Sweat it Out:
Weights 45 Minutes
Elliptical 45 Minutes

This last week was less than stellar eating wise.  I’m not going to re-cap what I ate because doing that will only make me feel frustrated and defeated, and that is not what I need at the beginning of a new week.  I am VERY motivated this week. I have tasted success and it feels so good that I have to keep going.

Yesterday was the LAST day of the 21-day PCRM Vegan Kick-start challenge!  I finished, and I only had a couple days where I fell off the wagon.  Since December 26th I have lost 13.2 pounds! I have had major energy, I’ve been sleeping better and my head feels clear.  It is hard for me to deny the way that I have felt these past 3 weeks.  So what have I decided to do?  Do I want to continue on with this lifestyle?  Do I want to keep putting my husband through plant based hell?

Yes.  Yes I do.  In some form.

I mentioned how baby steps are the only way to make an impact on my way of life.  A BIG baby step was participating in the challenge.  But I am not going to deny that it is going to take some time to perfect it.

My next step is to replace the word “Vegan” with “Plant Based Diet”.  I was not a fan of the looks I got when I told people that I was doing a Vegan cleanse.  To me a Vegan is someone who is 100% dedicated to that lifestyle.  They are interested in Animal Rights, and use NO animal products (i.e. leather and such), and also benefit from the healthiness that the lifestyle brings.  Don’t get me wrong, I love animal rights, and know the animal cruelty that comes along with the slaughter of animals for big food industries is wrong, and I have researched it in the past.  The other side is that I think God put certain animals on this earth for us to eat…….sparingly.  That means that if we are eating meat the way God intended, there wouldn’t be a high demand and they wouldn’t have to slaughter millions of animals so that I can eat meat or dairy products 3 times a day like most Americans.  (steps off soapbox)

No more dairy.  I noticed the biggest difference when I quit dairy & eggs.  I didn’t think I ate that much dairy until I started trying to eliminate it.  Come to find out I was eating multiple forms of dairy, multiple times a day.  Besides there are some great cheese substitutes.  I made a Mac & Cheeze recipe yesterday that was BETTER than the dairy form.  And it was packed with protein.

No more red meat.  I enjoy myself a steak every now and again, but I don’t want the fat and cholesterol that comes with it.

Meat 1-2 servings a week.  I love fish and I love chicken, so I have decided that on the weekends we will have a MAX of 2 servings of meat.  For now.  In order for my hub’s to be on board for the rest of the week, I have to compromise with meat.  I may end up just making it for him, and me not eating it.

Bottom line.  I will listen to my body and eat what it craves.  It does not crave dairy, but every now and again it wants meat.  If there must be a label put on the way I am eating it would be a Flexatarian.   

New Rules of Lifting for Women:

I am happy to report that I am 2 workouts away from completing the final phase of NROLFW.  This last phase has been a killer!  Every workout is circuit style and has higher reps and more sets.  I wish that I had documented the last half of the workouts better, because I don’t have anything to compare it to.

I will promise that this next go around (start again next week) will have better results and better documentation.  I can’t wait to see what this program can do for me once I pair it with my new way of eating.

Musings….

I’m thinking of doing bi-monthly or monthly weigh in’s instead of the weekly weigh in’s like I have been doing.  I find myself getting a little frustrated with the scale and I’m thinking that doing it on the day I do measurements would help me out. I though about this because I haven’t had a weight change this week, but my body feels different.  My hub’s and I even noticed that my face is looking thinner. Thoughts?

I will being doing progress photo’s and measurements next week, as I have decided that I am going to do one more meatless/dairy-less week and see where it gets me.

What’s going on in your neck of the woods?