Week 1 COMPLETE

Hey everyone!! Sorry I haven't posted in a while.  I guess I've been busy writing in my "journal" for my 6 week Behavior Health Change class assignment instead.  So I thought I would copy and paste what I've been writing, into this blog!  

I just finished Week 1 of my "Detox"/100% Paleo diet that the Naturopath has me doing.  I should be 2 weeks into it, but I cheated the first week when my friends were in town and had to start over.  :(   Anyway, I'm feeling great!!   Here are my journal entries from the past couple weeks:

Week 1

Day 1 (Tues, May 28):

            Today went well.  I had my detox smoothie for breakfast, and packed my lunch to take to school.  The only thing that I didn’t have prepared was dinner, so I got Quizno’s with a classmate- got a “paleo” salad.  I was in class from 11am-9pm, so I didn’t exercise today.  I picked my best friend and her 2-year old daughter up from the airport after class this evening.  I’m hoping that I will be able to stick to eating clean and exercising this week while I have visitors!

Day 3 (Thurs, May 30):

            Today I “cheated” and had a beer and a gluten-free pizza.  My friend’s husband flew in this evening, so we went out to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants which has great beer, so I decided I would allow myself a few cheats this week while I have company.  I know I should be strong and stick to clean eating, but I also want to enjoy my week and not feel deprived while my friends are here.  So, I’ve decided I’ll stick to my Paleo diet as much as possible, and only “give in” a few times.  Since I am still at “baseline”, eating gluten and sugar this week won’t mess up my “liver detox” that the naturopath wants me to do.  I’ll just start it 100% on Monday. 

Day 5 (Sat, June 1):

            Feeling good this week- energy level has been consistent.  Having friends in town, it’s been difficult to stick to my Paleo diet since we’re going out to dinner every night, and they are beer drinkers.  Although I really wanted to resist and stick to my “diet”, I’ve decided to just enjoy this week with my friends and eat and drink with them.  I feel a little upset with myself that I couldn’t be disciplined, but it’s a little hard to eat clean Paleo all of the time, especially when on “vacation”.  We drove to Santa Barbara today.  Did some walking in Santa Barbara, probably walked about 2 miles.  Tomorrow we are going to the zoo and I’ll be doing more walking, so I’m glad that I’m at least getting some exercise while my friends are in town.

           

Day 7 (Mon, June 3):

            Friends flew back to Cincinnati this morning.  My little “vacation” that I had for a few days is also over. No more eating out or drinking beer!  My money will only be spent on quality groceries like meats, vegetables, and fruits.  Today I made sure that I had my meals prepared and planned out for the day, so that I could easily stick to my Paleo diet.  Tomorrow I will finish the pork roast that I made last week for lunch, and dinner I am eating out with a classmate since we have a long break before our last class at 7pm.  We are going to Freebirds, so I’m sure I can get a salad made with lettuce and meat, and maybe some guacamole.  

Week 2

Day 9 (Wed, June 5):

            Last night I was bad and got the 3-cheese nachos at Freebirds for dinner.  I had planned to get a salad, but couldn’t get myself to do it since I knew the nachos were so good.  I figured I would start my “diet” tomorrow.   So today I ate a clean Paleo diet and hopefully I’m getting myself on the right track.  I have to keep in mind that I am doing this not only for myself and this 6-week project, but for the naturopath.  She is expecting me to stick to this, so I can’t push back “starting” any longer.  Although I was feeling tired today and took a long nap, I made myself do a Crossfit workout.  Again, the naturopath is expecting me to workout 5-6 days a week, so I need to make sure that I’m doing that.  I also want to get back to strength training workouts, since I haven’t done much in the last 6 months due to half-marathon training.  I definitely feel stronger and more confident when I do my Crossfit workouts consistently.

Day 11 (Fri, June 7):

            I’m finally feeling like I’m getting back into the groove of Paleo eating.  I’m feeling better- skin starting to clear up, no GI issues, energy level is up, and my mood is improving.  I’m also feeling more energetic which makes workouts easier.  Today I did my 2^nd Crossfit workout of the week, which feels great to get back to strength training.  Eating clean and exercising consistently makes life a lot better for me.  I’ve been feeling a little depressed and homesick since my friends left on Monday, so it’s going to be very important that I keep my mood up by sticking to this behavior change.

Day 13 (Sun, June 9):

            Feeling really good this weekend.  Slightly sore from strength workouts, but legs feel good.  Today instead of doing my usual run to the beach, I decided to do it using sprint intervals.  I walked up the steep hills, then did intervals on the flats and downhills.  Felt really good, even faster.  I think I’ll do it this way more often.  As for diet, I am noticing that it’s not easy to eat low-carb due to the high carb content of my breakfast detox smoothies (46 carbs- without honey).  If I add honey to my smoothies or hot tea, that adds another 20 grams of carbs.  Also, I’m eating more vegetables than I am meat right now.  My goal for this week is to get more meat into my diet.

Week 3

Day 16 (Wed, June 12):

            I’m finding that eating is becoming a chore.  It’s not something that I look forward to, I only do it because I’m hungry and know my body needs the nutrients.  I am somewhat happy to feel this way, because it means that I am lacking the craving for any junk foods.  I do feel like eating this way is fairly easy.  The hardest part is the time it takes to prepare food.  I’m also having a hard time getting in enough calories.  I think I need to take in more calories so that my body doesn’t lower my metabolism due to a lower caloric intake.  Although I do think it is ok to eat low-calorie on occasion, I also think it is important to eat high-calorie every now and then so that they body knows it always has food available, and won’t store fat or burn muscle tissue instead. 

            Today I decided I’d try a new recipe- spicy ginger cashew chicken.  I made it paleo friendly by substituting with almond flour and coconut oil (in place of vegetable oil and some kind of starch).  It took about 30 minutes to make, but it tasted good and makes three meals.  Energy was a bit low this afternoon after I did my Crossfit workout, but probably because I was sitting at the computer for hours straight doing schoolwork.

Blood Test Results

Got my results back today.  Here is what the doctor said:

-          Your thyroid is looking perfect

-          Your vitamin D is low normal at 38, I like to see it between 60-80. So take 2,000 IU of vitamin D and get 10-15 min. of sunshine to the torso 2-3 times a week without sunscreen.  Set a timer so that you don’t burn.

-          Your blood sugar was a little high, but no sign of insulin resistance. This can cause thyroid hormone resistance,  leaky gut (food allergies), changes in sex hormones, and difficulty loosing weight. because of this, we are going to treat the liver (as discussed at the visit), but add extra turmeric and resveratrol. Turmeric and resveratrol inhibit an enzyme called NFkB that triggers this cascade from high blood sugar. Have you picked up the vital clear yet? If not, we have it in stock in the office.

I want you to add 3 things to the vital clear smoothie: extra turmeric (either tumero active by apex 10ml or cocurcumin by ayus herbs 1 tsp), resvero active by apex 10ml, and repairvite by apex 1 scoop (improves gut integrity).

So this is good news.  I've always been hoping that it was my thyroid that was causing my problems of not being able to lose weight, so that I could focus my efforts on fixing it, but it's good to know that it's functioning just fine and I don't need medications or to take any supplements/extra vitamins/herbs in order to get it working the way it should.  I'm also relieved that I finally know the answer and don't have to question it anymore.

I am surprised that I have "low normal" Vitamin D levels, because I spend a lot of time in the sun.  But I guess that my body just isn't able to process it and metabolize it, like it's supposed to.  As for the high blood sugar, I'm wondering if that was due to all the junk and sugar I was eating for the 3 weeks before the blood draw.  ;)

Well now I guess I go get some Vitamin D pills,  turmeric and that other "stuff" to add to my smoothies.  We'll see what 8 weeks of this does for me!!

My buddy Steph is in town with her husband and 2 year old daughter, so keeping the blog short tonight.  We're having a fun week!!  :)

8 Week "Detox" starts tomorrow!!

I'm ready!  My bone broth is almost done, and today I made my first "detox" smoothie in my new NutriBullet.  It wasn't delicious, but wasn't terrible, either.  Ingredients: kale, 1/2 avocado, Vital Clear powder, 2 tbls ground flax seed, 4 oz coconut milk, some raspberries.  I think if I add some honey, or some more fruit that it will taste better.  I just don't want to overload on the sugars/carbs if I"m drinking this every morning.

Had a pretty good weekend.  Went mountain biking Saturday morning with 12 other women with the Girlz Gone Riding mountain bike club.  We did a shuttle that took us and our bikes to the top of Glendora Mountain, then from there we mountain biked downhill for 7 miles, and got the shuttle again to do it again.  It was pretty fun, but the first half of the trail was very fast and too bumpy for my hardtail bike.  Everyone else was on really nice full-suspension bikes.  I did wipe out on the 2nd time down.  Took it too fast in a corner and my back tire skid out in a patch sand.  Have a nice wound on my forearm and bruise on the outside of my knee.  :(  Guess I should've been wearing knee and elbow pads like everyone else!  haha

Yesterday I spent the day drinking.  LOL  Had my favorite beer- Summer Shandy- here at the apartment, then I rode down to Hermosa Beach with my roommate and her boyfriend.  It was "Fiesta Hermosa" this weekend down there, so the beach and The Strand was packed with people.  It was really cool to see so many people out playing beach volleyball, riding their bikes, and having fun at the party.  When we came home, we hung out on the patio and drank margaritas.  My roommate made up a Paleo margarita, it was good!  Tequila, lime juice, strawberries, Stevia, and ice.  I'll have to try this again when I'm allowed to drink again.  ;)

Today I spent the day cleaning and getting ready for the week.  My buddy Steph is coming tomorrow with her 2 year old daugher, Ella.  Yay!!!  We will have so much fun this week.  :)   I ran to the beach earlier today with my GoPro head strap.  I got footage from my apartment right until I hit the beach, then the battery died.  :(  The beach and Strand was still packed with people out having fun and enjoying the beautiful weather.

So tomorrow begins Day 1 of 8 weeks of clean paleo.  No cheating!!  I hope I can make it.  I think because I'm see the Naturopath again in 8 weeks, that it will really motivate me to stick with it.  I have to see if this works for me!  Funny thing, I've lost some weight recently, although I've been eating junk and sugar.  Crazy.

Well this week will be busy, but I've gotta blog/keep a journal for my class assignment, so I'll probably write a blog 3x a week.  :)

Thanks for reading!

My first visit with a Naturopath!

Well my initial visit with the Naturopath went well! I was so worried that I would be disappointed, and feel that I had wasted money, but I was pleasantly surprised. :)

It was pretty much what I had hoped it would be.  The new patient intake form asked the basic questions about my past and current medical history and health.  When I met with the doctor, she asked me for more detail on some things.  She did a quick physical that included taking my blood pressure, heart rate, listening to my heart, looking at my tongue, shining a light into my eyes, and palpating different areas of my abdomen. 

From the physical results, she told me that she thinks my liver is not functioning as well as it should.  She could tell this by looking at the blood vessels under my tongue, and the coating on my tongue. ??  She also said that my blood sugar levels appear to be low based on how on the light test she did on my eyes.  Other things she noted were that my sex hormones are working well, and my adrenal glands seem to be functioning normal based on the fact that I recover very well from exercise, and that I do not get stressed/deal with stress easily.  Interesting!

Overall she talked about how gut health is so important when trying to regulate the body and our hormones.  She mentioned a lot of stuff that I already knew, due to my knowledge of the Paleo diet, and what I learn in school.  It was so great to hear her approve of my Paleo diet!!  She suggested that not only do I need to eat a Paleo diet, but I also need to add some things into my diet that will help improve my liver function.  So here is what she recommended:

•        Continue with paleo diet (this also includes removing all dairy products)
•        Drink 1 cup of bone broth daily (I’ve read a lot about bone broth in Paleo forums!)  Bone broth has so many benefits- google it if you want more info
•        Remove eggs from my diet for 4 weeks, then slowly re-introduce them and see if I notice any negative effects (egg allergies are becoming more common and it’s possibly they do affect me)
•       For breakfast, I’ll be drinking a “detox smoothie."  She gave me a powder of “Vital Clear” that I’ll be combining with kale/spinach, ground flax seeds, coconut milk/oil, avocado, and if I want to, I can add honey, some fruit or more vegetables that support liver function.
•       I need to eat foods that support liver function:  carrots, beets, lemons, artichokes, dandelion greens, artichoke, cilantro, parsley, onions, and brassica family vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, bok choy, kale).
•       Eat probiotics at least 3x a week.  I could just take a pill, but she prefers to get nutrients through diet.  Probiotics include things like sauerkraut, kombucha, kimchi and kefir (not a fan of any of these, so I may have to take a pill instead).
•       Stop drinking coffee.  Instead, drink teas that help detoxify the liver (milk thistle, dandelion, burdock root).  I can put honey in my tea, but really should avoid artificial sweeteners (Stevia is ok, on occasion).
•       No alcohol.  Although red wine in moderation has health benefits, it still is an alcohol that is converted to sugar and can affect blood sugar levels.

I’m also getting blood work done on Friday morning.  She wants to look at more thyroid hormones (free T3 and T4, reverse T3, TSH, and some thyroid antibodies, and Vitamin D).  I’m really anxious to find out the results of this, and how she recommends it be treated if there is an imbalance.

As for exercise, she said to continue what I am doing.  She thinks that because I recover well from my workouts, that my body is handling them well.  I’m glad to hear that!  That means I can continue to do long runs and rides.  She suggested that I do strength training workouts and interval workouts 2-3x a week, which I’ll do in the form of my home Crossfit workouts, sprint workouts, and sand dune climbs.  Then I will continue to run, bike, and hike.  J

So I think I can handle all of this. I can drink my smoothies in the morning instead of coffee (I wasn’t getting a buzz/energy kick from my coffee anyway).  It will suck not being able to eat parmesan cheese on my salads, but I know I can give it up, I’ve done it before.  The hardest part will be not being able to drink alcohol, or cheat AT ALL for 8 long weeks, in the summer, in LA!!  L   But I’m so motivated now.  I have good reason to eat this way.  Plus, I'll have lots of information to include in my 6-12 page paper for my health behavior change assignment. 

So I’m pretty happy about today’s visit.  I’m hopeful that it was $250 well spent!!  My follow up visit in 8 weeks will cost me $100.  She said that because I am so motivated and already doing well on a Paleo diet and knowledgeable in it, that I shouldn’t need many follow up visits.  I hope the detox works and my body can get itself back on track.  It would be a dream come true if I can FINALLY lose this weight that I've been stuck with for 6 years now, that has made my life so frustrating and upsetting.  All I want is to get my confidence back, and be able to live the life that I want so badly.  To be lean and fit so I can be competitive my sporting events, to look and feel attractive so I can hopefully find a husband, and to not feel embarrassed at the beach or in front of classmates when I have to reveal my body. lol  There's so much that I know I'm missing out on, that I feel so out of control and helpless.  I want so badly to have my lean body back and feel the confidence and happiness that I felt then.  It seems like such an easy task for most people, but it's been a long, frustrating struggle for me.  I will always fight the battle, but I hope and pray that it's coming to an end, and that I will WIN.

:)  how corny was that? LOL   

Please leave me comments! :)  Try using Firefox if Safari won't let you...or just leave them on my Facebook post.   Thanks for reading!  Many more blogs of my progress are to come!

~Tina

The Negative Effects of Eating Junk and Not Exercising

So I know that in my last post I said I was going to get back to exercising and eating clean Paleo, but I didn't.   :(   For whatever reason, I have been really struggling to get back on track.  I've fallen into the trap where once you have something "bad", you continue to want it.  It sucks. It's totally true that carbs/sugar is addicting.  I got used to eating junk everyday, and now it's hard to get back to eating clean.  During these past 2 weeks, I've felt terrible.  Not that bad physically, but mentally.  I've been depressed and unmotivated to do anything- schoolwork, housework/cooking, exercising, everything.  :(  The good thing is, is that I am very aware that I'm feeling this way because of the fact that I haven't been exercising, and I've been eating unhealthy foods.  It is silly for me to continue feeling this way!

So now I'm getting back on track.  No more wasting money on fast food, no more sitting alone in my room feeling sad, lonely, fat, and unmotivated.  No more being frustrated.  I feel so great when I'm consistently exercising and eating a clean Paleo diet.  I need to always remember that, and try to stay mentally focused.  Life is so much better when you feel strong, fit, and healthy.  It is absolutely true.  In my life I've experienced both sides of this.

On Friday I was feeling pretty depressed.  I was frustrated with a school assignment, hadn't been talking much with my classmates, and was overall just feeling homesick and lonely.  I took a nap in the middle of the afternoon instead of going for a run like I had wanted to, then a few hours later my roommate woke me up and made me take a walk with her to the beach.  We did 4 miles, and I came home feeling so much better!

Yesterday I went mountain biking with a couple ladies from a women's mountain biking club that I just found, thanks to going to the women's mountain bike clinic the previous weekend.  I finally found some good single track!  :)   It felt really good to get out on my mountain bike again, doing what I love to do.  We rode for about 2 hours, uphill for 6 miles, then back downhill.  When I came home, I washed my car and my bike.  Then after a shower, I grilled chicken and asparagus, made tuna salad, and made walnut red pepper dip.  I was able to get the motivation to do all of this because I was feeling so good from getting in good exercise.

I forget if I mentioned this already, but for a class this semester I have to do another "health behavior change."  This one is for 6 weeks. So I've decided I will do another Paleo challenge, with my goal of losing a total of 3 inches (taken from waist, hip, and upper thigh circumference measurements).  This should motivate me and help me stay disciplined.  It will be hard, though!  I have friends coming to visit me, and there are a couple holidays all within these 6 weeks, so it will be tough to resist drinking beer and having some "cheat meals".

So I was able to get in for my appointment with a naturopath this Wednesday!!  Yay!  I'm really looking forward to this, but also a little nervous.  I don't want to be disappointed.  It's a lot of money and I'm really hoping she can find some underlying issue as to why I've been having trouble losing weight.  Then of course, I hope it can be treated easily and fairly inexpensively!

So now that I have this Health Behavior Change project to do, I'll be blogging a lot again.  I have to write a 6-12 page paper, so I'll be using blogging to help give me good stuff to include in my paper. I'll also be tracking what I eat using Livestrong.com's food intake calculator.  I might be able to share that through my blog, so I'll try so you can see what I eat.

I've attached some pictures of mountain biking in Malibu yesterday.  See ya...

Lazy, junk-filled Week

This always happens.  After a race, I get really lazy and eat junk for an entire week afterward.  I always say that I'm not going to let that happen...that I will resume eating clean and get back to exercise a couple days afterward, but of course this time was no different.  :/

Monday I started my summer semester, which is only 13 credit hours and lasts 12 weeks, which will be really nice after the busy semester I just had!  This week, my legs felt perfectly fine.  I only experienced some slight soreness in my legs after the half-marathon, but by Tuesday I felt ready to run again.  Although I had plans to run on Wednesday, I decided to be lazy and eat junk.  Then that continued into the weekend.  Friday night I went to the Dodgers baseball game with my classmates, so of course I ate junk food and had a beer.  On Saturday I attended a women's mountain bike clinic in Orange County.  It was a great experience and I'm very glad I attended.  Hopefully I can start riding with some of these women this summer.  I had planned to get back to Paleo on Saturday, but during the clinic we had lunch which consisted of a Panera sandwich, which included a cookie.   Then at the end of the clinic around 4:30pm, as I was heading home I decided to stop and get In-N-Out.

Today I had wanted to go for a run, but slept in too late, then had other things that I needed to get done, so decided not to, and that I will just get back on track tomorrow.  May as well finish off my week of being lazy!  So right now I'm drinking a Coke, eating potato chips and then a Kit Kat bar for dessert.   I've got a pork roast in the crockpot which will be my lunches/dinner for the week.

I'd like to make note that I didn't feel that good this week.  I had allergies for 3 days straight after the race.  Then eating gluten and other junk foods made my stomach rumbly and bloated feeling all week.  Gross.  I wish I had not continued to eat junk!!  I need to get mentally focused now.  It is swimsuit season, and I have to be in shorts and a sports bra for one of my physical therapy classes.  Ewwww!!!!  I'm not ready for that!!!   :(

Seriously, time to focus.  Get back to clean paleo living.  Eating, sleeping, exercising. One week may have done some damage (and caused some weight gain), but I can get back on track.  And I will!  This week I am going to resume doing my Crossfit workouts in my apartment, and I'm also going to start playing basketball with the guys in my class once a week, maybe some tennis with the girls, and then probably some cycling, hiking, and sand dune climbs.  I want to mix things up this summer.

Here are some pics from my weekend.  Enjoy.  Please leave a comment to let me know you're still reading my blog!  It helps keep me motivated!!

Cincinnati Flying Pig Half-Marathon Recap

Yesterday I ran my 4th half-marathon.  I PR'ed with an official time of 2:33, beating last year's time by 8 minutes.  I'm happy with my time, but thought I could have been faster.  It was a perfect morning to begin the marathon-around 53 degrees with a pretty sunrise.  I ran the first 6 miles with my sister and a few of her friends who were running the full marathon.  We ran around a 10:40 pace on the mostly flat portion of the race course.  I was feeling pretty good until the beginning of the hills at mile 6.   The next 3 miles gained 300ft of elevation.  At this time, I fell behind my sister and was forced to slow down up the steeper set of hills.  I stopped to walk briefly a few times.  Halfway through the hills my stomach/GI system started to bother me.  I stopped at a Port-a Potty which took about 4 minutes off my time (had to wait in line).  Shortly after that, I saw my buddy Steph who was on the course cheering me on, so I stopped to chat with her briefly.  Then I kept running to finish off the hills.  I felt a little better, but then about a half mile later my stomach was really bothering me.  I knew I had to go to the bathroom and soon.  I had to stop to walk a few times, and then luckily got to a Port-a Potty about another half mile after that.  After doing my business, I felt much better.  I picked up my pace again and ran the last 3 miles around a 10:15 pace.  My left hip started hurting a bit, and I could feel my feet getting sore, but I pushed through to the end of the race.  My watch time was 2:26.  My goal for this race was to break 2:30, which technically I did if you don't count my potty breaks.  I think I could have ran a 2:20 if I had not had GI issues.  I'm not really sure why I did, maybe it was because of the beer and other non-paleo foods that I had eaten during my week at home.  :(   Breakfast an hour and a half before the race was eggs with diced ham, 3 pieces of bacon and an avocado.   I brought a Honey Stinger gel with me to take during the race, but I didn't feel that I needed it so I never ate it.  I did have a few sips of Gatorade during the race- maybe that was the cause?  Not sure.

As soon as I finished the race it started to rain.  Fortunately I brought a sweatshirt that my sister had in her car, and took off my sweaty race shirt and put the sweatshirt on, or else I would have been very cold!  The rain was off and on- not too heavy which was good.  My dad and I walked around, and found my friend after she finished her first half-marathon.  Then we waited near the finish line for my sister to finish the full marathon.  Danielle ran her first marathon 5 years ago with a time of 5:09.  This year she ran in it 4:33!

Today I'm feeling pretty good.  Legs are a bit sore in places (hips, quads, hamstrings, shins), but overall not too bad.  On the plane ride back to LA last night I wore my compression socks, which I think does help my lower legs recover a little better.  At the post-race party around 9:30am, I had half a banana and then a Skyline cheese coney.   Didn't eat anything again until I left with my dad to go to the airport- we stopped at Skyline and I got chili cheese fries and a Pepsi.  It was yummy!!    Later that night I had a bagel sandwich and chips at my connecting flight in Charlotte.

Since I don't have any groceries, I decided I would eat out today- breakfast was McDonald's- got the bacon egg and cheese McGriddle- so good!  Didn't eat lunch at school- had potato chips and a Skinny Cow chocolate wafer thing.  After school I went to get groceries.  Chicken breasts were 50% off, so I bought 5 packs!  :)   For dinner I got Qdoba- 3-cheese nachos with ground beef, black beans, lettuce, and salsa.   Now I'm full!  Dessert will be the pack of M&M's that I never ate yesterday.  Tomorrow I'm back to clean Paleo eating!!  I'm afraid I did gain a few pounds back during my week at home.  :/  I have chicken in the crockpot now, so I'll have that for lunch at school tomorrow, along with some peppers. I've got 4 dozen eggs fresh from the my friend's farm, and bought lots of veggies, some avocados and raspberries.  I've also got a pork roast that I'll make later this week, and then I'll make my walnut red pepper dip.

Headed to bed early tonight...so tired!  Here are some pics :)

Vacation week

My vacation week at home in Cincinnati is drawing close to the end.  :(  Bummer!  It's been a pretty good week.  I've been able to hang out with my family, friends and Cooper.  :)   As for the Paleo, I've strayed a little bit, but haven't been that terrible either.  I really didn't want to gain weight this week, especially before the half-marathon which is now 3 days away.  This morning the scale said 198, so as long as I'm below 200 on race morning, I'll be ok with that.

I have had some junk this week- nachos/chips, UDF ice cream, some gluten-free beer.  I only ran once on Monday, and was supposed to run again this morning but slept in instead.  So I will run tomorrow morning- probably go easy.  Tomorrow night I'm going out to dinner and then to some bars with my friends, so I plan on only drinking one or two beers.  I definitely need to "be good".  Saturday is the triplet's First Communion, so I'll be up early for that and then back to my aunt and uncle's afterward for a party.  (I'll skip the cake)  Then my sister and I will be going downtown to the Race Expo later Saturday afternoon to pick up our Goody bags and race stuff.   On Sunday morning we will be leaving our house around 5:15am to go to the race, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get to bed early Saturday night!  Sunday will be a really long day. The race starts at 6:30am.  I'll run my half-marathon, then join my dad to watch my sister finish the full-marathon.  Then I'll have to go home to shower and pack up my stuff and head back to LA.   Mom has a work trip in New Orleans, so she leaves Saturday afternoon.  :(

I'll probably write another blog post next week, maybe Monday or Tuesday.  Going to be pretty busy the next few days!

Trying not to stray!

So now that I am at home in Cincinnati, and I'm finished with my 3 week challenge, I'm trying not to think of myself being on vacation and letting myself eat whatever I want.  I've noticed that whenever I do eat junk, I don't feel very good afterward- mentally and physically.  On Friday at the airport I got McDonald's for breakfast- a bacon, egg, and cheese McGriddle.  It was my first time having one of those, and it was damn good!!  Sweet and savory.  But that will be the last time I have that.  After the first leg of my flight, I decided to try Jamba Juice as my lunch.  I got some kind of fruit and veggie smoothie, which I'm sure is full of sugar.  Then I had the peanut M&M's afterward.   When I got home later that evening, I went with my parent's to a bereavement party.  I was really hungry.  I had 2 slices of BBQ ribs, a little bit of shredded pork, 4 Swedish meatballs, some potato chips, some vegetables, and then a cupcake, and a glass of wine.  Shouldn't have had the cupcake- because after I ate it, I wanted more!  But I didn't have any more.  ;)   That's just the thing- eating sugar and carbs just triggers the craving.  They have some kind of chemical that signals your brain that it's hungry for more.  lol

Today I went to my cousin Adam and Luke's little league game with my mom.  I didn't get up early enough to make breakfast, so before we left I ate 3 strawberries and a few pieces of American cheese.  Not the best choice, but low in carbs.  After the game we picked up my sister, and went to Skyline for lunch.  Instead of getting a 4-way and a cheese coney like I normally would, I decided to stay away from the gluten, and get the chili cheese fries instead.  It's really just the cheese that I love!!  

Tonight I went out to dinner with my parents to Longhorn- got a Blue Moon, had 2 slices of bread, and then got a 6oz sirloin with parmesan garlic crust, side salad and mashed potatoes.  I'll only have gluten one or two more times next week, and that's it!!   Feeling so stuffed!  :(   ...and I'm craving sugar.  No good!

Tomorrow I'm going for a run with Cooper first thing when I wake up.  Then heading to Crossroads (a new age church that I miss so much!) with my sister and my friend, Allison.  In the afternoon I'm having my friends over for a cookout.  I'll grill burgers and probably make a salad.  I'll have a couple gluten-free beers maybe.  I still have a few leftover from Christmas break.  The rest of the week I plan to continue eating clean Paleo, except for Wednesday night and Friday night, when I'm going out with friends again.  I need to have a good week before the half-marathon on next Sunday!! It would be great if I could drop a couple more pounds this week!! 

Post-Challenge Day!

So today I wasn't necessarily trying to stray from clean Paleo, but I wasn't aiming to be perfect either.  :)  I had my last two final exams today, so I'm finished with my 2nd semester of DPT school!! YAY!  It feels great to be finished.  It was a very busy semester, and not much fun. From what I hear from the 2nd and 3rd year students, we are now finished with the hardest part of our schooling.  Yay!   I'm looking forward to a lighter schedule this summer.  Maybe I'll be able to get out hiking and biking more!  :)

I went to school 3 hours before my first exam so that I could study some more.  I ate breakfast at the cafeteria- 2 big scoops of eggs with ham, 1/2 a piece of pork sausage, and tater tots, with coffee.   For lunch about 6 hours later I had some cheese and grapes, and some mixed nuts.  When I finished my last exam at 5pm, I went down to the Manhattan Beach pier with my roommate for dinner.  We split an appetizer of sweet potato fries and I had a beer- a Hefeweizen.  :)   Then I had a cheeseburger, without the bun.  For dessert I had a serving of chocolate covered bananas (which is 4 slices).

I did my laundry, packed my suitcase, and checked in for my flight- which leaves at 6:30am.  It doesn't look like I'll get much sleep tonight!  I wish I could sleep on planes- I've only been able to do that twice in my life, and one time was coming home from London on an empty plane.

I also checked my weight this morning, and just took circumference measurements-  I'm at 196lb, which means I may have lost 2lbs this week.  I'll take it.  I've lost about 4 inches since the end of January- from hips, thigh, upper arm and calf.   Slow and steady, I guess!   

I'm so excited to see my puppy!!!!!   and my family and friends, of course!  :)

Day 21- The End of My 3-week Challenge!

So yesterday I realized that I was doing a 3-week challenge (basically until I went home for "spring break."  That being said, I'm going to drift a bit from my clean Paleo diet.  Although I will continue to eat this way forever, every now and then I'll allow myself things like beer, cookies, and pizza...although this time, I'll allow them a LOT less.  I already have drinking plans for when I'm home hanging out with friends and family...but I will drink in moderation!  Tomorrow morning I'll check my weight and hopefully see that I've dropped this week.  If not, I will know that I need to make some tweaks somewhere.

Pretty good day today.  I had what I thought would be a really hard final exam this morning (turns out it wasn't so bad), so I got breakfast at McDonald's again- egg mcmuffin without the muffin and a coffee.  After my exam I came home because I didn't want to sit in the library ALL day.  I had lunch which was 6 oz of chicken with peppers and onions, asparagus spears, and 1 Dove Dark Chocolate heart.

About 2 hours after eating, I went out for a run.  Since I had a lot of studying to do today, I wanted to do a quick run to the beach and back- 4 miles.  So I decided to push myself even harder today.  It was 63 degrees and overcast in Manhattan Beach, so I wore a long-sleeve DriFit shirt, and didn't take my Camelbak.  My feet and ankles seemed a bit stiff at the beginning of the run- probably because they were "cold." It was kind of a weird feeling- something I haven't felt in a while.  lol  I warmed up quickly, and felt very energetic!  (oh, I had a tablespoon of honey right before I ran)  I worked on my form, pushing myself to run further up the steep hills, and practiced doing some mental imagery- where I would imagine the race course that I'll be running 10 days from now.  As I was running up hills, I was imaging the hills I would encounter on the race course, and how I would feel running up them.  Using mental imagery has proven to be a great strategy for athletes to help them succeed in their competition.  It's weird that I'm feeling so ready for this half-marathon.  The last two I ran I had basically stopped training a month before the race and just "winged it." My pace on the flats today was around 9:30, and I felt pretty comfortable at that pace.  I haven't been able to hold this pace comfortably in a few years, when I was probably 40lbs lighter!   My goal for the half-marathon is a sub 2:30, but I would love if I finished faster.

After my run I had a leftover hamburger patty and 2 pickles.  Later on I had some hot green tea with honey and Truvia.  For dinner I had a salad and a Trader Joe's Palak Paneer dish (I was still hungry after eating the salad!).  For dessert I'm allowing myself half a serving of chocolate covered banana slices.

To get an idea of the hills I run up and down 3x a week, I've attached a pic of one.  I'd love to know the % grade!

Day 20

So tired.  Been at school studying ALLLLLLL day.  My brain turned off 2 hours ago, and I'm still in the library.  :(   3 exams left- a hard one tomorrow then 2 more on Thursday.

Breakfast- 4 eggs, deli turkey, 1/2 avocado
Lunch- 4 oz grilled chicken with peppers and onions, mini peppers, strawberries
Snack- beef jerky
Dinner- salad- mushrooms, eggs, garbanzo beans (not paleo), grape tomatoes, broccoli, balsamic vinaigrette
Snack- trail mix from school


I don't have the energy to say anything else.  Going straight to bed when I get home, and waking up at 4am to cram for the exam!  :(