Weight loss success!

As of today, I have reached my goal of losing 20 pounds and have even exceeded it by almost an additional pound. I am down by 20.8 pounds since mid-August. I am now going to eat very lightly for the next week and continue to focus on low starch, low fat veggies, fruits and plant based proteins so that I can lose a bit more or at least hold it steady before the Christmas feast and other tempting goodies start to appear.  I have been avoiding doing a lot of baking before Christmas this year so that I can keep the temptations from derailing my progress.  I haven't been doing any rigorous exercise routines lately; as I mentioned in my last post, my main source of exercise right now is walking (mostly while Christmas shopping). After the holidays I plan to get back to some more aerobic forms of exercise and light weight lifting.

For the past two days it has been chilly and damp with some big rainstorms moving through.  This kind of weather draws me toward nice big bowls of soup, stew or chowder.  Recently I made a big pot of veggie soup using things I had on hand.  I started with vegetable broth (a 32 oz. container) and added 1 can of tomato sauce (14 oz.), a can of diced tomatoes (14 oz.), and a can of cooked lentils, same size.  Then I put in one medium diced onion, a few teaspoons of minced garlic, some shredded carrots and cabbage and some frozen turnip greens with diced turnips.  I also had some fresh kale in the fridge so I chopped a few cups of that and threw it in.  For seasonings I added some onion salt, crushed chili peppers, some blackened Cajun seasoning and some Caribbean jerk seasoning.  It sounds a little bit weird to mix all of those spices, but it turned out super delicious, for my taste buds anyway.  I like a lot of spices in my soup, and it's fun to just get creative and see what happens.

Here is a great quote I just saw on Facebook as a reminder of the importance of a lifestyle that is compassionate toward all creatures:

"As the crisis of feeding the world's population grows, breeding of animals for human consumption becomes less acceptable out of compassion for the suffering of animals and the awareness that it is a grossly inefficient use of water and grain. A new relationship with the animal kingdom is part of our changing perception of the Earth.... Animals are part of us, and part of our practice." --Allan Hunt Badiner

Mushroom Sandwich Anyone? A Low Calorie Burger Alternative

I am still on my weight loss plan and have found a few more things to add to my meal options. One of them is a "mushroom burger" without the meat.  Many restaurants serve hamburgers topped with mushrooms and cheese, which are very high in fat and calories.  The version that I created has mushrooms as the main "attraction", flavored with teriyaki sauce and pineapples.  I marinate some sliced portobella mushrooms in teriyaki for 30 minutes or more, then grill them in a saucepan with some crushed pineapple until the mushrooms are tender.  Next drain the excess liquid and load the mushroom mixture onto a toasted whole wheat bun along with low calorie mayo, sliced tomatoes and lettuce.  It's very yummy!

As an update on the weight loss progress, I gained about a pound during my vacation week in Myrtle Beach--not too bad!  I returned on October 23rd, and since then I have lost that pound again and an additional 2 pounds.  I have now lost a total of 17 pounds in about 3 months and I am just 3 pounds away from my original goal. I would like to lose those 3 pounds by November 20th. 

I have been sticking with very light breakfasts of fruit or whole grain toast, and soups and/or salads for either lunch or dinner, plus lots of low starch veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, etc.  For added flavor I sometimes add in some corn with the veggies.  I also eat an occasional small potato which I cook until tender and mash up with a bit of vegetable margarine (trans fat free) and some kind of seasoning.  I use a variety of spices and seasonings on the veggies, such as cajun spices, dried garlic with red chili, taco seasoning or caribbean jerk seasoning. 

Protein sources are the veggies, beans that I add to salads or include in soups, and various tofu dishes and whole grains.  I have an occasional serving of seafood such as sardines, shellfish (shrimp, clams or scallops), tuna or salmon.  Other than seafood I have been avoiding all animal products including dairy.  My energy level is staying very high and my appetite has decreased substantially so that I don't feel an urge to overeat as much as I have in the past.

Weight Loss News--the Saga Continues...

My scale is stuck!

It has now been five weeks since I started on my weight loss program by combining several different plans that I have read about (see post dated August 25th for details).  So far I am down by about 11 pounds, which is a bit less than I had hoped for by now.  I seem to have hit another plateau for almost the last week, after losing three pounds the week before that.

My initial goal was to lose 20 pounds by mid-October.  It looks like it may take a few more weeks to get there, as I don't think it will be realistic to lose 9 pounds in the next two weeks.  I am going to do my best to ramp up my exercise schedule again, and reduce my fat intake a little bit more--bye bye peanut butter and nutty snacks, at least for now.

I am currently working out by walking outdoors a few times a week for about 30 minutes, and using my own elliptical trainer at home for 20-30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week.  I am not as enthusiastic about the latter as I used to be, so I have to encourage myself to do it with thoughts of fitting into some of my clothes that are still too snug.  My plan now will be to work out at least 30 minutes per day, with a combination of walking, cardio and light weight training.

The last time I was at my ideal weight was about five years ago.  Now I want to get back down to that level--and find a way to keep it there!  I will definitely need a solid exercise schedule in place once I begin to eat larger portions again.  The trick will be to stay with healthy whole foods as my basic eating lifestyle and not give in to too many temptations, especially when I am out and about with other people and having more restaurant meals.

Speaking of weight loss news, last week there was some buzz about former President Bill Clinton adopting a vegetarian diet for losing weight and helping to heal damaged arteries and heart muscle tissue.  There have been some promising studies with people who have partially or completely reversed their heart disease by following a healthy (mostly whole) plant food diet.  Here is a link to an article about Bill Clinton:

http://calorielab.com/news/2010/09/25/bill-clintons-vegan-weight-loss-secret-and-his-4-heart-disease-reversal-gurus/.

I have recently read that several weight loss doctors, Dr. John McDougall and Dr.Neal Barnard, are advocates of a low fat plant food diet, both for weight loss and for optimal health benefits.  Dr. Barnard is especially known for helping patients with Type 2 Diabetes, and Dr. McDougall coaches patients with many different health issues, helping them to either reduce or eliminate the need for prescription drugs.  Even though some fats can be healthy, we still need to carefully watch our intake of those fats in order to reach our weight loss goals. 

Here are links to some interesting books from these two doctors: