30 Days of Food: A Photo Diary

Recent inquiries about my blog's status have led me to start it up again (thank Amanda!). It's a good time to start writing again. I just finished two races - the Corporate Cup 5k in Montpelier and running a leg in the Key Bank Vermont City Marathon (5.5 miles). These were both huge races, with the VCM being both the longest distance and largest race I've ever run. I had to train. 5K has been my running distance for the last year. Almost doubling this distance took some practice; about two months of runs working to increase my running distance and stamina. But I did it. I ran it with almost no walking (10 seconds on mile 4). I wouldn't have ever thought two years ago I could have run in the VCM. But I did. And that's a big accomplishment for me. Here's me coming up on the finish line, and one of the Corporate Cup:

So where am I, exactly? Well, It's been more than two years since the start of my health journey. Still down over 100 pounds, and my hair has fully grown out to it's natural color. I still make my own cleaning products, and try to eat very clean and organic. It's never over though. Honestly, the last year has been a fight to maintain my three-digit weight loss - and I have, because I am a fighter. It has been an exercise in patience over the last year to try and get those last 30 pounds off. Seeing the marathon photos reminded me that I'm not quite there yet. I've come so far - and now I'm in the last mile - and I'm not going to give up no matter how slow I have to go. The last year it's been damn near a turtle's pace.

I've been asking myself, what can I do to get to that next level? What can I do to start losing again? I should do a challenge. It should be tied to my 30th birthday (in July). I would love to be 15lbs lighter within the next two months, feeling great as I roll in to my thirties. So what can I do differently? I've been pretty committed with workouts. CrossFit three days a week. One run a week. One nice long bike ride a week (~14 miles). What can I get better at? Food. Yes food. That's always it for me. Small adjustments. But how to tie this to a goal? Then the answer came to me one day...err...appeared in my Instagram feed (thanks Palesa!). My aunt posted a photo of what she ate that day, in photo grid format. She's been through a health journey of her own, and now looks like (or is?) a fitness model. I'm inspired. This photo had me thinking - if I took a picture of what I ate every day, would I be proud of it? What would I do differently or adjust? And then the idea came - a photo food diary. Something new to me. I've been logging calories since the beginning of time (not really, but since there was an app for that), but never really looked at what I was eating everyday, all at once. Challenge, accepted!

Here are the rules for my 30 Days of food photo challenge:

• I will post a photo grid on my blog for the next 30 days (the whole month of June)
• I will be focused on eating clean, and eating a more plant-based diet (cutting down the meat)
• I will properly fuel myself up before a workout 
• I will post everything I eat - even if I'm not proud of it
• I will strive to eat as many different colors of foods as I can. My grid should look like a darn rainbow!
• I will not log calories or grams of this and that. Just strive to be proud of what my daily food intake looks like

I this will make me more accountable, because maybe I haven't been as good as I should be. I've been wanting to shift to a more plant-based diet for awhile, it's time to try and see if it moves the needle.

30 pounds to go, let's do this!

Spinning Wheels

It's January in VT. That means cold temps and snow, usually. This year it's meant inches of ice. And because I think its ridiculous to invest 500 bucks in studded snows, for me the ice means my wheels spin from time to time. I was thinking the other day that I could compare my drive in to work on an icy day to my health journey.

The trip takes about 20 minutes, 30 in bad weather - with the ice, my wheels spin a little out of the driveway, and sometimes a little bit when you hit an icy patch. My health journey is not unlike this. You get out the gate with some hardship (leaving from home), spin your wheels a bit, move forward, sometimes they spin again, but eventually if I keep a firm grip on the wheel, I'll get to where I'm going. It might take me longer because I'm cautious. I don't want to race through it.

Right now, I'm essentially spinning my wheels on ice. Meaning, it's been a solid six months since I've dropped a pound. Am I frustrated - yes, incredibly. I've been doing what I know to do to lose and it's just not happening. Sometimes a little voice in my head asks me what the point of it all is. But I know exactly how to answer. Just keep on the path, keep making small adjustments to see what works and what doesn't and eventually the wheels will stop spinning and get a good grip on the road. And I'll get to my destination.

That's the point. I have to keep going. There is no reason to give up. The answer will always be to keep going because I know that in time (hopefully soon), I'll be rewarded for my efforts.

With the scale battle aside, here's some cool things that have happened since my last post (I know it's been forever):

• I was awarded the 'Life Earthing of the Year' by my peers at work for my commitment to health and for inspiring others.
• I came in second place in the 'Fittest Earthling' competition - Women's Elite division.
• I can deadlift 145lbs
• I can clean 105lbs
• In 2014 I lost 45lbs, bringing my total weight loss to a little over 105lbs!!

Here's some simple changes I'm making this month to work towards losing weight again:

• Only one coffee a week. Tea on the other days
• With meals, multiply my green veggie intake by 2, cut carb (rice, potato) intake by half
• Limit dairy & gluten as much as I can

As an inspiration to keep moving myself further, pictures always help. Here's a two year review, what I looked like at the start of 2012, 2013 and 2014:

I also turn 30 this year, and this is my big motivator. I want to be in the best shape of my life when I hit the big 3-0 in July. Although I feel like I'm definitely the strongest I've ever been, I'm not the lightest I've ever been.

I'm taking on 2014 with new motivation and new steps to get to my goals!

Progress [Re]Defined

First of all, I apologize for not keeping up on my posts. It's been over two months! I know some of you might be thinking 'I bet she fell off the band wagon' or 'she became less dedicated'. Well, then, you don't know me. I've been busy! I ended our Slim it to Win it program down 20lbs (in four months), placing #4 overall. Still continuing to lose, little by little, down about 106 lbs total. Because the weight loss has been slower in the last few months, I feel like I should talk about something that has been plaguing me for so long: my relationship with the scale. Meaning, it's the ONLY definite indicator I have been using to document my progress.

A confession: I weigh myself way more than I'd ever like to admit. On a good day maybe once, on a bad day upwards of three times. What is the point in doing that? There isn't one. But I am attached. So, this post will hopefully be a bit therapeutic for me because even though the scale says I'm making 'little progress' there are so many other things that indicate huge progress when it comes to my health and fitness. I need to release myself from basing my value on a number. One number.

If I throw away the number what else do I have as definite progress? Progress is....being able to say no to dessert. Progress is smiling through a workout that would've left me flat on the floor last year. Progress is being able to lift 95lbs. Progress is liking what I see in the mirror, finally. Progress is zipping up in to a size 10 pair of jeans in disbelief. Progress is being able to shop anywhere I want. Progress is realizing how my body responds to certain foods, and adjusting nutrition accordingly. Progress is doing a 10 mile bike ride on a 'rest' day. Progress is being somewhat unrecognizable to friends you haven't seen in awhile. Progress is self-confidence. Progress is signing up for a race and not having to think that I can't run the whole thing. Progress is liking who I am, how strong I can be.

No matter the number, progress is this:

And progress, should be defined by how I feel: incredible. Amazing. Thrilled. Excited for life. Happy. Confident. Strong. I may have started last March, but there will be no definite end. There will always be new goals, new health priorities to achieve, and that - is exciting!

A Cleanse to Rule Them All & Other Things

I realize it's been over a month since I've posted. But wow, I'm over 2,000 page views. Incredible! Thanks to all of you that continue to read my blog!

The cleanse is a thing of the past - I lost 14lbs total (12 during the month of April) and have really reconsidered the way I was eating. Or I should say, how often I was eating. For the last month I've been having four smaller meals - two of them are the whole fruit and veggie smoothies or juice. This works very well for me, keeping my metabolism going throughout the day and sustaining my energy. I've also tried to cut out as much gluten and dairy as I can. Mostly because it's hard for me to control myself when I start to eat it (cheese or bread). I'm working at it but I still have indulgences, like strawberry-rhubarb pie on Sunday. It's important that I not try to set crazy limitations on myself so allowing a little indulgence once in awhile works for me.

I have to talk about some of my new favorite food things. Recently I discovered fresh-pressed juice. We are incredibly lucky in Burlington to have a few companies that offer a full juice bar, and we also have one company that is at the Essex Farmer's market on Fridays. There is nothing more delicious and refreshing as a carrot apple ginger juice (lots of ginger). I bought a juicer after crunching some numbers - my buying a $5 juice twice a week would mean the juicer would pay for itself in about two months. I've been juicing everything - a great 'wake up' combo is lemon, apple, kale & mint. Landon loves fresh orange or lemon/apple juice and I feel much better about letting him have that over grocery store orange juice (I've never let him have sugary juices).

My next new food thing is a lovely company, YourFarmstand.com, that brings together local farms and the people that want their awesome food. It's online ordering with free delivery for all things local. I have been able to get (finally) reasonably-priced local meat. The veggies are very inexpensive as well and they get delivered directly to me at work every Thursday. The quality of the food thus far has been nothing less of superb. I highly encourage you to check it out, they deliver to many areas!

I'm going to jump all over the place in this post, sorry!

Gardening season is here! We have two plots this year - 1200 sq feet of gardening space. Both plots are planted already. We've got greens in one plot (beans, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, more beans, lettuce, kale, spinach, cukes, basil, herbs, tomatoes, brussel sprouts) and the other plot has less-green things (corn, potatoes, onions, squash, melons, radish & peanuts). Not kidding with that last one; Noah has a whole bed of peanuts going. Hoping to make some of our own peanut butter in the fall. With twice the space we anticipate twice the yield lasting us throughout the winter, as we ran out in January/February of this year. 

CrossFit is going really well. I feel stronger every week - can currently do 115lb dead lifts, 75lb push presses, almost a hand stand and I'm working with a 20kg kettle bell (~44lbs). Five or six months ago, I was working with just a bar (45lbs) for those first two exercises and a 12kg kettle bell (~26lbs). I am really happy with how strong I am becoming! I had a defining moment last month when we were working in teams on a circuit workout. Each team would use the same bar for dead lifts - and my instructor put me on the boys team! I'm as strong as some of the CrossFit boys now! I have noticed a huge improvement in my mobility, too. When I started CrossFit my squats were right at my knee line, and my hip flexors would hurt when I tried to go lower. I can now to a really well-formed 'air squat' with my lowest point well below my knee line, with no pain. 

Last month and this I've lost another 6lbs, bringing my grand total up to -97 (whoa!) and 19 lbs lost in the first three months of Slim it to Win it. And guess what? I'm #4 out of 50 (or so) people for percentage of weight loss. With a great three weeks I could win this thing.

I'm finally feeling like I am close to the finish line. It's within my reach. My goal when I started this journey was to get down to 150 and I'm 30lbs away now. It's funny when I tell people I 'only' have 30lbs to go. That seems like a lot of weight to most people. But when you consider that I'm already down almost 100lbs, it doesn't seem like a lot. Sometimes, I almost feel like I want to slow my weight loss journey down. I don't want the journey to be over. But fitness & health is something that I'm always going to be working on, even after I hit my goal weight. I am excited to finally be able to build a wardrobe - during the last year I haven't had more then three outfits at a time because it's just too expensive to buy a whole new set of clothes every two months. I've finally started living my life without physical limitations, challenging myself everyday to be stronger and continue to make great food choices. 

Here's-97lbs :

Also celebrating 6 months without coloring my hair. I had forgotten how pretty my natural color is. It's still a little bit lighter at the bottom because of the highlights, but it blends pretty well. 

Cheers to the home stretch!

Week Three of the Uber-Long 21 Day Cleanse Diary

April Weight Loss: -12lbs
Running Total: -90lbs in 14 months

We're on the last week! The start of the third week was also our weigh in for the Slim It To Win It competition. Imagine my surprise stepping on the scale and seeing I had lost 12lbs in April! It was an incredible feeling and also a notable success; in 13 months of consistent weight loss, I had never hit double-digit weight loss. The closest I had come to breaking 10lbs was the first month I started on this journey, losing 9lbs in March 2012. To see such a high number at this point in the journey was amazing.

The day after the weigh in, I was off to Boston to see my brother graduate from Northeastern. I packed up my blender, supplements, frozen fruit and spinach and headed down:

 It was a weekend of celebration but my food intake was really good. I had the smoothies twice a day and a manageable dinner of either fish or chicken with some veggies. I refused all of the bread & cheese plates at each dinner. Friday we had a lunch after the graduation. I ordered chicken & broccoli with Ziti in a garlic & olive oil sauce. I asked for double veggies and handed off the ziti to someone else. While everyone went to the hotel to nap after this lunch, I headed to the hotel gym, getting a few miles in on the treadmill and lifting some weights. We used the hotel pool on Friday night, getting a few laps in.

Saturday morning I experienced hot Yoga for the first time with my brother & sister. It was, for lack of a better word, sweaty. I've never been a fan of yoga but doing it in the heat brought it to a whole new level. After the class, our drenched selves walked around Jamaica Plains for awhile trying to find breakfast. We stopped in to a lovely coffee shop that had fresh carrot juice! What a great, refreshing reward after yoga. I was pretty that I really didn't crave coffee despite the small coffee shops and Dunkin' Donuts we stopped by the whole weekend. By Saturday afternoon I was starving and managed to find a nice little Lebanese place in the mall food court. I found - in a mall - lightly seasoned chicken kebabs with a small side salad.

This weekend was a test. It proved that you can have so many hurdles (temptations) in your way, but it's your will power and desire to be healthy that will help you overcome them. You can only accomplish health if you really desire it and the momentary temptations become not worth it. And I REALLY want this - to be healthy.

I had one of those defining moments this weekend that I will never forget (well actually there were many non-health involved ones like driving in the car with my siblings singing to 'Hey Jealousy'). Sis, Jen & I went shopping in the mall - in H&M. Now, this is one of those stores tailored to the younger women, a place I would normally never dare go in. I bought a dress off the rack without trying it on and it FIT! A large, from H&M. I got a little teary eyed seeing how far I had come to be able to shop anywhere in a mall. Not just plus-sized stores or department stores, but the trendy, girly shops! Most people underestimate such a small thing like that - being able to shop for clothes anywhere - but it was such a huge moment for me. That moment, shopping in that store, makes everything that I have done in the last 14 months so worth it.

I stepped on the scale Monday, I had lost another 1.5lbs in Boston. Hooray for gluten & dairy free, it's really paying off! I didn't hate any of the pictures that were taken of me either - here's a picture from right after the graduation of my whole family: