Oh My Goodness... I Went To My First Vegetarian Restaurant Tonight (watercourse) Thanks To Darby!!! And It Was Sooooo Delicious! I Ordered Seitan Fajitas... And It Was So Goooood!

I Got A Pint Of Soy Ice Cream To Go Instead Of Ordering A Milkshake There And Oh My This Is The Best Chocolate Icecream Everrrrr!!! Like How I Imagine It To Taste In Italy :) Yummmmmmy

Yay To My 1st Experience!

jillnicole-I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I've never tried the fajitas; I'll have to check those out the next time I'm there.

How much longer are you going to be in Denver? I can tell you about some other places if you're going to be there a while. There are a lot of good places in Boulder, if you ever get up there!

Have a good night, everybody. Get some rest because we need to make this week count!

I like the challenge for this week. I have been anxious and stressed the last week, I really need to unwind. I wish I could just flip a switch and quit worrying. Does anyone else get this? It stinks! :)

Hello again :)
Just letting you know i finally got access to scales 2 days ago, i had gone up 3lbs on it, then today i get on them and i've gone back to 167lbs.grr My body is weird i tell thee!

JILLNICOLE...when i first went vegan i was runnng around to loadsa different resturaunts eating everything just cos i could.lol

I like the new challenge, ive decided not to get to stressed anymore as im starting a new uni next monday so id rather be in a happy mood when i go :)

On a bad note tho ive had to give up Soy, i have PCOS and i read all the negative effects/hormones etc it could have on you, so im going to have 30 days without it to see if it makes a difference, i eat soy milk, cheese, icecream, spread, fake meat...so im hoping it will be the cure of my weight gain :D heres hoping!

How everyone doing today?
Im debating what form of exercise to take, probably power walking again but last time i messed up my feet :(

xxxxx

Good Morning Lovely Ladies!! I'm counting down the days until Friday as I'm heading to the beach then :)

I had a crap day as far as food goes yesterday but back at it today. I tend to have one kinda bad splurge day every week to two weeks. I figure as long as it's just one day it won't hold things up too bad ;)

Jill - I need to take your advice this week as I've had little stresses pop up here and there. Just seems like a lot of small things are trying to make my life nutso right now. I'm reminding myself everyday to just BREATHE and it will be okay!

Jade - I'm so sorry about the PCOS. I don't know a lot about it but I'm sure you'll figure things out. I've read some posts in the PCOS forum here and they seem like a good group of women with lots of info.

Have a good day all - I'm off to try to make it to work early!

Mmmm.. I LOVE Soy Dream. It's soo yummy!

Have just tried Almond milk!...sickly as ****. It had Agave Syrup n bits that got stuck in my throat...so i gave it to my bf :D
I think im better off with oatmilk unless someone can suggest something else?
:D

Dark Angel-that sounds awful! I've never tried almond milk, but I guess I always imagined it would taste good (like marzipan!).

Well, today didn't turn out the way I had hoped. My husband had the day off and he was a real pill all day long. He isn't usually, so I'll forgive him, but it just put me off my healthy eating schedule. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

I made seitan again and it turned out better than last time.

Have a great night!

**Ok ladies.... NO STRESS THIS WEEK.... take little steps every day to help you smile more and stress less!** I know my CHALLENGERS can do it!! I have so much fiath in my great group! Don't worry if you fall down, brush it off!


DARBY.... Yes! Thank you so much :) I;m so excited... seitan is so dang delicious! I hope I can make it right!!!! I'm actually leaving tomorrow morning!! Early too, so perfect timing on the restaurant comment ;) Sorry your hubby was being a terd... get a walkman and put in your ear phones ;)

KIERR... I'm glad you are into our challenge! I was trying to think what women need help with, stressin out!! Definitley me! lol Heck yes give me the switch too!!

JADE... Haha my weight does that 2 sometimes.. lil jumping bean. This will probably be my only vegan restaurant experience for awhile since I live in a small are in SC, without like any dang options! Power walking messed up your feetsies? Good ness!! Have you tried Turbo Jam) I love it :) Dang it I hope I liek Almond Milk!!! Ahhh I'm nervous now.

FATCHICKBGONE... Yay the beaccchhhh :) It's good to plan your splurges too.. sometimes that helps :)

MISSNEWBOOTY... Cant wait to try more vegan icecream :) Maybe once every other week or something!

Hey ladies!

Quick update. I'm without a computer so I'll be updating on my phone. With this being the case, I won't have the ability to send individual replies but know that I AM keeping up the absolute best I can. :)

Heather - No worries just keep up on the food and exercise!

I liked almond milk okayish when I tried it but generally get vanilla soymilk - I was drinking it long before I went vegan just because I liked it!

PMS is causing some troubles this week both with food control and bloating. Hoping to rein in back in my Friday. It really doesn't seem fair sometimes to deal with this monthly!

Good morning! :)

Jill, there're a few really easy seitan recipes here. You can tweak the seasonings to your taste, or for your purpose. I make one that tastes like pepperoni for pizza.

My husband has decided to set his own weight loss goal, so I have a little extra support at home, which is good because my motivation is out the window. I started a new job that I don't love, so between that and a series of unfortunate events, I'm a little depressed. It's something I battle with, and it comes and goes, so I'll just have to pull myself out of the hole and get on with life...at least until my insurance kicks in Oct 1. Then I'll have a little chemical assistance if I need it. ;)

well i'm back... still a little congested but feeling much better than yesterday, and my bf flew back home this morning.

i want to go to the grocery store soon, so i'm definitely checking out that dill potato salad recipe! i have never tried making my own seitan... seems a bit frightening to me! =) but i guess I gotta expand my horizons.

Glad you're feeling better, Iris!

Glad you're feeling better Iris!

Last night I went to a show (concert). I spent most of my time sitting on the stage because if you went to the types of shows I do...well you wouldn't blame me. Lol. I really don't feel like getting a broken nose :p

My food yesterday was horrible, but I like to think that I did burn some of those calories yesterday running around Deep Ellum. I got to meet my favorite person ever again (the guy in my profile picture if you care to look although that wasn't from last night).

Today I'm making better decisions, which is good. I feel better. I saw 328 on the scale the other day, but I don't dare move my ticker until offical weigh in day...just in case it was a fluke lol.

Sad I know.

There's a vegan restaurant in Ft Worth I'm going to on Friday called Spiral Diner...

www.spiraldiner.com

It's pretty amazing. I brought one of my omnivore friends with me last time I went (without telling her it was vegan...just telling her it was "healthy"). She got a "patty" melt...which of course was completely vegan and loved it! We then got i-scream sundaes with a chocolate chip cookie at the bottom covered with chocolate syrup. :drool: It seriously was amazing. So I'm making a trip there on Friday (after weigh in of course!)

:D

I'm on a computer right now, I totally forgot that I can access the internet at work :doh:

:) So I'll be able to keep up a little better than I thought.

Good luck Ladies!

Oh the paaaaaain!
I just bit down on a lentil that was a bit hard and dicsovered i have a new tooth growing through at the back :( get well presents anyone? ;)

Whats turbo jam? Is it a vegan jam? :)

My scales werent bad today actually. As long as they keep heading downwards its all good!

Ooo i need to know good vegan eats in the states cos il be going there next summer, either to Camp America or to study for a semester/year. havnt decided yet, but i got a list of uni's to pick from so wanna know the best place to go.

Hope all is better with everyone :D

mwah mwah
xxxxxxxxxxxx

i thought I was better but making it through the day set me right back... i feel like I shoulda stayed in bed. i'm going to crawl into it very soon. i just finished a bowl of amy's no-chicken soup. it seems like everyone 'round here is sick.

dark angel jade, i don't have any good vegan eateries for you, unfortunately. I just moved from a very "meat and potatoes" kind of town where most people do not know what a vegan is. I have heard to a few veg restaurants in arizona but haven't been able to try any yet. i'll let you know if i do!

Hey Kids,

Iris-sorry you're still feeling bad. Hopefully it will turn around for you soon.

Jade-let us know what university choices you have and maybe we can help you out. How's your tooth?

THE Heather-the Spiral Diner menu looks amazing! Enjoy and tell us what you ate!

Modjeska-it's so much easier when you have support at home. My husband is no support at all; he lost 25 lbs. by not eating his afternoon snack of chips or a candy bar. That's all he did! So annoying. And this past Monday he came home with vegan onion dip and chips, which is my favorite junk food.

Heather-pms stinks! I never really had a problem with it until the last few years and now I'm like some kind of monster for about a week every month. It sucks getting old!

Well, yesterday I had a bad day. I just felt sorry for myself all day, but today is going to be different! As soon as I'm done here I'm going to put on my shoes, slap on some sunscreen and go for a walk. I'm going to eat a salad for lunch and make a rice bowl with veggies for dinner. I've got less than 3 months till I go on vacation and I'm determined to feel good on it!

Have a great day, everyone!

Darby - way to brush yourself off! Just keep on keeping on and keep your head up! You can do this!

Hey girls! I'm so jealous of your veggie restaurant experiences, I'm going to have to drive up to Asheville soon :)

Hii
 

Hey girls

I was wondering if i could join u lovely ladies in ur challenge? U all are doing great and Im also a vegan and want to be a part of a team!!:cheer2: I need to lose my last obnoxious 15 lbs!

Welcome! I'm sure Jill we be along to add you in.

welcome, chickpea! i love that username... so clever. =)

i just had a can of amy's veg barley soup and i have to say that canned soup is quite convenient. I am generally the type to cook from scratch, but i bought a few cans because i wasn't feeling well didn't feel like cooking. it's all portioned out and the nutrition facts are right there for me... it's so easy for me now that I am working and back at school. I could get used to it! I really should make some big batches of stuff and pre-portion them out myself for each week, though.

Hey girls!!!! Sorry I didnt write yesterday, I was at the airport for 14 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah umm CRAZY! So my day was definitey bad yesterday! But at least I'm home now :) Back in South Carolina yay. Start back working tomorrow morning. I made a yummy stir fry tonight....
broccoli, snow peas, baby carrots,cabbage & 2 red chili peppers with garlic, ground ginger spice, and hoisen garlic sauce. It was delicious.
Made some chicken and rice to go with it for the rest of my family.
The day I left Colorado I was 176 and my scale is saying 177... but I did weigh at night, so hoping that will change back in the morning! :) Missed you all! Yay we have a new member!


TheHeather,.... sorry about the comp problem! We know you can do it :) Don't forget about us! That's awesome you had fun at the concert :) Sounds fun.

FATCHICKBGONE... Grr PMS does suck! I think mines gonna start soon here, at least I feel like it.

MODJESKA... Tahanks for the Seitan recipes!! I love EASY recipes! U can do it!!

IRIS... aww hope you're feeling 100% soon! Yeah seitan seems difficult, but hey I'll try! You know what soup is great.. Wolfgang Puck Organic soups. My favorite is Tortilla Soup, not chicken tortilla just tortilla... mmm delicious!

JULIEJ... Hows everything going!!

JADE... Sorry about your toothache :( Turbo Jam is dvd exercise.

DARBY... Im proud of you for getting out there and walking after a hard day!

CHICKpea.... Of course you can join us! :) Give us your starting weight, your mini goal for Sept 30th and your Oct 31st goal!!

Hey Chickpea-welcome!

jillnicole-Your stir fry sounds delicious! You must be happy to be home! Especially after 14 hours in an airport. Yuck.

I worked out today; I got on the treadmill for 45 minutes and it felt good! I ate well today-I also feel good about that.

Iris-I've never tried canned soup since I've been vegan. I do like those cartons of soup from Pacific Natural Foods. I'm going to pick up a couple of cans when I go grocery shopping tomorrow.

Good night everyone.

Thanku all for the warm welcome!!

Okay heres my info:
Current weight~ 145
Sept. 30 goal~140
Oct. 31 goal~ 130
:goodluck:

CHICKpea: Welcome!!

Darby: Congrats on working out!! I really wish I could find time right now to. Things have been BUSY. Grrr

Jill: I'm sorry about your airport fiasco :( Glad you're home safe though! I'm sure you're glad to be home as well :)

Iris: I make things is bulk and measure it out for the week. I do this mainly because I'm the only one in my house that's NOT meat eater, but more so because it's convenient. I made a chickpea salad the other night (Chickpeas and other veggies diced) and I could easily add that to pasta and some sauce for a quick evening meal. I also take my leftovers to work so I can make sure I'm getting a healthy vegan meal. I think it's a very good idea!

Heather: Everyone needs to have a pretty awesome veggie restaurant experience!!!


****
As for me...well these past few days have been pretty disappointing. I've been on the run and I've done over time so I've been grabbing junk (i.e: potato chips, crackers, candy etc.) I stepped on the scale this morning and I was up a couple of pounds, but in my rational mind I know it's not all fat I'm just probably retaining water from the lovely junk I've been eating.

Today I decided, this is it...I'm not going to allow myself to sabatoge myself like every other time! I want to do this and I'm not going to allow my stressors get in my way. Like Jill said...STRESS LESS!

Have a great day ladies!

Hey girls!

Welcome Chickpea :)

Heather - Get back on it today and carry some fruit/nuts/seeds with you for easier snacking ;)

Iris - I love Amy's soups. The veg barley tastes a little oily for me but overall I've not been disappointed with any of Amy's products!

I have a 45 minute wog planned tonight and I'm off for the beach tomorrow :)

DARBY1... Good job on your workout!

CHICKPEA... Sounds like great goals! We know you can do it!

THEHEATHER... Maybe you can try to keep more fruits in the house... theyre just as quick and easy as junk
:) I love slicing an apple and dipping it in peanut butter. Or maybe having a smoothie =]

FATCHICKBGONE... Have fun on your jog! You go girl!


Hey girls! :) Don't quit trying, you can do it!

I brought my lunch at work today :) Payday is on Friday...so I'll be stocking up of some good go-to snacks. Thanks for the ideas though!


ETA: Have fun at the beach!!! I'm jealous!

My favorite is banana and peanut butter :drool:

A lot of it too is I've been so exhausted that I just go home and "crash" instead of going out and doing some sort of movement.

:( No excuses!

I know what you mean girl! You can do it.. think of us when you pick up something you know you shouldn't have. We're in this together :)

FUN FACT ABOUT SKIM MILK VS SOY MILK:


[In April 2004] researchers in Brazil studied the effects of skim cow milk consumption compared to soy milk consumption using what's called a double-blind randomized crossover study. People were randomly split into two groups and given four cups of either soy milk or skim milk to drink every day. The milks were identically packaged and flavored such that neither the research subjects nor the researchers knew who was drinking which. Then at six weeks the skim milk group was secretly switched to soy and vice versa. So after 3 months each participant had spent 6 weeks on soy and six on skim in random order. The codes were broken and data tallied: Soy won hands down.
When the subjects were drinking soy milk, their bad cholesterol went down and their good cholesterol went up (exactly the reverse of what happened when they were drinking milk from a cow). The amount of rancid fat circulating in their blood stream (a further risk factor for heart disease) was also reduced drinking the soy milk (and marginally higher drinking cow milk).

The American Heart Association recommends people switch from whole milk to skim milk. But this new research suggests that it would be much healthier for people to wean themselves from bovine milk altogether and switch from veal milk to real milk--soy milk.[

i can't imagine not being able to taste a difference between soy and cow's milk... i hate the taste of cow's milk! i have never been able to drink it. When I was a kid had to have chocolate syrup with it! any idea if it was fat free soy milk in the study? I used to drink FF soymilk from 8th continent but I have not been able to find it since i moved so i switched to "light" soy milk from Silk.

tomorrow morning is my moment of truth... see if I managed to shed any weight this week. I'm not sure because I was pretty sick so I haven't really worked out. I'll be back on it ASAP! =)

I've not had cow's milk in years - long before going veg - woot go me :)

Today's weigh-in = 205.4 - not down a lot from last week but down is down.

I'm off to the beach and probably won't be on this weekend. I hope everyone has a great relaxing one!

Hey everyone :) Ready for the weekend!! I AM FOR SURE! :cheer2:
Hope this week is going great for you all. I got back from Colorado Tuesday night and when I left I was 176, now on my scale I said 177 and today I say 178.... since I have been eating so healthy I don't feel quilty.. I think it's probably TOM being sneaky ;)

WEIGH IN IS TODAY
As soon as I have everyone or almost everyones stats I'll post. Have a wonderful Friday ladies!

Me: Start 177 Today 178

I refuse to weigh in until TOM is over :)

It's just my thing I do. People usually retain water, see that number, and get depressed. I just refuse.

I just try to resist my horrible cravings and go about my merry way.

Expect a weigh in next week though!

I stay away from the scale from about a week before TOM until it's over, because like THE Heather said, it's just too depressing.

Yesterday I ate really well all day. I didn't work out because I had to go into town for grocery shopping and by the time I got home I was not in the mood for working out. Grocery shopping for me (and for most vegetarian/vegans) isn't just running to the nearest store. I have to drive 20 miles just to get to civilization, then I have to go from one end of town to the other to pick up everything I need. I hate grocery shopping day! I've managed to work it so that I only do it every two weeks, but still...it sucks.

Today I will be working out. I'm going to eat pretty light, because my husband is bringing home Thai food, and even though it seems healthy, I'm sure it's not. So I want to balance the rest of the day. And make sure I eat healthy for the rest of the weekend. Weekends are sort of my downfall!

Have a great day, everyone!

Oh it's that time again. 158.5. The weight isn't going anywhere. Ho hum. But, I have now been vegetarian for 16 days :) :carrot:.

A really, really, really big thank you to Jill! Without this thread I'd still be contemplating it and moving in that direction oh so very very gradually. You are the best cheerleader ever!

:thanks:

happy friday, everyone!

i'm still 133.5... same as my start weight.