Updates

Wow! What a crazy week. I feel like I have so many updates to share but I’m not sure I will be able to remember them all- my brain is pretty fried. Work has been going extremely well but I am super busy. Not sure it will slow down anytime soon either. I am thankful I will be able to take a few days off in a couple weeks to go over to New Orleans with my parents when they come to visit. I know it will be a much needed break – especially because midterms will be behind me and I will be able to breathe a bit easier.

Hopefully.

Anywho, this week I had my first appointment with my nutritionist and it was awesome. I was leery because I have heard so many bad stories especially from people who follow certain non-typical diets like I do. More concern (unsupported) stemmed from dealing with a military doc at a military facility- I had no idea how they would handle my situation. I was preparing myself to hear “you need to eat meat/dairy” in order to lose weight/fat. I was also preparing myself to say screw that shit if that is what I was told.

But that is not at all what happened. My nutritionist was awesome.  She had read through my file in advance and had a ton of information prepared for me in regards to my current diet. Actually my primary care doc wrote vegetarian in my file (which is technically correct since veganism is just a type of vegetarianism, but I digress) so she was a little thrown but she recovered nicely and still came up with a lot of great ideas for me.

First we started with just general Q&A; what I eat, what type of activities do I do, what are my goals, etc.

Then we talked about each area in depth. Prior to my arrival she had calculated my metabolic rate (which she had to go back and recalculate once she knew my activity level) and so part of our discussion was about my daily calorie intake, in total not net. For me to lose weight slowly she would like me to consume 1600-1800 calories a day. Preferably, closer to 1800. Which makes me happy- 1800 is a number I can live with, happily.

Once the calorie goal was set we worked on the actual breakdown of how that will work for me as far as servings of fruits, veggies, grains, proteins, etc. This was probably the most helpful part for me and I should note here that we did not make any drastic changes to my diet- we are just fine-tuning at this point, her words not mine.

She gave me this huge chart that denotes the number of servings I should be eating for each food group based on my calorie intake.  It also has this cool stop light type format that breaks down every food group listing the foods in that group and categorizes them as green, yellow, or red. Green of course meant go- foods to eat frequently, yellow meant caution- foods to eat in moderation, and red meant stop (well kind of)- foods to eat sparingly. It was kind of cool to see everything laid out and see all of the ‘red’ foods I eat daily. Yikes!

But it was also good because we had a really helpful conversation about my vitamin, fat and protein intake. See, I don’t eat much soy and I really try to limit my intake of processed foods- especially fake meats. And based on how I currently eat I do currently intake enough protein- if we are just looking at the numbers. But my doc wants me to move away from eating so many grain/bean/seed based proteins (even the complete proteins like quinoa) and move more to soy milk, tempeh (which I do happen to love), tofu, edamame (yes, I realize I just listed 4 soy products) as my main protein source since they are all high in protein, low in carbs. Not that I can’t still eat beans and grains and all the other foods I love just she doesn’t want me to count them as my protein (“meat”) source. They fall into their own categories. Another reason she wants me to move to eating more soy foods and soy milk is because they are fortified and although I am currently consuming enough vitamins she is concerned that because I eat such a high fiber diet that my body isn’t able to absorb them quickly enough so she wants to make sure I am getting in plenty of calcium and vitamin D. She also recommended I try to increase my fat intake (which helps with the absorption of vitamins) by incorporating more flax and walnuts into my diet.  I am on board with all of these changes for sure!

She also told me to back off the cardio a bit. She loves that I am doing yoga and boot camp- both strength training which are helping me to build that lean muscle mass I lack- but that at this point the amount of running and cycling I am doing isn’t doing anything for my body other than providing me with endorphins and stress release (which are both still great reasons to be active) and so she wants me to scale back the amount of cardio I am doing to more like 30 minutes at a time just a few times a week and to try to incorporate more interval work to change it up a bit. She is ok with me doing more than that but she doesn’t want me to feel like I need to, if that makes sense?  She is trying to help me/my body find its healthy activity balance.

She also had a custom (re: vegan) food guide that we went over with ideas for meals/snacks and we did briefly talk goals, which I really didn’t know what to tell her they were when she asked. I used to have this magic number in my head (150) that was where I wanted my weight to be. Now, not so much. Now I really don’t know where my weight should be. To me it is a place where I feel comfortable in my skin, can realistically maintain, and still be in good health. Nowadays I like to say 160 is that number because for almost a year it was all three of those things. And now, somehow (I had a really great month), that’s where I am weight wise- well technically 161.0 lbs this morning- and am ready to try to continue losing (or at least implement all of the changes she had suggested to help me continue) and see if getting, and staying, below 160 is an actual possibility. Who knows if it is and honestly I don’t care either way.

I am happy.

I am healthy.

And I am back to my ‘fighting weight’

Which means….

This morning I gave my primary care doctor the green light to submit the request for a plastic surgeon consult for an abdominoplasty. On my last visit I told him I wanted to wait until I was back to 160 before I would have the surgery but to me 161 is close enough. I am pretty sure I can lose one more pound between now and whenever I have the operation. I am excited and nervous, anxious and scared. It’s a big deal. I put it off for 2 years because I wanted to be ready both physically and mentally. The last thing I wanted to happen was to come out of this surgery and start nitpicking apart the rest of my body. This surgery is for medical reasons (well at least for the most part – sure there is a part of me- my vain side- that is excited to lose all this extra skin) and earlier this month I had a rough time dealing with a patch of sores/chaffing on the excess skin on my lower stomach that made me realize how bad it really is and how it is something that needs to be fixed. My flabby arms and thighs and saggy breasts absolutely do not. And I am ok with that. I am 100% ok with them looking how they do now for the rest of my life.

My stomach is a different story. There is a legit medical issue (infections) which is why my insurance covers it and my doctors have been pushing for it. There is a difference.

And I think my brain finally gets that .

And I think I am ready for this surgery.

So that is where I am at right now. I am to schedule a follow up visit with the nutritionist in 4-6 weeks and I should be hearing about the surgery consult in the next ten days. In a perfect world I will be able to schedule my surgery for right before Christmas and use the two weeks the university gives us for holiday as part of my recovery time. If not, I probably will have to wait until sometime next year (because of work constraints) to have it. Either way would be fine by me but Christmas just works better since it is during a work holiday- no one will miss me.

Oh, and in other news….the Fitbloggin’ 2014 location has finally been announced and next year it’s heading to Savannah, GA. June 26-29. Mark your calendars. I’ll be there. It’s drivable for me. No way in hell will I miss this one! Portland was beyond amazing and I know Savannah will be too! This year I would like to make a vacation out of it so if you are coming and plan on extending too let me know. Or if you live anywhere in the Savannah area I could easily be convinced to take a road trip to see you J

Happy Friday everyone!

Post Number Two: Breaking Up with Ben & Jerry

A few weeks back I wrote a post about motivation as part of a series of posts I intend to write all about healthy habits. When I initially posed the question on the blog FB page about this series I received some feedback with topic ideas. One was motivation. Another one was geared around food- primarily junk food- and how to change eating habits. The idea of emotional eating was also brought up but that might need to be a whole post just on its own. We’ll see.

So for today’s post I want to write about breaking up with Ben & Jerry. ..

First off I should start with this- I never broke up with Ben & Jerry, we just changed our relationship status. I would like to be clever here and say “it’s complicated” but it’s really not…

It’s true. I eat junk. Maybe I don’t literally eat Ben & Jerry’s since I am vegan but I have been known to grab a container of So Delicious Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl coconut milk ‘ice cream’ every now and again and trust me- it’s far from health food. Yes folks, being a vegan does not automatically make me a healthy person. It is something I work at day in and day out, just like everyone else.

And you know that.

And for the most part you know where I am now, how and what I eat regularly, and that information may be helpful. But I am guessing you would want to know how to make a similar transition on your own. To start weaning yourself off of eating convenience and junk foods daily, how to start finding what foods work for your body and starting to make more healthy choices. Not all the time but most of the time.

So hopefully by telling parts of my story I may inspire you to find new ways to try and eat a bit better. Less processed junk, more real foods. That’s kind of my mantra and maybe it can be yours too.

I found my way to a plant-based diet through food journaling and I am a big proponent of not only tracking what you eat but also how those foods make you feel, any underlying emotions behind the food choices, and what cues were telling you to eat/stop eating. Food journaling is like tracking but on crack. For me it was the key to understanding my body, my eating patterns and learning how to eat mindfully. Remember- the goal of eating, first and foremost, is to keep us alive. I’m not saying to deprive yourself completely of the pleasure that you can receive from eating and only focus on intaking enough calories to survive but I am saying eating has to be about balance- eat yummy foods that bring you pleasure AND are nutritionally good for you, most of the time. Don’t let your body’s addiction to that fat/salt/sugar combo be the main driving force behind every food choice. It’s ok once in a while to eat foods just because they taste so damn yummy but not all the time, and not in excessive amounts.

Food journaling is also a great way to understand your eating habits in order to change them. Your mind needs to associate good feelings with good foods and bad feeling with bad foods so you can start to make better decisions naturally, because that is what your body will want. Plus, how can you know what foods are good for you and bad for you if you have no record of what you are actually eating? I mean we all know that eating carrots and celery is probably better for you than eating Ben & Jerry’s (on so many levels) but what about everything in between? What about grains, beans, poultry, white flour, wheat flour, potatoes, dark chocolate, wine, pasta, lean cuisine frozen dinners, peanut butter, etc? What about all the foods that we eat day to day? How are they affecting our bodies? It’s not all about eating 2 slices of pizza instead of a whole pizza or even opting for salad instead of pizza. We also need to be focusing on our ‘every day’ foods and seeing how they affect our body. And for this food journaling really comes in handy.

Anywho, I can go on and on about food journaling and mindful eating. If you want to know more, just ask. I can definitely elaborate. But for now, I think I have said enough that you get my point. Tracking is good. Food journaling is better. At least when you are starting out.

My next bit of advice is- moderation…everything in life (not just food) in moderation. For example, Paul loves homemade calzones. They are definitely not the best food choice we can make. Eating one is basically the equivalent of eating a half of a pizza, give or take. Is it good? YES. Do I try to make it better by adding a lot of nutrient dense foods? OF COURSE. Is it still junk food- I’d say probably. But I still eat it. Just not every day. Or every week for that matter. Calzones, just like pizza, are maybe a once a month/once every other month food. Yep, there are probably times where we eat calzones/pizza more frequently and times when we eat them less frequently. Same goes for pancakes. I love pancakes. I could probably eat an entire batch of pancakes on my own. I haven’t had pancakes since April (yes, I actually remember the last time I made pancakes) but not because I am depriving myself of them. I just haven’t had the time, craving or justification to make them.

You see, I know what foods are good for my body. I know what I need to eat to be able to live an active and healthy lifestyle and I stick with them 80% of the time (that’s my goal at least) and leave the other 20% for beer festivals, homemade calzones, desserts, or late night veggie burgers- or whatever else my normal ‘social life’ brings with it.  I love the 80/20 rule and have had much success with it. It brings me balance. It brings me to a point where I don’t feel deprived and I need that. For me, it’s much easier to make the healthier choices 80% of the time when I know I have full freedom to have whatever the other 20% of the time.

But I can only manage that 80/20 split when I meal plan. When I grocery shop. When I make a conscious effort to prep healthy snacks, keep the pantry stocked with basic staples, and put forth the effort to spend a bit more time in the kitchen and a little less time on the couch – which is ultimately a win-win even though it never sounds like fun.

It’s not always easy. Yes, there are days when I really feel like I would prefer a life filled with convenience foods and eating out. When I don’t want to scour the interwebs for fast AND easy AND non-processed AND vegan recipes. Sundays when I don’t want to have to shop AND cook AND clean AND do schoolwork AND prep BUT my mind knows that it’s really not that bad, it’s really not that time consuming and that yes, it will always be worth it. Every time. Like I’ve said countless times- I am always in a struggle against lazy. But over time I have gotten better about planning, more efficient with shopping, and have gotten smarter about picking out recipes that make cooking and food prep much easier. You know what else helps- asking for and receiving help from others.  Maybe you don’t have a spouse or partner you can guilt trip kindly ask to lend a hand in the kitchen or send to the store with a grocery list but maybe you have a parent or child or friend that could lend a hand. Maybe you have resources available to help you come up with new ideas for meals. Or lend a pair of hands to clean up some produce. Or even throw some oats in a crockpot for you overnight. I know a big key to my success in terms of eating comes from my ability to ask for help.

And also because the main stars of my life recognize the importance of healthy eating and want to work with me, not against me.

And lastly, for now since this is turning into quite the novel, monitor your hunger scale. This is the most basic of my conditionings when it comes to food and it has helped tremendously. Think of your  feelings/levels of hunger on a sliding scale from 1 to 5; 1 being full, no hunger at all and 5 being stark-raving ravenous hungry. Don’t eat when you are a 1-2, don’t let yourself get to a 5 before you eat. Eat when you are at a 3, just starting to pick up on the beginning hunger cues. Train yourself to recognize the potential dangers of eating at 1-2 (mindless snacking, empty calories, probably emotional eating or just eating out of boredom- try not to do either) and the danger of eating at level 5 (overeating, eating too quickly, not allowing your body time to send of signals of fullness, making bad food choices because you need something, anything, at that moment) and how to work around them. Eating when bored- DO SOMETHING ELSE- anything! Clean, go for a walk, call a friend, read a book. Emotional eating- this one is trickier but my biggest piece of advice is reach out to someone (anyone) and talk it out, or even take to social media/blog and write about it. Bring the emotions to the surface and try to work through them. Eating will not fix any problem.

The other end, getting to level 5 hunger scale, pack snacks. Lots of them. Keep extras in your purse. I pack two snacks for work every day. Plus I always have a protein bar or some sort or snack bar in my purse. If I can't get to my snacks at work I know what vending machine options will work.  I have no qualms with eating roasted almonds out of a vending machine or a gas station banana if need be. That banana will probably prevent me from going home and eating a whole pizza- which is what happens when I get to level 5.

So, to make a very long story short

·         Tracking/food journaling is your friend

·         Everything in moderation (or 80/20 if you are like me)

·         Investing a little bit more of your time planning and shopping will yield great benefits and set you up for success

·         Listen to your hunger cues

·         If you need help, ask for it

·         Don’t break up with Ben & Jerry, maybe just start seeing them less and less

I hope this helps get you started. If you want any additional information or have any questions just let me know!

What advice would you give to someone starting out/over? What has worked for you?

Disclaimer: I am no doctor or expert, just a girl who lost a lot of weight by changing what/how she eats and being more active. Find what works for you and do it J