30 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 30

Day 30.

This is it. The final numbers are in.

What have I learned during the past month of 100% paleo?

1. It’s possible to stick with something longer than six hours if you set it up right. Let people know what you’re doing, blog about it, be accountable. Don’t let people shove cake in your face. Be vocal about your goals. Talk about it until you make other people throw up. Be annoying. It’s ok.

2. However, no matter how many people you tell, you’re still ultimately accountable for yourself. I had multiple opportunities to cheat, but I knew if I did, I wouldn’t want to face myself. I did this for ME, and myself is proud of myself. If you want to cheat, fine. You’re only hurting yourself. I didn’t want any regrets, and guess what. I don’t.


3. Days 9-20 were the hardest. You’re right smack in the middle of your commitment and it starts getting a little mundane. Redundant. You have to constantly be recommitting yourself and reinventing ways to keep yourself interested. Mix up the meals, mix up the workouts.

4. I’m not at the size I want (yet), and I’m ok with that. Yes, I’ve lost weight. I’ve lost more weight than I thought possible in a 30 day time frame. Pants from three years ago fit me again. I can feel my hip bones. But you know what’s more important to me than that? I’ve gained an insane amount of confidence. I am lifting heavier at Crossfit. I’m excited to get up at 4am to go get sweaty.  I can do double-unders, for crying out loud.  I’m jumping taller box jumps. I’m freaking awesome.


5. My body and I will always have issues with each other, but my husband thinks I’m awesome (see above) no matter what. He’s my superman.

6. it’s vitally important to clean out your fridge and cabinets and takeout menus. If it’s not there, you won’t eat it. Or stare at it and cry. Delete Plum Tree and Papa John’s from your phone list. Look the other way when you drive by Dunkin’ Donuts. Florida, is it really necessary to have one on every corner?

Don’t answer that. Their coffee is amazing. It’s my inner carbohydrate-and-sugaraholic that has the issues, and she’s currently hog-tied and gagged at the moment.

7. Eating is important. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with eating for most of my life. I’m from the old-school of fat-free/calorie-free, and while that works for some people, it gave me no energy, piled on the guilt if I strayed out of the caloric confines, and I was shaky and crabby. A lot. If you’re exercising hard, you need to eat. Period. Focus on proteins, healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, coconut oil) and good carbohydrates (fruit, vegetables) for muscle recovery. I actually discovered that the more I ate (not like half a cow or anything, but a decent-size breakfast/lunch/dinner) the more weight I lost. Skip a meal and my body hung onto those pounds like a life preserver.

8. Not eating is also important. I had to break some hard habits – eating while I’m reading, eating while I’m watching TV, eating on long road trips out of pure boredom in the car. Throw out the excuses. Habits can be broken. Just because it’s a holiday or a special occasion or a Thursday doesn’t mean you have to revolve the occasion around food. Practice not eating whenever you’re faced with a habitual eating situation.

9. It’s hard. I’m not going to be one of those “I lost five million pounds in three minutes and you can too!” sort of person. This was WORK. Hard work. No one wants to exercise and eat healthy 100% of the time. We all wish for some sort of magic pill that would melt away our hips and genetically-cloned cottage cheese thighs. And yes, I started Crossfit back in March, so I can’t completely say the 30 days had anything to do with this – but my thighs are actually looking smooth for once. Squats and bacon, people. Squats and bacon.

10. The results speak for themselves. Like I said, I’m not yet at my personal goals, but these past 30 days brought me a heck of a lot closer. After vacation, I might just do this all over again.


Measurements Day 1: June 23, 2013
Chest: 37 in
Waist: 36 in
Hips: 42 in
Thigh: 11 in
Arm: 10 in
Weight: 163.2 lbs (highest weight of my life. So sad!!! Never again!!!) 

Measurements Day 30: July 22, 2013
Chest: 35.5 in (-1.5)
Waist: 35 in (-1)
Hips: 41 in (-1)
Thigh: 10 in (-1)
Arm: 9.5 in (-0.5)
Weight: 153 lbs!!! (-10.2) 

I'm so frustrated. I'm frustrated because after years of watching the scale creep up, THIS happens. It just shows how important it is to make up your mind to actually do something, and when you put your mind to it, IT CAN HAPPEN. In 30 days, I've seen more results by sticking with a plan than I have in THREE YEARS of yo-yo dieting.

Pick something. Stick with it. See results.

Repeat. 

Today: Today is meant for relaxation. Exploring our private walk-out cottage on the beach of an exotic island. I’ll make wise choices with my food, but I’m not going to stress about it. This week is for me and Matt and thinking back over our past 10 years together. Man, I love him.

Today I love: Getting on a plane with my love and jetting off to Sandals in St. Lucia. No cell phones, no laptops. Just sunscreen and swimsuits and poolside cabanas. See you all in a week! 

21 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 29

While on Pinterest last night, I subconsciously bypassed the Gooey Salted Caramel Brownie Cake recipe in favor of the Dairy-Free, Grain-Free, Naturally Sweetened Strawberry Tartlet.

I went straight for the strawberries without even realizing what I was doing.

I’ve never passed up cake. Or caramel. Or anything with brownie in the title. But for some reason, it just sounded too…gooey to me. Too sweet. Too overindulgent.

I’ve become addicted to fruit, and throwing strawberries into a tart? I think this is another recipe to add to the Yes, Please Try Me Now list.

Now I want strawberries, and our fridge is empty.

We stopped by Target yesterday to get some last-minute vacation things and to pick out a few snacks for the plane.

What actually ended up happening is Matt dragging me out of the store because I just stood in the aisle of food staring at everything, unable to make up my mind.

It was like sensory overload for a five-year-old.

So many things were going through my head: Do I want the Cinnamon Toast Crunch because my challenge will be over? No. It looks gross. Do I want my favoritefavoritefavorite salt & vinegar chips because my challenge will be over? No. Gag. Nothing looked good despite the fact I felt like it was ok to loosen up a bit. And let me tell you, I never pass on dry cereal. Before this challenge, dry cereal was one of my favorite snacks. And chips. And cookies. And everything else.

So after waiting on me to make up my mind for roughly 16 hours, Matt had enough. He rolled his eyes, grabbed my arm and said, "You're never going to make up your mind. Let's just go."

And I was happy for it. My stress level disappeared. And now I'm packing baggies of almonds and dried cranberries from the stash I already have in the cabinets at home.

Maybe some dark chocolate to go with it? Cocoa beans are paleo.... 

On a completely different subject, you know how I mentioned yesterday that we have a new developer building on the rest of the lots in our subdivision? We met with his designer yesterday because our house desperately needs repainted, and we wanted to see what colors they had picked out for the new houses.

They have a stormy, oceany blue I think we're going to go with. So. So. Pretty!! The white would be the trim and shutter color, and the dark blue would be the front door. 


The designer was really nice, and she remembered us from our HOA meeting last week. We ended up talking for awhile, and I sent her a little thank-you email for taking the time to show us the paint samples.

I got this reply a few hours later:

Thanks Addie, so nice of you to say that. I'm going to find the quietest old people to buy a home next to you! LOL!

Matt may have told her that if I could move into a retirement village where the minimum age is 65 and everyone goes to bed at 9pm, I would jump at the chance. He also mentioned that I’m a hospice nurse and love the older people.

I think he even told her my favorite color and when I got my first kiss. Sheesh. Share much?

But sadly, it’s true. I’m 32 going on 82.

Oh, sweet peace and quiet, I love you so much.

And if anyone’s counting, I’ve packed and repacked four times. I thought my big suitcase would be too big, therefore giving me room to bring home souvenirs. Now I’m just hoping I can fit all my shoes in. Cramming my toothbrush in there is a major struggle at this point.

Again, sigh.

So now we’re getting ready to leave for Miami. Dog Sitter Cindy has touched base and is ready to come take care of the kiddos. I downloaded four more books to my Kindle to replace the three I’ve already read. Toes are freshly painted a wicked shade of pink. 

Mine, not Matt’s. He’s weird about that stuff.

I’m honestly not sure what my meals will look like today since the fridge is cleaned out. Bacon for breakfast but no eggs, since we finished those off yesterday. Coffee. Possibly a tuna packet with the rest of my baby tomatoes. Maybe a drive-through salad with grilled chicken and no cheese. I've fallen in love with oil and vinegar dressing, and the thought of ranch makes my tummy hurt.

I know!! I'm turning into a freak.

Speaking of, I did do 100 squats, sit-ups and jumping jacks in the kitchen while I was waiting for my bacon to cook this morning. I think I scared the dogs. 

I just know that tomorrow is Day 30, and I want to make the best choices possible as I finish up this challenge.


Tomorrow’s plan is to wake up, do a little workout, take my final measurements and post my last post - and then I’m going to be completely offline and away from my phone for seven days of awesomeness.

And you get a break from me flooding your inbox/facebook/twitter with these incessant posts!!

Today I love: My puppy airplane squishy pillow. My mommy got him for me, and he's adorable and comfortable. 


Maybe I'm 32 going on 12...


20 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 28


As of 4:30 yesterday afternoon, I am officially on vacation!

Which means my brain is empty.

I don’t really have too much motivation to write anything right now. We’re pretty much cleaning, packing and running errands all day today.

So. Exciting.

I would rather nap and sleep and nap again.

Why is it that the day before you are officially on vacation, it seems like the world falls apart?

Yesterday was my most chaotic day at work ever. 60+ miles put on my car between six visits, two of which were to the same patient.

So at 4:30, I turned off my work phone, turned in my paperwork that is due while I’m gone, and pretty much skipped out of the office. Matt and I celebrated the start of our vaca by going to Outback for dinner, my current paleo restaurant of choice.

It’s amazing how fabulous a regular little steak and salad tastes after not being able to find a time to stop and have lunch earlier in the day.

We’re leaving for Miami tomorrow since our flight to St. Lucia is fairly early on Monday. I’ve heard absolute horror stories about flying out of MIA, so we’re going down early just to make sure we have plenty of time to park and find our gate.

Plus, you all know Miami terrifies me. I’m just so not cool enough for that city. I think you need to be a Victoria’s Secret model just to get into half the restaurants. Or walk on the streets. Or breathe the air.

Our hotel is only 0.5 miles from the airport, so I can pretty much stay in my little cocoon of safety without venturing out too much. The hotel has restaurants, a pool and a fitness center, so I really don’t need much else.

You know what’s pretty cool though?

Our subdivision – which was unfinished when we bought our house last year – is being finished by another developer who came in and bought the remaining empty lots. We love this developer and actually looked at a couple of their homes when we were in the process of buying. They are really good and will most definitely add to our property values,

Anyway, they have pictures of our neighborhood on their website and I was looking through them this morning. I know we’re roughly five miles from the ocean, but these pictures make it look so much closer than that.


So we're leaving our beaches for the beaches of St. Lucia. 

I know. We're weird. 

Today:

Breakfast: Scrambled egg, bacon, coffee

Lunch:  Last of the leftover roast, pineapple

Dinner: Not sure yet. We’re down to the bottom of the fridge…might just have an apple and almond butter and call it a night. Like I said…exciting.

Today I love: My green bottle of Mr. Clean with Gain. It makes the house smell so clean, even if it’s not. 

19 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 27


This morning was my last 5am workout before leaving on vaca!

I’m scared. I’ve literally been working my butt off, and I don’t want to ruin everything.

Why can’t a vacation be an excuse to have all the free time you want to be active instead of being an excuse to be completely gluttonous? 

I think we need to change our mindsets on what a vacation entails, like the fact that work won’t get in the way of a hike, a swim, a run on the beach. Being on vacation doesn’t mean I have an excuse to eat sixteen slices of chocolate cake.

I’m tired of having to play catch-up, whether it be after a weekend or a trip.

I don’t want to be my former self of excuses.

I got a sweet email from my dear friend Tina yesterday – it was a major ego boost, because I honestly don’t’ think I’ve ever been considered inspiration for anyone before. 

Addie, You are an inspiration!  I haven’t been walking very much lately. So what do I do?  Sleep in.  Yesterday I went walking and vowed to continue and to do more than just walk.  This morning I ALMOST shut off the alarm (I did hit snooze twice) and went back to sleep.  I couldn’t go back to sleep though, because I started thinking of what you’ve been doing and how lame I was being and I want to be in better shape than my parents when I’m their age.   So, I got up and went walking.  I’m such a wuss, but you helped me get going today!

Do you have any idea how much that means to me, Tina?

Tina was my walking partner for several years back in Missouri, so just knowing she’s getting up when I’m getting up – despite we’re states away – is awesome.

We started talking about how we don’t want any regrets – we don’t want to be our parent’s age (sorry, mom and dad!!) and look back and realize we should have been doing something now.

I don’t want to be 60 or 70 years old and realize I’ve never been the best version of myself. Ever.


Tina also emailed me a link to a fabulous article on Sparkpeople.com, about being Lazy vs. being a Warrior.

This. Is. Awesome.

My Lazy. That little voice that makes things sound so good. That thing that makes the bad decisions sound a little less, well, bad. Have you met your Lazy? That creature that tells you it'd just be easier to eat that cupcake on the counter than chop up the fruit in your crisper? That evil little being that says twenty more minutes in bed will feel so much better than a 2 mile jog?

I've listened to my Lazy for way too long. My Lazy got me to 265 pounds. My Lazy had me creeping towards diabetes and heart disease, high cholesterol and a shorter life span. My Lazy needs to be a little less, well, lazy. My Lazy hasn't liked me the past several mornings. My Lazy tried to get me to roll over when the alarm went off.

My Lazy has been defeated with hikes, jogs and core exercises at 5:30am for the past week. My Warrior is enjoying a winning streak. My Warrior has gotten me out of bed and into my workout gear. My Warrior has gotten me outside for hikes and jogs and back inside for stretching and core work. My Warrior has been kicking my Lazy's butt. My Lazy has been left in the dust, wounded and disappointed. My Warrior is triumphant. 

You can have all the support in the world. A top notch personal trainer. Kids who want to cheer you on. Family and friends who revel in your accomplishments. What you really need to find is your Warrior. My Lazy is a loud one, I tell ya. The attention seeker. The drama queen. My Warrior? Just a quiet voice inside. I found that I just needed to block out the rowdy noise to listen a little more closely so I could focus on my Warrior. 

I’ve had plenty of years being a Lazy.

Now, I’d rather be a Warrior.

Who’s with me?

WOD:
Split Jerk 5×1
Front squat 5 x 3 @ 78%; follow each set immediately with 3 box jumps
3 x max effort ring dips (for reps)

AMRAP in 6 of -
50 double-unders
10 Shoulder-to-overhead (push press, press or jerk) 135/95
2 rope climbs

Today:

Breakfast: Roobios tea, bacon, scrambled egg

Lunch:  Pork with pineapple, baby tomatoes

Snack: Celery and almond butter

Dinner: The last of the Roast Part II. We’re getting down to the bare minimum in the fridge since we don’t want to have anything sitting in there while we’re gone.

Today I love: Hot tea with honey, despite it's 600% humidity and five bazillion degrees outside. 

18 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 26

Do you ever dream about work?

I had the worst night last night. No sleep whatsoever.

It all started when I didn’t get home from work until almost 7pm last night because I had to go start a crisis care case on one of my sweet patients.

With Hospice, crisis care is started when a patient’s symptoms become unmanageable despite all interventions we’ve tried – it can be uncontrolled pain, agitation and restlessness, shortness of breath, uncontrolled nausea and vomiting, etc. Crisis care brings specially-trained nurses into the home 24/7 to get the symptoms under control and to provide education to the families until they feel comfortable managing the care from that point forward.

As Case Manager, my responsibilities include getting the order from the doctor to begin CC, get all the meds lined up both through our hospice pharmacy and the patient’s local pharmacy (Walgreens, you test my patience!!), give report to the CC RN, among many other things. It can take awhile to get it set up. I’ll also be bumping up my visits to once a day for supervisory visits until the patient is no longer on crisis care.

I almost caved and got a Diet Coke last night. Matt talked me off the ledge on that one. Personal crisis averted.

I honestly don’t mind working late – I love love love my job, and with me being on vacation all next week, I want to make sure my patients are as settled as possible. I know nurses will be making visits to check on them while I’m gone, but I don’t want to leave extra work – like ordering meds or gathering supplies – for my coworkers.

Yes. My OCD is fully raging right now.

So anyway, I kept thinking of my patient all night. I woke up at 1am wondering how things were going with the crisis care nurses.  I fell back asleep praying for peace and comfort for both my patient and the family members.

Then Knuke woke me up at 2am needing to go outside. You never, ever ignore a 120lb dog that needs to poop in the middle of the night. Ever. Lesson learned the hard way on that one.

I fell back asleep around 2:30, after checking work emails. And Facebook. And Twitter.

Woke up again at 3:30 after a dream about work and my patients woke me up in a cold sweat.

Fell back asleep.

4:00am – Crossfit alarm goes off.

Today is going to be awesome.


WOD:
3 rounds for max reps:
1 minute row for calories
rest 1 minute
1 minute sit-ups
rest 1 minute
1 minute hand-release push-ups
rest 1 minute

- basically this is 1 min on/1 min off for three rounds. Go ALL OUT for your minute on.

Midline: 3 sets of -
:30 superman holds
1 min plank

RESULTS:

We added all three rounds of reps together, and my total was 236. Sit-ups saved my life (112 total!). Push-ups can kiss my butt.


This is not a tan. This is dirty dirt from rolling around on the floor doing push-ups and planks and supermans. Took about thirteen hours with a loofa to get that all off this morning. 

Today:

Breakfast: Rooibos tea (red African tea, my favorite!) with a dribble of honey, Eggs scrambled with diced bacon, baby tomatoes


Best. Tea. Ever. 

Lunch:  Pork with pineapple, celery sticks, red pepper slices

Dinner: Hopefully the grilled chicken that never happened last night because of my late arrival home. I hate eating late!!

Today I love: Cake Batter Chapstick. Cake batter = not paleo. Chapstick version = perfectly fine!

17 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 25


Five days left!

I know I keep saying this, but I serioulsy can't believe I've actually stuck with this for so long...I've always been a chronic "It's the weekend, I'll start over again on Monday" type of eater.

No commitment, no motivation, nothing worth sticking with. Chronic failure, chronic re-dos, chronic guilt and self-loathing.

No more.
  
If anything, this challenge has proved that IT IS POSSIBLE to stick with something.

Sure, I’ve wanted to relax and let my guard down and order a pizza, but honestly? Eating this way + crossfit workouts have given me so much energy I’m bouncing off the walls. I’m actually having a hard time relaxing, which is why melatonin at bedtime has become my friend.

But seriously, paleo is doable. It takes planning, but what doesn’t?



It’s easy to grill a steak and some asparagus and call it a completely 100% paleo dinner that refuels you after a particularly challenging WOD.

Mmmmm. Red meat over a grill. My inner Missouri Girl is salivating.

Plus, the bacon. Oooooh, bacon. 


Confession:  I started Crossfit back in March for the sole purpose of our St. Lucia trip next week with plans (gasp!) to stop (gasp!) after vacation.

Crossfit isn’t cheap, y’all. It isn’t easy. You feel like your trainers are staring at you thinking, “What in the world is that girl doing???” It makes you leave everything on the floor – sweat, tears, emotions.

But last night, as I checked CFVB’s site – and kept checking every five minutes, despite the fact that today is a rest day - I got yet another kick in the pants.

This last week of the challenge is getting kind of painful in that aspect.
  
CFVB posted a before and after picture of one of my fellow crossfitters and his transformation of one year of CF + paleo.

Nice work. Impressive. Motivational...and tells me it's going to take awhile until I see the results I want to see, not just 30 days of a challenge.


So I want to keep going. I don’t want to stop after our vacation. Sure, I might eat something not completely paleo while we’re gone. And I’ll keep being honest – I know I’ll probably have some Papa John’s again.

But that’s ok, as long as I’m prepared to work that much harder and eat that much more clean afterwards. Little indulgences are fine as long as they don’t become my old, past habits of twice (or three. Or four.) times a week.

And why stop Crossfit after only four months? That’s barely enough time to see results. Sure, I’ve gone from using the gigantic purple band for pull-ups to the not-so-gigantic black band, but I want to do one of those dang things with no band at all!

I want to be able to do a rope climb. I want to be able to back squat 150# by the end of the year. I want to be able to run a half marathon again without having to walk after the first three miles (December goal for that one – the St. Jude’s Half is that first weekend! My fundraising page is set up HERE. Hint. HINT!!!!)

I want to be transformed.

Like one of my favorite bible verses says, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” (Romans 12:2) – I need to change my mindset from “Friday Night Pizza and M& M Time” to “Friday Night Eat Healthy So I Can Get Up and Run Seven Miles In the Morning Time.”

Back to Romans 12:2 for a second. I’m in love with The Message version of this verse:

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

My spiritual life will always and forever triumph over my physical and emotional life. God does bring out the best in me, and only through Him can I have the strength to renew my mind and body.

I haven’t always done what’s right for myself, and let’s again be honest: I’m not getting any younger. Rather than have regrets over past choices, I want to move forward and continue to be the healthiest, most in-shape version of myself I have ever seen.

Today: 

WOD: It's Wednesday, which means it's a rest day! Possible plans to walk dogs after work with a friend if it isn't raining. 

It’s south Florida in the middle of summer, so it’s pretty much always raining right now.

Breakfast: Coffee, Eggs scrambled with diced bacon, baby tomatoes

Lunch: Pork tidbits (we cut our own pork loin and I like to save the extra pieces to cut up and saut̩ with veggies and coconut aminos Рmy paleo version of chinese), celery and almond butter

Dinner: Matt is going to grill some chicken whether he wants to or not. With pineapple. And broccoli. Or collard greens with pearl onions. Or both.

Today I love: Hand sanitizer for my car. I’m a road RN. Enough said.

16 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 24


I need to apologize to my coworkers today.

I usually don’t walk into work looking like a hot mess, but after this morning’s deadlifts and push-ups, I had a tiny bit of difficulty lifting my hairdryer.

Reason #826 why it’s good to be an RN: Ponytails every day, people.


 WOD:

Overhead squat: 1 x 1 @ 80% of max snatch
2 x 2 @ 65% of max snatch

Back squat 5 x 3 @ 75%; follow each set immediately with 3 box jumps

“Diane”
21-15-9 reps, for time:
Deadlift (225 lbs / 155 lbs)
Handstand push-ups (regional standards, hands within 36″, head to ground)

I haven’t mastered the handstand push-ups yet, so my modification includes using one of the box jump boxes as my base – the goal is to use your shoulders for these, rather than your arms.

It hurts.

But it’s the good kind of hurt, like, my-arms-are-burning-but-I-just-did-a-gazillion-deadlifts-and-pushups-while-most-everyone-I-know-is-still-sleeping.

Boom.

On a paleo note, I got an interesting email this morning from Robb Wolf (I get his email updates, it’s not like we’re BFF’s and he's sending me private emails or anything) that made me think about what will happen after this 30 Day Challenge is over.

Robb is hardcore. He makes a lion look like a vegetarian. He’s meat, vegetables, healthy fats. No paleo pancakes, muffins…nothing “paleotized” like in all my cookbooks. Just good ole’ clean eating.

There’s definitely something to be said for that. I’m all for it – right now, it's just not something I think could keep my interest for long…unless I could hire a private chef to keep things mixed up for me. But I do understand – and completely agree with – his approach.


Read the entire article. It's fantastic. 

Robb definitely kicked me in the butt this morning – how did he know what I was thinking? He's in my head! Here’s an excerpt of his article that made me feel particularly guilty:

Really, how the heck do you quantify this stuff? I liken it to those people (you know who you are) that are paleo during ‘challenges’ or for 21 or 30 day chunks at a time and then they go completely off the reservation until the next round. Sure, during that challenge period you feel good, your body comp starts changing and you have more energy than General Electric’s headquarters – but the entire time you’re thinking about what you’re going to ‘treat’ yourself to at the end of this little game.

How did he KNOW the first thing I’m running to on Monday is a Diet Coke??

Now, however, I’m not so sure I will. 

I KNOW!!! We’ll be on vacation! How can I still be paleo?? I was honestly looking forward to pizza and pasta and coffee with sweet things in it, but now I’m rethinking everything. 

Everything. I’m seeing results, and I want to keep seeing results.

Robb continued: 

I mean yeah, I know, they taste good – but seriously, is the pain and suffering really worth it? And did you know that one ‘off-road’ can set you back MONTHS in terms of gut healing, health and disease management?  Yeah, it’s not just a two or three day misery fest but it can undo a lot of healing and hard work pretty damn quickly.

I don't want to be set back MONTHS. I've been working my butt off to get this far!!

So, am I telling you that you have to eat STRICT paleo with zero treats 100% of the time?  YES!  Okay, I’m just kidding, but you were scared, huh? I’m not saying you can never have anything that’s not a meat, vegetable or healthy fat – but if you don’t have an iron gut and know that you have adverse reactions to gluten, dairy, soy, etc., or if your gut or health in general aren’t where they should be then you need to be careful.

Now, if you’re not reaching your goals, getting lean, kicking @** and taking names in the gym, etc. – you may want to rethink the 80/20. If you really want to see your abs, it might mean no ‘cheats’ for a while and you need to understand, that when you do stray from the meat and veggie routine that it’s going to set you back.

Well. There you go.

I also read through a couple more of his articles (Am I Losing Enough Weight is another good one) and realized I also need to cut back on my major fruit addiction if I want to see faster results. No more apples the size of my head for awhile. You don’t cut fruit out all together, just don’t eat it with every meal and for every snack.

I have less than one week left of my challenge (sorry, Robb! I know how you feel about challenges now!), and I need to tighten the reigns as I head towards the finish.


Sad, but true. I love you, cupcakes. 

Today:

Breakfast – Coffee, bacon, eggs

Lunch -  Meatballs, red pepper slices, celery sticks, almond butter

Dinner – Stroganoff with spaghetti squash

Today I love:  The buy one get two free deal going on at the Bass Outlet right now. Matt was somewhat not himself yesterday when he kept asking, “What shoes do you want? Anything else you want to get?”

WHAAAATTTTT??? Where did my husband go? I was obviously more than happy to take him up on his offer, but at the same time I was a little scared. I’m the only one in this household who can blatantly disregard our budget. Who’s gonna keep me in line now?

15 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 23

You know that feeling you get when you’re standing at the kitchen sink, minding your own business, up to your elbows in soap and dirty dishes?

You know that feeling you get when you just know someone creepy is staring at you while you do it?


Introducing my husband, the creeper, who desperately needs something to keep himself occupied right now since summer baseball is almost over.

Teachers and coaches get bored towards the end of summer.

Proof.

I woke up at 4am again today, because prowlers and burpees at 5am and 72 degrees is so much better than 5:30pm and 92 degrees. 

Plus I have a feeling I'll be staying late at work this week to get all my paperwork in order so we can leave for St. Lucia NEXT MONDAY!! Not that I'm excited or anything. 

WOD:

Full Snatch 5×2 

5×2 flat-footed snatch pulls, heaviest possible

3 rounds, each for time of:
100 m Prowler 135/90#
20 Burpees
10 Snatch, any style 125/85

Dang you, burpees.


However, I do love prowlers at 5am when it's pitch dark outside. You just push for all you're worth and pray to Jesus no one runs you over in the parking lot. 

I also need to make time to stop by Nelson's Family Farm today...I'm out of baby tomatoes and have only two Fujis left. Panic!!! 

Today: 

Breakfast – Coffee with coconut milk, eggs scrambled with diced bacon, cherries

Lunch -  Meatballs, strawberries, red pepper slices

Dinner – Roast, salad with olive oil and vinegar

Snack – Apple and almond butter

Today I love:  Those shower loofa scrubby things to get the dirt off my palms and shins from all the nasty burpees. Once again: dang you, burpees!!

14 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 22

I do have other things going on in my life besides paleo and crossfit and paleo and crossfit and repeat.  

Right now I'm also doing a long-distance bible study with my dear friend Sarah W, who lives all the way out in Oklahoma. Sigh. I miss her.

We've done a previous long-distance bible study together, and it worked out pretty well. It helps us stay in touch and connected, and despite the miles, these bible studies just serve to deepen our friendship. About a month ago we decided to read through the book Wonderstruck by Margaret Feinberg, and made up our own study guide for each chapter.

I've been struck with a concept over the past few days that I want to share: 

Sometimes (ok, a lot of times) I get caught up in "why me?" moments. You know the ones - you're having a perfectly awesome pity-party, feeling sorry for yourself...or you're even down on your knees, sobbing, wondering why your world is crumbling down around you. Why me? Whhhhhyyyyyy meeeeeee????

I'm a good whiner. Just ask my mother.

And my husband. 

And pretty much anyone else in my life. 

But I read something the other night that blew me away. 

I had been so focused on the areas of pain, the problems that seemed to have no end, that I was missing out on the nearness of God in those moments. In becoming preoccupied with the why, I was missing the who.

God chooses to appear in the midst of a storm as a storm, reminding us that none of life's downpours happen apart from God's power or permission. It's during those moments that the enormity of God is revealed. 

Even when I lose my footing, God never stumbles. In life's storms that catch me unaware, God remains all knowing.

In that which took my breath away, God whispered, keep breathing

That's pretty cool.

Know what else is pretty cool? Trying new recipes. 

I made the beef stroganoff I linked to in yesterday's post, and it turned out amazing. I forgot to get tomato paste at the store, so I dumped in a can of stewed tomatoes instead. I think it actually turned out better that way! I love the combination of onions and tomatoes and beef and mushrooms. 



I also love spaghetti squash. Have you ever made it? I do mine in the microwave because ain't nobody got time to roast that stuff in the oven. 

Sorry, Suzie Spaghetti Squash. 


After you nuke her for a good 8-10 minutes (be sure to stab her all over with a fork first, unless you want her to retalliate by exploding all over your appliances), let her cool on the counter. 

Then slice her open and scoop out her guts. 


Gently scrape out the insides with a fork, which makes the squash look like spaghetti. 


Hence, spaghetti squash. 

Which is delicious paired with the beef stroganoff.

Which made enough for dinner for the next 16 years. 

Matt made grilled cheese, in case you were wondering. 

Today

WOD: Vacuuming the couches, steam cleaning and sanitizing the couches, fabreezing the couches...then covering them with our new dog-proof couch covers. We'll see how long this lasts. 

Breakfast: Coffee and a banana muffin on the way out the door for church, because we didn't agree with our 6am alarm going off. Or the 6:30 alarm going off. 

Lunch: Leftover beef stroganoff with spaghetti squash

Snack: Apple and almond butter, of course!

Dinner: Roast is in the crockpot! Actually, this will technically be considered "Beef and Onions," because I also forgot carrots at the store and don't really like them anyway. I love roast solely for the onions.

I may or may not have gotten four of them sliced and shoved in there with the roast. My hands may or may not have also reeked of onions during church. 

Jesus still loves me. 

Today I love: My new sandals I bought for our trip! Strappy. 


13 July 2013

30 Day Paleo Challenge - Day 21

Going into this last stretch of the Paleo Challenge is going to be, well, a challenge.

I have a new cookbook: Primal Cravings by Megan and Brandon Keatly, who are also the hosts of the website Health-Bent. I want to try so. many. of these recipes!

However, we have a slight problem.

We're leaving in approximately nine days for our pre-anniversary trip to St. Lucia.

Pre-anniversary, meaning I'm-married-to-a-teacher-slash-baseball-slash-golf-coach-so-the-last-week-of-July-is-our-one-shot-at-a-vacation-in-between-school-and-games-and-practice.

When you're anniversary falls in November, you know any chance at something other than dinner at Applebee's on a non-game night is out of the question.

So here's my dilemma. I really want to try some new paleo recipes to keep my interest and motivation going, but on the other hand, I don't want to go buy a lot of groceries or have a lot of leftovers sitting in the fridge for a week and a half while we're gone. So the search is on for recipes that will make a lot so I can eat on it all week, but that will be easy to freeze while we're gone.

Obviously, I need another roast. This time with more onions. There ain't no such thing as too many onions.

It's crockpot cooking at it's finest, plus I'll have paleo leftovers waiting for me to get back on track after an all-inclusive week at Sandals.

I also found a beef stroganoff recipe that looks pretty good - beef and mushrooms, what's not to love? I just know Matt won't touch it because of 1) the mushrooms and 2) it's paleo, but I might just make it anyway. He's good with grilling himself a burger. He won't starve.

Nelson's Family Farm (where I keep feeding my addiction of baby tomatoes and Fuji apples) has spaghetti squash year-round that would go great as a base for the stroganoff. It's a rainy weekend, and this is such a great comfort food. I think I'll try it out.

Lunch ideas for this next week: as I've mentioned, I need something portable for the road  - especially after this past week, when I got a new patient on the completely opposite side of the county from my assigned territory. Like 15 miles away. 

I'm seriously ok with it. Yes, it's a lot of driving, but I just can't pass up the 80 and 90-year-old dementia patients. They are my favorite! I want to put them in my pocket and bring them home with me. 


For real.

I found a recipe from PaleOMG that would be great for portable lunches - Bacon Meatballs! Bacon! I actually think Matt would eat this one. A couple of those plus some raw veggies and fruit...that's a fantastic lunch.

And bacon. Ohhhhh, bacon. Probably the #1 reason I've lasted through this challenge.



Truth. One eats about eight slices of bacon. Or eleven. Who's counting?

Today: 

WOD - Meeting a friend this morning to walk our dogs before the rain hits. After the walk - 100 squats with a weighted medicine ball, 100 sit-ups. Depending on how motivated I am, I might throw in some push-ups. As much as I absolutely despise push-ups, I know they're good for me. I'll probably do them out of guilt.

Breakfast: Coffee, bacon, paleo banana muffins

Lunch: Pineapple chili

Snack: Apple and almond butter

Dinner: Beef stroganoff with spaghetti squash, salad with olive oil and vinegar

Today I love: New paleo cookbooks and rainy weekends that give me the excuse to stay inside and try new recipes.