Weight Loss – Pre Surgery

#NSV

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The past 2 days I’ve been able to wear pants that haven’t fit in almost 18 months!!

I can’t even wait I can toss these and buy some even smaller.

Everything about this diet change has been positive for me. Yes, I’ve had a few slip ups and I pay dearly each time, (3 to be exact) but seeing the results and actually feeling better about myself is enough of a reward for me to keep going it’s hard to believe that my mother in love is making brisket and beans and I’m gladly opting out and choosing meatless balls instead! Last night they had grilled chicken and the smell alone almost made me barf.

Dinner’s almost ready and I have to do the stir fry. I’ll write more later.

For now, here’s a picture of my husband and I for your viewing pleasure… *snort*

Peace and Love and Stuff,

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I have a confession…

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I have pondered sharing this story for almost a week now. I didn’t want to let you guys down, I guess I was ashamed at first. I felt like I had failed myself and everyone who believes in me, but then I came across this amazing quote by Nanea Hoffman.

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She’s one of my writing influences and you can find one of her posts about anxiety here. (That article is my favorite!)

Anyways, as I was saying… I didn’t want to tell you guys this, but once I read this quote, I knew that my declaration would help you to understand that I positively do make mistakes just like any human does. Because I failed to plan, I set myself up for failure and sure enough, I failed. It was inevitable.

Last weekend wasn’t the best of weekends. Things around here have been a bit stressful, to say the least. My laziness won over the weekend though because I was far too lazy to put on pants and leave the house to bomb my “no animal products” diet.

Along came Monday… Before I even made it out of bed I just knew it was going to be a rough one. I managed to drag myself out of bed and make it through the day but by the time the clock struck six, I just couldn’t even wait to get my hands on something greasy and terrible. I had been craving a cheeseburger for hours and I simply couldn’t wait any longer to sink my teeth in a juicy, double cheeseburger with REAL mayonnaise.

A few people tried their hardest to divert my attention and keep me focused on my purposes, however, my mind was made up. On the way home I was going to stick my middle fingers to the wind and eat all the bad things. No one could stop me. So I did exactly that.

I pulled up to Jack in the box and thought long and hard about ordering something that wouldn’t make me feel guilty. Maybe some potato wedges? Those are vegan. How about curly fries? Hmm. Maybe just some plain English muffins I can put “butter” and jam on at home! Nope. That takes too long and I want something right this second. So I did it. I ordered an ultimate cheeseburger with mayo. I pulled over in a big parking lot and devoured it. Guys, you would have thought I hadn’t eaten in a month. It was pitiful. I ate it so fast that I almost forgot to chew it! I was eating it fast because I was embarrassed. I instantly felt guilty for having a moment of vulnerability.

This wasn’t even the worst part! The worst part was I knew what I was doing and even though I knew I needed to stop and I was NOT appreciating every mouthful like I thought I would, I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t put the ball of cholesterol and antibiotics down. I chose to keep eating it! Even though I KNEW with each bite I was just ingesting thickened cow puss, I just simply couldn’t stop myself.

To think about it now, it’s repulsive. I didn’t get any sleep that night because my stomach was so upset and I had a pounding headache for hours. The consequences simply were not worth the “treat.” (If you call greasy, processed, nothing natural about it, patties on a highly processed piece of “bread” covered with more cholesterol and melted coagulated cow slices a treat, you might rethink your opinion of a treat. For real…) Consider a manicure or new art supplies instead.

Food shouldn’t be a treat. I keep reminding myself of this in anticipation that perhaps one day it will truly sink in.

So there. I’ve made my confession about failing at one meal. ONE MEAL. Does that mean I have failed myself and I have given up on my hopes to become healthy and free of heart disease? NO! Not by any means at all. What it means is that I made a bad decision because I hadn’t developed a plan to have something fast, convenient, and most importantly, healthy to fill my belly with before I let the craving win.

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”

-Og Mandino

Lesson learned.
I might have lost this battle but I still have a whole war to win. Just watch.

To those of you who are working toward a goal, remember this, it’s fine to take a break, it is not okay to quit. Put the past behind you, move on RIGHT THEN, (Not tomorrow or next Monday, or after your vacation) and don’t make the same mistake twice. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Until next time,

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Challenge COMPLETE!

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I wanted to drop a quick note to give everyone a quick update. I’ve officially completed 4 weeks of a vegan diet. I’m gonna be real here, when I first started this journey, I never in a million years thought I would actually make it. I didn’t think I would notice a difference and I thought the cravings would be way too hard to handle. I figured by the end of the 4th day I was going to be shoveling a double cheeseburger with extra bacon & mayonnaise and an ice cream shake in my mouth under a blanket fort in my bathtub. You have to admit it guys, you probably thought the same thing! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazed I am with myself for setting this goal and smashing it!

I’ve had my cardiologist appointment and I’m very excited to let you guys know that my results were simply astonishing. Where there had been fluid around my heart, there is now none. The talk of having a procedure to reduce the fluid buildup is now gone, as there is no more fluid to reduce. My blood pressure has lowered. My resting heart rate was set at 68 BPM compared to the 87 BPM that was recorded during my previous visit. After a few tests, I was told that my heart is now functioning at 92%! This is all extraordinarily great news!

Now, for the main question I’ve been asked basically every other day – “How much weight have you lost?” Guys, it’s only been 28 days! Let’s assume most of this is the fluid I had been retaining around some of my organs but 14.5 pounds seems pretty significant to me! Fluid or fat, it’s still 14.5 pounds I don’t have to lug around with my every day.

My cardiologist is amazed at what my body has done so far and has encouraged me to keep up this vegan diet in hopes that next time she sees me there will be no more need for concern at all.

I love that my friends and co-workers are all so supportive. I’m being offered more almonds than one person could possibly eat. I’m getting high fives in the hallway by people who are reading this and following along. I got the sweetest note on my desk last week letting me know that I’m an inspiration. Today I got 3 bags full of home made date bars. It’s all just been the sweetest journey so far.

I love the thoughtful messages you all send me to keep me motivated as well. The outpouring love is almost too much at times. How did I end up such a lucky girl?!

Well, my loves, I have had a day from fucking hell and it’s about 2 hours past my bedtime. It’s officially time for me to go bed.

Sweet dreams!

NSV (Non Scale Victories)

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It’s been a real fun few weeks guys! I decided to write about a few things I’ve noticed since my diet change. I have already shared a small weight loss with you guys, but this time it’s not about weight at all. To be fair, I haven’t weighed myself in over a week because my scale batterie died. #lazy BUT! Not to worry, thanks to Amazon Prime, I’ll be able to provide you guys with another *hopefully* weight loss picture very soon. This post isn’t about that though, so if that’s what you came for, move along.

I’m here to discuss my non scale victories, or “nsv” for those of you who are more acronym savvy. What is an nsv, you ask? Urban Dictionary defines a non scale victory as a dieting and weight loss term for noticing your weight loss success. Examples include certain pieces of jewelry fitting more loosely & buying a smaller size piece of clothing than normal.

One of the BIG things I’ve noticed is my heart rate. Sure, it still goes crazy at times, but over all my resting heart rate has lowered over the past 3.5 weeks. The average resting heart rate for a 30-year-old woman is between 60 and 80 beats per minute. In just a few weeks on a vegan diet with absolutely NO exercise, my resting heart rate has gone from the 80’s to the low 70’s. (Not pictured is a few days of 69!! WHAT!?)


My shoes have become a bit bigger than they need to be, and those of you who see me on a regular basis know that ‘I’ve really been struggling keeping my pants where they belong. I’ve been walking around like those teenage boys who think it’s awesome to show their underpants 100% of the time. I might need to got shopping soon, if for nothing else at least a belt!

This coming Monday will mark the 4 week point of my vegan adventure. I’m not done yet! I’m going to push it to 8 weeks to see if I can help my heart even more. Over the next 4 weeks I want to work on cutting out as much added sugar as I can. The only added sugar I need in my life is the sweet sugars from my kitties, my puppies, and of course my husband.

Thank you again to everyone who has been so helpful and supportive. I truly couldn’t have come this far without some wonderful people in my life encouraging me every single day.

I’ve got a busy day today – First order of business is a lunch date with a dear friend. We are going to a vegan restaurant & I couldn’t be more excited!

Have a wonderful weekend, you beautiful soul you!