The Great Tempter

No, I'm not talking about Satan, but my husband: which in hindsight could be the same... I kid people.

My husband is an amazing man, an athlete in everything he does and also on his own journey to a 'ripped' body. However for him, his food lifestyle is world's from my own. He loves his soda, his junk food, and his burgers. As he so eloquently puts it, he needs to bulk up. So it makes it difficult for me because I do enjoy those kinds of food as well. Burgers. Fries. Pizza. The list goes on, but it's not my list.

My Vegan lifestyle doesn't allow me to eat those things. I shouldn't say allowed, I don't want to eat those things, not that I can't, but I won't. So he constantly kids me about eating what I'm eating. Tempting me with the things that I want to eat and saying they're good for me. Like I said he might be Darth Vader and the dark side of the force where it comes to food.

However I know that by changing my lifestyle, it is also changing his lifestyle. I just have to be brave and struggle knowing that he's going to get me through it all. I'm already seeing the effects of me not listening to him, he stopped drinking sodas. He is eating salads. and trying hard to stay away from things that are not good for him, such as sugar.

So all said and done, I am the Great Tempter. Hear me roar!

Vegan

Positive, Negative.

There is a huge debate on whether it is good or bad for a person. For me personally I know it's good. This past year I went full on vegan and have lost forty pounds. However about a month ago I slide back into bad eating habits and eating what I said I wouldn't ever again.

So once again I have kick started my vegan lifestyle, but slowly. All meat is now out of my diet and the last thing I'm working on is the heavy cream in my coffee.

I know so many things, facts about the vegan lifestyle and though I will have a monthly meat meal, the majority of my meals will be whole food, plant based. Sure people will be-moan me eating any meat at all. But I'd rather work towards it, where even those once a month meat meals slowly become less interesting and non-existent.

Just these few days into eating this plant based diet I feel more alive and refreshed! It isn't about the destination for me, but the journey.

Inches

Weight, I know for me, can be a fickle thing. As a woman , I know I'm more prone to holding on to weight as we carry on the human race. But I know for a fact I shouldn't be holding this much fat.

Having gone to complete nutrition, I have learned that my total BMI is 29.2%, too high to be normal. 30% is considered obese and that's the last thing I want.

So for me inches, not so much the scale will be a part of my weight loss, healthy eating, and body building journey.

So my Week 1 inches are:

Hip:46.5
Waist:37
Ribs:36
Upper Thigh:26
Calf:17
Upper Arm:14

Each week I'll put the new inches up on Thursday, my weigh-in on Friday, and food ideas on Saturday.

My hope is that my journey will inspire other's to get up and instead of saying, 'One day, day one'.

Cravings

Cravings... Sugar, fat, salt.

Those three things the commercial industry use to make you want more. They work hard to find that 'bliss' point and we buy into it with every bag and bar.

Those cravings are strong. I'm only just now on my second day and yet here I am desperately craving soda, which I don't drink much of and wings that I do. But with each time I don't eat it I'm proving I can go without and be better.

The cravings will pass and when they do I'll be better for it. But right now, that Big Gulp keeps singing to me in my dreams.

One more day away from the start line I get the better off I'll be.

A Quick Story of My Life

A life is made up of many moments, that first step, first bike, first day of school, first job, and so one.

My life was pretty mundane when I was young, I was fit, strong, and tanned to the God's. I swam almost every day, and romped with our families horses. I loved it and I spent all my days outside.

Then my father's health took a dive and my family downsized to a smaller home, in TOWN. Those wide open spaces we're condensed into 1.5 lots of lands. So I became sedentary and some weight came with it. Not enough to worry, but enough to cause a blow to my self-confidence.

Then when I reached adulthood, I met my husband. I was in a good place with good work until my husband decided to show me the dark side of the force when it came to food. With that I ballooned and felt worse about myself than I already did.

My friends call me thin, but my height of 6'1" hides a lot. However, despite my height, my weight effects me the same as those around me, my back hurts, my knees groan with every squat, and I'm exhausted easily. Though I have tried to remain motivated and positive. I find it difficult without the close support of my family. My main support was my mother, a tempest in her own right.

So as my mother loved to call me her Amazon once I outgrew her. I have decided to do my best, work towards my gold's of fitness, and not let anyone - including myself - to stop me.