Maintaining Fat Loss

Hello!

I am happy to write that I lost 10 kilograms of FAT (about 22-23+ pounds) between May long weekend 2011 and September long weekend 2011.  So for the past 18 months, my efforts have solely been towards maintaining that weight, a "chubby" size 8.  I only say "chubby" to say I got rid of all my fat clothes (which to me, were just all my clothes) and obtained random other clothes, some of which don't fit me to a tee.  If I didn't go out specifically to buy it myself to replace something in my wardrobe, it was a hand-me-down.  I've gone through a lot of clothes trying to replace my wardrobe.  That is a longer process than I realized.  

In any case, I didn't want to invest too much in new clothes anyway (hence my extreme usage of second-hand clothes) because I want to lose another 5-10 kg.  Whew.  That's 11-22 pounds.  Even at size 8 and trying to wear clothes that "fit", I still feel a little "excess" fat in the saddle bag area.  And my thighs seem to think we'll never reconnect ever again if I lose them (Shhh!  They aren't supposed to know I want to ditch them for good!).

I need to lose about 5 kg by mid-March.  At this point I only have 6 weeks!  Too aggressive, me thinks however, I've returned to my pre-Christmas 2012 weight.  I nearly fell off the wagon that season!  But a New Year brings renewed motivations.  Welcome, 2013!

Here are my current statistics Saturday, February 2, 2013:

• Weight:  70 kg / 154 lbs
• Chest:  39"
• Waist:  30"
• Hips 39"
• Thighs 23" (left and right!)
• Upper Arms 11"

My plan?  This year I started attending karate classes again more regularly.  Namely on Wednesday evenings for 1-2 hours and on Saturday mornings for 1.5-2.5 hours then hot hatha yoga once per week.  However, this doesn't always work out since life is busy.  I walk a lot when I commute for work. Basically, I try to keep moving as much as possible because it all adds up.

I want to get a NutriBullet.  I don't want to pay more than $100 plus tax for it though and it seems to be out of stock everywhere right now.  I will add a NutriBlast to my morning with some protein along with my regular breakfast --- and coffee.  I have reduced my intake of coffee but some days, it just works too well to abstain. :)

I eat a lot of eggs but perhaps a different breakfast option will help me reduce my egg consumption.  I think they are a great nutrient source and the protein is awesome but I do still strive towards being vegan.

I eat little dairy (no milk, some yogurt, mainly bits of cheese).

I try to eat mainly fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, lentils, beans.

At work, the social committee is trying to come up with some health challenge.

Rachelle Wood offered to help but we haven't managed to Skype meet yet.

Well, I just wanted to log my progress and intentions of renewed efforts to continue the fat loss routine.  Wish me luck!

Roz

Weight loss!

I lost weight!

16 pounds lighter

Since the May long-weekend I've lost 16 pounds (in about 9 weeks).  I've maintained so far and am aiming to lose another 5-10 within the next few weeks.


My outlook has changed slightly.  Gluten is fine but I am still limiting it.  I'm still more about raw foods (fruits & veggies).


These are my focus points now:
1. Vegan
2. Fruit on an empty stomach / in the morning, all morning


I've signed up for 12 online "Thrive in 30" lessons by Brendan Brazier who created MyVega.  I need to pick up some bars and protein powder.


UPDATE
May 24, 2011:  179.7 lbs
June 22, 2011:  170.6 lbs
July 26, 2011:  163.7 lbs


Waist before: 36"
Waist now: 31"


Hips before: 43"
Hips now: 39"


Thighs before: 24-25" each
Thighs now: 23" each

Gluten-free

Well this is embarrassing.  I get that from Google Chrome. ;)

My step kids came to live with my husband and I March & April 2007 so my diet changed somewhat.  I had been eating vegan but eventually it was only vegetarian.  Both the adult male and the teenage female love cheese.  I began eating cheese... and eggs are so convenient (for protein and other things).  Life became very chaotic very quickly.  Excuses, excuses.  But I had yet to really plan my meals properly.  I was just learning what to eat.

Advance to current day, June 2011.  Just this calendar year, my husband and I are in a house and the kids are in the condo.

I've eaten no meat including fish for 6 years.  I'm now considering a vegan lifestyle again.

That decision came after I began re-reading about Celiac disease because it appeared that my niece, Allana may have it.  She is dealing with some unknown, yet-to-be diagnosed issue.  In any case, a gluten- and wheat-free diet can't hurt and I'm positive it can only help with digestion.  I went to Chapters and although I didn't commit to a book yet I learned a few things.  There were vegetarian gluten-free books but I always find there are so many recipes with lots of cheese.  Just like the challenge of eating out.  Vegan dishes are rare (except in restaurants that cater to that cuisine).  Part of a veg*n lifestyle is to be healthy so I don't want to be eating saturated fat.  So I found a book on eating vegan gluten-free.  It sounds strict, but oh-so-clean too!

I've noticed how "little" I can get away with eating, too, in reality.  That leads to me to think that I am also leaning towards eating fruit before each 'meal'.  Rather, on an empty stomach.  I think back to when I read Fit For Life by Dr. Harvey Diamond.  This was a dozen years ago... and Dr. Oz concurs.  So it seems valid.  I get that fruit and fiber nourishment as well as quick digestion then eat sufficient protein calories for sustenance and energy.  I think I can do it.  I need to meal plan though to pull it off.  It will be a process.

So in summary:

1. Vegan
2. Gluten-free
3. Fruit on an empty stomach / in the morning, all morning

This is my long-term plan.

In the short-term... over the past 4 weeks I've been participating in a "Phat Farm" with about 30 fellow employees.  I focused hard and was determined - in fact competitive for the first time in regards to my own weight loss.  I didn't think it possible, but in 28 days I lost 9.1 pounds, 5.08% of my body weight, 2 inches from my waist and 1 inch from my hips.  I am pleased!  My personal goal was to lose 5% of my body weight and I did!

My goal now is to lose an additional 5% of body weight... we are continuing the 'contest' for another 4-5 weeks.  Then I will likely want to aim for a 'final' 5%.  I think this will bring me to a body weight where I will need to determine if it's where I should be based on my body mass at that point.  Or... maybe it's just that I cannot fathom that I need to lose another 30 pounds!!?

OK, here's my weight:

May 24, 2011:  179.7 lbs
June 22, 2011:  170.6 lbs

I'm 5'6" tall.

I'm doing a "cleanse" guided by a Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Jennifer Tanner until Nov. 30. It's called the 21-day brown rice cleanse (no meat, wheat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, salt). Believe it or not, it's most difficult finding things without wheat. Well at least "on the go". At home, I've cooked up batches of kamut to eat with bean-based chilli. It's a non-wheat grain that tastes like popcorn. Very good actually. I had heard that a lot of people have wheat allergies or intolerances, and in general wheat is hard to digest so I thought it may contribute to my waist weight. :) So when I mentioned that to my naturopath she suggested a full cleanse. I've completed day 8.

Wheat Flour

This is the most helpful (easy-to-remember) break-down of flour I've seen.

Whole grain (whole wheat) is what you want. From the description below you can see that white flour has just carbs and is devoid of protein and fiber, whereas whole wheat/grain flour has all 3. You get the carbs too but they are good carbs, plus you get protein and fiber from your bread! Makes eliminating bread from your diet a thing of the past. Canada's Food Guide suggests 5-12 servings of grains daily. For daily energy, complex carbs should make up at least half of your diet.

All-purpose flour is a blended wheat flour with an intermediate gluten level which is marketed as an acceptable compromise for most household baking needs.

In terms of the parts of the grain (the grass seed) used in flour-the endosperm or starchy part, the germ or protein part, and the bran or fiber part-there are three general types of flour.

1. White flour is made from the endosperm only.
2. Whole grain flour is made from the entire grain including bran, endosperm, and germ.
3. A germ flour is made from the endosperm and germ, excluding the bran.

Whole-wheat flour is whole-grain wheat flour.

This is a great site for all sorts of things you want to know:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flour

Health Tip: Iron

Vegetarians can get sufficient iron in their diet if it includes iron-rich foods like seeds and nuts, legumes, egg yolks, iron-enriched breakfast cereals, tofu, dried fruit like raisins, dark green vegetables like broccoli, enriched pasta, brown rice, wheat germ, and blackstrap molasses.

To increase your intake of iron from these sources, eat them with foods rich in vitamin C: citrus fruits, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, green peppers, tomatoes, or cantaloupe.

Pace your beverages. Avoid drinking cola, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at mealtime, because the caffeine in them decreases your body's ability to absorb the iron from other foods.

Calcium and the African Bantu woman

“The African Bantu woman provides an excellent example of good health. Her diet is free of milk and still provides 250-400 mg of calcium from plant sources, which is half the amount consumed by Western women. Bantu women commonly have 10 babies during their life and breast feed each of them for about ten months. But even with this huge calcium drain and relatively low calcium intake, osteoporosis is relatively unknown among these women.”

- John McDougall, M.D.