Okay…if you read yesterday’s post you know that I gained three pounds last weekend and hit an emotional low point that felt like it could break my resilience if I let it.  So then today is weigh-in Wednesday and I figured “what the heck…I don’t even think I expect any progress anymore so who cares”.  Just when I think I don’t care anymore, it turns out I do.  I lost two pounds and am back down to 149.  Hello again 140’s- I hate it when we part!  Going back and forth between upper 40’s and low 50’s is getting old.  It has been a rollercoaster; fun at first but now I want to get off it and hit more stable ground. 

Also, another thing that cheered me up this morning was getting dressed.  There have been many days where getting dressed was the low-point of the day.  Today though, is a bright sunny spring day, so I thought I would get some capris on with sandals to celebrate this weather.  My only complaint was that my capris are too big- and we all know that is not a complaint.  These were tight around my waist last summer, now they are hanging off me around my waist, hips and thighs.  They don’t really look good because they clearly do not fit, but I am wearing them today anyways.  They are my badge.  There is a new sheriff in town and her name is “I’m thinner than last summer”- I’ll take it! 

Today my dietary plan is to have peanut butter toast for breakfast, smoothie for lunch and burritos for dinner with my family.  Here is how it should breakdown in a caloric count:

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
1 slice of Toast Peanut Butter 246	Smoothie 165	2 rice and black bean burritos with salsa 494

Total= 905 calories

The week after Easter Sunday…when I must face the music over my festive diet over the weekend…ugh.  Well what can I say?  Overall, I work really hard at my dietary health and I am slowly moving in the right direction.  However, when I do not make a few good choices, my body reacts with lightning speed and quickly gives me consequences.  In short- I gained three pounds back this weekend.  Hello again 151 and I do not say that with a smile. 

I am currently experiencing my first decline in mental stamina for this journey of weight loss and BMI health.  I was pretty disappointed and I even contemplating giving up these last couple days.  I have accepted the fact that all of us humans have biological differences which make our BMI status not a fair battle field, but sometimes when it is backfiring in my face I get upset and think “it’s not fair”!  Some people can easily make changes and see results if they wanted to.  Some people don’t even have to worry about it because their body’s BMI  is, always was, and most likely will always be in a normal category- without effort. 

As for me, I was built to stand the test of time.  If I am ever in a survivalist type situation where I am stranded without food, I will probably be the last man standing when the search and rescue crew come into sight.  That is great!  Or is it?  Have I ever been in that situation before?  Nope…and my overly cautious nature makes it likely that I won’t ever be in that situation either.  So here I am, in a modern day American life, where consumption’s only concern is over doing it.  Is this mission hopeless?  Am I helpless against my own genetic make-up? 

The answer of course is “no”.  I am not helpless and hopeless to achieve a healthy BMI.  It is just going to be really really hard…it IS just hard.  I need to keep up my work because I really believe my future health could be impacted. 

One big reason I am discouraged is because I am having issues with my hip.  My strained hip flexor is bothering me all the time again…when I walk, sleep, get out of the car…everything.  I really love being a runner!  Sadly, I am not able to be or do that at this time.  I am going to take a couple weeks at least where I slow down activity until I am not in pain walking around doing household chores.  Then I am going to start back with a snail’s pace progress because apparently my 2-2.5 mile runs 3-5 times weekly was too much too soon.  That is really sad.  Last September I ran a half-marathon…now I cannot run a 5k.  Life is not fair!!!

I have to believe recovery will happen.  I went on a morning walk yesterday.  It was actually invigorating! If that is what I can do, then I need to do it!  I must have looked crazy out there as the sun was rising speed walking in a fashion with my arms bent, up and twisting my hips with every stride.  I didn’t care though, I was out there to strengthen the muscles around my hip which got weakened from over use and caused this strain.   

Also, on a dietary note I do have to look on past experiences and know that I will get through this.  In 2013 I lost all my post-baby weight and then some (down to 142) and I specifically remember gaining five (yes five) pounds on Easter weekend.  I remember being baffled because I did not even eat to a point of discomfort yet I gained five pounds.  My mother predicted it would come right off, and she was right.  May that be the case again! 

 Today’s strategy is simply to skip dinner.  I always love dinner and make good food, which makes it hard for me to practice moderation.  So even though, I do not want my children to see me skip a meal or not eat with them, I just feel like I need a jumpstart to my come back.  I need to go to bed feeling lean and a bit hungry versus pleasantly plump.  That is today’s plan at least.  I had a calorie packed breakfast and will have leftover dinner for lunch.  I will have enough calories! 

Breakfast	Lunch
Smoothie- 165 calories because I skipped flax and spinach 1 slice of Toast- 140 calories (why do I have to love Dave’s killer bread?!) Peanut Butter- 100 calories About 1 ½ Tablespoons on the toast Total- 405 calories from breakfast	Brown Rice- 107 calories ½ cup Vegetable Curry 1 ½ cup from what I can tell is at least 380 calories (why do I have to love curry?!) Total- 487 calories from lunch Grand total for day if I can manage myself= 892 But my plan is to have an orange later if I must have something which would make it about 954.

Overall my calories look pretty balanced for the day according to the supertracker.gov tool that I use.  For those who are concerned, I always have zero dairy since I follow a plant based diet. Check it out:

Hello friends!  It have not been great about posting this week, but don’t take silence as failure.  I am still at it- my weight is down to 148 now (from 166 in January).  I am happy with the weight loss progress although it is not as fast as I like.  I am already thinking my May deadline for my ultimate goal of 132 pounds is a stretch.  I just don’t lose it that fast.  I have to avoid frustration here though…I have to try to love my body even when it does not meet my expectations or if it does not even meet me half way!

Yesterday I missed out on my morning smoothie and I had really wanted to have one so I went ahead and had one for dinner.  Yesterday my calorie intake went like this:

Lunch	Dinner
Veggies (carrots, celery, cauliflower, grape toms) Hummus (1/2 cup plus a couple tablespoons)	Smoothie Dave’s Killer Bread (The Good Seed) toast w/ peanut butter topped over it Best dinner ever!

 

Today is the last day of fast from sunrise to sundown of Lent (in observance of Good Friday) for my husband and I.  Today I have drank my weight in calories.  My husband recently purchased some concord grape juice, and discussed some of the health benefits associated with it.  All I have to say is I cannot justify the health benefits with the calorie count at stake.  There are 160 calories per cup.  Insane!  More insane than that is the fact that I have had two glasses today…320 calories in juice!  It is not worth it to say the least, but I was struggling with my “no eat fast” and had some juice to get me through the day.  That was breakfast.  Lunchtime brought on another beverage choice…soy milk.  I told myself, I need protein.  Well, being as I usually never drink anything other than water, I am pretty amazed that I had 520 calories in beverages today.  I am looking forward to having water and veggies and fruit again.  It seems like the best alternative for sure!

With my juice, milk, and forecasted brown rice and stir fry veggie dinner, I should have about 1100 calories today in all.  Hopefully I was the only person today who consumed half their calories in beverages. Bad choice!  Cheers…with water!

Hello all!  I missed posting Sunday and Monday this week.  If you read this on occasion, you will know that I try to weigh myself and post it on Sundays and Wednesdays.  Last week I broke into the 40’s with a 149 weight and vowed to “do the work” in order to make the 40’s my new home. 

Here is what you probably don’t know…I hosted my child’s Birthday party this weekend.  I made the carrot cake from a vegan recipe with fresh carrots and applesauce in it (never mind the oil and added sugar).  In order to save myself from myself, I frosted the cake with a non-vegan store bought cream cheese frosting.  However, there was some leftover batter so of course I made cupcakes and did not frost those. Come party time, I only had snacked on some veggies at lunch time and I was famished.  So naturally, I ate two unfrosted cupcakes.  They tasted like carrot muffins…which reminds me- isn’t there a name for the fat that pours over the top of your jeans?  Ah, yes I believe that is called the muffin top.  How appropriate!  I also ate four tacos with guacamole both Saturday and Sunday night.  So it was of no surprise Sunday when I saw that I weighed 150 again.  However, it was a pleasant surprise to see 149 back again today and hopefully for good. 

All of this going back and forth between one or two pound is really not a big deal and I am sure that it is normal and healthy.  I am not genuinely concerned in the slightest.  One thing I refuse to let myself do is repeat behavior from High School…starve yourself for days in a row…guilt yourself over any little slip or even eating at all…then justify your then rampage of binge eating with all the stress and withdrawal you suffered before that.  That is exactly what I hope all people collectively say good-bye to.

The only real bad news of the weekend is I have gotten a cold.  At my age, it is pretty hard to manage my responsibilities and have this cold.  So I have not ran yet this week; maybe tomorrow I will.  I forgot to make my smoothie this morning.  But we had a fantastic lunch- see below.  I am making snobby joe’s for dinner (sloppy joe’s with lentil’s instead of meat- from my Veganomican cook book) so my calorie count should be around 760 today between the lunch pictured and a snobby joe (unless I eat more and I am not ruling that out- maybe an orange to help combat this cold). 

Enjoy good health and decisions today friends!   

  For lunch: carrots, grape toms, hummus, cucumbers, cauliflower, kidney beans, strawberries, & blueberries.  Also my children got a black bean patty from last nights leftover dinner.  Served with a glass of ice water, this meal was delish!  

Hello all!  Today I started out the day with a 2.5 mile run and I didn’t even hit the pavement until after 7 in the morning…this was a real treat!  I love not having to get up in the 5’s to get my run in.  Today's run made number 5 for the week.  This was the first time in March I achieved the five day per week goal.  Good stuff!  Additionally my weight is still holding at 149. 

I can’t call it all good as far as the week goes though.  Friday, I ate too many baked beans for lunch.  It was one of those situations that you load your plate up more full than you would normally, just because there is a little bit left and it would be silly to just leave such a small portion…or would it?  This is where I see my actions and think- why?  First off, leaving a small portion of beans is a perfect idea especially if you have a toddler that is supposed to be eating iron rich foods such as beans (and I happen to have one of those). 

Secondly, why do we say we don’t want to waste foods?  I know it really does seem like a shame to throw away foods when there are so many people living lives without their next meal guaranteed, or even likely.  It is sad!  I tell my children all the time how lucky we are…in our hometowns and neighborhoods there are children that go home and do not eat after school.  Does that mean, I should clean my plate regardless of what my tummy says though?  Or should that also lead me to dishing more up on my plate than I know I need? 

I was recently pondering this, when a friend of mine was cleaning out their freezer when we were visiting.  They began snacking on a popsicle their child left in the freezer and I said, I thought you were going to throw that away…can you guess the response?  Didn’t want to waste it…it is engrained into our actions to not waste food from the time we are kids and our parents are telling us to clean our plates. 

I do not judge my friend in the least about this as I clearly do it too.  Also, at least my friend just had a couple bites of a popsicle…I had to eat an extra cup’s worth of beans and experience the natural consequence.  Later Friday evening after not wasting the beans, I got into a car with my husband and told him that I ate too many beans for lunch and it really was not working out for me.  His response- “It’s not working out for you?”  Note to self- never again!

However, on Friday my calories went like this:

Lunch then Linner

Salad with 3 saltine cracker and my homemade balsamic vinaigrette ½ cup brown rice 2 cups baked beans Total- about 750 calories

Today I enjoyed a smoothie in the morning and then made tacos for dinner. My calories were about more than 1130…but it is pretty much worth it.  Here is a picture of two of my four (shameful, I know) tacos with about 8-10 tortilla chips with guacamole.  They were filled with my rice & bean taco filling (a complete protein) topped with onion, jalepenos, valentina, and of course guacamole. 

Delicioso!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  In the old days I would be preparing corned beef and cabbage for dinner tonight.  However, last year I realized I didn’t miss festive food as I have known it my whole life.  I could easily create a cabbage dish to enjoy tonight, but Thursday nights are crazy and we have leftover beans, so there you have it. 

Occasionally, I discover I was wrong about something and it is a good thing.  Today I delightfully discovered an error on my part.  Yesterday I measured my waist circumference and thought it was only down one inch (to 37 inches).  However, today I asked my husband to measure my waist circumference to see if he got the same thing, and it is clearly 35 inches now.  I don’t know what I was doing wrong the other day, but I do know it is easier for a second person to get the waist and make sure the tape is straight for measuring.  So- the good news is that my waist circumference has gone from 38 to 35 since the first week of January.  Also, I was down another pound today!  I know that I usually only report weight on Wednesdays and Sundays, but who can hold back good news like breaking into a new decade (as I call it).  I am at 149 from 166.  Hopefully, I settle down into this new weight and maintain it- Sunday will tell!  Until then I am going to do the work. 

While on this run this morning, I ran past a fast food restaurant.  Many times I run by at or between six to seven a.m. and the drive thru is always busy.  It saddens me to see so many people start their day with fast food.  I think to myself, what could be faster than oatmeal- it cooks in five minutes (or one minute if you get the instant alternative).  Also, I don’t know how much it costs but it seems like nothing is cheap these days, so I know unless you do it on a rare occasion, (which is wise) then it has to add up. 

I don’t want to come off as judgmental because I have had a love affair with fast food in the past.  Been there, done that!  Whoppers, Burgerville shakes, and Taco Bell all got much of my hard earned cash during my late teens and twenties.  It seemed like fast food and I’s love style was passionate in nature.  There were times I thought I could not live without it, and I had it all the time or mostly every time I drove passed a certain route.  Eventually, I started to change.  It was one of those- “it’s not you, it’s me” breakups.  After all, it was still the same greasy, fragrant food it had always been up until the end.  I started to change my orders, you know because I was such a health nut, I would order a whopper with no cheese, no fries, and water to drink; or just a bean burrito with only hot sauce.  How bad could that be, right?  Wrong!  I just remember how I always felt after eating it.  The food always made me feel guilty, unsatisfied, and wanting more.  Why should food make you feel like that?  The good news is it doesn’t have to.  I have never felt that way after oatmeal, smoothies, fruit, veggies and hummus, rice and beans, etc.  Good food is good to you!  This is the guy we keep, ladies and gents!

So that is why it makes me sad to see people starting their day with fast food.  Why not set yourself up for success and happiness?  I know why…we just don’t.  I have made those choices over and over again.  Does that mean we have to?  Are we doomed by early learned eating habits, or can we grow and change our patterns?  Luckily I believe in change!  I hope you do too, because life is too short not to make the most of each day and give yourself your absolute best commitment to health and happiness.  May everyone drive home not thru to eat today!

Hello weigh-in Wednesday!  First off- my body is not giving me a “get out of jail free card” on my weekend calorie increases.  I am at 150 STILL.  However, this is the week…I can feel it!  I really believe by next Sunday’s weigh-in, I will be saying bye-bye 150’s!

Also, this morning I measured my waist circumference and it was at 37 inches.  When I began this process in January, my waist circumference was at 38, so it is down one inch.  I was hoping for a greater reduction by now.  When I was in high school my waist was smaller even in the 140’s.  Fast forward nineteen years and four kids and my body is in all different areas and I would not classify any of these “updates” as improvements! 

I really cannot complain though…this life is good and I am happy to have this body.  I have to make it the best I can- it is the only one I’ve got!  Speaking of physical happiness, I have enjoyed running this week.  I got up and ran each weekday so far this week.  This morning I was running past a local high school (HS) and the track lights were on at 6:00 am.  I was running past when I noticed I was running parallel to a group of boys obviously doing warm up laps or working a certain technique at a slow pace.  I was on the sidewalk looking at them and one of the boys waved at me.  I waved back as runners often do when they see others. It took me back to a conversation I once had with a HS track coach.  He had told me that he loved it (coaching HS track) and he really felt he gave the kids something of value they can use their whole life versus football or other team sports.  This conversation took place after he finished a ten mile Saturday morning run.  He said other sports can end after HS, but not running.  It is something you can continue to work at and enjoy well into your adult life as he obviously had.

I often think of what that coach said.  The thing is…for myself and a number of other runners I know, we did not actually begin to enjoy running until our thirties.  Running in HS was a chore that I had a love hate relationship with- heavy on the hate, light on the love (much like food).  Now that I am in my mid-thirties I have a much healthier relationship with both running and food.  It really did all start though when I was in HS.  So this morning I felt like I was witnessing some of the magic that helps shape young people.  Young kids pulled themselves out of bed for a 6am track practice and that could not be all happiness for them!  But their relationship with exercise has begun and it looks like they are off to a great start!  I was so moved this morning, I yelled “Keep up the good work” as I ran past.  No doubt if they did hear me beyond their ear buds, then they probably won’t grasp what I was saying.  I was saying- your whole life you will be working at this…dragging yourself out of bed for some physical exertion.  What they really don’t know is how much easier, enjoyable, and successful it can be if they keep it up; and I really hope they do. 

As for food today, it is fasting Wednesday.  So I have made a pot of beans (baked beans with molasses) for dinner.  I am going to make a side of rice to go with it and salad.  So since that is my only meal, I should be find on calories…I just hope I can keep my portions in control.  I get pretty hungry by the end of the day; especially when I have to prepare three meals for other people.  It is a form of low-grade torture for sure.  But the season of Lent is almost over, and Wednesdays will be like any other day of dietary challenges soon.  In the meantime, I am sure looking forward to dinner!

Last night I highly enjoyed my smoothie for dinner!  It was just enough to give me a boost for the evening but not weigh me down like dinners tend to do.  With a little extra time on my hands, I did some laundry and cleaned out jeans from my drawer which no longer fit.  That may be one of my favorite pastimes these days.
As for today, I am going to have a salad for dinner instead of the smoothie.  Since having dinner with family last weekend, I have wanted to try my hand at a homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and hopefully it is half as good as the one my Aunt made.  So today I took a recipe from online which kind of sounded similar to the one I had and made some variations.  Here is what I ended up putting together:
.5 cup olive oil
.25 cup balsamic vinegar
1 t honey
1 t dijon
1 T white wine vinegar
.5 t garlic powder
.5 t onion powder
.125 t salt
dash pepper
Hopefully this salad dressing turns out great!  I tried it with a couple cucumber slices right when I made it and it was good, but a full salad will be the test.  Speaking of what I ate earlier, I decided I wanted asparagus- a whole bunch...literally.  So I made a whole bunch of asparagus for lunch and ended up eating a cup and a half of homemade veggie soup.  I also had a snack in the morning of a tablespoon of peanut butter and an oragnge.  Did I mention I am working on moderation?  Sometimes I wonder why or how something came to be with me but I just have to learn and move on.  Altogether my calories are set to be about 896 for the day...God bless fruits and vegetables!!!
Also, today there are no grains in my diet.  I love grains and believe they are good.  However, when I asked myself how I became an obese running vegan...grains, sugar, and a lack of moderation came to mind.  So I think some grain free days are not a bad idea.

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snacks
Smoothie	Bunch of asparagus 1.5 cups veggie soup	2 cups lettuce with toms, cucumber, and onion 2 T salad dressing	1 T peanut butter 1 orange

 And here is what a bunch of asparagus cooked in soy sauce, garlic, sea salt and olive oil looks like...maybe about half will do next time!

This week is off to a good start for me as I hope it is for each of you.  This morning my alarm went off at an unspeakable hour and I looked at my phone before getting out of bed (I was gaging my desire to get up and run) when I saw it.  It was a message from an old friend.  She contacted me to let me know she had read my blog and wanted to give me some encouragement, which happened exactly when I needed it the most.  It was very impacting.  I got right out of bed with a smile on my face and ran my shorter route (just shy of two miles) and more importantly, I enjoyed it!  I was not concerned about the cold air or worried about my hip…I just ran free, like I used to.  Similarly to old habits, I took an epsom salt bath, used icy hot, and plan on running tomorrow- the short route again.

That is what I hope this blog can do for each of us.  We are hopefully all striving for better dietary health and fitness.  It is a challenge to match our behavior to our intentions or motivations, but with support or guidance from those around us, it becomes feasible.    

As for this week’s strategy…I am going with a larger lunch and smaller dinner approach.  It works temporarily and kind of gets me in gear for transitioning into smaller evening proportions.  How am I going to do this?  I am going to have a smoothie for dinner.  It is just enough to give me good nutrients and fill me for a couple hours, just in time to go to bed feeling lighter than the day started.  Eventually, I always go back to dinner with my family because a) I love dinner food, b) my children like it better when I sit with them and eat what they are eating, and c) a moderate dinner portion is my goal and in order to master that, I must practice instead of avoid it all together.  However, for coming off of a weekend of food, smoothie dinners will get me back in the saddle for now.

The good news about smoothie dinners are lunch.  Today I enjoyed a full veggie sandwich.  I love veggie sandwiches!  After having a child in 2015, a veggie sandwich was my post event meal of choice- as well as after running a half marathon.  Yumm!  The bad news is that I should have refrained on the peanuts.  Holy frijoles, there are a ton of calories in peanuts.  Because I had 1/3 cup of peanuts, I overshot my 800-ish calorie goal for today, but they are still under 1100, which is the best I have done in a few days, so I will take it and move on tomorrow a little wiser to my friend Mr. Peanut. My calroies were about 1091:

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Smoothie (like the one featured last week)- 276 calories	Full Veggie Sandwich- 220 Cucumber, tomato, & celery w/ hummus- 80 1/3 cup peanuts- 214	Smoothie- 276 calories

Before I conclude for the day, I want to share a couple pics of the pancakes from this weekend.  I used Scott Jurek’s 8 grain Strawberry Pancake recipe, but I am short on a couple of the grains, so I did the best I can by doubling a few of the grains to compensate for the ones I was missing.  Also, I switched to blueberries.  Flax seed are a great binder, though I intend on trying this recipe with chia seeds versus flax sometime soon.  Scott lists either as an option in the book Eat & Run…a personal favorite of mine.  And YES- pancakes without eggs can be amazing!  That is why I wanted to share. Here they are, thick, fluffy, and delicious
: 

Hello Sunday weigh-in!  Sadly, no progress or good news but not necessarily bad news either.  I am at 150 pounds still.  Although I said it last week, I’ll say it again.  This is the week I am going to say goodbye to the 50’s…forever!  Wish me luck!

This weekend I did not do great at sticking to my 800-1000 daily calorie goal.  As best I can tell…I had about 1200 calories on Saturday and 1400 today.  However, I am not too worried about this.  I know how important it is to be consistent, yet also live my life in a satisfactory way.  So this weekend, I went out of town and ate Indian food after having enough calories to sustain myself for the day already.  Secondly,  and more importantly I celebrated a birthday with family and enjoyed a couple of my homemade oatmeal peanut butter bars (with carob chips in them).  This is life.  I am not going the rest of my life without a treat nor do I want to.  That is why I am going to achieve a healthy BMI now…so that I can practice moderation not deprivation throughout the rest of my life. 

Tomorrow is a new week and with it comes a new possibility for improvement.  I hope this rings true for my running.  I am just tired of the cold and am tempted to postpone all future runs until I can run in the 40’s in the morning hours.  This 30 degree business gets old!   Also the time change this week does not help.  Speaking of that, I need to sign out.  Have a great week!

As I was making my smoothie this morning I thought I would share a visual of the goodness.  I love this smoothie!  It is packed with great nutrients (and calories) but these are calories that we all want and need.
Recently, I was at my child's preschool with my green smoothie in hand and I set it down to help out.  I looked up to find the teacher holding the glass looking inside it like it was chopped liver.  I laughed and claimed it and all she could do was say, "yummy" when she handed it back.  It was pretty funny because clearly she did not think it looked appetizing and clearly she doesn't know a smoothie's best kept secret- which is you cannot even taste the spinach!
Having this smoothie kind of reminds me of when I was younger and I would occassionally get a milkshake.  I really loved it when the milkshake was too big for the glass so you got the metal blender jar to refill your glass.  Of course that was a personal favorite.  Nowadays I choose not to have the oversized milkshake but I have the next best thing everyday.
It consists of:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 small banana or a 1/2 large one
blueberries or strawberries (I never measure)
1/2 tablespoon honey (I always have to measure or I will go big)
7 ice cubes
1 or 2 tablespoons of flax meal (I do two if I am going to be short on protein that day)
Fill the rest with baby spinach leaves (about 2 cups)
and tada...

Breakfast time!  Don't forget the full glass of ice water along with your smoothie.  I have to make an effort or I will forget about the sorce of life (water). 

Lunch is served...no diet food here! For myself, the half-cup of hummus and plate of veggies.  For my two littles, half sandwich of all natural PB with honey, garbanzo beans, hummus or ranch to dip, and veggies.  I usually put an olive on their veggie tray but we are out today.  They ate each and every bite on thier plates (as did I). Good food is good for you!

One element of this blog I originally intended on implementing is pictures of the foods I eat.  I had to create some space on my phone, so I am just getting around to doing it.  Here is a picture of lunch today.  I wanted to do this so people can see that it looks delicious and it is!  Also, you can see that I am clearly not starving myself or doing without.  When a person makes good choices of substance, 800-1000 calories can go pretty far for a day.
 Probably the biggest reason why I am so inspired to reach and maintain a healthy BMI is because of my children.  We have the genetics that are associated with all kinds of health conditions if we do not mind our dietary health.  So I can picture my children's lives going one of two directions when I feed them.  Either I can set them up for a lifestyle that gives them good health and happiness, or I can doom them to a lifetime of struggle, poor health, and likely low self-esteem.  When I put it like that, the choice is clear to me.  Choose health!  Do it for yourself and your family!  I need to love and value my body enough to take care of it as I should and my greatest hope is that my children will follow suit!
This all became very clear to me in the winter of 2013.  My then three year old had a well-child check-up and the doctor came in concerned about my child's weight.  My three year old weighed over 50 pounds and was not even on the charts for the percentages.  I was shocked...disappointed...and embarrassed.  I did not believe I was doing anything wrong for my child at the time.  I never gave them fast food or junk food, practiced some good guidelines...but one unmistakable thing I could identify even back then was my child's love for food matched my own.  It occurred to me that a child that loves food that much would likely eat more vegetables than is being asked of them.  
We made some changes, but the real results came when we switched to a vegan diet.  My child's Doctor agrees that diet made the ultimate change in my child's BMI (which is completely normal now). Although the BMI scare was more than two years ago my child still weighs under 50 pounds!
I believe it is none of our faults. This is just one example of the unfairness of life.  Some people can eat whatever they want and have a healthy BMI or some people do not have to try as hard.  But me?  Not so much!  I am pretty sure my husband's genetics is very similar.  For our children, that equals a perfect storm of bad health if they are not taught and practice a healthy dietary lifestyle.
So that is why I am doing what I do.  That is why my children get lunches like the one pictured above and love them.  I do not want them to see foods like this as un-normal meal selections or "diet foods".  The are clearly not.  It is a privilage to have such a great variety of fresh produce!  They are the foods that love us right back.
Oh...I almost forgot...we all get water to drink everyday at lunch and breakfast.  I almost never provide anything other than water for my children.  I tell them water is the source of life- it is essential that we drink it! I do allow them to have one glass of milk at dinner.  They always drink that down in a second and guess what refills their glass- yup- water.

March 10, 2016

Today I have slightly less enthusiasm and motivation.  It is the first time since I began this voyage towards a healthy BMI, but I have to say this week I feel like I am in a slump.  I am not eating the wrong foods, nor do I want to!  In fact, my husband recently mentioned ice cream and I realized that I have not had nor wanted ice cream for the last three months, which may be a lifetime record.  However, yesterday  I bought a package of blueberries from Costco to put in my freezer for smoothies.  Before they got in the freezer, I tried a couple…they were the best blueberries I’ve had in a long time.  I ended up eating most of the one pound package.  Although blueberries are a great food, I really would rather not have gone to town eating them.  Also, now there are only a few so they never made it to the freezer.  Bummer!     

My main issue is the work-out department.  I only ran Tuesday and my hip hurts.  This is slightly depressing because running was going so well last week with no pain.  Then this weekend I hiked about five miles and climbed over 900 ft. on a trail in Forest Park in Portland Oregon.  Beautiful hike!  I felt great!  Then Monday morning I felt like I needed a break and to sleep in- so no run.  Then Tuesday I had to cut it short and did not get a good stretch in before or after my run.  Tuesday morning’s run was not an enjoyable one.  It was freezing- literally.  It was 28 outside and I am so tired of the cold.  I got feeling down about the cold.  Then the rain came and it felt like a cherry on top of the depression cake.  I really like the warm weather and I find myself getting impatient for warm temps every spring. 

So now that I recognize that eating a pound of blueberries yesterday and not running this week were not my best decision making, do you think I am making best choices today?  Well, not perfect…my girls really wanted me to make pancakes every morning this week (probably not helping my stance) so I finally did this morning.  So of course I had a large blueberry 8 grain vegan pancake (no butter, but yes to the light layer of syrup).  So my plan today for food is to have fresh veggies and hummus for lunch (cucumbers, carrots, celery, grape tomatoes) and then a smoothie for dinner.  I figure that is a good way to redeem my calorie count.  Also, I really like it when I only have grains once a day, so I can keep in line with that plan still.

You may have noticed that I don’t report my diet regularly anymore on this blog.  It is because I eat the same things all the time!  It could get pretty repetitive and boring reading that again I had a smoothie, veggies and hummus, and soup or beans or no lunch and a larger dinner.  I really am a creature of habit.   However, here it is…about 866 calories:

Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Whole grain large pancake with sypup- 289 calories	Veggies (celery, carrots, grape toms, cucumber slices) and half cup hummus-  287 calories	Smoothie w/ 1 cup almond milk, ½ T honey, 2 cups spinach, 1 banana, ½ cup blueberries, 1 T flax meal & ice- 290 calories

Weigh-in Wednesday has me saying hello again to the 50's.  But I have no doubt our reunion will be short lived.  The fluctuation can be annoying but I have to keep my eyes on the prize!  Here are some half-way point pictures to help inspire me and show progress.  I think the weight loss is evident...
Before profile view...

After profile view...

Front view Before...

After front view...

I love that these picutres illustrate both the progress and provide encouragement for me to keep going because it is clear the BMI table should be recognized as a credible tool for my weight related health. Here's to the second half of my journey...

Hello readers!  I missed out on weigh-in Sunday this week because I was out of town.  Today showed me all good things to those who wait though.  My weight this morning was 149.  That makes a total of 17 pound weight loss and a huge milestone…my half-way point!!!  Good-by 150’s!  However, it would not surprise me if I still fluctuated a little before settling into the 40’s for good.

At the beginning of this journey (in January) my BMI was 30.4 and in the obese category.  Now my BMI is 27.2 and in the overweight category.  I need to get my BMI below 25 in order to be considered in a normal weight category (which is at least 136 pounds).  My goal is to get my weight to 132 to provide a little cushion between myself and overweight BMI status! 

 I need to take some” half –way there pictures” and compare them to the pics when I started.  Hopefully I can take and post those tomorrow.  They’ve got to be better than last time!  Although this is pretty exciting, it simultaneously opens my eyes to the amount of work I have ahead of me.  I’m not sure, but sometimes I think people struggle more with the last stretch of their weight loss process.  It would be easier to walk away with some success and not reach my ultimate goal, but I do not consider that an option.  After all, this is not about my vanity- it is my health at stake and that is paramount to the quality of life I will have in the decades to come.  May good health and happiness be with us all!  

March 2, 2016

Well today is Weigh-in Wednesday and after last week’s success I expected that to continue into this week.  This dietary/BMI challenge has me learning patience and persistence over and over again.  In short, I gained one pound back- I am at 152 with a total of fourteen pounds lost.  Seeing the fifteen pound weight loss last Sunday felt awesome!  I can’t wait to have that feeling back and for good! 

On another note…I have not really discussed my running on this blog (at length).  For a recap, I took the winter off (November-January) because of a bad strain in my hip flexor after training for a half-marathon last fall.  Getting back into running shape is much like losing weight…peaks and valleys!  My mission is to take it slow because I love to run and I would like to have longevity with it.  I had to ask myself what is more important- signing up for big runs, or just being happy to run and challenge myself at my own pace whatever that may be?  Since resuming running, the first few weeks in particular were hard.   My hip muscle has to be stretched a lot and although I was not feeling pain per say, I was feeling my hip in much of my movements.  Then just to top it off, for whatever reason I was experiencing a stabbing pain in the back of my knee (not while running) but particularly when I sat down with my knee bent. 

I am one month into running now.  I am not running more than 2 or 2.5 miles at a time.  So what’s the good news?  It is getting much better!  I rarely get the stabbing sensation in my knee lately.  I am not having pain or restrictive feeling in my hip movement.  I stretch it every day!  My current short-term goal at this point is to run five days per week all month of March without increasing my distance past 2.5 maybe 3 miles.  It is hard for me to do because I want to go on longer runs because I enjoy them! 

So in sum, I have not had weight loss success yet this week (in fact my weight fluctuated the opposite direction one pound).  However, my running is going well and I am starting to believe I can enjoy it as I have in the past.  This is very exciting to me.  The ultimate reward to my hard work of losing weight is to be able to run in shorts in the summer time!  Two summers ago I went for a six at six run in running shorts and I almost had to call the fire department to put out the fire located on my inner thighs.  This may be too much info for some, but this blog is daringly honest… Here’s to summer shorts!