Starting Over: Day 16

I'm going in a new direction today. I'm going with a Weight Watchers mentality. That means really trying to control portion size and staying within my daily limit of points. My daily limit should be about 35 points. So today, my points are:

Protein Shake: 3 points
Hummus: 4 points
Chips: 4 points
Watermelon: 0 points
Veggie Burgers: 14 points
Avocado Sandwich: 8 points
Chocolate: 2 points Total: 35 points

Starting Over: Day 15

Slowly getting back on track. Binged on some leftover chips from yesterday, but had watermelon for breakfast and tofu with mushrooms for dinner. So aside from a momentary lapse in judgment, we're getting there.

Starting Over: Day 13 and 14

I'm supposed to post a picture and weight but I honestly haven't even gone near the scale. This weekend was a total bust and I don't want to see the damage. I'm going a full week without a cheat day, and I'll update with results next week. Yikes, yikes, yikes. That was fun. Back to reality.

Starting Over: Day 12

I ate too much pasta today. Tomorrow is another day.

Starting Over: Day 11

I decided at the last minute to take a trip to Vermont to visit my brother so the next few days are not going to be as good as they could be. I ate a shake, some carrots, and hummus for lunch but then caved and ate 3 vegan hot dogs for dinner! Yikes. We'll see how the next few days affect my overall progress on Monday morning. Then Tuesday it's back to serious business.

Starting Over: Day 10

Thank God it's Cheat Day. I'm in a bad mood. So I've eaten a hoagie, some chips, and some chocolate. I'm planning my next Cheat Day to be Monday so that will leave a long time before the one after that. It'll be my longest span of time without a cheat since the beginning. We'll see how that goes in a few weeks. Enjoying the rest of the day while I can.

Starting Over: Day 9

I made the mistake of not eating when I was supposed to and then felt sick! I'm learning you have to eat even if you don't feel hungry or else you're setting yourself up for a headache. I had a delicious dinner of mushrooms and tofu this evening:

Now tomorrow is a potential cheat day. I haven't quite decided yet. Looking forward to Big Brother tonight! And some almond butter, yay! Today I ate:

3 shakes
watermelon
grapes
carrots with hummus
mushrooms with tofu
almond butter

Starting Over: Day 8

I think the weight loss is definitely slowing down after the first week. It could also be that I'm obsessively checking the scale every 45 minutes, which is definitely not healthy. I will try not to look except once a day, in the morning. I'm on Day 2 of the Refresh and made a delicious mushroom taco salad for lunch. Here's what else I ate today:

3 shakes
1 fiber refresh
1/2 banana
mushrooms cooked in a little olive oil with salsa, lettuce, pineapple
carrots and hummus
watermelon
almond butter

Starting Over: Day 7

So it's been a week. I definitely feel the low energy when I haven't eaten for a while. The RAW shakes taste a little gross, so I water them down. But starting today I'm doing the Shakeology 3 Day Refresh. And the Shakeology shakes are delicious. So I get 3 days of delicious chocolate and vanilla goodness until I'm back to RAW. I'm giving myself a cheat day once a week. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get back on track after eating whatever I wanted - but everything went smoothly after Cheat Day Number 1 and no serious backsliding in weight either. I'm eating fruits, veggies, 3 servings of healthy fat a day, and 3 shakes a day. I also take the dog on a long walk and a short walk everyday. Here's an example of this week's dinner:

This was broccoli and I traded a protein shake for ginger sesame tofu on this particular night.

So I'm in a group that's doing the 3 Day Refresh, and they all took before pictures for the Refresh of their stomachs - up close. I felt compelled to do the same. At first it was awful. But the more I look at the pictures of my own stomach, the more human it feels, as strange as that sounds. I'm not brave enough to post here - yet. But here is my weekly picture (weight: 249.4, 9.2 pounds lost):

Starting Over: Day 6

Went to lunch today at Mesa. I knew going in that I was just getting a side of guacamole. I brought my own veggies to munch on. Cucumbers are the best dipping veggies because of their mild flavor. You really taste the dip. Tomorrow starts the Shakeology 3-Day Refresh Challenge. I'm not worried at all because I've been following the Refresh menu but subbing my vegan protein drink for the shakes. Looking forward to tomorrow's weigh-in! Today I ate:

1 banana
1 cucumber
guacamole
hummus
watermelon
almond butter

Starting Over: Day 5

It's Cheat Day! What a happy day. I didn't worry at all about what I ate. That's not exactly true. I got a small hoagie instead of a regular sized one and ate salad for dinner. But I also had some French fries and peanuts at the Phillies game. (Which we lost horribly - 10-1). I don't know what kind of impact Cheat Day will have on my progress, but I think it's good for my mental health. I'm back on track this morning with my RAW shake and a banana. Here we come, day 6.

Starting Over: Day 4

The resolve is getting stronger, but I still feel weak before I eat. Tomorrow I'm supposed to be giving myself a cheat day. It's kind of a test to see if I can go off the wagon and get right back on. After the cheat day, I'm launching into a 3 day cleanse that should be easier than what I'm currently doing because there are fiber shakes thrown in between meals.

Today I ate:
2 RAW shakes
1 banana
red bell pepper with hummus
steamed broccoli with a little olive oil and sesame ginger tofu
pineapple
1 1/2 teaspoons almond butter

See ya tomorrow on cheat day!

Starting Over: Day 3

I have been very tired these past few days. Dishes and laundry have definitely piled up. Today, although I still took a huge afternoon nap, I also forced myself to do a load of both, take out the garbage, and unload some teaching stuff from my car. I hate to eat dinner early because I was feeling weak. I still have a fruit and a fat left to look forward to. I'm thinking banana with almond butter. Today I ate:

3 RAW shakes
2 bananas
cucumbers and tomatoes with hummus
red pepper with hummus
1 1/2 teaspoons almond butter

My food choices contain one extra fat than the program recommends, but I'm eating very little and not supplementing with the fiber shakes the program actually provides, so I'm calling it OK.

Starting Over: Day 2

Day 2 was much better. (Thanks to an afternoon nap.) And also, I've decided to give myself a cheat day once a week to start. The idea that my favorite foods are not gone forever helps ease the cravings. Today I ate:

3 RAW shakes
1 banana
1 spinach salad with balsamic and oil
Strawberries and blueberries
Half a cucumber with hummus
Roasted cauliflower
1 1/2 teaspoons almond butter

On to day 3!

Starting Over: Day 1 Complete

As always, the first day is the hardest. Generally, when I'm done with school I want to rush home and eat something. Something filled with carbs. Today I ate:

3 RAW shakes
Pineapple
Watermelon
1 1/2 teaspoons of almond butter
Mushrooms, onions, and spinach cooked with a little olive oil and garlic
Half a cucumber with 2 ounces of hummus

And the day is not over, so I may end up eating another teaspoon of almond butter with a banana.

I wish it was peanut butter instead of almond butter. And I wish it was pretzels instead of cucumbers. But I just keep looking at the before and after picture from last year, and I want that after picture more than I want a pretzel.

Starting Over: Day 1

Last year, I went on an incredible journey attempting to manage my Hashimoto's Disease by going gluten-free among other eating modifications. I had a lot of energy and I lost a ton of weight. When all was said and done, I had almost attained a 100-pound weight loss:

Soon after my wedding in April:

I found out that the position at the school I was teaching for in Newark would no longer exist and I would essentially have to find a new placement. I took the opportunity to try something new. I decided to try my hand teaching music for another Newark Public School. The job was not for me and my mental and physical health suffered immensely. I ended up taking a medical leave of absence before leaving the job completely. And gaining back almost all the weight I had lost. 80 pounds to be exact.

I know that teaching is not the career for me, and after a short stint in an absolutely wonderful school district and a beautiful school with lovely coworkers and charming children, I will be leaving the field of education all together. In this time of transition, I'm noticing how bad I feel physically. I feel slow, big, awkward. Unhealthy. As I pick up the pieces of my life, it's time to focus again on getting healthy.

My plan is simple. I will be eating fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and vegan protein drinks. When I fasted, about 3 years ago, this blog helped keep me accountable and kept me going. I hope it does the same this time around. And I hope it inspires others.

Day 1: