Before...

If you would have told me (at any point in my life) that I would post before pictures I would have laughed... a lot. Posting after pictures is a totally different story. After pictures mean you've succeeded, you did it! Before just means you can still fail. Flash forward to now and it really doesn't bother me all that much. Moving to NYC has really changed me in so many ways (I know I've said this before). I love that here you can be whomever you want and not a soul cares! Say what you want, dress how you want, sing on the subway... not even a flinch from most people. I think it's safe to say I have become comfortable in my own skin and with who I am. That being said, I still want to be the best I can be... I'm just not going to beat myself up for short comings or slip ups. I'm growing and learning everyday about every aspect of life (and myself). So... I have a goal, I'm working towards it, BUT I will do what feels best for my body. If that means I lose 10 lbs. and I love how I feel/look then I'll stop. I feel like weight and fitness is very personal, I think you need to be healthy but do what that means for your body.

OK... so like I said before my goal is to lose 15-20 lbs. by mid-March. I'm eating a plant based diet and working out 30 minutes a day 6 days a week.
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                                               So here they are. My mummy tummy and all.

For my workouts I use the Popsugar Fitness channel on YouTube. I mostly do the 30 minute workouts and use 10 lb. hand weights. If I have the extra time or feel like doing more, I'll do a 40 minute workout or do another 30 minute one OR add a 15 minute one.

My diet is (of course) vegan. I have a green smoothie for breakfast EVERY MORNING! So... tons of greens (spinach or kale... I've even added just plain lettuce), fruit, ice, flax or chia seeds, a little soy milk, and lots of water (if I want to make it seem more like a treat I add a scoop of nut butter... but not much).  Lunch and dinner are just packed full of veggies... sometimes if I'm on the go I just have another smoothie especially in the summer. During the winter I make a lot of soup. I always mix rice in the kids and Troy's but I just will have the soup.

This is from lunch the other day. Homemade wheat tortillas (recipe to follow) and lettuce topped with a veggie mix. The mix has Brussel sprouts, carrots, lentils, mushrooms, broccoli, black bean and corn salsa cooked in a little bit of water (I try not to cook with oil). It was amazing!

Another dinner I made the other day was kale and cauliflower soup. It had kale, cauliflower, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and red potatoes. I boil it down until it's all fork soft and then blend it up. So smooth and creamy! 

So hopefully this is helpful and y'all are killing it so far this year! Please feel free to comment (even if you don't know me personally). I have been told a few times that friends of friends have started following me and don't feel comfortable commenting but you are welcome to ask questions or comment! Also if you want some of my recipes I post most of them on Facebook on the vegan lifestyle page, just request to be added.