What Would Tara Do?

Tara Costa-contestant on season 7 of the Biggest Loser....what an inspiration!  I've mentioned before that we are watching old seasons of the Biggest Loser on Netflix and we are now on Season 7.  Tara Costa is, by far, the most inspirational and motivational contestant that I have seen.  She's definitely my favorite from any season I've watched. 

Tara is such an athlete.  She wins so many of the challenges-even the challenges that are typically dominated by men.  The episode we watched last night was the most motivational.  Since she was clearly the strongest of all the contestants, they viewed her as a threat.  So, there was a challenge where the contestants could take their weight they had lost and give it to other contestants.  They didn't know, at that point, what the second part of the challenge was.  So, many of the contestants gave all of their weight to Tara because they knew that it would be a disadvantage to her for the second part of the challenge.  In fact, it was.  It was quite the disadvantage.  All of the contestants had to pull a car for 1/2 a mile.  Some of the contestants had to pull extra weight because they had weight added to them from other contestants but Tara had to pull an extra 250 + pounds....that was a lot more than most of the other contestants!  She started off kind of slow and I wasn't sure she was going to be able to do it.  But as all of the other contestants started slowing down, she started moving faster!  She was amazing!  She just kept pulling and moving and she ended up winning the challenge for immunity!  What an amazing thing to watch!  After all of the other contestants gave her all of that extra weight, she just never gave up and kept pulling as hard as she could.  This to me, was just a perfect example of endurance and perseverance.  That's basically how Tara approached everything and every challenge on the show. 

It's not surprising that Tara went on after the Biggest Loser to compete in marathons, triathlons, the Ironman and many other competitions.  I know I've used the word amazing several times, but that's what she is.  I will be sad when this season ends because she is so inspiring and she has myself asking, "What can Tara NOT do?!"  She has something inside of her that not everyone has.  That's why I have decided my new mantra will be, "What would Tara do?"  :) 

It's Time to Come Clean

You will notice that my weight ticker has been updated.  No, I am not closer to my milestone of losing 100 pounds.  In fact, I am a lot further away from it now.  I couldn't just keep pretending that my weight had stayed the same since August.  It's been an up and down cycle since August.  I will gain some weight and then I am able to get some back off.  Then I gain some more and get some back off.  On and on and on.....the problem is that ever since I saw that 169.8 on the scale back in August, I haven't seen it again since.  The closest I have seen is 173.  Then I went home for the holidays and completely binged out on food.  Now my weight is at 177 (it might be higher after my weigh in on Saturday because I have had a rough week).  I am ready to turn this ship around.  I have been doing a little too much of this sort of thing lately:

(Part of my brunch at Plant)

(R's ice cream birthday cake from the Hop)

(Alien cookie from Rosetta's Kitchen)

But I have a plan and a goal.  One of my New Year's resolutions is to finally hit my 100 pounds lost milestone.  I want to make that happen.  I am so close yet so far away!  Luckily, the gym I am at has a lot of 21 day challenges.  I participated in one through the holiday season and I was very successful.  My goal was to burn at least 3500 calories each week of the challenge.  I was able to burn closer to 5000....yay!  I have discovered that, for me, my problem is with my calorie intake.  My goal for the new 21 day challenge is to eat within my Weight Watchers points everyday for the 21 days of the challenge.  If I go out to eat, I have to figure it out within my points.  If we go over to someone's house or if they come over to our house, I have to figure it out.  That's life and that's how it will be for the rest of my life.  Temptations, challenges and struggles will ALWAYS be there.  I have to figure that part out because if I don't, I will gain weight back.  This is one of the those times that I remember the quote that's something like this:

"It's hard to be healthy/thin and it's hard to be overweight.  You choose your hard." 

I don't want to go back to weighing 265 pounds.  I felt terrible about myself.  I couldn't do half of the things I do now.  I was not happy and healthy.  I want to be healthy and capable of doing many things for the rest of my life.  I don't want sit on the sidelines of my life because I am not healthy enough to participate.  These are the things I need to remember when I am overcome by the desire to snack mindlessly.  I always need to remember where I came from and where I want to be.  

I will clean the slate and start new....today the 21 day challenge begins.  21 straight days of being on plan!  Let's go!

Book Review: Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

With the new year here and so many people blogging about resolutions and starting over on the road to health, I know it's kind of strange that my first post of the new year is a book review.  To be honest, there are so many things I want to post on but I am lacking the motivation to actually put a post together.  I feel like the weekends fly by and time is so limited.  We moved into our new rental house 3-4 weeks ago but are still not completely settled in.  Every weekend is filled with unpacking and getting the house in order.  But enough of that for now.....

Over the holidays, I made a trip home to see my family.  I started reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer on my last trip home and I finished it this trip.  This book was excellent.  I would recommend it to anyone.  I would recommend it to meat eaters, not to convert them to veganism, but to open their eyes to what goes on.  I feel like that's something they owe the animal they are eating.  At least find it in yourself to see the life and death of that animal.  I know everyone is not going to be vegetarian, I am not that naive, but I would like to think that if people knew more about factory farms and the life and death of the animals, they might be more likely to seek out "humane" options.  I say humane in quotations because my opinion is that no meat is humane but, once again, those are my beliefs.  I would be thrilled if the book at least converted someone into a meat eater that is informed about the type of farm they get their meat from.

I never felt like this book was just spitting out facts and figures.  I always felt like there was a story to Foer's writing.  He went to some factory farms and interviewed some of the workers, the owners of the farms and animal rights advocates.  I love that he decided to start working and researching this book after he had a child and he wanted to know what he was feeding his child.  I think that's a really good point.  People always worry about kids getting sick, getting infections, etc. but they often don't think about one of the most fundamental things to our survival and well-being: the food we eat. 

If you have not read this book yet, I definitely recommend it.  I think it will be an eye opener.  I have been a vegan for 6 1/2 years and it still opened my eyes to many things I was not aware of.  Some of the things were painful to read, however, I am very happy I did read the book.  Go and read it!  :)

Busy, Busy

(Even though life is busy right now, we are still trying to get out and explore more of Asheville.  This picture was on the double decker bus that serves coffee and dessert.  It was super cute on the inside!)

As always, life is moving so fast these days!  To add to the already busy holiday season, we are moving this weekend!  This is very exciting because ever since we moved to Asheville, we have been living in a place we are not happy with.  Things will be quite a bit tighter financially but we decided that it was worth it for our quality of life.  So I am sure next weekend will be filled with packing and moving boxes!  The next few weeks might be filled with easy dinners like this:

(Mexi Pizza topped with fresh diced tomatoes and Follow Your Heart Vegan Sour Cream)

I decided to join the gym that I am taking classes at.  I guess they were successful with their Groupon coupon….at least with me.  I really like taking classes to mix things up.  The gym membership is pretty inexpensive as far as memberships go (about $20/month) but I did have to commit to 3 years.  Oh well….I am cheap so that will probably keep me motivated because I won’t want to lose money.  My weekly class schedule looks like this:

Monday: Rip & Ride (Cycling class mixed with cardio and strength training)

Tuesday: Boot Camp

Wednesday:  Rip & Ride

Thursday: Spinning

Saturday: Kickboxing

Sunday: Spinning

Just taking these classes alone is definitely worth the membership.  One of the instructors who is also the owner of the gym teaches most of these classes and she is TOUGH but in such a good way.  She pushes her classes really hard.  She always wants to know what your heart rate is and how many calories you have burned to make sure you are working hard!  I love it!  Sometimes I feel like I am on the Biggest Loser! 

(Ali Vincent-Season 5 Biggest Loser   Photo Source)

Speaking of Biggest Loser, Netflix recently added a lot of the seasons to watch instantly.  Yay!  We just couldn't get into season One, so we decided to skip ahead to season 5 when Ali Vincent wins.  How inspirational!  It's very interesting to watch her and many of the comments she made.  She was just so sure she was going to be the first female Biggest Loser and she was right!  She just knew.  I highly recommend watching this season.  I found it to be very motivating!

Recently, I have had a weird obsession with buying huge amounts of groceries.  I bought this basket of broccoli at the farmers market and it completely filled 2 plastic grocery bags.  Also, in the background is 6 boxes of Kashi Go Lean cereal ordered from Amazon Subscribe and Save.  It’s not in the picture, but I recently bought 10 cans of pumpkin, 6 boxes of Rapunzel vegan bouillon  and multiple cans of tomato sauce.  It’s actually not that weird because I have been scoring some awesome deals on things, but it just looks funny in the teeny tiny place we are living in right now.  Oh well…..I am all about bargains. 

Also, Weight Watchers is still going well--my weight is slowly coming back down.  My goal is to be back at the weight I was this summer right after moving to Asheville by Christmas.  We will see.  I am just going to keep working hard and see what happens. 

Anyway, I know my blog has taken the backburner right now and I am sorry for that.  Hopefully when we get settled into our new place, I will be able to start making some new recipes and posting on some things other than life being hectic! 

A Healthy Thankgiving & a New Obsession!

(It's starting to get a lot colder and the days are a lot shorter-Corny and I decided to go out on a chilly jog/walk even though it was pretty cold!)

I think it runs in my family to become obsessed and fixated on things.  I think I get it from my mom.  My brother has it too.  Several years ago, he became obsessed with health and fitness and I thought he was crazy.  When he started going to Cross Fit gym, I thought he had joined a cult.  When he and his wife were expecting a baby, I told my mom that they would have to sacrifice it to Cross Fit.  Mostly joking, but kind of serious.  Cross Fit is no joke.  However, I don't really give him a hard time about it anymore, because now I understand it a little  better. 

Over the past month, I have been attending a local gym on a Groupon coupon that I purchased this summer.  I don't really use the equipment at the gym, but I go to a lot of the classes.  I mentioned a few weeks ago that I chose the "boot camp" class as my very first class. 

(Photo Source: Phundeals.com)

It was very hard, but the feeling I got afterward was so rewarding.  I accomplished something that I didn't know I could do and I don't think the instructor thought I could do at first either.  When I went into the gym that day,  I said I was there for the boot camp class.  She said, "Have you ever taken this class before?"  I said, "No."  I didn't really know what else to say.  I said I had recently done a 5K and she asked me what my time was.  When I said I did it in 32 minutes, she backed off a little bit but all she said was, "Well, you can give it a try."  In my mind I thought, she doesn't think I can do this and I am going to prove her wrong.  That kept me motivated over the course of the next hour when the exercises got really tough.  I kept thinking, I have to prove her wrong.  I will show her I am capable of this.  After the class she complimented me and said the only reason why she said any of that was because a lot of people come for the class and they really can't handle it because they don't realize what it is.  I decided I would be coming back for more.  I also decided to give kickboxing a try a few days later. 

(Photo source: Kravfitnow.com)

Kickboxing starts off my Saturday mornings now.  Rather than being lazy, sitting around drinking coffee (I'm still caffeine free!) and not getting out of the house until noon, I have started going to the class that starts at 8:45.  It's a great way to start off the day.  I will usually go to the farmers market and grocery shopping after the class too.  I love that kickboxing is a great upper body workout....yes, I know that sounds crazy that  I am saying upper body workout when it's kickboxing but we do a lot more punches than kicks.  My upper body is one of the areas of my body that I feel really self conscious about.  I really want to tone my arms but I am just not crazy about lifting weights.  This is a great way to get an upper body workout and cardio at the same time.  I also feel really tough and powerful when I am punching the bag. 

(Photo Source: Southernliving.com)

Last but certainly not least, I decided to give spinning a try.  In my mind, I always thought that spinning would be easy and kind of boring. Haha....I was SOOO proven wrong!  Spinning is no joke.  Last night, I burned almost 800 calories in less than 75 minutes!  That's a workout!  The instructor (same as boot camp) pushes us so hard and I really think I respond to it.  I love the challenge and I love the feeling of accomplishment when the class is finished. 

My Groupon runs out in less than a month but I have pretty much decided to stick with this gym for the classes.  The gym is pretty basic but the classes are well worth the membership fee.  I feel like when a drug dealer gives free drugs to people to get them hooked.  This Groupon coupon got me hooked on these classes and now I crave going to them.  I love how I feel and how hard it pushes me.  It's hard but exhilirating at the same time.  When I go out walking and jogging, it just doesn't feel the same anymore! 

Along with going to the gym, I had a great Thanksgiving break.  I got to go to Plant, my favorite vegan restaurant in Asheville, for a benefit Thanksgiving dinner.  The food was amazing and so much better than cooking a big Thanksgiving feast!  I worked my ass off for several days earning activity points so I could enjoy the dinner without even thinking about points.  I got on the scale the next day and showed a loss!  Yeah! 

(Excited about going to Plant!)

Another fun picture I thought I would include is of some "Red Giant Mustard" greens from the school garden.  The high school  I work at has a garden that we can go and pick greens from.  It's awesome!  I have been picking collards, kale, turnip greens and mustard greens. 

I haven't tried these yet, but I am very curious about how they taste.  I have never even seen these greens before!  I hope you had a great Thanksgiving holiday filled with lots of great things!  Happy holiday season!



Back To My Weight Loss Roots

(Above the clouds-heading back home to see my mom)

It's been awhile since I last made a post!  It feels like life is just moving so fast  right now.  In the past couple of weeks, I found out my mom had the beginning stages of uterine cancer, she had surgery, and I went home to be with her for a few days.  It was a completely unexpected trip home.  It had been less than a month since I was last home but I was so happy I was able to be there with her. 

As soon as I got back home from my trip, I decided to go back to my weight loss roots.  I decided to go back to Weight Watchers.  Weight Watchers is what I lost the majority of my weight with and I was been struggling so much recently that I really felt like I just needed to go back to the beginning.  Unfortunately, I have gained about 10 pounds since moving to Asheville and I am not happy about it.  Little by little, the weight has been creeping back up and I am not okay with that and it's time for me to do something about it.  So, that's what I am doing. 

(I did my own version of the WW Food Journal to save some $)

Currently, I am not really at a place where I can afford the $40 a month for WW Monthly Pass so I am pretty much doing it on my own.  I printed off my own version of the food journal and I can still access the message boards which was the only thing I really used from the e-tools when I paid every month.  Plus, I am going to a local gym right now and taking quite a few classes.  I feel like that gives me some accountability.  I purchased a Groupon this summer and decided to save it until it got cold outside.  It will last until the end of December and then I will have to decide if I will continue with the gym or try out some specials at other gyms around the area.  I really do love taking the class though and I think I might want to stay with this gym.  I am currently taking Kickboxing, Spinning and Boot Camp.  I love how I get pushed to work harder in classes.  It's a great sense of accomplishment! 

My first week back on Weight Watchers felt successful.  I used all of the activity points I earned and only 3 of the extra weekly points.  I feel like that's a success.  I haven't weighed myself yet though.  I plan to do that either tonight or tomorrow.  I think Tuesday will be my WW weigh in day. 

I did a lot of food prep this weekend along with taking a spinning and kickboxing class.  I tried out two new recipes that you can find online!  Here they are:

Zucchini Quinoa Lasagna from the Peas and Thank You Blog

Black Bean Quinoa Burgers from Vegetarian Times Magazine

I loved both of these recipes.  I doubled up on the recipe for the burgers so I could freeze a lot of them.  I love doing this because it's so much cheaper and so much less processed than frozen vegan burgers at the store.  I also loved the idea of the zucchini as lasagna noodles.  It worked perfectly and it tasted delicious.  I didn't even miss the pasta especially since there's quinoa in the lasagna.  I would definitely recommend both of these recipes. 

Random Post: the Weekend, Eat to Live Thoughts, a New Recipe and More

(Hooker Falls-Dupont State Forest, NC)

I feel like I should start off with the positives of this weekend.  I got a lot of great activity in!  On Saturday, I went to my second kickboxing class.  I still loved it and it was a great workout!  I burned even more calories this week because I pushed myself harder.  I love that I am getting a great upper body and cardio workout at the same time.  When I was finished, I had burned 700 calories!  

Then on Sunday, we drove out to Dupont State Forest and hiked out to many of the waterfalls within the area.  The hiking is pretty easy out there with some inclines but we hiked for almost 3 hours.  I burned over 600 calories when we were finished hiking.  

R is way more adventurous than me....when she found out that you could "walk" behind Bridal Veil Falls, she had to go back.  I knew when we went out to Dupont State Forest yesterday, that she would be doing this.  I decided not to hike behind it but I still enjoyed hiking to the top of this waterfall. 

(The only reason why I included this picture is because there's a heart shaped water puddle if you look closely...I just thought that was cool.)

 

I also had 2 recipe successes this weekend.  I made gluten free pancakes that were a success and I made the Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup from Appetite for Reduction.  The gluten free pancakes were exciting because I have tried this before with no success.  This time, I used the Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour with a little bit of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour is it was a great success.  The consistency was fine and they didn't fall apart.  I know R was excited because she eats gluten free all of the time and I think this was the first success for gluten free pancakes. 

(Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour--Photo source:  navanfoods.com)

The picture below is of the Lotsa Veggies Lentil Soup from AFR.  Have you checked out this blog before?  She is working her way through Isa's entire cookbook and taking pictures of everything she makes.  I love it!

(Photo Source: The Reduction Project)

I guess I should just go ahead and talk about my Eat to Live-Week 3 results.  I still lost a little bit of weight.  I lost 0.4.  It's better than nothing.  I will be honest, I am struggling with Eat to Live and I just have myself to blame for this.  I have become too relaxed and eating things that Dr. Fuhrman would probably not approve of (Starbucks Decaf Soy Misto).  Starbucks soy milk has quite a bit of sugar in it and I know that's why I like the drink so much.  Also, I have started using some stevia again to sweeten things.  Part of this is because I don't really think stevia is bad for me and part of it is because we were using way too many dates to sweeten things.  Not only do the calories add up, but it's expensive.  (I will talk about budgeting in a minute.)  So, I am going to do my best with Eat to Live for the final 2 weeks of the program, but then I am seriously considering going back to my weight loss roots....Weight Watchers.  I have taken a break from Weight Watchers for about 9-10 months and have been struggling to lose weight for about the past 6-7 months.  It's just something I am thinking about right now.  Now that I have a better grasp of calories, I might be able to be more successful with Weight Watchers and not abuse the whole "free fruits and veggies" thing.  We will see. 

I said I would talk about budgeting in a minute.  I was pretty shocked when I did the math for last month's grocery spending.  For two people, we spent over $700 in groceries.  Yikes.  I have set a goal for us this month to spend $500 or less and that will include going out to dinner if we choose to do that.  That way, if we decide to go out to dinner, we know that we might be struggling a little bit more with our grocery budget and we might have to work more on making due with what we already have.  We want to move out of our current rental place and get a better place that has more space and is nicer.  But in order to do that, we know we will be spending more money.  Money can be so frustrating!