2 weeks into my vegan journey

Okay, so it's been two weeks and I'm still going strong. Actually, this has become much easier. I've discovered two restaurants in my neighborhood with vegan options. One is a vietnamese restaurant which was pretty good. This was my first attempt at eating vietnamese food and I enjoyed it. The restaurant is Cafe Hue in the pioneer square neighborhood.

As I learn more about veganism, I keep running into raw foodist. This seems very interesting, but it is something to ponder and to incorporate more raw food or green smoothies/juice into my diet. I doubt that I will be going high raw in the near future. : )

I have lost some weight, but not enough to put on smaller sizes. One pair of pants that did not fit several weeks ago did fit this week.

Our Labor Day Video

This is a short compilation of a few good pictures. We enjoyed an extended weekend in Seaside Oregon, which is great for children. We rented electric cars and explored sections of Seaside that were knew to us. We enjoyed watching the surfers on the south end of the beach.

1 week into my vegan journey

It's been a week and I feel great. I was able to adhere to a full vegan diet for all of my meals. I went to the Puyallup Fair this weekend and I was very worried. I smelled hot dogs and saw a sign for BBQ and I had a momentary craving.

What I've learned in the last week is that I go crazy worrying about about how food is prepared or I can make the best choices in the situation that I am in. For example, I enjoyed curly fries. I can't be sure that they weren't cooked in the same hot oil as an animal product, but I made the best choice for me. In addition, my anxiety was reduced because several of the vendors had
veggie burgers. I held the cheese and mayo and added grilled onion. It was great.

I am not sure if I've lost weight, but my evacuation system seems to be very regular. I didn't weigh myself before last week, but I'll know in another week or two by the fit of my clothes. I will say that one pair of jeans seems looser, but it could be wishful thinking.

My weight loss plan will be guided, I hope, by this book I ordered McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss
In addition, I noted on another site that raw food diets were a great way to shed a few pounds. I will save that for another month, as I am still learning about eating as a vegan. I have found quite a few products that are vegan, so I am learning that it is easy to eat processed foods as a vegan, which is not the route to a fast weight loss.

Becoming a Vegan . . .

Wow, a lot has changed in the last couple of weeks. I've been preparing for a new fitness mode. New running shoes from The Balanced Athlete in Kent, WA. The owner is great. He watched me walk on a treadmill and I noted that I walk like a duck. My feet are flat and pronate. Fun! I also learned that I have been buying my workout shoes a size too small, which apparently accounts for my feet feeling like sleeping bricks on the elliptical machine.

I purchased a polar heart rate monitor and really realized just how out of shape I really am. It's okay . . . I'm on the path to real changes.

BUT the super huge change in my life occurred this week on Sunday - September 2nd. I adopted a vegan lifestyle for the next 30 days. I am guessing that it was the ridiculous book, Skinny Bitch, that did me in. I read Fast Food Nation a few months ago. I saw Super Size Me years ago. So, I imagine that it all just caught up with me.

In addition, I am lactose intolerant and I have Crohn's Disease, which has been causing me a little trouble recently. This was another reason to adopt a better diet.


4th DAY COMPLETED. I am very happy that it has been four days and I've made very few mistakes. I had a bite of mashed potatoes today. As I placed it on my plate, I realized that it is prepared with milk and butter. I had a bite and it was really bad. Yeah!

I've headaches (off and on) for the last two days. I'm guessing that this is my body's send-off to the missing animal products from my diet. I've read that it can take up to two weeks to get beyond the diet aspects of this lifestyle.

I ordered Becoming Vegan to help me with the transition. More to come.

The picture is from Seaside, Oregon during labor day weekend. Fun.

Danskin Triathalon - Seattle

What a great weekend. I went to the Danskin Triathalon on Sunday. It was raining so hard. The baby had a great time. Wow, what an event. The women were so cool. They were all sizes, but everyone ran across that finish line like superstars. A special akn to the Soul Sistas. It was really cool to see black women in the event. http://www.soulsistas.net/index.html

I am so doing this next year.

In fact, it inspired me to go to the gym. I'm going to take adult swimming lessons to strengthen my swimming.

In addition to the Danskin event, I would like to do the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride). It's a little over 200 miles. My husband is really excited about that event.

T-Tapp in my life

So, I have news. I've discovered T-Tapp. Www.t-tapp.com This is an amazing workout. So, let me tell you about my journey. I did the free single exercises for a couple of weeks. My waist went down about 1/2 size. I was really excited about this. So, I purchased the book to get the 30% off coupon. I receieved the DVDs at the end of March. I did a 7 day boot camp. I'm not measuring until the challenge, but I was able to wear a pair of pants that are a size smaller. They are a true size 8. I will say that the waist is tight. It's still my problem area, but they closed. SO, I am making progress.

So, I will do the workout every other day for the next 3-4 weeks. I am hopeful that at the end of that period, I will slide into my skinny 8s and fit some size 6 pants. Also, that should be close to the beginning of the challenge, so my motivation should remain high.

I love this workout, because you must think. It's not exactly easy, but it's way better than the cardio equipment for 45 minutes.

New Home

So, we did it. We purchased a new home. Unfortunately, we've added a commute to our lives, but I must say that we've picked the best of most options. We have a train that travels from the southern part of the county to the back door of my office building. I am not really into public transportation, but with gas prices increasing, I will endeavor to love it.

Here's a quick shot of the home. I hate the color, but it's a nice house.