84 sticks of butter

I've officially lost 84 sticks of butter. That's a whole heck of alot. If you are having trouble calculating how many pounds, I'll help ya out. I've lost 21 pounds. Yippee. It's crazy how the body works. One week I had 0 weight loss and the next week I was down 4 lbs. I love being back in the 160's, but not enough to stay there for long. I've got a big birthday coming up in a few weeks and I'd love to hit 159. That's my new goal. We will see.

We are enjoying our spring break and I've got some tips for eating healthy on the road. It can be done with a little planning. I'll be blogging about that a little later but I will leave you with this tip for a healthy breakfast. McDonald's, yes you heard me right, has a wonderful oatmeal with raisins and apples. My girls love their pancakes but since I'm trying not to eat gluten right now it is so difficult to find something healthy to eat without gluten. Thankfully I've found this oatmeal and since you can always find a McD's, it's a great option.

I will say this, it is the only food item on their menu you will find me endorsing. My kids are not allowed to eat any meat products or French fries from McD's and they'll be the first to tell you that. I've trained them well. :)

What fun things do you have planned over Spring Break?

40 by 40 weekly update

I am happy to report I am down another 2 lbs this week.  I am thrilled.  My goal was two pounds and I accomplished my goal.  Last week I told you I was thinking about finding out how much I weighed so I could use a new app to help me in my weight loss journey.

Well, I did it.  I downloaded the "Lose It" app and then it was time to face the music.  Brian told me my weight and I have to say I was stunned.  I quickly did the math and about died when I realized how much I weighed when I started this journey on January 1st.  I had never been that weight outside of being pregnant.  I am so glad I didn't know my starting weight back then.  I think I would have been too depressed to even try.  Stupid I know, but that's how my brain works sometimes. 

Back to the app.  Lose It is awesome and it's free.  It tells you how many calories you have to consume each day to reach your weekly goal.  I want to lose 2 lbs a week, so for me I need to stay around 1,213 calories a day.  Now if you exercise, you will need to eat more.  There is a button to add in your exercise and it will calculate that for you.

I have never been one to count calories, but this app really does work.  It's amazing and so simple.  I am eating alot of whole foods and still juicing and that's my focus, but I will say this helps me know how many calories I am consuming every day. 

I also think it's important to know your BMI and what your healthy weight range should be for your height.  For me at just about 5'9, my healthy Body Mass Index should fall between 18.5-24.9.  Today I am at 25.2 just barely "overweight".  I would like to see it my BMI around 20, which means my weight would be 140.  That would be ideal for me.  Do you know your BMI?  If not, you can click here and have it calculated for you.

I will let you do the math, but to reach 140, I need to lose 31 more lbs.  As of today, I have lost 17 lbs.  I am thrilled with the weight loss, but I still have a long way to go.  I hope to lose 10 more pounds by the time I turn 40 next month.  I know I won't have reached my goal of 40 by 40, but I am ok with that.

Brian mentioned to me the other day that he was proud of me for sticking with my healthy eating.  I've been under alot of stress and the dizziness, most days, is unbearable.  The old me would've turned to food to bring me comfort, but the new me, now says I am stronger that that chocolate chip cookie.

Today, I have already won.

The weigh in

I had a great first week.  I cannot believe it's been 8 days since I have had any sugar, white flour, meat or dairy.  To be honest, I have to say I haven't really missed it.  There are days when I would love to have a piece of bread with butter, but other than that, I haven't felt the need to cheat.  I did have to add the caffeine back on day 4.  I just got withdrawal headaches too bad and I didn't want to keep taking Advil.  I figured I could conquer that at a later time. I am not drinking coffee because it's so acidic and I'm trying to balance my PH level.  I will probably start making green tea with Stevia, but for now I'm drinking this.

XS has caffeine without the sugar (uses Sucralose)and has only 6 calories.  The best part, it has 4900% of B12.  That's a whole lot of B12 and it gives me the boost I need to get my day started.

I don't know if I mentioned this in my last post or not, but I do not know my starting weight.  I could probably come within 10 pounds or so if I guessed, but this time around I just didn't want to know.  That may sound odd, but I have my reasons for doing it this way.  You see, every time I start a "diet", the scale is my nemesis.  I live by it, which is not the smartest thing to do.  So this time around, I decided not to let the scale be my guide.  Brian is the only one that knows how much I weigh.  So yesterday, I closed my eyes and stepped on the scale.  I was praying that I had at least lost a pound.  I asked Brian if I had lost anything.  He enthusiastically said, Yes.  I knew by his reaction that it was good.  He asked me if I wanted to know how much and I said you betcha.  When he said 5 pounds (4.8 to be exact, but I'm rounding up.  :) I couldn't believe my ears.  Are you kidding me?  5 pounds in 6 days.  Holy cow, that has never happened before, ever.  I had also lost .8% body fat.  That to me is huge.  The best part is that I didn't starve myself and I was eating nutrient foods.  No fad diet here, just living food.   

Here is what a typical day looks like for anyone interested.

Breakfast:

Wake up and have a large glass of water.

I make a vegan protein shake with coconut milk.

Then I have a fresh juice which is usually made of Kale, Apple and Lemon (delish)

Lunch:

Veggie Soup

Large Spinach and Romaine salad with Chickpeas, carrots, sunflower seeds and balsamic vinegar & olive oil

I snack on apples with cashew butter, clementines, and pistachios.  I drink lots of water.

Dinner:

Vegan protein shake with coconut milk

Another garden salad, same as lunch.

The menu will broaden as I learn how to cook vegetarian meals.  I'm stocking up on books this week and combing the Internet.  I love going to bed satisfied, but not stuffed.  I wake up in the morning and I'm not starving.  It's amazing, when you give your body whole, living foods, how full it makes you feel.  I've committed to a Vegan diet (no dairy or meats) until my birthday in April.  I figure anything is doable for 3 months.  If I love it, great, if not, then I can always slowly starting putting meat back in to my diet.  I think the dairy might be gone for good.  I feel great without it.  I'm not waking up congested or sneezing like I used to.  It will be interesting to see if I notice changes in my skin and the dark circles under my eyes.

I'm excited to learn this way of life for myself first, in hopes to have my family join me as we learn a new way of eating and fueling our bodies.  I'd love to hear what you think.  If you have questions or comments, please leave them for me.  I will try my best to respond back to you.  Have a great week. 

"Eat to Live, not Live to Eat" (Quote from a movie I watched last night that rocked my world.  I'll be sharing all about it this week, so stay tuned).