One Month Later - The results are in!

Day 30 - Now we're getting somewhere!

• 5'8"
• 139lbs
• waist - 31.5"

Well, it has been a month and I'm pretty happy with the results of this 30 day reboot.  I've lost 13 pounds and a couple inches off my waist.  I expected that by this time, I would be so over the whole diet thing, but I found that once I got used to it, this way of eating is actually pretty easy.  Have I been perfect?  No.  I was especially not perfect this weekend when my brother and his wife came down for his birthday.  Pretty sure birthday cake ice cream and vodka shooters are NOT on a vegan paleo diet.  BUT!  I found that as long as I kept to the plan for breakfast and lunch, a couple cheat dinners here and there didn't really derail my progress.  When I started this, I had intended to go back to my normal diet at the end of 30 days.  A few weeks in, I realized that, with a little tweak here and there (softening the rules in regards to legumes, for example) I could do this indefinitely.  I still have about 5 pounds to lose to reach my goal weight, so we're going to keep right on going.  This will be the first New Year in a LONG time that my resolution will NOT be "to get back in shape".  I'm almost there already!

Breakfast - Spinach and frozen berry smoothie with Hemp protein powder, chia and flax seeds.

Lunch - big old green salad with almonds and whatever veggies I have on hand.  

Snacks - Olives, fruit slices or celery with almond or sun butter, mashed sweet potato

Dinner - Some fancy-schmancy recipe, usually from one of these sites

• http://www.vegiehead.com/vegan-paleo-recipes.html
• www.babble.com/best-recipes/gluten-free-paleo-and-vegan-12-diet-friendly-dinner-recipes-everyone-can-eat/
• http://paleoveganista.com/

Or just whatever veggie I have on hand julienned and eaten with tomato sauce or olive oil and nutritional yeast or something.  Delish!

Day 2 - I have my doubts, missy.

Day 2

Today was day 2 of the 30 day Paleo-Vegan experiment, and I have my doubts.  My understanding is that you don't need to focus on calorie counts as long as the foods are allowed.  Meaning, it's not how MUCH you eat, but WHAT you eat.  Today's diet was pretty much the same as yesterday's.  I omitted the coconut oil in the smoothie, as I feel like I'm getting way too much fat anyway, and swapped the banana for some avocado and the berries for some mango.  As it turned out, I had plenty of leftovers from yesterday's veggie bake and salad to feed me for the day (and some of tomorrow).  That meant that I actually had time to do something other than cut veggies all day.  Hooray!

The problem is, of course, that as a vegan-paleo dieter, I'm getting most of my protein from nuts.  I'm not eating a ton - a handful or 2 a day, plus my hemp powder and lots of dark leafy greens.  Still, the cashew cheesy sauce I put on the veggie bake is too delicious not to be incredibly fattening.  Of course, this morning I was down a pound (I plan to post official stats at 15 and 30 days), but I fluctuate quite a bit.  I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Friday spin was brutal, but it always is.  So far, so good!

Day 1. Do I really look like THAT?

Day 1

• 5'8"
• 152 lbs
• waist - 34"

Well, here we go.

I've gotta say.  14 months after delivering my third and final baby, I had hoped to look a LOT better.  I dropped about 25 lbs in the first six months with a trainer and Nutrisystem, but since last Christmas, I sort of fell into the "eat whatever the heck I feel like" trap.  Now, I've gotten into a pretty good groove at the Y - Spin on Monday and Friday.  Bootcamp on Wednesday.  Power Yoga on Tuesday and Thursday.  I think that's helped me maintain THIS figure.  But this is hardly the figure I want.  SO.  Today is the day.  I've taken a good, hard look at my vegetarian diet and decided that it's time to drop all those complex carbs and dairy and give the old system a little reboot.  We're going Paleo-Vegan for the next month.  I've decided to blog about my thirty day reboot not because I expect anyone to read it, but because I want a record of how it goes, and some accountability for myself.  Starting today I'm cutting all grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, and alcohol from my diet.  For 30 days.  As a vegetarian, I don't think a "Paleo" inspired routine is really feasible for the long run.  I've got three kids and 2 adult men to feed - none of whom are keen on joining me for this adventure.  Eventually, I suspect I'm gonna need to reincorporate grain and legumes.  But!  I think this is just what I need to reset my mind and body and (hopefully) lose these last 10 lbs.  Gambarimasho!

• Breakfast - smoothie made with banana, frozen berries, a little almond butter, coconut oil, hemp protein powder, unsweetened almond/coconut milk, chia and flax seeds, and spinach.  Not bad.
• Lunch - monster green salad with a handful of almonds
• Snacks - baked sweet potato, a couple cashews
• Dinner - http://www.vegiehead.com/2/post/2012/09/layered-vegetable-bake.html, except with Chayote instead of eggplant.

Yoga was a little tougher than usual.  I've got that kinda familiar glucose-starved brain fog, and I am definitely snappier with the kids (but come on.  They're a handful and a half even when you're NOT on a new diet).  Not too hungry.  The biggest issue is the prep.  Cutting all these veggies is a time SUCK.  And the dishwasher's on the fritz, so I've spent all day in the kitchen.  Still, I think this MIGHT be doable.  Might.