Category Archives: new years resolutions

What happened week one vegan no oil

Happy Tuesday. I’m a little late updating my weight loss so I decided to combine my week one weigh in and what’s happened after nine days eating vegan whole plant foods no oil, with little salt and just a dash of sugar in my coffee.
1. I lost six pounds week one.
2. my joints feel so much better, any aches and pains I had are now almost gone.
3. This is a little TMI but I normally have a lot of gas issues and daily diarrhea. It’s probably why my potassium was so low. I assumed it was all the fiber. Now I think it was the processed foods and oil. I now feel normal in that department.
4. When I usually sit for a while and stand up it takes me a minute or two to walk off the stiffness. It’s all gone. No more stiffness.
5. Got swollen eyes? No salt and no oil means less swelling under your eyes, in your feet etc. My shoes are not as tight. This is all only after nine days. I plan to eat like this for ten weeks, journaling every bite and sticking to Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen. After ten weeks I will start the next ten weeks of food journaling. I feel amazing so far. It keeps my motivation going feeling this good. I am trying no oil recipes so I will be posting those soon.
Have a wonderful day.
love and light,

Rose

RECOMMITTING TO MY GOALS

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In the New Year I have recommitted to a lot of my goals. I have joined Weight Watchers online and I am now my lowest weight on this blog, 159 lbs. I lost 9 lbs since I began on January 14th. I am proud to be published twice in a international yoga magazine, but there is so much more work for me to do, for this blog and my writing. I have recommitted to all of my goals.

I revised my yoga, running, and my workout schedule. Today is my running and yoga day and the weather is my type of running weather and I could not be happier. I am also revising my fitness bucket list, and I plan to work on my book stuff as well as this blog. It helps when the weather is so warm and inviting. One of the things I am really working on is my blanket drive.

Here is what I wrote about blankets, this is one of the things I am working on. I am trying to collect blankets for the homeless at the Midnight Mission, I slacked off a little but I now have about ten blankets. I plan to deliver blankets and volunteer after I get to 150 lbs. This gives me plenty of time to collect more.

Happiness is a warm blanket.

Charlie Brown

Today I had some extra time to myself when a friend cancelled on our morning coffee. It was extra time to do nothing but to snuggle with my two Siamese cats and a big fluffy blanket. As I lay there completely content to be idle, my mind started to reflect how lucky I am to have such a simple yet happy moment blanketed from all the woes found outside our front door.

A blanket is one of those items you probably never think about, but think how attached you are to it. A blanket comforts your body and your soul. On a hot summer night do you still curl up with your blanket? It is much more than an item that keeps you from getting cold, it is a security blanket. A blanket protects in the wee hours of the night. Even our beloved pets feel safe when there is a cozy blanket to curl up in. A blanket is warmth, and warmth is love.

For the homeless a blanket is all of these things and so much more. A blanket is a safety net from the elements of the street, a barrier against all the dangers that exist when you dwell without four walls to keep you safe. To a homeless person a blanket is shelter, a soothing hug in the middle of the night, a coat to keep you warm. A blanket is a veil of privacy, a sleeping bag, a layer between you and the mean streets. To a homeless person a simple item like a blanket is home.

This brings me to my current Charity Project. I will be doing a blanket drive to collect new blankets for the homeless for The Midnight Mission in Downtown Los Angeles. http://www.midnightmission.org/

I am collecting now through the time I reach 150 lbs. I will be planning to volunteer and deliver the blankets, hopefully with a friend.

As I wrap it up my two Siamese cats Rascal and Spanky are in dreamland curled up with a blanket and probably content to be there all day. Creature comforts are so important for both humans and animals.

Much love and light.

Chasing goals and trying to help others is my aim

Namaste’

Rose

MAKING FOOD MY FRIEND

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Your body is a temple not a trash can. At the same time, you have to learn to live with food, not without it. It is fine to occasionally eat foods that are not considered healthy. For me, I now follow the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I eat real, clean food, and the other 20% I allocate a little wiggle room for occasional treats and goodies. I find this plan is sustainable for life and living. I can maintain this forever, and not feel deprived. This is how I am moving forward in my weight loss journey, and my life.

Rose Bruno Bailey

Food, it is a necessity of life, the staple of living. We need fuel to live. Food not only feeds the body but it can nurture the soul. Food can be healing, and it can be addictive. For some food can cause anxiety and fear, how much is too much? One cannot decide to just quit food and go cold turkey. You have to learn to live with food, to achieve balance, to make food your friend.

For the longest time food was my enemy. When I was age 13 I began dancing, and an adult dance teacher told me I must lose 30 lbs between freshman and sophomore year of high school. That began my journey of making food my enemy. I had eating disorders and spent most of my early days trying to avoid food. You can read about it here. http://mychangeforaten.com/eating-disorder-past/

That post was in 2013. This is now 2017, and I am here to say the old habits came back after that moment. I decided I did not need Weight Watchers after some time, and went at it on my own. I lost my weight, but the old feelings of being obsessive about food came back, in the form of what I was eating instead of not eating. I went from my starving days of yesteryear, to being obsessive over good vs bad foods. Carbs, gluten, sugar, just a little sent me over the edge of guilt and obsession. I think I was bordering on a new eating disorder called Orthorexia. Melissa Bender from Melissa Bender Fitness was the person to suggest this was how I was behaving. She knows my background with food.

or·tho·rex·i·a

noun

an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy.
a medical condition in which the sufferer systematically avoids specific foods in the belief that they are harmful.

noun: orthorexia nervosa; plural noun: orthorexia nervosas

I am happy to say here I am in February 2014. I feel like I am back in control of my eating disorders, and I have done so with Weight Watchers Online. Melissa Bender told me she is so happy I am making food my friend, and I am too. I can safely say I am still eating healthy, but I now have a little wiggle room. I no longer obsess with what I am eating, I track it daily on the Weight Watchers App and I am done with it. I eat clean, but I allow some treats here and there. I work the plan each week, and if I feel something is not working, I try something new the next week. I have broken my year long plateau and lost 9 lbs since January 14th, 2017. That brings my weight loss goal closer, I am now 24 lbs from 135 lbs. I will always do this, I will maintain my weight by the points system after I get to goal. I will achieve lifetime status with Weight Watchers, and have a healthy relationship with food.

I am grateful for the food that nurtures me and fuels my body to do the things it loves to do. I will not obsess over bad and good food. I eat clean and healthy yet I enjoy life, and with life comes the occasional treat or celebration. Food is no longer my enemy, food has become my friend. Every Monday, after weigh in I enjoy a treat with my coffee. I do that, and I am still losing weight. I really look forward to the scale, and the treat afterwards.

I will leave you with this, a quote from the weight loss guru himself. We miss Richard Simmons. If you would like to hear the number one podcast in the country, Missing Richard Simmons, here is the link. I was interviewed on the last day of Slimmons. I hope Richard is well. https://www.facebook.com/MissingRichardSimmons/

We miss you Richard Simmons.

I’ve always practiced this: Love yourself. Move your body. Watch your portions.

Richard Simmons

I love myself, I am watching my portions and moving my body Richard. Thank you.

WEIGH IN MONDAY

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To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else.

Emily Dickinson

Happy Monday, good morning world. It has been a while since I posted here, I have been updating my social media pages, but I have neglected to write more blog posts. That is changing today. Life takes over, worries and fears crushed my motivation to write anything new. We have had our ups and downs, disappointments and distractions. I decided to put my seat belt on and ride the wild roller coaster of life with the enthusiasm of a child at a theme park, instead of getting run over. I love life too much to let the problems of living take me down.

I joined Weight Watchers Online on January 14th of 2017. I felt I needed something new and fresh to get me to that elusive goal weight of 135 lbs. Since joining, I have lost 7 lbs. I now weigh 161 lbs, I am getting so close to the 150’s. I am really loving using the app for Weight Watchers Online, and counting points. I still eat the way I have always done since beginning my weight loss journey, but with wiggle room. Today is weigh in Monday, and I have to admit I get so excited to weigh in. After, I allow a little treat with my coffee, of course I portion control it and count it in. Today I ate a portion of Russian Coffee Cake with my delicious Dunkin Donuts coffee, with zero guilt. I officially weigh the lowest I have ever been since I began this weight loss blog.

In addition to committing to posting here, I am writing out a new cardio and work out schedule. It will be geared to my rotator cuff injury. That has slowed me down, but I am going to begin doing the exercises I can do, along with running, walking, and some rotator cuff injury exercises. Of course I am working out with Melissa Bender Fitness.

I am also looking for ways to update this blog, I added pages at the menu or the top of the blog, and I plan on adding more. Down the line when things improve I am going to get someone to really help me jazz this blog up. I added before and now photos, photos from my volunteering and my experience with Richard Simmons and Slimmons, and all the friends I met through that part of my journey. I am going to add pages of how I eat and my workouts, and races as well. I am also going to do a collaboration on a brand new book, and market my poetry Camellia in Snow. I am excited to be featured more than once in Asana Journal, and I plan to write and submit more, volunteer more etc. Lots of creative and exciting endeavors to focus my energies on.

Plus the work of life, do it all and survive. That is the challenge.

Since January I have lost 7 lbs. That is a beginning of a brand new year I wish to see more of. No more worries and stress. I will work hard and work off the worries with endorphins through exercise, of course listening to a motivational playlist.

The scale is finally moving again, hurrah.

Weight loss, worries, we got this. Are you with me?

Ready, set, Go!!

WELLNESS WISH LIST

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It is the second week of the new year, and I am on the mend from the stomach flu. I also gave the virus to my husband, so right now our home is all about healing and recovery. I missed a few days of Melissa Bender 30 day challenge, and today I am slowly jumping back in. I am still weak and not 100% but I can find the energy to do one round. Positive spin of being sick, my weight is back at 165 lbs. When I get to the 150’s I plan on delivering the blankets I am collecting for the mission and volunteering. Here is the link to todays workout. http://www.benderfitness.com/2017/01/standing-buns-thigh-slimming-workout-15-minute-body-weight-workout.html

I also plan to work on my flexibility and a home yoga practice. I really want to grow my practice but at the moment I do not have the funds for a studio pass. Here is a link to a flexibility video to do along with yoga to deepen my yoga practice. When I get sick I always really start to feel it in my spine and joints, so this is so needed now. http://www.benderfitness.com/2017/01/15-minute-hiit-core-fat-burn-flexibility-stretch.html

As I grow my yoga practice I wish to write more yoga poetry and yoga articles. Two of my poems and my bio and blog info were featured again in Asana Journal, an international yoga magazine. How honored I am. My title of my poem Out of Body even made the cover. Who knows, maybe one day I can be on the cover of a weight loss magazine. One can dream big. More writing and getting down to work. I am constantly thinking about new goals and experiences, new hobbies and ways to create.

I also feel the need to catch up on clutter clearing, to get rid of chaos and break down some boxes from our move last April. My dining room feels more like storage, and when there is chaos in your home it can feel like there is chaos in life. To move forward with my goals I need to kick the clutter to the curb, hang my artwork and feel more at home. I started with this and then I just stopped. Great goal for the new year.

If you know me, you know I rarely concentrate on material items, but with that said I have a wish list to help me conquer my goals. Some things on the list may have to wait, and some things I may try to find in a more inexpensive item. This is my wish list, the tools to help me move forward in my fitness goals. What is on your wish list?

First thing on my list, new work shoes. I purchased these when they were so pricey and the price has come down. I need to get these asap, they are like walking on a cloud. Great for work.

https://www.thewalkingcompany.com/abeo-smart-3600-black/30845

My fave running shoes. Saucony Triumph

http://www.saucony.com/en/womens-running-neutral/

Here is the rest of my wellness wish list for the new year, and hopefully I can get some of these things to help me get to where I am going. Some things may seem frivolous and some necessary, but I am human and sometimes I like to purchase something functional and beautiful.

This trio just looks so lovely. I saw the planner and wanted it, I love planners, I love to make lists and check them twice. Than I saw the yoga mat and water bottle and I cannot stop thinking of them. It is pricey but it is on my life because the yoga mat is 6mm, so it is thick for the joints and I also need a new water bottle too. Check it out. Frivolous or functional?

https://www.popflexactive.com/collections/yoga-mats/products/new-years-kit-desert-garden

This next thing on my wish list has been on my list for a while. I am so curious about this product. I am interested in reflexology and this product does it for you. Yoga Toes, toe stretchers. They say stretching your toes daily helps with your alignment and foot ailments. I am so curious since I have problems with my feet since I started my journey. Here is the link. There are toe stretcher socks on the market, but should I go for the real deal?

Toesox for class? Again the idea that the toes need to be stretched intrigues me.

https://www.amazon.com/yogatoes

https://www.facebook.com/ToeSoxInc/?fref=ts

These four items will help with my home workouts and I think they are necessary. A stepper, stability ball, a yoga wheel, and a stretch strap to use for my workouts, and of course the perfect bag to carry my essentials in.

http://www.hayneedle.com/product/thestepworkoutsystem.cfm

http://www.hayneedle.com/product/gaiam-restore-strong-back-stability-ball-kit.cfm

http://www.gaiam.com/product/yoga-wheel/05-62124_2.html?dwvar_05-62124__2_color=navy%2Fblue#start=1

http://www.gaiam.com/product/8ft-cotton-yoga-strap/05-62002_2.html?dwvar_05-62002__2_color=storm

http://www.gaiam.com/product/everything-fits-yoga-mat-and-gym-bag/95-1389.html

Down the line and gym membership and a membership to a yoga studio would be a dream, and I can start looking for specials on Groupon for when I want to take this workout journey on the road for added inspiration. No excuses in 2017.

EASY WINTER SOUP

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It has been so cold here in LA, San Francisco cold. When it is chilly like this you want comfort food to warm your body and soul. Soup is cold weather food but it is also a wonderful opportunity to cook with a lot of vegetables. Last night my hubby requested I make healthy soup and I obliged because we are trying to get back to eating clean and healthy in the new year. I was planning on making my vegetarian Split Pea Soup ( Here is the recipe) http://mychangeforaten.com/how-to-make-vegetarian-split-pea-soup/

Trader Joe’s did not have any split peas so I decided to make Chicken Sausage soup with lots of fresh vegetables. I am on a quest to eat less meat, and I am limiting my use of animal products with hopes to transition to vegetarianism and later veganism. In the meantime, I do use some animal products and this soup is one of those times. Below is the recipe given to me by my friend Cameron. I am back on track for the new year, and soup is my go to meal. Here is the link to the workout I am doing tonight after work. http://www.benderfitness.com/2017/01/arm-leg-sculpting-home-workout.html

Cameron, like me rarely eats pasta so we both substituted shredded cabbage for the pasta. I used two cartons of low sodium vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I used spicy chicken sausage and it really flavors the soup so I just seasoned it with very little salt, some dried basil and black pepper. We skipped the Parmesan Cheese.

This soup is as easy as it is written out. We had a simple salad of romaine, tomatoes, red onion and oil and vinegar. I am really trying to limit our sodium intake.

This meal was healthy and so satisfying. We completed the meal with sprouted bread topped with Miyokos non dairy creamery spread, made out of Coconut oil and organic Cashews. It was delicious, but of course we used portion control. I read about it in the Magazine VegNews and when I went to Trader Joe’s I was delightfully surprised to see it on the shelf, and it really was a hit with my husband James.

I hope you are having a wonderful beginning 2017, and if you find yourself needing healthy soup to warm you up, give this a try and let me know how you like it. Every day is a new opportunity to get inspired and chase your goals, even when it is cold outside.

Much love and light,

Rose

I CHEATED ( this is what happened)

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It is now common knowledge that the average American gains 7 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

Marilu Henner

The dreaded scale after the holidays, how many of you faced it today? I did, and I gained five pounds. I knew I put on a few pounds so I felt there was no reason to avoid the scale. Better to know now, as I begin anew in 2017 with my weight loss and fitness goals. One of the reasons I feel this happened because I went so extreme on my diet for five months. than I ate whatever I felt like eating off and on in between Thanksgiving and New Years. I did not plan to eat with abandon, it just happened. I am human.

My plan for my next 10 lb charity is to deliver the blankets I am collecting for the homeless to the Midnight Mission when I lose 10 lbs and finally make it into the 150’s. 159 I am coming for you.

I am here to tell you one or two cheat meals are ok, but every day cheating for a few weeks left me feeling as crappy as the food I ate. I thought maybe I would feel the joy of the holidays if I indulged, I worked every holiday and I was trying to find my joy elsewhere. This year the holidays lacked sparkle for me. I am here to remind you and remind myself that food is not the answer to happiness. A little moderation is better than an all out binge. It left me feeling empty and not healthy. I felt bloated, ill and my stomach and joints felt off kilter. It did not bring me the joy I was seeking, it did the opposite.

Marilu Henner got it right on the nose, but I was lucky I only gained five pounds since Thanksgiving. Now I have to back track a little, but no complaining. I got this. Lesson learned for the future. Back to the 80/20 rule. Eat healthy almost all the time, but leave room for occasional treats, of course within portion control.

Life is not linear; you have ups and downs. It’s how you deal with the troughs that defines you.

Michael Lee-Chin

Back to the drawing board, as I sketch the 2017 I envision. I need to do some grocery shopping and I am reading health magazines for ideas. I am on day three of Melissa Bender Fitness 30 day Challenge. ( I am behind so I am doing one round of day two and one round of day three so I can be in sync with Melissa.I am also going to join her and work on my flexibility. Here is the link. I got 2017 by the collar and I am showing this year whose the boss. Who is with me? Let’s do this.

http://www.benderfitness.com/2017/01/muffin-top-meltdown-body-weight-exercises-to-burn-fat-strengthen-your-core.html

HAPPY NEW YEAR

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The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.

Melody Beattie

Happy New Year. I cannot believe 2017 is upon us. I actually love New Years, because I love the idea of starting over and reinvention. It could be as small as starting fresh on a Monday morning or taking a big leap and committing to your goals as the clock strikes midnight on a brand new year. I am so ready for this year and all of my goals; weight loss and fitness blog goals, personal goals and artistic goals. Let’s do this 2017.

I believe for me 2016 was a transitional year. A lot of good happened but most of the year was spent working on a move from San Francisco back to LA and dealing with the nuances of settling into a new home. I did hit my lowest weight in 2016 since beginning my weight loss/charity project. I am half way to my weight loss goal.

Besides my weight loss one of my proudest accomplishments was being featured in my first print magazine, Asana Journal, International Yoga Magazine. Check it out.

I lost my way a little on my blog, a very busy holiday season at work really wore me out. I also went five months without a cheat day on my diet, and then I did take a little time to enjoy holiday food and celebrate life. I admit it, eating off program left me feeling lethargic and ill. I learned a lot over my diet hiatus, I like eating healthy and exercising and when I eat unhealthy foods I feel unhealthy. I am back to treating my body like a temple. I am following the 80/20 rule. Eat healthy 80% of the time and leave 20% open for occasional treats.

My first commitment of the new year is to get back to posting regularly on this blog, at least every other day if not daily. I am making a resolution to my weight loss and fitness goals. I am currently collecting blankets for The Midnight Mission, and following my original format one charity per each ten pounds. I will deliver the blankets to the Mission as soon as I lose my next ten pounds. That is what I do, I lose weight and I do something for charity. It is a win, win.

Starting on January 2, 2017 I am beginning Melissa Bender 30 day fitness challenge Here is the link to her original 30 day fitness challenge.http://www.benderfitness.com/2014/05/original-30-day-workout-challenge.html

I have many fitness goals, including yoga and running goals. I will revisit my fitness bucket list within the next few weeks. I am motivated and ready to begin anew. Who is with me?

MY CHANGE FOR A TEN

Rose Bruno Bailey’s site about vegan weight loss, fitness, philanthropy and more. I’m chasing joy and all of my dreams and goals by becoming my own happiness guru. Let’s spread sunshine and be happiness gurus together.

Category Archives: new years resolutions

What happened week one vegan no oil

RECOMMITTING TO MY GOALS

MAKING FOOD MY FRIEND

WEIGH IN MONDAY

WELLNESS WISH LIST

EASY WINTER SOUP

I CHEATED ( this is what happened)

HAPPY NEW YEAR