That's me! Hubba Bubba Chubba; a nickname I earned while growing up... FAT! Take a peek into my life as I begin my weightloss journey. Please note, I may show photos along the way. Viewer beware! I also have a tendancy to use curse words, please stay away if you are easily offended.
I had a few leftover items from week ones bag of goodies. I needed to figure out how to use the kohlrabi, green peas, garlic scapes, and tomatoes. I also had a bag of baby carrots and celery in the fridge that were nearly their expiration date. I decided to make a vegetable soup. Having never made a vegetable soup, I seriously just chopped veggies and tossed them in a pot, I figured I would taste test along the way.
Ingredients
1 box of low sodium vegetable broth and
1 box of low sodium vegetable stock
(I honestly have no idea if there is any difference in the products other than brand name, feel free to drop a comment if you know)
3 Garlic scapes chopped small
2 cups of fresh green peas (canned would be fine)
1/2 a white onion diced
1/2 a kohlrabi sliced into small chunks
1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery (2 bunches)
1 can of red beans rinsed
1 can of diced tomatoes with basil oregano and thyme
a added a pinch or two of the following spices
thyme
basil
oregano
rosemary
Toss everything in a big pot and let it simmer for a couple of hours on low heat, covered. I cooked about half a box of whole wheat elbow macaroni and tossed it into the pot about 20 minutes before serving.
Surprisingly simple to make!
your favorite red sauce
your favorite veggie combination for example
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 red pepper
1 eggplant
1 tomato
Just pick as many as you want, and slice them up into similar sized pieces
Preheat the oven to 350
Get a baking dish, layer the bottom with an inch or so of your red sauce and start laying out your veggies as seen in the photo. Place a piece of parchment on top and bake 45-50 minutes or until your veggies are soft and the red sauce is bubbling
The kids are on vacation from school and have been bugging me about going to the park every day! I finally caved in today and we went. I drove to the 1 mile fitness trail and made them walk the rest of the way to the park. They were so excited on the way there, walking quickly through the trail, focused on getting to the playground, the walk home wasn't nearly as energized. I may or may not have bribed them with a trip to Sheetz...
A bed of fresh, crisp romain and spinach leaves with a few chopped strawberries from the CSA. I added a scoop of Vegan chicken salad from Whole Foods Market and a couple walnut halves. No dressing, it didn't really need it. Delish!
Even before the DH and I started the Engine 2 plant strong challenge, we saw an advertisement for a CSA in the local newspaper. It sounded like a great way to ensure that we eat more fresh produce, almost a way of forcing it! We hate to pay for things, especially food and let them go to waste. So we bit the bullet and signed up for the 22 week Vegan Summer plan. Our first pick up was last night, here is what we got:
1 head kohlrabi 1 bunch collard greens 2 quarts strawberries 1 bunch red russian kale 1 bunch garlic scapes 1 head green leaf lettuce 1 bunch radishes 1 quarter lb bag pea tendrils
2 bunches spinach 1 head broccoli 1 lb sweet peas
1 lb rhubarb 2 lbs hoophouse tomatoes
I should have taken a picture of the overflowing bag of goodies before I washed, chopped, prepped, and stored everything. Next week, I'll try to remember! I have never tried a few of these things i.e. kohlrabi, garlic scapes, pea tendrils, rhubarb, collard greens.... You get the picture, right? I went on a massive Google search trying to figure out what to do with these new treasures. First up, Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp.
I am not big on exact measurements, I like to wing it so here is a close approximation of what I did.
Filling
3 cups of hulled and quartered strawberries
3 cups of sliced rhubarb
1/3 of agave
tbsp of corn starch
Topping
1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup of rolled oats
2 tbsp of brown sugar Splenda
a couple shakes of cinnamon
a splash of unsweetened almond milk (2tbsp?)
3 tbsp of chia goo (I make this ahead of time and use as an egg alternative for baking, 2 tbsp of chia seeds mixed with about a cup of water, when you let it sit, it become a 'goo' )
handful of sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350
mix the strawberries, rhubarb, agave and corn starch in a large bowl
I poured out some of the excess liquid out before pouring the mixture into an 8x8 ungreased pan
In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients together and then add the milk and chia goo,
mix with your hands until everything feels damp and is clumping together.
Then sprinkle it over the strawberries and rhubarb mixture, topping with the almonds.
So easy, so healthy and so yummy! I made 2 batches, so 4 apples the other day and the DH ate every last chip during one 8 hour shift of work. LOL, I suppose I can't really be mad. I am glad he likes them so much, and considering the alternatives... I think I'll just get to work on making another batch.
Ingredients:
2 firm apples, I like Galas
cinnamon powder
you can add a little sugar or splenda, but I don't think you really need it
Preheat the oven to 200F
Cut the apples into thin slices, by hand or use a mandolin.
Try to keep the thickness uniform so they cook evenly.
Place the slices on a baking sheet, no need to grease the pan, the apples should peel off as long as they are not sliced too thin. You could probably use parchment paper, but I have not experimented with it.
Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon (and sugar if you like) and pop them in the oven for an hour.
Flip the apple slices, add a little more cinnamon and bake another hour.
They will feel a little floppy or limp when you first pull them out, but will crisp up in just a few minutes.
I store mine in a zip lock bag, not sure how long they would stay fresh, they never last longer than 2-3 days in our house.
My name is Shari and I am morbidly obese, (Hi Shari!) Let me give you some background, at my heaviest, I was 390lbs. (September 2008) In May 2010, I started dieting, starving myself and trying to eat less than 1200 calories everyday. I obsessed about not eating, weighing in sometimes twice a day. I had great results losing 100 pounds in less than a year. That lasted about 3 weeks. I thought I had things under control. I ate animal protein, dairy and cheese at almost every meal, just tiny portions. But I was still hungry, always hungry. I couldn't live this way forever, it was a diet, not a realistic, maintainable lifestyle. I loosened up and fell into the trap of thinking that I could eat healthy foods like I Cant believe it's Not Butter, I mean, it's fat and calorie free right? I switched from vegetable oil to EVOO, that's the healthy oil, right? In other words, I let the food industry mislead me into thinking I was eating healthy and making better choices for myself and my family. I was wrong! It didn't take long for me to put back on over 50 pounds.
Fast forward to January 2012, my DH came across some medical mumbo jumbo about eating 'Plant Strong'. I was super skeptical, I shot him down before he could even finish telling me about some Cleveland Clinic Doctor and his research about preventing heart disease. A few weeks later, we were looking for something to watch on Netlix, we love documentaries. We saw one called 'Forks Over Knives' and decided to watch it. Can you say, life changing? The DH was excited because this was the same Dr that he had tried telling me about before. Dr Caldwell Esselstein and T Colin Campbell presented their findings in this movie. Two different people, 2 different research studies, but the same overall findings. Meat and Dairy are simply not good for you.
The DH and I talked about how compelling the research was, we were interested in learning more. We then watched a documentary called Engine 2 Kitchen Rescue, presented by Forks Over Knives. This movie was done by Dr Esselstein's son Rip. He is an incredible athlete, having competed in high school and college, he became a professional athlete competing in triathlons. He also became a fire-fighter and encouraged his co-workers to live a healthier, plant strong lifestyle. In the Engine 2 movie and book, Rip suggests you to complete a 28 day plant strong challenge. This is it! The DH and I are in! Let's do it, 28 days! We can do it 28 days right? LOL, we were realistic and expected it to be extremely difficult for us. We thought we would really struggle and had pretty low expectations of making it the full 28 days.
Guess what... we have been eating 'plant strong' for close to 2 months! Basically no meat, no dairy and no added oils. We have no plans to stop eating this way. For me, I eat when I'm hungry, I don't really pay much attention to calories or portion size (unless it's a whole grain). I eat 3 meals, a few snacks and even dessert. I never feel starved or deprived. I am learning and experimenting with foods in ways I never imagined, it is fun and I love it! I know that it's only been 2 months and I am still in the 'Honeymoon phase', but I am so excited! I feel great, I have more energy, and I am seeing results on the scale! I love talking about my new eating habits to anyone that will listen. I am sure that my friends are bored and possibly even annoyed with my enthusiasm for eating plant strong, but I don't really care. This is about me, my family and our health. I hope that our friends will accept and support us, even if it's not something that will work for them or their families.
Think you can't give up meat, maybe it's the cheese, trust me I didn't think I could do it either!
My favorite part is that you can mix up the ingredients to suit your own taste buds. I used green pepper, red onion, cucumber, and watermelon as my main ingredients but I have seen a few people use honeydew or pineapple too.
Measurements are approximate, I am one of those people that just wing it
4 cups of diced watermelon
1/2 a seedless cucumber diced
1 green pepper diced
2 jalepeno peppers de-seeded and chopped small
1/2 red onion diced
bunch of cilantro chopped up
1/4 cup of lime juice
1 tbsp of honey
toss it all in a big bowl, let it marinate for 2 hrs in the fridge and then serve with baked corn tortillas or as a garnish for veggie burgers etc.
I am still attending my weight watchers meetings and using my online e-tools to track my points. I love it when 90% of my food intake are Power foods or zero point values. I am currently allowed 49 points a day, and an additional 49 bonus points to use throughout the week. I also earn points for any activity that I do. I have modified the plan to work for me, I try to keep my daily points under 40, (more like 35 but I don't beat myself up if it's still under 40) I never use my bonus 49, it's like they don't exist at all and I never use the extra activity points that I earn either. I figure that I am eating more fruits and vegetables than the average WW member and don't think I would be experiencing the weight loss if I used all the points I am allowed. Don't worry, I eat plenty of food. When I get hungry, I eat! I eat until I feel satisfied and try to avoid that 'stuffed' feeling. I eat 3 meals a few snacks and even dessert. Sure my dessert is usually fresh watermelon or apple slices, but they taste great and give me that pleasurable sweet treat that I often crave in the evening.
Oh and for those of you who are familiar with Weight Watchers, I earned my 10% key chain this week, now I have someplace to hang my 1st -25lb charm and my 16 week staying with the program charm too!
Well, here we are 7 weeks later and the hubby and I are still living our lives Plant Strong! We have dealt with many challenges including a birthday party, wine tasting, and even a weekend vacation. We are getting pretty good at thinking ahead and packing snacks or bringing a plant strong dish to ensure that we have something to eat and share with friends and family. Are we Plant Perfect? No, we are still eating things like processed tortilla chips that are fried when dinning out and given very limited choices. For example Applebees didn't have much on the menu of us. Of course we could get a plain salad but for the cost and the nutrient lacking iceberg lettuce, I think I'll pass. Instead we got baked potatoes, steamed broccoli and chips and salsa. We should have skipped the tortilla chips, I know, but like I said, we are not perfect.
Wow, can't believe we are at the halfway point of the Engine2 challenge. Both my hubby and I are doing great on the program. We are helping each other through those tough moments when one of us is feeling weak. I would never have been this successful without him.
A few friends have been asking if we are going to continue eating Plant Strong after the 28 day challenge ends. I honestly don't know what to tell them. I feel great, I am enjoying the food and I really don't miss the meat or dairy... well most of the time, and I haven't really been put in a situation where I had to see, smell my old favorites. I suppose only time will tell.
I am a woman, I have special needs. Needs that can be fulfilled with something known as chocolate. I gave in and searched the internet for a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. Something without eggs, oil or butter, something with whole wheat pastry flour and rolled oats. Bingo! I whipped up a batch, adding my own flair. I crushed up some shredded wheat cereal, ground up some walnuts, added a tablespoon of fresh peanut butter, who knows what else I may have added? I baked up this gooey batter into gorgeous, chewy, thick cookies. YUM~O And then I realized, chocolate... isn't vegan! Fuckity, Fuck, Fucker!!! Duh, how stupid of me not to realize they have dairy in them. Oh well... I read that Trader Joe's make a vegan chocolate chip and I'm sure Whole Foods will have them too. Guess I'll be taking these cookies to work, I'm sure my Lushies will love them!
Wow, an entire week of eating plant based, mostly vegan, whole foods!!! I can't believe that it was that easy, seriously it was really easy. I'll give you an example of a typical day.
Breakfast - 1-1/2 cups of shredded wheat minis with a sliced banana, 3 sliced strawberries and a handful of blueberries with about a cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Lunch - a huge salad with romain and spinach leaves, a couple slices of cucumber, 3 sliced strawberries, a handful of blueberries and a drizzle (1tbsp) of Walden Farms (no oil) balsamic vinaigrette
Dinner - fajita veggies cooked without oil served over a bed of quinoa
Snacks - 2tbs of (oil free) hummus with baby carrots and 1 Wasa flat bread cracker
I'm drinking water and green tea
I do occasionally feel hungry, but not ravenous, when I get hungry, I snack or have something to drink and that takes away the hunger. As far portion sizes go, if it's a fruit or veggie, I eat it. I don't pay any attention to how much I eat, I just try to be mindful of when I start feeling full. If it's a carb like pita bread, pasta, or cereal, I measure out a proper sized portion. I haven't had a lot of cravings for meat or cheese, it's more about the bread. We went to The Olive Garden, I wanted the garlic bread. We went to Costco and they were sampling a pretzel bread roll, I wanted that too. It's not that I can't eat bread, but I am trying hard to ensure that it is 100% whole wheat and low in oil. MMMmmmm bread!
Got a phone message from the nurse at our Dr's office... "your stress test results came back and it was okay". OKAY? Seriously? What exactly does that mean? Do you think I could get something just a bit more descriptive? How about, the tests show no blockage or your heart and arteries look healthy. I'm sure the test is gonna run like $1000 bucks and all I get in return is "it was okay". I'm very happy to hear that they don't have any immediate concerns, but frustrated with the lack of communication.
Oh and in other news... while at the hospital getting my stress test, I had them do a lumbar back X-ray too. Turns out I have a pinched nerve in the L3 /L4 region. I've been having some killer back pain for months. Doc said try taking an anti-inflammatory and heat therapy. Glad to know that I'm not crazy and that I do have an actual issue with my back.
Edit... and the bill for the stress test??? If I didn't have a heart problem before the test, I bet I do now. It's over 8 Thousand Dollars!!! Yes I am lucky, we have a good insurance plan, but I am even more ticked off at the complete lack of communication about the test. Ridiculous
No caffeine for 12 hrs, dry toast is okay up to 3 hrs before the test, nothing to drink in the morning, don't take your medications, no perfume or lotion, be there 15 minutes early, don't forget your insurance card, and your Dr's orders.... Oh my. If I wasn't stressed before, I certainly am now. Actually, it really wasn't all that bad.
I arrived early, checked in (of course, forgot my insurance card) and was taken back before my scheduled appointment time. A nurse put in an IV, added the nuclear tracer and had me chill in a quiet waiting area. As a mom, I cherished those 15 minutes of silence and read a few pages of Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close, on my Kindle Fire. Next up, picture time, aka nap time. I had to lay down on a table and this giant thing rotated around my chest for about 15 or 20 minutes. I had to keep my arms over my head and try to remain still, I opted to close my eyes and just relax.
Now time for the exercise portion of the test. This is the part I dreaded the most, not the whole being radioactive for a few days.... nope, that didn't even phase me. I hate to exercise, when I do... I don't push myself very hard. If Bob Harper was my trainer, He would be yelling "PUSH, HARDER, FASTER, COME ON GIRL OR I'M GONNA GRAB YOU BY THOSE CURLS AND RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" If Chef Ramsey was my coach, it might sound like this "YOU FAT DONKEY, MOVE YOUR FUCKING ASS, YOU FUCKING LAZY PEICE OF DOG SHIT!" Get the idea?
I must admit, it wasn't as awful as I thought it was going to be. The nurse hooked up a bunch of electrodes, took my BP laying down and again standing up. We waited for the Cardiologist and the radioactive lady to show up and then began walking on the treadmill. If I were to guess, i would say they started with a 4 incline and a 2.5 for speed. Did I mention that I hate inclines? It didn't take too long till I was feeling it in my calves and starting to breathe a little faster. Then they increased the speed and incline, whew I was starting to wonder how long I would be able to make it. They took my BP a couple of times while I was walking and they even inserted the radioactive tracer right there while I was huffing and puffing. Just a few more minutes the nurse said... but the Dr interrupted and said, nah she's good, you can stop now. So that was it, sure I will admit that I was breathing pretty heavy, but I never even broke a sweat. Woot woot, go fat girl, go fat girl...
Next up, another nap! 20 minutes laying with my arms up over my head with a strange machine taking pictures of the radioactive goo in my heart, and that was it.... Results should be in in a day or 2, keep those fingers crossed.
Today is the 1st day of my Engine 2 diet, Plant Strong eating! I will admit that I splurged a bit this weekend eating pizza, fries and ice-cream, but that is in the past. The future holds a lot of whole grains, fresh veggies and fruit. I am really excited that my hubby is joining me in the lifestyle, it will be so much easier with his support. We work really well together, holding each other accountable and encouraging success. I will admit that I messed up and had some dairy today. Okay, I wouldn't really say I 'messed up', I made a bad choice, I knew full well what I was putting in my mouth. (it was a Velveeta, rotel cheesy queso dip, totally not worth it!) But, I didn't let that one moment define my day, I got right back on track and did great the rest of the day. Looking forward to tomorrow, stress test and lumbar x-rays, keep your fingers crossed that all is well....
I am 38, a young woman still, I am a wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, a friend, a co-worker, a day care provider, a PTA member. Needless to say, I am a busy woman. I am able to walk freely, I can touch my toes, I have great cholesterol numbers, my blood pressure is decent, and yet, I have been fooling myself for 20+ years pretending that I am healthy. No one can be 5'8 and healthy weighing 300+ pounds. Back in January, I had a bunch of blood work done. My hubby's company offers a yearly screening to their employees and this time they opened it up to spouses. When I received the booklet of results, I was pretty impressed,
Not too shabby for a morbidly obese woman right? Pat myself on the back, for a fatty, you're doing pretty damn good! But wait.... what's this CRP test?
CRP stands for “C-reactive protein” which is made by the liver in response to infection, tissue injury or inflammation. Even low values, previously regarded as normal, have been shown to be a risk factor for atherosclerosis (fatty deposits lining the walls of blood vessels). Results of this test can help predict your risk of developing atherosclerotic heart disease. Build up of these fatty deposits can cause chest pain, called angina, and eventually lead to a heart attack. Your risk increases with increasing levels of CRP.
CRP 8.2 - high cardiovascular risk, anything over 3.1 is considered high, and I am 5 points over that
(I re-did this test in April and it was still very high at 6.2)
But wait a minute, my cholesterol levels are great? How is this possible? I don't really understand the science, but I do know that I am scared. Remember that list above? I am a wife, a mother... these people depend on me to be there for them, and I WANT to be there for them, for a very long time! So what to do? Well, my Doctor wants me to have a stress test, so that is on the agenda, but what else? How can I prevent or possibly reverse heart disease? Initiate a Google search....
Hmmmm, sounds interesting, Netflix has the documentary Forks Over Knives on their streaming site, they also have The Engine 2 Diet Kitchen Rescue. Watch them both with the Hubby and think, We Can Do This.... We are both just crazy enough to think that we can really do this!
No Meat
No Dairy
No Oils
On Monday April 16th, we are starting the Engine 2 / 28 day challenge, here is a video to check out.
I am really excited to see where this leads and I can't wait to share my experiences with you. Please follow my blog and check back often to see my progress.
