Barriers

After I had Chase, I was able to lose about 20 lbs by simply nursing and doing a little exercise, but I needed to lose more than that because, well, I don't just gain 25 lbs when I am pregnant :( I was pretty stagnant after losing that initial weight and felt like I had reached a barrier.

For a little background...with Adie I gained a whole 50 lbs, and was ultimately able to lose about 40 before getting pregnant with Chase, but I still had that extra 10 lbs lingering. I only gained 35 lbs with Chase, but I still had 15 lbs to go to even get back to where I started, which was still 10 lbs more than before I started with Adie. That's a net gain of 25 lbs from pregnancy, On top of that, I had gained about 5 lbs from the time I was married until I got pregnant the first time, so ultimately, I'd like to lose all 30 lbs and be back to that place, which is entirely possible, since I've been there before, and I feel more healthy at that weight.

Now, back to the barriers. After losing that initial 20 lbs, I knew I needed to do more in order to not keep that weight on. I felt like I had reached a barrier and would remain stagnant unless I put in more effort. So, in November, I really started to run more and eat mostly a vegan diet, a goal I have had for a long time. During the first part of November I lost 10 lbs! It was so refreshing to see new numbers on the scale. Then, Thanksgiving, and the travel that accompanied that, happened and I mostly abandoned the vegan diet thing for the holiday season. The good news is I never gained anything back during the holiday season, but I wasn't going down either, and I still have plenty to go. It's actually fairly amazing that I didn't gain any weight considering my inconsistent exercise routine during that time too.

I really have wanted to see some more new numbers on the scale and that happened today again. Yay! I only lost 1 lb, but it's a number I haven't seen for a long, long time, so it was a welcome sight. I attribute it to again striving to avoid all animal protein in my diet and the fact that I have run 3 times this week already. It should be noted that I still saw the lb lost after having 4 pieces of toast with vegan butter and a tortilla right before going to bed last night (I was really hungry despite eating all my meals and snacking all day long). I am very encouraged. It seems any time I start eliminating the animal protein, I can break my barriers, and don't think I don't eat a lot. I totally do. I am not one to limit portion size. I've never been good at that.

Finally on Track (I think)

So, I joined a 12-week vegan weight loss challenge. I am trying to be 100% vegan until April 1st and hopefully lose 15 lbs in the process. I am supposed to check in weekly and share my experiences and then write an essay at the end to tell how it went, what I learned, how I've changed, etc. I am only on my 3rd day today and my resolve is still high, despite the many temptations I had yesterday to just cheat a little. If I can actually accomplish it, by 12 weeks, being vegan (or should I say eating a plant-based diet because I am not truly vegan as I don't abstain from every animal product, like leather or honey) should come pretty naturally for me, at least, that's my hope. I'll keep you, meaning Julia (and this blog) posted :)

Friday Pizza

Yesterday was not bad. Most days are not bad. Evenings? That's when things can get bad.

Friday is our family's standing tradition of pizza. I love pizza. All day I thought of ways that I could improve my pizza - maybe semi homemade with wheat crust, pizza sauce, no cheese, lots of vegis. I even had high hopes of getting online and finding a great recipe. Time must be my nemisus, because it beat me. I ran out, it was time to eat, I didn't even have a frozen pizza in the deep freezer, and Audrey Iverson over (btw - so awesome that I have friends with babies so I can have my baby fix!), so I gave in to quick fix. We ordered Domino's Pizza. I thought, well, I can cheat a little. Maybe 2 pieces, it's only a little cheese. I totally JUSTIFIED eating pizza. 3 pizzas were ordered, peperoni, pineapple and plain cheese. Once they arrived and we were ready to eat, I grabbed my 2 pieces and began to savor and enjoy. Yeah, not so much enjoyment, I am not crazy for Dominos. It was a probably a good idea to order from a place I didn't care for. When I was done, I realized that I had grabbed, out of habit I am sure, the peperoni. I felt like a double failure. I had only reasoned 'OK' to eat the cheese.

I am not going to beat myself up for 9 pieces of peperoni and some awful cheese. I am really going to do better in making a conscience effort to pay attention to what I eat. I believe realizing why I do what I do, can help me in the long run. Yesterday was not a typical day for me. I had slept in to 11 (midnight showing can do that to you) and I had a packed day with running my children around for previously committed activities. Despite my lack of preparation, the day really was good. So, for future, I know I need a good pizza recipe. I will get that researched and begin the testing!

snacked on almonds & grapes, 1 sqaure of Ghirardelli dark chocolate (it has milk)