Days 15, (-6 pounds), 16, and 17

Well, it's been such a busy week. I knew it would be. In between work and everything else, I have been enjoying my new book, Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It's principles basically follow the word of wisdom cited in the scriptures. The food pyramid is BRILLIANT, and is totally off from the one they teach in schools and that the government provides. Isn't it interesting that people that sit on the USDA - the ones that make up the nutritional guidelines for us as a country, have vested interests in the meat and dairy councils of America. If you want to learn more about the science behind nutrition, this is a great book. I'm learning so much about "phytochemicals", the nutrients in plants that are so important to our bodies. I'm fascinated by it, and am enjoying learning.

As far as my eating this week, I continue to press forward. Monday I made a big pot of my lentil stew so we had that a few times. Did I mention my mom is staying with us for a little bit?? I have realized our food will not go as far now, but that's ok since she is helping with the prep work and cooking.

I found these ready to eat lentils at Trader Joe's that I put on my salad on Monday, they are so good! My other favorite thing is the dried blueberries from Costco. I put some in my oatmeal with a some walnuts and oat milk, and it is so good. I don't even need the Stevia anymore! They do have a tiny bit of oil added, but it says there is no fat. I may search around to see if I can find another brand with no trace fats, but until then these are awesome!

Jason made an AWESOME salsa that you can put over salads or dip chips into. I found these chips at Sprouts, 4 grams of fat per 13 chips which isn't bad, and Jason loves them. They are multi-seed chips so they have flax and chia in them. Last night my mom made the bean enchiladas from Dr. Fuhrman's book - very tasty and great flavor. They were a bit dry with the corn tortillas, so next time I will cut up some tomatoes and maybe onion to sprinkle on top. We will definitely make them again.

Tomorrow I will post some recipes since I've been getting requests for those. I will have more time tomorrow. I will post the black bean and quinoa recipe, the lentil stew, and Jason's salsa. If you are reading this and have any other requests, let me know and I will post it!

Here's the weight loss count: (Jason and mom are weighing themselves everyday. Me - just on Mondays.

Jason - 9 pounds as of this morning. Way to go babe! Are you kidding me? He is rocking this!!

Mom - 7 pounds as of this morning. Seriously? This woman has had more vegetables this week then in her whole life! haha

Drea - 6 pounds as of Monday - 4 days ago. Works for me.... My scrub bottoms are falling off. haha

Days 12, 13, and 14 - Vegas baby!!

I went to Vegas this weekend to spend time with my mom and sisters, minus Ash. We had SOO much fun! So our fun always includes food, but this weekend, I was so proud of my choices. Anybody that knows me, KNOWS that I LOVE popcorn! And let's get serious - butter, and salt and yummy goodness. I normally would down a whole bag of microwave popcorn myself. Or, when we go to the movies, a bag by myself. (We won't mention what size.) It's one of my many favorite treats. But holy cow, I didn't realize the amount of fat I was consuming, and it's opened my eyes. I'm a changed woman! This weekend, I consumed a bowl of AIR POPPED popcorn, (thanks Ang for finding your air popper for me!), so no oil used, and a little "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray, a sprinkle of salt, and 0 grams of fat!!! I said zero!!! A bag of the microwave stuff had 12 grams of fat per serving. Guess what people? There is 3 servings per bag!! Who just eats a 1/3 of the bag?? Not me!! So that's 36 grams of fat per bag. 36 to zero, that's pretty awesome.

This is the quinoa and black bean recipe I found on allrecipes.com that I altered a bit. Top it with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime - delicious! We added avocado the next day and I loved that even better! I made this dish for everyone, so everybody that night had a vegetarian meal and it went over great! Kayla and Shawn saw me load up the cilantro and lime so they did also....I was worried they wouldn't like it after that, and they really didn't. But they saw their daddy dipping his chips in it, so they did that and like it just fine! haha

Everyone got Pei Wei one night, and so I got a bit scared. "What will I order?" AAHH!!! Not to worry, I have found that all the places I have been are more than willing to accomodate you and your special requests. If you want a healthy dinner, not cooked in oil, (make sure you specify this!) then order this.....Sesame tofu with extra vegetables and small portion of brown rice. This was off the hook!!!! Everyone was curious about the tofu, so everyone tried a bit and were amazed! The texture was so tender just like a lean piece of meat, but without the added hormones and gristle, yuck!! This really was divine, and I enjoyed every bite!!

Ok, so traveling on the road is a little hard, but I found a delicious alternative to what we might always get. Normally, I might get something from Taco Bell, or even McDonald's if I was with Jason. But this time, there were better choices made! This is a veggie sub from Subway - whole wheat bread, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppercinnis, pickles, lettuce, spinach, a little avocado, mustard, pepper, and oregano. I didn't miss that slimy deli turkey meat one bit!! Or the cheese!! YUMMY!!!

I am amazed on a daily basis how much I truly thought I was eating healthy, but in reality, I really wasn't. Now that I am really being aware of what I'm putting into my body, it feels great in more ways than one.

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks! It's gone by fast. The time will pass regardless of what we do with our lives, so why wait!! Tomorrow, next month, the next year will be here anyway, I might as well be making the best choices for my health, and I am feeling pretty great. :)

Ang says she can tell I've definitely lost weight. That is very exciting to hear! I can take my jeans off without buttoning them, wow! Mom says I have lost the "puffy" look....alrighty. haha

I'm so grateful for this weekend away. I had so much fun, and much needed girl time!! I love my family, and am so grateful my mom IS BACK! What a blessing to us all!! I love my mom, my sisters, my niece and nephews, and my Jason. I will be posting later about the wonderful, most amazing gift Angela gave me this weekend. I will treasure it for always.

Until tomorrow foodies :)

Day 9, 10, and 11

This picture is of tonight's dinner! Spicy black bean burger on a sprouted whole wheat bun (Ezekiel - very good! ) with pickles, tomato, and grilled onions. I put ketchup on mine and enjoyed every bite! Can you believe this burger is 250 calories?? The whole thing, bun included!! I was completely satisfied! You all know what brocolli is, and then of course the sliced baked yams which tasted like sweet potato fries, sooooo yummy!! Best meal so far! And even better - Jason cooked the whole thing. I'm truly amazed! Jen, I KNOW Derrell would like this. :)

I can't believe it's been 3 days since posting! I seriously haven't been this busy in a long time. It's all good things, it's just been a while since I've been running from here and there like a maniac. It made the work week go by fast though! Working private practice, 4 days in a row, in Glendale on top of that was hard work. But I will be happy when I get my paycheck!

I went out for yogurt tonight....What is that you say?? "You aren't eating dairy!" Well my friends, many thanks to Jennifer for letting me know that Kokomo has a non-dairy pineapple flavor! I was able to go and enjoy a nice non-dairy treat. If you haven't tasted the pineapple yet, it's fantastic! I sprinkled a little coconut on top and even put 2 cherries on - it was great! I have to say though, I could've done without it! CRAZY! I will tell you what my usual frozen yogurt run would look like. A HUGE mound of vanilla yogurt with LOTS of butterfinger all over. I probably shouldn't say the "B" word anymore - my mouth just watered. It's my favorite candy bar...drool..

I have done so well this week. Things have not even been tempting for me. I know it's because I have COMMITTED to this and have made up my mind. This week at work there was apple pie, pumpkin pie, donuts, and another day of donuts, chips and salsa, and chocolate. Normally I would have a little of everything! That's one thing I've realized - how many "little" things I would have on a daily basis. "Oh, I'm just having a little candy bar, or a bite of this cake, or a sliver of this brownie...." It's so much easier to just say, "No thank you".

We have been eating off of the lentil stew that I made on Monday all week. It is so good! The one thing I have been a little concerned about is my sluggishness after lunch. I don't like this feeling, and I don't like my energy levels to drop. I know my body well, and I think I am having too many starchy vegetables and grains at the same time. I will need to find more balance with that. I am very sensitive to sugars and carbs so I'm going to have to make some adjustments to make sure my energy is sustained through the afternoon.

I finally got a picture posted, but it was an ordeal. I took the pic from my phone, then emailed it to myself, then downloaded it to my computer, then uploaded it to the blog....whew!! Confession: I can't find my camera because it's in one of my purses ( I switch purses a lot) and I haven't taken the time to go through and clean them out. So when I find that, haha there will be more pictures.

I'm so beat and tired, but I'm feeling good and proud of my progress. YAY!

Nite nite

Day 8 - Best day yet

Ok, so I weighed this morning and it said I gained a pound. What the eff?? That bugs me so bad. HOWEVER, I won't let that deter me from pressing forward. I have a feeling I'm not eating enough and my body is trying to hang on so desperately to what I want to get rid of!!!

Today's food was FANTASTIC! I had leftover quinoa and beans concoction for lunch. Breakfast was a Vegan muffin that I found at Trader Joe's - bought a 4 pack, Jason liked them too. Looks like I will be picking up some more of those. Made without eggs or meat products. I was STARVING when I got home, so had some Ezekiel cereal with Oat milk which is yummy. For dinner I made a new recipe, (THANKS ADRIENNE!), hearty lentil stew. Green lentils, fresh tomatoes, spinach, carrots, garlic, onions, oregano, and parsley. It really was like a stew. Chunky and good. There is A LOT so I might be freezing some. Jason and I will have it for lunch tomorrow.

ZUMBA was off the hook tonight, I just love it so much!! Still feeling a bit faint at times....but getting better. I think I'm just sensitive to all these food changes. But I noticed tonight in Zumba that I had more energy. I am also going to start lifting weights. I want my body to change shape. I KNOW I'm getting healthier on the inside, but I want to SEE it too!

And I just have to mention again, how PROUD I am of Jason. He has done SOO well, and I know he's seeing the benefits of a plant based diet already in just 1 week.

Well, off to bed to read and fall asleep. 5 am comes mighty early! Until tomorrow....

Day 7 - Much better! Week 1 is complete!!

I got so overwhelmed last night that I knew today had to be better than yesterday. And it was! My treat has been some peanut butter on whole wheat bread, I think that has saved me. But I have felt better today. I don't think I am drinking enough water either, so I will increase that.

Tonight we watched the new documentary, "Knives Over Forks" which I think EVERYONE in America should watch! The research based studies on a plant based diet will make everyone think twice about what they eat. It basically sums up the book by Dr. Esselstyn that I have based my plant based diet off of - How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. And also briefs us on Dr. Campbell's study in China. His book is "The China Study" and that will be my next read.

Tonight's dinner was AMAZING! Quinoa, corn, and black beans with onions, tomatoes, and yellow peppers. Green salad with a lime/orange/honey ginger dressing, and dark purple grapes. It was very filling and super tasty! Annie and Jason loved it too. I will definitely be making that one again. Next time a double batch, and we will have more leftovers. Next time I will also add a can or too of green chiles. If you want the recipe, comment and I will get it to you, or I may just post it.

This week is going to be a doozy! Working everyday for my dad, and Zumba Mon and Tues. night. I might just go to the gym the other nights to get my workout in, even though there won't be a Zumba class. I will try to hit Zumba maybe Friday night and of course Sat. morning. I wish I had more mornings off so I could go more. But it's great for now!

I have a feeling this week will be much better than last. I'm more prepared, and more organized with all my vegetables, fruits, and meals this week. I'm curious what my weight will be in the morning. I will weigh first thing.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Day 5 & 6

Feeling very overwhelmed tonight. I was very shaky and dizzy last night and tonight, so I added some peanut butter to the regime. Some fat and protein, hoping that will help. It really did, I felt a lot better after that. I was talking to my friend who is a nutrition major, and she said that a Vegan diet is not for every body type- that everyone has a specific phenotype.

I am still continuing on, and just feeling overwhelmed. But I've made it almost a week. I know that I will continue to gain knowledge in this subject, and if I have to modify to help me feel good, than that's what I'll do.

I probably will add a few nuts/nut butters, and some avocado this week. I'm thinking that will help me feel better as well.

I'm teaching gospel doctrine tomorrow and the choir is singing, so we have early practice. I'm going to read a little bit more, than off to bed. Tomorrow will be better.

Day 4 and minus 4 pounds!

Today was a great day! I felt really energized during Zumba, except the last 2 songs which my energy was zapped by then. I thought I would be having more withdrawal symptoms from no meat, dairy, sugar, etc. But I only had a headache for the first few days, and today, no headache!

I saw a book that I would like to get, written by 2 dieticians called Vegan for Life. I might order it on Amazon tonight. Talks about many myths and nutrition based evidence on vitamins and minerals that people eating a plant based diet need. The reviews were awesome!!

The other very exciting news is that I've dropped 4 pounds already. I am not doing this for weight loss, but it sure is the non-dairy icing on the cake! haha I am doing this for health reasons based on my Dr.'s recommendations, and the more I have been reading, researching, and learning, the more I know that this will help Jason. His cholesterol is through the roof high, and I want to have him around for a long time! High cholesterol is a precursor for heart disease, obesity, and stroke. He is doing great, and he LOVED dinner tonight!

My food for today:

Autumn Wheat squares (a handful, about a cup) right before Zumba.

-Bought these at sprouts, they are good! Gotta get more.

Green smoothie after Zumba with added Hemp protein powder. Delish! Drank half. Saving the rest for tomorrow, and I don't want to over do it on the fruit. I'm very sensitive to sugar, even fruit sugars, and Dr. Esselstyn cautions about this in the book also.

Black bean and corn salad for lunch with 2 Rye Wasa crackers, yum.

Vegetable soup for an afternoon snack.

Dinner - Spaghetti squash and Nicole's homemade primavera sauce - tomatoes, garlic, onions, red/yellow peppers, and mushrooms - delish. I put too much crushed red pepper in it though, and it was very spicy! Mixed greens with homemade dressing (it had mustard in it, and Jason said it was good! He even spooned on more! haha He HATES mustard!) Ezekial toasted bread with a spinkle of garlic salt.

Dessert - we will be having some dark purple grapes

I noticed a bit of a feeling of sluggishness in the afternoon. I HATE this feeling, and I know it means my growth hormone is down. I want to make sure I get enough plant protein to help this. I'm hoping that new book will talk more about that.

TTFN

Day 4 and minus 4 pounds!

Today was a great day! I felt really energized during Zumba, except the last 2 songs which my energy was zapped by then. I thought I would be having more withdrawal symptoms from no meat, dairy, sugar, etc. But I only had a headache for the first few days, and today, no headache!

I saw a book that I would like to get, written by 2 dieticians called Vegan for Life. I might order it on Amazon tonight. Talks about many myths and nutrition based evidence on vitamins and minerals that people eating a plant based diet need. The reviews were awesome!!

The other very exciting news is that I've dropped 4 pounds already. I am not doing this for weight loss, but it sure is the non-dairy icing on the cake! haha I am doing this for health reasons based on my Dr.'s recommendations, and the more I have been reading, researching, and learning, the more I know that this will help Jason. His cholesterol is through the roof high, and I want to have him around for a long time! High cholesterol is a precursor for heart disease, obesity, and stroke. He is doing great, and he LOVED dinner tonight!

My food for today:

Autumn Wheat squares (a handful, about a cup) right before Zumba.

-Bought these at sprouts, they are good! Gotta get more.

Green smoothie after Zumba with added Hemp protein powder. Delish! Drank half. Saving the rest for tomorrow, and I don't want to over do it on the fruit. I'm very sensitive to sugar, even fruit sugars, and Dr. Esselstyn cautions about this in the book also.

Black bean and corn salad for lunch with 2 Rye Wasa crackers, yum.

Vegetable soup for an afternoon snack.

Dinner - Spaghetti squash and Nicole's homemade primavera sauce - tomatoes, garlic, onions, red/yellow peppers, and mushrooms - delish. I put too much crushed red pepper in it though, and it was very spicy! Mixed greens with homemade dressing (it had mustard in it, and Jason said it was good! He even spooned on more! haha He HATES mustard!) Ezekial toasted bread with a spinkle of garlic salt.

Dessert - we will be having some dark purple grapes

I noticed a bit of a feeling of sluggishness in the afternoon. I HATE this feeling, and I know it means my growth hormone is down. I want to make sure I get enough plant protein to help this. I'm hoping that new book will talk more about that.

TTFN

Day 3

Has it only been 3 days? haha, it's flown by! Quick post because seriously, I have been going since 5am!! I gotta sleep!

Food rundown:

Oatmeal again, w/raisins - loved it! So filling!

Green smoothie

Hummus with cucumbers and sliced red peppers

Vegetable soup

New recipe for dinner - bean burrito casserole with salsa and lots of chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

Realizations: Jason hates cilantro. Drea loves cilantro. Jason loves meat. Drea can do without it. I need to find more recipes that are more like the food Jason likes to eat. I can eat anything and be fine. I think I found some good recipes for next week.

Jason said tonight he is amazed - he is not bloated. That is awesome! I woke up this morning feeling "lighter", not heavy feeling at all.

Has anyone tried oat milk?!? It's delicious!! It's creamy tasting and silky smooth. It's going to be my new staple for cereal and with my oatmeal. It does have more calories than almond milk.... 130 per cup vs. 60, but much better for you than cow's milk.

Goodnight!

Day 2

I'm exhausted, but feeling pretty good tonight. After Zumba, I didn't know if I could move my legs to get out of the car, haha It was pretty funny!

So I forgot to mention that Jason is being such a FANTASTIC husband and doing this right along with me. However, this afternoon I think he had a freak out moment. He was hungry and was out of all the food I packed for him.....Bad combo. I told him if we need to make some modifications for him, that is A-ok. What a trooper!

Today's food:

1/2 of my green smoothie on the ride to work. Included: spinach, kale, collard greens, berries, 1/4 of a lemon, rind and all, banana, apple, and a frozen mix with pineapple/mango/grapes. YUM!

8:10am in between patients I scarfed (and yes I said scarfed because I downed it in about 1 min - the life of a hygienist!) my bowl of oatmeal, dried apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and almond milk. Too much nutmeg today, but still good.

Lunch - black bean and corn salad with onions, cilantro, and water chesnuts. I warmed up a tortilla (Ezekiel - they are good!) and it got a bit crunchy. It was kind of like chips. I felt very oniony though! Jason hated it, and sent me a text saying, "The salad is not for me." Then, "Guess I'll just go to McDonald's". haha He didn't.

Drive home - the rest of my green smoothie. Got home, sprinted inside, yes I said sprinted, changed clothes, and back in the car to Zumba.

Feeling VERY hungry after zumba, almost sick.... Got home and had leftover vegetable soup which was really good - filling.

Made all the food for tomorrow. I made my own hummus tonight. It was super easy and it tastes really good!

I think this weekend I will be way more organized about this. It is going to take up ALL of my free time otherwise. I will make hummus, cut up vegetables to snack on, cut up green smoothie stuff, make quinoa, and brown rice so it's ready to go. Whoa - this is doable, but it's definitely not easy!! But, I CAN DO IT!!!

Oh, and this is random, but one of my patient's today was IMPOSSIBLE!! I had to give him injections and it was one of the more difficult people to administer too. Difficult personality, dirty mouth, and a "I don't care" attitude. Then why are you here dude? Hopefully I made a difference with him. We'll see.....

Time for bed.....I would like to start posting some pictures of the things I'm making, but one step at a time!

Until tomorrow.....

Project Vegan - Day 1

Well after not updating this blog for about a year, why not start now and tell everyone about me being a Vegan for atleast 3 months?

No meat, dairy, or oils/fats.

I plan to post SOMETHING, everyday to help hold myself accountable, and to journal the journey so to speak. This post is going to be quick due to my having to pee so bad right now and my exhaustion from the day.

I have a feeling these posts are going to be real and raw (almost as raw as the food I will be eating! haha).

So for the next 90 days, I will share my journey - Dr.'s orders to follow the program, and I'm taking it on as a challenge and I guess you could say project. I will probably detail more about this later.

My food for today:

Oatmeal, dried apples, cinnamon, nutmeg and almond milk. Stevia for sweetness.

This was very filling and I could eat this every morning!

For lunch, an awesome almost orange soup (that's really the title, I'm not making that up) out of the book I'm using as a reference. It was really good. LOTS OF VEGETABLES, red lentils and acorn squash and sweet potatoes to thicken. To go with it, 2 pieces of Ezekiel bread, the sesame one. Toasted it's really good and you can dip in the soup.

Drive home: Green smoothie and nectarine. I was pretty hungry so I had to have the nectarine!

On the way to Zumba, a whole carrot.

Dinner, black bean and corn salad with an Ezekiel tortilla. It was really good. Lots of cilantro.

Ok, bedtime. Gotta get up at 5am and do it all over again.