Shrinkvivor Weigh-In #6

Let me just say, right here and now I want the SHRINKVIVOR title!

I have to say that my awesome tribe is STILL outfiting, outlosing and outlasting so far...  We are down to two!  We are a strong little team!

It has been quite the week... It started with my incredibly emotional journey in creating my Exposed post.  What a cathartic, cleansing and freeing experience it was!  I highly recommend it if you haven't done your own.  I have continued to adjust to my eating plan and am feeling great!  I have a ton of energy and can't believe how amazing food is tasting.  I made an incredible recipe that I saw on Biggest Loser last week.  If you didn't see the episode, Bob took some of the contestants to his house and cooked a completely vegan meal for them.  One of the recipes was Roasted Tri-Color Cauliflower and it was absolutely delish!   I am still having some sugar cravings, but feeling good and releasing this weight is worth it!

Our fitness challenge was MINUTES again.  I love this challenge.  Amazingly enough, my slower pace works to my benefit in this case!  My crazy long run on Saturday definitely helped my minute count.  It was brutal!  I hit my first wall at eight miles and then my BIG wall at ten miles, leaving me to leisurely walk the last two miles back to my car, with a very sore leg.  Needless to say I went almost straight to my lifesaving Sports Chiropractor friend and he set me up.  He adjusted the heck out of my back that was way out, lasered my leg and taped my knee and thigh with Spider tape.  Let me just say that Spider Tape is THE BOMB!  My leg felt better by evening and has been great since.  I had a phenomenal run yesterday!  Here is the miracle tape...

My total minutes rounded out at 458!!!  I am very happy with that number!

So... 19 days until my Half Marathon and in light of the disaster training run, my doctor has given me a plan to add complex carbs for one meal/day, several days before my last long training run and before the race.  We think that I just didn't have enough reserve given how low carb my eating plan is.  Stay tuned... Hopefully that will do the trick!  I am looking forward to shattering my time from my first Half!

Without further ado, it is time to share my stats!  Another great week!!!

Here are my stats:

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
197.6

Today's Weight

188.4 lbs

 188.4!?!?!  I can't remember the last time I saw the 180's - WOOOO HOOOO!

Change from last week

-3 lbs!!!!


Difference for the challenge
-9.2lb!!!!

Total Difference

 -26.6 lbs
Holy Crap!  I get to add this

to my sidebar!

 

Shrinkvivor - Weigh-In #5

And the challenge rolls forward as we fight to win the SHRINKVIVOR title!

I have to say that my awesome tribe is STILL outfiting, outlosing and outlasting so far...  We are down to three and I was sure that we were going to be sent to Exile Island last week!  BUT, here we are, small and mighty!

I have returned to a normal routine in terms of being back to work and the "normal" work schedule.  However, there has been little normal about this past week.  I officially started my new medically supervised eating program last Thursday and am in a "detox mode" if you will.  I have completely gone off sugar (except limited fruit) and yesterday was the roughest day yet, which tells me that I should be close to relief...  I am very excited to see how all goes.

Our fitness challenge was MILES again.  I loved this challenge the first time and although I was derailed from my total goal of 26 miles due to an unplanned trip to the Emergency Room with my son and ended up with 22 miles!  I am so proud of all that I am pushing myself to do.  I would have never fathomed logging 22 miles in one week, this time last year.

One monumentally HUGE little highlight to the week was getting to meet Ali Vincent winner of the Biggest Loser.  My awe and excitement must have shown on my face, because before I could get any words out of my mouth, she grabbed me and gave me a hug.  It was really amazing to get to tell her what an inspiration she has been to me and how much her journey motivates me!  And let me tell you, it doesn't look like she has gained a pound of her weight back... She looks phenomenal!  She is one of the spokeswomen for an organization that sponsors the "Kids Rock" running program that my kids are participating in and we were at the season kick-off party for that.  She taught my little guy how to hula-hoop!

As I mentioned above, I started my new eating plan.  I am drinking more than 80oz of water everyday, eating tons of vegetables and two servings of fruit daily and I have tracked my food daily!  I have absolutely loved to see what this challenge has brought out of me!  And today's weigh-in is no exception!!!

Here are my stats:

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
197.6

Today's Weight

191.4 lbs

Change from last week

-2.6 lbs!!!!


Difference for the challenge
-6.2lb!!!!

Total Difference

 -23.6 lbs
WOWEEE!!!! ZOWEEEE!!! That felt good to type those numbers!

 

Shrinkvivor - Weigh-In #4

It has been another exciting week in the land of SHRINKVIVOR!

I have to say that my awesome tribe is STILL outfiting, outlosing and outlasting so far...

This was a crazy week for me full of travel, eating out, attending a wedding and seeing great friends!  I am more than thrilled that I was able to maintain, given the travel.

Our fitness challenge was FASTEST MILE.  Could be any one mile during the week...  I blew myself away with an 11:23 minute mile!!!  I thought I was going to drop by the time I finished!  That feeling was followed by total exhilaration! 

In other exercise news... I had the exciting opportunity to see one of my Team Shrinking Jeans SAH's while I was in Texas.  Christy and I got together for a run/walk through the hills of Kerrville with a nice interlude on the High School Track.  It was like having coffee with an old friend (which we did after our run!), and was so good for my soul.  This whole fitness journey has been so amazing for me and there are just many people in my life that don't totally understand it.  Especially the online component.  That's okay, it is a bit different, but I cannot imagine my life without The Sisterhood and without my amazing Team Shrinking Jeans SAH's.  You have ALL been inspiring, supportive, funny, committed and unafraid to throw down challenges!  My life wouldn't be nearly as rich without all of you!

Here's our post-run, post-coffee pic!

On the eating front, I did pretty well all things considered.  I had plenty to confess on Tuesday, given that the alcohol was flowing at the rehearsal dinner and the wedding, the food was amazing and there was a ton of eating out.  I did two things that helped me maintain my weight.  First, I drank my water - minimum of 2-3 liters of water EVERY DAY!  I also kept up with my exercise, walking on one day, running on two days and plenty of running around with the kids.  I will start my medically supervised plan tomorrow, so I am very optimistic that I will be starting to make bigger and more consistent progress.  Our other challenge was to eat our fruits and veggies... I am proud to say that I never have a problem with this - I love my fruits and veggies!  I did great and didn't skimp just because I was on vacation!

I will be posting more about my trip and more about my time with Christy and Lisa soon.  It was a blast to see both of them!

Anyway, I should probably get to the details... The bottom line.

Here are my stats:

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
197.6

Today's Weight

194 lbs
This was a bit annoying - I didn't have access to a digital scale, so I was left with an even number.  I will take it and am thrilled to have maintained!

Change from last week

-0.2lb 


Difference for the challenge
-3.6lb

Total Difference

 -21 lbs

 

Shrinkvivor Weigh-In #3

It has been another exciting week in the land of SHRINKVIVOR!

I have to say that my awesome tribe is outfiting, outlosing and outlasting so far...

We will see what this week brings!

Our fitness challenge was MINUTES.  Minutes, minutes, minutes of exercise.  Could be any activity.  I am at a grand total of 379 minutes!  My slower running pace was to my advantage this week!  I had a great NINE mile run/walk on Saturday and am starting to feel like I am hitting a groove in terms of pacing.  We competitive people have some difficulty in the area of pacing - I am learning that it benefits me to be more like "the tortoise" even though every fiber of my being wants to be "the hare" 

On the eating front, I did pretty well.  I made a HUGE decision to start a medically supervised weight loss plan and will start next Thursday when I get back from vacation.  One of their specialties is medication induced weight gain.  I am very excited and cautiously excited.  Most importantly, I feel like I am making a good decision.  I have been given a copy of the eating plan and have begun to implement the changes.  First and foremost really cutting back on carbs and sugar.  I have continued to drink my 60-100 ounces of water and haven't been through a drive-thru (EVEN Starbucks!) in over two weeks!

Speaking of VACATION... Did I mention that I am going to see TWO of our FAVORITE sisters from the Hood while on vacation this next week?!?!  I will be seeing the amazing Christy M - hopefully for a 10 mile run in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.  Then, a few days later we will head to Austin where I will get to see the lovely Lisa M!  We all had so much fun together on Team Shrinking Jeans and I have been in some serious SAH withdrawals since being in San Diego.  The bigger reason we are off to Texas is to attend the wedding of my husband's youngest brother.  The greatest part is that my husband is performing the ceremony (he's a pastor) - an opportunity that most pastors do not get.

Anyway, I should probably get to the details... The bottom line.

Here are my stats:

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
197.6

Today's Weight

194.2lbs
I have a picture but my computer is NOT cooperating this morning!

 (Gotta love this "picture of the scale" thing...)

Change from last week

-1.8lb 


Difference for the challenge
-3.4lb

Total Difference

 -20.8 lbs

 

Yummy Goodness

Today I decided to tackle something in the kitchen that I have never taken on and always bought at the store... 

Homemade Granola.

I spent some time flipping through my newest cookbooks - Discussed HERE.  I am prepping for a veggie-lovin, meat-free week and basically giving my husband the recipes to cook (since he is the lucky one to get home in time to cook dinner!).  As I started to flip through "How it all Vegan", 

one of the first recipes that caught my eye was

"Rise N Shine Granola"

with the caption...

"Enjoy this healthy, crunchy granola for breakfast, or any meal of the day.  Once you try this recipe, you'll never go store-bought again."

My husband is a lover of Costco Granola and is pretty picky about cereal and snacks of this kind... So, with a caption like that, I thought I would experiment and use my husband the granola expert as my judge! 

After preparing and cooking this extremely easy recipe, I have to say, I TOTALLY AGREE with the description!  This is yummy goodness!  And so healthy... flax, almond, oats, sunflower seeds, cranberry, coconut, sesame seeds...  Need I say more?  

Oh, my yummy goodness!  And that is just my opinion.  My husband LOVED it!

See for yourself:

If the rest of the recipes in this book are as good as this... I may just go Vegan after all!  On tap for tomorrow night - Stir Fry;  Tuesday - Meatless Shepherd's Pie; Wednesday - Black Bean Burgers.  We will see how it goes!

***This is a completely unsolicited review of this recipe and the book itself... I am not being compensated.  This is my own little personal experiment! ***

Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Fruititarian... WHATatarian?!?!

A couple of years ago I did a week long detox and was absolutely blown away by the crap that came out of my body... Some in the same form it had gone into my body... EEEWWW!!!  The most startling of which was meat.  I will spare you the details because I am pretty sure you already have more of a visual than you wanted.  Keep reading, I promise I have a point...

 Coincidentally, I read this book the week after doing the cleanse:

Title aside, it was an enlightening book... Basically, the authors use brash humor and "in your face" comments to educate readers about the benefits of eating a vegan diet and the realities of animal cruelty.  Aside from being incredibly entertaining, it motivated me to stop eating red meat.  Since finishing the book, I can count on one hand the number of times I have eaten beef since.  Now, to be fair, I was already considering this decision after my cleanse.  So this left me not eating red meat in a house with my husband who doesn't eat pork.  You can do the math - we found ourselves pretty much down to fish and poultry in terms of meat.


Over the course of the next few months, I found myself bombarded by people who were going vegetarian, seriously cutting back on meat and even found out that a couple of my friends had become vegan.  Given that I had been a self-professed "meat and potatoes girl", I was shocked that I didn't miss beef AT ALL and I felt better.  I also had friends at work who were going through similar thoughts and experimenting with eating less meat.


SOOOOO, I started to educate myself more about our food supply and all of the absolute CRAP that we eat.  Let me just preface by saying that I am one of the biggest offenders... I didn't reach 200 pounds eating fresh veggies and organic grains!  That said, I truly have a desire to honor my body and to KNOW what is going into my body.  So then I read this book...

I absolutely loved his philosophy of "Eat food... Mostly plants... Not too much".  So simple, yet so profound.  He talks a lot about locally grown food and knowing exactly where and how it was raised.  Some of his great "rules" from one of his other books,           Food Rules are:
Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary human would keep in the pantry.
Eat foods made from ingredients that you can picture in their raw state or growing in nature.
If it came from a plant, eat it.  If it was made in a plant, don't.
Treat meat as a flavoring or a special occasion food.

This really inspired me to consider starting my own vegetable garden and to give pescatarian eating a go.  For about six months I cut out all poultry and pork in addition to beef.  I really didn't miss the meat and felt great.  My biggest issue was cooking and how to find vegetarian recipes that I liked, could serve my family and that were familiar variations of things we already ate.  I also struggled to not go crazy with the carbs that I knew wouldn't help my waistline.  After about six months, I gradually went back to eating poultry.

And, HERE I AM... I have continued to eat very little meat, maybe several times a week.  I am still so compelled by all of the reasons to go vegetarian or even vegan.  I love my dogs and love animals, but the "animal killer" argument doesn't fuel me.  What DOES fuel me are the well, well documented health benefits and the thought of WHAT I am putting into my body along with how IT has been treated or raised.  At the minimum I have decided that I WANT to know where my meat is coming from and how it has been raised. 


What continues to intrigue me is THIS... 
With the number of people that don't eat meat, there have got to be good, easy recipes out there AND there have to be easy ways to incorporate it into my everyday busy life.  


By chance (or not so much...) I had dinner with one of my vegan friends on Friday night.  She has been so inspiring to me and has really encouraged me in my journey to discover not only what healthy eating looks like, but also in my transformation into a runner.  She is the picture of health and maintains the ability to run marathons while completely abstaining from meat and dairy (with the exception of the eggs produced from her own chickens).  She is married and has four children - they all are vegan.


So, as I was picking her brain while we ate, I asked a favor.  I asked her if I could come over and raid her recipes, gaining insight and learning from her how to make this work.  She is just as busy as I am (she is a neurologist, mom of four under age seven, athlete, avid reader and vegan), so I truly look at her and think that "if she can do it, I should be able to do it"... 

I am not sold on being a vegan, but would really like to see if I can make a vegetarian diet work.  I bought these two books to get me started and will soon go over to my friend's house to get some tips...

A great guide to eating "local" along with great recipes... More inspiration to continue my gardening and discover all of the local spots to purchase my food.

A fabulous cookbook that caught my eye because I flipped through it quickly and found multiple recipes that were versions of dishes I already loved, like Shepherd's Pie.


So, what do you think?  I would really love to know what you think... Have you had any of the same dilemas?  Have you made the switch to being a vegetarian?  Have you always been a vegetarian or vegan? Do you have any suggestions?