Ten Pound Milestone!

Woo-hoo, in just over 4 weeks I've officially lost ten (and a half) pounds!

Things I DID NOT do to lose this weight:
count calories
count fat grams
count carbs
skipped meals
worked out excessively

Here's what I DID do:
ate a mostly vegetarian diet
tried to stick to a low glycemic plan  (this link has some basics on a low GI diet)
focused on the nutrient values of food
indulged occassionally!
exercised moderately (6 days a week, mix of yoga and walking/running)




Here's what's interesting (or maybe not, we'll see) but I did start a real period yesterday. I haven't had one in about 4 months. I'm not going to track my temperature this month to monitor ovulation. I'm going to wait and see if I actually start a new cycle next month. I figure that whether I track or not, I'll either ovulate or I won't and I'm not going to obsess over that this month. If I start another cycle in March I'll revisit using BBT to track ovulation.

Maple Syrup vs. Honey

Today, I made one of the most amazing smoothies EVER. I was craving something chocolately and desserty so I decided to whip up something healthy to curb that craving!

I used:

2 tsp cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp maple syrup (REAL maple syrup, not the Aunt Jemima fake stuff)
1 banana
2 tbs peanut butter
2/3 cup ice

and blended. It tasted almost just like a milkshake!

And that brings me to the main point of this post.. which tastes better in recipes when substituting, honey or maple syrup?

And this is just my personal preference that has developed with trial and error.

I find that if I am baking something that has a lot of ingredients (like butter and milk) that complement honey, I'll usually do that. But, if I am sweetening coffee or a smoothie and don't want that distinct honey taste I'll use maple syrup! So if you want my opinion, now you know!

Well, I've lost over 8 pounds now, which is great. What I'm really digging, though, is how much stronger and more energetic I feel. I have fallen in love with yoga and am gaining so much strength in my upper body. The cardio is going well, too, and my endurance is building!

I haven't started tracking anything PCOS specific until I see whether or not I'm going to start a period, but I am optimistic.