3 Month Update on my 40 lbs Weight-loss Mission (with an important message for when you feel down on yourself)

In this post, you’ll find an update on my weight, and I’ll share what I’ve been eating over the last month; the food record is a long one…31 days of eating–the good, the bad and the ugly 🙂

You’ll also find an important message about how to handle disappointment, especially when you’re disappointed with yourself!

In the last month, I continued to have ups and downs. Like many of us find, after committing to a weight-loss goal, we’re confident, excited and committed when we begin. We feel like we can do anything!

Over time, we get discouraged, lose motivation or just get frustrated when things don’t turn out as we planned. When we don’t lose enough weight, or we gain it back (that last one’s the worst!), it can be difficult to reignite that motivation and commitment.

I’ve experienced all these feelings on my mission to lose 40 lbs by July 1, 2022.  

However, I will NOT GIVE UP.

Not on my goal. And not on ME.

Whether I meet my July 1 deadline to lose 40 lbs or not (I still have 30 ish lbs to go), I will continue to work toward living a healthy lifestyle more consistently, so I can move toward optimal health and a weight that is ideal for my body.

I can see from my food tracking over the last month (see below) exactly where my problems are. They’re not a secret to me, but as I observe my food tracking results, I can learn from them and try different approaches. I can also see where I’ve fallen out of the habits that helped me lose the most weight in January.

Whenever we look back on our food tracker, or on our experiences in general, it’s important to notice what we did well, and to look at what we could tweak or change to get the results we want.

What I did well this month!

• I weaned myself off decaf coffee last month, so most mornings, I now drink a coffee replacement made with chicory and dandelion roots (Dandy Blend). Once in a while, if I’m out, I may have a decaf coffee (a couple of times a month). I’m proud of this accomplishment.
• Towards the end of the month, I started to focus on eating more raw veggies and fruit. I feel lighter and more energized the more raw veggies I eat.
• I rarely ate restaurant/take-out food.
• I drank only 7 days in the month. I’m ok with that. I’d like to limit it to 4 or less per month, but I’ll take 7! I’ve had many months in the past when I drank wine 20 or more days.
• This month, I recommitted to moving my body more, and towards the end of the month, I started to run again. Running makes me feel energized and leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. I signed up for a 5 Km run on May 1, 2022. I’m looking forward to preparing and finishing.

The things I did well make me feel proud of myself. It’s so important to notice all the awesome things you ARE doing.

If you need a little help in seeing your awesomeness, consider taking a few minutes each day to write in your Accomplishment Journal. Focusing on my accomplishments has made me calmer and happier, overall. I love going to bed with a smile on my face!

What I learned this month:

• I indulged in foods I know do not serve me well (processed foods, meat, alcohol). I don’t indulge in rich foods every day, but I do it enough that it prevents or slows my weight loss. This happened mainly when I did not have healthy food prepared and ready to go in the fridge (soup, steamed potatoes, rice), or when I turned to food/booze to deal with uncomfortable emotions.
• Having frozen fries in my freezer is like having a treat for me. It’s not the worst thing to eat, compared to what I could be eating. However, it definitely is not ideal for the healthy lifestyle I want to live. I’ll have to look at how often I eat those, but I’m not quite ready to give them up!
• I didn’t drink my usual 3 L of water each day; most days I downed about 1.5 litres. That’s still pretty good, but 3 L is my ideal. I wrote a post about why we need to up our water intake even more than we realize.
• On many days, I ate after 7 pm. In January I was really focused on eating before 6, and I was successful. Intermittent fasting is a healthy habit, so I will consider recommitting to not eating between 7 pm and 11 am, which leaves 16 hours for fasting and 8 hours for eating (16:8). Learn more about intermittent fasting in my detailed post about it.

Here is my weight update:

My weight is higher than it was on March 1 (168.6). Each month since January, my weight is going up, not down.

How I respond to this information can be varied, depending on how I’ve been feeling about my progress, my current emotions, and a variety of other factors.

How I respond to this setback is KEY to my

mental health and my future success.

I’d like to walk you through the thoughts that went through my head because it’s important to see that, although our first reaction to unsettling information may be for us to react emotionally, we can talk ourselves off the ledge.

My mindset (or LifeLens that I like to call it) will make the biggest difference in how quickly I bounce back.

Here’s what it was like to listen in on my brain earlier today, from the low beginning to the upbeat end:

• You keep going up and down, and you keep gaining weight each month instead of losing it.
• Do you want to lose the weight or not?
• This is the story of your life.
• I feel discouraged and low.
• I feel sluggish and unmotivated to do anything.
• I start thinking about going crazy and getting some super rich food to give me some temporary pleasure.
• I know I can successfully lose weight and be healthier, but because I proclaimed my goal and deadline to the world on my blog, I feel more pressure. Now I have only 3 months remaining to lose 30 lbs.
• What will people think? Will they think I’m a failure? Will they think I’m wasting my time or making excuses?
• Hold on… Remember, you’re doing this for you. It’s your body, spirit and life that you need to worry about, not what others think.
• Another thing, it takes courage to tell the world about your goal and to document everything you eat. That’s kudos to me. You set that goal publicly for accountability, and by doing so, you have not gone completely off the rails and gained all your lost weight back. Hey, ya…that’s true. 🙂
• Also, think back to the winter of 2021 when you weighed 195 lbs (almost 25 lbs higher than you are now). You aren’t even close to 195 and you look and feel much better. Yay for me!
• I value weighing myself everyday because it keeps me aware of whether I’m moving in the right direction.
• The number on the scale does not define me; it is information only.
• I started running this month, and I have been moving my body a lot more. I’m proud of that.
• I can’t do everything perfectly. I need to be patient and not be so hard on myself.
• I can choose to feel low and depressed, or I can recognize my accomplishments and remember that losing weight for the long term takes time. I will get there.
• I will continue to work towards my goal of losing 40 lbs by July 1, but I will NOT let myself feel like a failure if I don’t get there. And I will NOT give up on becoming the healthy version of myself that I envision.
• I am exactly where I need to be to get where I’m going. 🙂

Do you see how easy it would’ve been for me to get stuck in the first few thoughts, and let my day be wasted with low energy while I had a pity party for myself?

It takes practice, but when you turn your negative self-talk into powerful, uplifting thoughts, you can turn those low feelings around. It took a couple of hours for me to see the positive, and not dwell on the negative, but I got there. As you practice being kinder and allowing yourself to push beyond the low feelings, it will become more natural, and you’ll transition to more positive feelings more quickly.

Now that I’ve summed up what March was like, it’s time to look at what I ate. First though, a reminder about my goal.

The Food I Want to Eat as Part of a Healthier Lifestyle

I want to decrease the chance of my breast cancer returning (diagnosed/lump removed in 2020), and I want to let my body get healthy and drop the unnecessary weight. To do that, I focus on the following:

As you can see from my food record below, I’ve been focusing mostly on the food I want to eat for health (green zone), but I still indulge in the foods in the red zone. My scale tells me that when I indulge, my weight goes up, and when I’m more consistent with eating healthier foods, my weight goes down.

Simple concept, but the trick is to be able to work past temptations, habits, cravings, etc. and stick with it. This is the struggle for all of us trying to live a healthier lifestyle and lose weight.

If you want to look more closely at my ups and downs or need to reference the beginning of my weight-loss mission, here are the posts:

• Start of Weight Loss Mission (Jan. 5, 2022; blog post on Jan. 11)
• Day 22 Update (Jan. 26)
• 1 Month Update (Feb. 1)
• Day 42 Update (Feb. 15)
• 2 Month Update (March 1)

My Food Record from March 1 – 31 (Days 56 to Day 86)

• Food with a * beside it means it’s a food I believe does not promote health in the body when consumed regularly or in excess. Such a food would be considered an indulgence or a treat for me. 
• Most photos of what I ate are included (I forget sometimes); almost all the food I ate is listed (there may be a small thing here or there I forgot about).

Day 56 March 1  (Mary’s Mini Diet: Day 7) …modified (Day 1 was Feb. 23)

See my post about Mary’s Mini Diet to learn more about it.

Today, and the next two days show that I did not indulge in any foods I’d consider less healthy. 

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Steamed potatoes with homemade veggie soup: onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, baby bok choy, water, veggie broth, nutritional yeast, spices (cumin, celery salt, cayenne, sage, thyme, black pepper)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, 2 dates, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• Japanese yams and sweet potatoes with sautéed veggies (broccoli, celery, mushrooms, spinach and arugula with veggie broth and a few spices), with 3 condiments to dip my yams/potatoes: hot mustard, HP sauce, and horseradish (horseradish did have some oil in it)
• Stir fried mushrooms and peppers with seasoning
• Nice cream: blended frozen banana, frozen berries, dates and water (This was more than one serving of fruit, which is the limit on Mary’s Mini)
• 3 L of water
• No alcohol
• Walked on the treadmill
• Walked outside
• 7 Min App Workout x 2 (back and abs)
• Finished eating at 7:00 pm

Day 57 March 2  (Mary’s Mini Diet: Day 8) ...modified

I treated myself to a little dark chocolate…definitely not on the Mary’s Mini plan.

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Steamed potatoes with leftover veggies (broccoli, celery, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, arugula and cilantro with veggie broth and seasoning)
• Chopped baked potato with veggie stir fry (carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and orange pepper, with seasonings, veggie broth and cornstarch)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, 2 dates, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• Grapes (these were on their last legs and had to be eaten!)
• 3 L of water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Walked outside
• Finished eating at 7:40 pm

Day 58 March 3  (Mary’s Mini Diet: Day 9) ...modified

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Steamed potatoes with salt and pepper
• Steamed veggies: snap peas, bok choy, green onions and some leftover veg (carrots, cauliflower)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, 2 dates, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• Stir fried cabbage, celery and bok choy with Thai curry paste, soy sauce, garlic and maple syrup
• Sweet potato and Japanese yam with hot mustard, horseradish and HP sauce for dipping (ate more than shown in the picture)
• 3 L of water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Walked outside
• 7 Min App Workout  (arms)
• Ended eating at 7:00 pm

Day 59 March 4  (Mary’s Mini Diet: Day 10) …did not stick with Mary’s Mini today

Today, you can see one food with a * beside it. Popcorn. I notice how I have one treat, and then what happens on the following days? More treats, 5 days in a row.

This is the struggle for me, but it’s hard to accept the idea that I can never have more indulgent foods.

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Steamed potatoes with homemade veggie soup: onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, baby bok choy, water veggie broth, nutritional yeast, spices (cumin, celery salt, cayenne, sage, thyme, black pepper). –No picture (see first image of Day 56: same meal)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, Bengal tea, bit of maple syrup, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• Japanese yams (with mustard and HP sauce) with leftover stir fried veggies
• Toast with peanut butter and banana
• *Homemade popcorn, popped in oil
• 3 L of water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Vacuumed
• Finished eating at 9:30 pm

Day 60 March 5  (Mary’s Mini Diet: Last day-11)…modified

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Steamed potatoes with homemade veggie soup: onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, baby bok choy, water veggie broth, nutritional yeast, spices (cumin, celery salt, cayenne, sage, thyme, black pepper)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• *Frozen fries with vinegar and salt, with steamed snap peas
• *Trail mix
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Finished last meal at 6:15 pm

Day 61 March 6 

I lost 3.8 lbs doing the Mary’s Mini (modified). If I hadn’t modified the diet, I would have lost more. I did it to reset my taste buds, which worked. However, you will see that I got sucked back into tempting foods today (take-out) and tomorrow (crackers and trail mix), which actually led to almost a week of veering off track. Nothing crazy, but when I still have 30 lbs to lose, I can’t keep indulging and expecting results. 

My patterns are super clear: Eat well, lose weight, indulge, gain weight. I continue to work on breaking this cycle.

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Baked potato with butternut squash, chopped kale/spinach, black beans, salsa
• *Egyptian take-out: rice, pasta, lentils with tomato sauce (made with added oil)
• Green salad with cucumber, tomatoes, chickpea patties and tahini dressing
• *Homemade popcorn, popped in oil
• 3 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Danced around the house
• Finished last meal at 6:00 pm

Day 62 March 7 

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Sprouted grain wrap (Ezekiel tortilla) with spinach/kale, black beans, potato, butternut squash, honey mustard, salt and pepper; side of tomato and an orange
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• Brown rice ramen with mushrooms, peppers, bok choy, cilantro and sauce/broth (veggie broth, peanut butter, tamari, chili garlic sauce)
• Avocado toast
• *Crackers
• *Trail mix
• 3 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Shoveled
• Finished last meal at 8:30 pm

Day 63 March 8

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• 2 sprouted grain wraps (Ezekiel tortilla) with spinach/kale, black beans, potato, butternut squash, honey mustard/salsa, salt and pepper; side of tomato and an orange
• *2 Veggie samosa with sweet chili sauce/soy sauce
• *Frozen french fries with vinegar and salt
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Finished last meal at 8:30 pm

Day 64 March 9

I had a rough day that led me to turn to booze and food for relief. I would like to learn to turn to something else (exercise, meditation?) to combat negative emotions. I know I can try different things, but I’m not there yet.

It’s not like I went hog wild with food today, but it doesn’t take much to put weight back on or to have disrupted sleep. Indulging on one day can then lead to days or weeks of indulging, which is what keeps me in the cycle (lose weight, gain weight).

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Sprouted grain wrap (Ezekiel tortilla) with spinach/kale, chickpeas, potato, butternut squash, honey mustard, salt and pepper
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, cocoa powder, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• *Homemade pizza: Naan, pizza sauce, cheese, red onion, red pepper and chicken
• *Red wine, beer
• 1.5 L water
• Shoveled for an hour
• Finished last meal at 8:00 pm

Day 65 March 10

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Sprouted grain wrap (Ezekiel tortilla) with spinach/kale, chickpeas, potato, butternut squash, red onions, honey mustard, tomatillo salsa, salt and pepper
• *Frozen French fries and steamed snap peas
• *Red wine
• 1.5 L water
• Walked on treadmill
• Walked outside
• 7 min. Workout (Upper Body) through 7 Minute Workout App
• Finished last meal at 7:30 pm

Day 66 March 11

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Steamed potatoes with salt, pepper and horseradish
• Stir fried veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, baby bok choy and snap peas with a homemade sauce (veggie broth, peanut butter, soy sauce, garlic chili sauce and homemade cashew milk)
• 4 squares of dark chocolate
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, cocoa powder, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• *Shrimp dumplings and ??
• 3 L water
• Walked on treadmill
• Finished eating at 9:00 pm

Day 67 March 12

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Avocado toast with tomato and spinach
• *Shared an individual bag of chips with my husband
• *Red wine, cooler, beer
• *Homemade pizza: naan, tomato sauce, salami, mushrooms, red onions, peppers, cheese (refined flour, pizza sauce was 68% fat, and fatty meat and cheese)
• Dark chocolate
• 3 L water
• Walked on treadmill
• Finished eating at 7:30 pm

Day 68 March 13

No pictures today.

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• *Leftover homemade pizza: naan, tomato sauce, salami, mushrooms, red onions, peppers, cheese (refined flour and fatty meat and cheese)
• *Potato pancakes fried in oil and sausage
• Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt
• *Red wine
• Walked on treadmill
• Finished eating at 8:30 pm

Day 69 March 14

Forgot most pictures!

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• *Brown rice macaroni with veggie chili, chopped tomatoes, arugula and parmesan cheese
• *Smoked almonds (roasted in oil and lots of salt)
• *Red wine
• *Japanese dinner at restaurant: variety of sushi with fish; veggie tempura, chocolate lava cake for dessert (lots of fat, salt and sugar tonight)
• Walked on treadmill
• Chipped away thick blocks of snow and ice from driveway
• Finished eating at 8:30 pm

Day 70 March 15

Today, it was time to regroup after drinking booze 5 out of the precious 6 days. It’s time to end the indulging. 

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water) x 2
• Steamed potatoes with chopped spinach and arugula, with vegan gravy
• *Smoked almonds (roasted in oil and lots of salt)
• Butternut squash, snap peas and vegan gravy
• *Homemade popcorn (popped in oil)
• Dates with peanut butter and dark chocolate
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Chipped away thick blocks of snow and ice from driveway (almost 2 hours)
• Finished eating at 7:15 pm

Day 71 March 16

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Butternut squash, peppers and chopped arugula/spinach with vegan gravy
• Avocado toast
• Brown rice ramen with peppers, mushrooms and broccoli, with sauce/broth (veggie broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, chile garlic sauce)
• *Homemade popcorn (popped in oil)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Sanding of furniture for 2 hours
• Finished eating at 7:00 pm

Day 72 March 17

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Fruit: oranges and grapefruit
• Avocado toast with tomato, arugula/spinach and salt and pepper
• Brown rice ramen with peppers, mushrooms and broccoli, with sauce/broth (veggie broth, soy sauce, peanut butter, garlic, chile garlic sauce)
• *Avocado toast: I didn’t need to have more bread (although a healthy bread, a whole food would be a better choice)
• *Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Chipped away thick blocks of snow and ice from driveway (90 min.)
• Finished eating at 7:30 pm

Day 73 March 18

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Avocado toast
• Steamed potatoes, broccoli, spinach, arugula and kale with vegan gravy (white beans, veggie broth, garlic powder, tamari, dijon and nutritional yeast–High Carb Hannah recipe).
• Raw snap peas and broccoli with homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice and sea salt)
• *Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked outside (5.5 km)
• Chipped away thick blocks of snow and ice from driveway (60 min.)
• Finished eating at 7:00 pm

Day 74 March 19

• Half a banana with peanut butter
• Avocado toast
• Wrap: Ezeikel sprouted grain soft tortilla shell with honey mustard and spinach
• *Salmon, tuna and shrimp with Japanese yam and broccoli (fish and seafood are higher in fat than you realize, also, they were grilled with oil)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked outside (3 km)
• Chipped away thick blocks of snow and ice from driveway (60 min.)
• Finished eating at 7:00 pm

Day 75 March 20

• Banana
• Grapefruit
• Avocado toast
• *Homemade popcorn (popped in oil)
• Homemade vegan pizza: naan (refined flour), homemade tomato sauce (drained diced tomatoes, white beans, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, garlic, basil, oregano, celery salt, aquafaba from beans–all blended), with mushrooms, red onion, pepper, spinach and capers…I did not put a star beside this meal because even though the naan is refined flour, the rest of the meal is super healthy, without cheese or meat.
• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked outside twice (5.2 km and 1.4 km)
• Chipped away thick blocks of snow and ice from driveway (30 min.)
• Finished eating at 6:45 pm

Day 76 March 21

Today is the 7th day in a row without drinking wine, or any other booze. I sleep better and feel better. Even though there is the initial pleasure of drinking wine, I’m starting to make a solid connection that booze = not feeling good. 

• Banana and apple
• Wrap: Ezeikel soft tortilla shell with homemade hummus (organic chickpeas, dates, mandarin orange pieces-packed in juice, but without the juice, lemon juice, garlic) and steamed potatoes, spinach, red onions and capers
• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, cocoa powder, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• Stir fried cabbage, cauliflower, celery, and baby bok choy with a peanut sauce (veggie broth, peanut butter, tamari, chili garlic sauce, garlic)
• Japanese yam with hot mustard and HP sauce
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked outside twice (6.5 km and 2 km)
• Finished eating at 6:45 pm

Day 77 March 22

• Banana, apple and grapefruit
• Avocado toast x 2
• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Homemade hot cocoa: cacao nibs, cocoa powder, homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla, water) and water, blended
• A few Triscuit crackers with homemade hummus (organic chickpeas, dates, mandarin orange pieces-packed in juice, but without the juice, lemon juice, garlic)
• Stir fried cabbage, cauliflower, celery, and baby bok choy with a peanut sauce (veggie broth, peanut butter, tamari, chili garlic sauce, garlic)
• Japanese yam with hot mustard and HP sauce
• Avocado toast
• A few dates with peanut butter and melted chocolate and a touch of sea salt (I’m experimenting by putting them together in a mold in the fridge)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked outside (4.6 km)
• Finished eating at 7:45 pm

Day 78 March 23

• Wrap: Ezeikel soft tortilla shell with homemade hummus (organic chickpeas, dates, mandarin orange pieces-packed in juice, but without the juice, lemon juice, garlic) and steamed potatoes, spinach, red onions and capers
• Baked potato with spinach, steamed potato, red onion, homemade tomato sauce (drained diced tomatoes, white beans, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, garlic, basil, oregano, celery salt, aquafaba from beans–all blended), horseradish, capers and salt and pepper
• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Salad: broccoli, snap peas, capers and kale with honey mustard dressing
• *Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked outside (5 km)
• Finished eating at 6:30 pm

Day 79 March 24

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Chickpea “tuna” sandwiches, made with whole grain bread, vegan mayo, tahini, celery, pickles, Dijon mustard, maple syrup and sunflower seeds and topped with tomato and romaine lettuce (thank you to my friend, Michele, who made these….they were delicious! And thank you for taking the photo.)
• Pumpkin cookie
• Herbal tea
• Roasted Brussel sprouts with garlic and onion powder (a tiny bit of oil sprayed on them)
• *Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• Walked on treadmill
• Finished eating at 8:30 pm

Day 80 March 25

• Grapefruit 
• Steamed potatoes with leftover Brussel sprouts,  homemade vegan gravy (white beans, veggie broth, garlic powder, tamari, Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast–High Carb Hannah recipe) and leftover stir fried cabbage, cauliflower, celery, and baby bok choy with a peanut sauce (veggie broth, peanut butter, tamari, chili garlic sauce, garlic)
• Salad with grilled shrimp: kale, spinach, snap peas, tomatoes, capers and a homemade hummus dressing (chickpeas, lemon juice, aqua fava, garlic)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• 5 km run outside
• Finished eating at 10:30 pm

Day 81 March 26

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Avocado toast
• *Beer
• *Cambozola cheese and crackers
• *Chicken wings
• *Tortilla chips with melted cheese
• 1.5 L water
• Finished eating at 9:00 pm

Day 82 March 27

• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Grapefruit
• Raw snap peas and broccoli with homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice, salt)
• Apple 
• *Reuben sandwich: grilled, with corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese, and fries
• *Dessert: half piece of cheesecake
• *Red wine
• 1.5 L water
• Finished eating at 7:00 pm

Day 83 March 28

I really needed to clean out after a couple of days of indulging, so I started my day with celery juice and ate fruit and raw veggies during the day. 

• Celery juice, juiced in my juicer 
• Fruit bowl:  orange, grapefruit and mango with lemon juice and ground flax seeds
• Raw veggie plate with homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice and salt): broccoli, snap peas, green beans, grape tomatoes and jicama (juicy tuber root). I didn’t finish all the green beans.
• Brown rice ramen with stir fried veggies (red and orange peppers, mushrooms, celery) and spicy peanut broth (veggie broth, water, peanut butter, chile garlic sauce, garlic and tamari) and topped with cilantro and roasted white and black sesame seeds
• *Popcorn (cooked in oil on the stove)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• 3 @ 7 min. Workouts with the 7 Min. Workout App (Arm Toner, 7M Back and 7M Upper Body)
• Finished eating at 7:00 pm

Day 84 March 29

I continued my focus on celery juice in the morning, followed by raw veggies and fruit through the day. Ended up indulging at dinner.

• Celery juice, juiced in my juicer 
• Fruit bowl:  orange, grapefruit and banana with lemon juice and ground flax seeds
• Raw veggie plate with homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice and salt): broccoli, snap peas, grape tomatoes, cauliflower and jicama (juicy tuber root). 
• *Chicken wings (seasoning and spicy sauce)
• *Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt (I also ate too many fries and felt stuffed after)
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• 5 km run outside
• Finished eating at 8:15 pm

Day 85 March 30

• Fruit bowl:  orange and grapefruit with lime juice and ground flax seeds
• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Raw veggie plate with homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice and salt): broccoli, snap peas, grape tomatoes, red pepper, green beans and jicama (juicy tuber root). 
• *Processed chicken (Buffalo style) with honey dill sauce
• *Frozen French fries with vinegar and salt
• Green peas
• Dark chocolate
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• 20 min walk/run on the treadmill
• 4 workouts from the 7 Min. Workout App (Upper Body, Arms, Flexible Stretch and 7M Stretch)
• Finished eating at 7:45 pm

Day 86 March 31

• Fruit bowl:  grapefruit, mango and red grapes with lemon juice and ground flax seeds
• Dandy Blend (coffee replacement) with homemade cashew milk (raw cashews, dates, vanilla and water)
• Raw veggie plate with homemade guacamole (avocado, lime juice and salt): cauliflower, snap peas, grape tomatoes, red pepper, and celery
• Steamed potatoes with arugula and leftover broth from ramen soup (Day 83)
• *Popcorn (cooked in oil on the stove)
• 4 dates with peanut butter and dark chocolate
• 1.5 L water
• No alcohol
• 40 min. run/walk on treadmill
• Finished eating at 8:30 pm

That was a long food record!

If you’re curious about earlier updates in my weight-loss journey, here are the links:

• Start of Weight Loss Mission (Jan. 5, 2022; blog post on Jan. 11)
• Day 22 Update (Jan. 26)
• 1 Month Update (Feb. 1)
• Day 42 Update (Feb. 15)
• 2 Month Update (March 1)

Good luck on your own journey towards health or weight loss.

Remember, it IS a journey, not a destination. Even when we reach our weight-loss or health goals, we’ll need to be vigilant to maintain them.

Live your true life,

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