Just over six weeks now and I have some wonderful news! Check out this week's weigh in results!
Weight: 11st 12.8lbs/ 166.8lbs (-1)
Waist inches: 34 inches (-1)
Hip inches: 41 inches (-1)
Arm Width: 14.5 inches (+0.5)
Thigh Width: 25 inches (nil)
BMI: 31.5kg/m2 (-0.2)
What great results for such an easy week. I have lost another pound making me 166.8lbs! I am that much closer (four pounds away) from the slimmest I've ever been as a young adult and I am ecstatic! Hopefully I can reach that within a month or so. The reason I am over the moon isn't only for the fact that I am skinnier, but I didn't have to even really try with the food side of things and I am seriously enjoying what I eat. I guess a plant-based vegan diet really does help to shed pounds. Also, I feel that my exercising is really helping and as long as I play my cards right this week, I'm sure I could lose more. I wasn't expecting to lose any weight because I felt like I had over eaten but quite clearly I did SOMETHING right this week.
Having lost an inch on both my waist and hips, I am feeling a lot slimmer. Today I wore a dress I don't usually wear because it used to make me look extra big. Today, I fitted well into it and it made me look good for once. Hallelujah! I'm not even bothered about my supposed gain on my arms because my BMI is going down and that only means one thing - I am further away from being obese. All I have to do is hit 29 and I am no longer classed as obese but overweight - isn't that fantastic?!
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Today I went out with a friend to Starbucks and I have to say, even with best intentions I managed to make some dodgy choices. I was in the queue and looking from sandwich to sandwich, cake to cake, only to find that there is literally nothing vegan about any of Starbuck's food (besides their fruit salad), at least not at the store I was about to eat at. I ended up choosing a mozzarella pasta salad (which was TINY) and a Naked fruit smoothie. So I already broke number one vegan rule (er, don't eat dairy, love) but I wasn't going to make a fuss. To top it off, I found that in Naked smoothies, they add in corn syrup! I could taste it and it was rather unpleasant. I have to say if I'm going to have a smoothie I will either make it or buy Innocent from now on.
I hope this doesn't mean I have to eat fruit every time I end up at Starbucks - suggestions anyone?
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Another happy thing that happened today was that I noticed I am building forearm muscle! How odd! It must be the combination of my resistance training and running, yes running! You see when I run I make sure to keep my arms a driving back and forth (as opposed to swinging from side to side) and this seems to build up muscle because I know they ache even after a run. So when my Brother-in-law said that his friend has amazing arms from just running, he may have been telling the truth. No wonder why my arms seem to be getting slimmer - results!
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The last thing I want to comment on is the monstrosity of Spirulina. A lot of you know I've been searching for the perfect protein supplement for my work out and it's been particularly tough for me to find a quality vegan protein supplement. I wanted to go as natural as possible so when I heard that spirulina could be the answer, I jumped into the research.
Not only is Spirulina packed with beta carotene (get lost, Cancer!) but it's got tonnes of other essential goodies (iron, minerals, vitamin B-12) and it offers 60% vegetable protein. It's pretty much an anti-aging blue green algae that everyone needs to get to know. With winter coming up, Spirulina can also help strengthen your immune system so you become stronger and more resistance to illnesses. As well as all this, there have been studies that show it lowers cholesterol and for some it suppresses appetite so you can lose weight taking this magical green powder. Also, expect to become even more regular with your bowel movements as it aids digestion and now you can feel safer in our environment as Spirulina also cleanses and protects you from free radicals.
Back to why I'm taking it, it is because I'm looking for something to enhance my running performance and recovery. Apparently athletes have been using this stuff for a long time pre-work out or before a competition as it gives them a massive burst of energy. It also helps to create and mend muscle mass which is exactly what I was looking for.
I picked up my Spirulina from Holland and Barretts for £11.99 and while that seems expensive, it's much cheaper than protein powders and it's natural and overall super. I mixed it in with a banana and strawberry smoothie. You know what? It tastes ABSOLUTELY disgusting. It smells and tastes like eggy-mouldy fish and honestly it's not as yummy as it seems. However I found a really large squeeze of a lime really helped so I managed to drink the whole of my smoothie. I have been looking into other recipes that mask the taste and some of it include things like tomato, chilli, ginger or celery. I will have to update you on how well it treats my body and what kind of smoothie concoctions I make. I also hear a raw Spirulina salad is worth trying - I'm not one to knock things before I try but that really does sound awful.
I'm off for a run tomorrow so I shall report back. Happy October everyone!
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