My Wellness Journey, Part the First

I really see my lifestyle changes as a wellness journey, instead of weight loss. However, weight loss is a tangible result of wellness. This is why I am referring to weight loss in this post.

It's official as of today--I am down 20.5 lbs. from where I was at this time last year.

Now, I know that I'm not going to be called up for any weight-loss endorsement deals. It's no shocking or quick weight loss regiment, but the way I see it, I did it! Granted, I would like to lose 30 to 40 lbs. more, but I'm happy with my results.

So, you are probably wondering how I did it. I made small changes to my diet over time and have been incorporating exercise on a regular basis.

The most significant change to my diet is that I eat vegan most of the time, at least 2 meals a day. I follow Mark Bittman's blog and read his VB6 book. It changed the way I think of food. I didn't start out eating vegan or if I did, I took the all-or-nothing approach. The all-or-nothing approach set me up for terrible migraines and made me ugly to be around (just ask my husband). What worked for me was eating more vegetables and fruit--say, replacing a side of chips with my sandwich with cut-up red peppers or cukes. I also try to make one of my snacks a fruit or vegetable. This is how I got more veggies in my diet. My meals became based around veggies, rather than meat or starch.

 I don't go hungry. I eat when I am hungry. This has made a huge difference, as I don't starve myself and binge at the next meal. I also am not too strict with myself, so if I'm out with friends, I will eat and have a good time.

I feel that what has helped me lose weight the most is that I started taking karate and kickboxing classes. I have to exercise at least three times a week now. I needed structure because it was too easy to blow off going to the gym. I really like the people and program at United Martial Arts Center.

The most important aspect of my weight-loss journey thus far is this: I haven't really been focusing on the pounds lost (in fact, I only started weighing myself weekly about a month ago). I've been focusing on how I feel: Do I have energy? Do I feel strong? Am I happy?

And, yes, I am definitely happier than I was a year ago.

Many thanks to those who have been supportive of my wellness journey, especially my husband, Mark, who is willing to try new food; my best friend, Amy, who is my kickboxing buddy; and my friend, Colleen, who is my cheerleader. You guys totally rock!

What You Love

Over the past few days, I've been thinking about this comic strip that came across my Tumblr dashboard in the spring. It was about a girl who rode horses and then opened up her own riding school. The point of the comic is that if one does what he/she loves, happiness will follow.

I've been searching for that comic because I find it inspiring. I think about how it applies to my own life. I love what I do: I teach. I'm never going to be a millionaire or famous, but I'm cool with that.

Fail?

I started to do a weekly weigh-in to monitor my progress with my fitness goals. I will go into those in detail a little later. Anyhow, I gained two pounds over the past week. 

I know where I fell down: I skipped kickboxing on Saturday morning. I fell apart on my daily workouts. I had two burger-and-fries meals two days in a row. 

I'm not going to dwell on the 2 pound gain as some sort of moral failure. It's time to look ahead as to what I can do, not what I should have done. It is a reason to re-evaluate what I am doing and switch it up.

This week, I AM going to kickboxing. I AM paying attention to my meals. I AM drinking my water.

Grilled Tofu

My husband grilled tonight, so I had him grill some tofu for me.

Basically, this is what I did:

1. Got some extra firm tofu from Wegmans.
2. Pressed it in a colander with two soup cans for, like, a half hour.
3. Marinated it in some barbeque sauce for 5 hours.
4. Had husband grill it until it was charred.

It was fantastic! I had it over rice with grilled peppers and onions and a little more barbeque sauce.

Shout out to my husband for grilling the tofu!