Time to Drop the Weight!

I've lost almost 40 lbs since Cooper was born a month ago. Of course, much of it was his birth weight and all of the other "stuff". Nursing has helped me drop a lot of weight but I still have 15-20 lbs to go. I want to get back into the gym soon, I'm hoping the doctor will OK an exercise routine tomorrow. Wish me luck!

22 Pounds!

The official count is 22! I've lost 22 lbs since February 12th!

It's amazing what dicipline can do. If I could accomplish this I truly have faith that anyone can.

And I'm not miserable. I keep hearing people say "I could never live without cheese" and "I hate exercising, I can't do it" and "I don't feel well".

It's bullshit. I'm the laziest person I know. Seriously. But I find time to exercise. I eat delicious food but am mindful of what it is I put into my body. And if I don't feel like working out, I at least walk around the block.

Everybody get healthy! You only get one body to last your whole life. Take care of it!

Working My Ass Off

Spin classes are changing my life!!

I am working my ass off... literally. It's been a slow process but I can see results, finally. I have gone from a size 16 to a size 10 in less than two months and lost 15 pounds. I have been told by a few people that I look thinner but for the most part, I feel like no one's noticing. I feel thinner and definitely more in shape but I sometimes feel like I need a little more outside reassurance so I know my efforts are paying off.

I am taking three spin classes a week, and two of the three are at 6:00 AM. If you have known me for a while you understand how amazing it is that I'm up more than 30 minutes before I have to be to work. I am eating a vegan diet and have cut out 90% of the fat that was in my diet. I make every attempt I can to be more active. I walk to school instead of drive. I take Bucko on a walk every day at lunch instead of just watching him run around a field. When I have free time in the evening or on the weekend I go for long power walks instead of watching TV on my ass and over eating.

But I'm still not completely content. I want to get thinner and loose another 15 pounds before I'll be in a happy place. I have lost an incredible amount of fat but since I'm building muscle, I'm not seeing the results I want to on the scale.

I'm proud of myself and can honestly say that I never, ever thought I'd be where I am today. I have energy. I'm cigarette free. I'm the most fit and in shape I've ever been in my life... yet I still have drive and determination to improve my life even more. I feel like you have to have a certain level of self respect to get to where I am and it took me a long time to build it. But every single step along the way has been worth it and I have never felt more alive.

Decisions, decisions.

I have been vegan since February 12th and I am loving it. I love that every time I put something in my body I feel good about what I just ate. I feel proud for not making bad food choices. I feel like I am not supporting a shitty industry. I feel better throughout the day, have more energy and far less body aches. There are more reasons than not for me to be vegan, yet I already feel like I am having to defend myself and explain my reasons to people, when there's more than one reason. Being vegan is easier than having to deal with people who challenge the idea.

My original reason behind choosing a vegan diet was to try yet another way to deter my endometriosis. I have been reading testimonials and studies for years and years that suggested living a vegan lifestyle to help combat the disease. After talking to a friend who read the book Skinny Bitch, I then read Skinny Bitch. The damn book isn't what made me change my food choices, but it did give me even more reasons not to eat the way I was eating and it helped me take the jump.

Go ahead roll your eyes, I know you are. But when you do, remember this: I don't want to hear about how you feel humans need meat and dairy, because they don't. I don't want to hear how you disagree with my reasoning. You asked me why, I told you. If you don't agree that's totally awesome, I don't need to hear it. I know I'm going to have cravings, challenges and spend twice as much on groceries, but I'm willing.

I would like to stay vegan. I understand that there are certain situations where I might ingest meat or dairy in some way. I'm not going to have a melt down and I know it won't kill me. I might wake up tomorrow and feel like I want a bowl of fro-yo. But there's nothing wrong with trying my hardest to be as healthy as I can be. I feel I deserve to feel good and healthy, since we all know it's been a struggle for me.

So get over yourself and leave my choices alone. I am not a hippy.

I took this photo in October of 2009. It's one of my favorites.