Pray for strength...

So Laelle and I were in the pool this morning and I was struggling (whining) and I was so tired. Then Laelle said to me, "Why don't you just pray for some strength?". I just sort of sat there awe struck, "right here? In the pool? Why not?". So I prayed and God helped me "power" through the rest of our swim. It still wasn't champion swimming but I didn't give up, I stopped whining and starting looking towards the goal.

I've been stewing on this all day and it hit me. This is life, when we are tired and don't want to try anymore we want to wait till there some good time to pray to God for his help. But what better time than right in the midst of it. As nice of a thought it is to wait till Ali takes a nap and I have quiet to just sit and talk to God, I don't have to wait. I can do it right when I think this little toddler is driving me crazy "testing" me. I can do it right when I am craving a cheeseburger or chips or soda and just God give me strength!

So ladies, through our journey I want to tell you what Laelle so boldly told me, Why don't you just pray for some strength? Think about it, pray about it and just see what God has in store for you. I am very excited about this journey and I am very excited about all of you walking with me through it.

A special Thank you to Laelle for being so bold:).

confession

So since I'm being held accountable I thought I should tell everyone that I chowed down on the pasta and meat sauce I made for school lunch. It started with a nibble and turned into a whole serving. Then after I very healthy dinner of green salad and brown rice w/black beans and tomatoes, I then had about 8 reduced fat oreoes with a glass of MILK! tsk tsk tsk.

But I did work out, even though I had to shift my schedule to do it and I really didn't eat that much yesterday, still less than I probably would have on a normal (not healthy) day. But I'm not justifying! I really need to stop cheating! At this point any meat I put in my body is keeping me in this state! I need to feel bad about cheating and I reeeeealy need the will power to resist all the cafeteria food every day.

Thanks guys!

Dinner!

Spinach Salad with strawberries, blueberries, craisins, pecans, and chicken with poppy seed dressing. It was YUMMY:)

Workout Success!

I am very pleased to report that I not only swam this morning but I also went to the gym. I tried something different at the gym today, I usually go on the Elliptical but today I went on the Treadmill and the whole time I was on it I was thinking to myself, this actually feels good, this isn't as bad as I thought it would be and the whole time my heart rate was in the fat burning zone:). yay! Now if I can do that 3 days a week on top of my swimming I will be in great shape:).

In 5 weeks, I would like to be at a point where people are saying "you look like you've lost some weight", and for me to know in my mind that I have and it was significant and not just 1 or 2 lbs but maybe 1 or 2 dress sizes.

reset

Sorry this is so long, just getting people up to speed. Later updates will be much much shorter.

As some of you may know, my weight loss has been prescribed by my doctor to prevent diabetes and help me get pregnant. At the end of February I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which means I do not ovulate and my hormone levels are severely off balance. Dr. Copeland suggested I change to a vegan diet, avoiding the hormones in animal products to balance the hormones in my body. Not to mention adding much needed nutrition to my diet to help reverse disease and get my blood sugar levels on track.

Switching to a vegan diet is difficult (to say the least) especially because it's starch based. The media currently leads everyone to believe that more protein and less starch/carbs is the way to go. Although it's true for some, ultimately low carb is just a quick fix and when you start incorporating carbs back into your body you'll most likely gain weight back. The best thing to go for is a balanced diet. I have seen this happen to my self time and time again BUT you tend to like the results you see from giving up carbs. When my doctor told me to go vegan I had just come off of a 2 week carb fast; lots of chicken, eggs, veggies and low fat cheese. And then he was like, so stop eating animal products and I was like.... uuuuuuh I don't know how.

The most difficult part is getting your mind to focus every meal around whole grains or beans instead of meat. Not to mention the particular diet plan he had me look up has less soy protein, so constantly eating meat substitutes was not so much of an option (not to mention it's friggin expensive). So getting my mind wrapped around THAT took a month. I had a conversation with my older sister Mariana one day and I told her about my PCOS, the metformin my doctor prescribed and my new vegan diet (which I had yet to fully adopt). She was the only person who was not surprised. Mind you, my sister is and x-ray technologist in Long Beach. She works at a hospital and knows a lot about general medical information including common medications for my syndrome and lifestyle changes. She said that the vegan thing is often prescribed because the added nutrition and removal of toxins form the body prompts the body to reverse disease, ANY disease. Suddenly being Vegan sounded fantastic so I dove in full force.

Since then I have lost about 5 lbs (over about 6 weeks) and received a lot of "hey have you lost weight?" comments, which are my favorite :) My doctor didn't notice because like I said, I was starving my self of carbs and then got discouraged and didn't diet for about a month, so I gained weight and then lost a little so the scale said I didn't lose any (well the nurse told me I lost one lb, she was excited for me at least!) I also have been working out at Curves. I try to go 3 x's a week but sometimes I don't. No excuses, I just don't because I get lazy. This past week I got discouraged again and cheated ALL week, not to mention I only went to Curves once. I feel like every day I slack off I balloon up which makes me feel like I have to start all over. I guess the key is not to let every little slip up bother me and to stay stronger during that time of the month and not use it as an excuse to eat whatever I please and not work out. What starts as only a few days of "oh I have cramps. Give me chips, salsa, and a blanket in front of the TV" then turns into a week and a half of sitting on my bum playing video games and eating fast food or whatever junk we have in the house. Guess that's why it's called a "lifestyle change" and not just a diet.

On a less snarky note, this weekend I reached a bit of a milestone. For the first time I started looking at my PCOS as what it is: a disease. Fact is, I am physically incapable of getting pregnant. This is something I never thought I would ever have to face. So after a few months of rationalizing and blaming my self, this Sunday I gave it to God. I accepted that even if I did take some wrong steps on my path to health that God, the great physician, can cure anything. So I finally took it to the alter and asked for His healing. Not just for my PCOS but also for my addiction to compromise that keeps me from being obedient. So here's to striving for spiritual and physical wellness! Good luck girls, and may the Lord bless you in your journeys to that smaller dress size (or in my case, the maternity section) :P

Weekend slam...

So this weekend was a minor setback, I haven't weighed myself because I don't want to be discouraged. It all started with going to the movies hungry:(. Movie theater popcorn is not someone who is trying to lose weights friend...Saturday I did pretty good and I was cooking for multiple people so I made sure everyone ate healthy. Sunday was kinda in between, but I think the fact that I am PMSing and feel like a huge cow is probably the main thing that is discouraging me right now.

But, on the plus side this week I start swimming every morning. I'm excited to see the results of that. I just need to make sure I have no excuses not to go.

1 Chronicles 29:12
Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

Day 2 and some recipes

I swam today, yay! Then I went out to breakfast with my mom at IHOP, you may say tisk tisk, but they do have healthier options which we were very pleased to discover. I had their spinach, mushroom, and tomato omelet made with egg whites(without the spinach because cooked spinach make me gag)for a total of 380 calories. :)So I feel pretty good about my breakfast choice.

Recipe #1:
Biggest Losers non fried, fried chicken
2 lbs chicken tenders
1 quart of lowfat buttermilk
2 c whole wheat bread crumbs
1 c cornstarch
2 tsp paprika
1 tbs + 1 tsp organic seasoning salt
1 tbs ground black pepper
large pinch cayenne pepper
4 egg white, beaten to very soft peaks
Pam cooking spray or olive oil

Directions:
1. Soak chicken in buttermilk in the fridge for 6 hours overnight.(i don't usually follow this step)
2. Drain and blot with paper towels to remove excess buttermilk.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325 degrees
4. Lay bread crumbs out on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Cool. (I buy fat free croutons and smash them up instead, very therapeutic)
5. Increase oven heat to 450 degrees
6. Comine cornstarch, paprika, seasoning salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a large dish - mix well.
7. Dredge drained and blotted chicken tenders in seasoned starch.
8. Next, coat dredged tenders thoroughly with beaten egg whites.
9. Last, dip tenders in bread crumbs to fully coat.
10. Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet. Lightly spray chicken on both sides with Pam.
11. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until outside is crispy and chicken is just cooked through and juicy.

For eight servings:
Calories:270
Fat calories:40
Total Fat:4g
Sat fat:1g
Chol:65mg
Sodium:210mg
Total Carb:27g
Fiber:2g
Sugars:4g
Protein:28g

Recipe #2
6 Day Body Makeovers Wild Mushroom and Tomato Rice
2oz. crimini mushrooms, chopped
2oz. portobella mushrooms, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2tsp. dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup uncooked brown rice
3 tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 cup of red cooking wine(although I always seem to need more liquid for the rice)

Directions:
Place mushrooms, onion, and green pepper in a nonstick skillet. Saute over medium heat with 1 or 2 tsp of water until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the spices and rice and stir well for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and wine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 30 minutes or until rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. One cup of uncooked rice will yield 3 cups of cooked rice=6 servings.