No weight loss this week...

For the first time in awhile, I haven't lost any weight in the past week. There was one day I was 173.0, but it was pretty short lived. Honestly, this week just hasn't been my week. I've let the stress and exhaustion get to me. I've been pretty overwhelmed and busy at work and at home for the past 2 weeks, and I let my eating habits reflect that. This week, I've shown that just being Vegan isn't the only key. I can't eat half a jar of butter crunch cashews in a day and still lose weight! I know, big surprise, huh?! Oh yeah,  and two glasses of beer on Friday afternoon probably didn't help either...
So, I looked back at this picture from my blog and took a picture of myself in the same shirt tonight. I discovered, from comparing the two pictures, that I'm pretty sure I weight just about the same now as I did then. Looking back to then, that picture was taken in New York in 2009. Since we were heading on a trip where I would see 2 friends, one from high school when I was nice and skinny, I remember dieting before the trip. I probably was in the mid-170's on that trip.

David and I in New York, 2009

Me, in the same shirt, today. Today, I weight the same as I did then.

So, now to get back on track this week. I'm going to ride the bike downstairs while watching Amazing Race tonight, and one more night this week. I had to quit the gym for financial reasons, but can keep going until December as I'm paid through then. But, I'll still be able to ride the bike on the trainer and walk/run outside. Once March rolls around I'll have to figure out the swimming thing again to start training for the next triathlon season...

I have a doctor's appointment on Friday to try and figure out how to fix my leg pain when I walk or run.

174.2 Pounds, or 173.6, Depending on the Day

On Saturday morning, I weighed 173.6 pounds. That was after eating at PF Chang's for lunch Friday! I went up to 174.2 this morning, after 2 days of not exactly being good. Make that three, if you were to include today. I'm kind of dreading getting on the scale tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is an incredibly busy day, though, and that always helps me back on track.

The Vegan thing is going pretty well. I tried my first muffins without eggs or dairy. They were fabulous! Seriously. I replaced the eggs with ground flax seed soaked in water. They were carrot zucchini muffins. The original recipe came from my mom. My next step is to try them with half brown rice flour and applesauce instead of oil. I'm very excited to get this week's delivery from the farm; pumpkin, squash, kale. Yummy new stuff to cook with!

It's really hard to go out to eat, though. I guess that's good, saves money...I was able to do pretty well at PF Chang's, but Red Robin was challenging. I tried a Boca Burger, and it was terrible. I think I need to stick to regular whole plant-based foods, rather than trying "replacement foods."

I'm really hoping that next week I'll get to post an official 15 pound picture. 171 pounds will be 15 pounds down from my official starting weight, but 17 pounds down from my worst in the past year. Should be well on my way to the mid-160s by my cousin's wedding...

175.4 and Considering Veganism

Yay! I'm 175.4 pounds today! That's down 11 pounds from my official starting weight, although in all reality it's about 13 pounds from my top weight. I'm actually progressing towards my goal of the 160's by my cousin's wedding! I've discovered that short-term goals really help. Rather than saying, "I'll be at my goal weight by..." I need to keep with these short-term goals. Once I meet this one of being in the 160's by Becky's wedding, then I can set another goal, like 150's by Christmas, 140's by Valentine's Day (that we don't celebrate), etc. One step at a time seems to be the solution.

I went to White House Black Market this weekend and could actually fit into their size 14 dresses and their size 16 pants. Last time I went there, probably a year ago, it wasn't even close. It's my favorite store. I used to own about 5 outfits from there, in sizes 4 and 6, 6 years ago when I was skinny last. Being able to purchase clothes from there again, maintaining a size 8, is my ultimate goal. I'd really like to have a closet of cute clothes again, rather than a closet full of "don't look at me" clothes. I tried on this killer red strapless dress. It's way over budget, but hey, a girl can dream :-)

I've been reading this book, The China Study. It is just incredibly thought-provoking. In the past, I have occasionally considered becoming a vegetarian for environmental reasons. Instead, we switched to only organic food and mostly local. However, in reading The China Study, I am now considering becoming Vegan! I know I won't be able to keep it up at all times. I will still probably bake with eggs, unless I can find a good way to substitute them, and my kids will probably still drink regular milk on occasion and eat cheese, but I'm going to try and go as far as I can. It's incredibly fascinating to read that higher levels of animal-based protein is very closely associated with higher levels of cancer, heart disease, and nerological disorders. It's even more amazing, as a statistics freak, to read how well done the studies were and to read the experiments done with rats and higher levels of animal protein. You wouldn't believe how calcium intake really has nothing to do with bone density. It's only one book, but I'm so impressed with the level of research done, not just anecdotal studies.

So, I'm trying it out. Other than Saturday, when I had fish tacos, I've only eaten Vegan food for the past week. I'm learning to cook in a variety of ways with veggies and tofu. I've tried polenta and really liked it. I'm trying to use all of the veggies we get from our CSA farm. The only thing I'm really not successful in making taste good is cabbage. No matter what, I still can't stand it. Eggplant is actually good in other ways other than fried, believe it or not! I have found, though, that I love tofu with veggies and brown rice, and polenta is awesome! Great with tomatoes and spinach. I made great tofu parmesan sandwiches last week for dinner and we're trying tofu lettuce wraps this week.

I'm not saying it will ever be a total committment, but I could see myself committing to it most days of the week, and hopefully convincing my family to do the same! Plus hey, I've lost weight focusing on eating veggies, fruit, and whole grains without feeling like I'm starving!

I'm still doing Body Pump twice a week, and making sure I swim, bike, or walk at least once a week other than that. I don't want to burn out like I did last time, or feel that I'm so busy I'm losing my mind. Work and the kids have kept both of us so busy that I don't want to have to push to find time to get to the gym every day.

Here's to another good week, and wishing you all a good week, too.