2008 will be a great YEAR!!

I am very excited about the upcoming year, but before I share with you what's coming, I will admit my shortcomings for 2007.

I deviated from eating vegan food during the holidays. I ate fried turkey and ham on Thanksgiving. I had the weirdest cravings for baked chicken the following week. I went back on a vegan diet plan until Christmas. Oh, I did attempt eat fried fish 2x before Christmas and threw it up each time. I'm done with that.

So, again I had fried turkey on Christmas and other items with dairy and/or eggs during the holiday season. On New Year's Eve, I enjoyed grilled salmon and other vegetarian dishes with eggs/dairy. Today, I had a turkey sandwich.

Okay, so those have been my challenges over the last few weeks. What's next!!

21 day cleanse. Yeah, it starts on Monday, thus my continued lax approach to a vegan diet. I will be giving up processed foods during this cleanse. It takes you from a vegan diet to a raw diet over the three weeks. Very cool. This is the same cleanse as 21 Day Detox Steve's Cleanse has an advanced protocols for people who are already raw foodist. That's not me.

2007 State Championship

Rodney's football team battled for the state championship this weekend. They didn't win, but it was a great game. Those kids played hard. It was a lot of fun and we are very proud of his team. Yeah!!! O'dea Fighting Irish!!!

It's over. I give up.

Okay, so I am a whimp when it comes to wind. I was sitting upstairs and the wind was howling and the rafters shaking. All I could think about was that I would die starving. No, this was not the day to complete a water fast.

I actually think that I would have been more successful at work. There is a lot to keep my busy at the office. I can even work through lunch with nary a thought. So, my next attempt will be at the end of the month.

I don't feel bad about breaking the fast. I was very hungry at lunch, but next time I will be in an environment that doesn't make it easy for me to break the fast. Hey, sometimes a little public pressure is all that I need . . . the coworkers love to watch hunger.

I'm still vegan. : )

Raw Divas Detox - Day 1

It's 10:40 am and I'm doing fine. I dropped my toddler at daycare. It's Veteran's Day, so I am home for the day. I did a little shopping this morning. I stopped at the health food store (Nature's Market) and picked up Senna Leaf to aid with elimination.

The wind is howling like crazy outside. Lucky me. A holiday and mother nature wants to bring my house down. Ugh! Well, it's perfect for staying inside.

Of course, there are several things that I should do: study for SHRM exam, bring summer clothes back upstairs, get a pedicure, make my hair appt, make a waxing appt, bundle cardboard for recycling tomorrow, buy a sprouter and appropriate beans, and finish gathering tax information. The Raw Divas tell you to take it easy. Hmmm . . . what does that look like.

Normally, the 24 hour water fast begins at 6pm and ends at 6pm. I made this decision late last night, so I shouldn't break it until tomorrow morning.

Raw Detox

Okay, the vegan journey continues, but weight loss has not been a real benefit of this change. I have lost some weight, but not as much as I imagined. I keep reading really good things about a raw vegan diet. So, I've decided to take a mini-step in this direction. I am doing this for the following reasons:

• Kick off weight loss
• Retrain palate to desire less sugar
• Reduce the quantity of food consumed

My path to this journey is Raw Divas 7 day Detox, which will only be 5 days for me. In fact, I am not following all of the rules of the 7 Day Detox. First, I am starting early. I am scheduled to leave town on Saturday morning for a Thanksgiving Holiday. I can't be raw vegan in Texas. I can barely be vegan in Texas.

So, instead of waiting to do the detox, I've decided to do 75% and maybe do another round when I return. Day 1 is a water fast. I had a glass of wine this evening, which was probably not the best idea for a pre-fast beverage.

Vegan for 5 weeks and counting

Okay, I've done it for over a month and it's been fairly easy. I am learning NOT to talk about being a vegan. Who really cares? I am smaller. I am slipping into clothes and pulling out things that wouldn't button or close properly. So, I must be down close to one size. During the summer, I bought size 12 shorts. My size 10s are fitting and some size 8s are working for me. I refuse to weigh myself. The last time I did that, I was depressed for a day.

When the size 8s are too loose, I may weigh myself. I am guessing that I will need to start exercising. I think the change of weather is to blame for my lack of enthusiasm. During the summer, I was really into my bike. The cold weather brings out the need to get inside. I should start attending exercises classes, but the gym near my home is really bad. The main aerobics teacher is not qualified to teach (in my humble opinion). So, I need to find a new routine.

In addition, I need to start my running (which won't happen outside) and my swimming lessons. Hubby is heading out of town, so that won't be this week. I hope my next post shows some improvement in my exercise.

I did T-Tapp last week. It felt great. I may try doing that for the week. It's a start.

Still Vegan and not exercising

Photo is from 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia (King Memorial).

I'm not sure what it means, but I have basically stopped exercising since I became vegan. I did a 12 mile bike ride the very next day, but that was it. I have no desire to go to the gym. I want to start jogging, but I can't jog in neighborhoods. I'm terrified of stray dogs. So, I must find a track. Perhaps I will do that this weekend.

Oh well, it doesn't really matter because I have taken the first step towards my first Triathlon. I joined a club, Raise the Bar, in Kent, WA. They start beginner swim lessons in October. They have runs during the week and weekends. So, despite my own lack of desire to hit the gym, I have joined the elite.

The world of eating as a vegan is fine. I have less desire to eat out, as most restaurants are a hassle. It is amazing how little I know about food preparation. Why are eggs and cheese in everything? Life would be easier as a vegetarian, but I wouldn't have lost any weight. I can see why there are fat vegetarians. Most veggie meals in restaurant include a generous helping of cheese. I suppose the chefs are trying to make up for the reduced animal protein. Yuck!

Oh yes, today I purchased a superfood supplement, Barleans Greens. Despite my plant based life, I am not really eating that many green vegetables. So, I'm going to start the day with a green drink.

In addition, today I tried my first meat replacement meal. I purchased BBQ Tempeh at Greenfresh Market in Renton, WA. It was okay. The baby seemed to like it. I wasn't blown away by the taste, but the texture was fine.