresh fruit before????? i love it! Like just this morning i had a bowl of multi-grain cheerios (ohh and i've found that baby bowls are the perfect size to fit one cup ((one serving)) and make it look like its 2 or 3...lol! so it tricks your brain!) but anyways, i had the cheerios and then i had a "fruit salad" where i mixed 3 strawberries sliced up, 10 blueberries, and 1 banana. it was fantastic. I love fruit! i'll probably have grapes with my lunch. but it made me feel fanastic to know that what i'm doing is working. I can't wait to go to the doctor next (will probably be in about 3 months because i'll need a refill on my birth control anyways)...he'll be like "WHOA! good job!" and i'll be like "yeah, it was nothing!" lol. nah i'm just kidding. but seriously...everytime i go in there he CHIDES me about my weight. now i'm actually doing something about it. (Granted i've been going to this doctor since I was like....5....so.....i guess he has a reason to chide me)

but anyways. i couldn't wait to tell you guys! i had to post! but yeah...today is a rest day from working out, and it is much needed. my cats kept us up last night and i'm sore! I did 45 minutes in the pool last night. i did about 28 minutes of  freestyle and about 17 of just "general swimming" which is what i term my "cool down" laps as. just because its not technically the backstroke, i'm really just laying on my back and gently kicking myself down to one end and back. lol. or "derping" as daniel would call it.

*yawn* anyways. I'm off, gotta finish getting ready for work. thank you guys for believing in me! :D

A Weight Has Been Lifted

Seriously. Several weights have been lifted tonight. LOL. sorry corny, i know. but anyways. first round of resistance training happened about 30 minutes ago and i am going to be soreeee tomorrow! lol. i never knew just how week my upper body was until today. ouch. my left arm? yeah...muscles NON EXISTENT. after 2 reps i was already shaking. lol

But anyways. I think this will really help me. I feel awesome. The meal plans for the week are also helping. We were able to buy all the groceries we needed on Friday night (which i mentioned in my last post) and it helped me plan my lunches and breakfasts accordingly. today i really haven't eaten that much. :) My dinner is going to be a PB & Banana sandwich even though my mommy cooked amazing chili sauce pork chops and rice.... i'll be eating that for lunch tomorrow. I just didn't want that much food on my belly right after working out...i probably wont eat for another 30 minutes or so anyways...just cuz i have to let my body chill after working out before i eat anything.

Tomorrow's gym plan is to swim for about 30-45 minutes if possible. shouldn't be an issue. but...i don't know how sore i'm gonna be...may turn out to be just an elliptical day if i'm awfully sore.... lol. I am glad i am going right after work. I had more energy at work today...and well, yeah, it helps.  It also helps when you don't run out of water halfway through your workout. -.- that was irritating. i got home and was like "WAAATTTEEEERRRRR!!!" i've already had almost a whole water bottle. i've been home for about 10 minutes.


I wanted to post tonight...i had so much to talk about...but really all i want to do right now is go shower. lol. OHHH and after all that crap i've eaten the past couple weeks, I'm back under 250. weighed in at 249.6 today. hopefully i'll be down to 245-246 by next Monday...I think its do-able. I just gotta work really hard. :)

here's my week's outlook:

Today--Resistance Training with 10minute warm up on elliptical
Tomorrow-Swim for 30-45 OR Elliptical for 45
Wednesday-Rest Day
Thursday--YOGALATES!! fantastic.
Friday--Resistance Training with 10minute warm up on elliptical
Saturday--Elliptical for 45 minutes; Swimming for 20

huzzah. maybe i'll see results now that i have EVERY MOMENT OF MY LIFE PLANNED. lol


OHHHH speaking of that. Daniel goes to the MEPS in Nashville on Monday. HURRAY!!!  finally, the ball gets rolling! after that we'll know when basic is.

alright stop. its showertime.

gosh. there goes corny me again. lol

have a good night and a great week! :D

Turning Tables

Okay, so i thought the song "Turning Tables" would work as a title because thats what i feel like i'm doing. Turning the tables away from high fat, high calorie crapola and turning it into high protein, lower calorie choices.

I  have come up with this BRILLIANT idea for the family, and my slow brainwashing of my parents is working... dance my puppets, dance! LOL jk, anyways. but i came up with this idea during naptime  (yes, at work....) I was just sitting there in the dark about to pass out (thanks to a lovely fan and lullaby combo), and AHA it hit me. like a freight train.

What if, I could get my parents on a "schedule" so to say? I cook two nights, my dad cooks two nights, and my mom cooks two nights? Thats 6/7 nights that are cooked. Then I thought, "okay, so if i can pull off this whole schedule thing, what if i can make the 'cooked' choices healthier?" and BAM. there it was. SOOO....

This coming week starts the "cycle".  My mom, dad, and I sat down and figured out what we were cooking the rest of the week and then went grocery shopping. I have had a great deal of influence on the types of stuff we buy. My dad even told me last night "lets finish what we have here in the house, then we will get the healthier versions of ingredients. :)  I've grown addicted to the "healthier" tortillas when i do chicken/steak fajitas, chicken  quesadillas, ect ect.... the whole wheat, whole grain, high fiber ones. YES. and i've gotten away from refried beans and do reduced sodium black beans. :) same thing with hamburgers--while daniel and i were in the apartments, I came up with all sorts of healthier versions of foods i love. So i'm just starting to implement these here.

It feels good, ya know?  To see an idea you have blossom and be fantastic! I hope it sticks. I like this because not only does that mean theres less "ohhh idk what are we doing for dinner" "idk, what do you want?" "idk....fast food/chilis/ect?" and stuff like that, but it also will help me to plan for my lunches. HECK YES.

I can finally plan a full day's meals. What i plan on doing is with the dinners, i will put some in a tupperware dish for my lunch the next day...or like tonight we're doing steaks, so i'll probably put some steak and half a potato in one for Monday's lunch. :) cuz i like steak. ;)

but, if i haven't told you already, i'm done with stupid slimfasts. go ahead, applaud. I'm proud. i thought they were good for you until i started looking into them more. I mean they worked for Daniel...but he still has to get his Body Fat % down, and i want to do it all at the same time, soooo here we go. :)

OHH and i have found a new love. ENGLISH MUFFINS. holy cow, why did i never try these before???? i love love love the Cinnamon Raisin ones...in fact, i had one of those and an apple for bfast and i'm actually full. ;) fantastic.  I also am dying to try a new idea that i had...a Light English Muffin with 2 tbsp of whipped cream cheese and strawberry slices. idk. it sounded good. lol. i also have fresh blueberries to try with it as well...though i'm not as big of a fan of blueberries as i am of strawberries. BUT I AM making whole wheat, fresh blueberry pancakes tomorrow morning. So. Excited.


sooo yeah. i don't see why this wont work. I'm also meeting with a personal trainer at the gym today at 3 because we never came up with a personalized workout plan and i need help. lol. i have a LOT of questions for him. :)

anyways. thanks for keeping me accountable (keeba). ;) and lori and all you other amazing people out there...you guys have no idea how much it helps to have someone tell you to your face "um, all you're doing is making excuses for yourself. you need to stop." :)

have a great saturday!