Help staying Vegan / in shape.
I've battled with my weight since I can remember, and I thought the more I learned about health the easier it would be. At first, when I decided veganism (and specifically raw veganism) was the way to go, I stuck to it easily. Somewhere along the way I decided it was okay to try even one thing that wasn't vegan and that was my downfall. Since then my life has changed quite a bit, but I still have the desire to become vegan again, and eventually raw vegan. My ultimate goal is to have a level of control over my eating where I can eat something non-vegan at one meal (maybe a special occassion at my boyfriend's family's house or something) and then return to being vegan right after without issue. I know many vegans would find that pointless, to ever even think of eating something non-vegan again, but I take the stance of not wasting anything, and if I am a guest in someone else's house I'm not going to waste the food offered to me and I'm not the type to inconvenience my host. If you've ever heard how the buddha was, I suppose I'm going for the same thing. Never cook my own meat, but will accept if offered (although in my case I still probably wouldn't eat meat, but would be consuming the dairy prepared with vegetables when family members cook them). I hated everyone knowing I was vegan because it was this huge deal. It was all I became to them, rather than me I was the "vegan".. I'm not interested in that spreading to my new boyfriend's family anytime soon. Its torture enough with my family pestering me as they see me stick to it and then not stick to it, as if they never had any downfalls of their own. >(
Okay enough of my rant... Essentially, my problems lay with me strength of will. I am ultimately lazy, but extraordinarily driven. Kind of like a hot fire... burns fast and strong, but dies quickly. I get into something 100% and lose it barely after I begin. So what I am asking is for a helping hand, someone who will somehow help me stay on track. Now, I've asked for help elsewhere before and got offers but never responses after the initial offer. Personally, I don't even know how to go about it. I guess checking in with the person? Talking to them when I have a problem? I realize I could use the entire forum in this manner but I've done that before and I'd prefer a personal touch, rather than to bombard the forums with posts of the same issues over and over.
I'm today starting on vegan again, working out, my inspiration waxing and waning. My goal is to lose 30 lbs. I'm 5'0.5" and I currently weight about 155 lbs.. maybe 157. I would be glad to get to 125. Dieting alone has gotten me to 130-135, but that was after a master cleanse and remaining raw vegan for a month (during the month I neither gained or lost anything... I was happy with the weight but I'd rather get it lower through exercise). I want to be fit and strong.
Any help is much appreciated... If you'd like to help with me one on one, just say so and I'll give you my email. I don't want to post it initially in case I get too many responses.
Thanks!!
Hi Nadalia!
I'd love to help you out. I keep a mostly vegan diet, but do stray when at a restaraunt or someone else's house. I've found that it is a good balance for me. I think we have other things in common too. (interest in Buddhism, enjoying the outdoors, pets, living in Jersey) I saw your email address on your profile, so I'm going to email you from my hotmail account.
Lisa
I wold love to help too. I was working out everyday til about 3 weeks ago, and I'm really slacking now. I'll send an email a little later today.
I don't know what kind of budget you have, but getting a personal trainer for even a month or two can really help you stay on a good exercise track. They'll lay out a plan for you and help you with your specific goals/needs. I did a weight training class in college that was 20 weeks long and it really helps you stay accountable because if you don't work out, people notice. And once you establish a routine, it's easier to stick with exercising. Just my two cents :)
I'm happy to help! I also suggest making a food and exercise log, to help keep you accountable. I started doing it (again) a while ago, and I really enjoy it. I just use a regular little spiral, and write down everything I eat (not portions, but you could do that too), how much water, what my exercise has been, and a couple other things. That way, I can see what I'm eating/doing, I can remember that I'll have to write it down (whatever I'm doing/not doing-accountability), and I can see if I'm having enough (water, veggies, fruits, etc.). I'll message you!
kbuettne -- I totally agree with you. I actually originally got in shape by attending a class in college where I had to work out or I failed... well I was obsessed with good grades at the time so I worked out consistently, but never got over the mentality of not wanting to. A personal trainer or doing a similar class again would be great if I could stick with it. If it was for a grade I'd probably stick with it again haha. Too bad I'm done with school for now. :( As for budget, I actually wanted to try getting into martial arts again... but I'm so broke that I reluctantly had to cancel my worldvision donations. You know times are bad when you can't even afford $30 a month for poor children :( The place I worked at closed and we merged with a Rite Aid which has me working half as much. The upside is I get more time to workout, I just can't afford stuff like classes, a trainer, etc.
Allychristine- I did a food log for a while but found it too tedious and in the end it didn't stop me from eating whatever I wanted. Then again I did portions and calories at the time, which was a hassle. If I find myself failing again I may take your advice and monitor it all. I was partially considering doing it in a word document (I have just about everyone else monitored in that way).
Thanks, I'll be checking my email now. :)
I do two things. One, I put a chart listing the fat content of the foods I eat on my fridge. That way I am always comparing my options and almost always end up choosing the food with the lower fat content. The difference between an apple and a granola bar is enormous for example. Secondly I hate exercising but about three months ago went back to the aerobic chart method of giving myself points for each exercise I do. I learned this in high school a long time ago.You can find lists on the internet concerning how many points you get for each exercise. I set up a goal to reach for each week and now instead of having to get exercise I am trying to get points. I am not sure why this works for me but my goal was thirty points and last week I got 120! If you want I could e-mail you a copy of the charts and points.
I know it might be kinda pricey, but Weight Watchers worked wonders for me. I lost 60lbs in less than a year. Unfortunately, my laziness has helped me gain some back, but I'm still so much better off than I was. Just tracking your daily food intake and being held accountable for it is really what helped me. I did it with my best friend and my mom.