Ok, Anna, no dust coming your way
I get what you mean because being an "example" to others is great, but I do get off track sometimes just because someone comments to me about losing weight or looking better. Doesn't make sense really.
So I'm also still struggling along as usual. But I'm swimming several times a week and think I'll keep at that. My feet are bothering me so much (arthritis?) that swimming is a good aerobic exercise for me now and I like how accessible it is in any kind of weather. Still not doing the strength training, but maybe once I'm well established with swimming I'll do the weights. For sure it's necessary because of bone strength since swimming isn't weight bearing.
I bought a pair of vegan Dansko shoes today! They're canvas and squishy so my feet feel better wearing them than other kinds of shoes. Apparently a lot of nurses and doctors wear Dansko because of their feet and legs.
I'm really liking Mary McDougall's overnight oatmeal from The Starch Solution. For years and years, I ate toast with butter for breakfast and had a hard time changing that habit, but now that I have it's a big improvement. It's nice to have a "go to" breakfast that I make the night before. This makes it easier to start every day on plan.
I also really "get" the concept of oil being bad for us now. That didn't sink in until recently when I listened to a lecture on the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii website given by Steve Blake, PhD who explained the chemistry of oils in our bodies. I do believe that small amounts of nuts, seeds, tofu and avocado are good and I plan to continue using these foods unless weight loss totally stalls out.
Breakfast: Mary McD's oatmeal; coffee; water
Snack: fresh fruit
Lunch: quinoa salad made with tofu and vegies; water
Snack: fresh fruit and iced tea
Dinner: large green salad. We're going to a potluck and I don't know what else will be available to eat.
There's an interesting question on the Lounge board about "What is one main selling point of this way of eating?" I find the question useful and the responses interesting. For me, weight loss is the main selling point since it's also a marker for so many other benefits to eating this way, such as improving appearance, lowering blood pressure, reducing the need for medication for high cholesterol, diabetes or hypertension or migraines, reducing risk of cancer, etc.
Have a fun and safe 4th of July!
"The program is essentially cost and risk free." ~ Dr. John McDougall