9 Week Challenge

I have a friend. We are taking a 9-week financial class together that has really helped us in the area of discipline. This discipline has spilled over into other areas of our lives, but now we want to make the most of this 9 week time period. We both want to lose weight.

So we have challenged each other to see what we can do to lose weight and, mostly, get healthier in our choices. After much reading, I am tending to go more vegetarian and vegan although I am not bound to these. I am not a huge animal lover, so my motivation is not to save the animals. The books I have read just have convinced me that animal by-products have a negative affect on our health. For this reason, I am going to greatly lessen animal products in my diet.

But I will also every once in a while have a big, juicy burger! That's why I will never label myself or put myself in a box. My goal is greater health from the inside out. As I read and as technology changes, I am willing to change with it. That may mean that I need to change my eating again.

I want to make healthy eating as my lifestyle, but not so rigid that I can't have a juicy steak or decadent dessert every once in a while. If my body is used to healthy stuff going in, an occasional indulgence won't be damaging. The key is every once in a while.

The class started last Thursday, but I am just now getting around to posting about it. I have done well with the eating part, but haven't exercised until today. As a matter of fact, after working out 4-5 times a week, I haven't set foot in the gym for four weeks. Yes, four weeks. And my joints are feeling it.

This week I still can't get to the gym because I have no one out here to keep Grantmeister since three of my kiddos are gone. So I am going back to my old ways -- jogging down the road. It went just fine and my body did better than I anticipated.

Breakfast was a protein shake (after the jog) with blueberries, vanilla protein shake (I need to find a vegan option for this), banana and ice. It was okay. Very filling and little taste. I will have to tweak this recipe.

Lunch was a great salad with greens, iceberg lettuce, red leaf lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, avocado, broccoli, a little bit of feta and used salsa for dressing. Yummy!

Now I am watching Great Expectations since I recently read the book and while I watch, I had a cup of coffee with a touch of almond milk with a small square of dark chocolate.

Dinner is in the crockpot. For the family, salsa chicken with beans over rice. I will have all but the chicken. And only a small amount of rice. Even though it's brown rice, I'm limiting grains for the time being. Salad will be served alongside. Yes!