Guest guest Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Becoming vegan is going great. Blood pressure remains 110 to 120 over 70 to 80, ideal to normal. And that's without hypertension medication, and as long as I don't deviate from being vegan. Small deviations that you wouldn't think would do much still causes it to skyrocket, although it is taking shorter and shorter times for it to come back down. I suspect that my body is still adjusting, and that eventually tiny infractions will not push my b.p. up. I had been on a weight stall for the entire month of January AND February. That broke this past Sunday with an 8 pound drop, AND I also discovered that during those two stalled months, I lost another 3 inches off my gut!! That's a total of 6 inches from my gut since last August 31st, and I had already lost some by then, so my original measurements, which I think I have somewhere, probably show that I have lost a good 8 inches from my gut, and 4 inches from my waist. I didn't have any further loss from my neck or my waist in Jan/Feb, but that's fine since my gut is the flabbiest and most protruding part I have, even more than my chest! Used to be my chest was my biggest protrusion!!! I can't tell you how good it feels to be losing this weight, even if it is the slow scenic route. I've never (a) lost this much total weight sequentially (55 pounds in total now); (b) KEPT off the weight I've lost for this long (over 3 years); and © done it without dieting. All I have been doing is adjusting my daily eating plan to get healthier and healthier, and I did it in very very small steps. Going to vegan has been my largest " tweak " , and it really wasn't weight-loss based as the reason. The worst part is, though, that looking at the larger picture (pun intended) I still have 150 pounds to go. I'm not setting goals. The weight loss will happen as it happens, as long as I am taking care of my body nutritionally. It's not a race. There is no failure. There is simply one day at a time with my eating only as pieces of my day rather than that around which my world revolves. There is no failure, because I'm not on a diet. I just eat based on principles and values that are very important to me. I am looking forward to dropping 20 more pounds, though, because that means I get to go buy a new pair of pants. And I will have to go to the store and try them on (rather than ordering online) since I would have no idea what size I would be in! And everything I currently own will be way too baggy by then. A lot of weird things are happening to me, though. For one thing, I am having fun with the process. I actually enjoy losing weight! My taste buds have completely changed, except for that sugar tastebud that simply will NOT go away! But I actually PREFER to eat fruit rather than a lot of things. I avoid all butter and oils and fats, and find that I no longer miss them. Whole grains are far more satisfying than refined crap. Even though it is spring weather outside, I have begun to feel cold in the house with the thermostat set on our usual, standard, and customary winter setting of 67 degrees. We have used this setting for the previous decade and could never understand why some visitors to our home complained of being cold. We were both perfectly comfortable. I had to bump up the thermostat to 69! Even at 69, I still have to put on a heavy cardigan and wear very heavy winter weight pants that were always too hot for me to wear before. I got into the car yesterday morning and something felt terribly wrong... I looked around and realized that I felt miles away from the steering wheel! It took lots of work to get the seat to move up a notch, as it has always been in the last notch away from the steering wheel since we've had the car! My stomach used to touch the steering wheel, too, and now there is plenty of room, even with the seat pulled up a notch! I no longer need the seat belt extender. I only continue to use it because otherwise the seat belt cuts into my throat. There is a different little doodad I need so that this doesn't happen. BUT I NO LONGER NEED THE EXTENDER! (Although I still do on airplanes.) Fresh out of the dryer, I put on my black sexy 25cent garage sale jeans that I barely got into in December, and expected to do the shrunken jeans wiggle to get into them, but they slid right on! They are very loose now after wearing them for a few hours, and REQUIRE a belt to keep them up. I only have two notches left in my belt. When I bought it, I had to put an extra notch on it to EXPAND it so it would buckle. It was the largest men's belt I could find at the time. The largest clothes in my closet are now so baggy that I am beginning to trip in the pants and have the tops fall off of one shoulder. I no longer fear the scale. It has become my friend. Yes, even on a two month stall. My winter coats will all have to be replaced next year. They overlap so far that I can't button them. They look as if they should be double breasted with another set of buttons further in the left side. Nothing in my closet now is too tight or unwearable. That's really different for me!! I have a couple of unopened packages of new bras that I had purchased in Madison 3 years ago and they were buried and forgotten because of the move to St. Louis, that are now too big for me to wear!! I only have one or two smaller ones that fit comfortably. Guess I'll be shopping for new underthings soon, too. I keep forgetting that I can place my ankle on my knee for putting on my socks and shoes, instead of having to put my bent leg on the entire side of the bed in order to reach my foot. I have now moved all of my three rings to my index and middle fingers on my left hand, my largest fingers, lest they completely fall off. (My left hand fingers are a bit larger than my dominant hand fingers.) I have no idea where to go with them after they are too loose on the left hand! I guess I will wear them on a neck chain, and get them resized when I feel as if I am finally finished with losing weight. I gotta tell you, these are some weird, but oh so fun things to be experiencing! I am reveling! And determined to keep it going and to not go back to where I've been. These are all completely new things that I have never before experienced. YEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWW!! Almost every day I find something new and different that relates to my losing weight. Once I got out of the diet mentality, which took lots and lots of years and failed attempts to get there, I'm actually having fun with losing weight. Every Sunday morning is like I am getting a little surprise package to open on the scale. Sometimes I don't like the little present (a stall or a 3# gain) but most of the time it is a pleasant surprise. And with this new scale, not only is it more accurate, but it gives tenths of pounds as well so that even if I only lose 2 tenths of a pound, which wouldn't have shown on our other scale at all, I can still take this nice little present and know that I am still heading in the right direction. The scale has become my giver of positive feedback! Sorry to go on about this. I just had to share all of my new experiences with someone. Thanks for letting me share here, and sorry it is so lengthy. Veg on! WhimsyT " ...there is no such thing as an insignificant kind act. Because every time you do an act of kindness you are elevating the world we live in. " Zelig Pliskin, in Kindness: Making a Difference in People's Lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Yaaay WhimsyT - good for you! You are an inspiration Best regards, Karen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 GREAT JOB!!! I feel a lot better too since I became vegetarian. (Actually I might as well be a vegan since I am allergic to eggs and dairy.) My health is a lot better and I am losing weight too! God has answered my prayers!!! I feel like I have been healed. Jan ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Wow Whimsy, what a wonderful post! Your positivity and excitment spill from your words! Your story is inspirational! I have less than 20 lbs to lose, but after reading about your victories and your attitude toward a whole new lifestyle as opposed to dieting, you've inspired me to continue on with my own lifestyle changes as well! Thank you for sharing! :-) Stacey , taylor <whimsytaylor wrote: > > Becoming vegan is going great. Blood pressure remains 110 to 120 over > 70 to 80, ideal to normal. And that's without hypertension medication, > and as long as I don't deviate from being vegan. Small deviations that > you wouldn't think would do much still causes it to skyrocket, although > it is taking shorter and shorter times for it to come back down. I > suspect that my body is still adjusting, and that eventually tiny > infractions will not push my b.p. up. > > I had been on a weight stall for the entire month of January AND > February. That broke this past Sunday with an 8 pound drop, AND I also > discovered that during those two stalled months, I lost another 3 > inches off my gut!! That's a total of 6 inches from my gut since last > August 31st, and I had already lost some by then, so my original > measurements, which I think I have somewhere, probably show that I have > lost a good 8 inches from my gut, and 4 inches from my waist. I didn't > have any further loss from my neck or my waist in Jan/Feb, but that's > fine since my gut is the flabbiest and most protruding part I have, > even more than my chest! Used to be my chest was my biggest > protrusion!!! > > I can't tell you how good it feels to be losing this weight, even if it > is the slow scenic route. I've never (a) lost this much total weight > sequentially (55 pounds in total now); (b) KEPT off the weight I've > lost for this long (over 3 years); and © done it without dieting. All > I have been doing is adjusting my daily eating plan to get healthier > and healthier, and I did it in very very small steps. Going to vegan > has been my largest " tweak " , and it really wasn't weight-loss based as > the reason. > > The worst part is, though, that looking at the larger picture (pun > intended) I still have 150 pounds to go. > > I'm not setting goals. The weight loss will happen as it happens, as > long as I am taking care of my body nutritionally. It's not a race. > There is no failure. There is simply one day at a time with my eating > only as pieces of my day rather than that around which my world > revolves. There is no failure, because I'm not on a diet. I just eat > based on principles and values that are very important to me. > > I am looking forward to dropping 20 more pounds, though, because that > means I get to go buy a new pair of pants. And I will have to go to the > store and try them on (rather than ordering online) since I would have > no idea what size I would be in! And everything I currently own will be > way too baggy by then. > > A lot of weird things are happening to me, though. > > For one thing, I am having fun with the process. I actually enjoy > losing weight! > > My taste buds have completely changed, except for that sugar tastebud > that simply will NOT go away! But I actually PREFER to eat fruit rather > than a lot of things. I avoid all butter and oils and fats, and find > that I no longer miss them. Whole grains are far more satisfying than > refined crap. > > Even though it is spring weather outside, I have begun to feel cold in > the house with the thermostat set on our usual, standard, and customary > winter setting of 67 degrees. We have used this setting for the > previous decade and could never understand why some visitors to our > home complained of being cold. We were both perfectly comfortable. I > had to bump up the thermostat to 69! Even at 69, I still have to put on > a heavy cardigan and wear very heavy winter weight pants that were > always too hot for me to wear before. > > I got into the car yesterday morning and something felt terribly > wrong... I looked around and realized that I felt miles away from the > steering wheel! It took lots of work to get the seat to move up a > notch, as it has always been in the last notch away from the steering > wheel since we've had the car! My stomach used to touch the steering > wheel, too, and now there is plenty of room, even with the seat pulled > up a notch! > > I no longer need the seat belt extender. I only continue to use it > because otherwise the seat belt cuts into my throat. There is a > different little doodad I need so that this doesn't happen. BUT I NO > LONGER NEED THE EXTENDER! (Although I still do on airplanes.) > > Fresh out of the dryer, I put on my black sexy 25cent garage sale jeans > that I barely got into in December, and expected to do the shrunken > jeans wiggle to get into them, but they slid right on! They are very > loose now after wearing them for a few hours, and REQUIRE a belt to > keep them up. > > I only have two notches left in my belt. When I bought it, I had to put > an extra notch on it to EXPAND it so it would buckle. It was the > largest men's belt I could find at the time. > > The largest clothes in my closet are now so baggy that I am beginning > to trip in the pants and have the tops fall off of one shoulder. > > I no longer fear the scale. It has become my friend. Yes, even on a two > month stall. > > My winter coats will all have to be replaced next year. They overlap so > far that I can't button them. They look as if they should be double > breasted with another set of buttons further in the left side. > > Nothing in my closet now is too tight or unwearable. That's really > different for me!! > > I have a couple of unopened packages of new bras that I had purchased > in Madison 3 years ago and they were buried and forgotten because of > the move to St. Louis, that are now too big for me to wear!! I only > have one or two smaller ones that fit comfortably. Guess I'll be > shopping for new underthings soon, too. > > I keep forgetting that I can place my ankle on my knee for putting on > my socks and shoes, instead of having to put my bent leg on the entire > side of the bed in order to reach my foot. > > I have now moved all of my three rings to my index and middle fingers > on my left hand, my largest fingers, lest they completely fall off. (My > left hand fingers are a bit larger than my dominant hand fingers.) I > have no idea where to go with them after they are too loose on the left > hand! I guess I will wear them on a neck chain, and get them resized > when I feel as if I am finally finished with losing weight. > > I gotta tell you, these are some weird, but oh so fun things to be > experiencing! I am reveling! And determined to keep it going and to not > go back to where I've been. These are all completely new things that I > have never before experienced. YEEEEEEEE HAWWWWWWWW!! > > Almost every day I find something new and different that relates to my > losing weight. Once I got out of the diet mentality, which took lots > and lots of years and failed attempts to get there, I'm actually having > fun with losing weight. Every Sunday morning is like I am getting a > little surprise package to open on the scale. Sometimes I don't like > the little present (a stall or a 3# gain) but most of the time it is a > pleasant surprise. And with this new scale, not only is it more > accurate, but it gives tenths of pounds as well so that even if I only > lose 2 tenths of a pound, which wouldn't have shown on our other scale > at all, I can still take this nice little present and know that I am > still heading in the right direction. The scale has become my giver of > positive feedback! > > Sorry to go on about this. I just had to share all of my new > experiences with someone. Thanks for letting me share here, and sorry > it is so lengthy. > > Veg on! > WhimsyT > > " ...there is no such thing as an insignificant kind act. Because every > time you do an act of kindness you are > elevating the world we live in. " Zelig Pliskin, in Kindness: Making > a Difference in People's Lives. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Wow, Whim, that is awesome!!!! Great job changing your body and your attitude about eating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2006 Report Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hi Whim, Thanks for the lovely long and informative post! And congratulations on your victories - great ones indeed. I look forward to chatting with you further on the list. Hope you enjoy being here. All best love, Pat (Co-Owner) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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