Orange Wednesday

 Hey gypsies, it's been awhile but I'm another adventure and I'm making it my duty to write about it. As I travel the skies in my journey to DC, I thought I would battle strangers, canceled flights, and crying babies. Shockingly, it was an orange that attempted to slight me. I can still feel the prickly itching, the scratchy throat, taste of citrus in the still air. 

It all being in the ORD USO, while I was re-packing my suitcase and a young child began to eat an orange. So I left and sat outside with the regular folk and towards the end of Vampire Diaries , a man across from me began the peeling of his orange. 

Aghast I looked around, was i the only one in shock? Perchance did these oranges come from in late November????!!! As I again ventured from a comfortable chair, I met the eyes of man selling oranges at the Farmers Market below. I admit I glared. Sighing I went to my gate, boarded the plane, squeezed into the middle seat and as the computerize flight attendant told me about the exit rows.... A tingling sensation graced my shoulders, from beyond my row of 20 I heard the munching of another orange eater. We're I not to be free from this danger? 

I beseeched the irritable old bat of flight attendant: "ma'am could you make an announcement regarding allergies and ask the passengers not to consume oranges as my epipen is below." She gave me two options. 1) get off the plane 2) bare it. Later she came back and spouted off a few policies that ended with, "next time bring your epipen with you."

Clearly I felt aggrieved and still quite itchy. Popping an 800 ibuprofen I covered my face and forced sleep. I would note the dousing of whiskey I inhaled from my sleeping seat partner.... Who I have a sneaking suspicion unapologetically slept on my shoulder.

Lesson learned, in November it is not uncommon for individuals to consume oranges, completely ignoring the decency of eating bananas or apples during this fall season. 

I have no choice but to blame GMOs. 

Ok, this story is over... It's  time to visit the Smithsonian Institution 

30 day fitness challenge | Fitness Haul

So I've done it again, fallen off the wagon & SPLAT right back into fat! I mean there was less fat to deal with back in June.... so I'm doubling up and taping my mouth..

• The plan is to workout BEFORE work & after. I have T25 to assist me here because its only 25 minutes. My after workouts will be either at the Gym or at Home, I have Insanity, Turbo Fire, and recently acquired BodyBeast for the days I don't feel like going to the Gym or the WEATHER is awful and I don't feel like driving. Clearly the biggest struggle will be waking up in the morning. So I will try to be in bed by 9:30pm!
• No sweets & chips (not including tortilla chips)... Alcohol only ONCE a week. I have to preplan and only drink sparingly for that specific day.
• 80-120 oz of water is the goal!
• Maintain my calories of 1716!

To help me along in my journey, I went to the GNC and bought these (it was buy 1 get 1 50% off w/membership price:

C4 = $16.14, Wheybolic (protein powder) =  $35.99

Shockingly I also bought for $40.37 an appetite suppressant. (no judging)

So that's it for my Fitness Haul -- please no that I won't be sticking to just ONE or TWO workouts. I'm planning to get out my comfort zone and try some different workouts! It should be fun!

Make sure you follow me on Youtube & Instagram! 

http://youtu.be/jO3bhyhpsuc   http://instagram.com/87sfitclub

Crockpot Fish Stew w/ Red Wine

 Ingredients:

inspiration: http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotsoup/r/bl16c11.htm

• whiting fish (wild caught, store bought)
• olive oil
• 3-4 garlic cloves
• .5 purple onion, sliced
• 1 zucchini squash, sliced/diced
• 1 yellow squash, sliced/diced
• 1 can basil/oregano diced tomatoes
• shake in dried basil
• shake in dried oregano
• shake in salt
• shake in red cayenne pepper
• shake in pepper
• pour in dry red wine (I used Redwood Creek Rich Red Blend (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah)
• pour in chicken broth -- maybe 1/2 cup

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in crockpot -- try to spread the fish out--some at the bottom, some in the middle, and top. Stir gently. Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 3 to 4.5 hrs, the squash needs to be cooked well. You should hear the olive oil popping/zzing in the crock pot.

1200 Calories are Not Enough!

"What I do know is that 1200 is the general number of calories health professionals say women cannot drop below without suffering negative health consequences.

Interesting, isn’t it? 1200 calories. The line between health and what they call “starvation mode”. 1200 calories. The dangerous tightrope that many women are trying to walk, because they think this is how thinness is achieved."

I'm reposting this great blog post below. If you are on your fitness journey and it seems like your not losing weight and just maintaining. Don't give up. The link has some GREAT info!

It's a great read!

IF you have the chance visit a nutritionist to find out how many calories you should be consuming based on your Resting Metabolic Rate.

I found out today that based on my fitness activity I should be consuming 1716 calories a day!

crazy when I was steadily limiting myself to ONLY 1200 or less. smh If your on a Military base visit your Wellness Center, the testing is FREE!

Oh and I definitely encourage my female friends to begin weight training! Those inches are coming off bay-bee! :)

http://sophieologie.me/2013/09/26/1200-calories/

The Quest for Inclusion: Cultural Competency & K-State’s Women’s Basketball

Just a few minutes ago I received the following picture via the International Student Forum's list serve:

I admit I'm quite cynical yet as my friends and colleagues have stated, this is GOOD. I'm glad they are being proactive. I'm sure this will just be another notch on their belt. Some people may never know the reasoning's, but I'm glad they took it a step forward. Now let's hope some cultural competency trainings have occurred for students & staff!

Some people have stated:

"I appreciate them working towards inclusion. Thanks for the update!"
"Yaiiii"
"Way to go! It pays to voice your opinion in a civil manner"

I don't know if I ever admitted but I was SUPPPPPPPPPPPEEERRR nervous to even voice a complaint.

 

It was disheartening to hear from a colleague that, they thought I made the wrong move. That I was just stirring the pot. I should have been discreet with my complaints. That person even said they didn't wish to be associated with someone who was an activist.

 

That hurt.

 

a lot.

 

It was also crazy to hear a POC (person of color) say this but I tried to tell them, I wasn't stirring the pot.

 

Throughout this time, I've had many periods of regret and rethinking my actions.

 

Am I an activist? Am I a feminist? What am I? How did I get like this?

 

Isn't it crazy. The words people can say that makes you rethink your entire livelihood lol

 

I'm not over the comment the person made. I'm still confused.

 

I typically have a foot in either aisle. I like to be neutral but I do have a reputation for speaking out.

 

I just have to accept that people will always label me a certain way, depending on my words/actions.

 

So I might be an activist.

 

There are worse things I could be called.

22 Days Vegan: RESULTS

Results are in!!! Now I'm not disappointed because I have incorporated weight training & where there was fat there is now muscle :)

Now for weight loss, the #ladyinRed has creeped in so well see in a couple weeks what happens.

So am I going to continue my vegan journey?? I think so. When? I'll keep u posted.

But tonight I might just consume a Burger for old times lol ...maybe maybe not :)

#progressnotperfection #nonscalevictory

IM GOING VEGAN: day 22 ... JOURNEY COMPLETED

Today felt normal. No anticipation that it was the last day. I don't feel different.


TMI MOMENT!!

Except for the Lady in Red trying to creep upon my person. UGH

I'm confident that I lost inches, definitely in my belly. BUT weight... with lifting, I know I'm adding muscle & like I just said the Lady in Red is coming, so its going to fluctuate.

---

So over graduate school.

Meals:
banana, gluten free Oats & Honey granola

vegan bean soup, raw spinach, bean burger,

raw spinach/grape salad:
------sauteed brussels sprouts, onions, fried tofu, vegan chickn strips,- w/ olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.
honey roasted peanuts
.5 miso soup packet

Water: 60 oz -- try to hit 90

No Workout. booooo. I know.




Will post my measurements/weight results tomorrow. I actually don't have a scale so I won't be able to weigh myself until I go to the gym.... so I might try for a true weigh-in later this weekend. I really need to update my VeganVlogs. lol eek

IM GOING VEGAN: day 21

one more day.

boom.

shaka. laka. laka.

boom.

Alright, so my day was quite dull. The husband was at work and instead of doing homework, I devoted my time to drinking tea and catching up on the shade filled Braxton Family Values. It's the only reality show that I watch consistently, since the Hills.

Today, on the advice of my friend, I took a rest day. It felt nice not to workout especially since I was feeling QUITE the lazy bum but as I saw my calories racking up, I wanted to hit the weights.

Is this going to be a problem?? lol

For the most part I took pictures of all my meals, the ones I didn't are listed below. ....

So yea the hubs and I watched the Grammy's and had a shady time. And totally mosh pitted to Kendrick Lamar & Imagine Dragons.

vegan nachos yummy 

WE GOT OUR LIVVVESSS!!!!

heyyyyy @ Beyonce for Drunk in Love.

vegan nuggets

Meals:
veggie chicken fingers, w/ bbq sauce
too much Merlot

Water:
90oz -- if you count it as tea.... idk lol

IM GOING VEGAN: day 20

My re-do was so much better. Had me refocused! 

So about this Vegan life. 

So quick recap. Woke up. Cleaned the house. note to self dust once a week. 

Water: 60 oz

Workout: Worked out with the hubby. Like an actual workout lol. Elliptical & than some Crossfit. He had me huffing but it felt good. So than I did some minor lifting for legs/arms. 

We ended the night, trying out a new Korean/Japanese restaurant. We grade it a C. I basically had to create my own dish, like who doesn't make Kimchi Jiggae and why was it so expensive??? yeesh! We like our old spot better, actually we just wanna be back in Korea. I would not be vegan there lol but if I were it wouldn't be as hard. They literally had like 3 vegan options... double yeesh 

Meals:
small red delicious apple

8 grapes
avocado cucumber sushi roll, peanut avocado sushi roll

kimchi jiggae w/ tofu & kimchi & white rice

2 glasses of merlot

I tried to do my homework... ugh it was a no go blah. 

Homemade VEGAN bean burgers recipe

So how do you get your protein?

For vegans or vegetarians this is a common question. My favorite protein thus far has been beans. Now of course it can leave you feeling bloated because it FILLS you up but its better than ridiculous snacking. IMO.

There are a ton of recipes, which I glanced at for a general idea but this was an original idea for me.

I bought a ton of dried (bagged) beans -pinto, black eyed, lima, kidney, black beans, etc-- I have a container and mixed them all together. So I truly don't know what beans I used, just that it was an assortment.

Official Recipe:

• let beans soak overnight
• next day boil the beans in your choice broth--I boiled the beans in chicken broth (gasp) but for a vegan lifestyle, you should definitely boil them in vegetable broth-- on a low-medium temperature. 
• The goal is soften up the beans. 
• Seasonings: i poured olive & sesame oil into the boil, added in curry/pepper/salt/garlic powder/onion powder/cumin into the boil 
• let the beans simmer. mine simmered for 2-3 hours. i just kept adding in more water
• Test the beans occasionally, you want them to start feeling softER
• Turn the burner off, leave the beans in the broth, and place in the fridge till the next day 

So this is where it gets complicated.......................... TRIAL & ERROR

Now remember I'm a practicing vegan so while I could have used EGG I had to use a substitute.


Flax Seed is an interesting concept. I highly encourage you to READ the instructions.

Don't follow my folly.

I have various batches of the beans.

1 batch included garri  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garri & flax seed
1 batch included yellow corn meal & flax seed
1 batch included garri, yellow corn meal, & flax seed

They all tasted fine you just have to understand the flax seed consistency ....

• In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork/spoon/ -- i didn't smash all the beans nor did I worry about them being flat
• Mix in (garri/corn meal) bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. 
• Stir the Flax seed mixture
• Divide mixture into patties.

Now again it gets a bit ...... weird

So remember I had issue with the flax seed consistency. So the cooking portion was trial & error.

watch the video on my instagram

• Heat the olive oil or cooking spray in a large skillet.
• If your flax seed mixture is correct, the patties should hold together ... 
• One option is to bake your patties at 350 in the oven, let them sit for about 10 minutes, than transfer them to the large skillet to make them crispiER

Now don't worry if your patties fall apart, they are STILL edible and you can use them later for a salad, frittata, burrito, etc. 

PLEASE NOTE:

I didn't add any additional seasonings to the patties. YOU can but I didn't. It wasn't needed. Especially since I added condiments for my burger. 

Burger Toppings:
raw collard greens, onions, tomato, soy cheese
srirracha sauce, bbq sauce, 
wheat bread (perhaps gluten free if you want to get adventurous)

Sides: 

Initially I wanted potatoes, but c'mon thats a lot of carbs. So some steamed green beans with garlic & salt did the trick!

NOMNOM. 

Hope my directions weren't too confusing. 

Let me know how it turns out :)

IM GOING VEGAN: day 20 (kinda)

Strong!

Focused!

Diligent!

Weak!

Last night, I fell, not to steak, shrimp, but to cheese.

Emotional eater am I. Sad/Nervous/Shock. Consume cheese did I.

As a vegetarian cheese is fine. For some Vegans its a cardinal sin.

Something unfortunate happened last night and it had me SHOOK! No one died but money will be paid to fix it. I am a decent driver... but I could be better..... it was horrid. Shame I feel. But I'm not letting it control me like last night.

Workout:
20 mins = 1 mile
30 mins - arms
30 mins - arms
= 927 calories burned

Water: 60oz -- need to buy a water purifier. Im feeling thirstier and drier. its not okay. and my face keeps peeling ugh.

Meals:
 2 bananas, 1 tbsp peanut butter
pre-workout drink
salad: raw baby spinach, pico de gallo, kimchi, parmesan garlic veggie wings

Ok so I went to a wine party after the unfortunate incident occurred. judge me if you shall but i consumed.....

Cubed cheeses
crackers
tortilla chips
chip dip
brie
sweet cashews
cheddar popcorn
and 3 glasses of wine...


So, my point is that I'm repeating day 20.

Gotta cleanse the cheese/dip out of my system and keep my life focused.

IM GOING VEGAN: day 19

I have a lot of thoughts so I'm not focused as much on food. I should be focusing on my THREEE graduate courses. But I received a great tip today about taking one of my courses online during the summer. I think this is an AWESOME idea!

Today I wokeup wanting steak and I didn't workout in the morning. We discovered that curtains in the bedroom would block out the sunlight.. so I woke up sooo late.

Meals:

Watermelon chunks
banana
bean burger, collard greens, sweet baby rays, 1 slice soy cheese, green beans
bean soup, grilled chick'n (soy), green beans,
Ginger Ale/Whiskey

Water: 60oz

Workout:
Legs -- 380 cals
Turbo Fire Sculpt 30

RESPONSE: The lack of Cultural Competency during K-State’s Women’s Basketball Game

**Editors Note: below you will find two responses from my previous blog entry**

"Thank you for your recent email regarding your attendance at the women’s basketball game Saturday evening.  We are glad that you could attend and appreciate your feedback.

 

The video promotion you referenced in your letter was an unscripted interaction between two of our women’s basketball student athletes, including Leti Romero who came to Manhattan from Las Palmas, Spain.

 

We understand that the context of the dialogue between teammates could be misunderstood and apologize that you were offended.

 

K-State Athletics will not be playing the video in question at future games.

 

We hope that you will be able to join us in Bramlage Coliseum again this season. Go Cats!"-Associate Athletics Director, Ticketing/Fan Strategies

"I'm so sorry that you had an unpleasant experience at the Women's basketball game last Saturday due to the video you mention in your email.  As Scott Garrett, Associate Athletics Director, indicated in his email to you, the video was unscripted.  With this said, K-State will do our best to be more proactive in our modeling of behavior and actions to enhance the experience of all of our stakeholders.

I truly believe that this was an oversight; however, we appreciate your bringing this to our attention.  We also appreciate the efforts you have spear-headed on campus to help all graduate students through the HUES organization.

I hope to see you at a Women's or Men's basketball game soon. Good day." - Chief of Staff, President's Office 

**Editors Note: #kanyeshrug ... So I decided to reach out to the multicultural undergrads and make them aware..... below is the letter I sent them.... **

I wanted to bring your attention to an issue I encountered, last weekend during the women's basketball game. In the video clip, two female players are listening to music; one member begins to sing in Spanish to a popular song.

The other member interrupts her says “"I'm sorry but this is America..."--- the song is changed to a popular Beyoncé song. Watching the clip I was shocked and appalled.

The administration (Associate Athletics Director & Chief of Staff, of the President's office) did respond to my complaint and have stated they will remove the video.

While I expected this response (and found moderate issue with the statement), I did want to make sure the multicultural undergraduate student body is aware of the lack of cultural competency that can occur at K-State (intentional and unintentional).

If an incident occurs that makes you feel uncomfortable, I urge you to write a complaint to those in that department and to the President's office. Remember, that this too is your campus and being silent is not an option.

For more information about my complaint and the administrations response, please click the below links:

http://87pages.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-lack-of-cultural-competency-during.html
http://87pages.blogspot.com/2014/01/response-lack-of-cultural-competency.html
regards,
Star Lengas
Graduate Student
 

IM GOING VEGAN: day 18

OMG I'm like 4 days away from completing my 22 days vegan challenge!!!! aaahhhh

Still going strong. No meat cravings. No Chocolate cravings.. perhaps I should continue on for another 22 days??

So for my meals I've been obsessed with beans for the past few days, so I did something awesome and created my own bean burgers --recipe coming coon! it was quite delish!

I wasn't feeling motivated to workout today. I've been going strong with #nodaysoff but today I was like ... ummm so maybe I should have a "rest" day and just do yoga... nopers. I was feeling quite lazy and I have my goal of burning 500 calories (or more) per day. So around 8pm, I popped in Turbo Fire and it got me motivated. I burned 573 calories! woo-hoo ... #noexcuses Chalene Johnson pumps me up! I love her energy!

For some reason I think I should lower my food intake into 1340 instead of 1500... ugh I can't wait till my appointment so I can know my accurate calorie intake...

On another note. Is it weird that my "beachbody coach" no longer follows me (or contacts me) on ANY of the social media sites. Duped... much... nah, its outside of my control so I will just comment on it here and move on from my life.

Tomorrow I have an action packed evening so I need to get a workout out in the morning and one before my organization event.

Meals:
1/4 cup old fashion oatmeal w/ 1 tbsp peanutbutter
almonds
Bean soup
2 slices wheat bread, 3 bean burger patties w/ 2 slices soy cheese, raw collard greens, onions, sweet baby rays & whole green beans

Workout:
Turbo Fire
- sculpt 30
-core 20
- hiit 25

Water- 90oz in progress

I'm actually kinda hungry after my workout so maybe I'll snack on some grapes.

Oh yea I went grocery shopping and bought a LOT of leafy green veggies and less meat substitute products. fun times.

IM GOING VEGAN: day 17

I don't even remember what happened on Tuesday, so this is just a synopsis from MyFitnessPal lol oooopsie

Meals:

1 slice of wheat bread w/ peanutbutter
Tofu Miso Soybean Paste Soup
Bean Soup w/ Tortilla chips
honey roasted peanuts
gluten free cookies
air popped yellow popcorn

Workout:
Cardio -- stairmaster
Upper body- arms (trx & free weights) --
burned 672 calories

Water: I think 90oz

The lack of Cultural Competency during K-State’s Women’s Basketball Game

**Editors note: Whew! So I just sent off my "complaint" email to the K-State Athletics, K-State President's office, K-State Student Life, K-State Diversity Office, and the K-State newspaper -Collegian. Quite interested to hear their response**

To Whom it may concern,

 On, Saturday January 18, 2014 I attended my first K-State athletic event. As a graduate student and a member of the Fort Riley community it was exciting to see the K-State Women’s basketball team, excel and conquer against their rivals. Throughout the crowd I saw a sampling of the diverse students and community members and it was awesome, that said individuals could come together for a sporting event. Unfortunately my enthusiasm was dashed during a video clip of “name that tune.”

If you would allow me to paraphrase: In the clip, two female players are listening to music; one member begins to sing in Spanish to a popular song. The other member interrupts her says “"I'm sorry but this is America..."--- the song is changed to a popular Beyoncé song. Watching the clip I was shocked and appalled.

I immediately looked to my husband who is both a Naturalized American citizen and an active duty member of the Army, all he could say was, “Welcome to Kansas.” I am unsure of the response of the domestic and international diverse student/community members, but I was left with a distasteful feeling.
 

 As an educator, I find the lack of oversight and cultural competency quite problematic. Whether or not this was intentional, someone on staff should have been cognizant that the verbiage was highly offensive.
 

 Perhaps, this is a common video played at all games and no one has complained, so you all thought it was fine. I take issue with the propaganda, that speaking a language other than English, is un-American. This message is divisive and not an accurate representation of K-State, especially as the face of the college student is rapidly changing.
 

 According to a K-State Today article, fall 2013 had "the most diverse student body in university history includes 3,458 who identify as black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, Hawaiian/Pacific islander or multiracial. In fall 2012 that number was 3,379... [Fall 2013] had more Hispanic students [and in] "fall 2013 --2,106 students came to K-State from more than 100 countries. That's a one-year increase of 61 international students."
 

Therefore, to witness passive bigotry in the form of ‘entertainment’ is mindboggling and wholly unacceptable. I have attended PWI (predominately white institutions) for my bachelors and now for my master’s degree, and I am often asked by other POC’s (people of color) my opinion about K-State; “is it diverse?” “Is there a place for us?” “if I knew what I know now, would I go there?”… Unfortunately, I don’t feel like a Wildcat nor have I found my space yet.

Instances like last Saturday promulgate my feelings of being “other” as this ‘entertainment’ provides a realistic picture into the culturally insensitive nature of various K-State members.

IM GOING VEGAN: day 16

SORE MUCH?!!!

Yes Please and I'm loving it!!! Did Leg Day w/ NO Cardio and I'm impressed with my calorie burn. Squats kill me and Deadlifts are my bane! Planning to work on  my form, so lifting in front of a mirror is crucial so I can monitor everything.

I felt like an idiot watching YouTube clips to figure out moves but you know what forget those who laugh! Gotta start from somewhere and I pushed myself harder and lifted heavier! The lightest weight was 40lbs on the barbell for my squats and 80 for the machines. The heaviest was 140!!

Sore but feeling good. Can't wait to do arms tomorrow and might throw in some StairMaster.

Water: 120oz

Meals:
Morning Star Bacon, Back Eye Peas, white Rice
Homemade Taco soup -- mixture of beans & potatos- tortilla chips

I'M GOING VEGAN: day 15

Although I went hard in the gym I didn't feel complete. The time I spent there felt like a complete waste as I didn't feel anything. Sore. Nope. 

So I took to instagram for some assistance, this is what I posted:

"Ever go to the #gym and feel like u did nothing? Yup.... I need some tips for #legday ... on the machines I pushed up to 65-80 lbs. #trx I'm using my own weight.... I feel it in my arms the next day but don't notice a difference in my #legs #gymadvice#weighttraining"

These are the repsonses I received: 

• Squat machine/ bench pressing - at 200lbs for 12/10/8 times a calf machine at 135lbs for 12/10/8 times some thigh machine at 80-100lbs for. 12/10/8 times and cardio
• You need to up your weight by a lot. If you can do 15 reps then your lifting to light. In order to feel something you need to be able to squat like 3 max. Try doing lunges with 15-20lb barbells.
• Yeah I agree. If you find it to easy up the weight some. Although I've heard of people doing weights two different ways lightening the load and doing more reps or going heavier and shorter reps. You gotta find what works for you =) by  FATGIRLMEETSFITWORLD (remember I posted about her in my "Day 13!" super awesome that she responded to my tag!
  
  One of my friends also tagged me in a lot of Instagram tutorials and it was SOOOO helpful!
  
  THIS is what I needed and was wanting, as it regards my previous entry "day 13." 

I'm definitely planning to incorporate these suggestions into my future workouts!

Water: 90 oz

Meals:
2 pb& j sandwiches on wheat, almond milk
steamed cauliflower, soy cheese, left over pad thai
soy cheese, steamed cauliflower, morning star bacon, black eye peas (my husband makes THEE best black eye peas! yum)

If you are on MyFitnessPal be sure to add me, 87pages

Instagram: @87Pages, #87pagesEats

IM GOING VEGAN: day 14

Very good day. Started early with a 3 hour gym visit:

Workout: burned 1600 calories... wowzzzzeeerrrsss
1 mile treadmill
1 mile stairmaster
500 meters rowing
P90x- kenpo & ab ripper
TRX

Meals:
1 slice wheat bread, 2 tbsp peanut butter
2 vegan ribs, 1 cup cauliflower
Wildcat sushi w/tofu
Some pad thai w/tofu
Miso soup
3 shots

Water: 128oz woooohoooooo

Did some makeup shopping, trying to figure out this contouring & bought a dark lipstick - mahagony by nyc .. I'm loving it! This side pony is giving me totes Yonce!

Date night with the hubby. It was a long time coming and so much fun. Went to the K-States women basketball (they won) and we had some Wildcat spirit. Had tofu "sushi" & he had beef pho. Later we walked around the "ville" where all the college students hang & I had a firebomb (cinnamon & whiskey) it cleared up my cough for a few minutes.

I'M GOING VEGAN: day 13

Today I have something to say and I'm kinda pissed. I'm trying not to be. Maybe I just woke up snappy. Catching shade where there is none. Oversensitive. Or just plain over it.

As well all know when attempting to loose weight or become healthy, its a journey and won't happen in a few weeks. It takes patience, understanding, research, and understanding of progress not perfection. To me this is a "duh".

Sure I post #beyoncebody or #teamthighgap or #teamnogut .. what's wrong with it? Does it mean I love myself any less... or worse that I don't know my selfworth?

Nonsense.

Yes, I have a goal of loosing 45lbs by August. I realize that inches will be my most prominent non-scale victories.

So today, I posted in a Facebook fitness group "My main focus is to achieve a thigh gap. So what will tone/slim down my thunder thighs?"... some of the responses were helpful like

• Make sure you are eating enough calories or you will shut down the metabolism. If you are burning 600 cals a day through exercise then a healthier and more sustainable number would be 1600-1800 calories a day.
  
• Keep an eye on calcium, iron, and your b vitamins. Lots of dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, legumes, starchy fruits, and whole grains. Enriched non dairy milks like almond, rice, or coconut so avoid overdoing it on the soy. Use olive, grapeseed, and eat nuts and avocado for EFA's.
  
• you can't spot train fat loss. You can spot train muscle build/tone but not fat loss.
  
• "Thigh gap" or the "hip bridge" is not something every woman, in fact most women, can attain. That is actually genetic. If you aren't genetically predisposed to them then you have to have a very low body fat %. Our bodies are designed to store fat there for pregnancy & breast feeding.
• The stair master actually builds up legs so you will gain the muscle mass in your legs which can and will tone your legs. But as far as not needing the storage you can't really stop where your body stores body fat. And you can't stop your body from storing. Especially if you are calorie deficient for your activity level. Then your body holds on to everything it can and starts to feed off of muscle and organs.
  
• around a 45lb weight loss with an august goal (that is maintainable) is doable it would just require a lot of determination and commitment.
  
• once someone is able to achieve a very "fit and healthy physique" with lower bf (body fat) levels (not dangerously low), then things like muscle definition in that area will be more noticeable
  
• If you want to tighten up the inner thigh look into some hip Adduction exercises.
  
  But I wasn't here for this:  "Why not just be as healthy as you can be because you are worth it?" ... or the motivational stories about why a thigh gap isn't that important vs being healthy/fit. 

I just wasn't here for it! Like re-reading everyones comments a few hours later I can see their points. But in that moment all I saw was red, when it was implied about self-worth.

Like sooooo over it! My mindset was that, I naturally HAD a thigh gap, however my NEW thighs overlap/rub... for ME that's not what I like. So I'm making a change.

YET, that wasn't even the point of my post. I just wanted information on weight training I could use during leg days as the majority of my weight (IMO) are in my thunder thighs.

It was suggested that I utilize the (female)  trainers in the group for assistance. But, I really am over the motivational/encouraging speeches about progress not perfection. Love your self.. blah blah. I do love myself. Too much sometimes! lol

I just need simplicity. The facts. I appreciate that these women wanted to share their personal stories, it shed light BUT maybe only 2 people truly answered my question....

One suggestion I took action on was making an appointment with the Wellness Center, to learn more about my body fat % and metabolism to make sure I'm consuming the right amount of calories,  so on Feb 7th, I got an appointment for setting up a bod pod (for body fat) and metabolic testing.

I'm excited. I'm also thinking about enlisting a personal trainer (probably male) to teach me proper weight training.

Anyhoo, that's my rant for today. I increased my calorie intake to 1500 and right now I'm at 700, so I'll need to eat some more before the day is over (healthy of course).

ps. I might be a tad oversensitive and a bit confrontational lol

pss. something important that has stuck with me. Gluten-free cookies are STILL cookies. :) lol I only had 2 today.

Workout:
2.5 miles on treadmill --Beyonce keeps me going! I was jamming to Yonce)
hip abbduction/adduction machine (weights 80-90), 3 sets of 15
Pull over weight machine (Weight 50 -did 1 set lol- changed to 40) 3 sets of 15
Free weights 2 sets of 15 (weight 10) -- I use 8's at home so it was a struggle.
Rowing machine 2 sets of 500 meters

Meals:
pb & j on wheat, no crusts
2 gluten free cookies
Soy Chicken Parmesean (2 soy chicken patties, 1 slice soy cheese, spaghetti noodles, spaghetti sauce, green/yellow pepper, onions, curry/garlic powder/salt/pepper/ginger seasoning)

Water: 90 oz. I'ma hit 128oz  today ya'll

If I consume More I'll update below
****

For motivation check out Fat Girl Meets Fit World -- check out her amazing "thigh gap" it may not have been her goal but I'm a fan. If I can achieve something similar with clean eating and training dirty I will be just as happy. :)


Please comment below with your thoughts and any suggestions. Don't worry I'm not feeling snappish now lol :)
xoxo