Whole 30, Awesome-ized

Starting yesterday, I embarked on a Whole 30, which is basically a 30-day whole foods cleanse based on a primal or Paleo diet (check it out here). Anyway, I knew right from the start that I was not going to have a perfect Whole 30. I know me, and I know that I tend to strive for perfection, then dump the whole project if I mess up even a tiny little bit. So, I decided straight up that I wasn't going to be perfect and hopefully this will make it more sustainable for me.

Yes, I'm a wuss...plenty of people do a Whole 30 without cheating at all, but I do not have that kind of willpower or stick-to-it-abilities. I know that about myself, so I'm doing the cleanse in a way that I feel can be sustained for a whole thirty days. Basically my planned-cheats are a daily cup of coffee with a bit of stevia and cream. Though last night I did have a small dessert (I know....one day and I go off the wagon!)...but the husband had friends over and they brought dessert and I didn't want to be rude (I promise, I just had a tiny bit...and YES, I paid for it later....bloating, tummy upset, blech!)

To prepare for the cleanse, I made a menu for the week (something I've never done) and went grocery shopping for the specific items on the list. Usually I just wing it and thus end up with things I never eat, or a bunch of random stuff that doesn't go together into anything resembling a meal. This will be better. The fridge is packed to the gills with produce, so it's my challenge to eat it all by the next shopping day. I hate throwing out food, so that's even more reason to stay on plan :-)

Here is what my menu looks like, complete with assignments for prep work in the far right column....this comes in especially handy as I head into my work week (Friday, Saturday night).

So, there you have it folks...we'll see if I can keep this up. I know I definitely need to lose weight, but I am going to try to focus instead on how I feel and hope that weight loss is an added bonus. I am also going to try to incorporate more exercise, which will be a combination of barre workouts, cycling and ramping up my Cough-to-5K running again. Stay tuned and stay awesome!

Down 5 pounds :-)

Woo hoo, ya'll. I have been low-carbing, no-sugaring, gluten-free-ing for the past 9 days and I finally got up the courage to step on the scale this morning....down exactly 5 pounds. Woah! I don't expect to lose this much each week, since the fastest weight loss is always the initial loss....but still! I'd be ecstatic with a "normal" 2 pound loss per week. When I get back from my lunch date and running errands today, I'll post some links to some of the low-carb recipes I've been using lately along with reviews. Now it is time to go do my hair...having lunch with a friend and one of our nursing school professors. It's SO HARD to call her Kathy and not Professor Rose!

May I Introduce...The Incredible Shrinking Boom-Boom

Well, after years and years of poo-pooing low carb lifestyles, I have finally become a believer. For the past two weeks I cut out ALL sugar and ALL refined carbohydrates plus all grains, wheat, pastries, cereal, pasta, donuts, pizza, etc.... I am now in the 120's again! I seriously cannot believe it...and the best part is, it wasn't hard at all. I felt crappy around days 2-4, but have felt amazing ever since. I am slowly adding more carbs back into my diet because I seriously do not want to lose weight THIS fast as I want it to stay off forever! I do think I will be done with sugar...I haven't had a single headache in two weeks AND my blemishes are clearing up...my skin looks great! PLUS, my husband agreed a while back to give me $50 for every pound lost...I've already made $350! I'll end up with a total of $1200 to go shopping...happy dance happy dance!

So, if anyone is interested, here is what I've been eating: LOTS of veggies...as in TONS AND TONS of veggies. Eggs for breakfast, salads for lunch and either salad for dinner, a vegetarian entree of some kind or fish and veggies. Did I mention the veggies?

The website that totally inspired me and has kep me on track is www.sugarfreesheila.com. Not only is she cute as a button, but extremely helpful and motivating. If you are interested in exploring a sugar free life, please check it out!

Lost Half a Pound...I'm back baby!

I am just trying out my new weight-loss ticker...see if this works.




Did it work? Yes it did! (update...no it didn't!)

In hair news...I am entering the bag-lady stage. Here's proof:

My big fat ass

So my friend Pam came to visit for a few days and during that time she got suckered in to messing around with my husband's flight simulator computer game. Well, the experience "turned her ugly" (her words), and she proceeded to tell me to sit my "fat ass down and try it". The sad thing about this little ditty is that she's right...my ass is fat. I have been working on some weight loss strategies lately, but kinda goofing them up. Example: I read a few books about NOT dieting...using your "thintuition" and just eating when I was hungry and stopping the food fest when I was no longer hungery. The problem? I took this as a license to eat junk food and didn't eat much "real food". Not good.

So now that I am back to my "nearly vegan" ways, I am expecting the fat to just slide right off, provided I don't fall into the vegan junk food trap. One bonus I have noticed after 3 weeks of NO dairy and NO meat...LESS CELLULITE! Now, I haven't quantified it or anything, but my buns look decidedly less dimply (though, according to Pam..still fat). I will see if I can count them or something and report back.

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Good Kitty: Went to Wendy's for a quick lunch and got a baked potato (dry) and a side salad. NO FRIES!!!

Bad Kitty: Meant to workout this morning...opted to snuggle instead.

Short Term Goal: Increase my run/walk laps from 6 to 8 by June 4th, with one full running lap in there somewhere.

Nursing Goal Update: Enrolled in Microbiology and Sociology for next semester. The Biology class is going to take some creative scheduling with my work folks. Hmmmm...

Going back to my old ways...

Well, I am going back to my old ways ladies and gents...and no, that does not mean I'm practicing the wild and loose behavior of my college days. It means I am "going veg" baby! The reason I say I am "nearly vegan" is based on two things: 1) I am not perfect and occasionally take a bite of a luscious restaurant-created dessert that more than likely includes dairy; 2) Like many gals, I have a shoe and handbag fetish that I hope to cure someday. So rather than put myself out there as a full-on vegan, I am being completely honest with my "nearly vegan" lifestyle. The main challenge will be not freaking out my husband who, for some reason, gets all uptight when I talk about being a vegetarian. So, I'm just not going to mention it...it's already been 3 weeks and he hasn't even noticed (or at least he hasn't complained!).

I am also in the process of trying to lose some weight, which is one of the reasons I turned back to my nearly-vegan lifestyle. I was vegetarian for a couple of years (vegan for most of that time), but got hit with some major food boredom once I stopped spending any quality time in the kitchen...I hardened my heart, repressed everything I knew about animal suffering and health and embarked on a 3-year journey back to the average American diet. Not only have I gained about 20 pounds (ugh!), I never did feel quite right about it, but went along with the crowd and chose convenience over compassion.

Well those days are over...the more I read about the food industry and the intelligence and beauty of animals, the more I want to do my small part to help end animal suffering AND achieve optimal health. So...come along with me on this exciting journey as we explore the scrumptious world of vegan eatin'!