Mammoth, CA

I'm back from Mammoth and I'm proud to say that I had WAY too much fun for a work trip. I made so many great friends and had the time of my life!

I weighed myself this morning thinking that I maybe gained weight because eating on the road is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. Nope! I have officially lost 12 pounds since I started!! SO EXCITED!

I think I'm finally ready to come clean about my weight. So, about three years ago I was a hefty 194. Then I fell in love and lost 30 pounds. Stupid boys! So I was sitting at 163 for about two years, up until I started going veggie, which started around January 8ish. Then when I went fully vegan, on March 1, I was 161. Now, I'm happy to say that I am 149! This is literally the slimmest I've been in FOREVER! I don't remember ever being this weight. My driver's license from when I was 16 said 150, and that was a lie.

Starting out, my goal weight was between 140-145, so I'm so close! There might even be more weight to lose after I've reached that, too. One thing that hasn't really changed is my clothes size. I have gone down a size in pants, and my stomach is actually flat, which I don't ever remember not having a bit of a gut, so that's good. But I would have expected to be a smaller size in pants by now. I just bought my first pair of jeggings. They do feel a bit loose in the upper thigh and ass area, so maybe I could have bought a size smaller, but they still look good.

I have noticed lately (just in the last few days) that I have been craving food with meat. For example, when I'm drunk or hungover, I love greasy food. Yesterday on the drive home I really could have used a big beefy burrito. But as soon as I start thinking that way, I realize what I would be giving up, and what would be killed for me. Yes, my thoughts on animal rights have changed significantly since I started. But fast food is so convenient! If they had vegan fast food chains, or even vegan options in fast food restaurants, I would be a happy camper! But no, I have to go into Whole Foods to find a good snack or a filling meal.

Anyway, just thought I'd give an update since I haven't in a few weeks. Keeping this thing updated when travelling is tough!

P.S. Mammoth is AMAZING! Get there now if you haven't been.

Travels

This week is going to be a lot of work. I'm working my second job on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights. I'm dog sitting Wednesday through Sunday. I have two personal days to use up by the end of this week, so I'm taking tomorrow and Friday off, which means I have a TON to do before leaving for Mammoth early Monday morning. Right now I should be organizing and gathering things to bring in the car, but nope! I'm to the point where I have way too many things to do, but can't bring myself to do it all. So here I am, writing on my blog.

On Sunday, I made quite a tasty Easter dinner for my family and a family friend. I made scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, chive biscuits, and a tofu fritatta (which was my substitute for the ham that everyone else ate). Once again, I did not take pictures. I really do suck at that. Our guest brought a vegan chocolate cake that was delish!

Weight update: I have lost 10 pounds since I started on March 1. All of my clothes are starting to feel loose, especially my jeans. I have three pairs of skinny jeans that aren't skinny anymore, so tomorrow I'm going shopping for jeggings, just as a quick fix. I don't want to buy pants until I've lost most of my weight and actually know what size to buy. I don't want to buy something now and then not fit into it a month from now. This issue is that I absolutely hate baggy pants. I don't know why, but it feels disgusting if they are supposed to be tight, but are loose instead.

So, in the last month, I have really been going crazy with spring/summer clothes. I bought a ton of dresses, tops, and shoes:

TJ Maxx: 2 dresses, 2 tops, 2 belts, 1 crossbody purse (for New York/Boston...it was a must)
Target: 6 dresses, 2 pairs of shoes
American Eagle: 1 dress (originally 4, but took 3 back), 1 tube top, 1 sweater
Famous Footwear: 1 pair of shoes
Keds: 1 pair of shoes, 2 packages of socks
MLB Store: 1 Boston Red Sox shirt (for the Red Sox vs. White Sox game I will be attending in May)

I'm hoping that's all, but it seems like I'm missing something. That's never a good sign.

This weekend I really need to do some spring cleaning in my closet. I have way too many clothes (2, almost 3, closets worth). It's time to put away the sweaters and get out the tank tops. Wait, maybe I should rethink that since it's snowing here right now...

Happy Earth Day!

Whelp

I haven't been doing a very good job of posting pictures of my delicious food, have I? I'm hoping that will change soon. I just need to REMEMBER!

Weightloss update: No change

I recently bought an iPhone. Here are my reasons for the purchase:

1) to be like all the cool people

2) to have a camera. I recently broke mine when taking this amazing photo of my family on Super Bowl Sunday. I propped it on top of the TV and down she came, bending the lense.

3) so I can have access to all of these amazing apps, especially the ones that help me know and understand being vegan.

I discovered this website called Barnivore and it tells you if the booze you want to drink is vegan-friendly. On this website, there are iPhone app recommendations for vegans. I downloaded those apps. Now, when I'm doing my travelling, I can easily hop on that app and check to see if what I'm drinking is vegan!

Travelling? Yes. I will be out of town throughout most of May. Starting on May 2, I will be driving to Mammoth where I will be working the Alpine National Coaches Academy for two weeks. I come home for a week and a half before flying to New York for a week, with a side trip to Boston in the middle. A few days after that, I might be driving up to Boise for my BFF's baby shower.

I'm definitely in need of these apps and a camera! The iPhone camera is surprisingly great.

Meals

I have not been doing a very good job of taking pictures of the meals I've been making. Two nights ago I made the most delicious Pad Thai ever. Last night I made a delish breakfast bake. Good thing I have both of them for lunch/dinner today! Tomorrow night I'm making Yam Burritos with the leftover yams I had from the enchiladas. Can't wait!

Bossypants

I am BEYOND excited to read this book. Buying it on Sunday with my 40% off coupon from Barnes & Noble!

Month 2: Vegan

I'm embarking on my second month of being vegan. Today marks 5 weeks, but since it's the first Tuesday in April (my next post on being Vegan will be on May 1ish) I thought I'd start this month out on a high note.

The first thing I'd like to mention is that as of this morning I have lost 7 pounds since I started my journey!! I was really skeptical on my losing weight, or lack thereof, because I read that some people don't lose weight at all, but I figured that since I'm not at my healthiest weight that I would lose at least a few pounds. After three weeks of not knowing if I lost weight (because I didn't have a working scale) and not feeling or looking like I was losing weight, I was honestly a little concerned. It was slow at first, but now it's to the point where it's dropping off...close to melting! 7 pounds in 5 weeks? I'm absolutely happy with those results. And it's the healthy way to lose weight!

Over the weekend I tried to do a juice feast. It didn't go so well. I borrowed a juicer from a co-worker and started the feast on Saturday morning. We got about three hours in before we decided to eat. We kept on drinking the juice (which was delicious), but started to crave food. I have learned on past diets that when I force myself to give up things that I need in my body, then start to crave, I do a 180 and overeat. I don't think I'm up for that kind of challenge just yet, but it was good to see how easy it was to make the juice and how delicious the juice was. The only exception? It's SUPER expensive! I think I bought $40 worth of vegetables and that lasted me one day.

I'm really excited for this weeks meals because not only are they vegan, but they are also gluten-free (thanks to my new cookbook, The Gluten-Free Vegan). I will be making:

-Yam Enchiladas with a Pomegranate Sauce

-Minestrone Soup

Then we will finish up the Apple Sage sausages that I bought on Sunday.

It's supposed to be pretty snowy this week, so I thought a hot soup would be perfect for the cold nights!

Oh! When I was doing the juicing, it leaves you with a bunch of shredded vegetables. So instead of throwing them all out, I decided to add it to some tofu to make a tofu scramble for breakfast this morning. There was enough left for lunch, too!