All posts in category 21-Day Vegan Kickstart

Goalin’ It UP!

I will admit that I had an awesome week last week, and here’s the proof:

  • Crossed my legs comfortably today at church (haven’t been able to do that for a few years).
  • Got to the gym twice, which is better than nothing!
  • Followed my 21-Day Vegan kick-start with all but 2 very small exceptions (progress not perfection)
  • I have read almost all of Dr. Barnard’s 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart (the book and the program go hand-in-hand).
  • Lost 5.8 pounds!
  • I am slowly convincing my hub’s to change his eating habits.  I feel like I have been working on this one for SOOOOO LONG!  My hub’s finally admitted that his rebellion kicks in whenever I try to get him to eat healthier foods.  He resist’s because he feels like I am trying to force him to do something.  He even had a taste of one of my protein smoothies and said that it tasted pretty good (these are huge strides people).

Tangent time! I have been talking to Dustin for a long time about a plant-based lifestyle and although I know he will NEVER become fully plant-based, he is fully supportive of me eating this way and our family eating this way when we are home.  The thing is, the longer I eat this way the easier and more sustainable it seems.  I have opened up my eyes to different avenues of food, and at first, it was hard to imagine my life without animal products, but the longer I do it, the easier it gets.
My one issue.  I like animal products, but I don’t like the way they make me feel when I eat them.  When I have been eating completely PB I feel light, my mood is positive, I have a clear head, and my stress is much more manageable.  But the temptation to eat foods that don’t make me feel 100% are always there, and they can’t be subbed out for vegan options.
The transition will be slow.  A lot of my goals in the beginning will have to do with this lifestyle, and I am going to try as hard as I can to not be preachy.  I know that we all have different views and what works for one person doesn’t work for another.  But the bottom line for me is FUTURE health.  I want a long life full of wonderful memories and I could eat meat/dairy and lose weight, but I would still feel like I was going to be battling health issues later in life.  They just wouldn’t be from obesity.
Sorry to go off on such a tangent!  I have had a lot of feelings inside lately and the blog is my sound board.

This week’s goals:

  • Finish out the 21-day Kick start strong.  This is the last week of the kick-start and I am hoping to get down to my lowest weight of 248.
  • Water!  Over 100 oz’s, everyday
  • Get over myself, and go to the church exercise group on Monday.  I need to make some friends out here, stat.  And Hanna needs some kids time.
  • Along with that goal, workout 6 times this week.  I think Dustin and I have finally come up with a little bit of a schedule so this should get me back on track with working out.
  • I would think of one more, but I am tired of hearing my voice in my own head.

I have a great week planned!  How about you?

4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 15, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Goals

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 15, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/15/goalin-it-up/

Back on Track, The Numbers Game

Now that all of the stress has subsided (you can tell that the stress is over since my face is breaking out for the first time since I had Hanna, and I have a cold sore on my nose.  Yup, it’s time to get professional photo’s done!) it seems that I am getting back into a groove.  At least when it comes to eating.  I still haven’t figured out a good routine for working out, but as long as the scale is going down I’m not going to beat myself up over it.

It’s time to get back to the weekly weigh-in, and back to normalcy.  It seems I haven’t posted an official weigh-in since February!  So here we go!

Starting Weight: 282.8

Last Official Weigh-in on 2/9/12: 248.4

This week’s weight: 254.2

Total Loss: +4.2

Total Loss Overall: 28.6

After almost a 2 month-long hiatus I have finally gotten back on track.  The week that I posted the 248.4 in February, I had just gotten over a 4 day sickness where I couldn’t keep anything in me.  It was probably not a very fair weigh-in, but I was so excited to report a good loss that I jaded myself.  It made it even tougher when I tried to keep up with that loss the next week.

Moving, and everything that goes into moving and buying a new home, brought on a good 12 pounds (not saying that it was just moving, I  totally let the stress get to me and just stopped trying while everything was going on).  When I weighed in on 4/2/12 (before I started the second round of the Vegan Kick-start) I weighed in at 260 so although the scale today showed a gain of 4.2 pounds, the loss that I have had since my re-commitment is 5.8 pounds.  This was also over Easter holiday, and I couldn’t be happier with the results!  It is such good motivation to finally see a loss and finally feel like I am getting to where I need to be.

Does TOM Affect Weight loss? 

I’m talking about periods here, so once again, if you don’t want to read about it come back tomorrow!

I don’t know if any of you have experienced inconsistent periods, but I have.  So much in fact, that I once went a year without one (when I was around 18).  I didn’t even have a period for 4 months before I found out I was pregnant, and I was only 6 weeks along.  A very big part of this problem was weight, but it seems that having a baby flipped a switch and now you could set your watch by my menstrual cycle.  This is exciting for me because A) I have NEVER been regular my entire life, and B) This could mean that it won’t take us 5 years to have a baby, when we decide we want another, like it did last time.

It also seems, at least for me, that PMS is not something that affects my weight loss.  I have lost considerable amounts of weight on 3 weigh-in’s while it has been TOM.  I guess I can’t use that excuse!

Other things that I can set my watch to are irritability, and binge eating.  Apparently, those are sure signs that mother nature is on her way.  The day before yesterday I yelled at my hub’s because he made fun of the way I gargle my mouth wash (did I mention that I got some in my eye?).  It was then that I immediately went and counted the days on the calendar.  Also, I can’t get any satisfaction in my eating.  Luckily, I have been eating mostly plant-based (damn you Peanut Butter Cheerio’s that contain some milk!) and so I couldn’t eat anything too horrible for me.

I know that period talk is definitely NOT exciting for most, but when you have had so many issues with it in the past and it seems those issues are magically resolving, it can be pretty exciting and you just want to shout it from the roof tops “I GOT MY PERIOD AGAIN, AND THIS MAKES IT 11 MONTHS IN A ROW!!!”  It’s going to be alright, and there is one less worry in the world.

 

 

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 12, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Period, Weigh in

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 12, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/12/back-on-track-the-numbers-game/

Wanna be a “Skinny Bitch”?

Shocking title?  I know.  It is the exact same thing I thought when I went into Borders 5 years ago and purchased the book titled “Skinny Bitch”.  Do you thrive on tough love?  Do you like being called a Fat Cow?  Then this is the book for you!

I don’t know about you, but I tend to keep a healthier diet when I am reading books that promote a healthy lifestyle. I actually first read this book back when I first purchased it in 2007 and I had no idea what I was in for.  I will admit that the title totally got me (and the writers fully admit that is the reason why they titled the book the way it is).  So when I was looking for good books to read recently, I decided that I would read this book again and brush up on the lifestyle that I was too scared of back then.

The first chapters title is “Give it Up”, and then proceeds to list items in your diet that you should give up, and reasons why you should give them up.  Basically everything that was in my diet at the time. Dairy, meat, caffeine, candy, and anything else you can think of that makes your taste buds have a party in your mouth (at the time).  I was thinking that the diet they were promoting would be more South Beach, or Mediterranean, since those were the “hot” diets at the time.  I thought to myself, “I’ll get this book and just keep reading the same old, same old”, but I found very different information than what I was use to.

This book is written by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, both former models, and Kim holds a Master’s Degree in Holistic Nutrition.  I will say that they are straight forward with their tactics on how to get fit and healthy.  This works well for me, or at least I take it well, I should say.  I remember it was around 6 years ago when I went to an Endocrinologist because I wasn’t getting a period regularly.  The blunt Doctor told me I was too fat and that I needed to lose weight.  At the moment I was offended and kind of wanted to cry until I told myself “she’s right, and just because she didn’t use the best tactic doesn’t make it any less true, and she wasn’t saying it to be mean”.

Anyway, I like the book’s straightforwardness.  It also has an entire chapter dedicated to poop (my favorite subject), and how a plant-based diet helps you to move things along.

It gives you information on government agencies and the role they play with our food, and without getting too controversial, I will just say that the chapter is titled Have No Faith: Governmental Agencies Don’t Give a Shit About Your Health, and I have to admit, the proof is in the Pink Slime (if you have never heard of Pink Slime, click to link to a shocking demonstration of how 70% of America’s meat is containing this HORRIBLE concoction of meat and chemicals) .   I like the tagline in this chapter that states “Trust No One”.  It empowers you to get to know your food and the ingredients.

The one thing I found hard with this book is that I felt overwhelmed.  There were so many things that you feel like you have to cut out of your diet at once it seemed impossible and frustrating before you even started the method.  My advice for people who want to do a major overhaul in their diet is to make one small change at a time.  A big step for me this year has been the Vegan kick-start that I did in January, and now in April, but I also realize that my hub’s will never be a health guru and that I am going to have to compromise on a few things (like not completely cutting out meat products).  So on the weeks that I have not been doing the kick-start we have meat products at dinner every other night.  This is a big step considering we are used to eating meat multiple times a day.  Eventually I hope to get it down to 2-3 times a week, but like I said, small changes at a time.

Bottom line for this book:  It was entertaining, gave good information, and was definitely food for thought. I still think that meat in moderation is okay for you, but I do think that you need to research where you are getting your meat, and purchase the highest quality you can find.  An example that I just can’t get out of my head is the fact that my Grandma is 92 years old, in great health, and has eaten meat and dairy her entire life, in moderation.

Do I recommend this book?  Absolutely!  If for anything it will definitely make you laugh!

4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 10, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Book Review, Books, Diet, Nutrition, Plant Based Diet, Poop, Vegan

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 10, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/10/wanna-be-a-skinny-bitch/

Weekend Catch-up

We had a great, relaxing Easter weekend, and I am happy to say that I stayed pretty good the entire time!  I saw a 5 pound loss on Saturday (on monday I weighed in at 260, up almost THREE POUNDS from the day before, and by Saturday I was down to 255).

On Friday we went to an authentic passover dinner.  I was nervous about how this would affect my plant-based diet, but then I thought that I’m sure in Jesus’ time there were not a lot of processed foods so it might work out okay.  I was right!  Check out this spread:

There were a lot of olives (all types), tahini, bitter greens with olive oil,  vegetable based dishes, grapes, and leven bread (?).  I passed on the lamb, and the lamb stew of some sort.  I had no issues with eating plant-based, and I didn’t embarrass my hub’s in front of all his meat-eating co-workers!  Win for me!

On Saturday we went shopping and I made the best choice possible for lunch.  We went to Mccallister’s Deli (I thought they would have some sort of vegetarian option) and got a veggie club with no cheese and subbed out the parmesan cheese spread with balsamic vinaigrette, and a side salad with no cheese and no croutons with BV.  I was satisfied and felt tons of energy for keeping it clean.

I finally got to see Hunger Games on Saturday, and I totally messed up by not having dinner beforehand, doh!  I couldnt’ resist the popcorn (which is a HUGE obstacle for me, I freaking LOVE movie theatre popcorn).  We were in a hurry and I didn’t plan well enough, lesson learned.  I liked the movie, but I hate that it’s been out for a couple of weeks and had heard too many amazing things about it.  It makes it kind of disappointing when you finally get to see it expecting something crazy good, and it is a bit of a let down.  Next time I won’t listen to all the hype, and I will enjoy it more.

On Sunday, Hanna and I got to dress up in out new Easter dresses to attend church:

Even though Hanna hadn’t slept very well the night before and was being a pill.  And my hub’s sucks at taking pictures.

We had a low-key night, and enjoyed some outside time with Hanna:

I am loving how quiet our neighborhood is.  I love not having to stress as much that Hanna is going to get hit by a car.  We also have a huge grassy area behind our house that she can run and play on.  I took some pictures of the gorgeous views that surround our house:

I truly do live in a beautiful place!

Lots of fun things coming up this week regarding blog topic’s.  A book review and a new 30 day program I am trying out!  Fun stuff!  I was going to do a Meal Plan Monday post today, but after looking through my calendar of eats I decided that they are kind of boring this week!

How was your weekend?

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Challenges, Meal Planning, Plant Based Diet, Shopping

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 9, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/09/weekend-catch-up/

Better Beginnings Part III

Better Beginnings is a series that I started last year that follows my daughter’s eating during her first few years.  I try to document some fun and different ways that I find to get healthy foods into her diet to set her up for a healthy life!  If you want to catch up here are the last two installments:

Disclaimer: This post talks about poop so if you don’t want to read it come back tomorrow!

When I was young I had some serious bowel issues.  So much that I was scared when the time came to go to the bathroom, and I would hold it until my stomach started to hurt.  My mom tried everything to get me to go to the bathroom more often.  I even remember a time when she made me eat bran cereal (the stuff that looks like tiny twigs from a tree) and when I wouldn’t eat the whole bowl, she put it in the fridge for later.  Ever had cereal after it’s been sitting in the fridge for a few hours?  I’m sure you can imagine.  Luckily, I think she was using it more as a “don’t waste food” tactic because I don’t remember actually having to eat the soggy bowl of bran.

These bowel issues followed me into my adult life and when I was about 21 I decided that I needed to do something about it.  The problem was that I had gone so long with these GI issues that it was hard to get my colon back on track.  I tried eating a LOT of fiber, and then I started taking Metamucil 3 times a day (to this day I still take a glassful of Metamucil at night).  I started seeing a little improvement, but mostly I started to get an obsession with the topic of poop (my family will tell you that a conversation always comes to poop with me).

When I was 25 I decided that I was going to try getting A colonic (click here for more information, if you really want to know what it is).  The colonic specialist I went to suggested that if you are having bowel issues you should get 4 colonics in 1 year, and you will see a major improvement in your GI tract, and strengthen your colon because it is forced to expel the water, which is like a workout for your colon.

Let me just say that the story of the colonic is one of my Dad’s favorite stories to tell people about me.  My family laughs ever time I mention it just because it was a HORRIBLE experience!  The reason it was horrible is because I should have done some prep work before I had it done, and when I went into it I had no idea what was going to take place. (if you want to hear the story, or if you have questions about the process you can email me at shrinkingcarriewww at gmail dot com).  But I will say that my colon had a 180 difference and I would do it again in a heart beat.

What this whole post has to do with Better Beginnings for my daughter

I am bound and determined to not let my daughter have these same issues.  They were painful, and pretty traumatizing for me as a child.  I go as far as to cheer a little when she poops, and make sure to not make a big deal of changing poopy diapers.  I don’t want her to think pooping is negative or secret.  EVERYBODY POOPS!!!

One thing that I have noticed is when my daughter has dairy products she gets constipated.  When I started to do the 21-day Vegan Kickstart I decided that I would have Hanna follow along as much as she could (although, she still LOVES yogurt and it is the only dairy product she is really eating right now).  I switched her over to Soy milk (she was never a fan of whole milk anyway, and she actually LIKES the soy milk), and she eats almost everything that I eat.  The only problem is that I have to keep it interesting for her.  She is not like her mama and she can’t eat the same thing for most meals, she craves variety.  Especially at breakfast time.

This morning I decided that I was going to find an egg-free, dairy-free french toast recipe and I found a good one!  I found it on the website Must Follow Recipes.  She doesn’t blog on there anymore, but she has left up the website so that you can still make her recipes.

I assembled my ingredients. Great Harvest Cracked Wheat bread, flour, canola oil, vanilla soy milk, unsweetened applesauce, and cinnamon.

This mixture turned out VERY thick so you need to be careful when you dip the bread that you don’t overcoat it.  You can also scrape some of it off the bread before you put it in the skillet.

Finished product.  I don’t know if it’s because my stove sucks or if it’s just the recipe, but they need to cook for quite some time.  I cooked them on Low (learned that anything higher will burn them) and had to cook them for almost 10 minutes on each side.  Which is why I made an entire batch today and then froze them for future breakfasts.  It made 5 slices.

The result:

Happy baby that poops at least twice a day!

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 5, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Better Beginnings, Diet, Good Food, Parenting, Plant Based Diet, Poop

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 5, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/05/better-beginnings-part-iii/

WIAW: Food Journal Style

It has been a long time since I have done a documentation of the food I eat during the day, and the tracking that comes along with it.  For this What I Ate Wednesday I am displaying the foods I have eaten and the calories that came with them.  I am happy to say that I went and fully stocked my fruit bowl and my refrigerator.  Don’t believe me?

I don’t think I could pack anymore into that fridge.  When I am trying to eat healthy having a fully stocked house is very important.  I need to have a lot of options when it comes to my meals, and fortunately I have been practicing meal planning since the beginning of the year, and I think I am finally getting the hang of it!

Once again, thanks to Jenn over at Peas and Crayons for hosting this little get together every wekk!  This month’s focus is getting in extra veggies!  It pairs perfectly with my 21-day Vegan kick-start Challenge.

Breakfast: Oatmeal, minus the banana.  Yes, this is a recycled photo.

Actually, today I made some different oats.  I combined Quaker Quick Oats cooked in Silk Soy Vanilla milk, with Flaxseed, and Agave Nectar.  LOVE the oats cooked in soy milk.  This may become my new every morning breakfast.  Plus it had a whopping 12 grams of protein which officially made it the longest lasting bowl of oatmeal I have ever eaten.

I have to interrupt the eats to say that I got a stellar workout in yesterday.  Finally.  Apparently I (and a few other people) read the calendar wrong for the Kick-Ass in April Challenge.  I thought you had to do 30 Burpees, when in fact you only had to do 30 seconds.  I started my workout with 3 sets of Burpees, 10 in each set.  It was NO JOKE.  I was huffing and puffing y the end.  After I got my heart rate soaring, I went out for a 30 minute walk with the jogger stroller.  To get some intervals in I jogged UP the hills for as long as I could (or until I felt dumb), I was sweating pretty good by the time I reached my house.  I ended the workout with 3 set of 15 squats and 3 wall sits with a 15 second hold.  I am now officially caught up on the challenge.  Then I did 3 sets of 15 prone jack knives, and 3 sets of 60 second planks.  Rounded up the workout with some stretching and having a good sweat session really started my day off right.

Also, they finally received our paperwork at the Activity Center and now I just have to find the time to go!

Lunch:  My new obsession, the hummus wrap.

I’m pretty sure I have had a hummus wrap for the last 5 days straight.  They are just so darn good!  On this wrap there is: La Tortilla Factory Low carb whole wheat tortilla, Banzo’s Original Hummus, tomato’s, broccoli sprouts, and green peppers.  The great thing about this wrap is that you can put whatever leftover veggies you have into it, and it ends up tasting great!

It looks like my lunch was more of a snack at only 221 calories, which would have been the reason that I was ready for a snack at 2:30, but I held out until 3.

Snack: Probably one of the best smoothies I have made to date.

If you ask my Hub’s if he would like one of my smoothies you would get a very big “hell no”.  My philosophy on smoothies is that they are a way to get a lot of vitamins and nutrients in a short amount of time.  My normal blends don’t taste very good because well… I don’t really care about the taste.  But lately my little one has wanted to share them with me (she will even eat the horrible tasting ones).  I figure there are ways to make them taste better without breaking the calorie bank.

In this smoothie was 1 1/4 cups orange juice, unflavored pea protein (this is usually why they taste like ass, but I just sent away for my vanilla flavored), frozen peaches, frozen strawberries, and about 2 cups of Kale.  The orange juice made all the difference.  I could barely drink any because Hanna was hogging the straw, that little devil.

Dinner: Since I didn’t end up eating dinner last night I made the meal I was planning on making tonight, Tomato Basil “Cream” Pasta.  This recipe is from Oh She Glows.

This was a fabulous pasta dish, and with it I miss my creamy sauces no more.  I paired it with roasted broccoli, which is one of my favorite veggies.  Side note: Hanna ate all her broccoli!!!  I can’t even say how excited I get when she eats vegetables.  I am one proud mama!

This dish was a little higher in calories than I thought it would be, but luckily I had enough calories leftover so I didn’t go over.  Phew.

And here is how my day rounded out calorie-wise:

Happy Wednesday!

Have you eaten anything memorable lately?

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 4, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, WIAW

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 4, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/04/wiaw-food-journal-style/

Truth Tuesday

The topic today is from Krystle and inspired by a status update that she left on Facebook:

I am accepting the challenge of coming clean with myself and to you fine readers today!  Here are a few things I am facing right now that I am coming clean with (BTW, if you haven’t checked out Krystle’s blog Skinny Jeans Dreams yet, you should get over there right now!  She is inspiring through her 100 pound weight loss with Weight Watchers, and a very positive person!).

Truth #1: I didn’t workout yesterday, even after I had my grand goals that I set on Sunday.  I actually had good reasoning for this.  I am trying to stay within a 1500 calorie intake (I know that seems low, but if you knew my metabolism you would know that I have to keep my calories low in order to lose weight.  Trust me, I’ve tried all sorts of ways to lose weight and this is the only way that works for me).  I feel like when I am trying to get my eating back on track I have to not do to many calorie burning activities or else I just crave food all day long, and it can derail me pretty quickly.  So I took my first day of the Vegan kick-start to just focus on eating foods that are healthy for my body.

Truth #2: On my first time round on the Vegan kickstart I used Chicken Stock a few times (gasp!).  But I am being truthful when I say that I am using vegetable stock this time around.  I want to really reap the benefits of this diet and be as aware as possible about the things that are going in my body.

Truth #3: I’m scared, and this move has been hard on me.  I had a rough day yesterday, and I could have stayed in bed all day long.  For me this is not healthy behavior.  When I moved to Colorado from Utah 6 years ago I didn’t skip a beat.  We moved because I got a job as Store Manager of the Pier 1 Imports, and it kept me busy, like REALLY busy.  I had no time to worry what was going on in my personal life.

This move has been different for me because I have moved to a small town, where I have no job, and I don’t know anybody.  Work was a great way for me to gain a social life, but I am ashamed to say that I am scared to get out and meet people.  My hub’s even found out about a group from my church that meets every morning so their kids can play together, and I am scared  (or insecure?) to go meet with them even though I know that it would be good for Hanna and me.  We are going to dinner at one of the girls homes this weekend, and I am hoping that it will help me gain the confidence I need to just do it.

Ahhhhh.  It feels so good to let the truth out!  Today I am catching up on my Kick-ass in April exercises and going for a walk with the little one.  Also, I am happy to report that even though I wasn’t feeling in the best mood yesterday, I am still feeling the benefits of a plant-based diet today.  I feel lighter and have more energy.  I’m ready to have a productive day!

Have a truth you’d like to share?

3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 3, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Blogs to Read, Energy, Plant Based Diet, Truth Tuesday

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 3, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/03/truth-tuesday/

Menu Plan Monday!

PCRM’s 21 Day Kick-start starts today!!!  I’m so excited for another 3 weeks of energized, joint pain-free, and deliciousness!  Last night I sat down with my trusty vegan websites (post on those to come later), and planned out the entire week of meals, and I must say that my mouth was eager to get this week started.

I have to say that I have so much fun Menu Planning on Sunday nights!  I love going to different websites and trying recipes that I have never tried.  This week’s menu is making my mouth water.  Here is what is on our menu in the Seals household:

Monday: Tomato Basil “Cream” Pasta with roasted broccoli

Click pic to go to source

We tried this recipe a few weeks ago, and not only is it super tasty, but it is EASY to make!  My little one LOVES tomato’s and the sauce is such a great tomato and “cream” sauce, you would never guess that it was dairy free!

Tuesday: Taco’s with Corn Salsa

In this salsa there is corn, orange pepper, purple onion, cilantro, lime, and garlic salt.  I put it over black beans and serve in a corn shell.  It is fast and totally curbs a craving for mexican fare.

Wednesday: Butternut Squash Soup with roasted cauliflower

The only thing I will have to change in this recipe is to swap out chicken broth for vegetable broth and voila! Vegan.

Thursday: Avocado Wasabi Salad

Click pic to link to source

I am so serious when I say my mouth is full on watering by looking at this salad. Anything that involves avocado’s is a win in my book.  And to think that before I met Dustin I didn’t like them.  Craziness.

Friday: Roasted Veggie Pizza with “cheeze” Sauce.  I will have to let you know how this one turns out.  I am experimenting with a few different recipe’s and rolling them into one.  We’ll see!

Saturday: Mushroom Risotto with Carmelized Onions

Click pic to link to source

Sunday: Sunday gets tricky because it is Easter Sunday and we have already got invites to people from our church homes for dinner.  The only thing I can think is to eat before I go over (most likely leftovers), and then I won’t be tempted to eat the things that usually derail me.

The rest of the weeks grocery list is getting things for smoothies, and snacks.  I have been on a hummus wrap kick lately, and I will most likely have some version of that for lunch every day this week.  I am so glad that I don’t mind eating the same things everyday!

Sweat it out:

I haven’t had a chance to sit down and come up with a workout plan, but I do know that I am going to do my FIRM DVD’s on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  In addition, I will also be taking a walk for at least 30 minutes everyday so I can get out of the house.  Most of today I will be trekking down to Grand Junction and going food shopping to stock up the fridge for the week!

Have a great day!

What’s on the menu for you this week?

 

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Meal Planning, Vegan

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 2, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/02/menu-plan-monday/

And So It Begins….

Let’s face it, March wasn’t my month.  I am ready to make April the new beginning for the rest of the year.  Tomorrow starts the 21 Day Vegan Kick-start, and I am revving to go full speed ahead into the next 3 weeks!  I am looking forward to getting back to my lowest weight of 248, and break out of the 240′s if it kills me.  These past few weeks I have felt sluggish and heavy.  When I get out of bed in the morning I just FEEL like I’m carrying around more weight.

How do I help myself out with a successful week?  Planning.  Goal making.  Executing plan, and following through.  Back to the beginning where I had weekly goals, and back to the beginning where I had monthly goals.  These thoughts give me comfort that I can get back on track.

Monthly Goals:

  • Workout 6 times a week.  Ahhhh.  Remember when I had no issues with this?  I am excited to get started on my at home workouts.  I will be adding and planning those workouts to my meal planning calendar that I complete every week. Also, I bought an exercise ball, and a yoga mat, so this expands the workouts quite a bit.
  • Complete the Kick Ass April challenge that is being put on by Shrinking Jeans.

If you want to follow along you go to Shrinking Jeans and print off a copy of this calendar.  This is also a challenge extended to us by Dacia, where the Monica’s Birthday Challenge is going on (I’m giving it the good fight, and even though I haven’t been at the top of my game I am still reporting my non-existent weight loss every week.  I am hoping that I can catch up in the last 3 weeks of the challenge!).

  • Finish out the Monica’s Birthday Challenge.  Hopefully the 21 day challenge will help me to at least lose a few pounds before the end of this challenge.
  • Complete the PCRM’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart.  The great thing about this goal is that I have already completed this challenge once and so I know what I am in for.  The first challenge helped me to prepare for the second and so I am hoping that the transition isn’t as jarring as the first round was.
  • Wear my Bodybugg.  My poor bodybugg has been sitting in my dresser drawer for the last month.  I didn’t want to have to update it, and be reminded of how little I was doing towards my goals.  Also, it is now short sleeve season and you can see my BB clearly, which is a little embarrassing (I have to get that out of my head).  I tried to wear it on my calf, but it wasn’t accurately counting my calories.  I will just have to get over myself and wear it at all times.

I think that is a sufficient amount of goals for the month of April.  Not overwhelming, but still challenging.

Weekly Goals:

  • Successfully Start the PCRM 21 Day Vegan Kick-start.  
  • Meal Plan.  When you are eating a plant-based diet planning is crucial!  All it takes is a moment to lose everything that you have worked so hard to achieve!  Lucky I have a TON of recipes “pinned” on Pinterest, and a lot of recipes that I like the first time around so it is just about picking a weeks worth and I am set.
  • Workout 6 times this week.  Along with a Meal Plan, I should have an exercise plan as well.  I will be mapping out my workouts for the week and where I can find them (HULU plus, netflix, or a video of my own).
  • Drink 100 ounces +.  Self explanatory.
  • Take a walk each day with Hanna.  We finally live in a neighborhood that has sidewalks and a walking path.  This means that I am going to try to take a walk either in the morning or afternoon with Hanna so we can both get out of the house.
  • Read something!  I use to read at least 2 books a month, but this number has decreased dramatically since having Hanna a year and a half ago.  The only times I have a chance to read is during Hanna’s nap time (which is when I usually blog), or after she goes to bed (and then my eyes almost immediately close automatically.  With eating plant-based I should have a lot more energy so I have ordered two books off Amazon: Disease Proof your Child, & The 21 Day Weight loss Kick Start.  Both of these books are on Veganism and the second is what the kick-start I am starting is about.  I will do full reviews of these books as soon as I get them and read them.

Here is to a great beginning to a new week!

3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 1, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Body Bugg, Challenges, Diet, Goals, Meal Planning, Plant Based Diet, Vegan

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 1, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/01/and-so-it-begins/

The Sweet Relief of Routine

Hallelujah!  My internet is up and running!  And so is my Google reader, apparently,  considering I had over 150 items to be read from the last week!  I’m slowly working my way through and seeing what all of my blog friends are up to.

I am happy to say (more like ecstatic) that life is starting to settle down and that all-to-familiar motivation is creeping back into my mind.  You know the I’ve-been-off-the-wagon-for-so-long-that-I’ve-actually-gotten-sick-of-eating-out-and-I’m-ready-to-kick-ass-on-weight-loss kind of motivation.  That’s the one!

The Diet (And when I say diet, I mean the food that I consume and not a diet plan.  This is a lifestyle not a diet)

I’ve been concocting a plan of action these last few days, and after getting the thumbs up from the Hub’s we are going to be doing round 2 of the PCRM’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart!  The truth is, I have never felt better in my life than when I was doing round one of the kick-start in January.  I cannot deny that this way of life agrees with me.  It is simple to follow, and I feel like all aspects of my life improve when eating a plant-based diet.

I will be tracking my calories on Livestrong.com, and I will be keeping daily blog food diaries.  The food log posts may be boring, but the whole reason I have this here blog is for accountability and documentation.  I will try to keep them interesting with lots of pictures and hopefully, some fun recipes!

The Exercise.

This is where I have to show how dedicated I am.  I no longer have a 24 hour gym with child care.  In fact, the hours of the activity center (although free) are from 8-9, which is not the most convenient of time for me.  I am not the kind of person who likes a lot of change in my workout times.  I like to workout at the same time everyday so that my routine is not thrown off.  Walking (and then hopefully running at some point) will be a major player in my exercise regime.  Keep in mind that I live on the side of a mountain, and I am also pushing 40 pounds worth of baby and stroller up and down hills.  Great interval workout right? Right.

Here are some pictures from the first of many walks that we will be embarking on:

These pictures do not do the hill climbs justice.  It felt like I was walking uphill both ways!  My legs are actually sore today!

We are also planning on checking out the Activity Center tonight so that we can get a better idea of what it offers.  We may even walk there considering it is less than 2 miles away from our house, but uphill the entire way.

The Motivation

As if I need any more motivation than my sweet baby girl and amazing husband, but alas, baby talk has been happening.  I think this is the one and only time in my life that I will experience my hub’s wanting another baby before me.  Don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE to have another baby right this very second, but I REFUSE to go through another pregnancy like my last.

I’m not saying that I need to lose a hundred pounds before I’ll consider having another baby, but we did come to the conclusion that I was going to give it my all until next January.  Then we can start trying for another.

This thought has weighed heavy on my mind lately, and I cannot wait any longer.  No more dragging my feet and being “off plan” more than I’m “on plan”.  I have been on this WLJ since June of 2011 and all I have lost is around 30 pounds.  It’s time to get serious and not let life’s obstacles get in the way.  It’s time that I show how committed I really am.

4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on March 29, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in 21-Day Vegan Kickstart, Commitment, Diet, Motivation, Planning, Plant Based Diet, Vegan

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on March 29, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/03/29/the-sweet-relief-of-routine/

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