Day 1

I spent about 2 1/2 hours in the kitchen this morning prepping for this whole 30 challenge. I am more than ready.

Before:

And after: Meal plan for the week:  Stir fry, chicken and vegetable soup, pork loins with roasted brussel sprouts, salmon cakes with roasted carrots/sweetpotatoes, salads for lunch, and boiled eggs, bacon, veggies, apples, or olives for a snack.

I made some of my own coffee creamer tonight…and it is yum. Cannot wait to make a pumpkin pie latte in the morning.

Before:

 

Pit 8-10 medjool dates and cut them up. Pour a cup of boiling water over them, and let sit for 15 minutes. Then blend the crap out of them in your high powered blender.  Next add 1 c coconut milk, 3 TBSP pumpkin puree, a bit of pumpkin pie spice and a dash of vanilla. Blend again.

Yummy.

Yep. I’m “that girl” that takes pictures of her food. So what? My first meal of the whole 30 was delicious and kept me full from 10:30 to 3:30. Not bad.

 

I’m off to bed soon so I can wake up to eat the delicious food I prepared. Is that weird?!?

 

 

Another challenge…

I am doing another challenge…or 2. I can’t help it. I can’t stop. And if I’m not doing some type of challenge, my eating and snacking seems to be out of control. I can’t be trusted.

The first challenge is a competition with my sister.  Each week we pick something to work on and keep track of how many times we slip up.  The first week was to only eat when you are sitting down.  Sounds easy, but wow. I put a lot of food in my mouth while I am standing in the kitchen cooking. Just a taste test here and a temperature test there…well, it all adds up. Calories consumed even before I sit down to eat a meal.  This challenge was very enlightening.

This weeks challenge is to drink 32 oz of water a day.  And the first challenge is still in effect.  Whoever loses puts $5 in, and if you gain that week you pay in $2. Not sure how many weeks we will do this, but I think the pot could end up getting pretty big.  I intend to spend my winnings on something special for myself.

The second challenge I am doing is my 2nd Whole 30.  I did my first one in March, and it was awesome.  It made me feel great, and helped me change how we eat.  I have slipped since then, and have found myself eating more dairy, wheat, and beans, and paying for it (hello constipation, gas, bloating, and acne).

I’m starting the challenge on Monday and have my friend Melissa convinced to try it with me.  30 days of no dairy (no ice cream–wah!), no wheat, no legumes, no processed anything, and no alcohol (quite possibly the hardest part).  It’s on. I can do this.

Ramblings

I haven’t posted on this blog in almost a week because I’ve struggled with what to post. I’m not sure the purpose of this blog yet. Am I writing this for myself? To help process what I’m thinking or feeling at a particular moment, help me through some of my struggles in life, and help me remember the reason I’m really doing all of this in the first place? Or am I hoping to have people read this and learn something from me? Connect with me? Say, “Hey, that’s exactly what I’m thinking/feeling!” or “I’ve been through something similar!”  Or is it a combination of both?

Every time I sit down to write a blog post here, I mostly want to write about food and my struggles with it. So I’m just going to go with it.  And write about what’s on my mind, and not worry about anything else.

We’ve had a lot of changes happening in our lives, and I seem to think food is going to get me through. I cannot stop eating lately.  While I am mostly making “healthy choices” I am also eating a lot more of the food I don’t usually eat: bread, cookies, candy…

I’ve done several “challenges” this year (the Whole30 and the 21 day sugar detox times 2) and have seen good results.  But these haven’t changed the fact that lately if I see a snicker bar I want to eat it. Immediately. And maybe have another one.  I have teetered on the line of “disordered eating” in middle school when I only ate apples and pretzels. Healthy, right? And then that time when I only ate chicken breasts and did a yoga video every day after school with my friend? Again, where’s the variety? Throughout my life, I have had a pattern of  “restricting” my eating, except during those college/grad school years, where I ate anything I wanted and proceeded to gain 50+ lbs (not surprising).  So where is the fine line between “restricing” to be healthy, and “restricting” food in an unhealthy way.

I’ve tried “intuitive eating” where you only eat when your body is hungry and you ask yourself, “Will this nourish my body?”  That seems to be temporary.  In 2 hours, I could see a homemade pumpkin bar with cream cheese frosting and just “Have to have it!” because somebody made it from scratch! (Nevermind the they made it from processed sugar, dairy, flour, crap).

So what keeps me in check during stressful times like this entire month?  Nothing I guess. I guess I just have to respect the fact that life isn’t always perfect.  And that at times I might be a few pounds heavier because of stress, but I will get back on track when I have time to focus on it.

I am teetering on doing another Whole 30, to “reset” my body after our move and weeks of eating crap. But I’m not sure I can commit. And I’m not sure if I want to “restrict” my diet that much.  When will I not have to worry so much about it? Will it ever be easy?