A Bit Frustrated...

Hello everyone!



This isn't so much of a news post or anything so much as a reflection and an opinion.  I have been doing a lot of thought about my diet and I have come to some conclusions. My diet is both easy and hard. Let me explain.

Going vegan: a lot easier than I thought, yet a little difficult.

The easy: It's very easy to find food that is vegan.  You can find vegan food in any grocery store, and it's not ALL over priced processed fake meat, etc.

The hard: Most of it is NOT convenient. When it is, it's junk food like potato chips, bean burritos from Taco Bell, or it has wheat in it or some other grain I don't want, or a chemical shitstorm to make it taste edible.  I am still not used to home cooking a lot of my food, so this sounds like the whining of a lazy person to some of you, I know.

Going gluten/grain free: The hardest (and absolutely necessary) part of my diet. 

Why is it hard? Not because I crave it (I really don't, actually) but the fact that in the United States, wheat and other gluten grains are in EVERYTHING (not literally, I get it.). Maybe not flat out there but hidden. Even in vegan food. (Boca Burgers have wheat gluten in them, making them a big fat NOPE.)  Also, gluten free/grain free food is generally more expensive than grain (aka bad-for-my-digestion-crap) foods. 

Sure, eating real whole food vegetables etc, is grain free and the logical thing to do, but I am being a whiny baby about how much time and prep everything takes. I'll be the first to admit it. 

So this was more of me venting a little than anything.  I may even have to go back to eating meat because without gluten, my protein options are a bit more limited (see above) and tofu all the time will get dull. I know it.

I Had a Dream Last Night. It's a Sign!

Hello everyone!


I don't have any amazing new updates today (I will post starting measurements tomorrow, tomorrow is my official "start") but I did have an interesting dream last night that really got me motivated.

In my dream, I somehow (I don't know that much detail) got to get a membership at Tracy Anderson's Brentwood studio.  I actually got to meet her in my dream and talk with her, and she even gave me an evaluation, taking my measurement and everything. She told me that to begin, since I am out of shape, I need to stop eating wheat/gluten and begin with her beginners DVD (which I have) until I am strong enough to move on, then do Precision Toning (which I have) with the Dance + Cardio DVD (not out yet but it will be mine!) and when I feel that THAT is easy, go on to Metamorphosis Abcentric.  She also taught me a new low impact, jump-free cardio routine. Very cool. 

Working out with the boss lady herself: What dreams are made of.

I know it's just re-iterating the plans I already had for myself,  but having it come from a dream and from the boss lady's mouth herself (still in a dream, but that's irrelevant!) is a bit more motivating.

I will do all my usual checking in tomorrow, but tomorrow I am not sure I can do the workout (unless I squeeze it in late- MAYBE I can do that.) but I will at least walk around tomorrow for about an hour. That's my goal.  

Also, just to get it out there when I start posting my food- I am NOT a big breakfast eater. Don't freak out on me for lack of breakfasts.  If I am hungry in the morning, fine. I'll eat breakfast. If not, then poop on that. I'll wait to eat lunch. I am a big believer (now at least) in not eating unless hungry. I don't want to reinforce my boredom eating habit by eating when not hungry. 

So, I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I will be posting on My Fitness Pal! Add me as a friend: asagi722!

Also, if you see I am eating too many/too little calories, I am not counting calories.  I am just logging what I eat. The app decides to write in calories. So again, please do not crap all over me with the "Omg why are you starving yourself/overeating so much" stuff.  It's not nice, and not supportive ANYWAY.

Slight Change in Plan~ Also the Weather is Getting Colder

Hello everyone!


Don't let the title of this blog post fool you- I'm not quitting out on you *or myself*. I am only making one tiny change to my diet and that is that I am not going to be 100% wheat free; it's very difficult for me to do, but I will limit my wheat as much as I can. (I am not going to stop eating soy sauce because of it having a little wheat in it, etc, but on the other hand I do not see this as a license to go eat tons and tons of bread.)

I am still going to keep being vegan.  So far today, I am doing that very well.  Had some rice and miso soup for breakfast (more like brunch) and I am going to make myself a Japanese curry for dinner with lots of potatoes, carrots, and onions (the mix I use for the spices IS vegan, but some Japanese curry mixes have cheese, etc in them so watch out and read the label!) 

Also I am taking care to take my vitamins! Especially B12. (Vegans tend to be a bit low on this)

As for my workout tonight- may or may not happen because I have to clear out the space I usually work out in (Gotta love living with other people who put their stuff wherever they want~! ) and if that fails I'll go for a walk or something.

I did not weigh myself or measure today, I will do that over the weekend and just start tracking that on Sunday.

I'm also going to make some gobo kinpira today (I have a TON of carrots in the house and gobo (burdock) root and they have to be used before they go bad!) and another thing I love these days is yaki imo (roasted Asian sweet potato!) which is delicious with no butter or anything needed. People in Korea and Japan (I'm not sure of other countries) buy these as street food when the weather gets a bit colder, like now. 

Asian sweet potatoes: Known as Goguma in Korea and Satsumaimo in Japan. Same thing. Same yummy. And they're in season right now so they are even a bit cheaper than usual!  Put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 1-2 hours and there you go! 

The weather is getting colder, so I am even more inclined to work out indoors. I am recovering from a nasty cold, so I think that may be better for me.  

How do you guys handle working out in cold weather if you are usually an outdoor person?  Stay warm (for those of us having autumn/winter) and stay cool (for those down under having summer weather) !

More Updates on My Condition!

Hello everyone!

Here's a little update on what's been going on with me~

I wanted to start becoming a vegan about a week ago- sadly I have not been able to keep up with it because I fell ill with a really bad cold- I was in bed for most of the weekend and had no energy to cook, so I relied on convenience foods. 

My cold is now over for the most part (I have the occasional cough) so that's a good thing.

Another good thing: My back is no longer in pain!  I can resume my usual workouts as long as it does not cause my sciatica to come back.

You know what that means?


Time to make a long overdue date with Tracy Anderson!

I also am going to try to go wheat free, dairy free and vegan, as wheat and dairy- no matter how the rest of my diet is- makes me feel like total crap.  It probably won't happen all at once, but it's a transition I feel like I should try. 

Meat in the grocery store is so full of weird hormones and drugs and the cruelty is just too much, so meat and eggs have to go too.


That's about it, I will be starting tomorrow with the good eating and I will try to get a workout in. I'll also measure myself and take a new starting weight so I can track and see how this works for me.

I am really excited to be starting again and I hope I start feeling better and full of energy. (I'm also hoping my skin clears up too!)

Trying Again- Let's Go Vegan!

Hello everyone!


A little update on my back- it is a LOT better, and I may try to do the Method for Beginners tomorrow, as much as I can do without hurting my back.


Here's another update: I decided I would LIKE to try veganism again.  As of late, my diet has been absolutely terrible, and my skin and weight SHOWS it.  I am 28 and got mistaken for being older... That has never happened before... And my skin is full of blackheads (also unusual for me) and I am just so blown out after hurting my back it just makes me disgusted with myself. (I am aware it's not a great way to feel, just being honest.)

Yay! Veggies!

Also there IS an ethical reason too, but I am not going to be preachy and such.  Also, I am not going to make my dog a vegan.  That to  me is also unethical to deprive him of food he would eat if he were wild. 

But anyway...

I did successfully eat vegan today and it was NOT bad or difficult.

Breakfast:

2 bananas and some green tea

Lunch:

Korean tofu stew with mushrooms in it instead of beef
Caramel Light Soy Frapuccino (which is vegan from my understanding)

Dinner:

Ajinomoto Vegetable Gyoza (These are vegan and delicious and do not even need oil to make!)
Stir fried shirataki noodles in a little gluten free orange sauce

Snack:

A dinner roll (vegan)

I did not exercise today but I am easing myself back into that. My back feels loads better so I should be fine. 

I also checked my weight. I will update later as it goes on.

I am also weaning myself off of processed food, vegan or not. I admit I feel some guilt after having that roll (It's my monthly right now so I just went with cravings with that as well as the Frapuccino) but I want to stop eating those as much as possible. 

I also am aware I may slip up and eat an animal product. I'm a new vegan so this is more like a transition for me. 

So, I will keep blogging here to keep myself accountable. And yes, I do plan on a lot of repeat meals because I cook in batches. (I'm busy and need to save time)