alison

Hey VP! Long time! Good to hear you are whipping yourself into great shape! I am maintaining at the moment but not gaining any ground as I haven't been in a gym in two months! Spent a month in Thailand and got to Dubai a month ago. Got a great job and all that but gyms are REALLY expensive and you have to pay a year in advance, so I'll have to wait for after pay day. I've just been doing a bit of yoga and some weights at home. Weight is very stable now at 123. Its still a little higher than I'd like to be but I'm wearing tiny skirts, dresses and heels and looking fabulous. I don't watch my protein intakes AT ALL and eat AT LEAST 60% carbs but all is very well. As soon as I get back in the gym and back on the cardio train I will shed the last few pounds very easily. I just record everything I eat in a little notebook and that keeps it all under control. My new job has a netball team and they have signed me up for it. There is even a coach! So that will be a fun way to get my cardio in! Anyway hope you are very well! Will sign up for some training schedules as soon as I have managed to join the gym and get back into weight training.

www.myspace.com/alisonsarmy

Yes me too. I've got some pea protein powders that I'm going to finish and then I don't think I'll order more. I really prefer to do whole foods and as much raw as possible, so hemp is the best option there. Unfortunately I don't really like the taste of the Manitoba Raw hemp. I love Vega though which has hemp. I have five pounds of soy protein isolate and I actually just don't want anything to do with it anymore so I think I'm just going to chuck it. I'm not sure if the pea is nearly so bad. In "Thrive" Brendan Brazier writes that pea protein is a very healthy protein source along with hemp, but then maybe that is only referring to the whole food version. However he writes that soy protein isolates are highly acid forming and damaging to health.

Happy Birthday! Hope its fabulous!

Wow! That's awesome!!!

Thanks for posting all that information veganessentials! I hadn't known that about cats, but it is very good to know for future reference. I don't have any companion animals, but I have a vegetarian friend with a cat and I know he will be very interested to know that it can be made vegan. So I have forwarded your post to him. Very interesting and informative. Thank you.

Well I've had a bad week. I got hit by such hectic fatigue on Monday, that after going to the gym, I actually couldn't make it to work. I took the rest of the week off, (gym, not work) and was literally dragging myself through the days. Thankfully its sorted itself out. So I'm back in there from tomorrow. Diet has gone way off this weekend. It was my one year wedding anniversary and we booked into a very swanky hotel. Also went out to dinner and of course breakfast this morning, and I even had a glass of champagne last night, in the enormous jacuzzi! My husband is completely teetotal so that stops me from overdoing it. Still, it was my first drink in over 3 months so I was definitely a little woopsy. And since I am a perfectionist in the worst way and today is already ruined food-wise, I might as well just consider the whole weekend a write off and start again tomorrow! So that's what I'll do! Banana smoothies and movies at home tonight! Yay! Bring on the carbs and lots of them! Okay not too many....

Sorry about the job! You are too good for them! I would say forget it and move forward! Start doing positive affirmations such as "I now accept a wonderful new job" out loud, and personal affirmations such as "I approve of myself". These are actually amazingly important. You need to be in a positive frame of mind to find an awesome new job and you deserve something with great pay and as many hours as you want. Honestly it didn't sound like an ideal job anyway, you have said the pay was low and the scheduling changes at the last minute were also less than ideal. You can do much better. See this as an opportunity. Think about your ultimate job, what you would ultimately LOVE to do, and start putting it in place.

Mine too! I've never had a boyfriend who worried about my weight, it was only ever me who was worried.

The title was one of the reasons for the books success. Victoria Beckham who is called a skinny bitch once picked up the book and posed with it in a book shop. She didn't even buy the book, but the pictures were featured in the tabloids and suddenly it became a bestseller in Britain and started getting tons of attention. The authors purposefully say at the end of the book that the title was just for attention, they don't care what size woman are, it is about being happy and healthy and vegan, no matter what size you are. But that being said, certain people do have to eat pretty low calorie in order to achieve their ideal body weight, because they have very slow metabolisms. And any more than an inch of body fat at your belly button for a women and half an inch for a man is actually too much for strictly health reasons. For ultimate health and longevity it is best to be thin. Muscular sure, but excess body fat is unhealthy and ultimately shortens your life. I still have more than an inch on my waist by the way, so I don't say this from any sort of a lofty position. I am still on the path to the ultimately healthy body.

I agree completely.

Well if you finish the book you will see that he says if you are an athlete or someone who is either gaining weight or has no problem with their weight, a bit or even a lot of olive oil is fine. He is just saying that for those who are losing weight it is a definite no! Rather get your fats from avocados or raw nuts and seeds as they contain so many other healthful things. He is saying it is not the 'health' food it has been made out to be, it will make you fat, very fat indeed, whether its a good fat or not. Also he points out that the meditteraneans who consumed this diet high in olive oil, were also consuming a mainly fruit and vegetable diet, along with working manual labour so getting in a good 8 hours or more of exercise daily. Now that they no longer do so much exercise and have kept the olive oil but not so much the fruit and veg they are fat along with everyone else. Anyway olive oil in limited amounts is fine, and for an active person with a high metabolism they can go wild, but for everyone else it shouldn't be utilised that much. He is saying you will find fats from nuts and avos much more satisfying and filling, and its a lot easier not to overdo it.

A whole food that uses quite a bit of isolated hemp and pea protein in it. Well hemp isn't an isolated protein, it is a whole food. I was under the impression that since Vega advertises itself as being exclusively from whole foods, that the rice and pea part of it might not be from isolates but rather from the foods themselves.

Thanks for clearing that up DV. I was wondering if it meant tofu and soy milk as well. I don't eat much of that either, but the odd serving of tofu in a restaurant or something is nice to have. I also wonder about the isolated pea proteins and all the rest. I am still using pea protein but I think when its finished I will stick to Vega since its a whole food.

http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYFOJBU434 I found this very interesting. I am uncomfortable with using many soy products as it is, because I don't like processed foods. Now that I have heard this I will pretty much cut it out, I had some soy protein powder that tasted vile anyway, will chuck it out.

hah! Damn Cheek! Punch her in the face! haha, okay maybe don't. But that is highly annoying. I can completely relate!

Yay Yay Its Friday! had the usual 5:15 start this morning to fit it all in. But wait I must still post yesterdays workout. Thursday: Upright Rows 3x12 at 20 pounds Shoulder Press 3x12/12/8 at 40 pounds Bent Arm Lat Raise 3x12 at 5 pounds Smith Machine Lunges 3x15 each leg at 70 pounds Ab Slings 3x10 Twist Crunches on Ball 3x20/20/14 Cardio: 35 minutes Elliptical 25 minutes Treadmill Friday: Lat Pulldown Wide Grip 3x12 at 50 pounds Barbell Bicep 3x12 at 20 pounds Seated Row 3x12/10/10 at 40 pounds Preacher Curl 3x12 at 25 pounds Smith Machine Squats 3x15 at 70 pounds Lat Pulldown Close Grip 3x12 at 50 pounds Seated Calf Raise 3x15 at 50 pounds Cardio: 35 minutes Elliptical 25 minutes Treadmill I got a report on my book yesterday. I sent off my second draft to a place called The Writers Workshop in London which gives you advice on your book. I got a very positive review that is absolutely invaluable, I couldn't have got this advice from anyone else. She said 'lets make a good book into a great book' which is wonderful and of course I want a great book, but it is going to take tons more work! I really didn't have any idea how much goes into a book. I just wrote it and thought I was done with it, well that was nearly 2 years ago! And there is still lots of work to do! Its great though!

Thank you Lena! Well the marks are fading quite fast! I heard from some other people as well that this is quite a typical massage in Asia! Strange! Well today was rest day. I went yesterday though and put in a good workout, yet I wasn't feeling my usual energy. I actually put some of the weights down from the week before as I just didn't have the strength. I did: Single Leg Leg Press 3x12 at 50 pounds Smith Machine Incline Bench Press 3x15 at 30 pounds Tricep Rope Pulldown 3x12/10/10 at 30 pounds Leg Extension 3x15 at 50 pounds Tricep Dips 3x12/10/10 Standing Calf Raise 3x15 at 40/60/40 Pushups 3x6 Cardio: 20 minutes Elliptical 20 minutes Stairmaster 20 minutes Treadmill Isn't it so annoying when someone hogs a machine but they're actually wasting their time. This woman was on the leg extension machine lifting about 10 pounds for 5 reps a time then resting and stretching for a good 5 minutes inbetween but not letting anyone get on the machine. She knew I was waiting for it, I managed to do three sets of tricep dips, calf raises and pushups before she got off the thing. some people!

I am on facebook. Nicky Alison Andrews. So if you wanna be my friend.....

Some microwaved broccoli! Yucky! I like broccoli but only if its been cooked nicely, like stirfried with some spices but I didn't have time, so its a three minutes in the microwave deal. Really not good. I'm trying to jazz it up with some soy sauce, partially working.

Yep, "Who let the dogs out" must take the cake for most awful, I'm with you 100% Marcina. Otherwise I find "Barbie Girl" highly annoying. Mainly because if you hear it it will go on replay in your head for a few weeks. Any screechy whiny songs annoy me too. Like anything by Mariah Carey.

Thank you Beforewisdom Today I did: Leg Curl 3x12 40/35/35 pounds. I had to go down in weight as I felt quite weak. I think its from the Cindy video kicking my butt yesterday. Front Raise 3x12 at 8 pounds Machine Side Shoulder Raise 3x12/10/10 at 35 pounds Rear Lat Raise 3x12 at 5 pounds. Don't know when I'll ever progress on this one! Single Leg Glute Kickbacks 3x12 at 50/65/90 pounds Walking Lunges 3x12 each leg Crunches 3x20/20/15 Cardio: 20 minutes Elliptical 20 minutes Stepper 20 minutes Treadmill Thankfully my neck is feeling fine. I can feel it if I try and turn my neck around too far. But it isn't really sore, just a kind of warning. I was totally freaked out yesterday, my husband went for a massage. I'll have to post a photo. Unbelievable. The woman was using a bottle to rub his back. She was using oil with it and he said it didn't hurt, but holy sh*t. It is even worse today, but it doesn't hurt, its like she burst all the blood vessels on the surface of the skin, its just these marks, they're not grazes or anything, just these marks. They're much darker today. Check it out! http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/nickyandrews1/DSC01687.jpg

Oh actually I have read a rebuttal by Colin Campbell of this review. Right, this is the guy who considers cholesterol a 'nutrient'. heeheehaha, smart guy. Campbell states this guy has no nutritional training whatsoever. I can't seem to open the vegsource page, otherwise I could look for the actual info, but this guy was completely discredited.

Okay, I actually can't look anymore, it is making my blood boil. He writes about the China Study and its author Colin Campbell: "whose pro-vegan agenda reflects its ties to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and other animal rights groups" What a load of hogwash! Colin Campbell became vegan when the evidence in his studies became so overwhelming that he could no longer deny the link between cancer, heart disease and autoimmune diseases and animal products. He definitely did not start out with any sort of vegan agenda, and in fact tested on animals as part of his research. If I hear the term "vegan propaganda" again I might scream! "Yet the 19 years of research into this project leave us with more questions than answers, and have left T. Colin Campbell with a foundation of unsupported conclusions upon which he has built his tower of vegan propaganda." The China Study is an intensely well researched, peer reviewed, impeccably referenced work that is still ongoing. Yet as you say, this person with a BA who is able to quote some websites as references is supposedly qualified to critique it. Unbelievable. But people who don't want to know just don't want to know. Vegan Propaganda is just a convenient way to discount everything a person has achieved.