A comprehensive mid-summer update!

So today my update is all encompassing covering my stats, food choices, and finally some visual progress. 

Let's get the stats out of the way first.

Weight: 108 lb.

Bust: 34 in.

Waist: 24 in. 

Hips: 34.5 in. 

I am pleased.

***

If you weren't already aware, I'm a vegan. It's been just over 5.5 months officially. Although sometimes it feels shorter than that. Other times it seems like I've been doing it forever. It feels longer than less than 6 months because the lifestyle is so natural to me. It's almost always cheaper for me, I rarely feel super heavy and bloated after my meals, my skin is softer and clearer, I feel a step closer to compassion, and I feel like I'm doing something positive for the world (people, animals, the environment, etc.) Of course I could just as easily have chosen to become a token "junk food vegan" who grazes solely on white carbs, chips, soy ice cream, processed soy patties, veggie deli meats, crackers, breakfast cereals, soy cheese, fries, etc. and on occasion munches on a carrot or banana... But that wasn't the route for me. I'm not saying I'm perfect because I'm obviously not. I still have the odd binge on a bag of chips (although I don't think I've done this since perhaps February so go me!) and I some of my "staples" are processed foods that come in packages (I'm always trying to reduce this though). Examples of some common packaged, processed foods I have in my fridge/pantry right now: unsweetened almond milk, Clif bars, falafel balls, and ketchup. You might be rolling your eyes at this list... But seriously. Once you adopt a whole-foods, clean-eating, plant-based diet (more like, lifestyle), you see everything in a new light. You're constantly thinking "hmm could I make these at home?" and "if I can't make these at home, then  I probably shouldn't be eating them at all, right?" However, convenience is such a virtue. Yes, I can make homemade versions of my store-bought almond milk, Clif bars, falafel, and ketchup; however, I don't have the time. Nor do I have the desire to do so. With my lifestyle, I do what I can. I eat clean, whole-foods about 80-95% of the time. I eat vegan 98% of the time (2% accounting mainly for meals out of the house where I can only do my best to research and trust those who feed me... but I'm sure since going vegan that I've probably consumed a tablespoon or so of unsuspecting honey or some shrimp paste in a "vegetarian" Thai curry). Whatever. 

Ok that paragraph ballooned out of nowhere! Onwards! 

Here's a list some of my favorite more recent meals. 

• Oatmeal. Every morning (except when I go on green smoothie kicks). Banana cinnamon walnut, apple cinnamon flax, strawberry vanilla, sweet potato cinnamon, etc. But my favorite of late is: 1/2 cup of oats, 1/2 cup frozen mixed berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries... antioxidants oh my!), half a ripe banana OR teaspoon of maple syrup (depending on whether my bananas are still green or not), 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds, 1/2 teaspoon flax seeds, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and perhaps... 7 almonds... but who's counting? Mix it all up with water, microwave 2.5 minutes and mm mm mm! 
• Chia seed pudding. Little bowl or cup to eat from... I use ramekins. Tablespoon or two of black chia seeds. Almond milk. The rest is your imagination. Banana cinnamon vanilla. Chocolate maple raspberry. Banana chocolate date. Strawberry banana vanilla. They're all good.
• Mango lassi. Ripe cold (frozen) mango. Almond milk. Almond yogurt. Some ice. Pinch of cardamom. Pinch of cinnamon. Blend and enjoy.
• Green smoothies. You know the drill. Almond milk or water. Banana. Kale. Spinach. Cucumber. Berries. Melon. Apple. Mango. Peach. Kiwi. Oranges. The possibilities are endless. Good non-fruit/veggie additions are spices (vanilla, cinnamon, ginger), oats, chia seeds, flax seeds, cocoa powder, peanut butter, etc.
• Baked sweet potato. Stuffed with tablespoon of cranberries and tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and a dash of cinnamon. Yummy!
• Burgers. Anything from marinated tofu to sweet potato, lentils, and quinoa to black beans, brown rice, and corn. Delicious with ketchup but also hummus, mustard, salsa, guacamole, plain, or crumbled into a salad!
• Quinoa pilafs. Basically quinoa and whatever the heck else I want to stick in it. Dried fruit, nuts, seeds, spices, herbs, vegetables of all kinds (zucchini, onion, cucumber, tomato, avocado, sweet potato, peppers, mushrooms, blah blah blah). Hey even fruits! Oranges are a cool twist. So are apples!
• Brown rice. All sorts of options with this whole-grain staple. Stir fries. Pilafs. In burgers. And then there's also brown rice pasta for gluten free penne dinners. Oh la la.
• Salads. Romaine. Kale. Chicory. Cabbage. Arugula. Spinach. Mushrooms. Peppers. Tomatoes. Cucumbers. Then, to make more filling sometimes I add one or more of these: cold (sweet) potatoes, crumbled falafel, crumbled veggie burgers, avocado, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
• Chickpea flour pancakes. I wish I had gotten into these sooner. About a 1/3 cup of chickpea flour mixed with equal parts water and a little Herbes de Provence, cooked on a skillet with a bit of olive oil, then flipped half way through. Constituency somewhere between a breakfast pancake, a tortilla, and a piece of naan. From there you can top it like a pizza and stick it in the oven under the broiler. Or cut it up like pita triangles and dip it in hummus. Or fold it over with some veggies inside like an omelet. Or use it to deliver some fresh guacamole to your mouth. Or eat it plain. These things are seriously versatile. And eventually I plan on experimenting to see if they taste good as a sweet pancake. Perhaps a chocolate banana chickpea pancake? We'll see. But for now I'm loving them because they're quick, easy, versatile, and filling for their calorie content (a 1/3 cup chickpea flour is about 150 calories and high in fiber and protein!)

I could go on and on about other foods I love to make/eat. But if I ever want to wrap up this post I'm going to have to end it there. If you've gathered anything about that list though, I hope it's that I'm not starving and I have lots of variety on my clean eating, vegan diet. Not only am I not starving, but I'm getting loads of nutritional benefits. 

***

Now, visual progress. First I'm going to do some before and afters. The befores I have already posted on my blog. But I'll post them again for easily comparison. 

1. This picture was a year ago. I used it in my first real post from August but it's actually from June and I am around 138 lb in it. This morning I replicated the picture. The shirt is a bit loose although I still wear it. The capris I'm not sure why I still own because if I wasn't posing still for a picture, they would fall right down on me to the ground. One year, 30 lb, folks. And the funny thing is that you really don't realize how big you were until you compare it with what you are now. At the time of the first picture I knew I could stand to lose a few, but I thought I looked fine. Looking back, I want to kick myself for not realizing how unhealthy I looked.

June 2012 - 138 lb.

June 2013 - 108 lb.

Now, bikini pics. I posted a before/after bikini pic already. But now I have two more pics to share. The transformation is obvious from the first set to the second set. Within the second set, the difference between March and June is quite subtle, but it's worth noting I'm about 8 lb lighter in June. I think my midsection is a tad more toned, legs a bit smaller, and arms a smidge smaller. But maybe that's just me.

The first one is July 2012, the second is December 2012. 

The third is March 2013, the fourth is June 2013.

Last but not least of this never-ending update! Ready for all sorts of work outs in my favorite Lululemon sports bra and yoga pants. 

My fit lifestyle goals for the rest of the summer?

1. Continue to eat clean and balanced meals

2. Improve overall flexibility, stamina, and strength

3. Tone arms, butt, and legs with yoga and weights

4. Maintain my weight

5. Find and embrace happiness

<3 

Summer update!

Now that I've been done with my winter classes for a few weeks, I am finally able to relax a bit at home... although I am not exactly stress-less because I urgently need a job and it's proving to be really hard to get one round here. 

Upon reflection, my semester was fairly decent. I worked out less than I did in first semester, but I found that I didn't really need to. I guess it's just a stage one reaches at some point in the weight loss journey. Of course I tried to make it to the gym three or so times a week, but if I was busy and couldn't even make it there once in a week, whatever... I knew I'd bounce back in a few days and get back on track. Plus my eating habits were healthier than first semester (and much healthier than freshman year of university). And because the ratio is something like 80 diet - 20 exercise, that's what really mattered. It was partly due to being vegan, but not entirely. I learned how to make vegan pancakes/muffins/cookies/cakes/brownies, I ate a five-hundred-twenty calorie dark chocolate bar in one sitting, I bought frozen fries three times, I demolished a box of Oreos in two-and-half days once, and I drank my fair share of liquid calories of sugary alcoholic drinks on nights out. I like to think those were mere blips in my journey though. We all eff up and as long as we get back on the right path, things sort themselves out. 

And they did. When I went home for my Spring break, I was 118 lb. A five-pound weight loss since Christmas. I will also state here that when I first decided to lose weight, 118 lb. was my goal weight (and I wasn't even sure I'd reach it... clearly I lacked faith in myself). I probably would have weighed even less but I kept finding new vegan baking recipes in February, so of course I had to try them... After my baking spree and after my holiday break though, school hit me hard. Near the end of March and beginning of April I had papers due every single day. I didn't have time to bake even if I had wanted to. What it did mean though was a new experimentation with green smoothies, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes. I swear I could live off those three things. Simply because of their versatility. And how you can even combine them! For example: sweet potato oatmeal (with walnuts, flax, raisins, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger)... WOW! Or sticking some refrigerated baked sweet potato to my green smoothies added a delicious taste that can only be explained if you make one yourself. Clearly none of these three "staples" of my diet for about a month are that high-cal, nor fatty, nor loaded with any (added) sugar. Damn did it ever feel good to be eating real food after baking for a month straight!

Even though I was being healthy with my eating, I was a little concerned that I'd gained some pudginess since my Spring break. While I was baking, I was gymming more often to counteract the effects. When I got into smoothies, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes, a large reason was simply because I didn't have the time to be making anything more complex. I needed fuel for term papers and exams - my meals needed to be quick and easy, nutritious, and cheap. That being said, gym time happened minimally during this period. This just goes to show, it really is about 80-20 though. 

When I got home for summer break I was shocked to step on the scale and be 112 lb.! Honestly, I do not think I've weighed this little since I was 14, and even then, I was an inch or so shorter than I am now. I don't look like I did when I was 14 though, I look healthier. I've officially lost 30 lb. in exactly one year! Don't ask me how I did it... err well I guess you could read my blog... but I seriously had no idea I'd make it this far. And for the most part, it's fallen off naturally and steadily but effectively. Like a charm. Yes, I know what you're thinking now... "so you exceeded your weight loss goal and 112 lb. puts you close to being underweight... what are you going to do?" I'm glad you asked. Seriously though, I have set a new goal of 108 lb. It's only four-pounds and it's just enough to keep me motivated this summer. Yes, I could say "I want to maintain my weight." But maintenance sounds... well... quite frankly, awfully boring. It doesn't give me anything to shoot for, and I like a challenge. So don't worry, I'm not going all anorexic on you. My thighs still jiggle a bit when I walk, but hey, at least I'm wearing shorts confidently this summer. And I have a feeling 4 lb. to shed might be the solver of the problem. I'm excited to have a great summer where I'm finally not ashamed of my body. Goodbye to most of my jiggle!

Stats

Bust: 34

Waist: 24

Hips: 35

And a picture to conclude. 

Life as a vegan!?

I've been a 100% vegan for just over a month now, so I'm pretty happy about that. There's a good chance I won't sustain this lifestyle forever, or at least until I permanently move out of my parents' home  (aka summers), as well as live in a city that carries more vegan options both in the grocery store as well as eating out. 

Anyways, here's a watermelon, clementine, and berrie smoothie to die for... I got a new blender for Christmas, so it came super handy for this little drink.

And now something I've made twice in the past week as a bit of a naughty little meal. Some weird shaped flatbread topped with Daiya mozzarella shreds, nutritional yeast flakes, spinach, mushrooms, and of course, tomato sauce. The first time I made it I only used the Daiya, which wasn't bad, but I found adding a teaspoon of nutritional yeast really upped that "cheesy flavor". Either way quite delicious.

Mmmm, so there that is! Til next time...

New year, new ambitions

2013! I'm trying to go vegan, minimize pasta/bread/wheat-products, exercise more consistently, and drink lots and lots and lots (and lots...and lots) of water and tea... all with the ends of feeling better about myself both inside and out. Build immune system, clearer mind, etc. internally, but look slimmer and more toned on the outside as well as improving my skin. So that's that. 

I guess it's an apt time to show what I had for dinner last night - quinoa, mushrooms, asparagus, artichokes with some light seasoning of salt, pepper, and herbs. Please look at it and tell me it doesn't look delectably scrumptious. Oh, you can't? Well that sucks. ;)

Now for body picture. I usually run far and away from tops like these. And it's not as if I'm actually gonna wear this outside in the dead of winter. But it was cheap and maybe this sounds strange, but knowing that I could probably pull this off for the right scenario is kind of satisfying. I still have pretty sizable love-handles and some belly fat but I've come a long way from where I was at before. In fact, over Christmas, my parents took out their iPad and began showing the rest of the family some pictures from late August (a time when I thought I was miles slimmer than in April, when I started my journey). However, it was quite clear that my stomach was somewhat of a feature in these photos - something that I don't feel like people see first now. This is turning into a novel, so I'll stop there. 

I guess my overall point in this post is that I'm going to continue my journey as best I can in this New Year. 

The "weigh in"!

So remember how I said the first thing I was going to do when I got home was to step on the scale? I did...! I am now 123 lb. For some people that's still a lot, and trust me, my work is not complete, but it's huge progress from last year. When I got home in April, I was nearly 140, only a whisker away at about 138.5 lb. This means that in a bit less than 8 months, I've lost over 15 lb. For someone who was not overweight to begin with (although, obviously, unhealthy), I think it's a pretty good number to drop in that period of time. My goal is 118 lb. At the beginning of the summer that number seemed daunting but now I believe that by this April I can reach my goal. That'll be one year, 20 lb. dropped. Of course weight is merely a side issue, as my true goals lie in my overall health, happiness, well-being, mental-clarity, and fitness. And also measurements are more important to me than weight because that's what determines your visual size (aka I don't want to lose weight but still look big and puffy). Anyways, that's my holiday tidbit.

Hmmm...

So I do have exams right now that I should be studying for but I just got back from the gym and wanted to compare my body in a bikini in August to December... so 4 months of eating better and working out. The comparison is kind of sad because I feel like the only difference is that my boobs might have deflated a bit. But looking closer, I do feel like I look a bit more toned all over. It's also exam week (feel like I've gained a lb...) and I'm a bit bloated right now so I might have looked a bit better two weeks ago, but hey, at least I'm not getting fatter!

(August on the left, December on the right... obviously, I hope)

Exams are here, oh no!

Well that crept up on us rather fast, did it not?

Despite a cheesy naan pizza, a couple muffins, a sinful brownie, and some other unforgivable food acts,  I'm trying to maintain a somewhat healthy lifestyle during the stress-filled season that is university finals.

Today I made a deeeeelish smoothie. 3/4 cup blueberries, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup spinach, 5 slices of frozen banana, and 3 ice cubes created this dark monster. It was really really good!

Then, for some reason I was absolutely craving whole grain pasta and broccoli. So I cooked up a 1/2 cup of pasta and threw it with broccoli, tomato, and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast flakes. Yum.

Back to studying...

Pictures Make Progress!

I'm seriously curious to weigh myself in a few weeks though, because I think I look smaller, I feel smaller, my measurements are smaller... but who knows if that gets transferred to the scale or not? As I said, I'm curious to find out!

Anyways, I wanted to show my progress visually...

I'm doing the best I can to stay fit, but unfortunately have had to take a gym hiatus for almost two weeks now due to school work. I'm planning on getting back on track tomorrow though! Need to keep my body strong for the stresses of exam-season! 

Messy room, still need to trim my legs and arms and love handles (EW), but I'm feeling more confident every day.

As you can see, my belly is pretty flat, but my hips/thigh area is still carrying too much blubber. 

Mid-November Check In

Hey! So it's mid-November. Wow. That happened fast...

I've been trying to eat much healthier and I've been going to the gym 5 or 6 times a week lately. I do not know my weight, but I will in a month. That's right. I'm going home in just a month, double-wow! However, I can update my measurements

33.5 for bust
24 for waist
37 for hips

Let's compare with when I started in mid-August:

36 for bust
25 for waist
37.5 for hips

That's a solid difference, I think!

The food I've been eating

So as promised, I'm checking in a few weeks after my last post. University is stressful, but I've been doing my best to remain healthy. Immediately before I left I was 128 lb. I have not had access to a scale since, but my waist measurement is 25 inches still, so I don't feel any bigger.

I've been to the gym 6 times in the past 3 weeks. Not ideal. I'm trying to go 4-5 days a week now.

Now for the good part...

I've been eating really well here, and none of it to me seems blatantly "unhealthy". I can count the times I've had something "unhealthy" in the past few weeks: ice cream three times, one package of instant noodles, two muffins, a KitKat bar, and two brownies. As you can tell, I'm by no means "perfect" in my eating habits. However, backtrack to freshman year... I'd sometimes have two or three desserts a day at the dining hall. Not to mention chips, crackers, etc. in my dorm.

Here are some meals/snacks I've been making in the past three weeks!

• Whole grain grilled cheese with mushrooms, tomatoes, and guacamole
• Whole grain quesadilla with tomatoes and guacamole
• Maple oatmeal with fresh blueberries and almonds
• Lentil mushroom korma curry on rice
• Quinoa pilaf with carrots, peas, green beans, mushrooms, and lima beans
• Mixed vegetable and mushroom teriyaki stir fry on rice or rice noodles
• Lentil, mushroom, cheddar, and red pepper whole grain wrap 
• Greek yogurt with granola and berries
• Gnocchi with low fat alfredo sauce or marinara and shredded mozzarella
• Fruit salad with bananas, apples, kiwi, berries, and oranges
• Apple with 100% natural peanut butter
• Veggie burger with cheese, mushrooms, tomato, and guacamole

...and more to come!

I'm aware these aren't all super low-calorie meals, however, they fill me up, are tasty, and I know what's in them because I make them myself. I don't buy anything with tons of preservatives or weird ingredients. I feel like these are all fairly healthy choices over all, so I'm not going to obsess over the exact number of calories in each. It's the general idea that matters to me in the end.

Back to studying.

Adios!

Before university...

So it's that time of the year again... I wanted to "weigh in" though before I go off to the world of school. I've been eating a lot of veggies and fruits this week (for example, in one day I'll consume: a banana, apple, clementine, kiwi, baby carrots, peas, salad... and then another apple and kiwi just for the hell of it) as well as getting a fair bit of walking and lifting done. Therefore, I had reason to believe that I was shrinking just a tad. So I grabbed the tape measure and hopped on the scale!

My measurements are still 36-25-37.5, but I'm 130 lb now! So the weight must be coming off somewhere...

My plan at school is to eat the healthiest that I can on my budget and time constraints. As well, I'm going to make an effort to get to the gym a couple times a week in addition to the fact that I'll be walking back and forth 10 mins to get to class/home/groceries.

I'll update my progress in a few weeks!

Ciao!

The starting point!

5'4 and 132 lb.

Waist: 25
Hips: 37.5
Bust: 36

Here are two recent pictures of my body. I realize I am not "fat", however I don't think anyone can disagree that I shouldn't try to lose 10 lbs, right? So let's freaking do this!

New blog!

Hey guys! This will be my new blog documenting my weight-loss/fitness journey! I plan to post about progress (quantitative, qualitative, and visual) as well as healthy meal ideas. Wish me luck!