Sue's Monthly Update - Month 2

OK, sure I was going to give weekly updates on how it was going. And maybe I will do that down the road a but here's how it's been so far. (also, this wasn't posted back when I wrote it...and now it's time to write another - which will be soon!)

The Food Part
Eating Vegan is not TOO hard in Austin, Texas. Lots of restaurants and grocery stores to help with that. For the first 3 weeks, I did GREAT with it. Then I started to slip. I went out for steak with Ron one night.  It was interesting, because it just wasn't that great. So I thought, ok, no biggie. Now I know.  Then I went to the VegFest with Cydney and Allison.  That was really interesting and I thought I was all inspired. They even have something called Veggytopia, a catering/food delivery company. It's like Meals on Wheels for Vegans! I might put in an order for next week. The orders have to be in by Friday night, and I have missed the last two. But, now that I think about it...here's the menu for this week.
Other food "trip-ups": I went to a potluck. There were lots of vegan options (I even brought some!). But I still found myself putting some of the other foods on my plate. It was like I just didn't want to be deprived or something.  This led to some late night chip-eating. Not non-vegan, but definitely high-fat. Then that was followed by a trip to Dallas for a funeral, some eating out on Lower Greenville, an Irish Wake full of lots of food and alcohol.  Calorically, it was a disaster. I came home and got back on The Plan though. I only had gained a couple of pounds back from that.

Pounds-wise - from the start, I've lost 12 pounds. Sad part is, I lost that in the first 4 weeks. But I'm holding and getting my bearings.

I may hold myself to 80% vegan. Maybe one day a week, if I really feel I want to, I can veer off. But just that one day.

I still have to learn to cook more. And I've had a couple of great recipes on Pinterest, I should try. Here's a link to that Pinterest Board. If you pin Vegan Recipes or ideas, (ESPECIALLY How-To Videos), please follow me for this board and I'll be sure to follow you back. That way, I'll see what you find!  Also, I've had a book recommendation (multiple people really): Appetite for Reduction. It was at the VegFest, and I should have just bought it. But I think I'll get it and see if it will help.



The Exercise Part

This is where I have to brag. I am Kicking A** on this!
I've been walking all the way around the lake (3 miles) with 1 or 2 dogs. Earlier this week, Hank tripped me and you should see the huge bruise on my knee. But I was not daunted! I pressed on!
Initially, I was going to work up to doing the entire lake by summer. I was would walk one stretch of it, then head back. About 45 minutes total. But one day, I just decided to go for it. The dogs kept looking back at me like, "Are you sure? Keep going?" And we did! All 3 miles! Since then, we've ONLY done the entire lake.
And I started back to Water Aerobics. It really helps me stretch out after a walk around the Lake.

MY PLAN:
1.) 1 skip day per week. MAX
2.) Order this book
3.) Do the Tofu "class" with Cydney
4.) Go to eat Tofu Scramble with HeatherB at Kerbey lane (I ate it at Bouldin Creek last night with Rose...it will be interesting to see if they're different
5.) Continue the Lake walking...at least 4 times per week
6.) Continue the H2O Aerobics - as often as possible
7.) Continue to read the Health conscious articles and share them in the blog updates.

What about Exercise?

My exercise plan is in full swing! Even though every day I have to talk myself into doing it. But it's happening.  I topped 200 lbs. when Alyssa was born - 18 YEARS ago! I don't think you can blame the fat on The Baby for 18 years, can you? No.  I've never gone below it since then.

I tried a bunch of diets and exercise, but it always ended in frustration. In 2008, I wrote a depressing little piece about My Problem with Dieting.    But with regards to exercise, I always gravitated to the Easy Route. If Oprah's trainer said, "Just get up and move around." I bought into that.  When I read that 3 days per week of 30 minute walks is a good thing - yep, I liked that one too. So last Fall, I got a gym membership, did a weekly hike with the kids and the dogs, and, in my mind, I was Upping the Exercise. Going to the gym lasted for about a month. I let the cost of the trainer get in the way of my learning more about exercise.  I still hiked weekly, usually. And I walked the dogs for 30 minutes around part of Lake Pflugerville maybe 2-3 times per week. Sure, I was less sedentary, but I finally had a realization when another year went by with the pounds NOT flying off.  If it took nearly 20 years for me to put and keep this weight on, it's going to take some SERIOUS effort to get rid of it.  That means, exercising when I don't want to. Doing way more. Sure, I'm sticking with my new healthy diet, but this exercise thing simply has to stay intense.  If you watch the Biggest Loser and you see how their pounds come off, you have to remember that they are working out 4-6 HOURS of their day! That's a lot. My plan is to do about 2 hours. Every Day.

The dogs have to be walked at least 30 minutes every day.
On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I'm going to walk the 3.3 miles around Lake Pflugerville.
24 Hour Fitness offers some really good water aerobics classes. I'll do 4 per week.

So. Now it's in Black and White. That's supposed to mean something, right?