My new life

Good morning and Happy October 1st!

I have never been this excited about October before, that I can recall. It really feels like Fall now and there’s just something about pumpkin, warm drinks and staying cozy under the covers that just warms my heart. I really don’t like cold weather (winter, ugh) but I like being warm during the day and just a bit chilly at night 🙂

Today is also the first day of Vegan MoFo III, which I have decided to participate in.

I have been giving a lot of thought over the past month or so as to whether I can really call myself a vegan. I read again, in another book, that people who only adopt the dietary changes are really just strict vegetarians and not vegans. Vegans are people who’s entire lifestyle reflects a stance against cruelty, not just their diets. Especially since my diet is first of all health-motivated, I just wasn’t sure where I fit. Or if I even had to.

But, I have found that through the past month of experimenting with this way of eating and doing the research, that I do, in general, strive to be more peaceful. Eating this way has made me more aware of some other things, not just about food, but about my body. For instance, I am very sensitive to stress.

Even if I don’t necessarily feel “stressed out” I do sometimes have some internal things going on. This has made me more aware of my mental health and I’ve been identifying the things I can do to keep things positive. I am seeing more clearly now and I know what situations, people, and things stress me so I’m going to be working on finding ways to deal with that.

I’ve already started by “hiding” some of my friends on Facebook who are constantly writing negative things either about themselves, politics, other people or whatever. I don’t want to censor anyone, but if it’s bringing me down, I don’t want to read it. I even find that there are sometimes songs and tv shows that I used to watch but don’t want to anymore because they stress me out.

My overwhelming desire for peace is…well, overwhelming. My husband probably thinks I’ve lost my mind for real this time.

I have also felt more of a desire to help people, something I have always enjoyed doing but have been seriously slacking off with lately. I want to find my place of ministry in my church and perhaps do some volunteer work again. I also want to do some random acts of kindness and not tell you about any of them because it’s not about me or puffing myself up. It’s about making a difference in someone else’s life without getting any credit — that is what I want.

I’ve also felt closer to God recently, which may have nothing to do with this whole eating experiment, but I do think it comes from being intentional and making small sacrifices. I have been praying more and more and want to find a regular Bible study to get involved with because I haven’t been in one in a long time. I am thirsty for more!

So this month is about so much to me. I know it will spill over into November, December and next year, but here are the things I am going to focus on more this month (I will expand on all of these later and give you updates):

1. Eating a plant-based, animal-free diet (no meat, dairy, eggs, etc.) – essentially only vegan foods
2. Exercising for health, fun, stress relief, and peace of mind — not to run myself down or to “undo” over eating
3. Listening to my body and resting when I need to rest
4. Creating peace and harmony in my daily life through prayer, meditation, and relaxation
5. Eliminating or reducing things in my life that cause me stress
6. Focus more on serving others through volunteering or random acts of kindness and favors
7. Start ministering to people in my church in an area I feel passionate about
8. Stay close to God and find a Bible study to participate in

I’m so excited…I had no idea when I started writing this post that it would turn into all of this. Wow.

To get this month started, I ate a healthy animal-free breakfast of oats (cooked in water) with a sliced banana and peanut butter.

Happy Thursday!

What are your goals for this month?

What I’ve been up to

Hey guys!

So my camera batteries died yesterday morning, boo. I have literally no pictures to share with you right now but I did want to tell you what I’ve been up to the past couple of days.

Yesterday, I went back to work feeling much better from the cold I caught over the weekend. Thank goodness for healthy eating, rest and vitamin C. I swear, it works wonders.

I also ate a piece of cake! A co-worker of mine celebrated 30+ years of service, so there was a small celebration. Wait, I did take that pic with my cell! I tried to take more throughout the day but they were all crappy and blurry so this is the only one.

The cake was huge and it had a section of the book “Ethan Frome” written out on it. Someone spent a lot of time on that!

I know this cake had to contain eggs and dairy so it was sort of a sayonara to such things as October 1st is tomorrow. It also held me over so well (I ate it after lunch) that I was not hungry again until dinner time 🙂

I also took a nice hour plus long walk with a friend last night, first real exercise I’d had in a while. It felt so good. I’m off work today (had a dr. appt earlier) and think I’m going to check out some of the Exercise TV programs I saw the other day.

I’m really feeling yoga today so it will likely be something like that.

I’m also currently baking some Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate brownies that I’m taking to girl’s night tonight. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, or if you are just looking for some really great animal-free recipes, Happy Herbivore is a must!

If they taste half as good as they smell and look, we are all in for a treat later.

Tomorrow is the big day, the moment of truth. I’ve definitely been able to eliminate meat from my diet with absolutely no problems. But dairy has been showing up in interesting places and I’m also concerned with inconveniencing my family and friends a bit.

But this is a change I really want to make, for my health, because I don’t want to put anything in my body that I’m not completely confident in.

And I know eventually the inconveniences will fade and it will become my way of living, second nature. Here we go…

Hope you are having a good day too!

p.s. Today I also tried the new Starbucks VIA instant coffee. I got a sample a week or so ago when I stopped there with Mom. I have to say, it was quite tasty and I liked just being able to add hot water to it instead of loading up my coffee maker. Definitely convenient. I may have to look into it, at least for the weekends 😉

What to call myself?

I recently read Caitlin’s post on labels and it got me thinking…what am I?

As most of you know by now, I have been doing research and experimenting with veganism for a few weeks now, thanks to Lindsey’s inspiration and fueled by my own off-and-on interest in the “diet” side of the lifestyle. I decided to take on this challenge for health reasons and for all the great things I’ve heard about the positive “side effects” of the diet, though I do care about animals and our environment. That is just not my #1 motivation. To me, it’s an added bonus, something that is additionally benefitting from me choosing this lifestyle for myself.

Just about every day, I Google “Is (fill in the blank) vegan?” and I’m surprised at the amount of information out there on the subject. Just about everything I have come across has been easy to figure out so far. But I found one thing in particular hard to get around…honey.

I have known for a long time that “true” vegans do not eat honey but I wondered if that applied to me? I don’t use it, as I am generally a low sugar eater. I don’t keep honey in a jar in my house. But I’m finding it difficult at times to avoid products that already have it in there. Since my primary motivation is health, will a little honey here or there really hurt me?

Then I thought to myself…why not just leave that part out? I’ll do everything else. Can I still be considered a “vegan?” Do I even care about having a label?

But, I went ahead and Googled “Can you be a vegan and eat honey?” I clicked on the first link that came up.

[Source – http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm]

“Vegan Nomenclature : If you are thinking to yourself, “But I’m a vegan for health reasons” or “I’m a vegan for environmental reasons,” read on. Unlike the word vegetarian, the word vegan specifically implies moral concern for animals, and this concern extends to all areas of life, not just diet. If you do not believe in animal equality, please consider referring to yourself as someone who doesn’t eat animal products, as one who follows a plant-based diet, or as one who follows a vegan diet. Or, continue to educate yourself about veganism, and perhaps you will choose to practice veganism. Additionally, anyone who eats honey, yet refers to herself as a vegan, makes life difficult for other vegans–it’s like having someone who eats fish and calls herself a vegetarian. When a vegetarian comes along, it is much harder for her to explain that fish is not acceptable for vegetarians.”

While I know this particular source is just one person’s opinion, I am sure that it is shared by many throughout the vegan community. Honey is apparently a quite controversial topic. I also found this really interesting article on Slate.com called “The Great Vegan Honey Debate” written By Daniel Engber. 

Here are some good tidbits from that article:

“There is no more contentious question in the world of veganism than the one posed by honey.”

“You either eat honey or you don’t; to debate the question in public only makes the vegan movement seem silly and dogmatic.”

And probably my favorite line from the entire piece:

“That may be the most important lesson to come out of this debate: You’ll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

The Bottom Line

• I totally respect why ethically-motivated vegans avoid honey. I tend to do it myself as a person who avoids sugar and sugary products, though it’s a different type of motivation.
• I will strive to avoid honey in the same way I have been, but I won’t go out of my way. Obviously, foods like “honey roasted peanuts” “yogurt with honey” or “oats & honey granola bars” will be easy to spot and I will do my best to not purchase those products. Also, this is a point where it comes in handy not to eat many processed foods to begin with!
• I do not care about labels personally; I don’t fit neatly into boxes, figuratively speaking. But when someone asks me how I eat or why I am not eating something, I want to have an answer for them that is both accurate and respectful.
• As of today, I am a vegetarian. If I choose to adopt the vegan way of living and make it permanent, I will refer to my diet as vegan, but not myself. I will however, allow myself to be called “labeled” a vegetarian. That is a name I am comfortable with since I don’t plan to eat meat or seafood again for the foreseeable future.

So, there you have it. I am a vegetarian that eats a semi-vegan diet. I avoid eating meat, seafood, eggs, butter, and dairy products. I am working on reading labels and finding those animal-derived ingredients that get snuck into some seemingly vegan foods, including all the hard to spell ingredients like calcium carbonate. Okay, so that wasn’t too hard to spell.

*I also want to make it clear that I am doing this for myself because I want to. And you should eat whichever way it is that works for you or that you are passionate about.*

I also reserve the right to change and evolve over time, as should you. When I first started this blog and throughout the months that have followed, my diet has gone through various changes. I’m sure this won’t be the end of it as I continue on this journey of healthy and balanced living.

I’ve been interested in vegetarianism and veganism since I was a teenager, experimenting with it from time to time, including on a few occasions over the past two years, but I’ve been going about it the wrong way due to my lack of knowledge and understanding. But now that I am informed and I am motivated, I am finally ready. Ready to experience everything that eating an animal free diet has for me. Ready to experience new foods and try out some new recipes. Thanks for allowing me to share that with you.

Have a great weekend!

Prioritizing

Happy Thursday y’all! Thank God it’s almost Friday, right? Thank you for all the great comments on my last post about the Bittman article! I appreciate it.

For breakfast this morning, I had two Eggo waffles, a Morningstar Farms patty and some canned pears that I drained and rinsed (can you tell I’m trying to use stuff up)?

I debated over whether to put something on the waffles but in the end I just ate them plain and enjoyed it that way 😉

Mid-morning, I snacked on some mixed nuts and took a 15 minute walk, yay!

For lunch, I reluctantly had the leftover Lentil Rice and Veggie Bake that I made for girls night this week. It was actually kind of better today or perhaps I was just really hungry 😉

Yes, I threw some Brussels on there! I love them and they are high in Vitamin C! That is especially cool with cold and flu season upon us.

After lunch, I had some fruity tea and a piece of dark chocolate. Sorry recycled pic here, the other one disappeared!

For my afternoon snack, I decided to give soy yogurt another try. I’ve been doing some research and it is hard to find non-dairy yogurts that are also low in sugar! I’ve found one brand that I want to look for next time I’m at Whole Foods but for now, this one had to do.

This little container has 18 grams of sugar. This made me realize I need a priority? What is going to take precedence? Sugar or the fact that this is non-dairy?

I’ve long said I would not choose “junk” in favor of avoiding meat or dairy products. There are a lot of restaurants where the only vegetarian or vegan options would be French fries. I’m sort of in a pickle here. Ooh pickles…I digress.

But for now, the soy yogurt was good and I won’t eat it everyday so perhaps it can remain a part of my diet? I also don’t want to overdo soy products. This does have some good points though.

To “bulk” it up a bit, I added two tablespoons of Ezekiel golden flax cereal. I did just a little bit first to try it.

But it was totally yummy so I threw the rest on there and went to town. The yogurt was so creamy and just a bit sweet, not terribly overwhelming like some of the fruit flavors. I’d get it again.

After work, I got to take an hour long yoga class. It was pretty simple, for beginners, but I enjoyed it immensely. I left there feeling relaxed and peaceful which is my favorite thing about yoga.

Our teacher was also really funny! She was an older woman and she made the funniest little jokes during our practice. She said her instructor once told her that if you don’t breathe during your asanas, your brain will freeze, ha ha!

The class was great and when I got home I was STARVING! So I hurried up and made dinner. On the menu tonight…TOFU!

I got a small package of Silken Extra Firm tofu (Mori-Nu), drizzled some canola oil on it, sprinkled on some seasonings and baked it in the oven at 425 for 25 minutes (a bit longer since it’s Silken).

On the side I had some mixed veggies, a pita pocket (plain) and some ketchup for dipping the tofu. It was so delicious!

I’m enjoying a nice cup of peppermint tea and a piece of dark chocolate. This kind that I have, it is vegan and it only contains 5 grams of sugar per 3 pieces! Thank goodness I don’t have to make a choice there 😉

The cool thing is that this is MY diet so I can decide. I hope you do the same for yourself. Good night!

Sleepy Saturday

Well, I think we can almost officially call this Fall now! The leaves are turning, the weather is cooler (at least in the morning and evening hours), Starbucks have Pumpkin Spice lattes back…IT IS FALL!!

I’m so excited because I think this is becoming my favorite time of year. Unfortunately, I’m not a big fan of winter but perhaps I can be creative this year and find a way to enjoy that season more too 😉

So, where to begin! Oh yeah, let’s start with how Friday went down…

Breakfast was plain oat bran with banana and almond butter. The jar is almost empty so you know what that means…oats in a jar soon!

Then mid morning I snacked on more banana and PB after a 15 minute walk (this was half, the banana from this morning was huge):

For lunch, I had one of my favorite vegan convenience meals!

I don’t want to become dependent on these but it got me through this time 😉

YUM! Just as good the second time around…

After lunch digested, I went to the gym for a 40 minute treadmill workout with Farrah. We did walking and running intervals until we reached 3 miles…went something like this – 5 min walking warm up (2.5 mph), Run 5 minutes (5.5 mph), Walk 2.5 minutes (3.8 mph) – repeat run/walk sequence 4 times – cool down walking for 5 minutes. In the run sequences I did 6.0 for the last minute a few times.

It was awesome! I felt like I could’ve pushed it more but I didn’t because I want to honor my body and not reach those limits as I’m not a competitive athlete or anything. My body thanked me by not being sore and I wasn’t too tired either.

Snacks were some REAL dark chocolate (no milkfat in this piece):

Some almonds…

For dinner, I convinced Josh to go to Shalimar, a really great Indian restaurant here in town. I ordered what I’ve seen Gina eat several times…Baingan Bartha!

I had mine over some rice with garlic naan on the side. I think this dish was vegan, no? It was just peas, eggplant and sauce I think. Geez, it was so good. I ate most of it, but not all.

Even though I felt pregnant (with a food baby) for the next couple of hours, I still managed to eat a serving of ice cream (not vegan trying to use it up):

Then we watched a couple of bad movies (The Mummy Dragon Emperor something or other, dumb and Valkyrie which wasn’t too bad actually) and I snacked on two sheets of graham crackers (these need to leave my house like now) and a couple of marshmallows.

Then I had some tea and went to bed 🙂 Zzzzz…

~~~

Hello Saturday!

For breakfast, I had two very non-vegan Eggo waffles with PB and banana. I decided to have fun and make a waffle-wich!

On a Pokemon plate no less. Haha. Close up of the yummy goodness…

On the way to meet my mom for a nice walk at the park with Suzie, I grabbed a tall soy latte from the ‘Bucks. It was tasty…I think there soy latte feels like a treat even though it’s fairly low in calories! I resisted the pumpkin spice latte for now 😉

At the park, we walked around the track twice which is about 2.4 miles, plus walking to and from the car, we got a good workout in! So did my silly dog.

For lunch, we went to Mimi’s Cafe, which is easily my favorite restaurant. While perusing the menu though, I couldn’t help but think how hard it would be for a vegan to eat there.

I ended up getting the veggie burger with fresh fruit. I only used half the bun as it was huge and not even close to whole grain.

This was pretty good and definitely filled me up. But I can’t eat veggie burgers all the time…

I think I might write to the company…not to complain, but just to find out their suggestions for vegan menu options. Other that a garden salad with no dressing…that’s what I’m finding on the websites out there – that’s not a meal!

I also had some delicious unsweetened raspberry tea 🙂

Before I went grocery shopping, I popped a piece of real dark chocolate. Now that I am back home, I’m thinking it is time for a nap. I’m going out with some girls to Ramsi’s tonight…I see falafel in my future…and it is beautious!

Have a great day friends!

To vegan or not to vegan

This is going to sound crazy to some of you but if you know me or you’ve been reading here for any amount of time, you know that I am constantly revolutionizing my diet. I like trying new things, taking on challenges and most of all, finding optimum health through my daily eats. Most recently I made a gradual switch to eating lower sugar, including less fruit, fewer grains servings and checking products for added sugars.

When I read Lindsey’s post earlier today about her Vegan Venture, I couldn’t help but be inspired. It just so happens that minutes before I read that, I had been sitting at my desk eating my last serving of Greek yogurt, I thought about how easy it would be to give up dairy. I think for me, dairy has become more of a habit rather than something I actually enjoy eating/drinking. I actually went through a period last summer when I thought I was lactose intolerant but it turns out sugar (and sometimes too much fiber) was really the culprit.

I also still have the food pyramid in the back of my mind at times, which tells us that we need 3 servings a day for calcium. Then I read this article on MSN Health which challenges some concepts about dairy consumption, which surprised me but I guess it shouldn’t.

Truth be told, I actually prefer soy or other nut-based milks (especially rice milk the one time I tried it). But could I go completely vegan?

What does being a vegan mean?

Veganism in a nutshell

I already don’t eat meat too often except for the occasional turkey burger, which I’m currently burnt out on since I have to use up all four servings of meat quickly when they thaw 😉 Giving up meat has never been a problem for me. I’ve done it twice just since starting this blog, including last year and back in May of this year.

I’ve mentioned before that from a cost analysis I did in a nutrition class, meat products are the most expensive things we purchase (per serving). While I don’t ever expect my husband to give up meat, by me not eating it, we have saved a lot of money and the meat we do buy lasts longer than if we both ate it. That has been another motivating factor. We are on a budget as a young married couple with our fair share of debt and I also want to show others that it is possible to be a very healthy eater and not break the bank.

But, if I were to go vegan, even just as a short-term experiment, I have to mention (again) that my number one motivation is my health. Yes, I am healthy and I eat healthy now, but I’m always looking to take things to the next level. I found this really neat post from Amanda Berne (aka the Accidental Vegetarian) where she talks about going vegan for a month and how great it made her feel (great).

This can be done the wrong way for sure. I mean, just check out this Vegan Snacks guide! I wouldn’t eat 98% of that stuff now, why on earth would I eat it because it’s vegan? Don’t let Josh see that Hot Tamales are vegan by the way! Plus I think that list is majorly outdated…do they still make Wow chips? The ones that supposedly cause “leakage?” Ew…

I would rather take Lindsey’s approach and stick to plant based foods. I hate the idea of eating a lot of fake soy products like veggie burgers and chik’n patties even though I have used these products in the past (and will use up the ones currently in my freezer). I’d rather make this an experiment with new foods and recipes that would be both fun and educational.

So what do you guys think? Should I do it?

Note that this will not be a quick switch or cold turkey. I hope to gradually make the transition and not necessarily set a time frame on it but rather follow it as my body leads me.

I appreciate any input on the topic! If you are already vegetarian or vegan what was your motivation? What inspired you to make the switch?

If you are interested in joining the challenge, visit Lindsey’s blog and let her know! You could be entered into a giveaway 😉

Calories are what counts

Wanted to share this article with you from one of my local news stations reporting on a study originally reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The studies show that no particular diet (low-carb, low-fat, etc.) had a better effect on weight loss than another; just those who counted calories and stuck with their plan were successful in the long term.

What Counts Most When Dieting? Calories

Study Followed 800 Adults On Different Diets For 2 Years

While calories are the biggest number and perhaps the most important, lets not forget about those other important numbers. It is still very important to get enough fiber, healthy fat, protein, and carbohydrates (complex) in your diet and also getting the right vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat.

You can count calories by eating processed foods out of boxes all the time and you will lose weight. But the added, artificial ingredients will make it harder and could end up adversely affecting other areas of your health such as blood pressure, especially if you are sodium sensitive. Keep it all balanced!

There are calorie calculators off to the side where you can find out how many calories you need to take in to lose weight and how many to maintain your current weight, plus an activity calculator. It seems pretty accurate and I had fun trying it out.

What a weekend!

Let me just say, wow. Weekends have been killer for me since…well, forever. I always eat too much on the weekends, don’t get enough exercise and end up starting over on Monday, hoping those two days can make a difference for my Wednesday weigh ins. Hmm…

I kicked butt this weekend! I had a few treats (in the form of dark chocolate PB and sugar free Werther’s) but I kept my portions and calories WAY in check and I felt great about it. I was never hungry and never too full. Plus, no cravings for sweets or “bad” carbs! My energy has been amazing, even in spite of hormones. I feel freakin’ fantastic! And it could just be all in my head, but I’m pretty sure my pants are already fitting better.

I never thought I could like a “diet” so much (it’s all about discipline and mental preparedness). I’m not stressed out at all, quite the opposite actually.

So let’s take a look at Sunday, shall we?

Well, first, here is what I ended up having as a snack on Saturday night, hehe. I justify this because a) it’s peanut butter which is protein, b) dark chocolate in small amounts is good for you and c) it only has a few grams of sugar for 2 tbsp and I usually only have one (although it was 2 this particular time).

Sunday breakfast – This brings me to Experiment # 3. I bought some skim milk since I had eaten cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese with no lactose-intolerant-like symptoms afterward. I made a smoothie with my no sugar added chocolate breakfast powder, 1 cup of skim milk and some ice. Yep, no symptoms! Hmm…I am pretty much convinced now that me and dairy are okay, as long as I don’t overdo it. I’m going to continue to monitor my reactions to foods and point out any culprits.

Now for the rest of breakfast…two scrambled eggs and 3 links of turkey sausage. This, plus the smoothie, plus a cup of coffee at church kept me going FOREVER. I didn’t even feel the need to eat until after 1:00 when we got home. This never happens! At church, I did savor three sugar free Werther’s candies. I don’t keep a whole bag with me because they still do have calories and some people are sensitive to sugar alcohols. I also chew sugarless gum, I have found these two methods a good way to keep from eating when I’m not hungry, to distract my mouth 🙂

Lunch – Veggie burger with slice of cheddar veggie cheese, green beans and edamame. Oh and a tbsp of habanero ketchup — this claims to have 0 g of sugar, but it’s in the ingredients (and we all know ketchup has it). I will continue to use sparingly.

After tons of cleaning, shopping, laundry and running around, I had 1/4 cup of Planter’s unsalted mixed nuts (including almonds, brazil nuts, cashews and peanuts). This has got to be one of my all-time favorite mixes! The jar was on sale at CVS for $2.99, regularly more than $5, so I am very glad I snagged it. May have to go back and get more before the sale ends! Sorry no pic, I’m not sure what happened there.

I did some work on the computer, balanced the checkbook (always fun, right? hah) and then got ready for dinner. I made this salad with romaine lettuce, portobello mushroom slices, cucumber, a sprinkle of parmesan and balsamic vinaigrette mist. It was a little bland, I’m sorry to say. I will seek improvement for next time (maybe some nuts?).

Main course – Salmon, seasoned with Mrs. Dash lemon pepper (one of my favorites) and baked in the oven; served with steamed cauliflower (with S + P). It tasted good, but I still think the whole dinner lacked a lot in flavor. I will have to improve upon my cooking methods. Any suggestions?

Almost immediately after dinner, I ate this sugar free caramel pudding cup!

Then I got to work big time on cleaning the house and diving into the heap of laundry I had to do. I did no formal exercise this weekend, but I hardly sat around! By the time I was done with my tasks, my legs were tired and I was ready for bed, but feeling quite accomplished. I even changed the sheets and everything on the bed!

I had one last snack for the day, 2.5 tbsp of dark chocolate PB. I have to put the jar away because if it’s just sitting there, it is way too tempting. I still have the cinnamon raisin PB in the pantry, but raisins are a big no-no right now, so I will have to save that for later. I drank two huge glasses of water with this because I’m sure part of my ‘hunger’ was really thirst.

I am so pleased with this weekend. I forgot to mention, when I weighed in last Thursday with my health assessment, I was down 2 lbs. Sweet!

Happy Monday blogland!

Detoxing not dieting

That’s right blogreaders, I have decided to detox. I have felt uncomfortable the last several days and noticed I was eating very off-balanced and mostly carbs. Carbs are good, we need them for energy and whole grains are a great source of fiber and other minerals. But it can still be too much of a good thing.

So, taking a page out of the South Beach Diet book (even though I’ve sworn off diets), I decided to take a couple of weeks to curb my cravings and slowly reintroduce some good carbs into my diet. I also have been thinking about sugar a lot lately as I have been struggling to lose these last few pounds.

Details, details

Basically, here is what I will be eating for the next two weeks – lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, soy products, tofu, most veggies, eggs, lowfat or fat free dairy, plain nonfat yogurt, nuts, legumes & beans, sugar free desserts, EVOO or canola oil, decaf coffee and tea.

And here is what I will NOT be eating (2 weeks only) – fruit, fruit juice, bread, rice, cereal, oatmeal, pasta, full fat dairy, sweetened yogurt, cake, cookies, ice cream, alcohol, honey baked ham, carrots, corn, potatoes, yams, fatty meats.

Many nutritionists and trainers (Jackie Warner always comes to mind) out there are warning of high sugar in food products and that sugar, not carbs or fat, is what is making us Americans gain so much weight. Just knowing what I eat regularly: lots of fruit, sweetened yogurt, bread, pasta, specialty coffees, etc., I know I am getting way too much sugar in my daily diet.

I also read the blog of Zen Gray, another well-known fitness trainer, who wrote a blog recently about belly fat (which I still have quite a bit of, despite losing 70 lbs). She pointed out that a lot of the puffiness and bloat we experience could be related to food allergies or sensitivities. I found out after experimenting that I have ‘reactions’ to dairy products, which I now control either by using Lactaid pills or sticking to soy-based products. But she also mentions wheat. So in addition to detoxing from carbs, I’ll also be experimenting to see if I do have a wheat allergy or sensitivity that I wasn’t previously aware of.

So here is how Monday went (I feel GREAT btw)…

Breakfast – vanilla yogurt with pecans, sunflower kernels, spoonful of Sun Butter and hot tea with splash soymilk. This was actually quite satisfying and held me for nearly 4 hours until lunch!

Lunch (out) – McDonald’s bacon ranch salad with grilled chicken. I only used about 1/2 the packet of dressing. This was so good and filling. But I can’t make it regular, it is high in sodium.

We shopped our butts off (if only, haha) both at Sam’s and the regular grocery store. We hadn’t been to Sam’s in a year, so it was such a nice treat. We stocked up on meat, veggie burgers, tuna, and a few other items. It will last us a long time. I was glad to see that they sell the Silk soymilk there in a value 2-pack, I just wasn’t out yet so I didn’t buy any. Next time!

When I got home, my stomach was very ready for a snack! I had these hot and spicy peanuts (1/3 cup) that I picked up at the flea market over the weekend. They were very tasty!

I went out to run some errands before my hair appointment and picked up an iced coffee (with Splenda and nonfat milk) and drooled over the Philosophy products at Sephora (hoping to get some for Christmas).

Once I got home, I was ready for dinner so I had a leftover chorizo sausage from Saturday night and some edamame.

We had company over for Monday Night Football and even though we had a plethora of food and sweet things, I wasn’t even interested! That is the neat thing about this phase of the program, it really helps you get over your cravings.

I had a ‘diet’ hot chocolate made with soymilk and some cherry tomatoes over the course of the night. I only ate/drank these two things because I was hungry and I felt really satisfied when I was done. The old me would’ve started digging for cereal the minute everyone left!

As you can see, Day 1 went really well. Today will be a bigger test though because I am at work and had to (hopefully) pack enough of the right foods to last me throughout the day (and a workout at the gym). Wish me luck!

Happy Tuesday!