Day 30 foods

Alright so I went a little overboard with food today. I was just hungry and I ended up eating a ton! I had my usual breakfast cake with blueberries and cashew butter, plus 3 chicken sausages. I had another scoop of cashew butter around 11:30 and then headed to Chad's office where I met him for lunch. We had delicious Chipotle burrito bowls. Mine was piled high with chicken, fajita veggies, romaine, salsa, and guacamole. Absolutely delightful! Around 4 I snacked on leftover sauteed bell peppers from last night, and about 1/2 cup of leftover chicken.

For dinner I just couldn't help myself. I was craving some sweet potato fries, so that's exactly what I made. I also made spinach/basil pesto turkey burgers and roasted brussels with lots of garlic. Here's what I used for the burgers:

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 cup fresh basil
2 garlic cloves
EVOO
1 large egg
salt
1 lb ground turkey

I combined everything but the turkey in a blender and pureed. I transferred the puree to a mixing bowl and combined it with the turkey. I divided the mixture into 4 balls and formed them into patties. I stuck the patties in the fridge to firm up for about an hour. To cook I heated a pan and added coconut oil. I cooked the burgers for about 5 minutes on each side, and they came out great.

So it was certainly another successful day of Paleo, however, my carb count came out to about 145g. Just goes to show you how easy it is to consume carbs, even when you stick to fruits and veggies. Sweet potatoes are a killer, but they are full of great nutrients and I deserved them after today's WOD.

Tomorrow I plan to stick to mostly Paleo, but I see a glass of wine in my future! Got to celebrate completing this challenge!

I can't believe it...Day 30

Well friends, it is finally here, day 30 of 30 days of paleo! When I started the challenge, I was really skeptical about being able to be strict for 30 days straight, but again, this is why I believe writing down your goals, is so essential. If you take the time to write them out, make them specific, timed, and realistic, you are so much more likely to have success. My whole motivation for starting this blog was to document my experience and hold myself accountable to completing this challenge.

Today, Chad and I headed to CrossFit and completed the following WOD:

EMON 25minutes

10 jump lunges
10 around the worlds with plate
10 push-ups

I swear I thought this workout would never end, but once I got about halfway through I knew I'd be able to complete it. I'm telling you, CrossFit is addictive! Afterwards, as promised, I had our trainer check my measurements. I wanted to revisit my original goals and measurements  from day 1 so here they are:

Objectives:
1. eliminate processed crap from my diet while increasing protein intake
2. test out the Paleo lifestyle and see how it makes me feel and perform athletically
3. loose the excess weight gained since October 5th (my wedding day)
4. attend CrossFit no less than 4 times a week
5. sleep no less than 7 hrs/night preferably 8

Stats:
weight: 148
Waist 1 in above BB: 27 1/4
Biceps: L-10 3/4  R-10 3/4
Hips: 37
Thighs: L-22 R-22
Chest: 37 1/4 

Over all I am really pleased with my progress this month. I ate a diet rich in healthy fats, fruits and veggies, and good quality meats and eggs. I had no grains, legumes or alcohol. I did have paleo cookies one night and used unsweetened cocoa powder of 2 occasions. Again, I'm not perfect :) I attended CrossFit at least 4 times a week and sometimes 5. The one thing that I still need to work on is getting enough sleep. Here are this morning's measurements

Weight: 145
Waist: 26 3/4
Biceps: L-11 R-11
Hips: 37
Thighs: L-21 1/2 R-21 3/4
Chest: 37 3/4

Ok, so I know my measurements aren't super impressive however, I'm happy with my results. I was most concerned about dropping inches in my waist because that is the best determinate of fat loss. I lost 1/2 inch in my waist and lost between 3-4lbs. I feel really strong and I've noticed that I am more toned overall. Below are pics from this morning as well as the ones I took over the course of the challenge.

                                                                  2/7/13

                                1/9/13                 1/23/13             2/7/13

What I've really taken from this challenge is that I can do extremely well on a diet free of grains and I definitely don't need as many carbs, as I thought I would, to sustain me during workouts. I am so excited to continue to use the paleo principals as I move forward. I plan to eat about 80/20: 80%, paleo 20% not. I plan to add a small amount of dairy back as well as allow myself the occasional glass of red wine. I want to stay mostly grain free and make an effort to avoid gluten. I don't think I have a sensitivity to dairy or gluten, but I'm curious to see how I feel when I have these foods again.

For me, experimenting with diet and exercise is exciting because its like a constant science experiment to see how my body changes and reacts. I'm always in pursuit of the "perfect" combination and I love to do this because it means I am taking the time to truly listen to my body's wisdom. There is no one diet that fits everyone, we all have to find what works best for us. However, there are certain universal truths that should be taken into account.
1.Whole foods are ALWAYS best!
2. We are only as good as what our food ate, so eat grassfed whenever possible.
3. Eat as many fruits and veggies as you can stand, and do your best to buy local and organic.
4. Read labels and avoid preservatives and chemicals that you cannot pronounce.
5. Sugar/simple carbs cause blood sugar spikes, which cause your body to secrete insulin, leading to fat accumulation and storage.
6. If you do not get enough rest, no amount of diet or exercise will help you drop weight. SLEEP!

Not to worry, I plan to post today's meals and I plan to continue to write about my wellness journey. Thank you to those who have been following along. This has been a great experience!

Day 29

I cannot believe its already day 29! Today went by so fast,  that I can't believe its already over. Chad and I got up for CrossFit this morning, but were both pretty exhausted, so we had breakfast in bed instead. I headed to clinic for the day and packed left over stuffed bell peppers and spinach for lunch. I left clinic around 4:30 and headed straight to CrossFit. I wasn't really even paying attention to my drive, and it was as though my car drove itself to the gym rather than home. Tonight's WOD was "Fran"

21-15-9
Thrusters 65lbs
pull ups

I used the prescribed weight for the thrusters and used a blue to band to do my pullups. My time was 6:30, which is a great improvement from last month's time of 8:12.

When I finally got home it had been almost 7 hours since I'd last eaten, so I was ready! On Monday I threw some chicken thighs in an "Asian" marinade so when I pulled them out tonight, they were perfect. I sauteed onions, peppers, and red cabbage, and cooked up the chicken. I also made some of my cashew sauce.

I ate two good sized chicken thighs and had 3 tbsp of cashew butter! Hey, I was hungry, and my total carb count was just under 90g. No too shabby! Tomorrow is day 30... woohoo!!!

Day 28

Well Tuesday is coming to a close and I have just two days to go until I've completed 30 days of paleo! I cannot lie, I'm really looking forward to a glass of red wine...and maybe some cake. I thought about it today and this is the longest I've gone without alcohol since I was 19. Apparently this was long overdue!

Chad and I have not been doing well with getting enough sleep. I think it was 11:30 before I fell asleep last night, and we got up for CrossFit at 5:30. This has got to change ASAP! Here is today's WOD:

DYNAMIC WARM UP-
SAMSON STRETCH – 30 SECONDS
1O INCHWORM PUSH UPS
10 REACH AND ROLL
SHOULDER DISLOCATES 20 REPS
MOBILITY – SHOULDER MOBILITY DRILLS
STICK UPS 3 SETS X 10 REPS
PRONE POSITION ON FLOOR Y’S 3 SETS X 10 REPS
STOP LIGHTS 3 SETS X 10 REPS
WOD:
50 Double unders
50 Burpees
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Back extensions
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Knees to elbows
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood(W) 2 pood(M)
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
STRETCH/COOL DOWN: 

I was so proud to finish this one, even more so because I did all exercises as prescribed. I think my time was 25:28, but honestly I didn't care, I was just so glad to be done!

When we got home, I got to work on breakfast immediately because I was STARVING. Of course I had my usual, and then hopped in the shower to get ready for clinic. I was running behind so I grabbed a paleo bar and leftover brussels, and headed out the door.

After a day in clinic and swinging by my other office, and the grocery store, I was hungry and in need of some protein. I ended up eating the leftover bison burger from last night with some avocado, jalepenos, and romaine. Totally hit the spot! For dinner I threw some chicken breasts in the crock pot with marinara sauce.  I let the chicken cook down for about 3 hours and stuffed the mixture into bell peppers.

I served these up with a side salad and then decided I wanted eggs and turkey bacon instead. So, Chad ate the peppers, I had eggs. My total carb count for today was just under 80g, the lowest its been, since I started counting. Tonight my goal is to get some good quality sleep, so I don't completely crash tomorrow.

Day 27

Happy Monday friends! I'm really starting to enjoy Mondays because its my day to hang around the house and get things ready for the rest of the week. Technically its my on-call day for my doula group, but until we start getting busy with clients, I'm free to do as I please, which is a beautiful way to kick off the week. Today I plan to finish cleaning up from last night's party, and hopefully do some cooking for the week. I'll also need to go grocery shopping at some point because we're a little low on veggies and cashew butter.

After all the excitement last night, Chad and I didn't get to bed til around 11:30 so getting up at 6:30 for CrossFit was brutal. Additionally, we both stuffed ourselves at the party, so we were a bit sluggish. Here is today's WOD:

STRENGTH:
OVERHEAD SQUATS 5.5.5.5.5
OH SQUAT SHOULDER PRESS 8.8.8
WOD: WILL START ONE AT A TIME WITH SLED PUSH
SLED PUSH: 75 YARDS
3ROUNDS FOR TIME:
BATTLE ROPES: 6 CYCLE TABATTA
30 WALL BALL
10 RENEGADE ROWS
FINISH UP WITH:
SLED PULL: 30 YARDS
STRETCH/COOL DOWN

I'm happy to report that my overhead squats are finally improving and I can tell that I'm getting stronger. I think my shoulders are getting bigger and I'm just going to have to accept it.

I've been in the kitchen the majority of the day, both cleaning and cooking. I decided to make up another batch of paleo granola bars, and this time I actually measured everything. Here's the recipe:

1 cup sunflower seeds
*11/2 cups almond butter
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 chia seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3 tbsp honey
1/3 egg whites
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom

 *I used my homemade almond butter which consisted of raw almonds and coconut oil. You could sub 1 cup almond flour and a 1/3 cup coconut oil.

I mixed all the ingredients and pressed them into a parchment lined baking dish. I baked the bars at 350 for about 20 minutes until golden brown. I then removed the pan from the oven and allowed the bars to cool before cutting. In my 10X10 dish I got 10 bars. I'll wrap these individually, and they'll be a great snack for Chad to take to work.

For lunch I wanted to finish up the rest of the sweet potatoes, and peppers and onions I had last night. I only used half of the remaining sweet potato, to cut the carbs, and gave the rest to my pups. I quickly cooked up a boneless skinless chicken thigh, and some spinach, and had that as well. A perfect, filling lunch in under 10 minutes!

On Saturday, while shopping for party food, I picked up 2 lbs of grassfed ground bison on sale at Kroger. Score! I know I could try to do something creative with it, but why mess with a good thing? Chad and I both love bison burgers, medium rare, so I think that sounds like a perfect dinner. I'm planning to roast some brussels, and I'll probably make Chad a side salad.

So... I never made it to the store today because I only have one patient scheduled for tomorrow, and figured I could shop after. Instead I did a lot of cleaning and lounging :) I snacked on a carrot and some cashew butter and drank a ton of water and hot tea. Dinner turned out super yummy. Nothing like a little bacon wrapped bison and garlic brussel sprouts! Total carbs for today was 96g.

Day 25-26

Well another weekend has come and gone, and here I am trying to savor every last bit of Sunday. It was a tough week on the paleo front, mostly because I had to battle some intense cravings. I am proud to say that I stuck to paleo, with the exception of using unsweetened cocoa in my mug cakes. It is definitely important to have a plan when cravings arise, and I think I handled them well.

Yesterday I had my usual breakfast and then had to go into work for a few hours. Chad drove me, since the roads were slick, and he headed to Pf Changs for lunch. He got me an order of garlic spinach, and I ate his leftover chicken. When I got off work we headed home to relax for a few hours, and then ventured back out to get supplies for our Super Bowl party. We got the majority of our food from Costco, which was insane! There were so many people, all trying to stock up. By the time we finished shopping, Chad was traumatized and I was exhausted, so we ended up at Wholefoods for dinner. I helped myself to some pulled pork, steamed cabbage, and a bunch of roasted veggies.

All in all Saturday was pretty good. I went slightly over my carbs and ended up at 104g, but I was glad to eat a ton of veggies.

Today was super busy with cooking and cleaning in preparation for our party. Chad told me last night that there was just no way he'd be able to stick to paleo for the party and I didn't push the issue. I however, was determined to stay on track. For the party I made twice baked potatoes, buffalo chicken wings, spinach salad, jalepeno popper dip and guacamole. We also had chicken sausages and brats, and chips and salsa. Poor Chad didn't stand a chance! I made myself sauteed onions and peppers, which I ate over a roasted sweet potato with some chicken sausage. My downfall was the amount of plantain chips that I ended up eating, along with a bunch of guacamole. I also helped myself to several chicken wings (which were actually paleo friendly). I am so stuffed now and regretting the amount I consumed. I am however, proud to say that I did not have any alcohol and did eat paleo, despite all the temptation. In all honesty, even though I made all the food, I really had no desire to eat anything but the chicken wings. I didn't bother keeping track of my carb intake because I know it was ridiculous today, so I'm giving myself a break and acknowledging the accomplishment of sticking to paleo. Thursday is our last day of the challenge so my goal from now until then is to be incredibly strict, and stay within the 100g of carbs goal. I'm looking forward to taking my measurements this week.

Day 24

Happy Friday! I could not be more excited that the weekend has finally arrived. This week has kicked my butt! Hormones most definitely got the best of me, and it was a struggle to stay on track. I had intense cravings for chocolate and I was ravenous! Luckily, I didn't go too overboard however, I certainly could have done better. Two out of the last 3 nights I made mug cakes topped with cashew butter, to satisfy my craving. No, this is not terrible, but it certainly increased my carb intake.

Today, I did not eat well. I had my usual breakfast and then headed to clinic for a day of shadowing another NP. I packed some turkey-sweet potato hash, which I ended up having for lunch. I had a scoop of almond butter for snack and then didn't have time to eat again til I finally got home at 6. I was so hungry by that point that I ate leftover meatloaf and zucchini. My vegetable intake for the day has been pitiful, which is completely unlike me. I did stay under my 100g of carbs, but I would have liked more veggies.

I planned on going to CrossFit today but the unexpected snow this morning made for a slow start. I packed clothes so that I could catch the 5:30 class, but traffic was horrific, so I missed that as well. I also can't go tomorrow because I have to work. I sound like such a downer right now, but I was really hoping to go 5 times this week!

Oh well, tomorrow is a new day and I'm looking forward to a fresh start! Now time to snuggle with Chad and the pups, and focus on getting some good quality sleep.