and now back to our regularly scheduled programming

Thanks to my regular readers for your patience while I experimented with a month of vegan food blogging. And thanks to any new readers that are still around, despite the fact that I abandoned Vegan MoFo after the first two weeks. Just a brief word of explanation, and then I’ll put a cap on that. There was some drama around that time, in the vegan blogging community (haha – the first time I typed that I typed “bulging” community), about vegan “rules”.  And how if you break some of these rules, you shouldn’t really call yourself vegan, shame on you for being a fraud, and all that. There was one relatively big brouhaha on a relatively well-known blog, and a few smaller issues on a few smaller blogs. None of it was directed at me, and none of it came from anyone the MoFo founders. But it left a really bad taste in my mouth, and I decided to remove myself from the vegan blogging arena. I don’t want to be a part of that kind of controversy – I just want to eat good food, be in my best health possible, and inflict as little damage to this earth and the animals on it as possible. I draw the line where I draw the line, not where someone else tells me I should draw the line.

So that’s that.

So what’s new? I’m the incredible shrinking woman. The new jeans I bought about six weeks ago now require a belt to keep me from looking like a hobo. I had to buy a belt. Not a cute, pretend I have a waist belt, but an actual, hold my pants up belt. And since having bought it, I’ve had to move down yet another hole in the belt. Only one more On the not-so-excellent side of things, my bras are pretty much empty. I re-measured and found I’ve lost over four inches topside. There’s a major shopping spree in my future; I’m just trying to hold out until the sales in January.

I’m ecstatic to be so close to a normal, healthy weight. I have no doubt I’ll get there. Will I get eye rolls from you if I say I’ve made lifestyle change? And that I know I can keep doing this for the rest of my life? Fine, roll your eyes, but it’s true. The last few months have been effortless.

Now, however, I need to apply a little effort. I need to get back to the weights. Because losing 30+ pounds? Doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to end up with a bikini-ready body. I still have a lot that wiggles and jiggles. No shame in that, and I actually have no aspirations to parading myself around in a bikini. But I do want to be the healthiest I can be, and I know I can be better than where I am.

I’m on the lookout for a strength training program. Any suggestions? I started one a couple weeks ago, but just couldn’t keep up with the time commitment – I just don’t have an hour a day most days to commit to this. 30-45 minutes three times a week is more what I have in mind. If you know a good plan let me know!