Marleah's Check-In

[marleah]

Ok, I've decided that I will start a daily check-in - although I might not post every day, but I am keeping a little notebook handy so then I can catch up when I need to. I'm planning on posting what I've eaten that day, what exercise I've done, how much water I've had, and whatever else, I guess!

3/25/09 Wednesday: SUCCESS

B: cereal with soymilk, a clementine
L: pasta with tomato sauce and zucchini, raw carrots and tomatoes, 1 apple
D: layered taco (black beans, rice, corn, tomatoes, peppers - 1 taco shell - 2 small corn tortillas) with small amount of guacamole, nondairy sour cream, salsa; and a clementine

Exercise: walked ~ 1 hour
Water: 45 oz

The taco for dinner may seem big, but really the portion is not as large as it seems. I think with everything (including guac and all that) it's around 450 calories, from my calorie-counting days. During lunch I drink 27 oz (the size of my Klean Kanteen) of water which helps me fill up too. I bring my lunch to work in a Bento box, so it's always portion controlled, but I put it on a real plate or in a bowl which does wonders for making it feel like a real meal.

[VintageGeek]

Huzzah for bento. I use a tin tiered canister I got from reusablebags.com. Not exactly bento, but when I fill it, it's almost the exact right amount of food.

Glad you started a Check-in thread. Looking forward to seeing how it goes for you!

[marleah]

I love those metal ones! Once my plastic one bites the dust (hopefully after lots more use), I'm planning on getting one of those. And that website is so awesome! That's where I got my Klean Kanteen, actually.

[marleah]

3/26/09 Thursday: SUCCESS

B: cereal with soymilk, a clementine
L: taco filling (same as last night) with 2 shells, guac, nondairy sour cream, salsa; raw carrots and tomatoes; apple
D: layered taco (same as last night) with small amount of guacamole, nondairy sour cream, salsa; and a clementine

Exercise: no more than usual - but I did work at the library so was on my feet a lot
Water: 54 oz

I did get hungry for a bit before lunch - I was trying to hold off and have it later than usual since I was going to be working until 9 and not have dinner until 9:30. I ate lunch around 1:00 finally, instead of 12 like usual.

And exciting news ... when I did Wii Fit this morning , I was down 2.5 lbs from a week ago (the last time I did it)! That put me at 137.5 - which is UNDER 140, which I haven't been for two years.

Just for reference - my end goal (the weight I want to maintain) is 120-125, and since I'm only 5'2" that seems reasonable. I really want to be at 135 by May, and it looks like I will make it! I was just so happy, since my weight has fluctuated between 140 and 150 for so long, but hasn't dipped below that. Well, now I can say that it IS possible! I was impressed too, because that was the day after I had a late dinner - which will usually make me weigh more in the morning.

[marleah]

3/27/09 Friday: SUCCESS

B: homemade smoothie (frozen strawberries, cherries, and blueberries plus a banana with some soymilk and a bit of cranberry juice)
L: taco filling (leftovers again) with 2 small corn tortillas, guac, nondairy sour cream, salsa; raw carrots lettuce with a couple tsp of Italian dressing; apple
D: out to eat with my husband at a local Chinese place - I had steamed rice and vegetables with tofu. This was kind of funny business, just because the rice comes on one plate and the veggies on another, then you combine them on your own plate. So ... I tried virtual plating, and I think that kept it reasonable.

The only problem is we eat dinner around 5:30 on these days (Friday is his night out with the guys, so we always grab dinner out beforehand), so by the time he gets home (around 10 or 11) I'm hungry again. I'm wanting to snack, but it's also just a couple hours until bedtime. I brushed my teeth already, so no more eating!

Exercise: just walking at work
Water: 32 oz

[marleah]

3/28/09 - S-Day

So far, just been doing the usual one-plate meals and no snacking, but there are some Twizzler bites at home with my name on them!

[marleah]

3/29/09 - Definitely an S-Day!

We had a mini-bridal shower for a friend who came back to town, so we went out to eat, had chips and salsa before the meal, and then had banana muffins afterward. Although the muffins were whole wheat ... reasonably healthy stuff, but definitely a lot!

I enjoyed them, but it is nice to be back on target with N-days. I knew my weight would go up after last night, but I don't have to worry about it. I have seen those smaller numbers, and I know it's possible to get back to them.

[la_loser]

Sounds like a great weekend and now back to the normal N days!

[marleah]

3-30-09: SUCCESS

B: Fruit smoothie
L: Chili pasta + guac, salsa, dairyfree sour cream; tomatoes and carrots; apple
D: PB&J on whole wheat bread, two clementines

Exercise: Wii Fit Strength; walked over 10,000 steps according to my pedometer!
Water: 22 oz

I tried something different last night - I work until 9pm so I usually don't have dinner until 9:30, which leaves me going to bed on a full stomach. Yuck. So last night I packed a sandwich along with my lunch and took a break around 7 to eat it. It worked out pretty well, although I felt "hungry" when I got home then, but I just kept myself busy getting things ready for bedtime and then it was just time to go to bed. Don't know if I'll be able to do this every night I work late, since sometimes we are busier than last night, but I'll try it.

I also considered taking a "sick" S-day yesterday, since it was the first day of my period and I was having all kinds of crampy stuff and bloating and just feeling uncomfortable. But then I realized that's how I got off track in February, so I wasn't going to do it again! Also, that seems like a slippery slope into emotional eating, something I want to get away from. So I succeeded!

Tonight might be a bit of "funny stuff" - my husband and I are going to a free vegan meal offered by a campus organization, which I'm really excited about. The only thing is it will be buffet type and I will try to just make one plate, then sit down and eat it. It will help having Ryan there since he can kind of remind me - I am so used to grazing a bit here and there in these kinds of situations!

[VintageGeek]

Awesome job catching where you went wrong before and correcting it this time. It's so tempting to call spur-of-the-moment S-Days like that, and while I think that's technically in the rules, it kind of defeats the purpose of the plan to begin with.

I like your term "funny business," and I may have to gank it for the purposes of describing similar situations in my life.

You're doing a great job!

[marleah]

Hey thanks VG, and I think I stole the term from one of Reinhard's posts actually, so feel free to take it!

It's going very well. I was offered several Hershey's Kisses today, which I would have declined anyway since they are not vegan. But then someone broke out some animal crackers at a meeting (we have a giant community tub of animal crackers at work), which are vegan, but remembering no snacks helped a lot. And of course, it was only an hour and a half till lunch anyway!

I am pondering taking tomorrow as an S-day, because I am presenting my proposed study to my thesis committee and that might be stressful. But again, that opens up the emotional eating thing. I think instead of taking an S-day, I will just do something else nice for myself - take a hot bath or read a good book or something.

I love how posting on here makes me think through my actions a lot more than when I am just thinking about it myself. It's a lot easier for me to make justifications for myself, but if I know there are other people watching, it's a lot harder.

[VintageGeek]

Hey thanks VG, and I think I stole the term from one of Reinhard's posts actually, so feel free to take it!

Excellent! I should have guessed, haha.

But then someone broke out some animal crackers at a meeting (we have a giant community tub of animal crackers at work), which are vegan, but remembering no snacks helped a lot. And of course, it was only an hour and a half till lunch anyway!

You are so, so much stronger than I am.

I think instead of taking an S-day, I will just do something else nice for myself - take a hot bath or read a good book or something.

Yes. And really, stuff like that always ends up being far more fulfilling and stress-reducing than eating. You never feel guilty about reading.

It's a lot easier for me to make justifications for myself, but if I know there are other people watching, it's a lot harder.

And in one sentence, you have summed up the reason we torture ourselves with these daily posts.

Not that it's torture, of course.

You know.

[marleah]

Haha, more torture of a daily post ...

3/31/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with soymilk, clementine
L: Chili pasta with toppings, tomatoes, carrots, apple
D: Amazing buffet of Indian food!

As I guessed, it was pretty tough to stick to one plate with the Indian buffet. But I did it! I just had a really heaping plate. So ... I did a little bit of stacking, but I really had to in order to try everything. I was a little worried, just because all day I had been having my monthly cravings and I was afraid I would want to eat more after I got home since I had an earlier dinner than usual. But I just brushed my teeth when I got home and went to bed with a book and a glass of orange juice.

I figure if I can get through this week on No-S, then I will be golden.

[marleah]

Ok, not my official check in yet ... just an observation.

Before No-S, I would often look down at my plate and wonder where the heck my meal went so quickly. Or I'd be eating a cookie and expect to have another bite, but I had actually already finished it - so disappointing!

But now that I am doing No-S, during lunch I will be in the middle of my meal and look down at my plate and think, "Wow, I still have a lot of food left!" And then when I am fully aware of taking my last bite, I have a feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

Conscious and mindful eating is always something I thought of in moral terms, as being aware of where my food comes from and whether harm was done in getting it, but now I am thinking about it in a new way, of being aware of the actual act of eating. Just an interesting thought I had today!

[gratefuldeb67]

Hi Marleah
I like what you wrote in your last post.
Good for you!
NoS is awesome in so many ways isn't it??
I have to say, you are already quite light relatively speaking, so you will probably enjoy NoS a lot, because as a weight loss diet it is enjoyable and healthy, and very much geared towards living.. But it's biggest selling point by far, in my opinion at least, is that it is the absolute ultimate great plan for maintaining.
I'm enjoying reading your thread.
Glad it's resonating with you!
Debs

[marleah]

Thanks Deb!

My numbers aren't too bad, but I can tell by how my clothes fit that I am not carrying this amount of weight well. So I do of course want to lose some, but I agree that other diets are not maintainable - No-S definitely is! I didn't even realize how much of an emotional or bored eater I was until I started No-S, and now I do realize it just because it will be that time in the afternoon when I used to snack, and now that I "can't" do that anymore, I am realizing so much more about WHY I thought I needed that food at that time. It's been a very enlightening experience, so yes, I think it is beneficial regardless of weight loss!

[marleah]

4/1/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts and soymilk, clementine
L: Chili pasta and toppings, tomatoes, carrots, apple
D: Curried couscous with lots of veggies and a pita, clementine

Exercise: Walked after work for about 20 min.
Water: 27oz

So it's the middle of my time of the month, AND I had my thesis prospectus! This means it was a fairly stressful/emotional day, but it all went very well. I have also been feeling really tired the last couple of evenings, and I don't know if it's just because of my period or if I am coming down with something. So because I was tired, I didn't go to the gym and lift weights like I had planned, but I did go for that walk. I am really feeling like I need to get back to the gym, so the plan today is to go after work. Hopefully I am getting over whatever that was yesterday!

[VintageGeek]

Sounds like you're doing really well during a time of stress. These times really are our tests, aren't they? But you're doing a great job.

And I'm totally going to need to steal your meal ideas. That curry couscous sounds friggin' awesome.

[marleah]

It's super easy - I use a can of curry sauce (I think Jyoti brand?) that I get at the health food store, can of diced tomatoes, can of chickpeas, and sauteed yellow squash, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. You saute the veggies, then add the cans of stuff to your pan, while your couscous preps in another pan. Then just combine it and slap it on a pita. I add a bit more dried curry powder to it too and mix it in there.

Not the healthiest thing in the world, but it is pretty tasty! And makes great leftovers!

[VintageGeek]

Wow, that sounds amazing.

I don't have curry sauce or couscous, but I think I'll have to try it with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and brown rice. Which, you know, kind of totally changes the whole ethnicity of the dish, but that's cool.



*drool*

[marleah]

I've been known to combine several cultures in one dish, so it's all good!

4/2/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts and soymilk, clementine
L: More curried couscous, pita, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Yves Meatless Brat with slice of whole wheat bread, a few tater tots, and salad

Exercise: Lifting at the gym, short jog
Water: 32 oz

Yesterday was a pretty good day - minimized my tater tot consumption, which can be tough (but give me a break - these are organic from the store, not from Sonic or anything), by having that extra salad. And that salad was darn good, and the tots weren't all that impressive. So next time - even more salad and fewer tots!

[marleah]

Just realized that my "several cultures in one dish" comment on my last post sounds a bit mad-sciencey, I'm thinking petri dishes and all. Maybe just my science geek mind. Anyway ...

4/3/09 - SUCCESS (so far anyway, and I have no plans on snacking tonight! teeth are already brushed!)

B: at IHOP, which would normally be a disaster, but I just had a side order of hash browns (with ketchup!) and the fresh fruit salad.
L: MORE curried couscous and a pita (don't worry, it's gone now), tomatoes, carrots, apple
D: at Quizno's, had a regular veggie sub (no cheese) on wheat bread with water

Exercise: Lots of "urban rangering," as I should start to call it. Walked from campus to my job at the library and back to campus. About 2 miles total. I hit 10,000 steps on my pedometer by 6pm, so I felt good about that.

Water: 47oz

So ... it looks like I ate out a lot today. Which I did. Dinner out on Fridays is always planned because Ryan has things going on that evening, so we get dinner together. But I always try to make the healthier choices. But breakfast was definitely a special occasion, although I didn't call it an S-event (eating sweet stuff in the morning makes me sick anyway!) - Ryan's step-brother, who is in the Army, was in town just for a couple days, and the only time we'd be able to meet him was in the morning for breakfast. So we left home at 6:30 (!) to meet him there at 6:45. It was good to get to see him, and it was nice to kind of be able to censor myself at IHOP, because I am usually the type who has to order the fruit, hashbrowns, AND pancakes just to try a little of everything. So I was pretty proud of myself there.

The weekend is almost here! But I don't even really have any treats in mind at all for it. So I'll see what comes up, but I'm also not going to MAKE myself have sweets (or snacks or seconds) just because I feel like I SHOULD take advantage of an S-day.

[marleah]

4/4/09 and 4/5/09: S-DAYS

I came into this weekend not really in the mood for any particular treats, but I picked up a bar of Newman's Own Organic Dark Chocolate that is pretty darn good. I've been breaking it into fourths so that I can have it as a dessert for lunch and dinner both days. That way I also don't eat the entire bar at one time, which according to the rules would be ok since it is an S-day, but would make me feel yucky.

We might be going to the movies today, but it decided to finally snow here even though it was 65 DEGREES yesterday. We have 2-3 inches on the ground right now. But whatever, in two days it's supposed to be in the 60s again. Sheesh, this winter has been crazy. So we might hibernate here instead.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

[marleah]

4/6/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, clementine
L: Hobo meal - our name for a conglomeration of stuff: zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, vegan bratwurst (I like Yves), and mashed tater tots. Top it with guacamole, and it is delicious!; carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: PB&J on whole wheat, two clementines

Water: 27oz

[woods38]

Your meals sound delicious! I made curried chickpeas and spinach, with a side of quinoa for lunch today.
Sounds like you are doing great!
-woods

[marleah]

Mm, sounds tasty! I love quinoa. I think I might be making some of that tomorrow night.

[marleah]

4/7/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, clementine
L: Hobo meal + sc + salsa, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Tacos (beans, rice, veg, 1 taco shell, 2 corn tortillas), 2 clementines, carrots

Water: 54oz
Exercise: Wii Fit Aerobics, 30 min

Pretty good day, although I hate those days when I leave work at 5, don't go to the gym or anything, so I get home around 5:30 and then have to kill some time before dinner because I don't want to eat so early that I'm starving by bedtime! Oh well, it usually works out ok.

[marleah]

4/8/09 - SUCCESS

B: Smoothie
L: Taco, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Ate out at a restaurant, but I got the side salad along with bomba (a kind of flatbread) and hummus. It came on two separate plates, but I'm pretty sure it would have fit on one regular sized plate.

Water: 56oz
Exercise: Wii Fit - Strength

Oh, and I went to the health food store and picked out my treats for this weekend. I love those vegan Alternative Baking Company cookies - but they are HUGE, so I like to cut them apart and then just have a quarter of them at a time. They really are too much to eat in one sitting. If you've never had them, you should look them up!

[marleah]

4/9/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, clementine
L: Taco with one shell, two corn tortillas, apple, tomatoes, carrots
D: Curry sauce (with veggies, chickpeas, portobella mushrooms) and rice on a pita, two clementines

Water: 64 oz
Exercise: Weights for 30 min, stationary bike for 15 min

I felt really good after exercising after work. Not a particularly tough day, actually - lunch was really filling for some reason, so I was set to go for the afternoon. That hour or two before supper is usually the toughest for me, so I like those days that I work out or go for a walk because it gives me something to do during those hours.

I have a bit of a dilemma today though. We are going to a particular restaurant tonight that we go to probably once every 3-6 months, so not very often. And they have this one specialty item that I ALWAYS order in addition to my entree that I order (which are usually small and over-priced, but I digress). So I have considered making today an S-day so that I can have both my entree and the side item (which definitely won't fit on one plate together) - but I don't think "ooh it's a special restaurant" is really enough of a justification. I am thinking about ordering the side item to go and then have it tomorrow. It won't be fresh, but it would still be pretty good warmed up. I've also considered making today an S-day IN PLACE OF my S-day tomorrow, but then I remembered that I am making banana bread for a discussion at the library tomorrow and definitely am going to partake, so that option went out the window.

I figure at least I am thinking about these things ahead of time and planning accordingly!

[marleah]

4/10/09 - SUCCESS

We did eat out at a restaurant Friday for dinner, and I ended up not ordering that special side item after all. It would have been delicious, but I didn't want to ruin my great streak. It turns out that I really haven't missed it.

And my S-days have been good - I baked banana chocolate chip muffins for today!

[woods38]

You are doing great! Sometimes we think that we want something but later realize that it wasn't that important to us after all. It seems that you have your priorities in order.

[marleah]

Thanks woods! It's always a little tough, but I keep telling myself "if I can make it through this ..." and that helps for the most part.

4/13/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, clementine
L: Kind of weird - I knew I wasn't going to have dinner until 9:30, so I split up my lunch and had my apple at 1:00, then my lunch (leftover potato soup, carrots, tomatoes) at 3:00.
D: Layered tacos, two clementines

Water: 33 oz
Exercise: Wii Fit Strength Training, moving lots of heavy reference books at the library

Some of those banana chocolate chip muffins were left, but Ryan took them to work with him to get rid of them! Oh, and when we were at my mom's house for Easter, I ate a ton of those muffins. But I mentioned to my mom my current eating plan, and she said that she had noticed that I looked slimmer. Yay! It's hard for me to tell just by looking in the mirror, so it's nice to hear someone tell me that.

[marleah]

4/14/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, clementine
L: Layered taco, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Quinoa and veggies, asparagus, clementine

Water: 50oz
Exercise: Lifted weights at the gym, exercise bike 20 min

[marleah]

4/15/09 - SUCCESS (barely!)

B: Cereal with walnuts, clementine
L: Veggie sub on wheat bread, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Rice with lots of veggies and tofu, two clementines

Today was kind of a tough day. It is Student Appreciation Week around here, so the office where I work ordered in catering from a sub shop. I had to pretty much build my own sub with just wheat bread and the veggies that were there, which wasn't that big of a deal - turned out pretty close to what I would have gotten at the place. I did have to split up my meal though, because I had a supervision meeting in the middle of it. So I had my sandwich, then meeting, then the veggies and the apple. I think the sub was just a little too light and didn't really stick with me. If I had been at home or had more here, I would have put some hummus on it to get some more protein. When I got home then, I was CRAVING a pb&j. It just sounded so good, but I knew it wouldn't hold me over for the rest of the night (because we had some family stuff so had to eat an earlier dinner). So I had the rice, which was pretty filling. Of course, it wasn't what I was craving, so I still wanted that pb&j but I was able to resist. Mainly by brushing my teeth and then getting ready for bed and reading so that I didn't think about food!

So it was a somewhat tougher day than usual, and that sandwich would have tasted SO GOOD, but I knew I would feel guilty if I had to mark a red for it. Lesson learned - bring hummus when there's going to be catering!

Water: 54 oz
Exercise: Nothing extra, just walking to class.

[marleah]

4/16/09 - SUCCESS (sort of)

B: Cereal with walnuts
L: Layered taco, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Rice with veggies and tofu, slice of bread
Emergency: Banana

Water: 32oz

No extra exercise, we are going out of town for the weekend so had to clean house and pack up for that. I had HORRIBLE heartburn before, during, and after dinner (this from someone who never gets heartburn), and I took 3 Rolaids and that didn't even help. So Ryan suggested a banana, which always helps him. I debated about it for a minute, since I didn't account for it on my dinner plate, but that heartburn was killing me so I had it. And it helped! I figure a 50 calorie banana shouldn't make this a red day for me, so I'm counting it as green.

[Thalia]

I think medicinal bananas don't count as a snack -- I'd call that day green, too!

[Nichole]

Definitely GREEN!

[marleah]

Thanks, guys. Haha, maybe I should start marketing "medicinal bananas"!

[Daisy73]

Wow....you really do well with No-S! Medicinal bananas.....love it!

[marleah]

04/17/09 - FAILURE!!

You guys weren't expecting that, right? That's ok, me either really. I could have justified it, but I just wanted to own up to it. What happened was, we went out of town for the weekend - leaving late on Friday (around 6). I'd done a really great job spacing out my meals and drinking lots of water so I didn't get hungry, since we weren't going to eat until we got where we were going (which ended up being around 11pm!) ... It went really well. Until we got to that 11pm dinner and ate at Perkins and was faced with lots of breakfasty goodness. A lot of their typical entrees would not work for me, since I don't eat meat, so I settled on a waffle with strawberry topping (which actually might not be vegan, depending on their batter, but I always focus on big picture - no meat, no cheese, no eggs, no honey). Well, that waffle came with powdered sugar all over it. I could have asked for it without, but didn't think of it until after I got it.

Anyway - I thought about it a couple minutes, but then realized I need to "mark it and move on," so that's what I'm doing. The weekend was wonderful by the way - I ate a ton, including CANDY and COOKIES! I knew I'd be up a bit, and I was by a couple of pounds on Monday - but the most amazing thing was I DID NOT OBSESS OVER IT. Previously, I would have been thinking about how much it will suck to get on the scale and how now there's no turning back and I might as well eat everything for the rest of the WEEK. But I didn't. I knew I would be back on Monday and that extra weight would be gone Friday. FREEDOM!

[marleah]

4/20/09 - SUCCESS

B: Smoothie
L: Vegan sausage, tortilla, carrots, tomatoes, banana
D: Hobo meal

4/21/09 - SUCCESS

B: Oatmeal with cinnamon
L: Hobo meal leftovers with pita, carrots, tomatoes
D: Chili pasta, corn on the cob, grapes

Exercise: Weights at the gym
Water: 54oz

[marleah]

4/22/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with soymilk, walnuts, and pecans; 8oz orange juice
L: Chili pasta, corn tortilla, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Chili pasta, corn tortilla, lettuce with a bit of dressing, red grapes

Water: 27oz
Exercise: Walking to and from class - 20 min total?

Juice is usually more of an S for me, and on Non-S days I limit it to 8 oz or less. I've started having a small glass with breakfast, because we are out of the clementines I was getting to eat with breakfast. I don't like doing the juice as much because there's not as much fiber etc ... I just forgot about them when I went to the store!

[marleah]

4/23/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans; orange juice
L: Veggie sandwich on flatbread, kettle chips, fruit salad
D: Chili pasta, tortilla, corn on the cob, red grapes

Water: 24oz
Exercise: lifted weights at the gym, 10 min on stationary bike

Kettle chips are definitely not my usual choice for lunch, and that's why I had them today - not my choice! There was a campus event where lunch was served, and it was a bit of a battle to get a vegan option (club sandwiches were served for everyone else). I packed a PB&J and some baby carrots just in case, but I ended up not needing them. Although I would have preferred my carrots instead of the chips - carrots are more filling! Plus, the sandwich had hardly any protein in it except for a small bit of hummus, so I was afraid that it wouldn't hold me over. And during the afternoon, pre-workout, I did want something to eat, but I held off. I do find that I am thinking about food less and less. It's very nice!

[marleah]

4/24/09 - FAILURE

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Peanut butter & jelly on wheat; apple; carrots and tomatoes
D: Chinese (white rice, tofu, veggies) - ended up having two plates.

Ok, I could have justified this into a green day, but I am through making excuses for this stuff! We ate dinner at a local Chinese place that serves food family style - a big bowl of rice and then a big plate of the entree. I ended up having two plates - I think I just felt hungrier because I wasn't drinking enough during the meal, or just because I wanted to eat! During the meal, I was kind of talking myself into making it just an extra S-event, but I don't want to do that on the fly. If I make it an extra S-event, I want to plan for it ahead of time. What was really sad about it was my stomach was upset afterward because I ate too much!

Oh well - not really beating myself up about it, just realizing I maybe need to re-commit a bit. I think I was getting cocky, and I had a big weekend out of town last week, so it kind of took away some of my resolve I think. I'm not taking away any of my S-days this weekend either, but I am making sure to not go too crazy.

[VintageGeek]

Oh well - not really beating myself up about it, just realizing I maybe need to re-commit a bit. I think I was getting cocky, and I had a big weekend out of town last week, so it kind of took away some of my resolve I think.

This is exactly where I am right now.

By the way, I had to look up "hobo meal," and that looks SO COOL! We just got a brand spanking new convection oven and I think I'm going to have to try something like that out tonight.

Overall, it sounds like you're still doing a really awesome job. Good deal!

[VintageGeek]

By the way, I forgot to mention that when I looked up "vegetarian hobo meals" I found your wordpress site.

[marleah]

4/27/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Layered taco, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Veggie brat, slice of bread, corn

Pretty good day. Almost slipped and grabbed a handful of cashews before dinner, but remembered what day it was. I think just because I'd done it on Sunday, I wanted to do it again!

Vintage: Awesome! And you will notice that my blog has not been updated for quite some time. I'm trying to get back into the habit of trying new recipes and taking pictures of them so I have something to blog about!

Thanks for the encouragement. And enjoy the hobo meal, it is excellent.

[VintageGeek]

I enjoyed it very much, although I used some different ingredients based on what I had. Same concept though, and man, was it awesome!

[marleah]

Tue 4/28/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Layered taco, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Pesto pasta with chickpeas, tomatoes, roasted asparagus

Water: 30 oz

I have noticed one amazing thing this week so far: it's that time of the month, and I really have not had any cravings! Maybe it was eating those four home-baked chocolate chip cookies on Sunday that kept the cravings at bay, but either way it is great. I am starting to be a little concerned about plate size - like I am eating from too big of a plate and really eating more than I should be. I want to keep this up for 3 months or so though to really get habits down and then try changing up the plate size or something.

[marleah]

Wed 4/29/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Pesto pasta with chickpeas; carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Pesto pasta with chickpeas; red grapes; roasted bell pepper and zucchini

Water: 30 oz

Haven't been exercising as much this week because I've been spending 3-4 hours after work on my thesis project at after-school-care programs. By the time I'm done, it's too late to go to the gym and after that long around kids, I'm exhausted anyway. I'm hoping that it will be better next week. I know this is just a temporary thing, so I'm hopeful! I'm going to be weighing myself tomorrow, so we will see how things are going. My clothes WERE fitting better, which I was excited about, but then got my period so the bloating and all has kind of taken that progress away momentarily. I'm hoping I'm just back to where I was prior to this week.

[nlb]

Marleah,

I think you're doing great! Too bad w/i comes at TOM, but that might pretty much be the same for awhile anyway. Good luck tomorrow!

Nancy

[marleah]

Thanks! I know, TOM really isn't that bad otherwise. Like I've mentioned earlier, I haven't really experienced cravings like I have in the past this time around, which is awesome! So I know that this is mostly water weight anyway. I was just so excited to be under 140, which I haven't been since at least two years ago - but then I snuck back over that line again, which was discouraging. But I've also had two red days this month! And a weekend out of town where we dined out every day.

So ... I guess this post is just my way of making myself feel better about the situation and looking at the reasons. Thanks for listening.

[marleah]

4/30/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Pesto pasta, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Hobo meal, strawberries

Water: 60 oz

Had a really good day water-wise - well, and with eating too. Didn't have hunger pangs or anything like that. I've found that this eating plan works so well for my schedule, because sometimes at 12:30 I have a client, so can't eat lunch - but sure, waiting until 1:30 is no problem for me. I know that I CAN wait that long, so I do - and my stomach hardly even growls.

On another note - I was in the NORMAL BMI category today when I weighed myself! I don't think this has happened since high school, and I graduated 7 years ago. I mean, I'm just barely in there, and of course it's S-days coming up and I'm going out of town, so I'm sure I'll go back over the line, but just knowing that it is even POSSIBLE for me to be in that range is amazing to me. I think this will also encourage me to maybe just have 2 cookies instead of 4, things like that over the weekend. But I'm not stressing over it either! Just proud of myself.

[VintageGeek]

Marleah! That's awesome! Congratulations! This is the kind of indelible proof that will make NoS really big one day.

[marleah]

Thanks! I weigh myself with the Wii Fit, and my Mii jumped up and cheered when it said normal instead of "That's overweight."

I think I am even more impressed that as I lose a bit of weight here and there, I'm not obsessive about it - and I recognize I can still have a treat or two this weekend.

[marleah]

Fri 5/1/09 - SUCCESS

Had a good day Friday, and had a great weekend! My husband and I went to a Killers concert Saturday night. We dined out here and there Sat and Sun, but it turned out that each of those days we only had one really big meal. We had small breakfasts each day, and then lunch tended to be late and big just because of the schedule we had. So really, I didn't overeat a whole lot. Did have some sweets a bit though! Only went up 2 lbs since Friday, and I'm not worried about that. Still in the high 130s, so that is great.

Since we were out of town, I did go shopping a bit, and I found a cute dress to wear to summer weddings - one size smaller than I expected!

[VintageGeek]

Wow, that sounds like a really awesome weekend. I like the killers, and I also like suddenly discovering that I have to buy smaller clothes now.

Excellent job, Marleah!

[marleah]

Mon 5/4/09 - SUCCESS

B: Smoothie (homemade - strawberry, peach, banana w/ soymilk and oj)
L: Veggie brat wrapped in a pita, homemade pickles, walnuts, pecans, apple
D: Layered taco

Exercise: 30 min of Wii Fit
Water: 54 oz

I have been amazed at how well I am able to delay my lunch on Mondays (when I'm not going to eat dinner until 9:30, after my late work shift). I have breakfast at the regular time (around 7-7:15), go to work, go to class, and then have lunch around 3:00. Go back to work, then dinner around 9:30. Before No-S I can't even imagine waiting until 3:00 to have lunch! But it's really not a problem for me at all now.

[marleah]

Tue 5/5/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Layered taco, tomatoes, carrots, apple
D: Veggie and tofu stir fry

Exercise: Lifted weights, 10 min on bike
Water: 54 oz

The day went pretty well. Busy, of course, but no real issues to speak of.

[marleah]

Wed 5/6/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Layered taco, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Lentils, chickpeas, and rice on a pita; dill pickle spear

Water: 50 oz

No extra exercise because I worked with a group of 30 (!) 6 and 7 year olds today for my thesis and was totally exhausted afterward. Might get to go for a walk today - weather should be very nice.

I haven't been sleeping very well this week. I think it may be because I'm starting this new phase of my thesis which is a little more stressful. I'm the type of person who really doesn't feel stressed out at any given time, but it comes out in other ways like feeling really tired or not sleeping. Also, there was a big thunderstorm that woke me up last night. Oh well, thesis will soon be complete. And then I'll just have a whole new batch of stress to work with!

[marleah]

Thurs 5/7/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Lentils, chickpeas, and rice on pita; carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Lentils, chickpeas, and rice on pita; dill pickle spear

Water: 45 oz

It's been so nice lately! I can't wait until my schedule opens up a bit more next week and I can start running again in the mornings. It's just been too much lately to do that on top of it, but I love to go out for a run. Things are going pretty well - S-days are coming up! I was back in the normal BMI range again today, at a little bit lower weight than I was last Friday. Which is exciting. Not a whole lot planned for the S-days really, but I might do some baking on Sunday. But I don't think I'll get carried away.

[VintageGeek]

Mmm, running. Oh, and Mmm, baking. I've started baking bread recently because I'm tired of shelling out 2.59 for a generic brand of whole wheat, and we've manged to accumulate at least four different types of flour for various recipes, so I'm doing my best to use them up.

Speaking of which, if you have any vegan baked goods recipes that you would be willing to share, I'd be a willing recipient. I'm not vegan (yet) but I think you're right - Colleen is starting to "convert" me. But I've been looking for recipes for vegan baked goods, and to be honest - I just don't know if they're going to taste good or not. The ones I've tried have been really hit-or-miss.

[marleah]

I cannot say enough good things about her book The Joy of Vegan Baking! Everything I have made from that book is amazing. Short of that, I have had fantastic luck just using regular recipes and replacing the eggs with Ener-G egg replacer, or the milk with soymilk, butter with Earth Balance butter, etc.

I have a great recipe for banana bread that for some reason I have never put on my blog. I'm a horrible blogger. When I get home tonight I could probably type that one up for you. But it's just a basic banana bread recipe that has been veganized. So swapping ingredients is the way to go!

[marleah]

Fri 5/8/09 - SUCCESS

B: Smoothie
L: Lentils and rice on pita; carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Falafel on pita with tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers; black beans and rice on the side

We ate at a restaurant tonight like we usually do on Fridays, and it went pretty well. I think everything was relatively low-cal, and it was satisfying. That's something I always worry about because I am used to eating around 7 or so, and when we eat out, we eat around 5:30-6:00. So I'm always worried about those couple extra hours before bed, but it really wasn't a problem. I don't know if that's just because I'm getting used to not eating all the time, or if I just keep busy enough. Either way, it works!

Here's the banana bread recipe I mentioned before:

Uber-Banana Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Smart Balance Omega spread
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp Ener-G Foods egg replacer , (2 eggs' worth - prepared with water)
2 1/3 cups bananas, mashed & overripe

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, cream together Smart Balance and brown sugar. Stir in prepared Ener-G egg replacer and mashed bananas until well blended.

3. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack.

It's delicious, and don't let the vegan ingredients fool you - EVERYONE I have served this to (95% of the people I know are meat-eaters) absolutely loves it.

[marleah]

Mon 5/11/09 - SUCCESS

Tue 5/12/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal w/ walnuts, pecans
L: Quizno's small veggie sandwich on wheat, no cheese; barbecue chips
D: Vegan African buffet - rice, lots of curries, banana

Kind of an out-of-the-ordinary day! Breakfast was pretty normal, but we are out of bananas, so no fruit on the side. Had lunch with some friends, and I was very disappointed with the size of my sandwich and lack of toppings ... usually they are pretty good, but today - not so much. Then we had a free vegan dinner put on by a guy I know who has an animal rights group on campus. The theme of the recipes was African, and all of the food was delicious. So I had a heaping plate, so I could try a bit of everything. But I don't feel too bad about it because it was mostly vegetables, really. Then we went to see the new Star Trek movie (which was very good, by the way) and everyone had popcorn except for me - which is ok, because popcorn upsets my stomach and gets stuck in my teeth. I really didn't even want any of the snacks - I was too full from dinner!

[marleah]

Wed 5/13/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans; small glass of juice
L: PB&J, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes
D: Bell pepper stuffed with rice, tomatoes, lentils; spinach salad with walnuts and pecans

Water: 50 oz

The stuffed bell pepper recipe is from The Vegan Table cookbook (but I added the lentils). They were DELICIOUS! Nothing too crazy went on yesterday. I did have a couple of job interviews, and I didn't feel very good about one of them. Oh well - we'll see what happens!

[Thalia]

Those peppers sound really good!

[Nichole]

So how's everything going?? I see you like the Killers - me too! A guy at work went to the conert on the 8th here in PA, I was so jealous.

[marleah]

Well, the week rounded out with successes. I did have a couple of bigger meals that led to me staying right around the same weight. Which is no big deal, really. It just reinforced the idea that alcohol (margaritas, specifically) should be kept for the weekends for me.

We have a graduation party to go to tonight, so I plan on having quite a few snacky things. I am taking a fabulous black bean salad (that I haven't blogged yet - http://marleah.wordpress.com - but will soon!) that is really delicious. So I will probably have quite a bit of that and maybe just call that supper. I haven't really decided yet - it depends on the schedule. So far, that's the only S I have planned for the weekend. I just really don't feel like it; anyone else have this issue ever?

[Nichole]

Yesh I feel like that.... I'm going to skip Ses this weekend.. I am finally starting to lose some weight (maybe, or maybe I just lost some water, who knows???). I am baking banana bread, might have that in place of breakfast tomorrow.

[VintageGeek]

Thanks for that banana bread recipe! I will definitely try it. And I've also now started listening to the VeganFreak podcast - a bit less "refined" than Colleen, I think, but still pretty entertaining. So I'm basically just a few hang-ups away from going totally vegan (and not one of those hang-ups is cheese, oddly).

ANYWAY, it sounds like you're continuing to do great! I wonder if I should start actually writing down the stuff I eat. Maybe that would help me stay on track with my updates, at least.

We saw Star Trek too, but...well, we're Trekkies, pretty hard core. It was good, and the cast and characterization were GREAT, but it just didn't feel like Star Trek to me. It was missing the message, the philosophy. Star Trek isn't just about action and explosions and spaceships that can destroy planets and political conflict. The closest message that I could come up with from it was "don't judge a book by its cover" with regards to Kirk and young Spock's relationship, but even that was underplayed and set aside in favor of the action sequences. But I think that's just JJ Abrams.

I know you didn't ask anybody what they thought of Star Trek, so I'll shut up now.

Actually, I've kind of been feeling the same way about weekends, but I'm trying to throw in a snack or a sweet on S-Days even when I don't really feel like it. I have this funny feeling that if I don't, I'll get a craving a few days late, and then I can't do anything about it.

Anyway, keep up the awesome work Marleah!

[marleah]

Mon 5/18/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Lentils/artichokes/tomatoes/rice on pita (from The Vegan Table); carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Vegan chicken nuggets, roasted potatoes, "honey" mustard with agave nectar instead of honey (from The Vegan Table)

Water: 36 oz
Exercise: Wii Fit, 30 min


Vintage - Opinions are always welcome, of course! I see what you mean about the message. Maybe as they continue the series (which I hear they are doing), that will start to come out more. Maybe they were just trying to grab their target audience and reel them in. Or maybe I'm just optimistic!

Going vegan can definitely be a transition. Vegan Freak is good, but I always preferred Colleen. But sometimes you just need something a little more ... abrasive? Good for you for considering such a big change. Let me know if you need any tips. I also have the same feeling about you for S's - I better have at least one just because I can, and if I don't I'll regret it when it's an N day. Sunday my throat hurt and I knew ice cream would feel so good on it, so I got some Tofutti Cutie ice cream sandwiches and they were DIVINE.

Nichole - I think that is the toughest part of this "diet" - when you do start losing weight, it's really hard to let yourself have a treat on the weekend!

[marleah]

Tue 5/19/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Lentils, artichokes, tomatoes with rice; pita
D: Boca burger loaded with veggies on whole wheat bread; red grapes; corn on the cob

Water: 20 oz

I have a few days off (since I haven't found a second job yet), and I'm finding that it is a lot harder for me to drink water when I am at home, for some reason. I just don't think about it, or I just have one glass as opposed to my big water bottle that I have when I am away from home. I did drink a lot of iced tea though - I made sun tea, which my mom always made when I was growing up, and it is so good! It's always been my favorite kind of tea. I even branched out and made green sun tea, which I've never liked cold because I had it out of a bottle. Well, iced green tea that I have brewed is excellent. It just reminds me of summer.

[marleah]

Oops, got a little behind - but it's all been SUCCESS or S-Days (Sat, Sun, Mon) since I last posted.

Tue 5/26 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, pecans
L: Veggie lasagna, lettuce/walnuts/dressing
D: Layered tacos, red grapes

I haven't been eating as well as I usually do, since I haven't had to pack my lunch to go anywhere! Things are a lot less planned when I stay home. I did make it to the gym yesterday though! I didn't really want to go, but I felt so much better when I did.

[marleah]

Wed 5/27/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Layered taco; lettuce/walnut salad; apple
D: Spicy pasta with tomatoes and artichoke; roasted asparagus/bell peppers

Exercise: 30 min Wii Fit, 30 min workout DVD
Water: 40 oz

Dinner was delicious! But I wish I would have included some grapes or something on the side. We also ate a bit earlier than usual, so I wanted to eat before bedtime - but I held out. I think part of why I was so hungry was because I exercised a bit more than usual. I got a couple of the Biggest Loser workout DVDs from the library, and they really get you going! I actually like them, I'm thinking about maybe buying one. But we'll see if I get sick of it while I have it checked out. And I made myself drink more! I think that helped a lot. It's also that time of the month, so I've been wanting to eat anyway. I don't mind it around bedtime, because I can just go to bed and read - I NEVER get back out of bed to eat.

[marleah]

Thu 5/28/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: Layered taco, apple, lettuce+walnut salad
D: Spicy pasta with veggies; roasted asparagus, zucchini; red grapes

Exercise: Walking ~ 1 hour

I had my car in the shop for an oil change, and I had things to do which meant I walked across town to my mom's daycare for a visit, then home, then to a job interview, then home again, and then back up to the shop! I think total it was about an hour that I was walking, maybe more. And I was SORE from that workout I did on Wednesday!

Today is an S-day (going to a friend's wedding this evening), but I don't think it will be too crazy. It does give me some leeway though, since the day's schedule is going to be screwy (5 hour drive, have to work around when the dinner is, snacks out on the table during the reception, etc.). That's always nice just to have some flexibility when it is needed.

[Thalia]

Have fun at the wedding -- your menus always sound so good!

[marleah]

Haha, thanks! We always talk about how our grocery budget is the largest bill we have each month, because we eat so well! It's always exciting trying new recipes, so that's where a lot of that comes from too.

The wedding was fun - and due to scheduling, driving, etc. didn't really have a chance to overeat. On Saturday, we did have brunch at a vegan restaurant in Kansas City, MO - Cafe Seed - which was excellent! We were talking about it for the rest of the day.

[marleah]

Mon 6/1/09 - S-Day

This S-day was for my mom's birthday, which isn't until Friday but she is going to be out of town then. My sister is back home from college right now too, so it was a nice family time.

Tue 6/2/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans; banana
L: PB&J (no leftovers!), small salad with dressing, apple
D: Pad Thai (recipe from The Vegan Table) - yum!

Exercise: Tried one of the Biggest Loser Workout DVDs, Power Sculpt. It was all right - would have been better if I had a couple of weights too.

Water: 24 oz

[marleah]

Thu 6/4/09 - S(ick) Day

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans
L: Quizno's regular veggie sandwich (no cheese)
D: Pasta with veggies, spinach/walnut salad
S: PB&J

The day started out so well, but there has been a lot of stress here lately (husband+work, me finding another job) and I just did not feel well at all yesterday! I was extremely tired (even took a nap in the car when I was waiting to pick up my husband from work) and after I had supper felt really queasy. I haven't been liking the pasta/veg - it's not that it doesn't taste good, but it just doesn't seem to settle with me. Yes, I should have learned by now and not eaten it - I've got that now. But I needed to do something to settle my stomach, and PB&J was the only thing that sounded appealing at all! Probably not the best justification, but I don't really feel like it requires a red day. Although I am at my limit of 2 extra S-days for the month, so if anything else like this happens, I will really think about making it an S-day versus a RED day.

[marleah]

Fri 6/5/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans
L: PB&J, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Ate at a Chinese restaurant - veggies, tofu, rice

I technically had 2 plates at the Chinese restaurant, but they were quite small and I virtual plated. I felt a little iffy doing that, especially with my S-days this week, but I think I'm doing all right.

No S's planned for today as of right now. Might have a couple animal crackers at work, and I think that I'm going to make banana bread tomorrow!

[marleah]

6/8/09 - SUCCESS!

B: Cereal, walnuts, pecans
L: Lentils and rice, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Corn on the cob, baked potatoes, "cheese" sauce with broccoli and tomatoes

Exercise: Weights at the gym, 10 minutes cardio

I still need to get better about drinking my water - it's really tough on Mondays and Fridays when I don't really get a full lunch break. It works really well for me to have 45 minutes or an hour to eat slowly and drink my water in between bites, but on those days I only get 15-20 minutes and it doesn't give me as much time to slow down. I feel like I am doing well though. I forgot to weigh myself on the Wii this morning until after my run - my weight was down to 134! But I know that's not totally accurate either since some of that was from my run. But it's still great!

Here's my chart:


Can everyone see that? I have it set to private on Flickr.

[Nichole]

I can see it! Great job!!!

[mimi]

Very impressive weight loss graph Marleah! Visuals like this are sooo motivating, aren't they! Good for you! Keep up the great work!

Mimi

[marleah]

Thanks guys! Visuals do help a lot. I can't really see changes in the mirror much either - you mentioned that in your thread, Nichole. I can tell if I look at a picture of myself from a few months ago and one now, to an extent. But apparently there is a difference.

6/9/09 - SUCCESS!

B: Instant oatmeal
L: Baked potato with salsa, nondairy sour cream; carrots, tomatoes, apple, banana - it sounds like a lot, but it was one plate!
D: Veggie and bean stew from the slow cooker; slice of bread

Exercise: Walked 20 min, ran 15 min (Couch to 5K intervals - week 4)

I had a really long stretch between lunch and dinner yesterday, which didn't work very well - makes for a grouchy me! I finally feel like I have gotten into my schedule for the summer (which has been up in the air since I've been looking for a second job), and that means that I have my exercise scheduled pretty well! I run (well, run and walk depending on the Couch to 5K thing) on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday mornings; then on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I go to the gym and lift weights/ride the stationary bike. I feel so much better on days that I work out, so I'm trying to maximize that. I'm finally getting back into running and it feels so good. It is very relaxing to be out there just listening to my music. Except I got rained on yesterday, but that was kind of fun anyway.

[marleah]

6/10/09 - SUCCESS

B: Oatmeal (the not-so-instant kind)
L: Bean and veggie soup, 2 tortillas, apple
D: Hobo meal (yum!), red grapes, small spinach salad with walnuts

Exercise: Lifted weights at the gym; 10 min on stationary bike; walked 2 miles (my car was at the shop so I walked home after dropping it off and walked back to pick it up)

I've been doing really well exercise wise and just staying active in general. The weather has been cool and rainy here lately, which makes walking around town much nicer than when it is 90 degrees outside. I'm really proud of that, and the fact that I keep losing. I really don't feel deprived at all - ok, sometimes at work I think "oh, a couple animal crackers won't hurt" but then I remember habit and that helps keep me honest. I keep raving about this "diet" to everyone!

[marleah]

Thu 6/11/09 - SUCCESS

B: Raisin bran with walnuts
L: PB&J, small spinach salad with carrots and tomatoes, apple
D: Tempeh sandwiches (with tomatoes, lettuce, vegan mayo, pickles, mustard), red grapes, spinach salad with walnuts

Exercise: Ran/walked intervals for 30 minutes (Couch to 5K Week 4); 30 min walk before dinner
Water: 48oz + 1 cup peppermint tea

Yesterday went pretty well. Today is going well No-S wise, but is a bit stressful work/school wise. But that's ok - I can tell that I do not treat food the same way I used to, as something I could turn to when I was emotionally shaky. It's not for that anymore! I love my meals, and they taste great, and I look forward to treating myself (a bit - don't even know what I really want yet) this weekend, but emotional eating is no longer part of it.

I'm also really proud of myself just because I've exercised in some way every day this week. I knew I wouldn't make it to the gym after work today due to a thesis meeting, so I made sure that I went before work - not my usual schedule, but I had the time so it worked. It felt so good - and a few weeks ago, I probably would have been content just skipping my workout. But now that I only have the one job and no class schedule at the moment, I find myself floating around feeling purposeless and going to the gym actually gives me a schedule to follow, which I thrive on. Sorry this is so long-winded; it's just that this whole set up has given me such a new and different perspective on so many things!

[marleah]

Fri 6/12/09 - SUCCESS

B: Raisin bran, walnuts; banana
L: Hobo meal, carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Lentil-artichoke stew with rice on pita; spinach salad with walnuts; pineapple

Exercise: Lifted weights at the gym; 15 min stationary bike; walked a few blocks to/from coffee shop for thesis meeting

Crazy day at work yesterday - lots of stress - that I mentioned in my previous reply. At the coffee shop, I treated myself and ordered one of those flowering tea buds in a glass teapot, that you can see unfold and bloom while it steeps. It was excellent tea! I love tea just because of little rituals when making it and things like that, and this tea was just beautiful. And calorie free!

[marleah]

Mon 6/15/09 - S-day

Monday was an S-day because I gave blood for the first time in 3 years! In the past I have had some iron issues (not anemia, just some days lower iron than others) plus I have very small veins and so it's often hard for me to give blood. Well, I decided to try again and made it an S-day so that if I needed to, I could take care of myself. It worked really well - I always eat a lot of spinach salads, but I upped the intake and also added orange juice along with it (since vitamin C helps you absorb iron). Worked like a charm! And my blood pressure was 100/65! When I get frustrated because I don't see the scale move for a while, I remind myself that the whole reason I am doing this is for health anyway - and healthy doesn't always equal skinny.

Tue 6/16/09 - SUCCESS

B: Oatmeal with cinnamon
L: Layered taco, spinach salad with walnuts, apple
D: Tempeh sandwiches, pineapple, baby carrots

I skipped my workout (lifting weights) Monday since I gave blood, but still went walking. I think I did overdo it a bit, because I got really tired during the walk and had to eat a little extra when we got there. But I did go for my run on Tuesday morning and was fine, so I think I've fully recovered. I made sure to drink lots of water too.

[Nichole]

Great job! Yes, it always good to remind ourselves that even if the scale isn't budging, we are still doing ourselves a service by exercising.

[marleah]

Wed 6/17/09 - SUCCESS

B: Smoothie
L: Layered taco, spinach salad with walnuts, apple
D: Thai curry with pita(from The Vegan Table) - first time I've cooked with coconut milk! It was loaded with cauliflower, tofu, rice, red bell pepper, and potatoes. Also spinach salad with walnuts and red grapes.

Exercise - lifted weights at the gym, 15 min stationary bike

Thu 6/18/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts, banana
L: Thai curry with pita, spinach salad with walnuts, apple
D: Thai curry again! Spinach salad with walnuts, red grapes.

Writing down my meals like this makes me think that some of them are so redundant or repetitive, but I don't feel that way when I prepare them! I ENJOY having that spinach salad. I ENJOY having an apple with my lunch. Weird, huh?

[marleah]

Oh no, I'm behind!

Fri 6/19/09 - SUCCESS

Mon 6/22/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal, walnuts
L: Orzo pasta with roasted red peppers and peas; carrots, tomatoes, apple
D: Vegan brat in a pita; spinach salad with walnuts; black grapes

This was a tough day since it was the first day of my period. I was a little extra emotional and had a headache all day (from someone who gets headaches maybe twice a year). I was very hungry all day too - not craving anything in particular, just wanting to eat! I still got my exercise in though, drank some extra water, and "splurged" and had a small bit of orange juice with my supper (I usually save juice for S-days). I made my spinach salad bigger than usual too, giving myself some extra iron. I think it helped some. I'm feeling much closer to normal today!

[Nichole]

Period are horrible.

I had a headache yesterday (no period though) and felt awful when I got home, and grumpy. But after I exercised and ate my dinner, I felt so much better.

I don't know why, but we definitely have days where we are sooo hungry (we being people in general). It probably means we're lacking something nutritionally right? In your case it was hormones, I suppose.

[marleah]

I was figuring hormones and all that - plus I gave blood last week, so I'm sure my body is all out of whack just from that type of thing too. Headaches are miserable! I agree with your thought about lacking things nutritionally. If I'm feeling "off" I always try to remember how much fresh fruit/veggies I've had that day, because that really seems to make a difference for myself. I suppose it's partially the water content too, and if I haven't had enough water then I get hungrier.

[marleah]

Tue 6/23/09 - FAIL!

B: Cereal with walnuts, banana
L: Orzo pasta leftovers; spinach salad with walnuts; apple
D: Quinoa and veggies on pita; spinach salad with walnuts; strawberries and a bit of peanut butter
S: Bowl of raisin bran

So I felt like I couldn't hold off. I was fairly miserable this afternoon with cramps and all, which is actually very rare for me. I just did not feel satisfied at all after dinner, even with the peanut butter I had with my strawberries. It wasn't that I was craving anything in particular, I just did not feel "done". I still think that I'm successful in the long run, because I USED to just walk around the kitchen and eat a whole bunch of different things until I found what felt right (and nothing ever did). So tonight I thought about it a bit, decided a bowl of cereal sounded good, and it was. I was then extra full-feeling, but I also felt satisfied with what I had eaten.

[gratefuldeb67]

Well it's all healthy good stuff Marleah
I honestly feel it's much harder to be full when you are a vegetarian, so one has to have a little more food to compensate.
My Son is vegetarian.. Sometimes I'll alternate days of being veggie..
And I am telling you, I feel much hungrier on those days.
Have a good week!
Debs x
ps.. hope you feel better soon! Cramps suck!!

[marleah]

I usually don't have a problem getting full - for some reason this week is just ridiculous for me. I was trying to think of why that might be, and the only thing I can think of is I am drinking less tea. That may be contributing to the extra PMS symptoms. Oh, and I haven't been drinking as much water. So ... apparently I need to do better on that! If it was the vegetarian food, I'd have not been full in the past 5 years, so I don't think that's it. I think it all depends on what you eat - if you are eating a salad made of iceberg lettuce and a few veggies, then you're going to be more hungry, but if you add some chickpeas and a slice of bread on the side, you'll be less so.

On to the report ...

Wed 6/24/09 - SUCCESS w/ exceptions

B: Cereal with nuts, banana
L: Quinoa and veggies on pita, apple, spinach salad with walnuts
D: Quinoa and veggies (again!), black grapes, spinach salad

I did have a handful of nuts before dinner because my husband and I do vegetarian presentations/discussions at the local library twice a month, and our topic last night was different kinds of nuts and the health benefits of them. I'm counting that as an exception since it totaled up to about 5 nuts in all, and I don't feel that it was necessarily going against my habit that I've formed. I also had a small glass of orange juice during dinner - I typically save juice for S-days, but I'm starting to think that during my "favorite week of the month" I'll have juice to help tide me over.

[marleah]

Oh goodness, it's been a while. I have not been motivated at all this week to get on the computer! Which I guess isn't a problem in itself, really - it is always good to have a break.

But ... this week I did have some slip ups. I felt horrible on Tuesday and even napped on the couch after I got home from work (I rarely nap - maybe 3-4 times a year or so!), so I counted that as a Sick day. Which was fine. But then the NEXT day (still feeling a bit under the weather), I decided that after lunch the only thing that would satisfy me was to eat the remaining Oreos from our party we had this past weekend. Seriously?? And I had even had my husband put those Oreos on the very top shelf in the kitchen so I wouldn't think about them! So what do I do? I actually got the mop so that I could pull the bag down that the Oreos were in. How ridiculous is that? And then they didn't even taste that good! But of course I ate them anyway. So that is my embarrassing story. It wasn't the biggest screwup in the history of time - there were only 7 Oreos left (yes, I counted), and that was the only time that day that I broke the rules (so the Oreos didn't lead to a binge or anything). It could have been much worse, but seriously - ridiculous.

Anyway - yesterday went much better - no breaking the rules! Not surprisingly, I haven't really lost anything this week, but I haven't gained either. I've kept up my exercise, and the habit is still there - just recovering from a couple of weird days this week.

Hope everyone has a great holiday (for those of you in the US like myself!)

[marleah]

Behind again!

Mon 7/6/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts
L: BBQ tofu on pita, tomatoes, carrots, apple
D: Sandwiches (lettuce pickle, artichoke, bell pepper, soy pepperoni) and cantaloupe

Exercise: lifted weights at the gym, 15 min walking (besides normal day stuff)

[marleah]

Tue 7/7/09 - SUCCESS

B: Cereal with walnuts
L: BBQ tofu sandwich with spinach salad and apple
D: Pasta with tomato-artichoke sauce, roasted asparagus and zucchini, ciabatta roll

Exercise: Ran 20 minutes, walked 15; Wii Boxing/Wii Fit

Not sure what is going on, but I'm up a couple pounds lately. Still not anywhere near where I was a couple months ago, but I just can't figure out what is going on. I've been keeping up my exercise, and I did have a red day but that was a week ago. Also, my S-days this past weekend weren't out of hand. It could be just normal fluctuations, I guess, but usually when I am up a couple of pounds I'm able to pinpoint why. I didn't even have dinner late! Sometimes if I do that then I am up a bit the next day, but that's not the case right now. I guess it is just a mystery.