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Sexy Fit Vegan Lifestyle Coaching with Steffie to help all!


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Hi Everyone! I'm Ella Magers, MSW with SexyFitVegan.com and you can find out about me in the Introductions section of this forum and a more detailed version of my story at http://www.sexyfitvegan.com/about.

 

Steffie messaged me recently, sharing her story and some struggles she is having since becoming vegetarian last December, and now working toward a completely vegan lifestyle. I was thrilled that she reached out to me for help, and after a few private messages back and forth, I asked her if she was willing to share our work together on the forum instead of privately so that others can get something out of it for themselves as well. (Please also feel free to receive free information through my website, free ebook, & free newsletter with tons of great tips, product reviews, recipes etc. http://www.sexyfitvegan.com/free)

 

Here is a recap of our messages so far:

Steffie: Hi Ella!

I saw your welcome post on the vegan bodybuilding and fitness forum and would like your help to transform my life.

I've been vegetarian since December last year and I want to become vegan but have been struggling to stay motivated to actually do it. I think I have a sugar addiction as even when I have lots of fruit at work with me I crave sweets/chocolate/cake that kind of stuff and I really want to be fit and healthy.

I want to get rid of my 'muffin top' and actually enjoy wearing clothes that fit me properly and not worry about having a belly. I also want to be fit and full of energy.

I'm from the UK so I struggle to find vegan protein products etc that people from the VBBF forums recommend so I'm hoping you'll be able to help me.

Ella: " I'm glad you reached out to me and I am going to help you figure out how to make the vegan thing work for you, just know that it is a process, and its important to allow yourself to go through the steps and not be perfect overnight!

Can you give me a good idea of what your diet looks like now? If you can send me a food journal (& be totally honest with it!) for at least 3 days, so I can know where you are starting it will be very helpful. That is going to be the first step, so lets get that done and then we will move on from there. Sound good?

You are doing a great thing going to forums... it is vital you establish a support system for your lifestyle changes. Do you have any friends or family members who are there for you to help you? What about poeple in your circles or community?

Write back with your food journal and give me a list of 5 people &/or groups who you can include in your support system. Yes, homework!

Steffie:Thank you for replying to my 'cry for help' so to speak

Yes I'll get onto my homework right away!

Take care

Ella: Here's my assignment for you. As you can see, not the best diet, theres a lot I need to change I think. And Thursday just went totally off the rails......

Food Diary

Tuesday 3rd September

6:30am

Small glass of fresh orange juice

Breakfast 8am

3 x Weetabix with Alpro Soya Light Milk

Cup of tea with Alpro Soya Light Milk

Starting to feel hungry 10:30am

Mid-Morning Snack 11am

Small banana

Apple

12:30 Cup of tea with Alpro Soya Light Milk

Lunch 2pm

Peanut Butter Sandwiches (3x Wholemeal Bread)

Alpro Soya Yoghurt

Dinner 8pm

Brown Pasta with Vegetarian Meatballs & Garlic Bread (1/3 of baguette)

(Tinned Plum Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Mixed Herbs, Oregano, Garlic and Ginger)

Dark chocolate and orange muffin

Gingerbread cupcake (I know, I’m naughty!!)

Wednesday 4th September

6:15am

Small glass of fresh orange juice

Breakfast 8am

3 x Weetabix with Alpro Soya Light Milk

Cup of Green Tea

Mid-Morning Snack 11am

Small banana

Apple

Cup of Green Tea

Starting to feel hungry 1pm

Lunch 2pm

Salad (Lettuce, Cucumber, Cherry Tomatoes, Carrot, Red Cabbage, Celery, Spring Onions)

Alpro Soya Yoghurt

Starting to feel hungry 3:30pm (craving bread or cake)

Mid-Afternoon Snack 5pm

Plum

Clementine

Dinner 7:30pm

Leek and Potato Soup (Onion, Leek, Celery, Potatoes, Soya Milk & Butter, Veg Stock)

½ Baguette

Galaxy Ripple Chocolate Bar

Bounty Chocolate Bar

Thursday 5th September

6:30am

Small glass of fresh orange juice

Breakfast 8am

Hawaiian Crunch Cereal with Alpro Soya Light Milk

Cup of Green Tea

Mid-Morning Snack 11am This is where my day went totally wrong!

Hawaiian Crunch Cereal with Alpro Soya Light Milk

Sweets from a colleague at work

Lunch 2pm

Peanut Butter Sandwiches (3x Wholemeal Bread)

Mid-Afternoon Snack 4pm

Custard Doughnut

Dinner 6pm

Bowl of left over Leek & Potato Soup

Late Evening (back from dance class 10:15pm)

Hawaiian Crunch Cereal with Alpro Soya Light Milk

As for the 5 people or groups I have for my support system. Well I have the vegan bodybuilding and fitness forum, I'm not that active on there but i'm sure I will be when I start changing my lifestyle with you and another person that I know I will get all the support I need from is my husband Karl. That's really all I can think of at the moment. (but then there's obviously going to be you for support too so I'm sure i'll have all the support I need there!)

Ella: Hi Stephanie,

Great work recording your meals!!

Question for you:

- Where you live, how much access do you have to a variety of "health foods" such as milk alternatives, different pasta & cereal choices, and especially different kinds of sweets like gluten free, fruit sweetened cookies, etc?

I need to know this before we take the next step.

Also need you to pick a date a few months ahead to use as a goal date... we will create some specific goals for you to reach by then and its helpful in staying motivated!

Last, what is your current fitness/physical activity regiment?

Steffie: Hi Ella!

Thank you

Where I live, There is a health food shop in the town called Holland & Barrett, I don't know if you've ever heard of them, They have a website here.... http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/ so you can see what products they offer. Our local supermarket is called Asda, they do milk alternatives such as Soya Milk, They do gluten free pasta too in their 'free-from' range but i'm not too sure on the gluten free sweets etc but I love baking so I can always bake my own cookies etc? Not sure on the cereals from Asda but I know that Holland & Barrett do a few different muesli's.

Ok, I think my goal date should be December 8th, as this is the date last year that I decided to be a Vegetarian and haven't consumed any meat at all since then so I think that'd be a good date to go for.

As for my activity, I do have a gym membership but have fallen out of the habit in the last month to keep going, at one point I was going every other day but then my mother-in-law got ill (terminal cancer) and I've had to look after the house on my own while Karl (husband) has been spending time with his mum, I will get back to the gym though when I get motivated again and when I can organise my time better.

While I was going to the gym I would start a warm up on the cross-trainer for 10mins, then do my weights which consisted of weights to strengthen my back muscles (I suffer from lower back pain due to a car accident last year) Then I would do the plank to strengthen my core muscles and then I would do between 15-30mins cardio depending on how much time I had, or energy for that matter as I would start to feel really tired with not eating anything before going apart from one banana.

I hope this helps

 

Now we are up to date and my next post will be in reply to your last message, Steffie!

Edited by SexyFitVegan
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Great stuff!

Some info regarding vegan products that are readily available in the UK which may help if SexyFitVegan isn't sure about UK products.

 

MyProtein sell Vegan Blend, which is a blend of hemp, pea and rice protein. Personally I buy the unflavoured variety, as I put it in smoothies which masks the taste, but the flavoured versions are much more palatable if you're having it as part of a normal shake. You can buy from their website and the prices aren't bad at all. There are others such as discount supplements, and also myproteinworks, but I've never used these companies so I can't vouch for the products nor the service.

I don't particularly like soya milk, you seem to get on with it fine, but most supermarkets now sell almond and hazelnut milks readily, and these are so much nicer in my opinion.

Gluten free vegan sweets, you can't get much better than Nakd bars. These are also available in most major supermarkets. They're 100% natural too, no crap in there.

As you mention Holland and barrett are also great. You seem to enjoy peanut butter, and I recommend the Meridian wholenut peanut butter that they sell in there, if you don't already buy this. It's around £5/kg.

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Hi Steffi,

In response to your last message:

December 8th, your veggie anniversary sounds perfect as a goal date. Now I want you to list several realistic and measurable goals to accomplish by that date. For example, you mentioned wanting to get rid of your "muffin top"... do you have a pair of jeans that maybe you can squeeze into but are uncomfortably tight? You could put those aside, and one of your goals could be to fit into them comfortable by December 8th! Just an idea. Think about it and name at least 2 or 3. You can always add more, but start with your top few that are most important to you.

 

The first thins you simply must do is cut out all the refined sugars you are consuming! Sugar is the enemy. And I'm not talking about the sugar in the apple you eat for a snack. Its the refined crap that's in all those sweets you are eating now. Sugar makes you sick and overweight. Read this for some motivation: http://www.healthchecksystems.com/Health_Reasons_to_Avoid_Sugar.htm

Forgive me if I sound harsh! I care about you reaching your goals and feeling amazing from the inside out, and I am going to give you the reality of the situation straight out. What's awesome is that you said you are happy to make some sweet treats on your own. This gives us something to work with. Again, your transformation is a process. And step one, is going to be to replace your current sugary foods, with healthier versions, that will still fulfill the cravings, but won't reek havoc on your body!

Here are a couple recipes I approve to give you an idea, and you can Google "Low sugar, gluten free vegan desserts" and send me what you find for me to check out and approve or modify for you! (We will talk about wheat & gluted soon, but remember... one step at a time equals long term success!!!)

http://ohsheglows.com/2013/07/06/chilled-dark-chocolate-pie-with-toasted-almond-crust-and-strawberry-vanilla-compote/

http://ohsheglows.com/2013/08/20/irresistible-chewy-trail-mix-cookies-vegan-gluten-free/

 

Last homework for this week is to give non-soy milk alternatives a try. We just want to keep soy in moderation, so if we do dishes with tofu for example, its best to use milk from almonds or coconut when possible! Have you (or anyone reading) tried these? This is the local market you told me about:

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?

pid=2781&MCatID=316&prodid=3603&cid=473

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=2638&MCatID=316&prodid=3594&cid=473

 

Let me know if you have any questions and give me an update with your goals as soon as you can!

 

In health and happiness,

Ella

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Hi Ella!

Ok, here are my goals….. I have a pair of pin-up style high waisted jeans, I’ve had them for a few months but there’s no way they’ll fit me, I cant even get them close to fitting, So one of my goals for December would be to get them to at least fasten.

 

My second goal…. Another clothing based goal… I wear a high waist skirt for work and I cant fasten that properly either  (how embarrassing is this!) So I have to pin it every day, I would like to be able to fasten it properly by December.

 

My third goal…… to have more energy and feel fit and healthy. I’m not sure how relevant this is as a goal, If I need to pick another let me know, Or if you have any other ideas of goals I should aim for that’d be great 

 

I’ve read the link about health reasons to avoid sugar. WOW!! That was quite a shock! I really want to ‘kick the sugar habit’ now! Those links for recipes look really nice! I’ll have to do a bit of research to see if I can get those ingredients locally.

 

As for milk alternatives to soya, I have tried almond milk before and I do like it, I just didn’t realise soy needs to be in moderation too, I thought it was super healthy! So yeah, I have no problems with trying all other type milks, almond or coconuts 

 

Thanks!!

Steffie x

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Hi Again!

 

Your 2 clothing goals are great, measurable goals! Your 3rd goal is wonderful too... its not measurable in the way you state it, so if you can think of a way to measure it, for example, if you usually need a cup of coffee at 2pm to get you through the afternoon, you could use the goal of not needing that cup of coffee. But if not, its not a big deal given you can measure the other two.

 

Let me know when you have done your research on products you have available locally. Many products are also available to order online as well, so keep that option in mind if your local stores don't carry something. I want us to thoroughly get you set up to succeed in ridding your life of refined sugar before taking on anything else!

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Hi Ella!

 

Ok, I think i'll just focus on those two clothing goals for now. Maybe I could add another clothing goal such as, be able to go and buy a dress that I've been wanting for a while but while I have my 'muffin top' it just wouldn't fit me properly. Maybe I need to post a picture of my current bodyshape and you'll be able to see the reason why I say this?

 

I'll be most likely ordering products online as that's easiest (and if I can get them from Holland & Barrett then its free delivery over a certain £ amount so that's even better!)

 

I'll research the products in those recipes to see if I can get them, Is there any other products I should look for?

 

Thanks!

x

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Hi Ella!

 

Ok I've been researching and I can get all the ingredients for the pie so i'm going to give that a go!

 

Also, Would you recommend this recipe?.... http://ohsheglows.com/2013/02/08/vegan-and-gluten-free-chocolate-cake-balls/

 

Its just that this particular one is nut free so I can make it for my husband aswell as he has a nut allergy and i'd feel guilty baking nice stuff that he cant eat (not that that's a bad thing as there'd be more for me lol) and I picked it because it says vegan & gluten free

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Hi Steffi!

First of all, almost any recipe from ohsheglows is going to at least be moving in the right direction (away from custard doughnuts!) With the cake balls, I just recommend ordering Coconut Palm Sugar to use in replace of cane sugar. Later you can play around with subbing apple sauce for part of the oil such recipes call for. But lets not go there yet!

As for the no-bake macaroons... give them a shot!

I am looking forward to hearing how the baking goes so keep me posted!

And the more you can continue to log your food, the easier it will be to help you.

Last, sharing some before pics is actually a great way to stay on track, knowing how you want the "after pics" to look come December 8th!

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Hi Ella!

 

Ok, I'll give the chocolate macaroons a go and will get one of those scrummy looking tarts made aswell, I have a few days off work now (yey!!) So it gives me plenty of time to go into the town and stock up on supplies

 

Is there anything else I need to do? Or just carry on keeping a food diary for now?

 

I'll also get some before pics tonight!

 

x

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Hi Ella!

 

I've never made Quinoa before but I'm happy to give it a go! I also found this in my local supermarket.... Do you think its worth trying? (I love cheesecake!)

 

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x47/girliemk1/steffievbb/20130914_1554451.jpg

 

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x47/girliemk1/steffievbb/20130914_155503.jpg

 

And here is my before picture..... now you can see what you're up against! (I'm so ashamed!)

 

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x47/girliemk1/steffievbb/54657fe0-534b-451c-a503-eab3d0fc7c5a.jpg

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Hi Again!

First of all, I am really impressed with how open and willing to share your transformation with this forum. It takes a lot of guts, and I hope you will begin to recognize how courageous you are instead of feeling ashamed!

Tips for cooking quinoa: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-cook-quinoa-63344 I definitely think it tastes best cooked in vegetable broth, just watch the sodium levels!

The vegan desert you found is a baby step in the right direction... its gluten free which is a plus, but it has quite a bit of fat from vegetable oil and refined sugar though, so I would prefer you stuck with recipes without those ingredients. I want you to reach your goals by your goal date, and the less refined sugar and bad fats you eat, the happier you will be in 3 months!

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Hi Ella!

Hope you're keeping well!

Thank you for the kind words, I'll try and feel courageous instead of ashamed, after all, we all have to start somewhere!

Oh dear, I thought the cheesecake was looking good, not to worry, i'll give it to Karl! lol! He'll enjoy it.

 

I tried some GF Muesli this morning and I have to say, It was awful. I've never tasted something so horrible in my life lol I'm usually able to acquire tastes for things but I doubt i'll ever get to like that! Do you have any ideas of things I can try for breakfasts? and also any more dinner recipes would be great!

I ordered some of the Braggs Aminos online so hopefully that'll turn up soon too!

 

Also, I need to get back into going to the gym, I've not been for about 2 months so is there any way you can recommend what exercises or machines to use to get me back into going or that'll help get rid of this ugly stomach? I'm guessing it'll be mostly cardio as theres not really much else you can do for the mid-section is there? I was told that theres not much you can do and that its 90% diet as to how 'fat' you are? Is this true?

 

Sorry for all the questions! I've been thinking ALOT over the last few days and I want to do really well with this and make sure I hit my goal!

 

Thanks!

 

Steff x

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Hi Steffi,

Your questions are all great, don't apologize!!! I'm glad to hear from you! I have to tell you... you really gave me a kick in the ass to begin my own Sexy Fit Vegan™ Forum so I've been working diligently the last 2 weeks and it is now live! I have not announced it to my followers yet because I want to first set the tone by asking a few people I've been working with to be the first members and start some threads. Would you be willing to continue our discussion on the new forum? It would be amazing if you could just do an introduction, and then post the message for me today in the category you feel it fits best in. I will respond once its up. I am very excited to build our Sexy Fit Vegan™ Community from the ground up, and you are perfect to be a part of its foundation. http://sexyfitvegan.com/forums Let me know!

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