Beyond Willpower

I read a post on a weight loss forum today. It was a woman asking for help because she tracked her calories for one day, went way over and then gave up. I've been there. I know that everyone thinks there is a magic bullet and they have just yet to find it, you can tell by the way their eyes glaze over when they ask how you lost weight and you tell them eating healthy and exercising. But that just isn't it, there is no magic bullet.  People have asked me, what was 'the moment', that aha moment, where I knew that I was going to stick with it this time. Honestly, I'm not sure.  There was a day where I said I'd watch my intake, like a million other days I said I'd watch what I'd eat over the years. The only thing that was really different, was that I had admitted I was a binge eater. I watched that very first episode of ruby and realized therapy was where it was at. When I started addressing the binge eating in therapy, when I joined online support gro...

I want to talk about fitness! My fitness has SO improved this month. In minutes, in strength, in endurance. I Now do anywhere from 30-60 mins on my bike 5-6 days a week and I've just started adding in yoga. I just want to say, I hate Jillian and the biggest loser, but a friend recommended bob harpers biggest loser yoga video to me because I wanted something good for beginners. I tried it and I must say, he's great, way more fun/tolerable than Jillian. Anyhow, the instruction is great, the fact that not everyone on the video is some sort of yoga master and you can see them trying to balance and shaking because their muscles are on fire just like yours, it really helps me not feel so much like a failure. ha. Weight Loss Yoga I have tried yoga many times over the years. I've never found a video that I liked since regardless of being vegan, I'm not really a crunchy granola hippie type person. All the talk of spirituality and the skinny 7 foot tall women in full body le...

This is from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen Check it out of you'd like to increase the amount of raw food you eat, it has some nice recipes. :) I made the cabbage and kale slaw in simple greek dressing last night, and it was pretty good. I didn't have scallions but I did add sweet onions and it gave it a nice kick of flavor. It's basically what it sounds like. First you chop the cabbage into slaw type bits: I use my ninja, which I think I've professed my love for here before. A lot of people say it's a physical impossibility for the ninja to chop evenly due to the way the blades are spaced. The ninja pictured here is the newer food processor/smoothie making one and it has three blades in the big container, not just two. It does chop far more evenly than the old one, but I loved that one too. Just so you can see what it chops like, the pic below shows the finished results of my slaw, with one large piece of cabbage that didn't get chopped quite right, but that was...

Looking back over the last six months is interesting. I started on plan on October 19th, I went gluten free and vegan shortly after. I remember days of binging at the chinese buffet...who am I kidding? Weeks. I remember never drinking water, and napping all the time, never being active, expending the least amount of energy possible. I remember that I ate out about 5 days a week - sometimes more than once a day - and there were days of appetizers (one for me, one for joey) a meal with a salad and dessert, milkshakes, etc. I would go to bed after pigging out and lay on my side and it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. Frequent heartburn, weight bearing pain in addition to my fibromyalgia pain and shortness of breath at the least sign of exertion. I remember this misery Now, it's 6 months later, and I can't imagine how much better I will feel in another 6 months. I feel so much better now, doing laundry and carrying my basket up and down the steps is easier...

~*~*~I'm gluten free and vegan~*~*~ As are all my recipes Almost all of my recipes serve 2, many with enough for leftovers This recipe could easily serve 2 people who are VERY hungry, or 4 people with a side salad. Stuff you will need for the sauce: 2 medium zucchini Pam spray oil 28 oz crushed tomato (preferably delallo in heavy basil juice, or else you may need tomato paste or to drain the tomatoes if there is a lot of liquid) 1 tsp oregano 1 tbls basil .5 tbls garlic powder .5 tbls crushed red pepper 2 tbls (sugar?) or equivilant sweetner, usually 1 packet of whatever you use is = to 2 tsp sugar.  .5 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt Stuff you will need for the filling: 3/4 cup veggie broth .5 tsp soy sauce 1 cup dehydrated texturized vegetable protein 3 oz crumbled firm tofu .5 cup mozzarella daiya (most of my recipes this is take or leave, but with this it really helps stick everything together and helps the texture.) 1 tsp garlic salt .5 tbls basil 1 t...

So, my original goal was to lose 150 lbs. I have never been that small as an adult. I'm trying to figure out what I would look like there, and I have some friends who I recently found out were about 150-160 and I thought they were so small. They are similar height to me as well. I think 149 might just be too small for my personal preference as far as aesthetics go. I kind of like  being curvy, I'd like to be curvy and fit and I think I would just fall over dead if I went below a 38 DD, which I haven't been below since about 7th-8th grade. ha. ;) When I see this pic of myself @ 190 lbs... I just remember being SO happy with myself at that weight. At that time I wanted to lose 15 more lbs. I wasn't even active then, which I am now, I'm much healthier now, at 235 lbs than I was then, at 190 because of the irresponsible way that I lost it with a 'fad' diet and no exercise. The last time I was 175 lbs was in 7th grade I think. I was a size 14 and I think a 38 ...

Just so everyone who entered knows, Ellie has two days left to contact me and if she doesn't I will be picking another winner.

So the last week or two life has gotten pretty hectic. I've had work, job interviews, birthday celebrations and tons of doc appointments all over the place. I've been buying a bus pass because I've been running around so much. All of this of course makes it difficult to eat at home and eat healthy. I've been staying within my cals except for two days where I had two pieces of fruit extra. But I hate WHAT I'm eating and HOW I'm eating. The "what": I've been eating fried stuff. Fried tofu here and there, one day I had fries. I don't even finish my plate, but I still feel less than stellar after eating that crap. It makes me kind of mad that when you don't eat meat the only other options for you are unhealthy deep fried stuff. I feel awful buying a taco salad when I could just as well make one at home and they are 10$ when I go to this vegan friendly place up the street. I need to remember that it's not a waste if it's saving me calo...

Ellie! From Books, fitness and other stuff! <<<Be sure to check it out! NOTE: I did end up using www.randompicker.com for the randomized winner as raffle king did not allow enough entrants. *I am contacting ellie now and she needs to get back to me with a shipping address within 3 days or a new winner will be chosen.* For those of you who didn't win I hope you all check out appetite for reduction anyhow! It's a great way to incorporate tasty plant based meals.

I thought that for Earth Day I would make a post about switching to a plant-based diet and the ways it can help not only our health, but the environment. Our biggest environmental issues of today are directly linked to the production of meat and dairy products. Climate change, deforestation, air and water pollution which of course leads to health problems for us are all effects of industrial farming. Over 30% of land not occupied by ice is used in livestock production alone. More greenhouse gases are attributed to livestock than cars, trucks, ships, etc, the world over combined. What does all of this meat and dairy do for us? It is full of saturated fat and cholesterol, it contributes to things like being overweight or obese, which in turn can lead to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. At first I thought that the statistics for the U.S were horrifying - that 33% of kids born in 2000 will end up suffering from diabetes.  What I realized is actually horrifying though is that...

Click here  to enter! Deadline is tomorrow at midnight!  Giving away a copy of Appetite for Reduction!

So, today is my 6 month anniversary of being on plan. I have never stayed on plan for more than 4 months at a time. I'd like to discuss some old sparkpeople blogs I wrote. In one I had made a goal to be down to 245 by June first. It is now April 19th, 6 months in, and I'm down to 235. Need to go back and re-evaluate that. ha. I also said I planned to stay on plan for one full year, to be dedicated. I have been for the last six months. There are mistakes, but there are never excuses. Which was part of my goal. Then, there was this quote from this one particular blog that still rings so true for me: " I am changing. I am just...I am becoming a new person, every day. I'm falling into myself and just little by little, I'm destroying who I was, the person who used to destroy me, and I'm becoming someone better.    It's hard to see inside sometimes, with all that darkness, sometimes, we need to light a match and watch the darkness burn away, to face...

So, I just wanted to let you guys know I have been talking to the woman who runs  www.yummyplants.com  and I'm going to write an article for her site. It was suggested I write about the health benefits I've experienced since switching to a plant based diet and different things about my experiences with obesity, maybe touch on childhood obesity. It will be an article style, not blog, but I just wanted to let everyone know to check out her site, it's really great and it's for anyone, not just vegans, even if you are just looking to add more healthy fruits/veggies to your diet, it's full of restaurant reviews and recipes and also has a forum so be sure to check it out. I have another job interview on Wednesday. I'm excited, I think I would do great at this place and I feel really confident.  I'll let you all know if I hear back. Today I went looking to buy a new outfit for the interview. Sadly I've decided I'm not a huge fan of what I bought. I was ...

Don't forget, the contest deadline is before midnight on April 22nd! Enter to win a copy of Appetite for Reduction, a fabulous cookbook!

So I read this article today, found here , about vegan restaurants serving animal products in their food. This is upsetting seeing as how joey and I would like to open a vegan restaurant one day. I hate for businesses to cause the general public to not have faith in that type of service/product. After the vegnews debacle that just happened (info here ) it is very upsetting. The other thing I noticed though was that there are 20 vegan restaurants in L.A. WOW. Insanity. Pittsburgh is a little behind, but we're hoping to help change that someday. We're making a 5 year plan. --- CONFESSION: I have't exercised for the last THREE days. I've been miserable, have't been feeling well. I had a tooth infection, it tends to get pretty bad (it's cracked and broken and a wisdom tooth and I need to get it fixed  asap.) It gets infected off and on, usually clears up, sometimes requires antibiotics. It's been a long time, but I finally have money to get it fixed, so ...

I got my juicer today!  and I made deliciousness! Until I get more supplies tomorrow I just threw whatever I had in the house into it. this was apple, orange and strawberry. Fruit juices are a bit high calorie, so I'm going to mix them with low cal veggies starting tomorrow.  My review: Breville JE900 Juice Extractor After reading reviews for a few hours....okay, a few days! I decided on the Breville JE900, it was on sale, had free shipping, and was one of the highest rated not just on amazon, but on juicer review websites as well. So far I love it, it's fast, it's fairly simple to put together once you read the directions. (I had some stuff on upside down at first. But I'm also ridiculous.) The directions are pics with instructions so it's easy to get together. It juices fast, but let me warn you, to quote my boyfriend joey, "It sounds like a jet engine", which it does. I live in an apartment with a baby downstairs and there is no way they would ...

In 2004 when I lost 70 lbs, (I had also started at 260 as opposed to 299), Right around the 199 mark I started to have a bit of an identity crisis. I didn't recognize who I saw in the mirror, and I would just stand and stare. I am now 235, and I'm feeling those feelings creep up on me, and I think by the time I get down to around 220 (I have a pic of myself from then that I LOVE), I think I'm going to start feeling that way full blown (even if it's 21 lbs earlier, I did start much higher this time.) I always kind of wonder, who will I be when I'm thinner? How will people describe me? Now I'm sure that people who are my friends probably refer to me as "The big girl with the bangs." or something like, "That girl with cartoonishly large boobs" if it's a guy. (Yes I have been described that way, ha.) but I won't always be that girl. I don't know who I'll be. That is just slightly scary at the moment. I'm sure once I hit 175 ...

If you haven't already followed me, be sure to so you can get updates/remember to come back and check to find out who won! Also to keep updated for further contests, I plan to do one around the start of summer.

This contest is for U.S residents only: Okay, so I have a few ideas for some giveaways that I'm planning on doing over the next few months. This is the first one, the next one I'll do once I hit 100 followers cuz it's a bigger prize and I'd like as many people as possible to be able to enter and spread the word. Contest Deadline: Starts now (April 12th) Ends before midnight (eastern time) April 22nd 2011 For now, I will be giving away a copy of my favorite cookbook, Appetite for Reduction , by Isa Chandra Moskowitz  << Her website. The Prize: This book is amazing, a lot of non-vegans think that vegan cookbooks are all full of strange ingredients that are only available at health food stores, but that isn't the case with this book. It has simple recipes made with easy to find and prepare ingredients and nearly everything in the book is between 200-400 calories per serving, and the servings are a good size. I've made many fabulous dishes from this b...

Lately I've been told by several people how positive I am. I find this to be refreshing, since I used to be such a 'debbie downer'. I used to be angry at the world and was the very angsty-est of teens. Does it get more angsty than this!?  So much in my life is changing right now. I'm becoming more independent, more responsible, more organized, more capable at work, everything seems to be falling into place. My bf and I are making a 5 year plan, we're focusing on the future, which I'm proud of joey for, because he NEVER has interest in what 'will be' or 'someday' or anything like that. In other news, I hit 237 today. When I hit 229 lbs I will officially have lost more than I ever have before in my life. (previous record = 70 lbs, in a totally unhealthy fashion). I'm feeling great. I do 10 miles on my bike 2-3 days a week, I am also doing interval training on the other days, c25k only on a stationary recumbent. Food is getting easier an...

So, the other day I decided to buy a juicer. I read reviews for hours looking for the best quality for a reasonable price. I also read a bunch of FAQ's about the benefits of juicing, and I found this article on juicing for weight loss today that sounds promising:  Juicing for weight loss Anyhow, this is the juicer I decided on: Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor I'm very interested in this, and I hope it works out, I'm trying to get more raw foods in my diet and I hope this helps.  Do any of you juice? What kind of juicer do you have and do you like it?  What have your experiences been with juicing and your health?

This is a repost from one of my reader's blogs: Amanda, @ Diary of a mad fat woman Win a FREE registration for the UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k Run Alright guys, great news...  I have a 100%  FREE registration available  for the  UPMC Health Plan - UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k Run on Saturday May, 14th.  in partnership with the What you get: A FREE registration for you or a friend or a family member along with a Nike UPMC Sports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k t-shirt and any other goodies included in your race packet. That's right, you don't even have to use the registration yourself, you can give it away - just as long as whoever registers is the person who intends to run. The bib itself is not transferable. Thats a $30-$35 value! Race Info:  The UPMC Health Plan/ UPMCSports Medicine Pittsburgh 5k will be held on Saturday May 14th at 8am, with the Toyota Pittsburgh Kids run set to begin at 10am. The race course travels through the P...