Weigh in: 138.1
Exercise:
Warmup: Treadmill (5 min walking [3mph] and 5 min running [5mph])
Strength training: 25 minute full body workout (2 sets of one exercise for each of the following muscle groups: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulder, back, quads, hamstrings, adductors, abductors, and core)
Cardio: 25 minutes on Treadmill (5 min run, 2 min walk, 13 min run, 5 min cool down walk)
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 12 oz coffee with 1 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1 packet of Stevia.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (spring mix, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, and cucubmers), wth raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of lentils cooked with kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, and spices.
Dinner:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (spinach, cucumbers), 2 beets, apple, and pear and raspberry vinegar.
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (various greens, onions, mushrooms) with Chinese 5 spice powder.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Eat to Live - Day 4
Weigh in: 137.7
Exercise:
None - Rest Day
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 12 oz coffee with 2 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1 packet of Stevia.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with almost 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cucumber), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 3/4 cup of navy beans cooked with portobello mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and herbs.
- Banana.
I wasn't hungry enough a lunch to finish everything...
Dinner out with a friend at a vegetarian Indian Restaurant:
- Hummus with carrots, celery, and a couple very small triangles of whole wheat pita
- Vegetable curry with small serving of brown rice - maybe 1/2 cup
E2L goals met today: 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. flax.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer. Didn't quite make it to a full lb of raw and 1lb of cooked veggies.
Exercise:
None - Rest Day
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 12 oz coffee with 2 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1 packet of Stevia.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with almost 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots, cucumber), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 3/4 cup of navy beans cooked with portobello mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and herbs.
- Banana.
I wasn't hungry enough a lunch to finish everything...
Dinner out with a friend at a vegetarian Indian Restaurant:
- Hummus with carrots, celery, and a couple very small triangles of whole wheat pita
- Vegetable curry with small serving of brown rice - maybe 1/2 cup
E2L goals met today: 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. flax.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer. Didn't quite make it to a full lb of raw and 1lb of cooked veggies.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Eat to Live - Day 3
Weigh in: 139.3
Exercise:
Cardio day
- Bike: 20 minutes, 5.4 miles
- Elliptical: 20 mintues, 1.37 miles
- Tredmill: 20 minutes, 1.44 miles
- 60 minute, 3 mile walk with a friend in the evening
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 6 oz coffee with 1 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1/2 packet of Stevia.
Not E2L, but I have cut down my coffee consumption and hope to keep
tapering it down.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of lentils cooked with tomatoes, onions, kidney beans and spices
- Banana.
Dinner:
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, edemame and ginger), small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
- Smaller salad, maybe 1/4 lb with romaine, bell pepper, 2 beets, 1/2 avocado and Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic (20 cal for 2 Tb.).
- 1 oz raw almonds
- grapes
E2L goals met today: 1 lb cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. raw nuts, 1 Tb. flax, 2 oz. avocado, 1 cup of beans, 1 cup or less of starchy veggies/grains. Didn't quite get to 1 full lb of raw veggies. I just wasn't that hungry by dinner.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer.
Exercise:
Cardio day
- Bike: 20 minutes, 5.4 miles
- Elliptical: 20 mintues, 1.37 miles
- Tredmill: 20 minutes, 1.44 miles
- 60 minute, 3 mile walk with a friend in the evening
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 6 oz coffee with 1 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1/2 packet of Stevia.
Not E2L, but I have cut down my coffee consumption and hope to keep
tapering it down.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of lentils cooked with tomatoes, onions, kidney beans and spices
- Banana.
Dinner:
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, edemame and ginger), small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
- Smaller salad, maybe 1/4 lb with romaine, bell pepper, 2 beets, 1/2 avocado and Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic (20 cal for 2 Tb.).
- 1 oz raw almonds
- grapes
E2L goals met today: 1 lb cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. raw nuts, 1 Tb. flax, 2 oz. avocado, 1 cup of beans, 1 cup or less of starchy veggies/grains. Didn't quite get to 1 full lb of raw veggies. I just wasn't that hungry by dinner.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Eat to Live - Day 2
Weigh in: 140.4
Exercise:
Cardio day
- Bike: 20 minutes, 5.6 miles
- Elliptical: 20 mintues, 1.3 miles
- Tredmill: 20 minutes, 1.46 miles (walk 3mph for 1 min, run 5mph for 4min x2 + walk 3mph for 2 min, run 5mph for 3min x2)
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 12 oz coffee with 2 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1 packet of Stevia.
Not E2L, but I have cut down my coffee consumption and hope to keep
tapering it down.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of navy beans cooked with portobello mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and herbs.
- Banana.
Dinner:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, broccoli, carrots), 2 beets, 1 oz slivered almonds, 1/2 avocado and Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic (20 cal for 2 Tb.).
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, edemame and ginger), small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
E2L goals met today: 1 lb raw veggies, 1 lb cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. raw nuts, 1 Tb. flax, 2 oz. avocado, 1 cup of beans.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer.
Exercise:
Cardio day
- Bike: 20 minutes, 5.6 miles
- Elliptical: 20 mintues, 1.3 miles
- Tredmill: 20 minutes, 1.46 miles (walk 3mph for 1 min, run 5mph for 4min x2 + walk 3mph for 2 min, run 5mph for 3min x2)
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 12 oz coffee with 2 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1 packet of Stevia.
Not E2L, but I have cut down my coffee consumption and hope to keep
tapering it down.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of navy beans cooked with portobello mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, and herbs.
- Banana.
Dinner:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, broccoli, carrots), 2 beets, 1 oz slivered almonds, 1/2 avocado and Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic (20 cal for 2 Tb.).
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, edemame and ginger), small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
E2L goals met today: 1 lb raw veggies, 1 lb cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. raw nuts, 1 Tb. flax, 2 oz. avocado, 1 cup of beans.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Eat to Live - Day 1
Weigh in: 142.1
Exercise:
Warmup: 10 minutes on the bike
Strength training: 25 minute full body workout (2 sets of one exercise for each of the following muscle groups: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulder, back, quads, hamstrings, adductors, and abductors)
Cardio: 25 minutes on the elliptical.
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 6 oz coffee with 1 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1/2 packet of Stevia.
Not E2L, but I have cut down my coffee consumption and hope to keep
tapering it down.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, green onion, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of lentils cooked with kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, and spices.
- Banana.
Dinner:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots), beet, 1 oz walnuts, 1/2 avocado and Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic (20 cal for 2 Tb.).
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, edemame and ginger), small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
- Grapes.
E2L goals met today: 1 lb raw veggies, 1 lb cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. raw nuts, 1 Tb. flax, 2 oz. avocado, 1 cup of beans.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer.
Felt pretty good throughout the day and I wasn't really hungry except for a little bit between breakfast and lunch. I actually kinda had to make myself eat the stir fry 'cause I was pretty full from the salad at dinner.
Exercise:
Warmup: 10 minutes on the bike
Strength training: 25 minute full body workout (2 sets of one exercise for each of the following muscle groups: biceps, triceps, chest, shoulder, back, quads, hamstrings, adductors, and abductors)
Cardio: 25 minutes on the elliptical.
Food diary:
Morning Coffee: 6 oz coffee with 1 Tb. of Soy Creamer and 1/2 packet of Stevia.
Not E2L, but I have cut down my coffee consumption and hope to keep
tapering it down.
Breakfast:
- Carrots, 1/4 cup homemade hummus dip (no salt added chickpeas, roasted red peppers, garlic, and lemon juice)
- apple
- pear
Lunch:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, green onion, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes), strawberries, and 1 Tb. of flax seed with raspberry vinegar.
- 1 cup of lentils cooked with kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, and spices.
- Banana.
Dinner:
- Salad with 1/2 pound of raw veggies (romaine, bell peppers, broccoli, carrots), beet, 1 oz walnuts, 1/2 avocado and Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic (20 cal for 2 Tb.).
- 1 lb of veggie stir fry (eggplant, zucchini, onion, peppers, broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, garlic, edemame and ginger), small amount of Bragg's Liquid Aminos.
- Grapes.
E2L goals met today: 1 lb raw veggies, 1 lb cooked veggies, at least 4 servings of fruit, 1 Tb. raw nuts, 1 Tb. flax, 2 oz. avocado, 1 cup of beans.
Non-E2L items consumed today: Coffee w/ soy creamer.
Felt pretty good throughout the day and I wasn't really hungry except for a little bit between breakfast and lunch. I actually kinda had to make myself eat the stir fry 'cause I was pretty full from the salad at dinner.
Some background info.
I'm going to use this blog as a way to chart my progress and try to keep myself accountable while doing this new way of eating.
Some background: Over Memorial Day weekend in 2008, I found my self at 159 lbs, which at 5'3" put me solidly in the overweight category. I was tired all the time. I decided I needed to lose weight. At that time I was 28 years old and throughout my 20's I'd had periods of gaining and losing weight. When I was 22 and in college I lost more than 20 lbs without a problem. All I had to do was be a bit more careful about what I ate and work out 3-4x/wk. I did the same thing at 25 after having gained a lot of the weight back. Both of those times I was able to lose 20 lbs in only about 3 months. Piece of cake.
Well, it hasn't been so easy this time. In May 2008 I was 159 lbs and joined Weight Watchers and began exercising a few days a week. My goal has been 130 lbs, which was where I was at previously and I felt really good at that weight. By November 2008 I was down to 136 lbs. Then I fell back into bad habits over the holidays. By February 2009, I was back up to 147 lbs. I'm getting married this September, so I knew I wanted to get back down to at least 135 before the wedding.
In February, I began exercising 5 days a week on average. I again began watching what I was eating. And four months later I've only lost 5 lbs. Very. Frustrating.
What I've been typically eating was a serving of steel cut oats (1/4 cup dry before cooking) with 1/2 cup of fruit for breakfast. For lunch I would eat what I previously thought was a large salad (probably 1/4 lb) made up of romaine and carrots with raspberry vinegar and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of a bean based homemade soup. I would have 1 oz raw almonds and an apple for a late afternoon snack right before starting my hour and a half commute home after work. For dinner, I would eat a Morningstar Farms Veggie Burger on a whole wheat light bun (80 cal, 0 fat, 5 grams fiber), and a large portion of steamed veggies with some salt. I did find myself going back for extra bread or a soy dream ice cream bar afterward... I always find the evenings to be the most difficult time to stick to any eating plan... Anyway, even though I thought that I was doing pretty well, I obviously wasn't losing much weight, so I decided I needed a change.
My sister, who has been a vegetarian for 12 years or so, had used the Eat to Live plan for about a month a few years ago. She said it was very effective, but somewhat difficult to maintain. I already don't eat a lot of meat, and it sounded like it might be a good plan for me to really "kick it up a notch."
I will be getting my wedding dress altered in mid-August, so I'll need to be at whatever weight I'm going to be at for the wedding by then. I'd love to lose 10 more lbs... Hopefully, this blog/diary will help me do that.
There are multiple reasons why this diet appeals to me. Over the years, I have moved closer and closer to a vegetarian diet as meat is just not as appealing to my tastebuds as are fruits, veggies and grains. Obviously, I have the short term goal of losing weight for my wedding. But my longer term goal is to eat in a way that will help me avoid heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. I have a family history of heart disease (father had a heart attack at age 61, mother died from heart disease/strokes at age 69) and cancer (mother, grandparents etc). There are a lot of things in life I can't control, but the food that I eat is not one of them. If I can change the way I eat and positively affect my health as I age, at least I'll know I did everything I could to stay healthy.
Some background: Over Memorial Day weekend in 2008, I found my self at 159 lbs, which at 5'3" put me solidly in the overweight category. I was tired all the time. I decided I needed to lose weight. At that time I was 28 years old and throughout my 20's I'd had periods of gaining and losing weight. When I was 22 and in college I lost more than 20 lbs without a problem. All I had to do was be a bit more careful about what I ate and work out 3-4x/wk. I did the same thing at 25 after having gained a lot of the weight back. Both of those times I was able to lose 20 lbs in only about 3 months. Piece of cake.
Well, it hasn't been so easy this time. In May 2008 I was 159 lbs and joined Weight Watchers and began exercising a few days a week. My goal has been 130 lbs, which was where I was at previously and I felt really good at that weight. By November 2008 I was down to 136 lbs. Then I fell back into bad habits over the holidays. By February 2009, I was back up to 147 lbs. I'm getting married this September, so I knew I wanted to get back down to at least 135 before the wedding.
In February, I began exercising 5 days a week on average. I again began watching what I was eating. And four months later I've only lost 5 lbs. Very. Frustrating.
What I've been typically eating was a serving of steel cut oats (1/4 cup dry before cooking) with 1/2 cup of fruit for breakfast. For lunch I would eat what I previously thought was a large salad (probably 1/4 lb) made up of romaine and carrots with raspberry vinegar and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of a bean based homemade soup. I would have 1 oz raw almonds and an apple for a late afternoon snack right before starting my hour and a half commute home after work. For dinner, I would eat a Morningstar Farms Veggie Burger on a whole wheat light bun (80 cal, 0 fat, 5 grams fiber), and a large portion of steamed veggies with some salt. I did find myself going back for extra bread or a soy dream ice cream bar afterward... I always find the evenings to be the most difficult time to stick to any eating plan... Anyway, even though I thought that I was doing pretty well, I obviously wasn't losing much weight, so I decided I needed a change.
My sister, who has been a vegetarian for 12 years or so, had used the Eat to Live plan for about a month a few years ago. She said it was very effective, but somewhat difficult to maintain. I already don't eat a lot of meat, and it sounded like it might be a good plan for me to really "kick it up a notch."
I will be getting my wedding dress altered in mid-August, so I'll need to be at whatever weight I'm going to be at for the wedding by then. I'd love to lose 10 more lbs... Hopefully, this blog/diary will help me do that.
There are multiple reasons why this diet appeals to me. Over the years, I have moved closer and closer to a vegetarian diet as meat is just not as appealing to my tastebuds as are fruits, veggies and grains. Obviously, I have the short term goal of losing weight for my wedding. But my longer term goal is to eat in a way that will help me avoid heart disease, cancer, and other health problems. I have a family history of heart disease (father had a heart attack at age 61, mother died from heart disease/strokes at age 69) and cancer (mother, grandparents etc). There are a lot of things in life I can't control, but the food that I eat is not one of them. If I can change the way I eat and positively affect my health as I age, at least I'll know I did everything I could to stay healthy.
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