All posts in category Goals

WIAW: Whole Foods Plant Based Diet

I stated on Monday that I was going back to a plant-based diet and I am now on day 4 and going strong.  I am already feeling lighter with more energy, and lets just say that last night was a whopper, yet I am not feeling tired at all (we’ll see how I feel come this afternoon!).  On a side note, I can’t wait until we get our third room finished for our new daughter.  She is the NOISIEST sleeper ever!  She grunts and makes all sorts of weird noises and when I get up to check on her she is totally asleep!  The first 3 months are the hardest, right?

Anyway, onto my Tuesday eats!  Thank you to Jenn at Peas and Crayons for hosting this blogger get together every Wednesday!

Breakfast was eaten before I could snap a picture, but it was Oatmeal with ground flax-seed, vanilla soy milk, and frozen berries.  Not anything too exciting.

Lunch was leftovers from the night before and they were delicious:

IMG_0443Homemade veggie burgers dipped in BBQ sauce and a salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, avocado, and spicy hummus.  The recipe I used for the veggie burgers came from Oh She Glows and it is her Spicy BBQ Chickpea Burgers

I love the crunch that the sunflower seeds added, although, these would have been better on a bun (I forgot to get some from the store).  But I mus say they held together really well and it was a lot better than buying sketchy frozen veggie patties from the store with an ingredient list a mile long!

In the afternoon I saw that I had a banana and a zucchini that was on their last legs so I decided to make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins from Happy Herbivore. I love this recipe because my daughter calls them “cupcakes” and she will polish off 2 before I can blink my eyes.  She has no idea that is she is getting some fruits and veggies in each muffin.  My second pregnancy caused my first daughter to become a picky eater.  Too much eating out will do that to someone, so now I’m trying to get her back on the healthy eating band wagon a little at a time.

IMG_0445I added in some mixed fresh berries and it was a filling snack that held me over til dinner.

Dinner was something unexpected.  This week I meal planned and told myself that no matter what, I was going to stick to it.  Well, last night I realized that I didn’t have a couple of the ingredients I needed for at least two of the meals I was planning so I went in search of a recipe for something that I had the ingredients on hand for.

After a quick check of my Google Reader I found a recipe that looked easy and delicious: Coconut Ginger Curry Rice Bowl From PB Fingers.  Who doesn’t love a one pot meal?  The only problem is that I had run out of brown rice and had to sub with white.  The great thing was that it was done and on the table in less than 30 minutes.

IMG_0447I wish that I had fresh broccoli instead of frozen, but it works in a pinch.  I will be having leftovers of this for lunch.

After getting back on the plant-based bandwagon I am feeling great.  My cravings are going away and the scale even gave me some motivation this morning by showing me a lighter number.  My only concern is that I feel like my breast milk supply has gone down a bit.  I can’t tell if I am just being paranoid or if my little babe is eating more than normal.  I’m monitoring it for the next few days and it is probably in my head.  Other than that I’m feeling great, and only T-4 days until I can start exercising again (hopefully I will get the clear at my 6 week postpartum appointment next Monday).

Have a happy Wednesday!

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by Shrinking Carrie on May 15, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Breast Feeding, Challenges, Commitment, Diet, Energy, Goals, Good Food, Health, Health Benefits, Link Love, Making It Happen, Meal Planning, Plant Based Diet, Postpartum, Recipes, Weight Watchers, WIAW

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on May 15, 2013

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2013/05/15/wiaw-whole-foods-plant-based-diet/

Happy Mother’s Day to Me!

After having an absolutely horrendous week of eating whatever I could think of I decided to give myself a Mother’s Day present:  I’m going back to eating a plant-based diet.

The life of a mom with a newborn is taxing and I can feel it wearing on me daily.  The nights are a little rough and the days can get long and demanding.  With 2 kids and a husband I often feel like I get pulled in three directions constantly.  What better gift to give myself than the gift of health?

I had a wonderful talk with my husband about a week ago and it involved excuses.  I was going on about how when I get to six weeks postpartum it will get easier because I can exercise.  He totally called me out on my crap and said “you always say it will be easier when…”  fill in the blank.  I know that I have thought about these excuses before and light bulbs constantly go off in my head and I have plenty of AHA moments.  The problem is keeping myself motivated.

Do or do not, there is no try.

I thought I would take a little advice from Yoda and not put the word TRY into this post.  I almost wrote that I was going to TRY and get back to a plant-based lifestyle, but then I got taken back to my retail management days and I would get so annoyed when people said they would TRY to do the thing I was asking them to do.  It basically meant that they had an easy out clause with the word TRY.

This week will be all about getting myself back on track with eating (it is 70% of weight loss).  I’ve given myself permission to eat as much as I want to this week, but the only stipulations are that it has to have vitamins and nutrients of some sort, not be to grain heavy, and cannot come from an animal.  I’ve meal planned and I told the hub’s I don’t care if it doesn’t sound good the night I’m suppose to make it, that’s what we are eating.  He is surprisingly on board (I will mention that after this last pregnancy he is the heaviest he has ever been, and is motivated to lose some pounds).

I’m hoping that I will see great results like the last time I practiced this diet.  I lost weight, started sleeping better, was in a better mood, and I just felt great!  I’ve already had a great first day (which was Sunday, Mother’s Day mind you) and I am excited to get through this first week.

And because a post is always better with a picture, here are my two girls hanging out in our 80 degree house in their diapers (Air conditioner gets serviced on the 16th and it can’t happen soon enough!):

944667_4808877061090_1537861817_nHappy Monday!

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on May 13, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Commitment, Daily Struggles, Diet, Goals, Health, Making It Happen, Meal Planning, Mindless Eating, Motivation, New Mind-set, Nutrition, Plant Based Diet, Postpartum

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on May 13, 2013

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2013/05/13/happy-mothers-day-to-me/

Imagine My Surprise

One of the things I promised myself after I had Lucy was that I wouldn’t step foot on the scale until I was at least 3 weeks postpartum.  When I had Hanna (my first child, for any new readers) I had lost all the baby weight and then some when I went in for my 6 week appointment.  I tipped the scales at 296 at 40 weeks, and weighed 266 post-birth.  I could not have been more ecstatic.

I don’t know about any of you other mom’s out there, but it was really hard for me to not get on a scale right after I had Lucy (my saving grace was that my scale broke the week before I had my c-section, which was quite disheartening at the time, if you can imagine).  The last time I weighed myself I weighed 294 and still had two more weeks until my due date.

I really thought that I had gotten lucky my first pregnancy and was going to have to get use to some lingering poundage this time around.

Imagine my surprise when I got on the scale today and it read 263.6!  My weight when I started this pregnancy was 264 and I’m pretty sure that at the end my weight would have come in somewhere around 296 just like last time.

The only issue I had with my first postpartum was that I gained about 18 pounds from breast-feeding.  I was so stressed about whether Hanna was getting enough to eat I just started taking in calories to see if it would help me get my milk supply up.  Little did I know that Hanna was just a small baby and didn’t like to eat that much (she is still that way).  This go around I am not stressing out and I am mostly using my breast pump so I know how much Lucy is eating, and I don’t get so frustrated like last time (Lucy is a hungry little thing, and will out weigh Hanna in no time).

One thing I did do this time is lots of research on how to keep my supply up without taking in empty calories.  I found out some great information and it turns out the more fruits, vegetables, and lean protein you eat the better your milk comes in.  I can attest to that since my eating the last couple of days has been less than stellar.  I have been tracking all of my food through my Weight Watchers account but plants have been seriously lacking.  Pumping today was lower than it has been this past week when I had been getting in plenty of F&V’s.

My goal is to not gain any weight (obviously) and stick to my Weight Watchers goal of  54 points per day.  BTW, nursing mom’s get a crap-ton of points which makes it easy to stay on track.  I almost fear for when I’m not nursing and it drops significantly.

The hardest part is that I am not in the habit of tracking my food anymore and it is going to take me a while to make it a daily thing.  Also, my weight may only be up 11 pounds from my lowest recorded weight, but I am jelly everywhere (that’s what no weight lifting for 10 months will do to you).  None of my clothes fit, and my stomach is crazy stretched out.

But that’s what having a baby does to you.   And I am only 3 weeks out from my c-section, could be worse.

3 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 29, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Body Image, Breast Feeding, Family, Goals, Nutrition, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Weight Watchers

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 29, 2013

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2013/04/29/imagine-my-surprise/

Weekend Highlights

I love weekends where you feel totally productive and spend NO money.  I failed to mention that I have a 3rd goal for 2013: To finally get rid of the monkey on my back, a.k.a., credit card debt.  Normally, Dustin and I head to the big city of Grand Junction and go window shopping.  Yet, it seems we always return with things that we just can live without.  Weird.

We’ve decided that instead of going out so much, we would make  more of an effort to finish up home projects and cook food at home (although, its been a while since we’ve been eating out regularly).  Few of the things that we asked for from everybody who had our names for Christmas was all the components to make sushi.  A rice cooker (a GOOD rice cooker and not those $20 crap kind), sushi rolling mats, and some fun sushi plates for the finished product.

I am a sushi addict.  Before you get all huffy puffy, I know I’m not suppose to eat raw fish while I’m pregnant so the sushi selection is a little boring for the time being (that, and we’re land locked so it may be a while until I attempt raw on my own).  For now we are making California rolls with crab salad, cooked spicy salmon, and last Friday we attempted to make our own shrimp tempura (which turned out awesome):

1540_4183107457241_743226152_n

And here is some of the finished product (this is last weeks picture, but you get the point):

295289_4132795799481_987939736_n

We even had enough left over that we rolled a few rolls for lunch on Saturday.  SO GOOD.

On Saturday, we felt ambitious and decided to do some painting in out kitchen.  I am a slow painter.  I don’t like getting burned out on a project because I try to get it all done in one weekend.  The hub’s and I decided to take our kitchen one wall at a time.  It helps us to be productive on a weekend, but not completely take up our whole weekend with one project.  We are a good team.  Dustin washes the walls and tapes everything and I paint.  It works.

58618_4186462661119_1966394052_n

Here is the before where every wall is practically stark white ^^^^^^^.

481205_4187718172506_1927040973_n

Here is the after with Eddie Bauer Woodsmoke from Lowe’s ^^^^^^.  Next week we may attempt the wall with the refrigerator :/

We had a pretty typical Sunday.  We went to church, I had a great Sunday School lesson with the 10/11-year-old kids, and then got to come home and relax.  It was fabulous.  For dinner I made a recipe I found on Pinterest: Orange chicken and Broccoli, and then I added some Quinoa.

150662_4192888621764_375393284_n

It was delicious and light.  Click Here for the recipe.  And for those of you who are new to the world of Quinoa I used this tutorial the first time I made it.

Now I have a confession to make.  Ever since I found out that I don’t have Gestational Diabetes I’ve been on a bit of a carb overload (and not the good kind).  One thing that helps me to get motivation and get back on track is watching food documentaries.  One of my favorites is Forks Over Knives.  In case anybody wants to watch this excellent film it is on Netflix with Instaplay.  One of the reason’s I love this film is that it focus’ purely on the health aspect of a plant-based diet.  It gives facts and figures from years of research and it is not argumentative (like some documentaries which are totally biased).  The information doesn’t feel in your face and the Dr’s seem genuinely concerned with their patients health.  If you haven’t had a chance to watch it I highly suggest it!

Now I feel rejuvenated to get back on track with healthy eating, and some other things that I will be blogging about this week!  I hope you all had as wonderful weekend as I did!

What is one of your weekend highlights? 

PS.  I got my Twitter account back up and running so if  you were a follower before jump to my sidebar and follow me again (my handle is shrinkingcarrie). Thanks!

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by Shrinking Carrie on January 14, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Budget, Energy, Gestational Diabetes, Goals, Indulgence, Plant Based Diet, Pregnancy

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on January 14, 2013

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2013/01/14/weekend-highlights/

My Two Goals for 2013

I totally ditched resolutions this year.  Being pregnant, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to make huge strides this year like in the years past.  I can’t really “work out harder” or “lose 60 pounds” (although, I would love to be one of those women who says that breast-feeding helped them lose all the baby weight, but if past experience has taught me anything it is likely not in the books).  Instead of making a lengthy list of resolutions I decided that I would work on two different goals this year, and they both require only the first 3 months of the year.  Who knows maybe I’ll get ambitious in April and make some more hard-core goals, but until then I’m focusing on what is in my control as of now.

1.  Stay as close as possible to my current weight while maintaining a healthy pregnancy.  When I was pregnant with my first, my midwife (who I have changed since) told me that if I wanted to I could actually lose weight while I was pregnant and still have a healthy baby.  When you are 250+ pounds you have all you need to keep that baby growing for 40 weeks.  I gained 20 pounds with Hanna and I tipped the scales at 296 pounds.  I was miserable.

Currently I weigh 271 pounds which is 19 pounds up from my lowest weight of 152 pounds.  I must admit that I am pretty pleased with the fact that I have seemed to keep my weight in check even though I feel like my eating has been out of control at times.  It was probably all of that walking I did in the first 4 months I was pregnant.  And if I want to get technical (and lets face it, it will make me feel better) I didn’t get pregnant until after the fourth of July and I started my pregnancy at about 260 pounds so I could say I have only gained 11 pounds since I got pregnant (wow, I feel so much better now).

With the temperatures being in the negatives in the mornings and not getting above 25 degrees during the day, I consider it child abuse to take my child out in a stroller for 45 minutes everyday.  That, and my entire street is covered in a sheet of ice that would have me practicing ice skating the second I stepped onto its glassy surface.

This takes me to the gym.  Normally,  (and by normally I mean when I lived 5 minutes away from my gym which had child care) I have no problem going to the gym.  Last year at this time I was going with no problems 6 days a week and working out for an hour a day.  Since moving, someone has been trying to test my gym going abilities by opening the gym at 8:00 (WTH?), and closing at 9:00.  This wouldn’t be a problem if my husband wasn’t out the door at eight and since his job has no set hours (oh wait, 24/7, on call always) I never can plan the times that I can get there.  This forces me to stand by the door in my gym clothes so I can pounce at the chance to get in a 30 minute walk or 40 minutes on the elliptical, if I have the energy still.

Excuses, excuses.

I’ll be honest and say the best way possible I can keep this goal is to completely cut out sugar and decrease my carb intake.  Here is the carb count for a diabetic:

Breakfast: 30 grams
Lunch/Dinner: 45 grams
Snacks: 15 grams

For fibrous foods with over 3 grams of fiber you can subtract out the amount of fiber from the carbs.  Example:  An English Muffin that has 27 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber would count as a total of 21 grams of carbohydrates.

Even still, that is not a lot of options.  Especially for someone who is trying to keep her meat and dairy intake on the low side.

Still this may sound like lot of complaining, but it could be the sugar detox talking and I’m sure by next week I will be okey dokey.  To sum up:

Exercise even if it is a pain to find the time, and cut out all processed sugars.  Totally doable.

2. Have a healthy labor and a healthy baby.  I know I only have so much control over this, but mind over matter, right?  With Hanna I ended up having to have a C-section, and this go around I am trying for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean).  This means that I cannot be induced and have to go into labor naturally.  I will do what I need to do to get the baby out safely, and keep myself safe so we’ll see how this works out, it may be Caesarean city for this girl, but I gotta try!

Did you make resolutions?  How are they coming along?

2 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on January 8, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Commitment, Diet, Gestational Diabetes, Goals, Making It Happen, Pregnancy

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on January 8, 2013

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2013/01/08/my-two-goals-for-2013/

FMM: The Obligatory Fall Post & Second Trimester Goals!

I haven’t participated in FMM for a LONG time, but this subject is one of my favorites!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Fall Favorites!

1. What is your favorite thing about this time of year? It’s finally getting cooler!!!  I go to sleep with barely a blanket on, and end up with about 3 layers by the time morning rolls around.  It has also been nice and cloudy which has been perfect for our morning walks.  It is great to not have to get up at the butt crack of dawn to beat the heat in the mornings!

2. What do you hope to do again before summer is officially over?  Technically, Autumn Solstice started on Saturday so I am happy to say that Summer is officially over!  We did a lot of fun stuff this summer and I happy to say that my summer has been fulfilled.  I’m not much for summer anyway.

3. When did you last go on a hay ride?  I don’t think I’ve ever been on a hay ride?  I’m more of a corn maze, and haunted house kind of gal.

4. What is your favorite pumpkin dish?  I know I’m going to disappoint so many people by saying that I am not a fan of pumpkin!  I do however love almost all kinds squash and the fact that spaghetti squash and butternut squash are now in season I can’t wait to make some new recipes with those ingredients.

5. Do you decorate your home for fall?  This totally bugs my hub’s, but I have pumpkins in my house pretty much all year long.  I hate the way they taste, but I like the way they look.  I can’t wait to carve pumpkins for our front step.

6. Do you have any hobbies that are season specific? I love to knit, and I’m hoping that I can finally finish this baby blanket I’ve been working on FOREVER.  I am also going to be trying out some new techniques so that I can improve my knitting.

7. Apple Cider or Hot Chocolate? I LOVE hot chocolate, but there is also nothing like stopping at Starbucks and sharing a Hot Apple Spice Cider with my hub’s while we are doing some shopping.

8. Are you a fan of football?  Who’s your team? We resisted for a long time, but ever since Manning went to Denver we watch the Bronco’s.  My hub’s is a die hard Peyton Manning fan and he reluctantly watches the bronco’s every week.  He is also a Fantasy Football Fanatic so to save our marriage I tell him he can pick one game that I will watch from start to finish (I’m not a huge football fan).

9. Share a fond fall memory. I think Halloween is just the BEST part about fall!  I love haunted houses, festivals, and corn mazes.  Also, Hanna’s birthday is on October 25th, and I would say she is my best memory so far!

10. It’s not fall until…. The leaves start changing color.  There are a lot of trees on my morning walks and I’m happy to say that most of them are at least half yellow.  So beautiful!

Second Trimester Goals:

I am so happy to finally be in my second trimester and kinda, sorta, feeling better.  I’m still getting sick, but not nearly as much as I was a month ago.  It’s time to rope in my eating and being more diligent in my workouts.  I don’t want all of my hard work these past couple of years to fall by the wayside just because I’m expecting.  there have also been a few things that I’ve been dropping the ball on lately.  Here are my second trimester focuses:

  • Drink 100 oz’s of water a day.  This use to be no big deal, but it seems that even water makes me nauseous these days.  I need to power through and drink the necessary ounces.
  • Walk at least 5 times a week.  Now that the weather is cooler there is no excuse to not be walking everyday.  Lately, I’ve been getting in about 4 times a week, but I know that I should be doing a little walking everyday.
  • Write down all the things I am eating in my diet minder.  I’m not necessarily counting calories right now.  Not to mention I’ve been counting calories for so long I know how much I should be eating.  I’m trying to keep it under 2500 calories a day so that I can maintain my weight throughout the pregnancy, and I’ll see how well I’m doing just by writing everything down.  If that doesn’t work I’ll have to start counting again.

These are so basic, but sometimes its the most basic tasks that get overlooked!

Don’t forget to link up with Kenlie’s blog and share some of your answers to the questions above!

Thanks for reading!

8 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on September 24, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Friend Making Monday, Goals

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on September 24, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/09/24/fmm-the-obligatory-fall-post-second-trimester-goals/

Get to Fifty in Sixty!

I survived!!!!!  I can check 24 hour fast OFF of my list!  And look at this pretty little (and by little I mean GIANT) salad I broke my fast with:

It totally hit the spot.  I wanted to make sure that I didn’t end up eating the rest of the night (like I do when I normally fast), and so I ate this salad 2 Cutie Oranges, some dried cherries, and a Kombucha.  Then I did the dishes, turned off the light, and the kitchen was closed for the evening (“kitchen closed” will always remind me of my mom).

Starting Weight

When I stepped on the scale this morning my weight was 257.2.  This was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be, so it is a great way to start out this new beginning!  I am calling this new challenge Get to Fifty in Sixty!  This title may be a little off considering that I have 66 Days to complete my goal of getting to 50 pounds.  Originally I was thinking that I wanted to get to 50 pounds total loss, which  at the time would have been 20 pounds.  After calculating the numbers I would actually need to lose 24.4 pounds.  What the heck, I’m going to go for it!

The Official Challenge:  Get to 50 pounds lost by July, 4th 2012!  

My ending weight should be 232.8!  The reward?  I’m thinking that I will buy a new workout outfit, and a new casual outfit.

How will I achieve this goal?  

I have come up with a few goals for the next couple of months and although there may be a lot, a few of them don’t require that much time.  One goal that I have already accomplished this weekend is to join My Fitness Pal (if you want to be friends my username is carrieseals, friend me!).  I had actually joined MFP last year and so it won’t let me change my starting weight, and the weight loss chart is off, but oh well, what are gonna do!  I was using Livestrong.com’s Daily Plate before and I have found that the calorie goal is totally out of whack.  Example:  I put the same exact stats into both system requesting for a 2 pound a week loss and Livestrong told me to eat 2176 calories a day (which I have ALWAYS thought was too many calories) and My Fitness Pal told me to eat 1400 which I think is spot on.  Here are the complete goals for this challenge:

  • Complete 24 Hour Cleansing Fast
  • Re-activate My Fitness Pal Account
  • Drink over 100 oz’s of water EVERYDAY.  I’m usually pretty good about this, but on days when I run errands I fall a little short, and my body needs a LOT of water to feel normal.
  • Do some form of exercise 6 days a week.
  • Workout at least 3 times a week with the girls from the church
  • Get to the activity center at least 3 times a week even if that means two-a-day workouts
  • Find a weight lifting program.  I think I have over done The New Rules of Lifting for Women.  The workouts have become repetative and boring.
  • Finish reading How to Disease Proof Your Child, and one fun book.
  • Get more social with people in my church branch.  See if someone would help me out with Hanna so I can go to the gym in the morning instead of having to wait all day for Dustin to get home.
  • Track daily on My Fitness Pal and do daily stat posts periodically throughout the week.
  • Meal Plan Weekly
  • Only go out to dinner once a week.  We don’t have a problem with this right now since we don’t have a lot of restaurants near us!
  • Blog.  99% of the time I enjoy blogging with my whole heart, but when I am not on track it gets to be a constant reminder of how bad I’m doing.  It has also been a great tool to keep getting back to basics.  One that I need to utilize more often when I’m having a hard time.
  • Utilize my social networking.  The more focused I am on losing the weight, the more it happens, and it happens even more when I am connecting with people who know what I’m going through.  Have you liked me on Facebook yet?  Are you following me on twitter?  I plan on using these tools to my advantage (without letting them cut into family time).  

Seems like a pretty good list, right?  I am so excited for the next few weeks and I just know that the outcome will be a positive one!

What are you doing to start your week off right?  

What is a goal you have for this week?

Ever fasted?  Easy, hard?  Felt any difference?  

11 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 30, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Challenges, Commitment, Get to Fifty in Sixty, Goals, Making It Happen

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 30, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/30/get-to-fifty-in-sixty/

Baptism By Fire

I am happy to report that I have crossed off one of my goals for the week yesterday.  Get over myself and go to the church exercise group.  Done and done!  I am so excited to be apart of these fun activities and it is going to be a great way for Hanna and I to get out of the house on daily basis.

It was a bit of a baptism by fire.  We were running a little late and so I rushed in the church last minute and hoped that they hadn’t started yet, which they hadn’t.  After a few introductions I let Hanna run off to play with the other kids and looked at the TV screen which read P90X.  P90X!?!?!  I fully admit, I was scared.  Especially since I had just met these people and I wanted to make a good first impression.

I sucked it up and decided that I was going to give it my best, and it was comforting to know that there were other girls who were questioning their capabilities as well.

I had a future plan that once I hit around 220 I would do a program like P90X (but I was more wanting to do Insanity).  I guess now was as good as any to see what my future self would be getting into.

My thoughts?  I liked it!  I could modify the moves pretty easily (it was the Plyometrics DVD so there was a LOT of jumping) and by about 30 minutes in I was sweating up a storm.  When I looked at how many calories I had burned on my Bodybugg it was around 500 which is the same as what I would have burned at the gym.

It was almost exactly like a group fitness class that I would have taken at the gym, but more laid back (considering that our kids were playing all around us and had to be tended to periodically).

This morning we played basketball, and let me mention that I have not played an actual basketball game since I was in my teens.  There were a few good girls and a few like me that were just happy to be moving.  Although I will say that I felt my competitiveness coming out (which doesn’t happen very often).  I was frustrated that I was missing baskets, and had to keep reminding myself that when I missed to say “shoot”  instead of $h!T (we were in a church after all).

At first I thought maybe I should just skip Tuesday’s and not play b-ball, but the other side of my head was saying, “don’t you want to get better and school some of those girls?”.  It’s funny how I think I’m not competitive, until I actually get into a situation that calls for it.  I keep telling myself it is a friendly game ;)

Are you competitive?

When is the last time you played a competitive sport?

4 Comments
by Shrinking Carrie on April 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Goals, Sports, Workout

Posted by Shrinking Carrie on April 17, 2012

http://shrinkingcarrie.com/2012/04/17/baptism-by-fire/

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/

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/

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