VegetusMaximus The Journal

[vegetusmaximus]

Today is my day 1 after a long long hiatus. I figured some stuff for the record would be good.

Measurements:
Ankles - L&R 7 3/4"
Calves at widest - L&R 13 3/8"
Knees (just above) - L&R 15 1/2"
Upper Thigh at widest - L 22", R 22 1/2"
Hips at widest - 39"
Hips at Hipbone - 33"
Waist at Belly Button - 31"
Waist at smallest - 26.75"
Ribcage - 28"
Chest (with sportbra) - 32 1/4"
Shoulders - 38 1/2"
Biceps at widest - L 9 3/4", R 10"
Forearm at widest - L&R 8 3/4"
Wrist - L&R 5 1/2"
Neck - 12 1/2"
Weight - 125lbs
Body Fat - 26%

My body doesn't hang on to muscle very well which is not surprising with the lack of activity and nutrients. I eat plenty, just not the right foods. My hips and butt are really the only area that takes on weight easily. They will immediately show my laziness and takes lots of work to perk up and trim down. Considering I've been consistently downing chocolate and chips like there's no tomorrow, plus haven't exercised regularly in about two years, I consider myself pretty lucky. I was actually surprised in these photos to see my abs still looked decent. I can see some muscles still there just below the surface. Unfortunately, my spine is crooked and there's nothing much I can do about that. It tends to be less obvious when I'm in shape and my hips are toned down.

[Vegan Joe]

Wishing you strength and determination.

[vegetusmaximus]

I could definately do with some extra strength and determination. Thanks, Vegan Joe

Most of my efforts today revolved around restocking the kitchen. I didn't have much to choose from food-wise the first portion of the day. After my shopping trip, my options were much better. Every label I read appeared to be absent of animal ingredients.

1 - Quinoa (my first time!) and pecans. It was pretty good and very filling. I was mesmerized watching the little round grains dancing in the bubbles while it cooked.
2 - Grape Juice (slim pickings for real fruit pre-grocery trip)
3 - 2 hunks of freshly made whole wheat bread with spinach hummus. Half bottle of barely sweetened Honest Tea.
4 & 5 - A dozen or so vegan chocolate chips
6 - Half a bag of Swedish Fish candy
7 - Black beans simmered with onions, garlic, and cumin. Yellow squash and zucchini with more onions and garlic (yummm). Whole-wheat tortilla. Guacamole. I had my first Diet Coke of the day with dinner. I usually start at breakfast and consume about 6 cans in a 24-hour period. I'm very happy I held out until dinnertime! For dessert, I had a packet of 2 small PB granola bars.

While, I'd rather not continue to eat all the sugary stuff, today was a vast improvement of my typical day. I feel so much better only having had one soda today. I'm fighting off the temptation to have another, but I keep reminding myself how crappy I'll feel if I give in.

This morning I did some much needed yard work. Late morning, we took the dogs to the park. They were elated. I was going to run this morning while my husband was playing tennis, but plans changed. I will run tomorrow morning.

[Vegan Joe]

The quinoa and pecans sounds intersting. I'm a pecan fan but out of the bag their a little dry. I'll give that combo a try. TY

[Richard]

Hey you look in good shape to me, I can't see any problem with your hips / glutes. It looks like you have great tone in your calves already for sure, and overall low fat %. So I think you have a great starting point.

What's Swedish Fish candy?

[vegetusmaximus]

I hope you like the quinoa and pecans, Vegan Joe. It just happened to be all I had in my kitchen at the time.

Thanks, Richard. My body fat is around 26%. I'd like to get it back down a few, but I agree I have a good point to start from. I've gained about 3" in the hips/butt so I'm a bit self-conscious about that area

Swedish Fish is a gelatin-free red gummy candy shaped like fish.

[Richard]

Thanks, Richard. My body fat is around 26%. I'd like to get it back down a few, but I agree I have a good point to start from. I've gained about 3" in the hips/butt so I'm a bit self-conscious about that area

Well it looks great to me, nothing to worry about, I am sure a lot of women are jealous in fact

Swedish Fish is a gelatin-free red gummy candy shaped like fish.

Oh nice one. It's weird the things they shape sweets as. I once saw a sweet shaped like a hamburger

[vegetusmaximus]

Well, thanks again, for the compliments. I'll stop complaining now

I've had gummy fish, worms, insects, and even children, but haven't seen any hamburger shapes. I think I can do without. I'd be happy with just the basic gumdrop, but they have to get all gross and creative.

Day 2 ...

This morning I ran an easy pace 3 miles (32:32). It was a nice meditative run. Minute 26 was a challenge, but the rest was fine. The weather was beautiful. Doggy #1 was delighted to come along.

1 - Hunk o whole wheat bread w/ pb and soymilk to drink. The loaf of bread came unsliced, so these literally are hunks rather than slices.
2 - Banana and hot tea
3 - Leftover black beans, yellow squash, zucchini, garlic, onions, guacamole, whole wheat tortilla. My first diet coke of the day.
4 - The rest of the Swedish Fish. They are so addictive, but made me feel so sick. Blugh.
5 - Walnuts and iced 'energy' green honest tea
6 - Creamy navy bean soup, kale and onions. Diet Coke. Pkg of 2 small pb granola bars.

It's amazing how much better I feel not consuming obnoxious amounts of Diet Coke and chocolate. I didn't crave it nearly as much as usual. Putting off the first soda of the day helps me stay out of the downward spiral of diet coke addiction. There were cookies at work today, but I only had an inkling of temptation that passed quickly. It was a good day.

[chariot]

Yeah, that diet coke can quickly get to be quite addictive. I've drank enough of it myself over the years. Right now I've (again) decided to stop drinking it. Have you tried green Chinese tea? I find you can get a pretty good lift from drinking a cup or two. Just as good as diet coke, really, and it is reputed to have health benefits like anti-oxydents. There is also another Chinese tea called Oolong. In fact studies show that people who drink this tea regularly tend to lose a little weight as a side effect.

Anyhow, good luck with you fight against the evils of our much beloved diet coke !!

[vegetusmaximus]

Anyhow, good luck with you fight against the evils of our much beloved diet coke !!

Thanks, I'll need it! Good luck to you, too.

The only time I drank much green tea was in China. It tasted soapy to me at first, but I grew to like it when I didn't have the option of soda. A lot of green teas in the States don't taste like the green tea I had in China. After almost 10 years since my visit, it probably doesn't matter as I couldn't remember what it's supposed to taste like now anyway. It's definately an aquired taste for me ... but obviously a better choice than diet soda. We do have Oolong tea at the office. Maybe, I'll give it a try.



This morning my lazy side came out and I was not going to exercise. My usual excuse of 'I'll do it later' came to the surface. However, I got a bit stir crazy and ended up working in 15 minutes of crunches, push-ups, squat-kicks, etc. This evening we took the dogs for a short walk to a nearby park.

Foodwise, it wasn't a great day. I started off with conventional boxed cereal. Bad choice. I felt off from the start. My system is also struggling with all the different high fiber foods, so I made the decision to have a low-fiber dinner to save myself some ...erm ...issues.

1 - Cereal and soymilk
2 - Diet Coke and pkg of 2 small pb granola bars
3 - Banana
4 - Leftover creamy navy bean soup (creamy = blended), kale with onions and garlic. Diet Coke.
5 - Walnuts, strawberries
6 - Veggie burger, french fries, diet coke.
7 - Pkg of 2 small pb granola bars, glass of soymilk

Although I'm far from where I want to be diet-wise, I've been noticing lots of small daily triumphs. First off, I've refrained from having pretzels, popcorn, chips, or cookies for the mainstay of meals. Real food has been working it's way into my meals and snacks. There were also office lunch freebies today (non-vegan of course), which I left alone despite wanting to dive in. After lunch I wanted to run a grab some chocolate from one of the many office stockpiles. I resisted. Tonight, I wanted to buy more candy at the store, but didn't. I also wanted to sit and down a bunch of pretzels with diet coke. Knowing I'd just sit and eat and eat and drink and drink, I had the granola bar with soymilk instead. The combination satisfies me with far less and I feel much better in the process.

I definately have room for improvement, but tomorrow is another opportunity to change for the better. I will start out with a run in the am.

[vegetusmaximus]

I ran 3 miles this morning (33:33). Minute 20-21 and minute 26 were the hardest. Overall, it felt a little more difficult than Monday's run, but I picked up the pace for the last stretch. I do feel like I could push myself a lot more. For now, I just want to focus on getting into the habit of exercising. Improving speed will come with time.

This evening I played tennis for about half an hour. I feel great! I slept very well last night and was alert all day with the one exception noted below.

1 - Plain bagel w/ veg butter (bagel was a freebie at work) and Diet Coke.
2 - Pistachios and slightly sweetened iced Honest tea
3 - Big ole salad of romaine, red cabbage, snow peas, and sunflower seeds with creamy miso dressing. Diet Coke. This didn't stick with me for long. I was mildly hungry all afternoon.
4 - Strawberries
5 - Walnuts and a ... Diet Coke. Afterwards I felt like complete crap and got really tired.
6 - Baked beans and brussel spouts. Soymilk to drink.
7 - 2 hunks of warm banana bread straight from the oven. Soymilk.

While I’m still making plenty of mistakes, I’m very happy that I’ve been contemplating the effects of those poor decisions more. Just cutting back on the soda enough to have times when I’m not feeling it’s effects I’ve readily noticed the horrible feeling it gives me. The first one of the day gives me a mild headache. The second one gives me the headache plus a fuzzy headed sluggish feeling. Third amplifies the sluggishness. By dinnertime today, I was recovered from the sodas and didn’t want to compromise feeling good so I didn’t have another. What's this? It looks like I'm starting to learn from my own mistakes!

[TigreBella]

Good luck to you, vegetusmaximus! Even though I see you don't need it!

Hey you look in good shape to me, I can't see any problem with your hips / glutes. It looks like you have great tone in your calves already for sure, and overall low fat %. So I think you have a great starting point.

I agree! I wish I looked THAT good!

Yeah, that diet coke can quickly get to be quite addictive. I've drank enough of it myself over the years. Right now I've (again) decided to stop drinking it. Have you tried green Chinese tea? I find you can get a pretty good lift from drinking a cup or two. Just as good as diet coke, really, and it is reputed to have health benefits like anti-oxydents. There is also another Chinese tea called Oolong. In fact studies show that people who drink this tea regularly tend to lose a little weight as a side effect.

Anyhow, good luck with you fight against the evils of our much beloved diet coke !!

Diet coke definitely can get quite addictive! My mom FINALLY is slowing down on it (she used to drink at LEAST 3 or 4 cans of it a day)! I barely ever had it, but hated the aftertaste, so it was easy for me to get over. Good thing, too, because I heard that aspartame can cause lots of problems later on.

I've had tea often in the past year (though, with sugar added). As for Oolong tea, I ordered some on eBay a couple months ago, which my husband and I have tried (nice and refreshing, without much need for sugar, by the way!) and look forward to drinking often once we get done with our move. I don't often drink tea without sugar, but Oolong is a nice lightly flavored tea that I find doesn't require me to put much sugar! I also have a problem drinking hot water, though, unless it's flavored to my liking.

[vegetusmaximus]

Good luck to you, vegetusmaximus! Even though I see you don't need it!

Hey you look in good shape to me, I can't see any problem with your hips / glutes. It looks like you have great tone in your calves already for sure, and overall low fat %. So I think you have a great starting point.

I agree! I wish I looked THAT good!

Hello fellow St. Louisan (for now).

Thank you. I've always been a low self-esteemer so it's odd for me to think someone would wish to look like me. It confuses my brain.

... and extra luck is always welcome, regardless of need!

Is it really Day 5 already?! I had another sleep-in attempt. When I don't have a run planned, I just don't have the motivation to get up early. It was a yoga day, though. I got 45 minutes at lunchtime.

1 - 2 hunks of banana bread, soymilk
2 - pretzels and diet coke
3 - strawberries, blueberries, walnuts, bottle of slightly sweet iced tea (pre-yoga)
4 - leftover baked beans, brussel sprouts, diet coke
5 - apple
6 - plain bagel w/ veg butter, half of a diet coke
7 - huge chunk o banana bread, soymilk

Mid morning, I started to feel like crap. It was similar to that I'm coming down with something feeling ... slightly nauseous, almost light-headed, almost shaky, just weird. Yoga made me feel better for a little while, but not too long after I felt VERY bloated just like the other day. I went for an extra plain bagel for dinner, as I didn't feel like I could face any beans, veggies, or anything substantial. I don't know if it's the fiber or what, but my system is way out of whack. Urgh.

[TigreBella]

Good luck to you, vegetusmaximus! Even though I see you don't need it!

Hey you look in good shape to me, I can't see any problem with your hips / glutes. It looks like you have great tone in your calves already for sure, and overall low fat %. So I think you have a great starting point.

I agree! I wish I looked THAT good!

Hello fellow St. Louisan (for now).

Thank you. I've always been a low self-esteemer so it's odd for me to think someone would wish to look like me. It confuses my brain.

... and extra luck is always welcome, regardless of need!

Really? Same here! I have ALWAYS thought negatively about myself, and have just recently started thinking more positive (it helps when my husband refuses to let me talk bad about myself, lol)! Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for ya! I'm definitely taking things in a more positive manner now than before, that's for sure!

And in that case...good luck, good luck, good luck!

Seriously, though. Good luck with everything. You can do it!

[vegetusmaximus]

Really? Same here! I have ALWAYS thought negatively about myself, and have just recently started thinking more positive (it helps when my husband refuses to let me talk bad about myself, lol)! Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for ya! I'm definitely taking things in a more positive manner now than before, that's for sure!

And in that case...good luck, good luck, good luck!

Seriously, though. Good luck with everything. You can do it!

Husbands are sure good for that stuff. My husband loves how I am as is, but gently encourages me to be more active and eat better because he knows I'll be healthier and happier. Yeah for good men I definately find that treating myself well through good eating and exercise makes me much more positive in general. Even if my body looks the same, the way I see my body changes. I'm much more appreciative when I stop to ponder all the things it does for me. Good to hear you are moving in a positive direction yourself! I may not always know what to say, but I'm always good for the listening part of talking. It's good to have another person on my side. Thanks for the support!


Day 6 - AM

I had a great run this morning. Whoot! It started out tough. Seeing as I've already run more this week than I usually run in a couple months, it was not unexpected As luck would have it, I came across another runner at about my half-way point. She was going a nice pace and following my exact route, so I focused on keeping her within my sight (but not breathing down her neck). At the last stretch, I speed up a bunch and drained a big chunk of energy. I finished the 3 miles in 30:50, my best time bar far this week. Happy Friday! Oo oo oo. ... Yes, I'm still pumped up.