I Eat to Live.

I'm sure you've all heard the popular mantra that 80% of a healthy body is made in the kitchen, the other 20%  is made at the gym. Sometimes it's 70/30 or 75/25. Sometimes it takes into account genetic factors. But, the point always remains clear, that what we eat has more to do with the way we look and feel than how much or how hard we work out.

So, I thought that maybe I should talk a little bit about how I've been eating lately, since becoming 100% vegan. After the first two weeks of being vegan, I lost 8 pounds. During the 3rd week, I lost 3 more. Now, coming up on the forth week, I think it is safe to say that my weight loss has gone much faster than it ever has on a normal diet. (By diet I mean "way of eating", not unhealthy food restriction.)

When I tell people I'm a vegan, I usually get questions like "So you don't eat meat, or milk, or cheese, or eggs... so what do you eat.", as if those are the only four foods on the face of the earth. I also get things like "Don't you feel deprived.", and, "How do you get enough protein/calcium/iron."

So, let me walk you through a typical day in our family.

I start off every day with a glass of green tea, with a table spoon of lemon. Lemon helps detoxify our bodies, and helps to balance the body's p.h.

Then, I drink a table spoon of apple cider vinegar, followed be a few gulps of water. It is really repulsive, but it also helps with detox and p.h. balance, as well as digestion, and a few other things.

For breakfast, at around 8, I have a Vega One Nutritional Shake. It comes in powder form, in a few different flavors. I add it to one cup of nondairy milk (usually almond), half a banana, some berries, and some leafy greens (typically kale or spinach). Then, I throw in some chia seeds, flax meal, and ice. I blend it until it is a the texture of a smoothie. It is really filling, and it is formulated to provide vegans with a lot of the nutrients that people assume we aren't getting. Although it is possible, and quite easy, to get protein, calcium, and iron from a plant based diet, Vega One makes it so much simpler.

At around 10:30, I have a snack. Typically I have fruit. Because fruit has such a high sugar content, it is important that it is paired with protein and fiber. So, I usually add a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter, or 2 ounces of raw nuts (cashews, hazlenuts, almonds, or walnuts). If I'm not going to be home, I will pack home made trail mix. Basically, just nuts with raisins and dried fruit.

I have lunch between 12 and 1, depending on the day. Some days, I just have dinner leftovers from the night before. If I make lunch, it is usually something easy to put together, like a baked sweet potato and kale, or sauteed vegetables with soy sauce. Always lots of vegetables.

Around 3:30, I have an afternoon snack. I try to do vegetables for this snack. So, hummus and carrots, or peppers and cucumbers. Just something to keep me full until dinner.

Dinner is the most fun. We have found a ton of great recipes, and already have our favorites figured out. They include black bean veggie burgers, heart of palm "crab" cakes, and peppercorn tempeh. It is really amazing how we can throw plant based foods together to make wonderful food. We are also able to have a lot of our old favorites, with just a little modification. We make vegan enchallidas, quinoa, spaghetti, and pizza. The vegan versions are just as good as the normal versions, and don't leave us feeling tired or gross.

After dinner, we have banana ice cream, which I'm sure I've talked about on here before. It is the perfect way to end any night, and it is an especially nice treat after I get home from the gym.

So, that's it. We eat a lot of good food, and get a lot of nutrients.

A lot of people wonder why we would choose to eat this way. The answer is simple, we eat this way because it is the healthiest way to eat.

I always here things like "our bodies were made to eat animals, humans have always done it." Well, to that I say, that I'm pretty sure that cavemen didn't eat cows and chickens. They most likely ate wild boar, deer, and small rodents. None of which are seen in the traditional American diet.

When we eat meat, we are giving our bodies a huge serving of protein and fat, without any fiber. Which is why meat consumption has been linked to all kinds of cancer.

You think it is healthy to drink milk, or eat dairy products? Think of it like this, when you go to the store, and buy a gallon of milk, you are literally buying cow's breast milk. That milk was designed to help baby calves grow to the size of, well, a fat cow. Clearly, it has the same effect on people. Besides that, we live in a culture that is so judgmental when it comes to breast feeding mothers. Heaven forbid a mother is still breast feeding her toddler (which is absolutely normal and beneficial) but we all pump our kids full of breast milk from a cow and say that it will give us strong bones.

Okay, before I go off on any more of a rant, I'm going to stop. But, to answer the questions you've all been asking- I eat a huge variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes. I absolutely do not feel deprived, and I probably get more protein, calcium, and iron than the typical american.

I can't believe that April is almost over. Time really needs to slow down, so that I can have a minute to prepare myself for what's to come. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was thinking "Wow March is almost over." In a little over a week, my job search starts... yikes.  So, I'm trying to really focus on myself this week. Working out gives me a temporary break from the stress of being an adult, which I think is why I spent so much time doing it this month. If my calculations are correct, I've worked out all but two days this month. Which is a big improvement from where I used to be. I find myself growing more confident every day. Even when I don't notice obvious changes on the scale or in my body, I know that little by little I am become the Stacy that I want to be, and it is an awesome feeling.

Later this week, I am leaving for Ohio for a couple of days. I'm so excited to see everyone, but I'm also nervous about what I'm going to eat and how I'm going to work out. Being a gluten free vegan is easy here, because the people who I eat every meal with are also vegan and gluten free. When I get to Ohio, that will be vastly different. For now, my plan is to mainly focus on the vegan aspect of my diet. For example, spaghetti is vegan, but it might be hard to find gluten free noodles at my hometown grocery store, so I'll have to suck it up. I can also make pizza with no cheese, but I'm not going to make my mom buy gluten-free flour just for one pizza crust. It will be a challenge for sure, but I think I'm up for it.

I'm also going to have to be creative with my workouts. The last time I was home, I did a lot of running, which is great, but I've really been trying to focus on circuit training and high intensity intervals, so I'm going to have figure out a way to do that in my mom's apartment. The only equipment that she has is 3 and 5 pound weights, and I plan on taking my jump rope. So, I'm going to sit down tonight, in between planning for Colt's party, and figure out an exact workout schedule. I need to make sure to work every muscle group at least twice while I'm away, which might prove to be a little tricky.

Anyway, here is my workout log starting with Sunday, April 21st.

Sunday- I had a massage this day, so I didn't want to ruin my relaxed state and pain free muscles with an intense workout, so I just took Colt and Bella on a 2.2 mile walk.

Monday- I did a circuit of 15 minutes on the elliptical doing the hills program, 2 exercises for each muscle group, 4 core exercises, and then 15 more minutes on the elliptical.

Tuesday - I did another 2.2 mile walk, but I mixed it up with some sprints. It proved to be challenging running with a stroller in the wind!

Wednesday- I did a circuit routine. I can't find the sheet where I wrote it down, but it was 40 minutes total on the elliptical and 1 exercise per muscle group.

Thursday- This was one of the toughest CrossFit workouts I've ever done. It was and 800 meter run, 50 burpees, 40 wall balls, 30 squats, 10 pushups, and another 800 meter run. It doesn't sound that hard, but I promise you, my legs hurt until today (Monday).

Friday- I didn't work out today for a couple of reasons. First of all, my legs were so sore that it was hard to even walk. And, even if I had wanted to work out, I spent most of the day shopping with Charlotte and Cassie, so I didn't get home until it was to late to get in a good workout before bed. It was a much needed day off.

Saturday- I did 50 minutes on the elliptical, Pilates, and Zumba.

Sunday- I decided to whip out my iPod and use my Nike Training Center app. It's been a while, and I remember a few months ago thinking that all of the workouts were so hard. While the one that I ended up doing wasn't "easy", I think it is safe to say that I am in much better shape now. It was a fun workout, and it got my heart rate up.

Monday- Today I did a HIIT elliptical routine that I found online. I love the elliptical machines at my gym, they are so easy to program, and have tons of different crossramp/ resistance options. This particular routine was only 30 minutes long (including cool down) but I was exhausted at the end. I think HIIT is going to be so important when it comes to burning fat. I also did a strength training routine, focusing on my upper body.

So, that's all! Tomorrow is the last day of April and I plan to do either CrossFit, or Nike Training Center.

Wish me luck on being healthy at home!

A couple of weeks ago, I scheduled my first massage. When I called to make the appointment the lady on the other end asked if I had a gender preference for my massage therapist. Not wanting to come off as a prude, I said "No", and was given an appointment with a guy named John. 

This past Sunday, the day of the massage, I started to get nervous. What if he is attractive? and What if he thinks my body is disgusting? were just a couple of the thoughts racing through my head. 

When I got there, I filled out some paper work, and answered questions like "Is it okay for him to touch your butt?" ... No.  "Is it okay for him to touch your abdomen?".... No.  "Is it okay for him to touch your feet?"... Sure.  And then I was promptly taken to a dark, calm waiting room. 

A few minutes later, the receptionist came back and introduced me to the man that was about to see me in my underwear. I have to say, it was worse that I expected. I feared a super attractive, Channing Tatum type. But no, this guy was tall and kind of awkward and totally my type. Cue body insecurity. 

So, the therapist takes me back to a dark room with a warm table, and leaves the room while I undress. Laying on the table, I just started to relax. By the time he came back in the room, I was so relaxed that I didn't even care that he was rubbing my thunder thighs, or that he could probably see my stomach fat when we massaged my lower back. It just felt so wonderful. Half-way through the session, I decided that I was definitely scheduling another one. 

When he was done, he left the room, so I could get dressed. When I opened the door he was waiting for me with a glass of water, and asked me how I felt. I felt almost drunk. I was slurring my words, and I almost spilled my water when I handed him his tip. I now understand what the term "hot mess" refers to. 

So I scheduled my next appointment for right after my birthday, and after I got home, I started Googling things like "Do massage therapists think it is gross when they have fat clients?"  The results of these searches kind of opened my eyes to a few things. 

First of all, I'm not that fat anymore. Actually, my body is similar to the average american woman. I'm far from skinny, but I'm no longer a fat beast. I see myself every day, so it is hard for me to see the changes in my body. Most days, I wake up and feel like the same old fat Stacy. But the fact of the matter, is that if I were to see someone my size walking down the street, I probably wouldn't even think she was fat. 

Also, I came to the conclusion that I have a lot of muscle. One of the things that massage therapists had to say was that with really fat clients (which as I just stated doesn't apply to me) it can be hard to reach the muscle to do a massage. So, I laid on my bed feeling the muscles in all of the body parts that John massaged, and I don't even have to apply pressure to know that they are there. 

With that, I concluded that my body is not to disgusting to get a massage, and my therapist most likely just thought it was like any other body that he'd worked on that day. 

So, when June rolls around, I think I will be much more relaxed when it comes time to strip down and climb under the sheets. 

Anyway, here is my exercise from last week!

Monday 4/15- I did a circuit with a pyramid routine for cardio. I started out with 15 minutes on the elliptical followed by a set of 2 upper body exercises, 2 core exercises, and 2 lower body exercises. And then 10 minutes on the elliptical, followed by 6 more exercises, and then 5 minutes on the elliptical, and then 6 more exercises. 

Tuesday- I did the CrossFit  workout of the day, which was 5 sets of 3 deadlifts, using 10 pound plates for a total of 55 pounds. I also did 130 squats. 

Wednesday- 135 squats. Walked a half a mile. At the gym, I did a circuit of 35 minutes on the elliptical, with upper, core, and lower strength training exercises in between. 

Thursday- I decided not to go to the gym, so I created a workout to do in my back yard. I started by running a lap, and then doing 20 crunches, and then I would run another lap and to a different exercise, and then run a lap and do 20 more crunches and so on... I ended up doing 140 crunches, and a lot of jumping jacks, burpees, mountain climbers, lunges, and a few other exercises. 

Friday- I did the CrossFit workout of the day, which was 5 sets of 5 clean thrusters. And I did 20 minutes of cardio. 

Saturday- I did step, which was with a new instructor and was a lot of fun! I also did Pilates and Zumba, and then we all went for a little walk after dinner, probably about a mile. 

So that was what I did last week, I really had an awesome week, and the scale is absolutely reflecting all of my hard work! 

I've had an awesome week, and an even better weekend!

I know I'm supposed to post all of the workouts I've done so far this week, but I'm short on time right now, so I will either post mid-week, or do two weeks worth next weekend.

But, I do want to report that I've lost 4 more pounds this week (for a total of 8 during the two weeks that I've been strictly vegan). I also just purchased a pair of jeans that are two sizes smaller than the jeans I bought a couple of months ago! So, needless to say I'm happy!

I will post more later when I have a little more time! I hope everyone is having a great week!

I Hate Squats.

I've done hundreds of squats and lunges this week. But, as much as I hate doing them, they certainly are effective. My legs are currently numb from tonight's workout, so I though now would be a good time to post my workout log for the last week.

Sunday 4/7- Two mile walk and a crossfit workout. The crossfit workout of the day was 3 rounds of box jumps (I stepped up), overhead presses, and this other dead-lift type exercise that I can't pronounce or spell. 15 reps each.

Monday- Colt and I did one lap around the cul-de-sacs in our neighbor, which took about 15 minutes. At the gym I did 70 squats, and then a circuit routine which consisted of 3 rounds of ten minutes on the elliptical, and then an upper body routine, a core routine, and a lower body routine in between each round of cardio.

Tuesday- Walked 2.2 miles, did 75 squats, and did a crossfit routine which consisted of 5 rounds of three exercises.

Wednesday- 80 Squats. At the gym, I did another circuit routine. 15 minutes on the elliptical, an upper body workout, 10 minutes on the treadmill, 4 mph which is a fast walk/jogging pace for me. A core workout, 10 minutes on the elliptical, and then a lower body workout.

Thursday- I went to kickboxing class, which is always a challenge. We did a lot of burpees and mountain climbers. Overall, a great workout.

Friday- On Friday, I planned on taking a walk with Colt, but it rained in the morning, and then we all went grocery shopping in the afternoon. So, I ended up just doing 100 squats for the night. But, it served as a good rest day.

Saturday- 105 squats, 30 minutes on the elliptical, Pilates, and Zumba. Basically, a typical Saturday.

Sunday (Today)- Today I did another crossfit workout, which is why my legs feel like jello! Today's workout was to do lunges for 100 feet, do fifty squats, run back to the beginning, and then do fifty back extenders using the pull-up band which is about 50 pounds of resistance. Repeat 3 times. It was a pretty good workout, and I love working out outside.

I'm getting ready to create tomorrow's workout, but before I go, I just want to report that my first full week as a strict vegan went great! I will do a post in a couple of weeks to talk about how I feel, but so far I've already lost 4 pounds! I'm super excited about it!

Veganism, Motivation, and my Weekly Workout Report

On Easter Sunday, Matt left to go to Afghanistan for 6 months, and Charlotte and I finally converted fully to veganism. We've been following recipes out of Kris Carr's book, titled Crazy Sexy Kitchen. So far, we've tried vegan chili, and black bean and roasted sweet potato veggie burgers, which were absolutely fantastic! I feel pretty good, but I don't really want to report on how this change is going for a couple of weeks, once my body fully adjusts. But, so far so good! 

What hasn't been good, is my level of motivation over the past few days. When it comes to diet and exercise, I've made myself push through, but in other areas of my life, I feel like I've just hit a wall. 

At the beginning of every month, I make a master list of all of my goals. I do this by looking at my New Year's Resolutions, my future desired self chart, and my one year plan, and picking out steps that I can take to achieve the goals on each list. 

This month, I've given myself a few big tasks, like preparing my resume, planning for my friend to visit at the end of May, reading a few books, and a few other things. In order to accomplish all of this by the end of the month, I need to work a little each day. 

The past few month's this has worked great, and I've made a lot of progress on my goals. April, however isn't off to such a great start. I think I've just been pushing myself to hard. I've been trying to plan what I'm going to do and when I'm going to do it, when what I really need to do, is just work on what is appealing to me at the time. 

So, that is what I'm going to do starting tonight. After this post, I'm going to plan our menu for the next week,  and then read a little before going to bed. One day at a time... 

Anyway, here is my journal for the week! I should start out by saying, that I am currently working on two different fitness challenges. One, is to do 300 flutter kicks a day, and the other is a squat challenge, starting at 50, and then adding 5 every day. 

Monday- Charlotte, Colt, and I went for a walk in the afternoon, and then in the evening I went to the gym. I did ten minutes on the elliptical, did a really tough weight routine, and then went to step class. 

Tuesday- 300 flutters. 100 Crunches. I also did 5 sets of 30 jumping jacks, 30 kick backs, and 30 knee highs. 

Wednesday- 300 Flutters. At the gym, I did ten minutes on the elliptical, followed by an arm routine, ten more minutes on the elliptical, then a core routine, then more elliptical, then a lower body routine, finishing off with the elliptical, for a total of 40 minutes elliptical, and about 30 minutes of strength training. 

Thursday- Thursday, I had all intentions of going to kickboxing, but on the way to the gym, one of my windshield wipers decided not to work, and since it was pouring, I decided to come back home. I ended up doing my squats, flutters, and 15 minutes of light cardio. Obviously, kickboxing would have been a better workout! 

Friday- Flutters, Squats, 3 sets of 1 minute planks, 25 crunches, 25 mountain climbers, and 25 leg lifts. 3 sets of 25 presses, 25 bicep curls, and 25 triceps curls. 65 minutes on the elliptical. 

Saturday- Today, I did step, which was finally a new routine. However, the instructor obviously hadn't practiced it enough, because she messed up a dozen times, and it ended up being a less than great workout. The routine was fun, but I wish she would have known it better! Then I did Pilates, which was really tough. Hundreds of squats.  Then I went to Zumba, which was okay. It wasn't my favorite instructor, but we zumbaed to some Britney Spears, so that was fun. Then, when I came home, Charlotte asked if I wanted to to for a walk, so we went about two miles. Needless to say, I'm exhausted!! 

I'm supposed to do flutters tonight, but I kind of hate them! They hurt my hands, and they only feel effective half of the time. So, I think I might drop that challenge, and just focus on the squats! 

So, that was my week. I'm hoping to see great results on the scale this week, especially thanks to the vegan diet I've been on! 

I'll keep you posted!