Organic

Yes, I believe in Organic Foods! I think they are the way to go. We all know with all the literature out there now that conventional foods are laden with pesticides and are genetically modified. I need to get a recommended list of books up and going. I hate citing research and crap. I leave that up to the husband. Maybe I can get him to do a few posts this weekend. Anyways, I don't worry about fruits with peels as much like bananas and avocados, but I don't compromise on fruits like apples!

Oh and by the way just b/c something is organic, especially certified USDA (the government just has to be involved) does not mean it is healthy for you or that the farmers are not getting away with using some bad crap. Read between the lines here. Just because they have to tell what they are doing, doesn't mean you might like what they are using! Try finding local farms that may not be certified but are practicing at an even higher ethical level than the certified farms. Read here under Costs...many small farms can't afford it or they don't want to be regulated. Good lick...I found these farms in Texas, but not in AZ! I guess the best way would be to grown your own, huh? We want to do this so bad! We hope to take on this adventure soon.

By the way:

I am not going to keep writing organic in front of everything I eat that is organic! You get the point. I'll put an "o." in front of something that is organic.

I Am What I Eat:

• Breakfast was a small o. banana, an o. red delicious apple and an o. orange.
  
• Sipping on Decaf Kombucha Green Tea-homemade and iced.

• Snacked on air-popped popcorn w/olive oil and sea salt

• Lunch was yummy home made tofu, veggie fried rice (in olive oil) with garlic and ginger. I had 2 bowls! I was very hungry apparently. I like this dish b/c I had fat, grains, protein from tofu and a few servings of veggies!

• Cherry Larabar

• Tonight is more of a snacking night just b/c I couldn't make it to the store. I've had a handful of Trader Joe's Veggie and Flax tortilla chips, a few bites of the kids pb&j (o. pb and o. jelly on sprouted bread), a glass of chocolate soy milk (first time I've had it and it'd delicious...by VitaSoy) and I think I'm going to make some edamame beans with sea salt!

Did I Exercise Today?

Nope. It was raining all day and seeing as I have no car, the only thing I can do is walk outside. That's ok though, I was sore last night from my walk (pelvis and whatnot).

Overall and Tomorrow's Goals

I did great today. I ate when I was hungry and all great for me foods. I think I'll reward myself with a nice hot bath (with no kids) and read a book! Now that's yummy!

Tomorrow I need to do a little shopping to make sure I have good food in the house. Also, I want to take the kids and go on a walk with Brandon. That'll be fun! I also want to go to the Library and get some Vegan cookbooks. I might get bored of rice for every meal!

A Vegan Mind...An Awakening

I feel like a new person today. I ate great yesterday. Not just that though. My thinking is changing even more. All of the changes I have made with food in the past are not comparable with the new level I am taking myself and my family to. I would not have been able to just "go vegan" a few years ago. I needed those baby steps that turned into us being "food freaks" according to friends, families and acquaintances. Now that I am already familiar with and ok with not eating a lot of foods, I am taking it further. I am opening my eyes for the first time (again). Kind of like Neo in the Matrix. The plug has been pulled from my brain and the mask taken off my eyes. I am not going to preach about animal cruelty and what meat/dairy does to your body. That I will save for a specific post. I just want to get across that it is so freeing to stop letting others influence you, to admit that you have been lied to and to stop believing those lies. Is this making any sense? Maybe it will spark an interest to learn more for some of you or maybe you aren't ready yet. Whatever the case, keep making those small changes and don't quit, b/c they will lead to a huge step and then even a leap of faith!

What did I eat today? Well last night I went to the store to get some fresh produce and rice and a few other things. While I was there I took my time looking through what I call the "tofu section" of Whole Foods. I wanted to see what products were available and if they were vegetarian or truly vegan. It was nice to take the time as I only had the baby with me. Anyways, I got our normal organic tofu (the Whole Foods Brandon) and decided to finally try tempeh. I have no idea what I'm doing, but isn't that the fun in it? I also did give into some Vegan chocolate chip cookies. I don't want to stock up on and indulge in what I have seen referred to as "vegan junk food", but I think it will be nice to have one little treat in the house at a time.

I am what I eat:

• An organic banana and an organic orange (foods with peels I'm not as concerned about organic if I can't afford them, but they were priced well last night)

• About 45 minutes later I was still hungry so I ate 2 slices of Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin bread with organic roasted (won't get roasted again, but I'm going to use it up) peanut butter.

• I drank a lot of water this morning. I need to drink a lot in the AM, b/c I love to sip on iced teas and Kombucha. I will tend to do that and have no water. Not good.

• Decaf Green Tea

• Lunch was an Amy's California Veggieburger cut up and dipped in organic ketchup and mustard. Organic edamame beans tossed in sea salt and cayenne pepper.
  

• A small bowl of air popped popcorn with a little organic extra virgin coconut oil and sea salt on top!

• 4 vegan chocolate cookies. Hey, they were freakin' good and the kids loved them too!

• An organic red delicious apple and a handful of organic baby carrots, water

• Dinner was simple pasta. An organic pasta sauce with added basil, oregano and sea salt. Served on white pasta. I know, I know. We are using it up before we buy the good stuff.

• Uugghhh...I got the munchies. So, I indulged in a (large) handful of organic Winne the Pooh cookies from Costco and dipped them in organic vanilla rice milk then ate some more air popped popcorn with 2 tbsp. of olive oil and sea salt

• Kombucha

Did I Exercise Today?

Yep. I walked a mile to the park with the babe in a sling and the toddlers in the jogger. Interesting, but I did it! Brandon picked us up b/c it got late.

Overall

I feel great about what I ate today. I can already in 2 days feel the difference w/no meat products. Less bloating and gas and a better mood. Pretty cool

Tomorrow's Goals

Eat a better balanced dinner and afterwards have some green tea or Kombucha, then brush teeth. This should keep me from munching away on calories and food I do not need!
Also, take 5-10 minutes to myself to meditate.

Keeping Track

I can't stand keeping track of weight loss. It sucks! Actually, it goes against my advice. Really. I don't think people should weigh. If you feel you must keep track, then measuring inches is better. I prefer looking in the mirror. Call me old fashioned, but when I was losing weight before, I threw my scale in the trash. Honestly! I was working so hard and at the end of one week I got on the scale and gained 2 pounds. Are you freakin' kidding me? It just isn't accurate for week to week keeping track. However, since you are following this blog to find out my weight loss, I am going to weigh every 2 weeks for now. I will measure weekly.

Beginning weight as of November 28th, 2007 is 235 pounds.

I will be weighing on my grandparents scale (like I said I don't own one). They have one of those scales like you see in gyms or Dr. offices where you move the bar over and you have to keep going and going. So embarrassing!

Beginning Measurements are as follows: (added Saturday November 30th)
Neck: 13.25 inches
Left Arm: 12.75 inches
Right Arm: just under 13 inches
Bust: 43 inches
Waist: 36.5 inches
Abdomen: 48 inches
Hips: 51.5 inches
Left Thigh: 27 inches
Right Thigh: 27 inches
Left Calf: 16 inches
Right Calf: 16 inches

Total Inches: 304!!!!!

That should cover it. Uuugghhhh!

Before Pictures

Here they are!!!!!!!!!!

OK, these pics are not great. I still look pregnant, but that's fine, b/c I know they will be great to compare to when I'm a hottie! I didn't do the ones in a bikini or anything like that. My goodness, I had to spare you. I promise though, under those clothes is a big tummy, a huge spare tire, flabbiness and a whole lot of clumpy fat! It's all good. Like I said I am inspired. Are you?

Skinny Bitch

Yes, that is the title of this post b/c it is inspired by the title of the book. It gets your attention, huh? That was probably what Rory Freedman and Kim Bornouin had in mind when they set out to write this book. I am about 2/3 of the way through it and it's awesome. Most of the stuff I already knew and was applying when I lost weight before. The only difference is they promote vegetarianism, specifically vegans. Well, I'm not telling you to drop all meat and dairy products, but for me this is not as crazy as a step. I only like eating raw milk and cheese and I don't eat a lot of meat anyways. When I was eating them, it was from local farms, etc. So, after reading this book, I'm taking the next step. My first thought is ,"oh this is gonna suck". That's not instinct, but 28 years of being taught by family, society and the oh so crafty advertising of the multi-billion dollar meat and dairy industries that this is ok and just how it is. My next thought is then, "NO, this is awesome and empowering! I am going to get back to only eating healthy, clean foods for my body." That rocks!

So, new Goals to add to my other goals.
No meat or diary, but a healthy vegan diet consisting of a lot of H2O, Kombucha, decaf green tea (brewed at home), organic fruits, veggies, lentils, grains and of course non-GMO soy! I will lose this 85 pounds and feel on top of the world.

What's great about this book is they break down products they know don't have any hidden crappy ingredients. Check out these awesome ladies here for more info on their book. I just have to give them a huge shout out (that sounds so old school) b/c they give info in such an "in your face" way that will have people reading info they may not have sought out before!

Thanks Ladies!
Your Fellow (soon to be Skinny) Bitch,
January

Goals

This was a picture of me at 204 pounds and man am I inspired! Here are my personal goals. Hey, you have to have something to work towards. Otherwise, where the heck are you going?

Exercise:
Walk 2-5 miles, 6 days per week

Food:
Eat as much organic and natural foods as possible. Always ask myself, "Is this good for my body/health?"

Weight:
Right now I am 235 pounds. I am 5'7" by the way. Sucky.
Anyways, my goal is to be 150 pounds. That's right... 85 pounds of fat I am going to get off my body! That's my first goal. Hey, I thought I was a hot mama at 204 pounds and a size 16. Sizzling!

I'm getting excited now. See, making goals is awesome!

Exercise...The Love/Hate Relationship

It has to be done! Period, no way around it. There are so many benefits as many of us know...higher seratonin levels for a happier you, good for your heart and gets that fat off your ass. So, my chosen method of shedding fat is walking. I like being outside instead of a gym and I can do it with the kids. This is how I lost the 60 lbs before getting preggo with my last baby. I invested in a double jogger and went to town. Now that I have 3, I am wearing the little one in a wrap...hey an extra 10 lbs will only help, right?

I live within a mile of a great park. So, that is where I'll be walking. A mile there and a mile back. However, right now I am still sore since birth (that's right STILL sore!), so when I walk there (I started this 2 weeks ago to try it out), I am sore for 3 days. For now, my goal is going to be to walk there, let the kids play at the park for a few hours, and walk home. For you stay at home moms or dads, this is perfect b/c the kids run around, get all their energy out and konk out on the way home. Sweet! I am going to build up to 6 days a week and walking another mile around the lake at the park. So it will be at least 2 miles, play at park and a mile home.

This is my account of my first walk 2 weeks ago:

The First Time Hurts!

Ok, so today was my first walk. Yes, I actually put on my tennis, loaded 2 kids in the jogger and put the baby in a sling. It is interesting what it takes to go from thinking about doing something to actually doing it. Nike has it right when they patented the slogan “Just Do It”, because that truly is the only way. I just decided to do it. I started in motion almost like a robot. Ok, I need snacks…check! Water…check! Tires filled up on the jogger…check! Shoes for us all…check, check, check! Kids in the jogger…check! Oh, the baby…in the sling…check! That’s right I need my keys and phone, oh an diapers and wipes…check. Ok, we are off and headed off down the sidewalk. Oh crap, my I-pod, b/c this will be the ONLY time to listen to my personal development…let’s turn around…while we’re at it find the sunglasses too…check, check! Now we are really on an adventure. This should all count as a mile’s worth of work. Anyways, down the road we go and the baby starts fussing. What else can I do but pull out the left boob and shove it in her mouth. Well, the baby’s now happy to continue walking. Oh my goodness at this point I am cracking up, thinking I’m nuts and proud of myself all at the same time. What else could do all those things? I walked about a mile to a local park. The kids played for about 90 minutes and I relaxed with the babe. We ate healthy snacks…apples, oranges, etc. This feels good. I’ve done it. Then Brandon picked us up and drove us home. LOL! Hey, I had to meet a maintenance man at the house and there was no way were going to get all loaded up and back home in time. Not to mention I am sore. I did just have a baby 5 weeks ago! The first time is done, it doesn’t hurt so much the 2nd and 3rd time and then it starts to get enjoyable and I’ll look forward to the fix! Wink!

What The Heck Am I Eating?

Geez. Ok, I'm going to give a rundown of what I am and am not eating. I mean let's get to the point, right? This is not a "diet", but it really is a lifestyle change. Does that sound cliche? It seems a lot of people are now saying that. It's true though. When you are someone who overeats or eats crap b/c you can't deal w/well, your crap, you can NOT diet! You really do have to make little changes for a lifetime. Diets come and go, but when you get obsessed with only wanting clean food in your body so you can be healthy, that's when weight will come off and stay off!

Things I am eating right now:
As much organic as possible
Fresh fruits and veggies (veggies is always the hardest for me)
Little meat and when I do eat it, I know where it came from and it better have been a happy cow or chicken!
Rice...ok, I LOVE white rice, but I'm going to do the switch to brown. I guess stripped rice isn't going to do me any good.
Beans
Other whole wheat grains like couscous
Food For Life sprouted bread products
Peanut and Almond Butters (not roasted, nothing roasted actually)
Homemade Hummus (the pictures above)
Olive oil
Coconut Oil
Spices of course
The occasional treat...and I make it count. Get the best of whatever it is you are craving or want!

To Drink?
Raw Kombucha
Decaf Green Tea or other homemade herbal organic decaf teas
H20
Maybe the occasional homemade juice or one from the store
That's it. No other "juices" or sodas. They are evil...diet or not!

What I'm cutting out:
Sugar...damn that sucks
White Foods
Anything that would have any of the following in it: artificial or natural flavors, colorings, msg in any hidden form including yeast extract, aspartame, ok you get the point.
Very little eating out and when I do it has to be at a place that I know what is in the food!
Really, that sums it up

Examples of meals:
Breakfast is fruit. A fruit smoothie or raw fruit. That is the best way for me to start the day. Healthy and easily digested.

For a midmorning snack maybe a Food for Life english muffin with peanut butter?

Lunch will be something probably with rice, b/c I just love rice right now. Yummy. Maybe plain with just soy sauce? Or how about some tuna salad with good whole wheat crackers. That's good too! If you like salad, then a big salad would be good w/and Aunt Annie's salad dressing and veggies! (but I just haven't been in the mood lately).

Afternoon snack around here would be fruit or air popped organic popcorn with olive oil and salt. The kids and I love it!

Dinners might be like tonight. I had rice and black beans with 2 sunny side eggs on top, or chili, pasta, fried rice, homemade soup, sliced tofu "fried" up in olive oil and served w/rice. This is where I try to get my veggies.

Throughout the day I'll sip on one of the drinks I mentioned above!

You get the point, right? Now let's see how I do cutting out that sugar I gave into way too much with those severe pregnancy cravings!

So Here's the Deal

I am getting skinny and you get to watch me do it. That's the gist of it. The whole story is this: I weighed 295 when I became pregnant with my first child, 265 when I conceived my second child and then worked my butt of (literally) to be 204 when I found out I was pregnant with my third who is now only 7 weeks old. I was gonna go into detail on how I lost the weight then, but it dawned on me this morning that's not why you'll come here. That's over and done with. I am now 235 lbs and why I lost 95 lbs in the past, that means diddly squat now. What matters now is watching me do it AGAIN!

I have so many before and after pictures from different times, what matters is my before picture now. So, that's what I'm posting...a picture of me at 235 lbs and 7 weeks postpartum. I'll post other pics later from previous times for fun.

So, here it is. The skinny on January. You get to see me transform into a skinny chick! I'll post what I'm eating, what I'm not, my thoughts and emotions through it all. I'll also post about my exercising and info on health and nutrition in general. I hope to get my husband to post some articles as well. He is a wealth of info when it comes to health, not to mention a damn machine. He can just eat for fuel and exercise, while always sticking to it, but that's another post in itself!

So, sit back, watch me get skinny and join me if you dare!