New Pants . . .

. . . well, new to me anyway :)

Last summer I purchased a pair of beautiful white linen pants from Dillards at a super-great price. While living in Arizona, I discovered Dillards and their amazing sales. I wore the pants two or three times before my weight began creeping up. You can imagine my dismay when on the fourth time I chose to wear the pants, they were too tight. Like, way too tight.

This gorgeous pair of pants was ready to be given away in this post on donating clothes, but when it came down to it, I couldn't. I did donate most of the suitcase contents recently (I couldn't part with three of the items yet!). With this recent move, I've made five trips to my local Goodwill's Donation Center so I felt okay with keeping some items.

And I'm glad I did!

If I had given them away, I wouldn't have had the opportunity to feel the sweet success of slipping comfortably back into them. I shouted in glee startling my husband and I thanked the Lord. This weight loss journey is difficult so I enjoyed the moment thoroughly!

There's more to lose and I'm motivated to keep moving in the right direction.

- Kareen, RD

30 Days in the Raw - Update

As I sat down to write this post, I realized I don't even know what day of the 30 that I'm on. I lost track after day 7 but not in "bad" way.

I haven't been 100% raw but I have been high raw - usually eating one cooked meal or snack a day. The benefits are still noticeable.: less bloating, no nausea and weight loss (1.4 lbs the first week). With the recent move almost everything is still packed so I have been off of my usual schedule. 

I am thankful to be living on the first floor so that I can exercise at home; however, there are ants so I have been reluctant to unpack until the situation is resolved. There's not a stream of them (thank you Lord!) and they likely (hopefully) came in during the move when all the doors were open but I'm uncomfortable. A pest control company will be out soon. Just one of the joys of living in Southern California.

I am on Day 4 of the Turbo Fire Inferno Plan. One more day to go! I'm not sure I lost any weight but I have lost inches - my clothes feel so much looser and my face looks different. I didn't take measurements (hey! I just moved) but I won't be discouraged by the number on the scale.

The regularly scheduled Turbo Fire program begins on Sunday! 90 days of punching, sweating and dancing. Good times.

What are your plans this long weekend? Maybe I'll be unpacking.

- kareen

A Week in Raw Vegan Eating

This past week was good. I'm still participating in the ROCK*STARS Nation Challenge on Facebook and having a blast. The participating ROCK*STARS have been motivating, inspiring and encouraging. I fully expect the movement to continue beyond the challenge end date of August 4th. 

My ROCK*STAR moment of the week happened on Thursday at Crossfit. I completed 2 yes, TWO, WODS (workout of the day)! Usually I can barely drag myself out of the box (i.e. Crossfit location) but on Thursday I was full of energy! In fact, once I did get home, I headed out right back out again with Derek on a walk. Instead of just walking we ran sprints. Talk about feeling alive! I pushed myself and I was so much faster than I thought I would be. I'm not talking Usain Bolt fast but Kareen fast :)

I'm still plugging away with my daily morning push-ups, squats and daily devotional reading. My challenge has been getting to bed on time. As the week progresses, it gets more and more difficult to get to bed by 9:00 pm. Some of the delay has to do with food prep. 

I have been loving eating a high raw diet and my IBS has been responding well. If you're thinking of incorporating more raw whole foods into your diet understand that there is some prep work involved. Prepping lettuce for a salad plus any condiments (cukes, rads, scallions, etc) can take about 15 to 20 minutes. Not bad on a weekend but during the week when you've only got 60 minutes from the time you get home before heading to bed, it can be tight which is why I usually end up in bed between 9:30 and 10:00. I am not going to deviate from this path so I'm going to tweak the process this week to be more efficient.

Here are a few pics from this week in raw vegan eating. It's not complicated but it is delicious!

Grapes, blueberries and strawberries

Bananas, grapes and mangoes with fresh lime juice

VERY filling salad with cabbage, avocado and scallions. Added chipotle chili pepper for a kick and balsamic vinegar as the dressing.

Raw parfait: blended frozen bananas (replaces vanilla pudding) layered with blueberries and strawberries. Delish!

Mango, ginger, pineapple and lime juice smoothie

The final product - sooo yummy!

Start of green smoothie with spinach, strawberries, pineapples, ginger and fresh lime juice

Not necessarily the prettiest colour but certainly great tasting!

That's my week in food! I have a couple of recipes to try in the coming days and I look forward to sharing them with you.

What was your ROCK*STAR moment this past week?

- Kareen, RD

Week 1 Update - 30 Day Make July Your Best.Month.of.2011.YET Challenge

At the end of the first week I remain motivated which is a good thing. Looking back at the goals I set, I specifically did not select weight. I'm not sure what's happening with my ability to shed pounds right now but I'm working on being happy with progress in other areas. Weight loss will happen and until it does, I'm going to work on pushing myself fitness-wise.

I was sidelined yesterday and today by. . . something. I won't go into details but let's just say I couldn't be too far away from the bathroom. Not sure what we picked-up but my husband did not experience it to the same extent I did.

Before the above event, the week was going well. 

Physical:

1. I went to Crossfit twice due to the short week. I accomplished my first ever double under!

Here's a demo of a double under. I actually used Danielle's technique and it works!

2. I completed five regular push-ups and 20 body squats each morning - even Friday morning. The push-ups are coming along well and I may increase the number to 10!

3. I lifted the 36 lb kettlebell 2x this week, once each time. I'm going to have to work up to that beast!

Nutrition:

I had one slice of cheese each on Thursday and Friday. Definitely not 100% vegan but MUCH better than the week before. I was about 85% raw. Because I was sidelined, I was not able to get my grocery shopping as planned. Tomorrow I will be out and about getting my supplies. I spent the day watching Youtube raw recipe vids and I'm super excited to get the week started!

Spiritual:

I started reading Ellen G White's Acts of the Apostles. I've started each day reading a couple of pages and it's been a great way to wake up! I am working on getting to bed by 9:00p and that will continue to be a work in progress.

Did you put your action plan into action this past week? 

- Kareen, RD

30 Day Make July Your Best.Month.of.2011.YET Challenge

I'm participating in a Facebook one month challenge that will end August 4th. It's being run by a great and inspiring woman so I couldn't help but join! We had to choose one physical, nutritional and spiritual goal to work on in July and then list five action plans for each of those areas. 

Here's the 'entry' that I also posted on Facebook but I will be tracking my progress here weekly. Here are my goals and action plans for July.

1. ENVISION! 

My best month yet will see me being physically active ; eating for healthy and strong body; and placing God first!

2. DECIDE! (aka goals)

a) Physical: Complete 30 reps of 36 lb kettlebell throws in Crossfit

b) Nutrition Goal: Vegan with at least two raw meals daily

c) Spiritual Goal: Spend time in prayer first thing in the morning everyday

3. COMMIT! (aka action plans)

a) Physical: 

- Complete Crossfit WOD 4x/week

- Complete 5 regular push-ups each morning 

- Complete 20 body weight squats each morning

- Practice lifting 36 lb'er 2x/week

- Get to bed by 9:00p

b) Nutrition:

- Plan weekly meals every Thursday (using raw uncookbooks for inspiration)

- Grocery shop for the week every Friday 

- Prep meals + snacks every Sunday 

- Bring lunch + snacks to work daily

- Make a green smoothie for breakfast daily

- Get to bed by 9:00p

c) Spiritual:

- Select a book of morning readings

- Set alarm to 4:30a

- Get to bed by 9:00p

Feel free to join in! You've already told me what your goals are for July. How are you going to get there?

- Kareen, RD

Just a Quickie

Yikes! One month since my last blog update! I don't have positive news to report in the weight loss front but I'm eternally positive that I will conquer as long as I keep moving forward.

Being part of opening a new hospital is much more than I expected. My work days are averaging 16 hours and truthfully, it's been wreaking havoc on my good intentions. Not sure about where my weight is right now as I've fluctuated from 162 to 167 and then back over the past week. Lack of sleep, inconsistent water and food intake are the key culprits. Of course that's not news to any of you!

There's still a lot to do to prepare my department for opening and once the hospital is open, I will likely be working seven days/week ensuring that our processes are being followed and that our patients needs are being met. I have to be realistic about the plans I can implement. My focus will be on walking and food prep. My meals won't be fancy but they will meet my needs.

I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know normalcy will be mine one day :)

- Kareen, RD