MARCHing to the ETL drum!
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So I have had a workout every single day since last Tuesday. But 2 of those days were not on the treadmill; they were just in the pool.
Monday in the pool really kicked my butt. When I got there, the medium lane had too many people in it for my liking, and the fast lane had only 1man. Clearly a speed swimmer, but I could stay out of his way. Within 10 minutes of me getting in the pool, there was a flood of people that joined all the lanes. There were probably 6 people in the medium lane, and 2 more speed swimmer men joined my lane. So now I had 3 men who were all clearly faster than me in my lane, but there was no way I was moving into a lane where I'd be the 7th person and only slower than 1 of them. So I stuck in my lane, but I was determined to at least keep up so I wouldn't be in the way.
I had a friend in the medium lane. At lap 28, I was thinking "I'm going to drown today". So I told her "They're trying to kill me." Got a chuckle. Even one of the men admitted that the pace was too fast for his liking. That made me feel a bit better. I wasn't exactly keeping up; they certainly lapped me; but I did my best to not be in their way. I'm still paying for it. I couldn't get up to go on the treadmill today. My body said NOPE! But today was only the 2nd day that I've missed, so I didn't feel too bad.
I'm going swimming tonight. Hopefully it's not that busy.
My weight is doing the yo-yo thing and I'm trying to tell myself it's because of the brand new workouts in my life. But honestly, I'm still overeating the carbs. Gotta get that on track...0 -
Nice job with the workouts, Karrie! I wouldn't like swimming in a pool that crowded, but at least you were able to keep up! Hope tonight's swim is less crowded.
I had my doctor's appointment today and according to their scale, I've lost 20 lbs since my last visit on Feb 1. Since I'm doing well with diet and exercise, I get to stay off of diabetes meds for now. I will go in for blood work in 3 months and that will determine if I can stay off of them. I got a referral for physio so that I can strengthen my knees and work my way back to jogging.
A bonus day of sunshine and blue skies today, so I got in another walk after my appointment. I walked for 30 minutes and kept the pace brisk.
Today
B - green smoothie with strawberries, blueberries & mango
L - mixed greens, baked tofu, vinaigrette
S - mango yum!
D - sweet potato flatbread, topped with rosemary 'cheese' spread & zucchini & onion saute broiled in the oven0 -
I would have got out of the pool Karrie, I admire your commitment!
WOOHOO CARLA!!! 20 pounds is fantastic progress... so happy for you!
I am going to be extremely happy when this week is over. It has been rougher than usual at work.
B - a handful of baby spinach with blueberries, chia seeds, a few walnuts
L - usual salad and an apple
D - the last of the leftover chickpeas, 1/2 baked sweet potato, big pile of sauteed green and purple kale
Going to skip the fruit tonight since I had a late dinner and I want to go to bed pretty early tonight. Last night I did have a pear with some blueberries and chia seeds.
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Thank you, Karrie! I'm going to work on this today at the track.0
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Off topic funny: I love to watch a WFPB vlogger on youtube who is about 50 years old (or soon to be). She gives great recipes and is so.much.fun. to watch. Full of joy and energy. And she regularly wears bunny ears (attached to a headband). She loves to dance in her kitchen while she cooks. Some days, if I need a cheerful pick-me-up, I'll watch one of her videos just for the smile factor. She lives in Austin TX where my sister and niece live. Last night, I was watching an older video in which she was wearing a headband with boingy purple glitter hearts and she remarked that she wears them in public and nobody notices because she lives in Austin where the motto is "Keep Austin Weird."
I had to share the video with my sister & niece. My sister remarked about her wearing them in public (and confirmed that Austin is weird). I replied to her comment. The problem is, my sister-in-law has the same first name as my sister, and I was in the midst of a text conversation with her about the needs of my 91 year old father-in-law, and I got my conversations mixed up (because I only noticed the first name). So, my sister-in-law got a random text that said: "She also wears bunny ears while shopping at HEB."
I did not discover this until this morning when I saw a text from sister-in-law saying: "um, what?" So, when it's a decent hour to call, I do believe I owe her an explanation.0 -
Cute story, C&P Who is the vlogger?
Sorry work is still a bugger, Mihani. Is it still working out well to have the freelancer help out or is it more difficult than you thought to get stuff to the stage that it's ready for him to take over?
Good thing I walked yesterday! It is raining out and I got a load of unexpected work to do today.
I keep telling myself that I don't need to buy more clothes, but it is difficult not to shop now that I am not limited to plus-sized clothing anymore. I'm going to try to use what I already have and then shop bargains at Old Navy when I want something new. Already one of the new tops and sweaters I bought is bigger than I'd like it to be. I'm going out for dinner this weekend so I'm going to wear it while I can.
b - smoothie
l - Southwestern veggie soup, slice of sprouted grain bread
d - loaded veggie sushi bowl topped with baked tofu
s - pear or orange
I just realized as I was writing out my menu that I've only had 1 cup of coffee since the start of the year! It's funny that I don't even really think of it anymore.0 -
Ha... yeah I've had a few epic text fails myself C&P. How was your walk?
Carla, bummer about the clothes but what a great problem to have! I'd much rather have clothes that are getting too big than vice versa. I am off coffee too. I haven't had any since starting the 6 week plan. I do have two cups of caffeinated tea a day but then I switch to herbal for my after lunch and before bed cuppa. I hope I can do some catching up and get more ready to hand over to the freelance guy this coming week.
B - 1/4 cup oats with chopped spinach, blueberries, chia seeds, a few walnuts
L - big ol' salad, pear
D - sauteed great northern beans with leftover greens and 1/2 small sweet potato, wasa cracker with natural PB, an orange
I started to re-read Eat for Health last night. I am not sure I read it all that thoroughly the first time through. I like the tone of it, and I think it's probably better than ETL for people who might be totally new to plant based nutrition.
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Mihani, I'm with you, clothes getting too big is definitely better than the other way around! You're doing great on the 6 week plan. Are you feeling any different? Keep us posted on how your closet shopping goes! I will reread Eat for Health again too one of these days.
Last night's loaded veggie sushi bowl was soooo good! I wasn't looking forward to it in particular, but it is one of my favorites now. I had it again today for lunch. It is higher in salt, but I'm going to add it to my lunch rotation every now and then.
My bday is tomorrow and tonight we're going out with my in-laws for dinner. I picked a pizza place that has thin crust pizza. They have a veggie pizza with a curry sauce and mango chutney on it is that amazing. They offer daiya as a cheese substitute, but I prefer it without. This week's meal plan happens to include a 'bonus' Easter recipe - lemon poppy seed cake. Perfect timing! I'm going to make it for my birthday and make sure I send the leftovers home with someone else.
B - smoothie
L - amazeballs sushi bowl
D - curry veggie pizza!
no snacks for a few days due to extra celebration food
Here's the sushi bowl. This is a massive bowl, btw, and nice and deep too.
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Mmmm that sushi bowl looks wonderful! Where's the recipe???0
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Wow, that looks delicious Carla! When I make vegan sushi I often use the leftovers in salads for a few days with an Asian dressing and it is good. Happy Birthday (early) and hope you have fun tonight!
Another long day, and will be in the office all weekend again, but I think after this weekend I will be able to turn a bunch over to the freelance guy.
I went to Fresh Thyme on my way home to restock my greens and fruit and such, and they had fresh green beans so I got a bag full. I sauteed minced onion and garlic a little then added the beans, thyme and turmeric, some water, covered and steamed until done but still a little bite to them. They were delicious! Have plenty for tomorrow's dinner too. I have been in a bit of a rut so it was nice to have something different.
Breakfast and lunch same as yesterday. Dinner was the green beans, leftover great northern beans, 5 Mary's Gone Crackers Superseed, will have a grapefruit for dessert. I've never had the Mary's crackers before. I think they could be dangerous, but I was able to limit them to 5. They are good fats and no oil, but too tasty/crunchy!
I definitely have to do the closet shopping this weekend. The dress pants I have been wearing this week, I realized they just look awful now, so baggy the seat of them hangs down lol. I hope I can find a few things that will fit for a few weeks. I don't have much in this size, need to get to the next size down, and don't want to buy new in a size I don't want to be.0 -
Pretty good day at the office, got through some things. Hope to get through a lot more tomorrow!
B - smoothie (spinach (lots), a date, chia seeds, ground flaxseed, blueberries, 1/3 frozen banana, water)
L - big ol' salad
D - leftover green beans, steamed beet greens, red lentil kale soup, about 10 Mary's Gone Crackers
The Mary's crackers are really good. A serving is 12 crackers, but they are definitely a trigger food for me. I could easily eat the whole bag, and I keep thinking about them, so I am going to avoid them for the remaining 2 weeks of my 6 week plan. I am not sure they are technically 6 week plan approved anyway, although I think they would be fine on the life plan. I have lost my cravings for the most part, and I don't like that I'm craving the crackers now.
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Week 4 results 3.2 pounds, total of 13.8 so far! I know I won't be able to lose 20 in 6 weeks at this point, but I realize I"m not as overweight as I once was so weight isn't going to come off quite as fast. I'm happy with progress!0
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13.8 lbs is awesome! Way to go! You're being consistent, and that's making a difference! Wish I could say the same. In a few weeks I hope I can be saying the same thing as you!
I have 14 weeks before my summer vacation. I NEED to make some changes before then so I can fit into my summer clothes. 'Cuz right now that's definitely not possible...
Today is my day 1. I'm finally going to get on track with my eating.
Yesterday I spent 1 hour planning meals, 1 hour grocery shopping and 7 hours in the kitchen making a whole week's worth of smoothies, chia seed puddings, quinoa salads, banana-lemon-blueberry spelt muffins, chickpea salads and more. Almost everything I need for a whole week is ready to go. (It's SO much food!!) I only have to make 1 more supper tomorrow night to have all the work done. Gotta like that!!
This morning I got on the treadmill. I did miss 4 days in the last 2 weeks, so I need to be more consistent. I'm giving myself 1 more week of brisk walking because I still don't feel ready to run yet. Maybe good nutrition all week long will make me feel more ready next week.
Feels good to have all the food prepped. REALLY good.
The meal I'm looking forward to most today is the OSG Chickpea Salad. I have a head of romaine all chopped up and a nice big veggie tortilla to wrap it all up in. yum!!
Monday (and Wednesday)
B - green smoothie
S1 - chia seed pudding with strawberries and raw almonds
L - chickpea salad, romaine, wrap, green apple
S2 - banana-lemon-blueberry spelt muffin
D - quinoa salad
Tuesday (and Thursday)
B - green smoothie
S1 - berry bowl with raw walnuts and cinnamon
L - chickpea salad, romaine, wrap, green apple
S2 - muffin
D - vegan sushi rolls
See my theme?? Lots of repetition all week, then change it up for the weekend... Next week I'll do all new recipes, but the weekdays will see lots of repetition. It's way better for me this way than trying to cook something new every couple of nights... I'm hoping it will be more successful this way (for me).
Wish me luck!!! With all the false starts I've had, I really need all the luck I can get!!!
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Nice loss, Mihani! I know what you mean about the trigger foods. I made a pretty healthy birthday cake and thankfully shared it, but I am happy is out of the house! It's always those tricky baked carbs for me.
I had a nice birthday weekend. We ended up eating 2 meals out, and I picked the best options possible. We got in a walk in the sunshine yesterday. The batch this weekend was a big one! Joe said it took us about 7 hours, but that included grocery shopping plus the drive there and back, and all of the dishes washed by hand.
We were so enthusiastic about our meal plans while out for dinner with my in-laws that they seem to be warming up to the idea. My MIL doesn't like onions or beans, so that is a pretty big obstacle! My FIL is the one that tried mostly plant based for about a month. He said that his chest felt better; less tight, and overall he felt better.
After our 2 meals out and some cake to boot, I didn't expect a very good loss, but I ended up dropping 3.9 lbs this week!
Today:
B - smoothie
L - salad w/ lemon basil dressing, baked tofu
D - garlicky smashed potatoes with herbed veggies and walnut parm
S - fruit if I'm hungry0 -
nice loss, Carla - good job!!!0
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Nice prep job Karrie! Sounds like a great plan for the week and the food sounds good. I think you're wise to keep walking until you feel up to running, with all the injuries you've had in the past.
Great loss Carla! Sometimes it feels like a little splurge here and there, not every week but once in a while, will cause a bigger drop. Not sure why that is.
I had a headache and was out of sorts today. The past couple weeks have been rough at work, and then the 12 hours I put in over the weekend to boot. I am just tired and cranky. Going to go to bed super early tonight.
B - oatmeal with berries, chopped spinach, chia seeds, a few walnut halves
L - big ol' salad, a tangerine and some blueberries
D - red lentil kale soup, 2 wasa crackers, asparagus
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I'm surprised you're not MORE tired and cranky with all the hours you put in!! Did you manage to get rid of some of your workload yesterday like you'd hoped? You need to toss everything you can at this new guy; you deserve to have a break!!!
My treadmill workout today was a good one; my tv got me completely distracted and then all of a sudden I was done 45 minutes. Woo hoo!
Also, I felt like I was eating ALL DAY LONG yesterday and somehow I still had a loss of over a pound this morning; goes to show you that it's all about WHAT you put into your mouth, not how much...0 -
Great workout Karrie! How was your vegan sushi?
I did dump a couple more things on the new guy. He's very laid back and seems eager to help so it actually makes me calm down somewhat. I've been in a state of stressed anxiety for so long I don't know how to change gears, but I'm working on it. I need to start doing my yoga again at bedtime.
Actually worked out tonight. It has been a while! I bet I'll be sore tomorrow. I did a DVD that I used to enjoy a lot from The Firm. It's a beginner thing, but it's plenty tough for me. A mix of low impact aerobic and strength with abs and hamstrings work at the end. I feel really good about getting in a workout. I plan to do the DVD 3 times a week and get in some time on the treadmill another 2 or 3 days. I want to be sure I tone up as I continue to lose weight.
B - leftover roasted broccoli, a few walnut halves
L - usual big salad, tangerine and blueberries
D - asparagus, red lentil kale soup, pear with chia seeds
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Hi all - I took a hiatus from sanity this past week, but I'm back now. I had a major week of stress and, true to old habits, ate poorly in the midst of it. There's good news though! I was miserable. The SAD made me feel miserable. I didn't enjoy one bit of the food I was eating! I prepped a lot of food this weekend to gain back control. My body feels so relieved.
This is really huge for me. "Back in the day" if I went off on a junk food binge, I'd be off for weeks at a time. This time, it just didn't do it for me. It didn't make me feel "better" it made me feel worse.
B - oatmeal w/banana & walnut
L - Big salad w/pinto beans and vegan "cheese" sauce (Jill McKeever's non-fat version)
D - Half of a big salad, half of a sweet potato topped with chili beans & 1/2 of a Field Roast Apple "sausage", diced.
S- Dark chocolate, Decaf Amercano on ice w/Almond milk
Great loss, ladies! You've all been hard at it!
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Great job getting back to healthy eating C&P. I have been telling myself that I won't feel any better if I go off the 6 week plan, and I'll likely feel a whole lot worse, and it seems to help. I was not familiar with Jill McKeever. So fun! I will be checking out more of her videos.
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C&P, that's huge! Great to discover or verify that your new way of eating makes you feel better.
Mihani and Karrie, way to go with your workouts!!
I found a running/walking coach that has a program that meets twice a week. It's a group of 8 to 16 women that do running and walking with drills and intervals etc., and some calisthenics. You can stick to walking, or build up your running and train for 5K/10K/marathons. The coach is a Kinesiologist and works with you to improve your form. I might sign up for the next program which starts near the end of April.
No exercise for me today. It is nice to be back to my regular foods now that the birthday celebrations are done. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day so I am planning to get a long walk in, and I might go pick out some new running shoes.
today:
breakfast - smoothie
lunch - mixed greens, lemon basil dressing, homemade mango salsa, baked yams, a mini 'meatloaf'
snack - orange
dinner - fruit salad, Spring Veggie Bread Pudding
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I've been reading on the Dr. F website a bit lately. I reinstated my membership for the time being so I can access all the plans and recipes. I have been intrigued by the "radical weight loss" plan which calls for two meals a day. Brunch around 10 a.m. and dinner around 4 p.m. It sounds kind of like intermittent fasting, and Dr. F says fat burn accelerates because you spend more time in the fat-burning phase of the digestive cycle. I don't know if I really want to cut back to 2 meals a day, but I will try it a couple days a week. I'd probably have to change it up to noon and 6 p.m. due to work. I think I'll do it on Saturday and see how it goes.
Carla, the running coach sounds very cool!0 -
We were sidetracked last night with errands, so I didn't get to make the sushi. But I will make it tonight, and I'm really looking forward to it. I just do the typical roll - filled with carrots, cucumber, wasabi, avocado and vegan mayonnaise. Yummy!!
Someone came to look at the old house last night, so we have our hopes up (again). I'm hoping we hear something back from our agent today. Fingers crossed!
Going swimming tonight; looking forward to it and hoping the pool isn't as packed as last week. I didn't go on Monday because I had a guitar recital. I felt like a big dummy because I was sitting so close to the first row I could touch them, which made me uncomfortable, which made me start to shake, and my hands were shaking so bad I couldn't even hit all the right strings. I'm so dumb sometimes!
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My quinoa salad has been so deliciously light and tasty that I wanted to share it with you:
Chilled Quinoa Salad (3 servings)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water or veggie broth
1 red pepper, diced
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Cook quinoa in water/broth and allow to cool.
Add pepper, lemon juice and salt & pepper and toss.
Chill in the refrigerator.
Serve with cubed avocado (1/2 an avocado per serving) and greens of your choice (2 cups per serving).
My mom and my daughter love this recipe too.
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Mihani, I love Jill McKeever! She’s so down to earth and so FUN! Sometimes I watch her videos just for fun!
Today’s lunch. So good! I threw together leftover sweet potato, diced Field Roast sausage, kale (microwaved all this), topped with avocado and green onions. Yum!
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Lunch looks great C&P!
Karrie, the quinoa salad looks good. Light and refreshing for summertime dinners too. Fingers crossed for you on the house!
Another crazy day at work but I got a couple projects finished. I am ready for the weekend to have some uninterrupted time for work.
B - broccoli, a few walnut halves
L - Dr. McDougall's split pea soup and a couple wasa crackers
D - the last of the leftover broccoli and asparagus, tangerine and blueberries
I was all happy this morning thinking wow, not sore at all from the workout last night. As the day wore on I started to feel it. Right now my quads and abs are screaming at me lol.
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Karrie, your Quinoa salad sounds very good. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Mihani, I feel your pain. I've been limping around this week after trying to put air in my tire during a sleet/snow storm. I was probably hunched down in a squat position for all of 5 minutes, but it was freezing cold so my thigh muscles were not havin' it - and here I thought I was in shape from all the walking I've been doing.
I made a meal this afternoon to share with a family w/ a newborn and made extra for our meal. I tried to sneak some "new" nutrition into it but my husband was practically pouting like a little boy for having to eat vegetables. What a hoot! Cracked me up.
It contained: wild rice, brown rice, onion, sweet potato, fresh green beans, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, thyme, S&P, diced chicken. It was, in my opinion, delicious and would make a great WFPB dish without the chicken (I made my portion heavy on the veggies and had only a couple bites of chicken).0 -
..oh! Forgot to share exciting news. I'm signed up for my first 5K! Daughter and I will be joining friends (walking, not running). There will be several in our area now that Spring is here, but I'm also looking at participating in upcoming volksmarches if my hip can handle the longer walk - they are typically 10K.0
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Hiiiiiiii guys (*sheepishly poking my head in*)
Sorry I've been so bad at keeping up with everyone's posts. So nice to come back and hear how everyone is doing and all the delicious things you're eating!
C&P - I LOVE salads that have some warm element. Lately, I've been warming up black beans with some taco seasoning and putting that on a big salad with avocado and tomatoes, so yummy! Congrats on the 5K too!!
Karrie, too hard on yourself! At least you had the courage to be up front with your guitar Fingers crossed for your old house
Mihani, hope you're feeling more limber today! And I can't believe you're looking forward to the weekend for work reasons .... are you going to take a day off? We are actually closed Friday and Monday. But my in-laws are in town Friday-Sunday so....
Trying to think of a nice healthy vegan easter meal to serve everyone. Whenever we have a big group, I get self conscious about my cooking and always lean towards ordering something. But it would be nice to have a proper dinner. I've got green beans/mushrooms, roasted cauli and brussels, and that's it so far lol.0 -
C&P good for you!! I've walked plenty of 5km, 10km and I even walked a half marathon when I was 26 weeks pregnant with my son. I wish I would have kept it up over the years...
I am down 2 lbs this week and I'm seriously eating nonstop. The snacks are so helpful to me; maybe in a few weeks I won't need them, but right now they're really getting me through.
Lia, thanks for the encouraging words. I am so goofy about playing in front of people. not sure why. Sometimes I'm totally fine and can play perfectly as if I were alone, and sometimes I pay too much attention to just how many people are looking at me and it freaks me out. There were a lot of people there on Monday, and I was far too close to the front row. Next time I'm moving the chair back...
Lia, try making a vegan Caesar salad and some biscuits or breadsticks or something like that to round it out. and make something completely decadent for dessert. I made a vegan cheesecake (with cashews) a few years ago at Easter and it was a big hit.
Mihani, I hope your muscles recover quickly - drink lots of water!! My hips and glutes have been stiff with me increasing the speed on my treadmill. 3.8 mph was no big deal, but 4.0 just pushed my muscles over the edge for some reason.
Anyway, I'm reaching the end of my food, only 1 more day left. But this week was a smashing success. I didn't have to do any food prep at all this week. Just gather up all my containers for the day and voilà - done! This is definitely going to work for me. Between the kids, my hubby and all the various activities we do every week, this is really the only way it CAN work. And I didn't mind the repetition at all, probably knowing that next week I'll have a whole different set of meals.0
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