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vegan in ottawa trying to be healthier


pamela
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My friend markc7 said this is a nice place, so here I am. I'm 27 years old and female. I've been vegetarian almost five years, vegan more than two years, and the whole thing has been a progression from the worst SAD possible to where I am now, which is "pretty healthy vegan, but could be better."

 

I'm not terribly athletic, but I've been exercising 5x a week for the past year and a half, mostly cardio. I lost about 12% of my body weight when I started exercising and reducing my refined carbs and sugar intake, and I feel so much better.

 

In my life I'm surrounded by incredible athletes, most of whom run marathons, do ironmans, and so on, so I often feel physically inadequate. So mostly I'm here to see if being around even more athletes can kick my ass into the next gear. I'd like to start incorporating more raw foods into my diet, and see what else I can do exercise-wise.

 

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Hello Pamela,

 

Welcome to the group! That is very nice of markc7 to invite you to join us. It is great to have you here and you'll find a whole variety of athletes. Those who train 5x a week like you and others who train 1x a week or less. Perhaps some train 7x a week too.

 

On the forum we also have lots of people who focus on raw foods for health and athletic performance. We have an entire section of the forum dedicated to raw foods.

 

Thanks for joining our group and have fun! Welcome aboard!!

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Thanks for the welcomes everyone.

 

That is very nice of markc7 to invite you to join us.

 

well he's a nice guy.

 

It is great to have you here and you'll find a whole variety of athletes.

 

Thanks. I feel like a bit of a poseur because I'm not an athlete, I'm an "exerciser." I'd love to be an athlete but I just don't know how to go from one to the other, or if I'm even capable of it.

 

On the forum we also have lots of people who focus on raw foods for health and athletic performance. We have an entire section of the forum dedicated to raw foods.

 

I plan to use Brendan's book as a reference, but definitely could use some additional recipes and stuff.

 

When you say "the worst SAD possible," are you talking about seasonal affect disorder?

 

I actually meant "Standard American Diet" (even though I'm Canadian) but I had pretty bad SAD all winter too. I'm not terribly outdoorsy as it is, and my job kept me penned up most daylight hours all winter.

 

Glad to see you here Pamela!

 

Thanks.

 

Welcome to the forum, you might consider blogging, it really helps give you an idea of what you are eating and doing on a daily basis.

 

I have a food blog... maybe that's part of the problem, LOL. I guess it could help with keeping me honest, but on the other hand it would reveal how truly not up to par I really am!

 

If you get a second, please vote for me, see below.

 

I found the time... you're pretty cute.

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Here's my before and after shots. I've lost a few more pounds since the "after" shot as well, without really trying. I've kept the weight off for a year now (I started exercising a year and a half ago after eight years of complete dormancy).

 

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c78/pamelaswitzer/beforeandafternov06.jpg[/img]

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Welcome, Pamela ! Great intro! Your before and after is fantastic. You look so much more vibrant in the after shot

 

Thanks! I was just looking through a big box of old photos and noticing how much better I look now than I did five years ago when I was in school and eating very poorly (right before I went veg). Shallowly enough it's another one of my main motivations for exercising.

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Loosing weight and being good looking is awesome

 

it's definitely a confidence-booster!

 

My BMI before was perfectly "healthy"... I'm 5'7" and when I started exercising I weighed around 138 pounds. That's great for some bodies, just not mine. Now at just over 120 I feel this is where I should be at. If I gain muscle weight at some point, that's ok. But it wasn't muscle weight I had before, it was 100% cinnamon bun weight.

 

What you achieved is an inspiration!

 

Thank you.

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  • 1 month later...

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