Confessions of a Cube Rat Junk Food Vegetarian

[Omega]

I think that one way of not being a yoyo is to keep turning up at a forum. If this place stops working for you again (as has happened in the past) - check out the other place that I hang out (link where my pics are). You might want to check it out anyway.

A key thing is to maintain your losses and not go back up again. I have found out that people that have lost a lot of weight are best advised to exercise for at least an hour a day if they want to just maintain... That is a lot more than a lot of people realise. No wonder a lot of folk find themselves being yoyos...

A lot of people have mentioned to me that they plan on trying to maintain over the next couple of months for a spell and then continue moving down. In England we just have Christmas - but I know that friends have all sorts of things like Thanksgiving and Superbowl parties that they mention turning what is a one month problem into one going on longer.

It all sounds fun - but a nightmare for any weight loss attempt. You end up lucky if you do not gain!

 

[KaraCooks]

I was triggered hard on the way to work and actually pulled into a Burger King parking lot to get a fast food breakfast, but I stopped myself and went to the grocery store instead.

Well done, you! That was an achievement.

I agree with Omega - I'm writing a series of articles about surviving the holidays and my first one was "plan to maintain" (The article is here: ). I know for me sometimes planning to lose weight over the holidays is too hard, but if I can plan to maintain my weight, I'll be doing well!

 

[maverick2]

I think that one way of not being a yoyo is to keep turning up at a forum. If this place stops working for you again (as has happened in the past) - check out the other place that I hang out (link where my pics are). You might want to check it out anyway.

I will definitely do that! I know for a fact that these forums (and a food log) were integral to me losing weight last time I tried, so I am going to be a lot more hardcore about staying on top of my choices. It'll help to be (at least mentally) around a likeminded group of awesomeness such as yourselves.

I have found out that people that have lost a lot of weight are best advised to exercise for at least an hour a day if they want to just maintain... That is a lot more than a lot of people realise.

I have found two good walks out at work - a walk to the end of the road is a 10 minute walk (just long enough for a cigarette) and what I call my "foxtail walk" is a 20 minute stretch of gravel road out into the fields behind our office. I am going to try to get as many of these walks in during the work day as I can without effecting my productivity, as well as dancing in my cubicle, breaking up the hours with sets of crunches, pushups, and other "burst" exercise.

I think an hour of cardio spread out throughout the day (every day), plus some strength training at home in front of a movie, will probably cover my exercise needs for a minute. Once my finances straighten themselves out from our recent move, I am going to look back into a gym closer to my new home. I really, really, really want gym time, I just can't afford it at the moment.

A lot of people have mentioned to me that they plan on trying to maintain over the next couple of months for a spell and then continue moving down. In England we just have Christmas - but I know that friends have all sorts of things like Thanksgiving and Superbowl parties that they mention turning what is a one month problem into one going on longer.

I think being vegetarian is actually going to help me during the holidays, because it automatically knocks the most high-calorie foods off of my edible list. Sausage balls, pigs-in-a-blanket, all the really greasy holiday fare I love is going to have to be replaced with healthy substitutes, and I actually have a legitimate excuse to refuse food from well-intentioned but tenacious relatives.

Well done, you! That was an achievement.

Thank you very much, I have been pretty proud of myself that I haven't broken my "no fast food" rule since I started watching what I eat. I'm glad that disappointment and low self-esteem from a binge the night before didn't keep me from starting fresh the next day.

I agree with Omega - I'm writing a series of articles about surviving the holidays and my first one was "plan to maintain" (The article is here: ). I know for me sometimes planning to lose weight over the holidays is too hard, but if I can plan to maintain my weight, I'll be doing well!

I will definitely check this out as well!


Thanks for visiting my diary guys!!



~ Mav

 

[maverick2]

Lunch:
- plate of vegetarian spaghetti
- 2 cups of water

Notes: So, you know how spaghetti is usually better the second day? This stuff is divine. Gimme Lean Smart Round is now my go-to-meat substitute, hands down. *drool*

Exercise:
- 10 minute walk (smoke break)

 

[kimmy.j]

Hello Maverick!

First off, I'm vegetarian too. I know it's sometimes SO MUCH EASIER to eat unhealthy.

I love this:
18. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different?
I’d probably go hiking naked.

You are doing so awesome! You are a huge inspiration Thanks for sharing your journal!

 

[maverick2]

First off, I'm vegetarian too. I know it's sometimes SO MUCH EASIER to eat unhealthy.

It's so true. It's a little bit of a give and take - vegetarianism puts much healthier food at the forefront of your diet, but at the same time when you don't make an effort to actually eat the staples of that diet, you end up falling back on nacho cheese, bagged chips, and other nonsense.

I also think it's harder to make sure that you are nutritionally balanced - I'm pretty sure I'm protein-and-B12 deficient right now (not from lack of nutritious vegetarian options, but from sheer laziness) so I'm trying to take steps to correct that.

I love this:
18. If you woke up tomorrow and your body was exactly the way you want it, what would be different?
I’d probably go hiking naked.

It's totally true too. I live in rural BFE on 15 acres (including forest), so I could actually do this and not have to worry about scandalizing the neighbors.

You are doing so awesome! You are a huge inspiration Thanks for sharing your journal!

Thanks, and thanks for visiting!!!

 

[maverick2]

Exercise:
- 20 minute walk (foxtail walk)

Food:
- 4 cups of water

Notes: So far I've gotten in a solid 30 minutes of walking for the day - I'm going to try for one more smoke break (10 minute walk) this afternoon, as well as another foxtail walk right before I leave for home. That'll give me a solid hour of walking for the day.

 

[maverick2]

Snack:
- 2 cups of water
- 1/2 can low-sodium V8 (note to self...buy full-sodium, spicy V8 next time!!)
- 4 slices of bell pepper (green, yellow, orange, red)
- two carrot sticks
- a slice of yellow squash
- a big slice of raw mushroom (BLECK...note to self...cook the friggin' mushroom!!!!)
- 2 snow peas

Notes: I need some kind of dip, hummus or something. Raw mixed veggies by themselves aren't doing much for me, and they're a bit dry.

 

[maverick2]

Found a bag of half-eaten Pizza Combos in the drawer of my desk. Started to nosh down on on a couple since they're actually not too bad stats-wise, but threw them in the garbage instead. Mostly because I'd probably finish the bag if I ate even one of them, and I was just going to eat them because they were there. That's not a good enough reason.

Exercise:
- 5 minutes of scissorkicks
- 15 minutes of aerobics/dancing around like a mad fool in my cubicle with headphones on (after everyone else in the farm was gone)

Food:
- 2 cups of water

Notes: No second foxtail walk today. So far I've gotten 50 minutes of cardio in today, and that's going to have to be good enough. It's dark, it's cold, I'm bushed.

 

[KaraCooks]

1/2 can low-sodium V8 (note to self...buy full-sodium, spicy V8 next time!!)

Because I'm pretty salt sensitive, I'll buy the low sodium spicy stuff and add a pinch of salt on my own. It's less overall sodium

 

[maverick2]

Because I'm pretty salt sensitive, I'll buy the low sodium spicy stuff and add a pinch of salt on my own. It's less overall sodium

I'll have to try this, since I thought the low-sodium stuff was pretty nasty without the extra salt. But I'm a salt junkie. I'm sure it's contributing to retained water, lol...

Dinner:
- 1 glass of water (with lemon juice)
- 1 1/3 quesadilla (with mock cheese, spinach, onions, mushrooms, and asparagus)
- 1 scoop taco rice
- 2 scoops of corn
- 1 slice of chocolate cake (BAD)
- 2 small Jack-and-Cokes (BAD BAD)

Notes: New rule - No more alcohol during the week, and no sweets. I am giving myself too much leeway to sabotage.

 

[maverick2]

Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, supper like a pauper.

I'm going to get a little bit stricter on myself about tracking food in order to get a better handle on portions and nutrition past calories and fat. I also think I need more protein and fiber during the day to avoid temptation at night. So I'm going to try out the "breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, supper like a pauper" concept.

The protein issue is the first one I'm tackling, so this morning before work I went to the grocery store and stocked our office fridge/freezer with Boca burgers, chik'in patties, and vegan salami. Also bought some stone ground wheat bread, some mustard and ketchup, a smoothie, and some precut carrot sticks and celery sticks.

Here's my breakfast breakdown.

Breakfast:
- 1/2 vegan salami sandwich: 1 slice of whole wheat bread (140 calories, 2.5 grams of fat), 1 tsp yellow mustard (0 calories, 0 grams of fat), 2 slices vegan salami (40 calories, 0 grams of fat)
- Gold Machine fruit smoothie [golden kiwi, banana, apples, passion fruit, pineapple] (280 calories, 0 grams of fat)
- 5 carrot sticks (15 calories, 0 grams of fat)
- 6 celery sticks (6 calories, 0 grams of fat)
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup unsweetened black coffee

Total calories: 487 calories
Total fat: 2 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 706 milligrams
Carbs: 95 grams
Sugars: 53 grams
Protein: 18 grams

Notes: 4 slices of salami, even though it's the official serving, is a bit much. I will cut it back to 2 slices next time since I could only eat half of my sandwich. That whole wheat bread is super-filling too.

Now it's already lunchtime and I'm so full I can't move.

 

[maverick2]

Small exercise...

Exercise:
- 10 minute walk (smoke break)

Baby steps people. Baby steps.

I am busting my butt at work today, so I don't know when I'll get to fit in a nice foxtail walk sometime today. We'll see.

 

[maverick2]

Exercise:
- 10 minute walk (smoke break)

Lunch:
- 4 cups of water
- 1 Boca chik'n patty (160 calories, 6 grams of fat)
- 1 slice of stone ground wheat bread (140 calories, 2.5 grams of fat)
- 1 tsp ketchup (15 calories, 0 grams of fat)
- Blue Machine fruit smoothie [blueberries, blackberries, apples, banana] (340 calories, 0 grams of fat)

Total calories (for the day): 1,096
Fat: 12 grams
Cholesterol: 0 milligrams
Sodium: 1,846 milligrams
Carbohydrates: 218 grams
Sugars: 117 grams
Fiber: 26 grams
Protein: 37 grams

Notes: It looks (and feels) like I'm eating a lot, but most of it is very low-cal, high-nutrient stuff. The highest caloric intake I've had all day is the fruit smoothies, which really make me feel a lot better and I know are helping me get my full assortment of vegetarian-friendly vitamins.

I took out my cut fruit to round out the meal (kiwi, strawberries, and orange slices) but I'm too full to eat it, so I'm putting it back for later.

I've also noticed a significant change in my mood - much more content and optimistic. Must be those fitness endorphins + added B12 kicking in.

 

[skydancer]

Hello.

I read this article, and thought of you. Flexitarianism is where it's at.

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The rise of the non-veggie vegetarian

 

[maverick2]

Exercise at the cube farm.

Exercise:
- 15 minutes intense shadowboxing/dancing
- 10 squats
- 25 knee raises
- 20 crunches

I read this article, and thought of you. Flexitarianism is where it's at.

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The rise of the non-veggie vegetarian

I heard about that article on a vegetarian forum earlier today. Lots of the hardcore vegetarians/vegans cry serious foul when people who eat fish call themselves vegetarian, but personally, I'm of the belief that the less animal products people eat, the better, regardless of the label. Better for peoples' health, better for the environment, and (of course) better for the animals.

For me, the benefits of vegetarianism concerning weight loss are pretty clear-cut, even if you throw in mock "meats"...

Take my breakfast for example: vegan salami. A serving of vegan salami is 4 slices.

Well, 4 slices of vegan salami is 80 calories and 0 grams of fat. 4 slices of regular (animal-based) salami, on the other hand, is 308 calories and 24 grams of fat.

There really is no comparison.

 

[chubbygirl]

It's called Chocovine - it's a red wine/dark chocolate mix. It sounds weird as hell, but it is fabulous. And 14% alcohol by volume.

That sounds delicious and I hope I never come into contact with it because I imagine the outcome would be bad! Good work on the workouts - except maybe the smoke breaks - shame on you! Oh well I guess one thing at a time right? Have any plans of quitting anytime soon? It's more expensive than fruit! Have a great weekend Mav.

 

[kimmy.j]

Lots of the hardcore vegetarians/vegans cry serious foul when people who eat fish call themselves vegetarian, but personally, I'm of the belief that the less animal products people eat, the better, regardless of the label. Better for peoples' health, better for the environment, and (of course) better for the animals.

I was totally one of those vegans. I know rarely, but occasionally, will eat tuna or crab. I tried to not call myself vegetarian, and it was so hard, people people ask a lot. Especially when you go out to eat and complain that there's nothing to eat on the menu. Now I feel like an ass for getting pissed with non-vegetarians who try to be vegetarian and occasionally eat something they "shoudln't", but still claim veg.

OK, I'm done now .
Good point on the Salami, BTW.

 

[Camy]

I am a half week vegan, I do it because I read that you can minimize your carbon footprint this way. So 3 or 4 days a week I eat vegan while the rest of the week I eat some fish but also meat sometimes. Because I have coeliac disease I can't eat a ton of food, so I thought initially that it would be way too restrictive to do this half-week-vegan thing, but it actually works great. I am eating so many more legumes and beans and after a year of eating out every single day I am now eating all my meals at home.
Weightwise nothing has happened yet but I know it will.

By the way 54 dollars for a gym membership may sound steep but I pay almost 150 a month for my dancing lessons and while it certainly eats into my pockets badly I am glad that I have a sport I enjoy enough to go daily instead of dreading the moment when I have to drag my sorry ass to the gym... and right now I can actually afford it, considering my food is so much cheaper now ! But as Omega has proven, you don't need expensive fancy gyms or lessons to lose weight, you can just walk it off, and in weightloss my motto is "whatever works for you" (though hopefully what works is healthy eating and exercise ).

You are doing great and I can't wait for your naked hike! Camy

 

[maverick2]

That sounds delicious and I hope I never come into contact with it because I imagine the outcome would be bad!

It is sooooo yummy, and I was very skeptical at first because it looks like a chocolate Yoo-hoo and I detest Yoo-hoos.

Good work on the workouts - except maybe the smoke breaks - shame on you! Oh well I guess one thing at a time right? Have any plans of quitting anytime soon? It's more expensive than fruit!

Thanks! I actually just STARTED smoking in June when my roommate moved in (not gonna blame it on him, it's just a bonding experience for us, lol...) I smoke maybe six a day. I am actually going to start tracking how many cigarettes I smoke a day to make sure that the number doesn't slowly inch its way up.

I don't plan to quit anytime soon unless I start jogging/running again, in which case I'll probably wean myself down to avoid respiratory discomfort.

I was totally one of those vegans. I know rarely, but occasionally, will eat tuna or crab.

It's a shame nobody knows what a pescatarian is.

Now I feel like an ass for getting pissed with non-vegetarians who try to be vegetarian and occasionally eat something they "shoudln't", but still claim veg.

Eh, they're all just labels. I try to do the best I can and work in as many substitutes for animal products as I can while experimenting with new cooking styles. I've only been vegetarian since June, so I'm still playing with vegan recipes, mock meats, dairy substitutes, etc...

Good point on the Salami, BTW.

It is tasty!

I am a half week vegan, I do it because I read that you can minimize your carbon footprint this way. So 3 or 4 days a week I eat vegan while the rest of the week I eat some fish but also meat sometimes. Because I have coeliac disease I can't eat a ton of food, so I thought initially that it would be way too restrictive to do this half-week-vegan thing, but it actually works great. I am eating so many more legumes and beans and after a year of eating out every single day I am now eating all my meals at home.
Weightwise nothing has happened yet but I know it will.

This is an awesome idea! I think that I'm going to decree 3-4 days of fatfree/low fat vegan cooking in our house using the FatFreeVegan blog, since I know that supper is my biggest enemy as far as overeating/high calorie temptation goes.

By the way 54 dollars for a gym membership may sound steep but I pay almost 150 a month for my dancing lessons and while it certainly eats into my pockets badly I am glad that I have a sport I enjoy enough to go daily instead of dreading the moment when I have to drag my sorry ass to the gym... and right now I can actually afford it, considering my food is so much cheaper now ! But as Omega has proven, you don't need expensive fancy gyms or lessons to lose weight, you can just walk it off, and in weightloss my motto is "whatever works for you" (though hopefully what works is healthy eating and exercise ).

I found a gym in my new hometown that I want to look into, since it is about five minutes from my new home instead of half an hour. I love the gym, but convenience is important to me - I like to be able to get up at five in the morning, go work out, come home, get a shower, drink some coffee, and then go to work. If I can get a morning workout in, I am much more likely to stop by on my way home from work too. It's like I break through my own inertia that way...

The walking/home exercises are just to get my metabolism rolling while I pay down a little debt and find a new gym. But I can't wait to start training again - I want to get physically fit enough to start hiking and spelunking again without feeling like I'm putting myself in danger (either through being too chubby to fit in a very small squeeze or by not having the upper body strength to save myself in an emergency).

Thanks for visiting my diary y'all!! *love*