Happy New Year, Happy Valentine's Day, etc....

I know, radio silence.

I joined 2 weight loss challenges (diet bet-style) in January. My goal was to lose 4% of my body weight. I faltered around the first few weeks of January, but got my act together the very last week and started really researching macros again. On January 31, my weigh out POINT THREE POUNDS from my 4% goal. I can't explain how irritated I was at myself for letting that happen! BUT between Jan 25 and the 30, I dropped over 2lbs. JUST following my macro numbers TO A TEE.


I saw so much success in just those few days with macros ("IIFYM") that I have been following this religiously for the last several weeks. My weight continues to go down and - maybe more importantly - I don't feel restricted or "bad" or wrong if I eat something "off plan" - because there is NO OFF PLAN!

Whole30 is amazing - I think everyone should try it - but it's just not a way of life for me. If I had discovered a sensitivity or allergy to a food or food group, maybe it would be easier to tolerate. But I have a problem where if you tell me I can't have something, I want NOTHING ELSE but that one thing and when I do have it, I have ALL of it.

The other thing about IIFYM is that I think I'm finally giving my body enough calories of the right quality. I'm meeting a protein goal of 144g/day (my objective is to hit +/- 5g of my goal), my carb rate is 206g and my fat is 73g.

I actually quite enjoy playing "Macro Tetris" at night to see what will fit with my leftover macros. I need to get better about spreading them out throughout the day for sure - One day last week I had a 227g of Greek yogurt with 1 1/2 servings of almond flake cereal haha!  So my goal is to start averaging out my macros and hitting specific numbers at each meal.

I'll get putting my progress pictures up. I will say, January wasn't a total bust. I lost 7.5 lbs total and 10" over my body in general! Now that the baby is sleeping (WOOHOO) I have been excited to get to the gym more and work out! I am re-starting Jamie Eason's LiveFit training - day one was last week. However due to schedule issues, I will be stretching it out a LOT more than I did last time. I was generally on point with Phase 1, but I know as the workouts get longer, I will need to make adjustments to how many times a week I go. Plus - I am DYING to get out and run! We moved to a new area last June and there is an amazing people trail that I CANNOT wait to get on with the jogging stroller!

So the next few weeks, months will be balance - balancing my family with my health, balancing my macros, balancing my time.

Slow....

Slow progress. Slower results. More backsliding. 

I was on a good clip in November... hit my lowest weight since I had Miss M, but fell right back into bad habits and lost it. 

I printed out the first week of Jamie Eason's Post Pregnancy training tonight. It's all stuff I can do at home, while M naps or plays in her jumperoo. It's been hard to get to the gym regularly, trying to balance the schedules for both the big kids in school, plus sports. I have a hard time shutting down and going to bed early. I have a wicked sweet tooth. All of these are just excuses, I know. I keep waiting for that moment when we fall into a routine, but it just isn't happening.  There's always something "extra" going on that messes with our schedules, if even just holidays and special events. 

I've been doing a decent job on water (have really focused on getting 100+ oz a day) and trying to get good food in my system. I have a hard time in the 3-5pm time period. Goal is to keep chugging water at that time instead of stuffing my face. M is sleeping better now, so I feel like I'm coming OUT of the "survival mode" time and it feels like the right time to ramp up my focus and training.  But even if I can only make it to the gym 1-2 times a week, I am hoping that I can get my food choices (primarily the sweets!) under control. 

So... this is just a brain dump. It's been awhile since I posted here so maybe keeping accountable here will help too.    Tomorrow I plan to take my measurements, but I likely won't start the Jamie Eason plan until Wednesday as I have (yet another) project that will take up my "free time" tomorrow. 

November - Already?

Well look at that. The 11th month is already here.  I had high hopes for this year, including making it back to 150. 

However, over the course of a year, I have done some pretty amazing things.  I have run my 5th half marathon, my 4th 10K, completed a 12 week lifting program and done 1 full (and 2 half) Whole30s.  I have tested some new things to see what I can do to make myself better and healthier. I have dragged my family through most of it (they are great sports!)

So I am not where I want to be with my weight. And I honestly haven't had my body fat tested lately, although it's on my list of "Things to Do" next time I go to the gym.  But I feel like I have a greater understanding of my body, what makes it tick and what makes it sloth... 

I am in a fitness group that will start reading It Starts with Food as a group this week.  The plan is to do a GROUP Whole30 starting January 1, after reading the entire book.  I haven't committed to it yet, I just haven't decided if I am in the right place mentally. But the more I talk to people, the more I find myself saying "Oh, that wasn't a problem for me during my Whole30!" or "Whole30 fixed that in me!" and wonder why I wouldn't do another one?  It will have been 4 months since my last attempt and will probably be a great time to go for it.  I know Paleo is NOT for me as a lifestyle, but a good kick-start never hurt anyone. 

My weigh in on November 1 was a wakeup call (166). I'd been drowning myself in candy for a good week. I knew my October weight out was going to be HORRIBLE. Things can only go down from here.  So I recalled my first goal of the year - to fit into that Believe shirt. I still have time - my goal is to wear that shirt as much as possible starting the day after Thanksgiving. What does that mean? That means I have to clean up my food for the rest of November. I have to be spot-on with my working out and my water intake (I STINK at drinking water!! Coffee until it's time for wine, people!) 

I am definitely reevaluating the weight goal of 150 that I originally had for myself. I no longer think there is a magical scale number that will make me suddenly "healthy." Instead I am going for fitting in certain clothes and a body fat percentage as close to 22% as I can get.  I think I've mentioned this before, but the lowest I've ever gotten my BF% was during the clean eating phase we did last year. We still eat pretty closely to that, although I have never found a whole wheat or rice pasta that tasted worth eating so we still eat white pasta.  But I have homemade spices and sauces now for a long time and will continue to do so.  

So sorry for the rambling post. Nothing earth shattering today, just trying to get all of my thoughts out on what the last 10 months has brought me - almost right back to where I was at the start of the year...    

I DID IT!

I FINALLY finished the Jamie Eason plan!! (About 2 weeks ago, I've just been slacking on blogging :-) It was definitely an awesome plan!!!  It was intimidating to try things that I haven't done before (dead lifting and using the squat rack!) but it starts out easy (beginner level for sure) and works up.  I started spacing things out a bit at the end, the workouts got longer (1 1/2 hr and more) and I felt like I needed to take some days off to spend more time at home with my family.

I don't think I took before/after pictures, but I can DEFINITELY see an improvement! My favorite "result" - my TRICEP!  It's awesome now! :-)

So, I finished.  My running is in a weird place (I'm much more bulky than I used to be) so I will be spending the next few months focusing again on my cardio.  I am registered for the Halloween 10K and the Cowbell Half Marathon again in October and I am DEAD SET on PR'ing both of them!

Just proud to say I finished the whole program!!!

fat kid on the block...

Man!  I am almost done with the Jamie Eason plan (you know, the 12 week one that has taken me almost 16...??) - just 2 workouts left!  I am getting back to taking some of the awesome cardio classes I used to take and I'm finding that I am so disappointed!!

Not in the classes, those are awesome as always. But in myself! My stamina is in the toilet, I feel like the fat kid in the room in all of them!  I know that I have surely "bulked up" a bit doing this plan but boy, I didn't think I would do it to the detriment of my cardio goals!   I went to my favorite cardio class this am and we did an easy ("easy") one mile run down and up hill.  You would have thought they asked me to run sprints for a half marathon I was so winded and spent! Last one back to the room, heart bursting through my chest, sweat pouring off of me....

I KNOW the lifting has been a great addition to my fitness routine, but now at the end of this plan, I JUST want my cardio back.  I love lifting, proud of myself for lifting heavier and heavier and even more proud of my tricep muscle that is present no matter what...  but now I need to get back to a place where I don't feel like an elephant when I run!!

Here we go again!!!

I miss this chick...

 I have felt like COMPLETE crap since my Whole30 ended. I've posted a few times, I've wallowed a lot more than that. I feel like I have no willpower now.  I don't even track my food obsessively in MFP anymore - because Whole30 was SO freeing about not doing it.  But when you're eating cheese and crackers, pasta and drinking half and half - and let's not get started about the amount of alcohol I've been drinking - tracking becomes MUCH more important.

I miss the clear headedness. I miss waking up refreshed. I miss not having any sore joints. I FELT stronger. I FELT thinner/less bloated and my head felt clearer.

Almost everyday I wake up and think "I'm going to eat Whole30-like today" and I immediately break it when I pour half and half into my coffee. Or when I lick the knife I just used to make my daughter's peanut butter sandwich.  Then I figure, "I slashed one tire, let's take care of the other three!"

So instead of beating myself up, mentally then at the gym, physically. . . instead of feeling guilt and denial that my eating DOES affect my life -- I'm going to DO something about it. I'm learning the truth - you really CAN'T outrun a bad diet!!  I can burn 500 calories or more a day in a workout, but if I come home and drink beer, eat chips and gorge on pasta - I might as well have stayed home.

Tomorrow I will start a Whole14. Just two weeks, 14 days, of "Whole30" eating.  I will go back to the basics of it.  Then, maybe on the flip side when I remember how GOOD it feels and how I DO have the willpower -- maybe then I can stick with something MODERATE.

I have 10 workouts left in the Jamie Eason training.  I apparently don't know how to deadlift because I hurt my neck on Tuesday doing them. I was out of commission yesterday. I PROBABLY could have gone back today but we had other things for school to get done. Tomorrow, I will head back.  Once I'm done with this training I am so excited to start running again. Maybe I'll start using all of those interval running workouts I have pinned on Pinterest! And of course, after a 12 week lifting program, I will be continuing with my training.

But for tonight, I drink up. 

Crickets...

I know things have been quiet. With the end of school for my daughter, my husband changing jobs and a fairly serious injury by my son, I haven't been to the gym like I should. I haven't been eating like I should. I certainly feel like crap and I can't wait to feel better. 

As soon as I feel like I can get out from under this giant black cloud, I will be back. I hauled myself to the gym today for leg day, which is always my favorite, and I think I'll be able to get back into my groove soon! 

I can definitely tell a difference between now and Whole30.  And every morning I wake up and tell myself "I will eat Whole30 today!" and fail by my first cup of coffee with my delicious half and half.  If I could even just get back to eating MOSTLY vegetables at my meals it would be mostly better, but I just haven't felt it. It's been all about the comfort food! 

I will get back, I promise. I'm excited to start my running training, but I MUST complete the Jamie Eason LiveFit training first. I have 2 days left in week 10 (weeks 9 & 10 have taken me about a month to complete.....)  then onto weeks 11 and 12.  

Final Stats from Whole30

I learned today that PEAS aren't allowed on Whole30. I truly had NO idea. So if you're looking to do one, don't eat peas!  

Aside from the whole "no peas" thing,  we finished a successful (as far as we knew) Whole30! 

Here are my stats ! 

 I've had more energy, I have successfully weaned myself from an antidepressant and I feel stronger. I didn't have the amazing results I've seen around the forums and Whole30 sites, but to be honest, I didn't have a ton of weight to lose to get to goal. I hoped to get closer to my goal weight, but I can't turn my nose up at a 6.5 lb loss in a month. 

I think I've said it here before, we won't be paleo after this - it's just not sustainable to us. Unless we find that someone in our family reacts poorly to something during reintroduction, we will return to "clean eating." My husband and I agree that this is an excellent "reboot" and we will try to complete 2 Whole30's per year. 

I won't even go so far as to say everyone should do this. It's NOT for everyone. But if you feel that you need a good body reset, if you feel like you have inflammation or AI issues, if you feel like you need CONTROL of it for awhile - this is for you.  I didn't hit my goal weight. I didn't even lose as much as I hoped, but I also am a lot closer to my goal than someone coming from a SAD (standard American diet) because of the small changes we've gradually made over the years. It's been hard for me not to compare my results to ALL THE OTHER people who have completed a Whole30. "Why didn't I lose that much?" "Why didn't I get the tiger blood feeling?"  But I can't do that. I am not them. They are not ME! 

I can only go so far as to be proud of my 6.5 lbs, my 1.1% body fat loss, the teeeensy tiny abs I see in my "after" pictures. The fact that I am off an antidepressant I've been on for as long as I can remember. That I don't NEEEEEEED coffee to get me moving in the morning (in fact, most mornings lately, I FORGET to make a cup until around 10am!) 

It's completely embarrassing to put these pictures out publicly, but I am proud of where I am now. I admit, the fact that there are baby abs pushing through in the bottom left picture is a little addicting and I want to keep moving in that direction.  We are a few days out now and I've been adding in "prohibited" foods - I feel them. I have been more bloated-feeling and I miss the feeling of thinning out. I am going to try to start making a conscious effort to get back to tracking macros (without such a RIDICULOUS number for my protein!) and go back to a "clean" approach - with whole grains and lots of starchy carbs instead of processed stuff. 

I've missed a few days of the Jamie Eason plan - and I'm ok with it. It was getting to be a LOT of time spent at the gym, when I really needed to be spending more with my kiddos (you know, the reason I left my job?).  So I'm spacing out the workouts a little more. I am going to complete day 61 tomorrow, which is the 5th day of week 9. Today is technically the 2nd day of week 10, so I am only 4 days behind. 

I am going to start adding some running into the mix too. I registered for the Halloween 10K (fourth year in a row!) and the Mo' Cowbell Half again for this fall, so I need to get my butt in gear! I registered my expected finish time for the half to be 2:15!! 6 min shorter than my last! So I have a lot to prove - if only to myself. 

So as always, I finished up one thing and I'm on to the next. We will revisit the Whole30 concept again, hopefully a few times a year. If NOTHING else, it's a good reminder that I DO possess will power. I CAN control my eating, I can accomplish what I set out to do. 

Eeeeeek!!! Day **25**

I am in absolute disbelief that we are on day 25 already. And yet I feel like we've been doing this FOR.EV.ER

I can't wait to step on a scale (yes I will be going back to it!) and take my measurements. I will be doing a final write up when we're done (MONDAY!)

I haven't talked about it much but I'm still working through the Jamie Eason training plan!  Day 58 was today and this week has been KILLER so far!!  I am a day behind, and will probably start getting more behind in the next few weeks, as we have a bunch of commitments as school winds up for the year. But I'm not stressing about it, because I am staying with it. I refuse to give up this close to the end! (I'm midway through week 9, it's a 12 week program!)

I feel stronger and I feel like my arms and legs have thinned out. I can't wait to get my body fat measured again to see if there's a difference. It's honestly the ONLY true difference I can think I've experienced. I don't feel like I've lost any weight. I certainly don't feel allergy free - my entire family has the WORST allergy/cold symptoms right now! 

So just a few more days!!    Most excited? 

WINE. 

We will definitely be having a celebratory glass of wine Monday night!! Whoop whoop!

Week 3 - 3/4 done!

Sunday 

Day 15:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 cups of power greens, 2 homemade sausage patties

PreWO: handful of almonds

Lunch: Sweet potato & bacon hash. 

Dinner: Smoked brisket, curried cauliflower, sautéed asparagus, baked sweet potato.

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 48 - Back/rear delts

Total Time: 58 min

Total Calories Burned: 211 calories

Monday

Day 16:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 cups of power greens, 1/4 avocado, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 2 HB egg whites, some greens (not much), some plantain chips, a baby cucumber and a few olives. Was NOT feeling lunch today  

Dinner: Smoked brisket on power greens, broccoli, olives, carrots. Tessamae's balsamic. 

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 50 - arms, abs, cardio

Total Time: 72 min

Total Calories Burned: 465 calories

So emotional today. SO OVERLY EMOTIONAL!  I cried because I didn't know what to serve for dinner....   

Tuesday

Day 17:

Breakfast: 3 scrambled eggs, 2 cups of power greens, 1/2 avocado, coffee with coconut milk

Lunch: 1 HB egg, carrot & cucumber sticks, some "best chicken you'll ever eat," and a few slices of orange. 

Dinner: Buffalo chicken lettuce wraps with avocado, tomato & celery. Green beans. Sweet potato fries.

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 51 - legs

Total Time: 60 min

Total Calories Burned: 284 calories

We went to a local children's museum today. They have a VERY nice restaurant attached, which I have always considered fairly healthy. I KNEW going in that we wouldn't be able to eat there, though. They are sandwiches/salads/soups.  The sandwich I usually get is a GF bread, roast beef, horseradish mayo and red onions/spinach.  I can't trust the roast beef, obviously could't eat the bread or mayo...   They have a "no outside food" policy but I just couldn't think of any one thing we could have eaten there. So I packed lunch, ready to defend my choice if someone asked. Thankfully, no one did, but it really opened my eyes to all the "healthy" things we used to think were great options that during this Whole30 just aren't possible. 

Wednesday: 

Day 18:

Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 homemade sausage patties, mushrooms, poblano pepper scramble - 2 cups of power greens, 1/2 avocado, coffee with coconut milk  <-- My breakfast scramble was THE MOST disgusting thing I've ever tasted. And I found a ladybug wing on my lettuce (are they whole30?!?!) so I got super grossed out. Wound up eating 2 HB egg whites and a banana... I know, not enough, but I was over it!

Lunch: "Best chicken you'll ever eat" - about 2/3 of a breast, green beans, 1/2 plate covered in roasted broccoli, small handful of olives

Dinner: Eggplant sausage strata (BIG fail with everyone but me!), spaghetti squash, sauteed zucchini. 

Workout: Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer day 52 - chest/abs/cardio 

Total Time: 78 min

Total Calories Burned: 429 calories

WHERE IS MY TIGER BLOOD?!

Thursday: 

Day 19:

Breakfast: 3 eggs,  2 cups of power greens, banana, coffee with coconut milk 

Lunch: Two hard boiled eggs made into "deviled eggs" by mixing the yolks with a whole grain mustard.  a few bites of brisket. 

Snack:  Almonds and dried pineapple.

Dinner: Well Fed carnitas, sage roasted acorn squash, roasted asparagus.

Workout: Forced rest day (sick kiddo at home)

Total Time: 0

Total Calories Burned: 0

Totally failed today as far as eating. Lunch just didn't sound good. I nibbled. A big no no, I know.  Hopefully back on track tomorrow 

Friday: 

Day 20:

Breakfast: 3 "green eggs and ham" muffins (prosciutto, spinach and eggs)

Lunch: Grass-fed hamburger with avocado, onion, tomato and a side of mixed greens.  (RESTAURANT! Yay!) 

PWO:  Almonds & HB egg white.

Dinner: Plantain nachos from Well Fed, sage roasted acorn squash. 

Workout: Jamie Eason Day 53 - Shoulders; then an 18.25 mile bike ride with my husband and son!

Total Time: 138 minutes

Total Calories Burned: 645 cals

Good Friday at church was maybe the biggest challenge yet!!  They did communion with 'real' bread (big fresh loaves of heavenly smelling wheat bread!!) and they had an "after party" with so many different desserts it was nuts.   My husband and I didn't take communion because we both knew it would have been more about the bread than the meaning.  We got the kids out with only a chunk of pineapple each (the FRUIT tray even had sugary dip!!), promising them that it was JUST as hard for mommy and daddy to walk away from the table as it was for them!! 

My kids are rock stars. <3 

Saturday: 

Day 21:

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, a few slices of starfruit. Coffee with coconut milk.

Lunch: sausage/eggplant strata, spaghetti squash, apple with almond butter.

Dinner: Grilled pork steak, veggie kebabs. 

Workout: Jamie Eason Day 54 - Legs; Jamie Eason Day 55 - Back

Total Time: 68 min

Total Calories Burned: 303 cals

I'm just ready to be done. That's all. 

Whole30 Days 4-7 Review

Whew! ONE WEEK done.

Day 4:

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins, 1/2 avocado, coffee with full fat coconut milk from a can, 2 cups super greens

Lunch: Chicken breast, super greens (probably 3 cups), Tessamae's balsamic vinaigrette, 1/2 tomato, 1 hard boiled egg & 10 dried apricots. 

Dinner: Spaghetti squash with marinara (Well Fed - the meat sauce w/o meat), 6-1Tbsp Italian meatballs, sautéed mushrooms and onions (sautéed in ghee and garlic)

One cup of coffee in the afternoon, one cup of tea at bedtime.

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 38: Legs

Total Time: 42

Total Calories Burned: 245 cals

I was able to run my whole 5 min warmup at 7.0 on the treadmill!!  My leg workout was decent, but I was under a time crunch and cut a few of my very favorite moves. Boohoo! 

Day 5:

Breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled with 1 homemade sausage and 3/4 of a green pepper, 1/2 small sweet potato, 1 cup homemade apple/pear sauce, coffee with canned coconut milk. 

Lunch: 1/2 apple, almond butter, 5 small meatballs (leftover from last night's dinner), small handful of green olives, 2 cups of sugar snap peas, coffee with canned coconut milk

Dinner: Plantain Nachos from Well Fed (plantains baked, with a taco seasoned meat), topped with tomatoes and 1/4 avocado, cumin spiced baked carrots (Well Fed) and cilantro lime cauli-rice. 

One cup of tea at bedtime.

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 39: Arms/Abs/Cardio

Total Time: 32

Total Calories Burned: haven't checked my Garmin, but I think it was around 150.

I skipped my cardio because I ran out of time before my son's swimming lessons. 

Strayed from all the greens today a bit. I started getting bored and bored on day 5 doesn't bode well for me making it all the way through! I still tried to keep the meal plan template. Dinner was probably a little starch/carb heavy but it was soooo delicious. 

 Day 6:

Breakfast: 4 eggs scrambled, 2 cups of greens, 1/2 avocado, coffee with canned coconut milk. 

PostWO: 3/4 small sweet potato, 2 slices spiced pork tenderloin

Lunch: 2 1/2 cups super greens (Actually called "power greens" at Costco), 1 HB egg, pork tenderloin, sugar snap peas, broccoli, Tessamae's balsamic 

Dinner: Homemade Italian sausage in a portobello mushroom cap with homemade marinara (from Well Fed), 1 cup green beans, 1 1/2 cups broccoli

Licked the spoon after giving my kiddos an almond butter snack!

One cup of tea at bedtime.

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 40: Shoulders/Cardio

Total Time: 1:20

Total Calories Burned: 478

Soooooo bloated today. Could probably convince people I was 3 mos pg. 

Day 7:
 Breakfast: 1 medium cooked egg, sweet potato hash with bacon, pineapple, 1/2 avocado.

Lunch: Chicken breast, green olives, carrots, sugar snap peas, radishes, 1/2 apple, 2 Tbsp almond butter.

Dinner: 1/2lb burger, 1/2 tomato, 1/2 avocado, 1 cup green beans, 1 cup baked carrots, 1/2 cup butternut squash. 

One cup of decaf coffee at bedtime.

Workout: Rest day

Total Time:

Total Calories Burned:

I was sooooooooo crabby today. So extremely crabby!! Still feeling bloated today but not as bad. Trying to drink more water today.  

Week 1 Summary thoughts: I've been crabby but without real terrible physical side effects - no nausea, no headaches or stomach aches. The lightheadedness/dizziness has eased up and I've been able to get through my day without having any today.

I haven't been hungry between meals at all. I don't know if it's that I'm balancing correctly (fat/protein/carb) or if it's my weird psychosis about things I "can't eat" but it's wokring for me!  REALLY having to hold myself back from stepping on the scale, but I will continue to take weekly progress photos, so that kind of helps me in that respect.

In total, I call week 1 a success - with one MINOR issue. I feel like I have been spending THE WHOLE DAY in the kitchen!! Wake up, make a full breakfast for 4 people, send one to school, one to work. Unload dishwasher. Reload & run dishwasher. Clean the kitchen. Go to the gym. Come home, start a full LUNCH for 3 people. Have lunch. Clean up.  Start prepping dinner items around 3 depending on the recipe. Unload dishwasher, reload dishwasher. Start fully cooking around 4:15, cook until dinner at 5:30ish, eat. Clean up. Prep for tomorrow.

I had a HUGE prep day today - will post about that later this week, along with what my kids are eating! - and got a ton of stuff out of the way. I'm hoping to stay out of the kitchen more this week, especially with good weather coming our way!

Whole30 Days 1-3 Review

Sunday afternoon I began the daunting task of getting rid of all non-compliant food from our pantry.  The picture on the left is what's left. The picture on the right is all the food that I have boxed up and hidden away.  I only threw out things that were terrible and we didn't eat anyhow - and I gave away anything that would go bad before our 30 days is over. I don't know where we will be after this - and I'm sure we won't be eating lots of it - but there was no reason to throw it away at this point. 

Day 1 is under my belt and I'm ready for to post for accountability! 

Breakfast: hot tea, eggs, super green mix (kale, chard and spinach) and 2 homemade breakfast sausages. 

Lunch: Leftover chicken breast, more super green mix, 1/4 avocado and half a tomato

Dinner: Pork tenderloin rubbed with the BBQ spice mix from Well Fed, roasted purple cabbage with ghee, asparagus wrapped in Whole30 approved bacon (yay!) and grilled pineapple. 

Late night: Hot tea. 

Workout: Rest day 

Total Time: n/a

Total Calories Burned: n/a

Day 2.

I'm going through this food detox and also detox from a medication. I've been super light headed today. I also found out some pretty devastating news about our puppy, so there's that too... 

I count it as a win that I didn't drown myself in chocolate, pasta or wine today.   Me: 1, Stress: 0

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins (bacon, tomato, spinach), 1/4 an avocado, cup of super green mix

Lunch: small chicken breast, 3 cups super green mix, 1/2 hard boiled egg, 1/2 tomato. Tessamae's balsamic dressing. Leftover roasted cabbage. 

Mid-afternoon: cup of coffee with full fat canned coconut milk

Dinner: Sunshine spiced pork tenderloin, sweet potato with ghee and cinnamon, a few cups of green beans, 2 strawberries

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 36: Shoulder/Cardio. 

Total Time: 52 Min

Total Calories Burned: 352

My workout today was 5 min warmup run, lifting routine, and it was supposed to be a 30 minute run. But I was feeling so lightheaded and weak that I only made it 14 minutes. REALLY disheartening for me not to be able to complete a simple 30 minute run.  

Please tell me this will get better!!

Breakfast: 2 egg muffins, 1/2 avocado, coffee with full fat coconut milk from a can. 

PWO Snack: very underripe banana  (I know this isn't the best choice - but we ran to the store after the gym and this was the least of all evils I could grab and eat fast!!) 

Lunch: Chicken breast, super greens (probably 2 cups), Tessamae's zesty ranch and probably 1.5 cups of broccoli. 

Dinner: Salmon recipe from Well Fed (it was delish!), Nom Nom Paleo's roasted butternut squash, cucumber salad (evoo and acv) 

I had one pecan earlier (before dinner) and another cup of coffee/coconut milk this afternoon. 

Workout: Jamie Eason Livefit Training Day 37: Chest/Abs/Cardio

Total Time: 78 min

Total Calories Burned: 482 cals

Today's workout included a 5 min sprint as a warmup, lifting (chest/abs) and a 30 min run on the treadmill. Again felt lightheaded and had to stop a few times.  Hoping my energy returns soon!! 

Feeling great otherwise. Trying to remember to drink more water is hard for me but I am getting there! 

So - 1/10th of the way in and so far, I feel alarmingly well. Although according to this timeline, the worst is coming! I'm bracing myself but I'm cautiously optimistic that it won't get too bad.