Super bowl = Super Cheats

I did fairly well until today and it was a pretty downhill day, I had some chips and some crackers and some cheese - ok lots of cheese and a few m & m's.  I have a sore throat - had one last night.  I will report back how I feel tomorrow.  I am all set for a great paleo week and am really excited about the gym tomorrow, as is Layla.  Her energy level is back in full force, we had a wicked game of tag when I got home and she is doing some boredom biting.  I would say if she seams well this week then it will be back to the park for her, to burn off some of this energy and play.  I know she misses playing and deserves some serious running.  She is something else and I am amazed at the amount of happiness and joy she has brought in my life.

I got some sad news this weekend, my roommate is moving out, we've had some ups and downs, nothing horrible and he has been a great roommate.  I will miss the friendship and the income (the freedoms this has allowed me).  I like having someone around, it is nice to be alone, and he is pretty funny.  It is always a bummer for me when someone moves out, I always wonder if I'll try and get another roommate or what will happen - guess that is for life to figure out.

Day 30 and all the jeans fit...

I'm sorry I haven't blogged about the trip home, I stayed true to the diet, it wasn't easy.  I really saw where my eating habits started, to be fair to my Mom we do eat really healthy and she always had a veggie and a meat for us, but we were grain heavy and it made this trip home challenging.

My flight was 7 hours late yesterday, this led to a very difficult day 30, very difficult.  I did make it without cheating, but the time I was going to use to shop and prep for today was out the window.  Thank God for freezing my leftovers, today I had more chili and lots of eggs!  LOL!

The jeans really do fit, I just tried on my last pair, I'll take some pictures this weekend.  I am so beat right now that I just want to blog quick and go to bed, so that I can get up and continue living this way.

Here is my post on the Whole 30 from today, it sums stuff up nicely

Day 30 -

Long Post Warning***

Yesterday was the hardest day, I thought I had planned, I had two snacks and a meal with me, but then it happened…I was stuck in an airport, not just any airport, the airport in Pasco, Washington. Little doesn’t describe it well. The airline ordered us pizza’s, we were stuck for 7 hours. Thank goodness that the snack bar had a ‘Washington’ food section and there I found an 10 oz bag of no sugar added, cashew, pistachio, almond, dried cherry mix that cost $10, it was worth it. I made it! I will go over-prepared for now on. :)

Day 30

Stats:

Start Weight 156
Start Pants size 10/33

30 Day weight 140
30 Day pants size 8 (some 6s) / 29

The true victories:

I haven’t slept soundly for at least 3 years and I’ve had recurring nightmares since childhood, I never wake up hungry, I hate going to bed at night. As you can see I have sleep problems. Day 10 slept through the night, by Day 15 I was waking up hungry, I don’t always eat something, but waking up hungry is a start and a goal of mine is to eat breakfast everyday in Feb.
I look forward to going to bed now, I don’t have nightmares, I feel full and not anxious at night. I really believe my nightmares and therefor my anxiety about sleeping was caused by sugar binges late at night. I think this made my brain more active and with my imagination it was a bad combo and became a really horrible cycle. Afraid of sleeping, eat sugar to stay awake, fall asleep, dream horrible, wake up panic stricken and in a sweat, repeat for the last 20 years of my life.

I’m not sure thank-you covers this – Dallas and Melissa from the bottom of my heart – THANK-YOU!
Fellow participants – THANK-YOU – I used your recipes, your encouragement, your struggles to do this and without you I am certain I would not have done it.
Melicious – Your blog rocks! Your recipes are awesome and fun and your joy shows through in every word you write, continue to rock!
Heidi – your story completely inspired me.

As Wayno said earlier this isn’t the end it really is the beginning and tomorrow will be day 31 and so forth.

Day 25 - Feeling Great!

Had an awesome workout today - thanks Ken for giving me the help and direction!  I did the Crossfit Endurance workout on top of my strength work (squat day).  I am squatting, ok it is to a box, and it is with hardly any weight, but everyone starts somewhere.  Endurance work was a row:  Row 1 minute, rest 50 sec, row 1 minute, rest 40 sec, row 1 min, rest 30 ----- so on and then back up again.  It was tough, but worth it.  I am having so much fun in the gym again and feel really challenged!

B - Americano, with coconut milk
L - Chili over cauliflower
S - Elk stick, cherries, and coconut milk smoothie (only had a few drinks of this)
D - two eggs with a big bowl of chili (thank goodness I made that chili on Sunday!)

I cleaned out the fridge and froze stuff and made some snacks for my traveling booty tomorrow.  I just need to shower, pack, and get my ass to bed!  I am super excited about spending my sisters birthday with her.  I have not spent a birthday with her in 18 years, how does that happen?  It is pretty sad, but I am so excited to go home and hang out with her!

My posts may be limited this weekend, but I'll catch up on Sunday or Monday to finish up this challenge!

Day 24 - I am forgetting what day it is now...

Really busy and somewhat stressful day at work, I also took Ms. Layla to the vet today, it looks like she has kennel cough.  Which means that Aunt Tina cannot watch her this weekend (we can't have the Changer's getting sick), this left me with few options as all my friends that can help out have dogs and the vet said she is probably still contagious.  I am going home this weekend for my sisters birthday, I haven't gone home for her birthday for 18 years...
Chance to the rescue, he said he will watch her, I know it is a burden on him and I feel really bad about it, but she will be comfortable here and hopefully get better and that way after next week she will be about back to normal.  They say 4 to 6 weeks with Kennel cough and it's been a week, I guess I didn't plan well for if she is sick and I am traveling....

On the plus side - paleo is awesome and I feel awesome!  I am going to stick with this through Feb, I am thinking I will be able to see ab muscles by my birthday!  So, we will track to that.  I will have a few cheats at the beginning of Feb and a tequila tasting at the end of Feb, but other then those planned cheats I believe it is going to be straight back on it.

B - Americano - with coconut milk
L - Chili with cauliflower
S - elk stick and some cherries
D - stir-fried cauliflower (riced), with coconut ammino's and red bell peppers, and some pepper'd shrimp

Dinner - I totally threw this together at the last minute, I had some peppers I need to dice and freeze and figured I'd throw some in with my cauliflower that I was making to use up and put in the chili.  The stir-fry smelled so good that I added the ammino's and figured it wouldn't go with the chili any longer so I de-thawed some shrimps, flash fried them and wah-la a totally different and completely yummy dinner.  I now have 4 more servings of chili in the freezer, 3 baggies of red bell peppers (great for eggs), a baggie of stir-fried cauliflower for last minute meal, and a bunch of stuff used up before I travel!  Fewwwww,  now I need to pack and order some Vit C for the puppers.

Can you believe it is only 7 more days?  It feels like the time has flown by, this weekend should be interesting, but I know I can do it!

Day 23 - I can't believe I'm in single digits

Ahhh Day 23 one week until I'm done with the challenge - the question remains will I fit into my last pair of jeans?  That is yet to be answered and I'm traveling this weekend - a little scary!

B - Americano with my coconut milk creamer (coconut milk, blended with cinnamon and nutmeg)
L - Chili
S - two elk sticks, coconut milk smoothie, and some cherries
D - I stir-fried some cauliflower, this was yummy and made on the fly, and added it to my chili

Stir-fried cauliflower

1 head cauliflower (chopped small)
3 tbls coconut oil
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

I heated the oil, added the cauliflower and season and let it cook stirring occasionally.  Super yummy and really fast - will use this in the future.

I had a great strength workout and then did some interval rowing, really working on getting some cardio back.  I sure wish I would have taken a body fat percentage before starting paleo, I have a feeling I am loosing fat, but am not sure and it would be fun thing to look at next week.  My Mom sent me a picture of me at Christmas that is really depressing and I am going to post it and a picture of me in the same dress now, I think that will be enough to show the change in my body comp.

Now off to shower and get me and the puppers ready for bed!

Day 22 - Not feeling great -

Woke up today with a tummy ache and just all over not feeling good, this led to not really eating, I really wanted tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich (talk about comfort food).

B - coffee
S - coconut milk smoothie with blueberries (organic these were super duper yummy)
L - a small bowl of chili (which turned out great, I just couldn't eat much)
D - an egg w/ green chili and some chicken sausage

I'll probably head to bed early and try and shake my tummy being upset, cannot believe I'm in the single digits!

Day 21 - THE HOLY GRAIL!!!! I found bacon without sugar...

I did - it's true - bacon, delicious, wonderful, smokey, bacon with out sugar!  I went to a place called 'The Meat Shop' today, as they have grassfed beef and humanly raised pigs, they also make their own sausage and bacon.  I didn't want to go too crazy and spend a bunch of money, but I bought meat for chili, a bunch of bacon, and some bones for Layla.  (who is just as happy with her bone as I am with my bacon)

B - Coffee w/coconut milk cream, two eggs scrambled with chicken sausage
L - None (oops)
D - 4 pieces of back-bacon, a tomato, and an avocado
S - I haven't had one yet, but I'm thinking of coconut milk, so I'll probably make me a smoothie soon

I got my brows and my hair done, I really like my hair and I went to a new lady at the Aveda salon, we have a vision of how I want my hair to look, it will take a couple months, but she is sure we can get there. I feel like 2010, was a pity party stuck in a rut year; and 2011 is already a 'YAY-FOR-ME' year!  I am so grateful for all my friends that helped me through last year and am so excited about all the fun we are going to share this year.

I'll be posting about my 'Paleo-Pants-Party' tomorrow as I make chili, but I'm in a pair that I haven't worn in forever and feeling pretty awesome about that too!  Oh and a shout-out to Ken for making me do all those good-mornings yesterday my hamstrings are on fire, hmmm will those work in place of lunges?  I sure hope so, I really can't lunge.

I can't believe I'm in single digits with this challenge, I'm already planning my meals for the week after the challenge so I don't slip off, I'm going to be working on my bikini quest next!