Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Fri Dec 16, 2011 7:24 am

Thanks so much Carolynne!
So glad I found this forum - this just feels right in so many ways!
:)
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby veggiemamma56 » Mon Dec 19, 2011 4:37 am

HI .how is it going? I need to restart today..went way off..bah!
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:14 pm

Hi Veggiemamma! Hope your restart went well today. Living through the festive season surrounded by temptation is certainly a challenge.

Here things are really hectic. Mothers do not get much "holiday" in the holiday season. Ha!

Saturday 17: not a good day as I was very busy. Had family to tea in pm.
B: oats
L: Indian take out - vegan but quite greasy bean curry in rotis.
Good thing about day was I did first vegan baking and both recipes turned out fantastically amazing!
S: vegan choc apple cake and carrot Christmas muffins. Fat free too!!!

Sunday 18:
B: oats and banana
L: mixed veg salad and potatoes
S: can't remember but was legal

Monday 19:
B: oats and banana
L: chard and tom and potato mix with zucchini
S: cheeseless veg thin-based pizza
Ex: walk run about 4 Ks YAY!!!!
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Wed Dec 28, 2011 9:22 pm

Wow - almost at the end of my 5 weeks!!! Can't believe how time has flown by!

Haven't logged my eating for a while now - unfortunately just too busy!
Have been eating well and according to plan, except for 2 slices of Christmas Stollen and about 6 Lebkuchen but otherwise I've been having one of my healthiest Christmas periods ever!

I cooked vegan for Christmas with the exception of our traditional Camembert and cranberries baked in puff pastry for starters - I didn't have any of it!'

My Christmas meal:
Starters: Green Asparagus Salad (with baby toms, red pepper, rucola, watercress and baby spinach leaves)
Mains: Grilled Broccoli Polenta
Chickpea Cutlets
Brown Mushroom Sauce (made with soy milk instead of cream)
Mixed Roasted Veggies

YUMMY!!!!!
Due to the fact that we had my mil visiting from abroad I did cook with a bit olive oil - didn't want to put her off vegan food from the start. (She cooks everything with butter or cream!)

Everybody enjoyed their food and it was (apart from the Camembert in pastry) a far cry from our usual rich cream sauced Christmas meal.

Everybody was so satisfied with the dinner that we postponed Christmas pud (normally the highlight of the evening) til the next day.

Christmas pud: Flambeed black cherries (in a bit of Vodka) served with banana "ice cream" for me (and vanilla full cream ice cream for the rest).
The combo of the cherries and banana was delicious and I really didn't miss the ice cream at all.

Summary of success so far:

My fat is loosening and becoming very blubbery - not nice but I think it is a sign that it is slowly being used up!
My waistline has made a come-back!!!! Yay!!! My fat rolls are diminishing!
Although I'm not a pants size down, they are fitting less tightly.

So far I just love this way of eating!!!!

I am never hungry and I never feel deprived- I am eating vast amounts of veg.
On days where I have tried to "quantity control" I usually end up feeling very sluggish and light-headed and have found I need to up the starches.

Exercise: I have NOT managed to exercise every day as planned - this is my goal for the new year.
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Thu Dec 29, 2011 1:03 am

29 Dec:

Went for a 4.6K walk/jog - slow but felt great. Cals burnt: 380

Measured a 5K route using Google fitness maps - this will be my "beginner's route" which I will use for next month or so.
I will aim to go walk/jogging every second day with easy walking, biking or swimming in between.

Breakfast: 1 cup brown rice and steamed veg, and a bit of peas and black beans

Lunch:more brown rice and mixed steamed veg

Snack : leftover grilled broccoli polenta from day before

Supper: made potato gnocchi (vegan) and served them with the most yummy veg and red lentil soup! DELICIOUS!!!! Love my food!
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Thu Dec 29, 2011 11:22 pm

Friday 30 December:

:-D :-D :-D Went for a bike ride this morning!!!! Was lovely - first time I've been for a ride in over 10 years!!!! :-D :-D :-D
Did 7 Ks in 30 minutes.
Will work out a 10 K route and then build from there.

Breakfast:Brown rice and steamed veg, 1 T All Gold
Snack:Half a mango
Lunch:more brown rice and veg and steamed courgette
Snack:2 LFV carrot muffins (had visitors over for coffee)
Dinner: steamed potato, courgette, and mushroom
Naughty late night snack: half a small homemade veg pizza (of course NO FAT and NO CHEESE!!!)

Ate a bit much today! But it was all DELICIOUS!!!

Got complimented on my wholewheat carrot muffins (again) today - recipe is a winner for sure - will be great for kids' lunchboxes next year.

One positive: realised how much I love cheeseless pizza!
Will never go back to that greasy standard again!!! Homemade is great to ensure no oil in dough and on the base and in toppings.

Highlight of the day was a visitor who said that I look like I've lost a lot of weight and asked me how much. She said it looks like I've lost 10 kg.
Of course I don't know how much I've lost as I am adamant I am NOT GOING TO WEIGH MYSELF AGAIN!!!
My waist is definitely whittling away every day - very exciting!!! :D
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Sat Dec 31, 2011 12:43 am

Last day of the year:

Exercise: AM 5K jog/jog - felt fantastic!!! PLUS another 5K fun run in the PM = 10Ks!!!!

Breakfast: Oats, flax, and apricots
Snack: Huge pot of freshly made vegetable and potato soup and 4 small potatoes
Lunch: (eating out - hopefully will be able to get baked pot and salad)
I had a huge microwaved potato!!!! Was delish. Asked for it plain (got a few odd looks :eek: ) and that's how it came - no oil, cheese, sour cream,
Supper: I'm going to have a veg-loaded cheeseless pizza and later on a glass of sparkling wine.....will probably not manage to stay up long enough to see the new year in!

This is will be the last time I am logging here.
Will start a new journal from tomorrow.

December has been a wonderful initiation into this way of eating for me.
I have realised I CAN DO IT!
I have learnt that it is important to cut out all fats (except for occasional flax which I think I will need.)
I have started my exercise programme again- feel exhilarated by it and looking forward to getting stronger and fitter again.
Last edited by Samsy on Sat Dec 31, 2011 11:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Sam's "Five Week Festive Season Challenge"!

Postby Samsy » Sat Dec 31, 2011 11:01 am

Ha!!!! I ended the year on a wonderful high.... I took part in a 5K fun run this evening and got my whole family to join me! It was wonderful!!!

So I ended up doing a total of 10Ks today!!! and I feel fantastic, so much energy!

And the best thing about the run this afternoon is that I wore a pair of long pants (I thought I'd just walk the distance, but ended up running half the way!) and as I ran I had to continually pull my pants up as they were falling down! This pair of pants was tight at the beginning of the month!
The McDougalling is working folks!!!!! :-D

Happy New Year to everyone - may you all reach your health and fitness goals next year!!!!!
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