Karmacharger

I love training my shoulders because at this time last year I had a frozen one and couldn't even get dressed without being near tears. I'm so grateful to have recovered from my injury!

Thanks gentlemen! You know, the first time I posted on here, I think Jiacomo was first to welcome me back then and Robert, you weren't far behind him! Robert, I met you when you were in TO last time. I picked up your book at the veggie fair. I asked you if you would beat up my friend to make him vegan but you said you'd rather use other means. It's okay though, your muscles sure did scare him. I'm going to go work on my training journal.

Hi Everyone, I thought I'd post in here since it's been years since I was last on-line. I think my journaling and my workouts fell apart when I moved to Toronto a few years back. Now that I'm all settled in, I'm establishing a new routine and have made a commitment to myself to lose some weight, get strong and be healthier than ever. My name is Nadia and I'm 34 years old. I've been vegan for almost four years and vegetarian for almost 11. I'm grateful for this forum and the inspiration that you all provide! Looking forward to keeping a journal here once again! Enjoy what's left of the weekend! Nadia

For me going vegan meant cutting out dairy and making sure there were no egg products in the food I was eating because by that point, I had been vegetarian for a while. I initially became vegan for health reasons. I noticed a number of immediate and gradual changes when I did. I was no longer coughing all the time, I was able to give up my inhaler despite being told I would need it for the rest of my life, issues I was having with my reproductive system have pretty much disappeared (giving up sugar has also helped regulate my hormones) and all the gross mucus-filled colds and virus disappeared. I am no longer wrestling with sinusitis, bronchitis and asthma on a regular basis. I feel great! I used to eat cheese three to five times a day. The only way to make it stick was to appeal to my sense of compassion, empathy and logic. I picked up Diet for a New America and sealed the deal. After that, even if I had a craving melted cheese (hurray for Daiya!) or found myself drooling over a hunk of brie at a party or butter croisssants in France, I could no longer put my cravings and need for indulgence before the animals, the environment and my health. Being vegan has also given me the tools to inspire others by sharing what I know. There's no better conversation starter than showing up in the lunchroom at work with a colourful, varied and aromatic lunch. Through these experiences I've learned to be more tolerant of those who make different choices, a lot of times, they just don't know the full impact of what they're doing by eating what they eat. If someone doesn't want to know, I won't tell them but I've found that planting the seed and piquing curiosity can really make a difference over the long term. Their curiosity eventually turns into experimentation and that experimentation has sometimes lead to less animal products and more vegan fare. Lastly, being vegan led me here and opened my eyes to the vegan athletic community. I am grateful for all of your inspiration. This is the first time I've logged in since May 2009 but I've continued to be inspired by Robert and the work that he's doing. Like I said last week Robert, your tweets, keep my head in the game. All your badgering will have my training journal up this weekend. And good day to you all!!

I found this article very useful and thought I'd share: http://www.lifetimefitness.com/magazine/index.cfm?strWebAction=article_detail&intArticleId=107&intNewMagEditionId=9 Happy living!

I don't have an exact recipe since I made this up... It's not exactly good for you but damnit, it's tasty. For indulgent dumplings you can try... Wrappers: Can't find vegan ones without a bunch of crap so I make my own. I use 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 white pastry flour. I once used 100% whole wheat and it was just too dry. Mix with water to form a dough, knead it for about five minutes, cover it with a damp tea towel and leave it for 30 minutes... Roll, flatten and cut using a cup or other round object on a lightly floured surface. Or you can buy some that are pre-made if you want something more exact. Filling: -Finely chop any combination of the following in whatever proportion you desire: -Tofu, nappa cabbage, boy choy, carrots, shitake mushroom. -Stir fry until soft. -Add Chinese 5 spice and tamari, braggs or soy sauce to taste and cook another 2 minutes. -Let cool. Assembly - Make sure you assemble your dumplings on a floured surface so that they don't stick together. Also leave enough dough around the edges to close. Here's where the indulgence comes in... Lightly coat a heated pan with dark sesame oil. Cook on medium heat. Add some braggs, tamari, or soy sauce. When the dumplings are almost done, add a small amount of brown rice syrup on both sides and caramelize. No dipping sauce required. It's a salty-sweet recipe that is delicious! If you need something with more precision, I think vegweb had some good ones.

Day 7 Exercise: 6 hour yoga workshop (3 hours of yoga) Food: Brown rice w/ apples, raisins w/ pumpkin seeds Collards, kale, bok choy and pumpkin seeds Brown rice tofu sushi Whole wheat pasta w/ roasted zucchini/fennel salad and more greens Cabbage rolls with tofu, arame and ginger Kukicha tea Lotus root tea Water Day 8 Exercise: None Food: Rye bread w/ fruit spread and almond butter Brown rice tofu sushi Carrots and fennel 1 small bag of Miss Vickie's (I was craving junk... weak moment) Mixed Fruit Juice Chickpea, bok choy soup w/ whole wheat pasta I signed up for a Bollywood dance class that starts next Wednesday and on Wednesday, I'm signing up for a daily yoga practice at a studio close to home. I'm all set! Oh and I lost just over 1lb since last week. Whoohoooo!

Thanks Dani! I'm really looking forward to my yoga workshop tomorrow. I'm hoping I'll learn a few things to form the basis for a home practice... Day 6 Exercise: Two long walks in the rain Food: Brown rice w/ apples, raisins w/ pumpkin seeds Brown rice w/ collards, kale, bok choy and pumpkin seeds Roasted zucchini/fennel salad Cabbage rolls with tofu, arame and ginger Aduki beans and squash w/ brown rice Collards, kale, bok choy My friend Danielle came over for lunch today and she's on a special cleansing diet and is avoiding all gluten/yeast, sugar, grains etc. I had to cook without tamari and vineagar. It was a real challenge but worked out well. Thankfully, Herbamare is great for flavour. Everything I made was a real hit. She had seconds AND made a list of everything I made so she could reproduce it at home.

Thanks Hayley! Day 4 Exercise: None Food: Brown rice w/ apples, raisins w/ pumpkin seeds Tofu sandwich w/ cumbers on rye bread Broccoli Soba noodle soup with vegetables Pita chips w/ guacamole Lotus root tea Kukicha tea Water Apple cider w/ cinnamon I had planned to walk home from acupuncture but it was really late and dark and cold when I got out. I went home, had a small snack and went to bed. Day 5 Exercise: None Food: Brown rice w/ apples, raisins w/ pumpkin seeds Brown rice sushi w/ tofu, carrots and pickles Small french fries (I slipped but damn they were good) Kale Aduki beans and squash w/ brown rice Kukicha tea Lotus root tea Apple juice I signed up for a six-hour yoga workshop on Sunday. I'm very excited about it!! I was a little bit lazy this week about getting in variety. I'll make sure to get more greens in there and mix up the meals. I love having brown rice for breakfast though. It tastes yummy and makes me feel good. It's pouring rain outside. I hope the folks at the Raw Food Festival are doing okay. I hope the rain lets up so they can have some sunshine. This is my favorite weather for staying in with a book and a cup of tea..... Eventually, I'll have to get up. I think I lost some weight this week but I'll tally it up on Monday....

Day 3 Exercise: None Food Brown rice w/ raisins Vegan pizza Apple juice Soba noodles in a shitake mushroom miso broth Collard Greens Brown rice sushi w/ tofu

Day 2 Exercise: Early-morning cardio 35 minutes Food: Almond butter w/ fruit spread on rye toast Brown rice sushi w/ tofu, cucumbers, pickles, shallots Collard greens w/ toasted tamari pumpkin seeds and sesame oil 3/4 of an almond apple butter cookie Broccoli, tofu, squash, brown rice, snow peas and sweet onions Kukicha tea Lots of water Challenge: I went to the naturopath today and found out I'm fighting a really bad virus. My glands are swollen, my throat is red, my blood pressure is low, I'm running a fever... and I had no clue. All I knew was that I was feeling off... Yikes! Solution: I'm thinking of taking off from the gym for the next month and focusing on a yoga practice as my main exercise. Wish me luck.

Day 1 Exercise: 1.5 Hour Yoga class. It was awesome!! Food: Brown rice w/ a pear and raisins and cinnamon Soba noodles w/ mixed vegetables and tofu Tofu sandwich on rye bread Kukicha tea Apple cider Challenge: Every few years I get really bad vertigo and it can last anywhere from 8 months to 18 months. It's back with a vengeance as of a few days ago. I feel really nauseous and off-balance all the time. Right now I feel like I could fall off the couch... I didn't know if yoga was the best thing for me... given how much balance is involved but it was just what I needed. Motivation/Inspiration: This kid got me motivated today... He made cancer his bitch.

Congrats!

THE CATALYST You know you've been out of the gym for too long when you get a call from your trainer like the one I got last week... it went a little something like this: Him: Hey! Dudette! Did you get my email? Me: Email? What email? You don't have email? Him: The one with the directions to the gym.... Me: I'll be there tomorrow... And so, I went in after a three-week hiatus and realised that the break did me good but I lost a little bit of strength in my chest (warmed up with 17.5lbs instead of 20 and finished with 25 instead of 27.5) and my shoulders (started with 8 instead of 10 and finished with 15 instead of 17.5) but my back, my biceps and triceps were stronger than ever. I was able to pound out my triceps without any of the usual pain in my elbows. It felt good to be back. A TIME FOR RENEWAL After so many years in school, September always feels like the start of a New Year to me. So today I am renewing my commitment to take care of myself, eat well and stay active. I've lost some weight over the summer by eating healthy and staying active outside of the gym. I'm hoping to continue on this path. THE PLAN I've decided to cut down my weight training for the next few months and workout at the gym only two or three times a week. I've signed up for dance and soccer classes and will throw a yoga class in the mix. I want to stay active but no longer want to live in the gym. I'm going to test this new way of life and see how it works for me. In terms of eating, I'm trying to transition to eating as close to a 100% macrobiotic and vegan diet. I gave up dairy four months ago with absolutely no regrets!! Since I started my transition to macrobiotics I've lost 3.4 kg. That might not seem like much but it came off slowly and has stayed off. GOALS My first short term goal is to stop eating in restaurants. I will allow myself one bought lunch and one dinner out in the entire week. If I want to share a meal with friends, it will have to be one we cook together. I am starting a new job tomorrow that's much closer to home. It will be so easy for me to come home for lunch if I want to. I've decided to use my birthday (Oct 10) as goal marker. I'm devoting the next 40 days to eating healthy and staying active. I am going to try to lose between 6 and 10 lbs between now and then. POTENTIAL CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS I find it useful at work to anticipate risks and mitigate them early on. I'm going to try to do that with this program. Here are some challenges I might encounter: Potential Challenge: Up coming travel might make it hard to prepare own meals. Solution: Make the travel days the one lunch/one dinner exception. Bring food where possible. Potential Challenge: Lack of time. Solution: Invest time up front to prepare each week. Make this project a high priority. Potential Challenge: Eventual lack of motivation. Solution: Identify one person every week from whom I find inspiration. Look at what they're accomplishing and see what I can learn. KEY COMPONENTS If this is going to work I have to ensure that I make the following a priority: - FUN: If I'm not enjoying it, I won't stick with it. I'm going to make a point of remembering how good it feels to wake up early and walk to the gym while the streets are quiet and the sun is coming up. I'm going to remember how much fun I have with the morning crew at the gym and how good it always is to see them... etc. - SLEEP: I have to make sleep a priority which means getting to bed on time. I also have to acknowledge that if I wake up with the sun, I might not be tired. I might not always need 8 hours and if I've woken up after only being asleep for 6 that might be enough for that day. - JOURNAL: Writing it down keeps me honest. - REWARD: Celebrating all my accomplishments in all aspects of my life and feeling good about what I'm doing. DAY 1 Today's goals: - Go to a yoga class - Meal plan for week - Grocery shop - Prep food for today and part of tomorrow - Get to bed early - Prepare for weight training tomorrow Thanks for reading!

I'm also trying to lose body fat and have been successful in slowly dropping weight by eating three meals a day. They are usually very balanced and well-planned. If I feel hungry in between, I will have a small snack. My acupuncturist once told me that eating 5 to 6 small meals a day doesn't give your organs a chance to rest (which is also why some people suggest not eating within three hours of bed time). I actually feel like I have more energy since I stopped eating frequently. It felt counter-intuitive and annoying to always have to think about food. I also wasn't hungry for all that I was trying to eat... The only way you'll know is by trying it out and seeing what works best for you. Good luck!

The most portable, healthiest meal I've come up with yet is brown rice sushi. I usually fill it with cucumbers, carrots, a pickled vegetable of some kind, cooked tofu, mustard or some sort of condiment. I also double wrap 'em to get the extra nori... It might smell a bit but it makes a great lunch! Bean/pasta salads are also pretty good.

I'm not sure if such a post has been done before but I was at the bookstore the other day and came across "Eating Clean" by Tosca Reno (Oxygen Magazine) and wondered how the vegan ideal of eating clean differs from that of an omni. So my questions are these: 1. What do you consider eating clean? What do you avoid? What do you get a lot of? 2. What percentage of the time do you think you eat clean? 3. What is your actual goal? My answers would be: 1. Avoiding processed foods of any kind, anything fried, restaurant food in general and vegan junk food. I try to get a lot of greens, whole grains, beans, vegetables and other foods prepared at home. 2. Recently, I'd say I've been eating clean 70% of the time. 3. My goal is to get eat clean at least 80% of the time.

I'm sorry to hear you're sick. I understand how frustrating it can be to feel so awful and not want to take any "Western medicine." I see a naturopath and she treats me with Chinese herbs when I'm not well. If I'm really sick and we don't catch it in time then I have to go a "doctor" and possibly take antibiotics. I have yet to find a natural cure for strep throat and that's one illness I won't mess around with.... I also look up home remedies... like gargling with turmeric and salt for a sore throat is a good one. Turmeric has lots of great healing properties. Depending on what ails me I will also make ginger tea. I find that helps a lot ... just not if you have a fever. The other thing I do when I'm sick is to try not to eat so much... I stick to soups and fresh juices so my body can work on healing me instead of digesting. I guess as we continue on our journeys of healthy eating, we end up getting sick less often. When it happens, how we treat ourselves, is a pretty personal decision. Don't feel guilty about taking what you took. You made the best decision you could with the information you had at the time. You seem to want to do things differently for next time and you're doing the right thing by looking for alternatives. I wish I had more advice for you... Oh wait, I do, try to look at what might have brought it on in the first place. Are you getting enough rest? Is your body trying to tell you something? One of the big problems with the over the counter drugs is that they mask your symptoms. Good luck and feel better soon!

He's sooooooooooo cute!!! Congrats! You must be very proud!

All right... so I am a loser but not the biggest one of all! One woman lost an amazing 11 inches!! I'm still happy with my progress and what I was able to achieve. I am looking for new training goals and will hopefully have the nerve to post some photos soon to motivate me to improve. I still have a ways to go but am grateful for every step in the right direction. Thanks for all your support everyone! It was much appreciated!!

No more days to count... I took last week off from training. I forced myself into the gym this morning for an upper body workout even though I was totally exhausted. I didn't feel better after putting my time in... maybe it's because I cheated myself out of my tricep workout. I had to run out of the gym to get to work early. It's going to be a busy week... I got the results of the contest. One woman left us all in the dust. She lost 11 inches in total! I think that's amazing and I respect her efforts! I'm still proud of myself for a) having the courage to try and b) putting in my effort. I'm hoping to get a new workout planned soon... I don't feel like doing the BFL program any more and I don't know why. I need to get my diet back in check and be more regular with my gym time. Those are my goals for now.

I'm eating mostly macro now... why did you stop? I know it can be restrictive and time consuming... For how long were you doing it? Did you see any health benefits? I did a three-day brown rice fast last weekend and lost about 2kg. Only .5 of that came back a week later. I'm addicted to brown rice and not just for its cleansing capabilities. Good luck with your fitness journey! I'm rooting for you!

Congrats! That's amazing progress!

Days 70 and 71 The Biggest Loser contest at my gym is officially over! I got measured at 6:15 this morning! Yay!! I didn't get any exercise this weekend as I didn't feel very energetic from fasting and recovering from food poisoning. It didn't matter. I'm still quite pleased with how I've done over the last 10 weeks. I don't have official totals yet, some of the measurements were hard to calculate. My trainer measured things to the nearest 1/8th of an inch so I'm waiting for the results. I also don't know how the other ladies did. I'm pretty disappointed, I somehow have gained back the inch I lost on my bicep. I don't understand how that happened. I guess I haven't been training them hard enough? I don't know. I think I've lost at least an inch off my hips and waist each, two or more inches off my chest, at least an inch off my thighs etc. I think I'm down about 6 inches in total with all body parts combined. I'm looking forward to see the official results to know how I placed overall. I'm quite happy with the gains (losses in this case) that I've made over the last 10 weeks. I'm stronger, fitter, in better shape. I feel good, I'm motivated and I'm looking forward to continuing a new journey. I plan to start the Body for Life Program next Monday. I need some time to plan my workouts better. I'm trying to figure out how to train around elbow and knee injuries. For my Canadian friends, Happy Canada Day! It's tomorrow.... and I'm sure I'll be back here to wish my American friends a Happy 4th before we get to that date! I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my boyfriend and his son. I've been telling people that it's been three weeks since I last saw him when in truth, it's only been two. I guess I miss him or something... I'm hoping, hoping, hoping a higher up sends us home early. There's not a lot going on at work today. I'm getting stuff done but nothing that can't wait. Happy Monday and enjoy the sunshine!

Day 69 I decided not to go to yoga. I ended up taking it easy and leaving the house only to run a few errands. I did almost 8 minutes of sitting meditation and I will try to do more tomorrow. There's something about fasting that makes meditating easier. I think there's a clarity that comes when my body isn't spending all its energy digesting. I was thinking about continuing this fast for one more day but feel like that would be too much. I will break it tomorrow with some lemon water when I wake up and by adding apples and raisins to my brown rice for breakfast. I'm having a hard time eating supper. I'm just not hungry. I thought I was but a quarter of the way in, I realise I'm full. Oh well. Maybe when I get back from the movies....