Weekly Update Vegan Weight Loss Challenge: Elise & Brad, Week 2

A few things.

If you haven't joined the 12 week vegan challenge yet, it's not too late. If you've been thinking about it, now's your chance, sign up today! If you've already signed up, make sure to do your weekly check in (tell us briefly how things are going) by leaving a comment on this post.

Also, in my last post, there was a really good question posted by a reader regarding calories/sugar. I should have turned my answer into a post (it was certainly long enough), but check it out (under the comments section) if you are curious about my response.

Onto the good stuff. The following is week 2 of a 12 part weekly series with Elise & Brad, a couple on a journey towards better health and vibrant living through a plant-based diet.

WEEK 2
by Elise

This was not a great week for resolutions. My daughters and I traveled to visit my parents and grandparents for the week. Brad stayed in town. We are better when we are together to motivate each other, although he did better sticking to our plan than I did. I struggled explaining to my very insistent grandparents that I actually do get enough protein, calcium, and iron on a vegan diet. To pacify them, I finally gave in to eating what they ate for dinner.


How are you successful when your diet must be explained to other people (I avoid the topic when possible)?


As a result of this week's standard American diet, my body seems angry at me. I gained back a pound. I also discovered that extended increased sugar intake drastically affects my mood and my energy level. On the positive side, I learned that whole-food vegan eating helps me function better. And that gives me good reason to be consistent!


This week we're back on track and already feeling better.


In my last post, I had mentioned that I would be putting less of an emphasis on weight lost. Instead, I am focusing my efforts on inches lost around my middle. My current waist-to-hip ratio is a whopping .94! (You can calculate your waist-to-hip ratio here.) This ratio categorizes me as an "apple" body type and potentially increases my risk for conditions like diabetes and heart disease. To make matters worse, these conditions run in my family. So, although my weight is considered within healthy range (my BMI is 21.1), my shape needs help. The best way for me to achieve a more desirable shape is by eating healthy, exercising consistently, and drinking lots of water. My commitment this week is to exercise 5 times and drink 6 glasses of water per day (that's hard for me!).


Finally, a few of you had asked what some of our favorite meals are. A favorite for both of us (and even our kids!) is San Antonio Quinoa.

You can find this recipe posted here at FatFreeVegan. The woman who runs this site also has a blog at blog.fatfreevegan.com at which she posts additional excellent recipes (be a little careful, though, not all recipes on her blog are actually fat free).


Brad and I are also pretty obsessed with the Portabello Mushroom burger. We have this once a week. At least. I put the portabellos gill side up in a frying pan on medium low heat. Because the mushrooms are naturally so moist, as long as I keep the heat low I don't need to even add water to the pan. Once they are warm, we put them on a whole grain sandwich-thin and add spinach, kale (who knew we would like this leafy green?!), bean sprouts, tomatoes, and sometimes Brad adds avocado. (I am avoiding avocados--for the time being--because of their high fat content.) You can put whatever you want on them. They are wonderful.


I promise update pictures next time. Maybe even a before picture. If I'm feeling brave.


Here are this week's stats:


Brad:
Starting weight: 291
Goal weight: 200
Last week's weight: 250
Today's weight: 247

Elise:
Starting weight: 146
Goal weight: 125
Last week's weight: 138
Today's weight: 139
Goal w/h ratio: .84
Current w/h ratio: .94