Day 25

Not much to say today.

Breakfast was 2 eggs (microwaved!) and some dehydrated apple slices. Lunch was steamed cauliflower with creamy chicken stew, then a couple dehydrated strawberries. 

Since it was raining tonight, I decided to skip running and instead pick up Longhorn for dinner.  :)   So I spent $20 and got an 8oz sirloin, vegetables, sauteed mushrooms, sweet potato with cinnamon and butter (yum!) and a side salad with their house honey mustard, olive oil dressing.  Afterwards, I ate an entire grapefruit.  I seriously felt like I was eating a "cheat meal" because it was a ton of food!  By the way, they gave me that small loaf of bread, but I didn't touch it and left it wrapped in the foil.  Also...that cake is still there! Somebody eat it damnit!! LOL  (my dad says he's been having a small slice everyday, but it's only half gone!)

Day 24

Snuck on the scale this morning.  No change there, but that doesn't mean much, because my pants are definitely looser!!  :)  I definitely need to go shopping to go a size down.  Yes!!!!  That feels awesome.  :)  I hope I keep losing inches!  I've lost 10lbs, and that was the first two weeks.  Sure, I will lose more as time goes on, but inches are what matter most!

Today for breakfast I had 3 hard boiled eggs, some almonds and about 1/2 cup of blueberries.  Lunch was the beef stew with some dehydrated apple slices.  I stopped by the grocery to pick up some items on my way to my aunt and uncle's house to nanny.  Got some more almond flour, some almond butter, organic raw honey, and a pot roast to make for their dinner tonight.  Oh, and an avocado, which I had as a snack mixed with some salt and lime juice, and dipped peppers into!  I was disappointed with the almond butter.  I have heard people in my Whole30 Facebook page group say that they have a it as a snack and that it is dessert-like...but I didn't find it very sweet or appealing.  Tasted pretty much like raw almonds to me- nothing exciting.

I had a little bit of the pot roast with mushrooms with my cousins, aunt and uncle.  Then my mom stopped by Frisch's for dinner, so she brought me home some vegetable soup and a tossed salad.  (Oh, I had some dehydrated apple slices when I got home).

Today I noticed that my left leg is still feeling weird...I think it's my anterior tibialis muscle.  It feels a bit weak and like my leg is going to give out when I put weight on it.  Weird...and not good!!  This has me a bit worried, as mileage is starting to increase in marathon training.  I will be running 7 miles on Saturday morning. :/   I'm going to massage that muscle tonight with "The Stick" and see if that helps any.

Sorry my blog isn't that exciting.  I'm getting bored with it.  (and not getting any comments)  :( 

That's all I have for today... see yaaaaaaaa

Day 23- 1 week left

One week left in the challenge!  YAY!  I don't think this challenge has been too "difficult", but I am really looking forward to being able to eat some sugar, cheese, and have some alcohol!  I've stuck to this because I want to say that I did it, and feel good knowing that I cut out all the "crap" for 30 straight days, and saw the beneficial results from it.  Tonight I came dangerously close to eating a huge piece of that cake, though!

Lunch was the red curry beef stew with some radishes and walnut red pepper dip.  On my way home from work this evening I had a few slices of dehydrated apples, strawberries and sweet potatoes so that I was fueled enough for a run.  As I got home, my family had just left to go out to dinner- Mio's Pizzeria.  I sadly declined their offer to join.  I could have gotten a salad, but a salad without the cheese while eating out surrounded by others eating pizza and steak hoagies, just doesn't sound great to me.  LOL  So instead I stuck to my goal of going for a run/walk with Cooper.   But...  as I was contemplating skipping my run and just making myself dinner, I took the cover off of the cake dish, and looked at that delicious cake.  It was begging me to take a big slice!!  I stood there for probably a minute, thinking about whether or not I should cheat and just go ahead and eat some.  What is the big deal anyway?  But I couldn't.  I want to do this challenge 30 straight days, with no cheats.  (Ok, I'll admit I swiped a tiny little speck of icing just to taste it's sweetness and it was damn good!)  But I still resisted eating the cake!  :)

The one thing that I'm worried about is over-doing it with "cheats" after this challenge is over.  I'm already thinking of all the yummy things I want to eat!  :/   I have to remember that I can have them only ONCE a week.  Just to stay sane!!

So I went upstairs and got dressed to head out for a run.  Tonight my quads and left lower leg were feeling a bit weak.  Maybe because I wasn't fueled enough,  not sure.  I've been trying to do more ankle exercises to strengthen them.  I felt a bit sluggish, but made it 4.5 miles and felt a lot better that I had done it and resisted the cake.  I went downstairs to the gym and did a little bit of ab exercises, stretching and foam roller.  Here is the workout: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/144421751

Now for dinner I'm eating some steamed cauliflower with the creamy chicken stew.  Late dinner tonight, I know. 

See ya tomorrow!

Day 22

Brief post tonight:


Breakfast- 3 eggs, 2 oz sausage crumbles in 1 tbls coconut oil
Lunch- purple cabbage, spinach, broccoli slaw salad with 2 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 avocado, 1 tbls almond slices with homemade vinaigrette... some pepper and radish slices with 1 cup walnut red pepper dip...dehydrated apple slices
Snack- few pepper slices with 1 tbls walnut red pepper dip, a couple cashews
Dinner- bowl of creamy chicken stew over spaghetti squash, 1/4 cup cashews

Today I felt fine, although was feeling a bit bored with my food options today.  I'm really looking forward to splurging a bit when this is over, so I'm hoping that I don't lose this discipline that I've gained!!! 

That's it for tonight... lata

Day 21- 3 weeks!!

I've completed 3weeks- yay!!

Today I cooked a little bit.  I had some dehydrated apple slices when I got up, before I began cooking.  First, I made a Red Curry Beef Stew in the crockpot from the "Everyday Paleo" cookbook.  Ingredients included stew meat, sweet potatoes, and purple cabbage.  Next, I made Creamy Chicken Stew again, but this time I added some spices to try to make it taste more like an Indian dish (coriander, turmeric, curry).  I ate this for lunch over some spaghetti squash.  It was still yummy, but not a strong "Indian flavor" to it, unfortunately.  I also ate a salad. Here are the pictures:

 

 After the dehydrated apple slices were finished, I cut strawberries in halves and put them in the dehydrator.  They will be finished tomorrow morning.

About two hours after eating (and after the Ravens blew it and lost to the Patriots), Cooper and I headed out for a 5.3 mile run.  Felt much more energetic this time around, thanks to a good source of fuel! Here is my workout: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143927868   After coming inside, I went downstairs to the gym and stretched, did some core exercises and rolled a bit on the foam roller.  I really need to make this a habit!  Before I showered and ate dinner, I had some cashews, which seemed to bring up a tiny bit of indigestion.  Hmm...not sure why, but I'm taking note of it. Dinner was the red curry beef stew, which wasn't that great.  I realized that I don't like sweet potatoes cooked in stews.  The purple cabbage and beef were fine, but the red curry flavor didn't come out, and overall was fairly bland.

Well mom decided she would try to test me this evening, and made a cake with icing!! She said she was trying to get rid of the stuff in the cupboards.  LOL   It looks so delicious!!!  :(  But I have to resist, and not have any.  Not even a finger swipe of icing.  :(

Finished off the night with a few spoonfuls of Chia Coconut Peel that I had leftover.  Not as yummy as the cake would've been, but did satisfy my craving for a dessert.

Day 20

10 days left!!!

The sweet potato chips came out very well, although don't have much flavor.  They will suit my purpose of taking with me on long runs for fuel, though.  For lunch I ate half an organic spaghetti squash with marinara (only 1 gram of sugar in it!) and 3 of my homemade meatballs.  Followed it with half a grapefruit.

Went to Crossroads for mass/service and took a packet of Tazo Green Tea with me to drink (instead of black coffee, gross!).  The tea is not very appealing to me without a packet of Truvia.

Went out to dinner afterward, and successfully ate a satisfying and Whole30 approved meal!  :)  My friend and I told the hostess that we didn't want the rolls (which come with a delicious cinnamon butter!), so that's good that temptation was out of the way.  I ordered a side salad without the cheese and croutons, but the homemade Italian dressing probably had some sugar in it because it was delicious!  Oh well.  There were actually two strands of cheddar cheese in my salad, which I picked out!  LOL   Then I ordered an 8oz sirloin with a side of vegetables and a sweet potato.  Water with lemon to drink.  Great meal!! 

Came home and ate a few dehydrated apple slices (which went into the dehydrator after the sweet potatoes were finished this morning) and a handful of cashews.  Not sure why, I'm not hungry!  The apple slices are great, by the way!  Will make more of them tomorrow.  :)

Busy day tomorrow- run, grocery shopping, and cooking some meals for the week!

Day 19

Today I went for a jog first thing when I woke up.  I typically don't ever exercise without eating something prior, but was hoping that maybe I could tolerate this run on an empty stomach.  Well, it didn't work.  Bummer.  I felt a bit lethargic and overall lack of energy.  I definitely need to eat before, even if it's just a handful of nuts or two eggs. Tonight I'm going to try dehydrating sweet potatoes and see how they turn out, because I'm hoping to use dehydrated sweet potato chips as fuel for my long runs!

Cooper and I did 3.7 miles in the 21 degree weather, then came in and ate leftover pecan crusted chicken, and had some walnut red pepper dip with radish slices, asparagus, and then some blueberries.  Here is my workout:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/143178716

I nannyed my cousins today, and had to take one of the triplets to a birthday party at a bakery where they decorate cookies and cupcakes, etc.  I definitely had a craving then for cookies and cupcakes!!!  Mmmm  Those are my favorite "sweet", for sure.  I will definitely be treating myself with some cookies when this challenge is over.  ;)  I was also having other cravings for yummy food- pizza in particular.  It's Friday night, and I just felt the desire to eat something "good".  Sure, the food I'm eating now is good, but not THAT kind of good.  haha 

My uncle and I decided that we will celebrate the end of our Whole30 Challenge with a night of Indian food!!  I think we should follow that with some ice cream, too!  ;)

I definitely think that I should plan my "cheat meals" when I go back to eating with a bit more slack. I also plan to record how the foods affect me- such as weight, skin, GI issues...things like that.  Then I will be able to know that I should avoid a certain kind of food, or find out which foods I would be ok with eating every once in a while- like dairy products or rice, beans, etc.

My family got Chipotle for dinner, so I decided that I would get some, too, even though it won't be "as good" because I can't get the rice, beans or cheese.  I got a bol with lettuce, carnitas, tomato salsa and guacamole.  It was good, but so not as satisfying.  :/

Here's something cool- I submitted my "story of persistence and determination" to "The Feel Good Lifestyle" website, which is a pretty cool website about "Inspiration, Energy & Strategies to Feel Good Everyday".  Check it out!!  Here is the link:  http://www.thefeelgoodlifestyle.com/feel-good-stories

For dessert tonight I'm having a bit of  "Coconut Chia Peel", which is actually a dehydrated package made for backpacking trips.  I bought it recently, so figured I would try it out tonight since I am craving something sweet.  The ingredients are dates, chia seed, coconut, banana, ginger and cinnamon.  It has a mild flavor, and a texture like oatmeal.  It satisfied my craving.  I'll save some for tomorrow night, too!  :)

I'm going to finish off the day by choosing recipes to make this weekend!

Day 18

 Another good day down.  I did think about "other" food today, though!  I contemplated stopping for Chipotle for lunch, but decided not to.  Every time I think about eating something not Whole30-approved, I remind myself that I want to stick to this challenge 100%!  A little bit of rice, a little bit of cheese, one glass of wine...NOPE!  I want to stick to this and feel proud that I did it!!  Although I did "cheat" slightly on this challenge by eating things like bacon that contains nitrates, ketchup with a tad bit of sugar, canned cream of mushroom soup, and things to that nature, but I'll accept that!  My main goal is the big stuff.  I know I can do it for 12 more days!!!!  :o)

Breakfast was sausage crumbles (also made with nitrates and other "fillers", I need to find a replacement for this!) with 3 eggs.  Before I left my job at the PT clinic I had about an ounce of almonds, then later that afternoon hunted around my aunt and uncle's kitchen for something more substantial because I was feeling hungry.  Even though my uncle is also doing this challenge, I couldn't find any meats in the fridge, so I settled with some butternut squash soup that my aunt had made.  Very good!! I will try her recipe next time  :)  I had like 3 blackberries, also.  About an hour later, I had an "early dinner" because I wasn't going to be able to eat again until around 10pm.  I made 4oz of frozen tilapia and then made 2 eggs in the skillet.

After nannying my cousins, I went to a canvas painting studio called "Cheers to Art", where they instruct you how to do a specific painting, and while you're at it, you have fun, listen to music, drink wine or beer, and hang out with your friends!  I do like to paint acrylic, so this was something I've been wanting to do!!  I'm too much of a perfectionist, so I do not paint that often on my own, only when I'm feeling inspired!  haha  But this was a lot of fun and my painting turned out pretty good!  The only thing that wasn't fun was watching my friends drink wine!  :(

After coming home, I finished off the rest of my pot roast, and had some walnut red pepper dip with radish slices and a few asparagus spears.  It's 10:30 right now and I think I'm still a bit hungry, so I may have some pistachios (which I haven't had yet this week), and maybe a few blueberries for "dessert".

Tomorrow is a laid back day.  Will start looking at recipes and deciding what I want to make this weekend!

Day 17

Simple day today.  Breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs and one of my muffins.  Lunch was pot roast, walnut red pepper dip with pepper and radish slices, a dill pickle spear, and half a grapefruit.  For dinner I made pecan-crusted chicken breast- very easy and delicious!  I cut up the chicken breast into pieces, dipped them in a spicy brown mustard/honey mustard mixture, then coated them with crushed pecan bits and baked in the oven.  I added a salad of purple cabbage and broccoli slaw with half an avocado and homemade dressing.  I'm feeling fine today, but wanting something sweet.  I think I'll have some blueberries here soon to finish off the day.  I am really looking forward to making some paleo wheat-free dessert recipes after this challenge is over!  :)

I was thinking about how well I'll stick to eating this clean once this challenge is over.  I'm hoping I can stick to it at least 90%, and allow myself one cheat once a week.  I think that would keep me going strong, but give me something to look forward to, also.

Tomorrow is a busy day- and the temptation of drinking wine and beer will be present later in the evening at a painting class that I'm going to!

Leave some comments?  :)  I like comments.

Cheers,
Tina

Day 16

I'm totally getting used to eating this way.  No cravings or "wants" so far this week.  I'm happy about that.  I'm feeling good so far, energy level has been consistent, and mood is also (I like to think I am a pretty calm, even-mooded person, anyway)  LOL

For lunch I had pork roast, some blanched asparagus spears, walnut red pepper dip and radish slices, with some blueberries, and one of my muffins.  I felt a little full, actually.  I decided to take some hot green tea with me to work, and added a tablespoon of coconut oil.  It was kinda yucky, though.  I'm not a fan of tea unless it has a sweet flavor to it, plus putting the coconut oil in it made it have a funny taste.  I'm trying to get more coconut oil into my diet because of all it's benefits: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/coconut-oil-health-benefits/#axzz1jlxY5qfX

I left work a bit early this evening to attend my second training session with my marathon training group.  Two weeks ago today is when I sprained my ankle.  I ran with a group of 20 run/walkers.  We run 2 minutes, then walk 1 minute.  I'm really liking this run/walk type training.  I've been doing this for the past year, actually.  We did 2..8 miles which was a lot shorter than I was expecting to run, so that was kind of good considering I'm still trying to get my ankle back to normal.  The first half of the run the pace was very comfortable.  We are running on sidewalks, so you are somewhat confined to follow the pace of the person in front of you.  Halfway through we started doing "striders", where we pick up the pace for one minute.  Once we started these, my ankle started to get a bit irritated (plus there were a couple short hills), and I started to fall back, and my heart rate started to increase.  I finished the run near the back, but felt ok overall. 

I think I am going to skip the Tuesday night group runs, though.  Here's why: I am not comfortable running with a large group on sidewalks and side roads with terrain that I am not familiar with- all because of my unsteady ankles, which make it even more risky that it's dark and can't see more than a few steps in front of me.  Also because I try too hard to keep up with the group, which raises my heart rate above the "fat burning zone", which before "The Primal Blueprint" and reading the research, etc on marksdailyapple.com, I thought keeping the heart rate high was a good thing... but it's not!  Not for an extended period of time, at least.  So I really want to keep my heart rate lower so I am burning my fat stores, and not glucose.  The last reason is because I don't want to leave work early.

Here is what Mark Sisson says about chronic high-level aerobic work (such as running):



The costs of chronic (repetitious) mid- and high-level aerobic work
- requires large amounts of dietary carbohydrates (SUGAR)
- decreases efficient fat metabolism
- increases stress hormone cortisol
- increases systemic inflammation
- increases oxidative damage (free radical production)
- boring!

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/case-against-cardio/#ixzz1jm0paEGq

 

 

So I think I'll be better off to run on my own during the week (Cooper will love that, too!), then do Saturday long runs with the training group- which are in the morning during daylight, and at a slower pace.

It's so crazy how my thoughts have changed so much regarding nutrition and exercise over the past 3 months since I've discovered paleo/primal.  It's so true how we have been misled to believe certain ideas because others have told us it was the "right way".  Now I know better and I continue to learn and do the research so that I can live my life to the fullest and be healthy in mind, body and spirit!  I just hope my friends and family don't mind that I try to convince and teach them, also!  ;o)

~Tina

Day 15

Quick post today, don't feel like writing much sorry.  haha  Breakfast was 2 eggs cooked with coconut oil and a paleo apple banana muffin.  For lunch I had my usual salad with about 3 oz of rotisserie chicken, and some blueberries. Later in the evening I had some cashews, another muffin, and some walnut red pepper dip with some pepper slices.  I'll eat dinner in about an hour- mashed cauliflower and my pot roast.  Yum!!  I'll probably have half a grapefruit afterward as dessert.  Today I was looking at another blog- comfybelly.com that had some delicious looking dessert recipes!!  That made me want chocolate.  I'll wait til this challenge is over to make them, as some of them call for honey, stevia, or cocoa powder as ingredients. Mmmmmm!

I also wanted to note that my acne has continued to flare up, and today I noticed it seemed rosacea-like.  I'm wondering if maybe cashews are triggering this?  Something to test out...I wont' eat cashews for a while and see if it clears up.  Ahhh so much to think about and consider when it comes to trying to be completely healthy!!!  It's hard work!  lol

See ya tomorrow...

Day 14- Halfway!!

Yay!! I am halfway through the challenge!  Things are honestly going really well.  I'm proud of myself thus far, and I know I can continue to eat this clean for another two weeks, and for years afterward (but I will allow myself "cheat meals" every so often to keep myself sane).

Today was a productive day!  I made a pot roast, butternut squash soup, hard boiled eggs, and blanched asparagus.  For breakfast I had some walnut red pepper dip with radishes and some cashews...then had a few sips of black coffee while at Crossroads service.  (their hazelnut coffee is pretty mild, actually, although still gross drank black!)

I went to the grocery store again to pick up a few more things such as a pot roast, more salad, blueberries and a couple grapefruits.  We've got a fully stocked fridge and I'm ready to eat well this week!  :)

I had some leftover spaghetti squash later in the day, and for (late) dinner I had a salad with a new recipe dressing (mint leaves, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice), and some mashed cauliflower to go with my pot roast w/mushrooms.  Delicious!!

I also jogged this evening!  Cooper and I headed out into the cold for 3.3 miles.  I did some run/walk intervals of whatever I felt like.  Just a slow jog, but still a jog.  My ankle felt pretty good with the brace on, but it still is bothered a bit when I flex it too much (such as going up a hill).  Overall it felt good to be out on my feet and breathing the fresh air.  I'm going back to training with my marathon group this week, and I'll be taking things week by week!  Here is my workout:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/142101315

Thanks for reading!  :)