WEARING
Splendid cami
James Perse skirt
James Perse shirt (I got both of the James Perse items at Last Call with an extra % off – highly recommend them BOTH)
Balenciaga bag (secondhand)
Vince Kia Flats (size down 1/2 size)
So, I thought I’d try and update you guys every couple of weeks on my weight loss, since I was so public about it and all 😉 And maybe you’re interested in what I’m doing and want to follow along…
On Sunday 3/10 I weighed myself after two weeks on the “diet” and had lost 8 lbs. I’m pleased with that, although David Kirsch says “You Can Lose up to 14lbs in Two WEeks!!!” about his diet, I know better than that, and thought I might get to 10 lbs loss in 2 weeks. Anyway, I cheated a bit: I am drinking coffee, although only 8oz a day, which is a third of what I normally drink, and I’m eating a whole egg (yolk and all!) when I eat a hard boiled egg. I’m sorry, but only egg whites are SO BORING. I LOVE the way I’m eating now, although it’s a big change going from being vegan to eating meat again. I’m only eating poultry, and it’s all organic, free-range, etc., so I feel a bit better about it. I also KNOW that I can’t lose weight and maintain it without eating meat. And my body feels so good, like it’s using everything efficiently, with energy to spare.
Anyway, the “diet” I’m doing to lose weight (fast) right now is David Kirsch’s Ultimate new york diet. I settled on this one because I appreciate that he values intense exercise during weight loss and his emphasis is on lean, high quality protein, low-fat and low calorie eating. I also REALLY like his protein powder; they taste good and include lots of vitamins & minerals, flax seeds and are sweetened with stevia. I get them at Skinstore because they usually have a coupon code floating around 😉
Besides the DK protein powder for breakfast, I eat 8-10 almonds for one snack, an egg with some dijon mustard on it for another snack and for meals, I eat cold poached chicken and broccoli, turkey meatloaf (I really like the recipe in his book) and raw red peppers, or salmon on TONS of spinach with walnuts. I basically eat variations of all those meals every day, which is less than 1,000 calories a day. I also do pure barre 5 days a week and walk with Sydney one day a week, so I get a TON of exercise. I’ll admit, in the beginning I was hungry, but I’ve learned how and when to eat to get the most benefit and stay fuller longer. I also only eat between 7AM and 7PM 😉
I’m using “diet” in quotation marks because this is truly the last time I’ll be making any changes to the way I eat. I was already gluten-free (felt SOOO much better) and dairy-free, now I know that the only way for my body to get and stay slim is with lean protein and lots of vegetables. I’ll add back quinoa, beans, and fruit in a little while, but I don’t need anything else to stay healthy. So, this isn’t so much a diet for me as it is a total lifestyle change. And to address any naysayers who believe that weight loss of any more than 2lbs a week isn’t sustainable, I ask why? I’ve been losing weight all my life, I’ve lost it slow (2lbs a week) and fast, and neither was sustainable. Until I make the permanent change to the way I eat and learn to control my urge for popcorn and jelly beans, NO amount of weight loss will be sustainable…I know myself enough to know that I am VERY impatient, and if I don’t get this weight off quickly, I’ll lose hope and start to slide back into old habits, so I decided to try something drastic and quick. So far it’s working. And I feel great.
Thanks for reading and following along! I’ve appreciated your support 🙂
i was debating on trying PB workouts – what do you think of them? – think it’s worth the bang for the buck?
erika ~TiptoeButterfly~´s last blog post ..I Confess … Just Because
You look GREAT! And more importantly, you FEEL great! I can tell that you’ve lost. I totally agree with you that I MUST see evidence of weight loss right away if I’m going to stick with a plan. And this sounds like a really healthy way of doing it. I applaud you for being so open about it, and for telling it like it is: It’s HARD work to do the work. I know, I’ve done it before, and know that I have to do it again. (why can’t eating popcorn and jelly beans be what makes us lose weight?!?!). Exercise is a KEY component for me. Without it, I just don’t budge. (lol…no pun intended)
jelly beans are my WEAKNESS!!! but i think saving them for a very special occasion is fun; they shouldn’t be an everyday treat! not for me anyway…
i’m so happy that i’ve finally found “my” exercise with pure barre, it really showed me that i could change my body, which is what pushed me to get this weight off once and for all.
Popcorn is mine! (particularly “Smart Food white cheddar”…since it’s smart, it couldn’t be bad in mass quantities, right? 😉 ) Now for the exercise part!
8 pounds in two weeks is awesome! I have a similar metabolism, in that I “know” I should eat mainly protein and veggies–and cut out gluten and dairy (and sugar). I feel so much better when I eat that way too. I’ve seriously upped the amount of exercise I’ve been doing this year (2 2-hour sessions of mountain biking a week + 2 spin classes) and really need to face reality with the food part.
Thank you for sharing!
the food part is the hardest part! i had my exercise down, and i was counting calories religiously, but i was still eating too much sugar and chips. LOTS of chips (in the place of other things). and i wasn’t losing weight. no, i was losing weight, about 1 lb a week, but that’s not enough for me. and i don’t feel good when i eat a lot of sugars/carbs, so i was ready to cut those out also.
it sucks that all the “comfort” foods we love and give us so much pleasure are SO bad for us!! i hope i’ll be able to enjoy them again in moderation, but i don’t know….
As a vegetarian who’s trying to lose some weight as well, I’m curious about your comment about meat! It sounds counter to much of what I’ve read/heard of the years.
i’ve been vegetarian & vegan for years, off and on. while i tend towards vegetarian/vegan for environmental and ethical reasons, i know now that it’s not the best way for me to lose weight. i’m not saying it’s true for ANYONE else at all, but for me it is. my body doesn’t handle carbs/sugars very well, or gluten and brown rice, and it’s hard to be a vegetarian/vegan without having some of those things in your diet. for me it is anyway. i feel fuller longer when i eat lean proteins like chicken or turkey and definitely not as bloated as i feel when i was eating salad with quinoa and chickpeas for lunch.
again, this is ALL ME, i’m not trying to say it works for anyone else, but for me, eating some meat keeps me less hungry, less bloated, and happier over all. i really try to listen to my body all the time, and in the last year that i was vegan, i never once felt as strong and healthy as i do now, so this is my new lifestyle. i’ve also read everything, and i mean EVERYTHING. but more importantly, i’ve DONE everything too, and my experience has led me down this path. everyone’s body is different, you just have to figure out what works for you and your body. period. 😉
sorry if my question sounded accusatory at all — really i was just wanted to know more about it! i sometimes think i should have less gluten too, but giving that up in addition to no meat sounds ….well, yeah, as you know, too hard/too not fun. your reply also makes me realize that i’m not quite aware as i could be about the impact of certain foods on my body or how particular foods make me feel — something definitely worth thinking more about. anyway, thanks for your response!
oh, no! your question didn’t come off as accusatory at all! and i’m sorry if i sounded defensive, i didn’t mean to be. i’ve just read blogs/etc., for so long where if you’re not a vegan or you think that veganism doesn’t necessarily work for everyone you’re attacked and pounded into submission LOL…
giving up gluten is hard enough, i know! i did find that if i ate gluten along with enough fat (i.e., pizza!) i was okay with it most of the time, but other times, i was just a mess. so it ultimately became easier to just stop eating it altogether. and it took me a LONG time to really understand how different foods and combinations of foods impacted my body. and a lot of trial and error, but once you figure it out, i think it makes life so much easier! and your body naturally will start to lose weight, because it’s not having to deal with things it doesn’t like…
I’m so pleased that things are working out for you. That outfit looks great on you. Your journey has inspired me to eat better. That, and the fact that I’m proofreading a nutrition textbook! My weaknesses are wine and dessert. Cutting down on those helps, but I know I can do better.
oh…the two hardest things to give up!!
my mom has never eaten desert as long as i’ve been alive – she never eats sweets (other than fruit) and didn’t let us eat much growing up. she told me when i asked her about it that if she eats desert, she can never stop with the sugar – it just makes her want more – so she never eats it. i’ve never understood her willpower in that regard, until now….
I love your black skirt!
Your plan sounds very sensible and healthy to me.
Love the combination of bright bag with neutrals + patterned shoes, very cute!
You look great! Congrats! I’m going to try a barre class in my area soon. I do a bit of cardio now & I recently added weights & I’ll add either yoga or something like barre or pilates.