Day 95, Nathaly: Then & Now

So, it's been 5 days and I still don't exactly know what to say... I've kind of be avoiding this post because -- what can I share that is of any use of any of you out there??  This whole journey has been so personal and in-my-head that I struggle with crafting a "final" post.  I'm honestly still processing and feel I've probably learned just as much in this last week post-PCP or so as I did the first 5 days of the program. Sooooooo.....

Before and after pictures is what you're after, right? lol That's a simple measure of progress. This first set you'll likely be familiar with from our PCP Flickr stream:

Day 1 ...................................................................................................... & Day 90

In the 90 days of the Peak Condition Project, I:

• Lost 10 kilos (22 lbs)!!
• Lost 9 cms off my waistline, 8 cms off my thigh, and 2.5 cms off my bicep (I started measuring on Day 22, actually -- so these numbers only reflect 68 days of fat loss)
• Returned to a bra-line width of 34 inches
• Went down 2 full pant sizes (from a 12 to an 8 -- and maybe 3 if you consider that I really should've been rocking 14s but refused to accept it)

But these numbers are meaningless, really..  So much of the benefits I've derived from these last 90 days has been in terms of increased self-confidence, self-appreciation, and a slowly increasing sense of the value of self-care (still working on that last one!). In the 90 days of the Peak Condition project, I:

• Began to feel sexy again (enough to recently return a small collection of thongs Ramiro has probably completely forgotten about back to my undies dresser from a box at the bottom of the closet)
• Realized how little of me I dedicated to me in the past
• Learned I actually enjoy jumping rope -- I think I've been getting lots of those happy-chemicals to the brain b/c of it!
• Collected a small toolkit of easy-to-make, delicious, balanced and good-for-you meals (if you've got more, send them my way!)

And this next set of pictures, offers a slightly longer historical timeline. "Then" was October of 2009, when I decided I'd had enough of my chubbiness and decided to once again attempt to take control of my weight & body image issues..  I did this by eating smaller portions (of whatever I wanted), taking the dog on longer walks, and going to university fitness classes 1 or 2 times a week.  A couple months later, I realized this approach wasn't terribly productive and I decided to up the ante -- I started counting calories and publishing my weight on Facebook once a week as a status update. I learned that the community accountability piece was something I really benefited from and started to lose about .5 lbs per week on average, but did some definite yo-yo'ing and lots of stress eating (2nd year of grad school...) and was still feeling frustrated. 

By the time Ramiro mentioned this cool thing one of his co-worker's was doing (have you all met Mr. Will Awesome?), I was again ready to take another small step forward, but the hubster seemed to think I was better off taking a leap instead and urged me to consider doing the PCP. And, frankly, he was RIGHT.  (So nice to have that sort of vote of confidence from my better half). Doing it as a couple was by far my the biggest source of strength for getting through this all, and well -- here're the pics to prove it was a good move!

Then............................................... & Now
(I tried to re-create the shot as best I could, but I can't find that sweater anywhere.. )

There's so much more to say (about setting good priorities and truly living healthily), but I think I'll try to capture that in another post.. Maybe the words to express my heartfelt appreciation for Patrick and Team Fantastic-Carrots-who-eat-LAGs-for-breakfast will come to me sometime soon.  Keep posted, if you wish.  And thank you, thank you, thank you for believing in us!

Heart hugs,

Nathaly

Well, and just for fun -- a Halloween family shot!

A bumble bee, Marge Simpson & Bat-dog

Day 43, Nathaly: VEGETABLES!

So, Ramiro's been hungry the last couple weeks and our weekly diet message saying he could eat as many veggies as he wants made his eyes light up -- so healthily cute.  lol  This is a man I used to have to trick into eating fruits and vegetables back in the day!

Anyways, so as i've mentioned before, I've been pretty bored with the veggies lately, so I went to the lunch counter at the local co-op the other day and checked out some veggie medley options that could be adapted to be PCP compliant (as simple as removing salt from ingredient list for the most part).  Two looked really yummy so I bought some on the spot and enjoyed them thoroughly.  Recreating them based solely on my memory of the ingredients list was certainly the hard part..

From L to R: zucchini/corn medley; mustardy roasted broccoli & roasted red peppers; asian slaw (PS -- that peanut butter is exclusively for Tigger's daily pill delivery -- fear not! (I get no more that one finger lick per morning)

1. Home versions of City Market creations:

• Yummy roasted broccoli thing (shown in the center shot above)!  Mmmm MMM M!  I'd never even had roasted broccoli before (can you believe it?) and it stood out a little while back after Sarah left this great comment with lots of veggie suggestions.  Anyways, this is simply roasted broccoli with roasted red pepper and (here's the ta-da ingredient!) MUSTARD.  not your typical hot-dog stuff, the classry stuff with the seeds.  SO GOOD.  Also a little drizzle of olive oil. 
• My version of the Napa cabbage thing (pictured on the right) was not so great (and I made a LOT so i'm gonna be eating this mistake for most of the rest of the week..).  I think this one definitely req'd precise measurements as opposed to the free hand thing I was doing -- mine has too much apple cider vinegar and has never really got sweet, despite 3-4 drizzles of agave nectar.  Anyways, the original recipe had toasted almonds and soy sauce which I omitted from mine and am definitely missing.

2. Other stuff I whipped up this afternoon:

• Zucchini corn medley (pictured on the left above):  The original recipe which I shared before (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Corn-and-Zucchini-Melody/Detail.aspx#) includes bacon and although is did make for a really lovely dish, it's not bad without that salty-greasy loveliness..  As mentioned before, I add 1/2 of a seedless jalapeño for a little kick. I think it's cuz the corn I got is from a local farm (19 cents each a week ago!) and in season and I cooked it perfectly (not to brag or anything), but I ate a whole ear for lunch today without even blinking cuz it was just SOOOO lovely.  Guys -- if it's corn season where you are, do it up! WARNING: avoid licking fingers if you've recently been chopping jalapeños..
• Roasted fall veggies:
• eggplants (below, foreground):  I was in the first stages of making some baba ganoush, but by the time I was done with the stuff I've already listed, I really didn't feel like pressing on.  Plus, I don't keep tahini on hand, so I'm gonna hold off on that.  Hope the eggplants will keep (they were already sorta borderline..

Roasting fun. 

• beets (center): we had bought these to juice, but never got around to it, so I found them tossing around a fridge drawer and thought, what the heck..  Here's the thing:  I don't really like beets.  I'm thinking I'll try to sneak them into Ramiro's food somehow.. lol I'm open to other ideas, of course!
• potatos (background): a new fave.  ramiro had one for lunch while I went with a nuked sweet potato.  not as lovely as the last one I nuked, but still fun times.  

This is what's left to cook up/eat before the next trip to the super market:

Anyone have any suggestions for what to do with that watercress I bought on sale?  I'm thinking of trying this, .http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Avocado-and-Watercress-Salad-242342, but am afraid of experimenting with asian after that sad slaw

OOh -- and as long as I'm in this fun picture-sharing swing, I've been saving these next couple images to work into a post at some point.  Now seems as good as ever:

A PCP-compliant refrigerator: fruit & veggies galore, milk, homemade chai & lean meats (not shown here..)

Local Farmer's Market Bounty!  YAY for VT in the summer!

And last, but not least..

My teeny weeny garden red onions.  Hold back the giggle, folks! It's a product of my very first gardening attempt.

OK -- it seems I had a lot to share today.  Total bummer I lost dinner bananas, btw..  I was really loving those banana milkshakes.  OH -- and HUGE bummer that I didn't lose any weight this week.  I knew it was too good to be true:  last Sunday's weigh-in shown I had lost 4 lbs in a single week which seems WAY weird.  Must've just been a glitch in the matrix.  150 lbs, here I come!!