Diet Beta Test

Since reading a blog post by Katherine Nilbrink, one of my favorite plant-based nutrition mentors about listening to your body instead of following the latest diet fad, I have become more aware of how certain foods make me feel. I notice how sugar laden food tastes so good in the moment, but within a few minutes of hitting my bloodstream makes me feel sick and weak. I notice how poor eating habits have caused inflammation which has wrecked havoc on my body. It has caused edema, raised my blood pressure to dangerous levels, and created joint pain that includes a frozen shoulder which makes it difficult to do simple things like brush my hair or get money out of the ATM.

Dieting has been on my mind a lot lately. But, my track record with diets are not good. In fact, it's the one thing I think I've failed at the most. There are so many good programs out there, but I usually derail the first week, sometimes the first day.

I have been a fan of Chalene Johnson since I discovered her during my Beachbody days. I love her bubbly personality and she's so fit. She is passionate about helping people live their best life. So, when I saw that she is offering an experimental program where participants create their own diet that got my attention.

The truth is I know what to do. I've studied nutrition and wellness nearly every day of my life since I was 18. I also know that when it comes to our health, we can never learn enough. I always think when I join a "diet" program that I wish they did this or that because then it would be easier to follow. So, now is my chance to put together a program that works for me. I know I could do it on my own, but the accountability and motivation is higher when you surround yourself  with like-minded people. I also like being involved with BETA ground-breaking programs. There is something exciting about being the first to breath life into something that could help hundreds of people. I sure hope it's a first "diet" program I stick with. Why wouldn't it be if I am the one creating it?! I think this will be a fun experiment. I'll let you know how it goes.

The program starts May 1st, so there is still time if you want in! Sign up at dietbetatest.com.

Spring to Summer Challenge

Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love seeing everything come into bloom, getting fresh air and sunshine after being cooped up inside all winter, and moving my body more. I love that the first day of spring is International Day of Happiness. I think the first day of spring should be a national holiday! We are celebrating this day in our community with a Spring Into Happiness event where we have invited local artists and independent business owners along with not-for-profit organizations to get together and have some fun through music, games, conversation, food.. that reminds me to make sure I take a cooler of food so I'm not tempted by all the savory treats I'm sure will be available.

I have decided to start a challenge for myself and anyone who wants to participate to go from SPRING to SUMMER. I just want to pick a stretch of time and stick with the program, any program! For me, it's just getting consistent with the things I know to do like exercising daily, eating my veggies, drinking water, keeping a food journal and gratitude journal. I think what I'm going to do is write all these things down every day first thing in the morning then check them off each day. Just from Spring to Summer. I can do it! YOU can too if you want to.

Time2getfit.com is linked to my Team Beachbody affiliate website. I decided to use Beachbody's platform because it has so much to offer. I LOVE their workouts, celebrity trainers, and support groups. Plus, they are now offering their workouts online for only $2.99 a week (billed quarterly). That's very reasonable in my opinion. I lost all my workout videos in the fire last August, so this is a blessing to me. Of course, you can join the site for free if you want to. That's what I love about them too. You can participate on whatever level you want to. I've been a big fan for years and it's an easy way for me to have some accountability as I make my transformation from a junk food addict to abundant health and wellness.

I invite you to join me in whatever way works for you - from NOW until the first day of summer, let's be consistent and see where it leads. I have a feeling we will be pleasantly surprised!

Kathy
facebook.com/vegformation

Weigh In and Measure Day MYFITNESSPAL

The first day of the month is when I weigh in and measure my progress. I don't focus on it the rest of the month because I don't want to get sidetracked by the scales which has happened more times than I can count over the years. I know as I increase my exercise, especially weight lifting, I will gain weight, but I also know that muscles burn fat all day long so I would rather have extra weight that is working to build muscles and burn fat than lose weight for the sake of seeing the scales go down. 

One great tracker I have used off and on over the years is MyFitnessPal (click link to follow me). I have gotten away from using it to track what I eat because the numbers are off for my plant-based lifestyle which makes me think I'm taking in too much sugar or not enough protein or calories, but for everything else is is an awesome program. I love the app too. You can also cheer on your friends and they can support you. You can get on a streak of checking in which increases accountability and it has that handy dandy weight loss tracker above which you can post on your blog or anywhere that accepts HTML. 

For me, MyFitnessPal is a great way to keep track of my progress. Otherwise, I have it in several different places, like one time in my paper log, another time on a spreadsheet, on Notepad on my iPhone, etc. MyFitnessPal is a great central location to post your progress. So, that's what I'm doing today. 

I started 2015 weight 315. Today I weighed in at 304. I also bought a scale that shows BMI and body fat percentage, so I will be tracking that starting this month too. Both those numbers are off the charts, but I have to start somewhere and what gets measured gets managed. My body fat percentage is 52.6% and my BMI is 48.9. 

I also bought a digital measuring tape which makes measuring by myself a lot easier. It keeps the number on the screen so I can record it. Below are those measurements:

Bust: 44.5

Waist: 48.5

Arm: 20.8

Hips: 55.3

Thigh: 33.6

Calf: 25

Neck: 18.6

Why do I share these numbers with you? For a few reasons. One is so you will see that losing weight permanently is a slow process. I've lost weight and gained it back so many times over the years. This plant-strong lifestyle is not about losing weight, it's about getting healthy and the weight takes care of itself. Still, it's nice to check your progress once in a while. Once a month seems reasonable to me. I like the accountability, which is another reason I post my progress. I also post to inspire someone else to start or stay on track with their wellness journey because if you take your focus off of it, those numbers can quickly spiral out of control. No matter where you are at, there is always room to improve when it comes to health. It's also inspiring to see those numbers improving! 

Once or twice a year, I like to measure the internal numbers too, like blood pressure, cholesterol, vitamin and mineral levels, etc. I will be looking to do that soon. 

In the meantime, I will keep taking baby steps forward and getting back up every time I fall down. It's all progress. Onward.  

Kathy G

vegformation.com