Don't eat cookies for breakfast

because you'll be sorry later! I have no idea why I did it, but I know that I never will again. I had 2 chocolate chip cookies this morning before going to work and I knew it was a mistake pretty much immediately. I made my smoothie and got a muffin and took salad stuff for lunch to work with me but I just felt horrible. I finished only about half my smoothie and wasn't even hungry for lunch. The good part is that I have no desire to have any more of those cookies. ever. again.

Running stuff: I ran outside yesterday morning! I ran about 1/3 of my usual walk with Cammie which is I'm guessing around 1/2 mile or maybe a little more. I'll have to check it with the car or something to see. I think our route is about 1.5 miles total. I'm glad I did it because I'm not nervous about running outside anymore.

Also - I picked out 2 more races: a 4 miler in October and a 5k trail run in November. A fellow member on Dr.F's member center is helping me train for the first 5k, I'm very excited.

And my third unrelated (sort of) thing that I wanted to tell you all. I feel like I had a breakthrough today. Friday I'm supposed to be to work by 8:30ish, which is earlier than the rest of the week for me. So this morning I was tired from being out running around (practicing driving my car etc) last night and didn't get up to walk Cammie and then the whole cookie thing... So that all manifested in me being a complete zombie all day. I felt like I was going to fall asleep in my office chair and wanted to come home to take a nap (which I never do anymore). But when I was on my way home I realized that I didn't want to take a nap and I'd actually feel a lot better if I took Cammie for a walk, so I did, and by the time we got home I felt awesome. I think that for me this is a key to being a thinner healthier person - realizing how great being active makes me feel physically AND preferring to do it over just loafing around. :-)

more on running

Wednesday:
Exercise: AM walk with Cammie, 30 min Yourself!Fitness Cardio workout
Breakfast: Smoothie, Blueberry Almond Muffin
Lunch: Cabbage Tofu Veggie wraps
Exercise: 10 minutes on the Treadmill
Dinner: Spinach Artichoke Twist
Fuhrmometer: 8 - Eggplant

Well we picked a 5k to run in this morning - the Purple Foot 5k. It's on September 8th and is part of the grape stomping festival at the vineyard in my hometown where hubby and I got married. It seems like it's meant to be! It also means that I have 10 weeks from Saturday in which to train.

And I am going to need those 10 weeks! I got on the treadmill when I got home from work today to see what I could do. I had been telling myself that I could run the entire 3.1 miles right now and that was all there was to it. WOAH was I in for a rude awakening! I got off the TM telling myself that maybe the Couch to 5k plan was the better way to go.

BUT I want more time than just one or two weeks running the 5k distance before the actual 5k. I could start at week 3 on the Couch to 5k and go from there, and I might do that but I still have to work out how I'll measure time or distance when I'm running outside.

Which brings me to my other hangup - RUNNING OUTSIDE. I know I just have to get over worrying about what other people think of me and just do it but I'm still feeling apprehensive about it. I know the only way to get over it is just to get out there and do it and not worry about other people so much, because after all; I'm doing this for myself and not other people.

I'm still feeling excited about this, just realizing that I am not Super Athlete (just yet).

r-u-n-n-o-f-t

Tuesday:
Exercise: AM walk with Cammie, Yourself!Fitness - flexibility workout
Breakfast: Cereal
Lunch: Smoothie
Exercise:
Dinner:
Fuhrmometer:

In Dr. Fuhrman's forums one of the members has been reporting about his training for his first marathon. He made a comment about how he had been into running a few years ago when he weighed more than he does now. I've been wanting to start running but have been hesitant because I don't want to hurt my knees and hips by starting to run while I am still so substantially overweight, and also because I thought it would be easier to run when I am lighter. I asked this other member if he thought that it is easier to run now that he has lost weight from where he was before and let him know my concerns about starting to run now.

To paraphrase his response, he feels that he's putting as much effort into his runs as he did before but has realized that he runs quite a bit faster now. He also related something out of a running book about how Oprah started out to run her first marathon when she weighed 222 pounds (or something close to that).

"Hey! I weigh less than 222 pounds! AND I'll bet I'm a lot younger than Oprah was too! AND I eat better!" I said to myself. "It's true. PLUS there are other non-Oprah people out there who run marathons and compete in triathlons who have pounds to lose, so why not me?"

So I am going to start running. I thought that I would try the Couch to 5k running program on CoolRunning.com, which gradually builds you up over 9 weeks from very little running to running the 5k. When I looked at the program I got a little scared, it wants you to aim to run the 3 miles in 30 minutes. That's a 10 minute mile, or an average of 6 miles per hour. I know to some that doesn't sound like very fast but I run S L O W - 5mph is fast for me. Sure I could do the C25K at my own speed but I wouldn't want to, I would want to complete the program as written.

My boss is an avid runner and has been very supportive of me as I lose weight, eat better and become more active. I told her I was going to start the C25K program and she thought it would be better to work on running the 3 miles now (I know I've done at least 2 without stopping so I could probably do 3) and then as I practice I'll get faster. It makes sense, but then again C25K does too.

She also said that she'd run a 5k with me around my birthday (Labor Day weekend) - so that's my goal. Run a 5k by/on Labor Day weekend. I know I can do it, but I want to feel confident and do it well.

I'm not sure what my specific plan is going to turn out to be, but I do know that I am going to start running 3x per week (in addition to walking Cammie, bike rides, and Yourself!Fitness). I think I'll need to do some outside running as well as on the treadmill. I want to get on the TM and just run 3 miles first to show myself that I can do it, no matter what the time and then go from there. Any advice from the runners out there?

things i've been thinking

Monday:
AM 30 min walk with Cammie
Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, blueberries, strawberries, 1/2 banana, flax, water)
Lunch: Pita Sandwich (whole wheat pita, falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, onions, little bit of tzatziki)
PM walk and bike ride with Cammie (I have a doggie bike basket with a harness, it's hilarious and I think that she secretly likes bike rides even though she may tell you different)
Dinner: Salad (romaine, scallions, mandarin oranges, almonds, balsamic), raw brownies
Fuhrmometer: 8.5 - eggplant/broccoli

I've been thinking lately that I should stop counting my walks with Cammie as exercise, but I've also been thinking that I shouldn't. I'm still not sure what I officially think.

Reasoning for not counting it:
- Our route is pretty flat and while we walk at a decent pace; it's not like we're jogging or even speedwalking
- I should just use the time for waking up in the morning and de-stressing in the evening
- I can work out harder on the treadmill and therefore build more muscle etc.

Reasoning for counting it:
- I am being active when I walk her
- It's summertime and I am really enjoying being outside so much
- (When I eat well) I am losing weight at this level of activity
- It's not like I don't do anything else, I've been riding my bike and I do Yourself!Fitness too (although I should do it more than I have recently)
- The treadmill can be a bit boring.

Ok, so I think I've decided to keep things as they are for the time being. BUT - I will be more faithful with doing Yourself!Fitness 6x per week and I will do at least 1 workout on the treadmill per week while it's summer and the weather is awesome.

MINI & muffins

Hi. Sorry it's been so long. We picked up the new car on Thursday... I love it! I can't wait until I am practiced and confident enough in driving manual to drive it all the time :) Until then I am content to be a passenger most of the time.

Not too much news. I've was ok this past week but not super. This week things are much more stable and normal so I know I'll be able to do a lot better. I haven't felt much like cooking lately but I did make some muffins today:

They're based on these muffins (scroll down for recipe), but I adapted it somewhat to make it a bit healthier. They're definitely not perfect ETL but they work for me because I can eat one without feeling guilty and it also doesn't hurt my tummy like a full-fat/refined sugar & flour muffin would.

I think that the recipe needs a little tweaking (more applesauce, use ww pastry flour, add some orange zest...) but here it is:

Blueberry Almond Muffins
Yeilds 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and combine in large bowl:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup all purpose flour
½ tsp salt (optional)
2 tsp baking powder

Stir 1½ cups frozen blueberries into the dry mix

In food processor combine:
1/3 cup apple sauce
2 bananas
½ cup dates (chop and soak dates for better blending)
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
2 Tbsp water

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, spoon into lined muffin tins.

Crumb topping (combine with fork)(optional, but definitely include the almonds):
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp slivered almonds
2 Tbsp flour
¼ cup Earth Balance

Sprinkle crumb topping over muffins and bake for 25 minutes.

Tuesday:
Exercise: short walk with Cammie
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: tiny bag of croutons (?)
Dinner: roasted veggies with basil and pine nuts with reduced balsamic and tortillas
Fuhrmometer: 7.5 - lentil/eggplant

Well today was much better than yesterday detox - wise; so that's good. I didn't realize it but sometime in the last few days I changed my alarm clock from the beep to the radio - and it's not actually radio but static. With the fans/ac on, I can't hear the static and have slept later than planned the past few days which has made it impossible for me to get my workout in before work.

But still, I'm trying and I'm not letting little things like not getting my usual workouts in throw me off course. I have been making an effort to eat better and will continue to eat better and better and I will also get my workouts in when I can.

I don't have to be perfect every day, but I do have to do my best every day.

back to business

Monday:
Exercise: 30 min walk with cammie
Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, mixed berries, 1/2 banana, flax, water)
Lunch: Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and veggies
Exercise: bike ride, 30 min walk with cammie
Dinner: sort of fajitas kind of
Fuhrmometer: 8 - eggplant

After FINALLY having a decent food day following a week and a half of not eating very well I am feeling like crap right now! Detox is not fun!

I did get a bit angry at myself this weekend over being tired of feeling frumpy all the time. It seems like most of my clothes are too big or just a little bit too small and here I am, Goldilocks with nothing to wear. Boo hoo for me! (kidding)

However, I do want to stick with the losing trend so that I can fit into the clothes I have that are on the snug side and buy more clothes that are on the snug side so that I have something to work for until I reach my goal.

Also, as hubby so rightly pointed out to me; it can take me a while to get back on track after vacation and we don't want to fall into that deep crevasse of a rut that I was stuck in over the winter.

Because summer is my time to shine. And I plan on doing just that.

small car for a smaller me

I'm getting a new car!

A 2007 Mini Cooper S to be exact.

I've wanted a Mini for a while, but before starting to lose weight I never would have even taken one for a test drive - I thought that I would be such a joke - a BIG person in a small car.

But now that I feel like I am approaching a normal size and feel much better about myself in general, I had no problems with looking at the car and not feeling self conscious about it at all.

It does have a 6 speed manual transmission - which is really really fun, but I am not so good at driving standard (YET!). So I'll have a lot of fun learning.

We're picking it up on Thursday after work (!!!) and I'll post more pictures of my actual car when I get it. This is just another way that life has become so much more enjoyable and fun since I started to take care of myself and my body.

Year One Review

Monday marked a year since starting Eat To Live, and I’ve been reflecting on all the things that have changed in that year. One of the most significant changes for me has been the food that I eat:

Breakfast:
Then: Luna Bar (or two) on work days, egg sandwiches on the weekends
Now: Smoothies with 8oz of spinach with berries and banana on work days, Smoothies with 8oz of spinach with cherries and banana and cocoa powder on the weekends

Lunch:
Then: frozen veggies with sauce, or fast food
Now: healthy veggie soup; usually skip lunch on the weekends because I’m busy doing stuff and don’t want it!

Dinner:
Then: veggie burgers, other frozen junk-vegetarian food, take out
Now: salads with beans and veggies

Dessert:
Then: You name it! Usually ice cream…
Now: raw brownies

I’m not perfect in my eating now, but I have vastly improved. I used to buy fruits and veggies and lettuce and so much of it would go bad in my refrigerator. These days I go through a bag of salad in a day and have to make extra trips to the grocery store during the week because I’m out of lettuce! I used to hardly ever eat fruit – now I eat it every day. Beans – I didn’t have a problem with them before but I didn’t seek them out; and when I did use them I used canned beans. These days I try at all costs NOT to use canned beans.

Getting take out has gone from once or twice a week to once or twice a month - if that.

I used to be addicted to starchy foods – breads, rice, etc and ate way too much cheese and oil/butter/margarine – I still have starchy foods from time to time but I’ve also learned that I don’t really like cheese too much anymore and have realized that I don’t need oil or butter to cook or flavor my food.

Before I thought I knew a decent amount about nutrition, I was so wrong! I think I have learned a lot about what is good for me and what is bad for me and why. But I also have learned that I have a lot more to learn.

Hunger – I used to suffer from toxic hunger so badly; but there were also many times that I would eat or overeat so constantly that I would never feel hunger. These days I don’t feel discomfort when I’m hungry – I just feel hungry – it’s controllable, and it’s nice to actually feel hungry for a meal and also to not be constantly thinking about food when I’m not hungry.

Physically – Well, I’ve lost a good amount of weight. I know if I had been more disciplined over the holidays and during the winter that I could have lost a lot more than I have but it’s ok. I think that I have lost more than I thought that I could when I started this thing. In the beginning I used positive self-talk to create a positive self-fulfilling prophecy. Now – I’ve seen that I am successful in losing weight and I know that I will continue to be and will reach my goal, there’s no doubt in my mind.

I don’t have to shop exclusively in the Women’s or Plus Size section anymore.

I am SO much more physically active now than I was a year ago. There was a period of time when I was in college and grad school that I was very diligent about working out and being in shape, but when life changed and I started working full-time those things changed (and so did my eating habits). When I first started ETLing I can remember being worried about using my treadmill because I thought I was too heavy for it (I still don’t know if I was or not).

When I first started working out I walked 2.5 or 2.7 mph at 0.5% incline on the treadmill for 30 or 35 minutes. Today I sometimes jog (not very fast but nevertheless) at 3-4% incline or walk at least 3.0mph at 12% incline when I use the treadmill, but lately Cammie and I have been taking two walks a day in addition to my workouts with Yourself!Fitness and bike rides with hubby. In general I do about 90 minutes of exercise in a day and really feel like I’m missing out when I don’t.

I can do pushups now, the girly kind – but it’s better than before.

There are so many things that I can say about how things have changed over the last year and why they are so much better now that I could go on and on. Bit I’m going to leave it with this – last year I didn’t know if I could do this and I think I’ve proven that I can. This next year I’m officially challenging myself to do even better than I have in this past year – to be more dedicated to eating ETL foods and to develop myself even more into an athlete, and finally to reach my weight loss goals.

Excuses...

Wednesday:
Breakfast: cereal
Lunch: Thai Soup from fatfreevegan
Exercise:
Dinner:
Fuhrmometer:

Hi, I'm back.

Well, actually I was back on Sunday evening but I just haven't felt like writing too much; and I didn't take any pictures when we were in Maine so I don't really have any good new pictures to post eiter. PLUS we've had network issues at work the past few days (where i do most of my blogging) and I don't like spending my evenings with my laptop instead of my doggie or hubby so it's been tough to find time these past few days.

While we were gone I didn't stay on plan too much. I had some decent food but mostly bad junk-vegetarian type food. I've been getting myself back into the groove this week as much as I can; it's been tough because I didn't have any time to make smoothie kits to last me all week or salad dressing or the raw brownies. Plus my work schedule this week was a little strange so that's also made things challenging. Tonight I have time to do the prep that I need to do so I should be back in my groove soon.

I think that one of the best things about going away was coming back and getting to catch up on everyone's blogs and the forums that I missed out on; it's been very inspirational and a good kick to get back on track. You guys are awesome.

Road Trip!

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Thai Coconut Soup with Tofu and Mushrooms (and more veggies!)
Exercise:
Dinner:
Fuhrmometer:

Tomorrow morning we are driving to Massachusetts to visit the area where hubby lived as a little kid and then we are going to Maine for the rest of the weekend where we will meet up with Hubby's Mom and stepdad and nephew. Hopefully we will have a good time, not miss the doggie too much, and have nice weather :-) I am going to take my camera (it'll actually get to take pictures of things that aren't food or the dog for once!) so hopefully I will have some fun pictures to post here.

This morning I was at 210.0 - which I know isn't such a drastic change from what I posted on Monday but it still makes me excited, partly because I like these even, round numbers and partly because what comes next will be 209 or 208, the most important part of that being the 0. It just makes me happy.

Tuesday:
Exercise: none, I slept in
Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, mixed berries, 1/2 banana, flax, water)
Lunch: fresh garden rolls (from Thai restaurant, steamed not fried)
Exercise: 30 min walk with Cammie and 30 min Y!F (flexibility I think)
Dinner: salad (romaine, mandarin oranges, scallions, almonds, sesame ginger lime dressing)
Fuhrmometer: 8.5 - eggplant/broccoli

My poor doggie! She missed out on our morning walk yesterday because it was raining and this morning because I slept in. I feel pretty guilty. But I'll make it up to her this evening.

Since I've been eating healthy and have gotten myself used to getting up in the morning to work out it hasn't been so bad. I used to be the anti-morning person but for the last few months I've been doing ok.

I used to pretty much always feel horrible when I would first wake up - have a headache and feel nautious, but that's pretty much gone away now. Most mornings I wake up and even though I would rather stay in bed it's not a chore to get up. It's just another benefit of eating well and feeling all around better in general.

But this morning I just didn't want to get up, so I didn't and slept in an extra two hours. I must have needed it because last night I was feeling pretty sore and tired and went to sleep earlier than normal but today my body does feel rested and I am looking forward to a good workout when I get home.

Monday:
Exercise: 30 min core workout (Y!F)
Breakfast: none
Lunch: plain gardenburger with tomato, lettuce, red onion (no roll or ketchup or anything), tiny bit of pasta salad, one cookie
Exercise: 70 min walk with Cammie
Dinner: salad (romaine, mandarin oranges, scallions, almonds, sesame ginger lime dressing); raw brownies
Fuhrmometer: 8 - eggplant

Weight this morning was 211.4, down 2.2 pounds from last week. Not too bad.

Today we had a town meeting and faculty & staff picnic at work. I rememembered from last year that there wasn't too much in the way of vegetarian options from last year but I thought at least I'd be able to get a green salad and some fruit, I was so wrong! I did my best and don't feel too bad about the choices that I made (maybe except for the cookie) considering the choices. Next year I'll bring my own lunch or something.

Only two more days of work and then we have a 4 day weekend in Massachusetts and Maine!

Sunday:
Exercise: 30 min walk with Cammie, 30 min upper body workout (Y!F)
Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, cherries, banana, flax, cocoa powder, water)
Lunch: veggie dog
Exercise: Salad (romaine, scallions, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, ginger lime sesame dressing); raw brownies
Fuhrmometer: 8 - eggplant

Saturday:
Exercise: 30 min walk with Cammie, 30 min cardio workout (Y!F)
Breakfast: Smoothie (spinach, cherries, banana, flax, cocoa powder, water)
Dinner: Salad (romaine, scallions, mandarin oranges, almonds, ginger lime sesame dressing)
Exercise: 30 min walk with Cammie, bike ride with Hubby
Dessert: raw brownies
Fuhrmometer: 9 - broccoli

Hubby got a new bike this week and we went for an innaugural ride this evening; it was very nice. I'm looking forward to more :-)

Helllooooo June!

Friday:
Exercise: 30 min walk with Cammie, no Y!F today - it's rest day
Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Orange, 3 crackers
Exercise: 30 min walk with Cammie
Dinner: Weekly OP dinner
Fuhrmometer: 6.75

Big things are going to happen in June for me! My one year ETL anniversary and I think I have a good shot at also hitting the -100 mark. Lots of awesome things and great weather to go with it! Oh June, if only you could stay all year!