Well, Boudreaux is officially out. He cheated on Sunday with the chips as I mentioned last time, then again on Thursday with some more chips when we went out for fajitas again (I think I'm just a little tired of salads at the moment), and then when we found out that he has a work start date of Aug. 1, well, he really really wanted to celebrate with some beer and he did. He's done. I appreciate that he made it this far with me though. Am I a little jealous? Yes. Did I stick my face in the basket of chips and take a loooooong inhale of their fried goodness? Yes. Did I sniff his beer? Yes. Did I cave? No.
I think I might be PMSing because yesterday was really the first day that I wanted chocolate. But, surprisingly that desire was short lived. I wasn't actually craving it. I just wanted some. But I didn't have any.
Boudreaux stated that he felt really terrible Friday morning during the work out which he attributed to the beer. He was moving slooooooow, too. He said Friday morning he felt dehydrated and bloated. This made me feel better because I didn't give in and felt just fine. :)
Yesterday we had some errands to run so we ate out again for lunch--I found some fajitas--it's such an easy Paleo eating out meal--I subbed extra chicken and veggies for rice, beans, sour cream, and tortillas, and added some guacamole. And admittedly we have been eating out a lot of fajitas this week, but I think we're just tired and the stress of waiting to find out when Boudreaux was actually going to start work started to wear on the both of us. Anyway, since Boudreaux had beer the night before and he was officially done, he got pizza. A big sausage and pepperoni stuffed pizza topped with bacon and oozing with cheese. And you know what? He said, "pizza is not as good as I remember it being. This was really disappointing." Ha! I'm proud of that awareness in him. Again, it also makes me feel better for not giving in.
He has come to the conclusion, too, that our house should be a fairly strict Paleo house with the freedom to eat non-Paleo if we choose when we go out to eat (which, especially when he starts his job, will be limited). To be fair, his Whole30 was going to end this weekend anyway because he's at drill, and well, Army food is not very Paleo compliant.
I'm still feeling pretty good actually. I mean, I really like feeling great in the morning for my work outs. I like being able to get out of bed without any problem. I like that I don't need five million cups of coffee in the morning anymore. I like that even though I'm pretty sure I'm PMSing, my face isn't totally broken out, usually a tell-tale sign along with rampant mood swings and cramps and aches, but right now I'm not feeling any of that. The only suspicious thing is a tad bit of bloating and some body image issues, despite my clothes fitting better and being able to get into clothes I previously had either never been able to wear or been able to get into in years. And my sugar cravings are pretty much gone. I want food because I'm hungry, not because I'm "craving" anything in particular really. That's a very liberating thing actually.
And now I have to make a cucumber and tomato salad that I promised to bring to the CrossFit BBQ after class this morning. I need to get a move on it.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Monday, July 23, 2012
Days 15-18 (Recap)
I attribute the last few days to my diet--while I'm working really hard in my CrossFit class and am actually quite tired today, I feel like my ability to push myself as hard as I have been and make the improvements I've been able to make in 10 as far as my work output can be attributed to the Paleo eating. Seriously. I mean, I've lifted before; I've worked with trainers before, and I've done the P90X and P90X2. I've lifted light; I've lifted heavy. I've worked out 5-7 days a week before. The thing that is the most different this time is the eating. I'm getting much stronger much quicker.
Granted, school's not in session, so I have time to rest and recover. And I've been hitting it hard and consistently because I really want to improve and compete in this. The trainer Saturday told me that if I want to really see improvements, then I need to come in and just work on "skills" after the workouts. And those will smoke ya, too.
That being said, I think I'm able to give more in my work outs and get more out of them. What is significant, too, is that I have minimal soreness. One would think with the amount of weight I'm moving that I wouldn't be able to walk or lift my arms. I do a fair amount of stretching, but in the first week of this Whole30, I was sore, I couldn't recover, and I felt awful. Now, I feel pretty good. I mean, today was really the first day that I just didn't want to go work out, but as soon as I got my work out clothes on, I was fine. (I ended up kicking ass today, too!). But I have great recovery right now in my muscles.
So really in the past few days, that's what I've come to notice the most. My strength and recovery are improving.
I will say that it was REALLY hard to resist chips and salsa last night as Boudreaux cheated and ate some when we went out for Mexican last night. I'm glad I didn't because I think had I had chips I would not have done as well this morning. But that was really the first time since week one that I really really wanted something that I couldn't have (because I'm not cheating. I've made it 18 full days. I'm not giving up now! less than 2 weeks to go!!).
Sleep still pretty good. I'm really tired today, so I predict a nap in about 10 minutes or so here.
My hunger seems to have stabilized. So has Boudreaux's. I figured out how to get him more fat (a whole avocado with lunch for him), so he's not so ravenous all afternoon anymore.
And on that note, I think I'm going to go take a nap and do some work. I think though when the 30 days is up, I would like some chips and salsa and a glass of wine. Boudreaux wants pizza and beer.
Granted, school's not in session, so I have time to rest and recover. And I've been hitting it hard and consistently because I really want to improve and compete in this. The trainer Saturday told me that if I want to really see improvements, then I need to come in and just work on "skills" after the workouts. And those will smoke ya, too.
That being said, I think I'm able to give more in my work outs and get more out of them. What is significant, too, is that I have minimal soreness. One would think with the amount of weight I'm moving that I wouldn't be able to walk or lift my arms. I do a fair amount of stretching, but in the first week of this Whole30, I was sore, I couldn't recover, and I felt awful. Now, I feel pretty good. I mean, today was really the first day that I just didn't want to go work out, but as soon as I got my work out clothes on, I was fine. (I ended up kicking ass today, too!). But I have great recovery right now in my muscles.
So really in the past few days, that's what I've come to notice the most. My strength and recovery are improving.
I will say that it was REALLY hard to resist chips and salsa last night as Boudreaux cheated and ate some when we went out for Mexican last night. I'm glad I didn't because I think had I had chips I would not have done as well this morning. But that was really the first time since week one that I really really wanted something that I couldn't have (because I'm not cheating. I've made it 18 full days. I'm not giving up now! less than 2 weeks to go!!).
Sleep still pretty good. I'm really tired today, so I predict a nap in about 10 minutes or so here.
My hunger seems to have stabilized. So has Boudreaux's. I figured out how to get him more fat (a whole avocado with lunch for him), so he's not so ravenous all afternoon anymore.
And on that note, I think I'm going to go take a nap and do some work. I think though when the 30 days is up, I would like some chips and salsa and a glass of wine. Boudreaux wants pizza and beer.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Days 10-14 (Recap)
Yowzah! I'm really behind here on the updates. Perhaps it's because I'm feeling waaaaaaaaaay better so I have less about which to gripe!
Energy level--way up now. That slump that I was having is gone. Now, to be fair, I haven't done much running in the last week since joining the CF Box, but I've been working out super hard I'd say. I am by far the drippiest, sweatiest, most ragged looking person by the end of class, so I know I'm putting in the effort. I think for a brief moment I might have been overextended--sleep was a bit rough and my appetite was down, but I forced myself to eat on a regular schedule, hungry or not because that would hasten the overextension into overtraining, and I don't want that.
I'm sore after my workouts, but what I've found with the energy surge is that I actually don't need naps during the day. I will think that I need one, but then when I lay down, it turns out I don't. That being said, by 8:30, I'm usually falling asleep during whatever movie we're watching or while I'm reading.
Sugar cravings--now totally gone. We'll see what happens when Aunt Flo comes back into town, if there's any kind of hormone kick there that triggers anything, but it occurred to me the other day that I had no desire for chocolate or cookies or anything of the like that I'm usually, quite literally growling for after dinner. I haven't made a cobbler or anything like that either. Boudreaux has been making Paleo ice cream (which on its own has no sugar in it), and if we're still hungry after dinner (because it's full on full fat coconut milk, like 22g of fat per serving here), we'll eat that with fruit and honey, but I'm not craving it after dinner. I'm not like, "OMG! Boudreaux! Make the ice cream NOW!" snarling and drooling on the couch. So yeah, wow, I NEVER thought that that would happen!
I also do not crave pizza any more either, even the GF kind (which I usually get without cheese anyway, too). I never thought that would happen either.
I do miss wine still though. There have been nights when I'm just like, "oh man, a glass of wine would be so nice with this!" or "a glass of wine would making cooking this meal here so much easier and enjoyable!" but, as we are now on Day 15, past the half way mark, I won't succumb now.
While the tossing and turnings of the husband and the dog do unsettle me while I sleep more than they did in the beginning, I notice that it's mostly early in the morning after about 7 or so hours of sleep, so I wonder if that's just because I'm in the process of waking up naturally at that point? The room has been a little hotter lately, too, so I think that might be affecting my sleep here and there, but for the most part, it's pretty restful.
Other interesting developments--either because of the sleep, the lack of alcohol, the excitement of CF classes, and the change in eating or e) all of the above, I've not hit the snooze button once in the last week. Though I do still get up in enough time to get at least one cup of coffee in me and to have some time to wake up, I'm not dragging in the morning either at 5 am. I mean, imagine that! A 5 am wake up with no snooze! A 5 am wake up with no dread of going to the box, no wanting to just sleep in and crawl under the covers and stay there all morning. Nope. I get up on the first call now. It's quite nice, actually.
On the days that I've been able to get work done, I've been able to get a fair amount of reading in and even focus on the reading. I'm so far behind schedule though that I'm trying not to think of that because it will shut me down, but the reading I have been doing has at least been productive. And I do attribute that to the Whole30 as well. My energy is up so I can do more and focus better on what I'm doing.
What I have come to realize though is that a large part of my being able to get up in the morning without problem is not having wine with dinner. Here's why this is a "problem," but not really.
I want to compete. I mean, seriously, like I have CF Games aspirations (I don't care about winning. I want to at least make it to the final day at some point though). So, I really can't have wine with dinner every night. I'm going to have to limit myself to wine only on Saturdays because Sunday is my off day (for training, for running, whatever). It'll save me some money on wine, but if I truly want to compete, then during the week it's out. And I do, I so want to be competitive.
Of course, this also means that I've got to get my academic shit squared away this summer, too. I've got to get this thing out by October 1 now at the latest. I've got to be on the ball here with my work if I plan on making sure that I'm making progress toward tenure and being able to keep up with my training. Although, to be honest, I was working out 5-6 days a week most weeks during the quarter anyway, so it's not frequency that's going to change but intensity.
What does this have to do with the Whole30? It's part of the larger picture here. What I'm learning is that it works. Will I stay this strict forever. Hell no. I'll go nuts and crash and burn. Am I feeling freaking amazing right now? Hell yes. Do I think that this way of eating is what's letting me hit the CF as hard as I have been right out the gate without having a morning yet where I can't get out of bed? Absolutely. I'm sore and I'm tired, don't get me wrong. What I'm not is exhausted. What I don't do when I get home after the work out and after breakfast is crash on the couch and sleep. I walk the mutts, I shower, I get to work or get on with my day. I feel better than I have since my HS competitive swimming days.
I knew that I'd feel better having cut out a lot of stuff beforehand. What I wasn't expecting was such a large shift from the sluggishness to the energy. For those of you considering this, if you can make through the crappy feelingness, if you can hang in there, it is so freaking worth it. Seriously. Though I go to bed a bit earlier now, I pack so much more into my day, it's nuts.
I'll let you know if anything else changes for better or worse. :)
Energy level--way up now. That slump that I was having is gone. Now, to be fair, I haven't done much running in the last week since joining the CF Box, but I've been working out super hard I'd say. I am by far the drippiest, sweatiest, most ragged looking person by the end of class, so I know I'm putting in the effort. I think for a brief moment I might have been overextended--sleep was a bit rough and my appetite was down, but I forced myself to eat on a regular schedule, hungry or not because that would hasten the overextension into overtraining, and I don't want that.
I'm sore after my workouts, but what I've found with the energy surge is that I actually don't need naps during the day. I will think that I need one, but then when I lay down, it turns out I don't. That being said, by 8:30, I'm usually falling asleep during whatever movie we're watching or while I'm reading.
Sugar cravings--now totally gone. We'll see what happens when Aunt Flo comes back into town, if there's any kind of hormone kick there that triggers anything, but it occurred to me the other day that I had no desire for chocolate or cookies or anything of the like that I'm usually, quite literally growling for after dinner. I haven't made a cobbler or anything like that either. Boudreaux has been making Paleo ice cream (which on its own has no sugar in it), and if we're still hungry after dinner (because it's full on full fat coconut milk, like 22g of fat per serving here), we'll eat that with fruit and honey, but I'm not craving it after dinner. I'm not like, "OMG! Boudreaux! Make the ice cream NOW!" snarling and drooling on the couch. So yeah, wow, I NEVER thought that that would happen!
I also do not crave pizza any more either, even the GF kind (which I usually get without cheese anyway, too). I never thought that would happen either.
I do miss wine still though. There have been nights when I'm just like, "oh man, a glass of wine would be so nice with this!" or "a glass of wine would making cooking this meal here so much easier and enjoyable!" but, as we are now on Day 15, past the half way mark, I won't succumb now.
While the tossing and turnings of the husband and the dog do unsettle me while I sleep more than they did in the beginning, I notice that it's mostly early in the morning after about 7 or so hours of sleep, so I wonder if that's just because I'm in the process of waking up naturally at that point? The room has been a little hotter lately, too, so I think that might be affecting my sleep here and there, but for the most part, it's pretty restful.
Other interesting developments--either because of the sleep, the lack of alcohol, the excitement of CF classes, and the change in eating or e) all of the above, I've not hit the snooze button once in the last week. Though I do still get up in enough time to get at least one cup of coffee in me and to have some time to wake up, I'm not dragging in the morning either at 5 am. I mean, imagine that! A 5 am wake up with no snooze! A 5 am wake up with no dread of going to the box, no wanting to just sleep in and crawl under the covers and stay there all morning. Nope. I get up on the first call now. It's quite nice, actually.
On the days that I've been able to get work done, I've been able to get a fair amount of reading in and even focus on the reading. I'm so far behind schedule though that I'm trying not to think of that because it will shut me down, but the reading I have been doing has at least been productive. And I do attribute that to the Whole30 as well. My energy is up so I can do more and focus better on what I'm doing.
What I have come to realize though is that a large part of my being able to get up in the morning without problem is not having wine with dinner. Here's why this is a "problem," but not really.
I want to compete. I mean, seriously, like I have CF Games aspirations (I don't care about winning. I want to at least make it to the final day at some point though). So, I really can't have wine with dinner every night. I'm going to have to limit myself to wine only on Saturdays because Sunday is my off day (for training, for running, whatever). It'll save me some money on wine, but if I truly want to compete, then during the week it's out. And I do, I so want to be competitive.
Of course, this also means that I've got to get my academic shit squared away this summer, too. I've got to get this thing out by October 1 now at the latest. I've got to be on the ball here with my work if I plan on making sure that I'm making progress toward tenure and being able to keep up with my training. Although, to be honest, I was working out 5-6 days a week most weeks during the quarter anyway, so it's not frequency that's going to change but intensity.
What does this have to do with the Whole30? It's part of the larger picture here. What I'm learning is that it works. Will I stay this strict forever. Hell no. I'll go nuts and crash and burn. Am I feeling freaking amazing right now? Hell yes. Do I think that this way of eating is what's letting me hit the CF as hard as I have been right out the gate without having a morning yet where I can't get out of bed? Absolutely. I'm sore and I'm tired, don't get me wrong. What I'm not is exhausted. What I don't do when I get home after the work out and after breakfast is crash on the couch and sleep. I walk the mutts, I shower, I get to work or get on with my day. I feel better than I have since my HS competitive swimming days.
I knew that I'd feel better having cut out a lot of stuff beforehand. What I wasn't expecting was such a large shift from the sluggishness to the energy. For those of you considering this, if you can make through the crappy feelingness, if you can hang in there, it is so freaking worth it. Seriously. Though I go to bed a bit earlier now, I pack so much more into my day, it's nuts.
I'll let you know if anything else changes for better or worse. :)
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Days 8-9 (Recap)
Lots of great stuff going on over here at Chez Disceaux. The only thing we're still struggling with is how to get Boudreaux full. For him a question of fat calories. We've got the protein, the fruits, veggies, and nuts, but absent the grains, I've got to get him so more fat calories to fill his 6'1" frame. Perhaps I'll ask the trainer.
That's right! I said trainer! We have a BRAND!NEW!DEVELOPMENT here! A CrossFit box opened on Monday in our town. We didn't think it would ever happen. We thought if we wanted this to happen we'd have to open our own someday. But no! Someone did! (Thank god. I don't know if either of us is cut out to own and run a business). I was seriously weeks away from buying a kit for the house and converting the office into an office/gym because I'm about to max out here on what I can do with what I have. Turns out, I've already maxed out my home equipment. We joined Thursday and I've done stuff that I haven't done in a really long time or have never done before (like a handstand! by myself!). And the weight that I was working with was what I lifted when I left Fancy Expensive State a year ago (and haven't lifted that heavy since), so that tells me that a) I was doing something right at home and b) I'm stronger than I thought I was--probably not by much, but it's true. Granted I could have the deluxe kit for my home with what I will pay for mine and Boudreaux's membership this year, but we get unlimited box time and the benefit of a trainer and unlimited classes. Plus, I've never been involved in anything from the ground up. We are "original" members of this box! Woot! (Best part, in the morning, takes us less than 4 minutes to get there, door to door!)
So what does this have to do with the Whole30? I don't know if the tide is turning on the energy thing or if it's excitement about joining a box, but I'm definitely feeling like I've got more energy now than I did at the beginning of the week. I didn't even realize until I looked at the fridge this morning that when we go to class today, this will be day 6 in a row of workouts, and I'm pumped for class today! Generally, at this point in the week I'm tired to the point of tears and exhausted, but I'll recap the last couple of days.
Day 8--I had planned to not workout, remember. I thought I needed the rest. We found out there was a CrossFit box, checked it out, signed the form, joined on-line, showed up for our first class that afternoon. Stoked! So I ended up not resting at all.
Day 9--I was so pumped about the 6 am class that I hardly slept (plus the mutt was driving us nuts because he's furry, and he's miserable right now) and was up at 4 am. We went to class--I fear that I'm going to be the annoying girl at 6 am, but I'm so excited about this right now, I can't contain myself. Anyway, up at four and then a full on day. No nap! And the workout was tough. I can feel every muscle in my upper body right now. I took the dog to get shaved (he slept so much better last night), and then I spent the whole morning cleaning and organizing (we got new storage stuff). Then to avoid that stuff, I cooked for 2.5 hours! Yes, 2.5 voluntary hours in the kitchen! Yesterday was one of those days when I just felt like doing food prep and cooking. I did lay on the couch and I tried to nap, because I had been up since 4, but I seriously couldn't. And while I was doing all that cooking, I so wanted some wine because really, 2.5 hours of working with food and no wine? Seems cruel and unusual. But we had the Games streaming, and I thought to myself, "shit, if I can't give up wine/chocolate/unhealthy stuff for 30 days for the purpose of cleaning up my diet, then I'm never going to be able to make it to the Games to compete." So now it's more about proving to myself that I can do this because my ultimate goal is to make it to the Games.
Anyway, to be honest, I was surprised that I had all of that in me given some crappy sleep and being up at 4. Again, this might be adrenaline because of the excitement over the CrossFit box and looking forward to going there every day, even though, like I said, I am sore as all get out here today, but I'm up and jazzed and ready to go! I will confess and say that I'm glad class is at 9 today and not 6 (although there are several other classes not at 6, but I prefer the early one).
I made a ton of food last night, obviously if I was in the kitchen for 2.5 hours. I made Eggplant Strata and Bora Bora fire meatballs with Sunshine Sauce, all of which can be found in Well Fed. We had some salad, too. Boudreaux got enough to eat, and we even had leftovers, which I'm glad because after 2.5 hours cooking, I want not to have to do that again today because I need to finish up the project I started yesterday, and ultimately want to be done with everything by tomorrow night because I haven't done any of my own work this week, and that needs to start happening.
Today is Day 10. I'm definitely feeling the upswing in the energy. And since I used all my energy during the day because I had energy, I slept like a log last night. If the Red Rocket was active, I didn't feel him (but I think the haircut helped him). And I got a solid 9 hours of sleep last night, woke without the alarm, and that's fabulous.
Also, one thing I've noticed too over the last couple of days--either I'm getting enough protein now or enough fat on my end that I've noticed the sugar cravings have started to subside. Boudreaux made some Paleo ice cream and we had it with fruit and honey, but I wasn't tearing through the kitchen looking for it, like "must have sugar in any form now!" Rather, we had a nice dinner, we were both still hungry enough that we could have eaten dinner again, so we had dessert. And when dessert was done, I wasn't like, "ooooh, I wish there were more! I need more!" And I don't crave it during the day any more either, so that's really really great. It's kind of nice actually not to be a slave to the sugar demon. We'll see if that continues.
That's right! I said trainer! We have a BRAND!NEW!DEVELOPMENT here! A CrossFit box opened on Monday in our town. We didn't think it would ever happen. We thought if we wanted this to happen we'd have to open our own someday. But no! Someone did! (Thank god. I don't know if either of us is cut out to own and run a business). I was seriously weeks away from buying a kit for the house and converting the office into an office/gym because I'm about to max out here on what I can do with what I have. Turns out, I've already maxed out my home equipment. We joined Thursday and I've done stuff that I haven't done in a really long time or have never done before (like a handstand! by myself!). And the weight that I was working with was what I lifted when I left Fancy Expensive State a year ago (and haven't lifted that heavy since), so that tells me that a) I was doing something right at home and b) I'm stronger than I thought I was--probably not by much, but it's true. Granted I could have the deluxe kit for my home with what I will pay for mine and Boudreaux's membership this year, but we get unlimited box time and the benefit of a trainer and unlimited classes. Plus, I've never been involved in anything from the ground up. We are "original" members of this box! Woot! (Best part, in the morning, takes us less than 4 minutes to get there, door to door!)
So what does this have to do with the Whole30? I don't know if the tide is turning on the energy thing or if it's excitement about joining a box, but I'm definitely feeling like I've got more energy now than I did at the beginning of the week. I didn't even realize until I looked at the fridge this morning that when we go to class today, this will be day 6 in a row of workouts, and I'm pumped for class today! Generally, at this point in the week I'm tired to the point of tears and exhausted, but I'll recap the last couple of days.
Day 8--I had planned to not workout, remember. I thought I needed the rest. We found out there was a CrossFit box, checked it out, signed the form, joined on-line, showed up for our first class that afternoon. Stoked! So I ended up not resting at all.
Day 9--I was so pumped about the 6 am class that I hardly slept (plus the mutt was driving us nuts because he's furry, and he's miserable right now) and was up at 4 am. We went to class--I fear that I'm going to be the annoying girl at 6 am, but I'm so excited about this right now, I can't contain myself. Anyway, up at four and then a full on day. No nap! And the workout was tough. I can feel every muscle in my upper body right now. I took the dog to get shaved (he slept so much better last night), and then I spent the whole morning cleaning and organizing (we got new storage stuff). Then to avoid that stuff, I cooked for 2.5 hours! Yes, 2.5 voluntary hours in the kitchen! Yesterday was one of those days when I just felt like doing food prep and cooking. I did lay on the couch and I tried to nap, because I had been up since 4, but I seriously couldn't. And while I was doing all that cooking, I so wanted some wine because really, 2.5 hours of working with food and no wine? Seems cruel and unusual. But we had the Games streaming, and I thought to myself, "shit, if I can't give up wine/chocolate/unhealthy stuff for 30 days for the purpose of cleaning up my diet, then I'm never going to be able to make it to the Games to compete." So now it's more about proving to myself that I can do this because my ultimate goal is to make it to the Games.
Anyway, to be honest, I was surprised that I had all of that in me given some crappy sleep and being up at 4. Again, this might be adrenaline because of the excitement over the CrossFit box and looking forward to going there every day, even though, like I said, I am sore as all get out here today, but I'm up and jazzed and ready to go! I will confess and say that I'm glad class is at 9 today and not 6 (although there are several other classes not at 6, but I prefer the early one).
I made a ton of food last night, obviously if I was in the kitchen for 2.5 hours. I made Eggplant Strata and Bora Bora fire meatballs with Sunshine Sauce, all of which can be found in Well Fed. We had some salad, too. Boudreaux got enough to eat, and we even had leftovers, which I'm glad because after 2.5 hours cooking, I want not to have to do that again today because I need to finish up the project I started yesterday, and ultimately want to be done with everything by tomorrow night because I haven't done any of my own work this week, and that needs to start happening.
Today is Day 10. I'm definitely feeling the upswing in the energy. And since I used all my energy during the day because I had energy, I slept like a log last night. If the Red Rocket was active, I didn't feel him (but I think the haircut helped him). And I got a solid 9 hours of sleep last night, woke without the alarm, and that's fabulous.
Also, one thing I've noticed too over the last couple of days--either I'm getting enough protein now or enough fat on my end that I've noticed the sugar cravings have started to subside. Boudreaux made some Paleo ice cream and we had it with fruit and honey, but I wasn't tearing through the kitchen looking for it, like "must have sugar in any form now!" Rather, we had a nice dinner, we were both still hungry enough that we could have eaten dinner again, so we had dessert. And when dessert was done, I wasn't like, "ooooh, I wish there were more! I need more!" And I don't crave it during the day any more either, so that's really really great. It's kind of nice actually not to be a slave to the sugar demon. We'll see if that continues.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Day 7 (Recap)
Finally! I had a great run yesterday!! Woot!
I think I'm taking today off though. I'm sore from my neck to my feet. I clearly haven't hit that point again where I can work out for 7-10 days without rest. Plus, I still think there are some allergy stuff going on here, too which seems weird to have allergies in July, but I wasn't in this part of the country in July last year, so maybe that's it. And for the first time really since we started this thing, I didn't sleep that well last night--mostly because of the dog, but I had been able to sleep through his shenanigans thus far. However, we think he has some sort of bug bite because he was way more active than usual and he was whining a lot last night, too.
However, yesterday was the first day since we started that I didn't have a total afternoon slump. I had energy out the wazoo, even with a 6 mile run earlier in the day. And it was dreary, too--storms all afternoon. Maybe I was just in a good mood because we got to go shopping and get some stuff that we had been wanting for a long time that we perceived that we needed. Like I finally, after about two years of pining got THIS, which is a substitute for the fact that I will never be able to afford this. My blender is nearly on the fritz. The motor just wasn't made to be used every day. And it wasn't made for heavy duty daily use of frozen stuff to make smoothies and shakes. And sometimes she sounds like she's dying a slower blender death. I should add as well that she's also over a decade old so she needs to retire. The new blender is one that will get used nearly every single day, so that purchase was totally worth it.
The other major purchase we made yesterday was a vacuum sealer which will go hand in hand with the chest freezer we hope to purchase this weekend. Our freezer sucks (it's the landlord's fridge, and we're not buying a fridge until we actually own our own home), and it's way small which is a problem for me because I like to buy a lot of meat at a time, and ideally, I'd like to be able to make a bunch of food on the weekend and be able to freeze for later in the week or whatever. Even storing the meat in double freezer bags doesn't keep the frostbite out, and as I like to buy a bunch of food at once, I'm hoping it will help with the veggies and stuff, too. Although we've gotten considerably better about our veggies and fruits not getting wasted. It's rare now when we have to throw something away because it went bad. So we got that and bags and stuff. I'd like to have a food dehydrator so I can try to make my own jerky, but that one might have to wait until Christmas or something. I still have to make sure we have money to start paying stuff off and pay bills because we still don't know for sure when the Boudreaux will start work.
Boudreaux however dropped a bombshell on me yesterday when he told me that he's been steadily hungry this whole time! Poor guy! This means I've got to get some more fat in his diet to make up for some extra calories. I'm looking into these for him (as soon as I get that military discount code!) for his afternoon snacks, and clearly he needs to be having some more fats with lunch. From what I can gather then, that's really the only thing that Boudreaux has been struggling with the past week.
I feel like perhaps the energy is on the upswing. I have found the last couple of days that I've been exhausted in the evenings which is a change from the first couple of days where I was "wired but tired" and needed to try to wind down first (which indicates that the cortisol hormone is out of whack), but yesterday, by 8:30, I was ready for bed which I take as a good sign because that means that I've had a full day. I think I was also so tired early too because I wasn't tired in the afternoon, so I didn't nap. All positive things.
Now if I can just get my allergies to take a hike, things may start to pick up faster.
I think I'm taking today off though. I'm sore from my neck to my feet. I clearly haven't hit that point again where I can work out for 7-10 days without rest. Plus, I still think there are some allergy stuff going on here, too which seems weird to have allergies in July, but I wasn't in this part of the country in July last year, so maybe that's it. And for the first time really since we started this thing, I didn't sleep that well last night--mostly because of the dog, but I had been able to sleep through his shenanigans thus far. However, we think he has some sort of bug bite because he was way more active than usual and he was whining a lot last night, too.
However, yesterday was the first day since we started that I didn't have a total afternoon slump. I had energy out the wazoo, even with a 6 mile run earlier in the day. And it was dreary, too--storms all afternoon. Maybe I was just in a good mood because we got to go shopping and get some stuff that we had been wanting for a long time that we perceived that we needed. Like I finally, after about two years of pining got THIS, which is a substitute for the fact that I will never be able to afford this. My blender is nearly on the fritz. The motor just wasn't made to be used every day. And it wasn't made for heavy duty daily use of frozen stuff to make smoothies and shakes. And sometimes she sounds like she's dying a slower blender death. I should add as well that she's also over a decade old so she needs to retire. The new blender is one that will get used nearly every single day, so that purchase was totally worth it.
The other major purchase we made yesterday was a vacuum sealer which will go hand in hand with the chest freezer we hope to purchase this weekend. Our freezer sucks (it's the landlord's fridge, and we're not buying a fridge until we actually own our own home), and it's way small which is a problem for me because I like to buy a lot of meat at a time, and ideally, I'd like to be able to make a bunch of food on the weekend and be able to freeze for later in the week or whatever. Even storing the meat in double freezer bags doesn't keep the frostbite out, and as I like to buy a bunch of food at once, I'm hoping it will help with the veggies and stuff, too. Although we've gotten considerably better about our veggies and fruits not getting wasted. It's rare now when we have to throw something away because it went bad. So we got that and bags and stuff. I'd like to have a food dehydrator so I can try to make my own jerky, but that one might have to wait until Christmas or something. I still have to make sure we have money to start paying stuff off and pay bills because we still don't know for sure when the Boudreaux will start work.
Boudreaux however dropped a bombshell on me yesterday when he told me that he's been steadily hungry this whole time! Poor guy! This means I've got to get some more fat in his diet to make up for some extra calories. I'm looking into these for him (as soon as I get that military discount code!) for his afternoon snacks, and clearly he needs to be having some more fats with lunch. From what I can gather then, that's really the only thing that Boudreaux has been struggling with the past week.
I feel like perhaps the energy is on the upswing. I have found the last couple of days that I've been exhausted in the evenings which is a change from the first couple of days where I was "wired but tired" and needed to try to wind down first (which indicates that the cortisol hormone is out of whack), but yesterday, by 8:30, I was ready for bed which I take as a good sign because that means that I've had a full day. I think I was also so tired early too because I wasn't tired in the afternoon, so I didn't nap. All positive things.
Now if I can just get my allergies to take a hike, things may start to pick up faster.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Days 4-6 (Recap)
I can't really say that I've been lazy, per se, about the daily updates, but that I truly have hit the "first two weeks of sluggishness" business.
Days 4 & 5 just sort of sucked. On Sunday, I believe as I wrote, I woke up with a headache, feeling hungover, blah, and groggy. Day 5 (Monday) thus far has been the worst. I had by far the slooooooooowest run I've had in months. Maybe even a year. I crept down to a 12:00/mile pace. I felt like I had mono by the end of the run. And I had totally talked myself out of my weight/resistance workout because I felt like I could not do it. It wasn't even that hot outside either, so blaming the heat was pointless.
Look, I knew I was going to feel like crap at some point, but I had forgotten why, or rather the physiological reason why. And as I was reading Monday afternoon, I found it, which I don't know why I hadn't paid attention to this in my other books or why I had forgotten. I'm a moron. But here's why for the 2 week sluggishness. When you eat a bunch of grains or cereals, or those non-grains that act like grains like quinoa, they are quick sources of carbs (even yes those "low glycemic" and "low glycemic load" grains and "whole" grains and what have you). When you're used to eating them, even if they are gluten free grains (like I had been doing), your body looks to them first for energy. When you cut them out, your body doesn't know where to look for that energy, even though the body is totally capable of pulling, and from an evolutionary standpoint prefers to pull energy from protein and fat. So it takes about two weeks for the body to reprogram itself to look for the protein and fats as primary energy sources and not grains and then pulling what's needed from the carbs in fruits and veggies.
This is not the same thing as what happens on Atkins, or rather not ketosis to that extent since that really is a low carb and unhealthy diet. The body isn't pulling energy from the muscles and causing muscle breakdown rather than repair and building. Contrary to popular belief, Paleo is not low carb, it's just no grain. If I did a macronutrient breakdown, I feel quite confident that my carb intake, with all the veggies and fruits that I eat, has got to be at least 40%. So let's not confuse that.
In any case, as I was re-reading some stuff, the books say that during this time, the first two weeks, you might have to back off on the exercise intensity a little bit as your body adjusts, which you know, sucks when you're hoping for some weight loss here. However, as I recall from a few months ago when I completely cut out gluten, I went through something similar, and by the third week, I had gone from working out for maybe 35 minutes to an hour a day, four to five days a week to 45-90 minutes a day for a good 7 to 10 days before I needed a rest/recovery day AND was not wiped out during the day AND was getting work done like a mofo (as I mentioned in my very first post). So I know it's coming. If nothing else, the Whole30 is also teaching me patience.
Since Boudreaux tends to take things easy anyway, gets way more sleep than I do, and takes many more rest days during the week from his workouts (of course, he's neither trying to lose weight nor bulk up and is pretty fit), he is not noticing such extreme changes in energy levels.
Yesterday, however, the tide seems to be shifting a little bit here. I woke up with a little bit of a headache (there may be some caffeine stuff along with allergies still going on here), but not with that hangover feeling I had been having. Rather, I felt pretty rested and decent. My run was much better than they had been--still a little bit slower than I liked, but nowhere near as arduous as Monday's run. AND, I was able to come in and do my Cross Fit workout as well which amounted to 250 air squats and 70 towel pull ups (with the pull-up assist band) which should be the equivalent of 10 rope climbs. I was tired, but not exhausted like I needed to spend the rest of the day napping or something. so that's a positive development there.
Sleep has been excellent for the most part. The Red Rocket woke me up a couple of times last night, so not great, and I'm still having this allergy issue, but it was okay. I'm glad that today I get to focus just on the run since it's a Cross Fit rest day as I get back into the swing of things. But today marks the end of the first week. I don't feel as if I look like I've lost any weight or inches. But honestly, since I have to adjust the working out because of energy levels, I'm really not expecting to see any real changes until the end of week three, which is frustrating, but if takes two weeks to jump start it and if I see some losses in the weeks three and four (visually) and then in the weeks following that, then it will be okay, especially if I'm feeling great.
And now that I've heard the dryer sing its end of cycle song, I'm going to go for my run.
Days 4 & 5 just sort of sucked. On Sunday, I believe as I wrote, I woke up with a headache, feeling hungover, blah, and groggy. Day 5 (Monday) thus far has been the worst. I had by far the slooooooooowest run I've had in months. Maybe even a year. I crept down to a 12:00/mile pace. I felt like I had mono by the end of the run. And I had totally talked myself out of my weight/resistance workout because I felt like I could not do it. It wasn't even that hot outside either, so blaming the heat was pointless.
Look, I knew I was going to feel like crap at some point, but I had forgotten why, or rather the physiological reason why. And as I was reading Monday afternoon, I found it, which I don't know why I hadn't paid attention to this in my other books or why I had forgotten. I'm a moron. But here's why for the 2 week sluggishness. When you eat a bunch of grains or cereals, or those non-grains that act like grains like quinoa, they are quick sources of carbs (even yes those "low glycemic" and "low glycemic load" grains and "whole" grains and what have you). When you're used to eating them, even if they are gluten free grains (like I had been doing), your body looks to them first for energy. When you cut them out, your body doesn't know where to look for that energy, even though the body is totally capable of pulling, and from an evolutionary standpoint prefers to pull energy from protein and fat. So it takes about two weeks for the body to reprogram itself to look for the protein and fats as primary energy sources and not grains and then pulling what's needed from the carbs in fruits and veggies.
This is not the same thing as what happens on Atkins, or rather not ketosis to that extent since that really is a low carb and unhealthy diet. The body isn't pulling energy from the muscles and causing muscle breakdown rather than repair and building. Contrary to popular belief, Paleo is not low carb, it's just no grain. If I did a macronutrient breakdown, I feel quite confident that my carb intake, with all the veggies and fruits that I eat, has got to be at least 40%. So let's not confuse that.
In any case, as I was re-reading some stuff, the books say that during this time, the first two weeks, you might have to back off on the exercise intensity a little bit as your body adjusts, which you know, sucks when you're hoping for some weight loss here. However, as I recall from a few months ago when I completely cut out gluten, I went through something similar, and by the third week, I had gone from working out for maybe 35 minutes to an hour a day, four to five days a week to 45-90 minutes a day for a good 7 to 10 days before I needed a rest/recovery day AND was not wiped out during the day AND was getting work done like a mofo (as I mentioned in my very first post). So I know it's coming. If nothing else, the Whole30 is also teaching me patience.
Since Boudreaux tends to take things easy anyway, gets way more sleep than I do, and takes many more rest days during the week from his workouts (of course, he's neither trying to lose weight nor bulk up and is pretty fit), he is not noticing such extreme changes in energy levels.
Yesterday, however, the tide seems to be shifting a little bit here. I woke up with a little bit of a headache (there may be some caffeine stuff along with allergies still going on here), but not with that hangover feeling I had been having. Rather, I felt pretty rested and decent. My run was much better than they had been--still a little bit slower than I liked, but nowhere near as arduous as Monday's run. AND, I was able to come in and do my Cross Fit workout as well which amounted to 250 air squats and 70 towel pull ups (with the pull-up assist band) which should be the equivalent of 10 rope climbs. I was tired, but not exhausted like I needed to spend the rest of the day napping or something. so that's a positive development there.
Sleep has been excellent for the most part. The Red Rocket woke me up a couple of times last night, so not great, and I'm still having this allergy issue, but it was okay. I'm glad that today I get to focus just on the run since it's a Cross Fit rest day as I get back into the swing of things. But today marks the end of the first week. I don't feel as if I look like I've lost any weight or inches. But honestly, since I have to adjust the working out because of energy levels, I'm really not expecting to see any real changes until the end of week three, which is frustrating, but if takes two weeks to jump start it and if I see some losses in the weeks three and four (visually) and then in the weeks following that, then it will be okay, especially if I'm feeling great.
And now that I've heard the dryer sing its end of cycle song, I'm going to go for my run.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Day 3 (Recap)
Sort of hit or miss yesterday actually.
I didn't work out, so I felt a little sluggish, but I allowed myself to nap a couple of times. My headache was I think allergy induced. I woke up with another headache this morning, and Boudreaux thinks that I may be going through some sort of detox--even though I've avoided gluten for over three months now, I've not avoided grains, so he thinks that there may be some cross sensitivity here that my body is acknowledging. And perhaps it's also some kind of chocolate and alcohol withdrawal, too. Plus, I think my body is adjusting to the lack of school stress, too. You know that moment when you're body sort of gives out because you've been working to exhaustion the last few weeks? I think that's part of that, too.
My sugar cravings were bad yesterday. An acceptable amount of fruit after dinner (but I'm trying to avoid sugar, even "healthy" sugars after dinner). We went to bed sort of late and I actually slept in, so I'm working on day two of no workouts--by the time I got up, even though it was only 8:30, it was already too hot to go for a run, and today's Cross Fit W.O.D. involved sprints.
All that being said, I'm sleeping like a log! Full, solid, uninterrupted, even by dogs and husband sleep. Once I fall asleep, I'm out. And it doesn't take long either after my head hits the pillow either. There's no tossing and turning, even as hot as it's been. That is soooooo nice.
So tonight we'll have another good dinner (last night was curry beef stew), go to bed earlier so I can get up and work out and run before the heat kicks in.
And Boudreaux seems to be doing well, too. I need to add snacks to the menu for him and figure out some portable meals that he can take for lunch with him in between classes that don't involve a microwave or assembly or the like.
I didn't work out, so I felt a little sluggish, but I allowed myself to nap a couple of times. My headache was I think allergy induced. I woke up with another headache this morning, and Boudreaux thinks that I may be going through some sort of detox--even though I've avoided gluten for over three months now, I've not avoided grains, so he thinks that there may be some cross sensitivity here that my body is acknowledging. And perhaps it's also some kind of chocolate and alcohol withdrawal, too. Plus, I think my body is adjusting to the lack of school stress, too. You know that moment when you're body sort of gives out because you've been working to exhaustion the last few weeks? I think that's part of that, too.
My sugar cravings were bad yesterday. An acceptable amount of fruit after dinner (but I'm trying to avoid sugar, even "healthy" sugars after dinner). We went to bed sort of late and I actually slept in, so I'm working on day two of no workouts--by the time I got up, even though it was only 8:30, it was already too hot to go for a run, and today's Cross Fit W.O.D. involved sprints.
All that being said, I'm sleeping like a log! Full, solid, uninterrupted, even by dogs and husband sleep. Once I fall asleep, I'm out. And it doesn't take long either after my head hits the pillow either. There's no tossing and turning, even as hot as it's been. That is soooooo nice.
So tonight we'll have another good dinner (last night was curry beef stew), go to bed earlier so I can get up and work out and run before the heat kicks in.
And Boudreaux seems to be doing well, too. I need to add snacks to the menu for him and figure out some portable meals that he can take for lunch with him in between classes that don't involve a microwave or assembly or the like.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Day 2 (Recap)
I hate to report that Day 2 was not as great as Day 1. Mostly because it was a friend's birthday and we went out to eat, and sometimes the restaurants around here suck.
We started at one place, they were out of the booze our friends ordered (three different types!) and out of the food that made our friends pick the restaurant for a birthday meal in the first place.
We went to a steak house instead, which one would think would be Paleo friendly, but this one really wasn't. They were also out of one of the things that like four of us wanted to order. Plus, by the time we actually got our food, it was almost 10 pm. That's really really late to eat, especially since I didn't plan on staying up for a couple of more hours to let my food digest properly. The steak and veggies were over seasoned, as were the sweet potato fries, which were good, but there was some question as to whether or not they had their own fry section or if they were fried in the same baskets and oil as the stuff covered in gluten. Even though I didn't drink, I woke up this morning feeling congested and hung over.
While I slept well, my internal clock is basically set to about 6:10 a.m. So really, whether I go to bed at 9 or midnight, I'm up naturally sometime between 6-6:30. I really need to get a better blackout sleep mask, too. That might help on those nights when we go to bed later.
I woke up very sinusey, too. I may have reached my limit on the amount of steak I can consume in one night, but I think it was the seasoning, which, unfortunately might have had some sort of gluten in it. I could still taste the seasoning this morning when I woke up.
Oh well, the only dinner dates we have as far as I know will either be over here with others or just the two of us. We should probably go to the grocery today as I'm not sure what the status of going to the g'parents' tomorrow is, but at least I have the day to recoup and relax and nap if I need it. And I'm finally hungry for breakfast now, so I'll go eat. Here's to a better Day 3.
Things so far that I've noticed the past two days: super deep solid no waking up in the middle of the night even when the husband or dogs move around sleep. That has been lovely.
We started at one place, they were out of the booze our friends ordered (three different types!) and out of the food that made our friends pick the restaurant for a birthday meal in the first place.
We went to a steak house instead, which one would think would be Paleo friendly, but this one really wasn't. They were also out of one of the things that like four of us wanted to order. Plus, by the time we actually got our food, it was almost 10 pm. That's really really late to eat, especially since I didn't plan on staying up for a couple of more hours to let my food digest properly. The steak and veggies were over seasoned, as were the sweet potato fries, which were good, but there was some question as to whether or not they had their own fry section or if they were fried in the same baskets and oil as the stuff covered in gluten. Even though I didn't drink, I woke up this morning feeling congested and hung over.
While I slept well, my internal clock is basically set to about 6:10 a.m. So really, whether I go to bed at 9 or midnight, I'm up naturally sometime between 6-6:30. I really need to get a better blackout sleep mask, too. That might help on those nights when we go to bed later.
I woke up very sinusey, too. I may have reached my limit on the amount of steak I can consume in one night, but I think it was the seasoning, which, unfortunately might have had some sort of gluten in it. I could still taste the seasoning this morning when I woke up.
Oh well, the only dinner dates we have as far as I know will either be over here with others or just the two of us. We should probably go to the grocery today as I'm not sure what the status of going to the g'parents' tomorrow is, but at least I have the day to recoup and relax and nap if I need it. And I'm finally hungry for breakfast now, so I'll go eat. Here's to a better Day 3.
Things so far that I've noticed the past two days: super deep solid no waking up in the middle of the night even when the husband or dogs move around sleep. That has been lovely.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Day 1 (Recap)
We made it through Day 1!
In some ways, not that bad. In others, it sort of sucked because we got really good news that Boudreaux got a job, so our first impulse would have been to go out to eat and then crack open a couple of bottles of wine.
Instead, we checked out a sale and then since Boudreaux gave himself a headache with all the excitement of job getting and the like, we did lounge around for the rest of the afternoon. So really, if we can make it past day 1 without saying "hey, we'll just start tomorrow; let's celebrate tonight!" then we might be okay.
Honestly though, I think the hangovers helped because neither of us wanted to even think about a celebratory drink here at all.
Tonight might be more difficult because we're going out with some friends, I think. I have no idea what's going actually, but anyway.
I will say this though, I slept amazing last night. Totally! I think some of it has to do with Boudreaux getting the job, part of it had to do with not drinking a bottle of wine or having a bunch of cooked fruit after dinner, and part had to do with some good balanced eating throughout the day. It was hard though not to weigh myself before bed last night, and the first thing I did this morning was look for the scale, so that's going to be tough.
Boudreaux I know did not sleep so well because he's super excited about his job.
Now I'm off to workout before it gets to be too hot to do so, and then I need to finish up all my grading today so that it's done, and I don't have to think about it anymore.
Would you like to know what we ate?
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with sweet pepper and spinach, 3 pieces of bacon, leftover cucumber and tomato salad.
(I was starving still about 30 minutes later because of my run, so I had some of the paleo cobbler I made for the 4th).
Lunch: Leftovers--grilled tri-tip, andouille, giant green salad (1/2 the plate was salad), leftover roasted carrots, leftover bbq hamburgers. Then I was still starving and I finished the paleo cobbler. (all the meat portions were really small--maybe about 1 oz. sausage, 2 oz steak or less, and a 1/4 pd. hamburger)
Dinner: BBQ chicken breast, cocoa roasted cauliflower, giant ass green salad with sliced cucumbers and diced tomatoes.
In some ways, not that bad. In others, it sort of sucked because we got really good news that Boudreaux got a job, so our first impulse would have been to go out to eat and then crack open a couple of bottles of wine.
Instead, we checked out a sale and then since Boudreaux gave himself a headache with all the excitement of job getting and the like, we did lounge around for the rest of the afternoon. So really, if we can make it past day 1 without saying "hey, we'll just start tomorrow; let's celebrate tonight!" then we might be okay.
Honestly though, I think the hangovers helped because neither of us wanted to even think about a celebratory drink here at all.
Tonight might be more difficult because we're going out with some friends, I think. I have no idea what's going actually, but anyway.
I will say this though, I slept amazing last night. Totally! I think some of it has to do with Boudreaux getting the job, part of it had to do with not drinking a bottle of wine or having a bunch of cooked fruit after dinner, and part had to do with some good balanced eating throughout the day. It was hard though not to weigh myself before bed last night, and the first thing I did this morning was look for the scale, so that's going to be tough.
Boudreaux I know did not sleep so well because he's super excited about his job.
Now I'm off to workout before it gets to be too hot to do so, and then I need to finish up all my grading today so that it's done, and I don't have to think about it anymore.
Would you like to know what we ate?
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with sweet pepper and spinach, 3 pieces of bacon, leftover cucumber and tomato salad.
(I was starving still about 30 minutes later because of my run, so I had some of the paleo cobbler I made for the 4th).
Lunch: Leftovers--grilled tri-tip, andouille, giant green salad (1/2 the plate was salad), leftover roasted carrots, leftover bbq hamburgers. Then I was still starving and I finished the paleo cobbler. (all the meat portions were really small--maybe about 1 oz. sausage, 2 oz steak or less, and a 1/4 pd. hamburger)
Dinner: BBQ chicken breast, cocoa roasted cauliflower, giant ass green salad with sliced cucumbers and diced tomatoes.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
The Beginning
So today begins the Whole30 project.
Thank god. Really.
Last night was our big "hurrah" with the booze. Boudreaux got his fill of beer. I got my fill of wine. I made a nice fruity dessert. I will say, our dinner was still very Paleo, as it usually is. A delicious grilled tri-tip steak, grilled andouille, tomato and cucumber salad, cumin roasted carrots, and a simple green salad. Colleague-friend came over. The three of us went through three bottles of wine and the men had a couple of beers on top of that. I feel the after effects of the wine this morning, let me tell you.
And so our friends don't give us a lot of $hit about doing this, because once people hear that you're giving up alcohol for a while, people get suspicious, so we are framing it as "we're totally cleaning up the eating because we want to be totally clean when the Warrior Dash training begins in August." As non athletically competitive as our friends here are, they seem to get that and respect the training. That's part of it. Part of it is
And so the 30 day challenge begins...
Thank god. Really.
Last night was our big "hurrah" with the booze. Boudreaux got his fill of beer. I got my fill of wine. I made a nice fruity dessert. I will say, our dinner was still very Paleo, as it usually is. A delicious grilled tri-tip steak, grilled andouille, tomato and cucumber salad, cumin roasted carrots, and a simple green salad. Colleague-friend came over. The three of us went through three bottles of wine and the men had a couple of beers on top of that. I feel the after effects of the wine this morning, let me tell you.
And so our friends don't give us a lot of $hit about doing this, because once people hear that you're giving up alcohol for a while, people get suspicious, so we are framing it as "we're totally cleaning up the eating because we want to be totally clean when the Warrior Dash training begins in August." As non athletically competitive as our friends here are, they seem to get that and respect the training. That's part of it. Part of it is
- What better time than to do this than over the summer, right?
- I have 15 stubborn pounds that I really want to get rid of for good and before school starts.
- Boudreaux feels a bit crappy because the provisions the Guard provides during drills and schools is far from healthy (plus, he's doing it because he knows I need support), and he wants to undo some of that damage there.
- We do actually both want to be competitive in the Warrior Dash--not just run it for fun (which it totally will be. Check out the obstacles for that baby! Jumping over fire! Crawling through mud under barbed wire! Suhweetness!). To do this well will involve actually for real training. I haven't really "trained" for an athletic event since college (I'm not counting marathon training because I wasn't trying to be competitive in the race--I just wanted to finish).
- As I have a lot that I need to accomplish this summer that's not athletic, I need to be full of boundless productive energy so I can get some $hit done, yo!
- We want to see if we can really do this.
And so the 30 day challenge begins...
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Game Plan
Here's our game plan for the Whole30 challenge:
- Last lunch out today and last "treat."
- clean out fridge and cabinets of non-Paleo foods. Whatever perishable stuff can't be eaten will be trashed. Sorry to Boudreaux's cake and the last of the GF cookies and chocolate.
- Beer and hard cider will not be trashed, but will be stuffed in the guest room out of sight and knowledge (we never go in the guest room, so this won't be an issue).
- Tomorrow morning we will weigh ourselves and do our measurements. After that, the scale and the measuring tape will go in the closet along with the beer and hard cider.
- Organize and clean kitchen tonight.
- Meal plan for the week tonight.
- Prominently display the "rules" on the fridge for motivation.
- Mark off each successful day on a calendar for motivation (this works really well for me with my writing and workouts).
- Support each other.
The Whole30!
While Boudreaux and I eat pretty clean Paleo, I've been relying on lots of GF substitutes for sweets and dark, dark chocolate to quell the sugar-demon. And I've been making lots of cooked fruit stuff for desserts with lots of honey and stuff in attempts to quell the sugar demon. Boudreaux just eats the full on sweets and has the beer.
While we've noticed a lot of positive changes, we know we're not there yet.
I can't quit these sugar cravings and because I can't quit them, the weight is not moving at all anymore. I've totally plateaued. And I've also been using wine to get the sugar fix. Again, while I've made significant improvements to my diet and health in the last seven months, particularly the last 2.5 months, I'm not there yet. About 10 days into my first 30 days, I gave up and went and got GF cookies and then started making Paleo cobblers to satisfy the sugar cravings. And I patted myself on the back for at least giving up ice cream.
Since the weight has plateaued and since I'm starting to get down on myself again about myself, I told the husband that I was going to do the Whole30--no alcohol, no sugar, no fruity desserts after dinner, no non-Paleo foods, that I was going strict Paleo for a month to get rid of the sugar cravings for good and with the hopes of giving the weight loss a restart. I asked him for his support. He said, "I'll do one better--I'll do it with you!"
Happiness not only to my ears but to my heart and soul!
I tried to start this twice already and then immediately made concessions for it. Here's why I know it will be better this time--I'm done with teaching for the summer come tomorrow. Even though grades aren't due until next week, I'm still done with the hard part. I have the gift of time now to be able to do it right. I have the gift of being able to sleep in if/when I need it. I have the gift of being able to set my own schedule as I adjust to this. And I have the gift of time for learning how to efficiently food prep, cook, and keep things organized. Things to set in place before the quarter starts in the fall, things to have already established before life gets stressful again. And Boudreaux feels like crap after three weeks of Army sponsored food, so he's ready, too.
And since we have a friend coming over for the 4th, and we want to be able to have wine/beer with our cookouts, we're waiting until the 5th. But as we have been "enjoying" ourselves this weekend--GF snacks, alcohol, frappacinos yesterday (egads! I hadn't had one in a year!), cakes (I ate the non-gluten, but dairy laden filling but not the crust, as if that made it better), and today I'm paying for our indulgences. I feel like crap. I really really do. So much so that I couldn't work out this morning.
So we start Thursday. We have had a moderate last "hurrah." Our last lunch out for the month (the only exception is that on Sundays my grandparents buy us Subway. I have been eating salads there with double chicken and avocado. Boudreaux will now need to do the same. While not ideal, the salad fits into the Whole30 and Paleo guidelines). We are going to stash the beer deep in the closet in the guest room ( a room we don't go in). Non-paleo foods in the house will be cleaned out tonight and tomorrow. I do have to go to campus tomorrow which means my last real day of getting up early, but as crappy as I feel today, I can't wait until Thursday to do this. As most of our stuff is Paleo kind anyway, tonight and tomorrow's meals won't be a problem if I can't get to the store before Thursday. We have the 4th accounted for anyway, too. But most likely we'll make it to the store tomorrow afternoon.
We know what's ahead of us. 10-14 days of adjustment and crappiness probably. I am expecting for myself massive sugar withdrawal and testiness without my wine that I usually drink while I cook and clean. I am expecting sluggishness and crankiness for the next two weeks. I am expecting that after I work out in the morning I will want to just veg on the couch and sleep. I expect going through serious withdrawals in not being able to weigh myself twice a day (which is another habit I need to break). I expect a lot of highs and lows for those first two weeks. I expect that once we make it to the 19th, things will turn around. I expect it to be really really hard not to cheat at any one part.
We already agreed that we will probably be cranky and that we will allow each other to be cranky and not try to fix anything.
I'm looking forward to this "challenge" actually. I think Boudreaux is, too.
While we've noticed a lot of positive changes, we know we're not there yet.
I can't quit these sugar cravings and because I can't quit them, the weight is not moving at all anymore. I've totally plateaued. And I've also been using wine to get the sugar fix. Again, while I've made significant improvements to my diet and health in the last seven months, particularly the last 2.5 months, I'm not there yet. About 10 days into my first 30 days, I gave up and went and got GF cookies and then started making Paleo cobblers to satisfy the sugar cravings. And I patted myself on the back for at least giving up ice cream.
Since the weight has plateaued and since I'm starting to get down on myself again about myself, I told the husband that I was going to do the Whole30--no alcohol, no sugar, no fruity desserts after dinner, no non-Paleo foods, that I was going strict Paleo for a month to get rid of the sugar cravings for good and with the hopes of giving the weight loss a restart. I asked him for his support. He said, "I'll do one better--I'll do it with you!"
Happiness not only to my ears but to my heart and soul!
I tried to start this twice already and then immediately made concessions for it. Here's why I know it will be better this time--I'm done with teaching for the summer come tomorrow. Even though grades aren't due until next week, I'm still done with the hard part. I have the gift of time now to be able to do it right. I have the gift of being able to sleep in if/when I need it. I have the gift of being able to set my own schedule as I adjust to this. And I have the gift of time for learning how to efficiently food prep, cook, and keep things organized. Things to set in place before the quarter starts in the fall, things to have already established before life gets stressful again. And Boudreaux feels like crap after three weeks of Army sponsored food, so he's ready, too.
And since we have a friend coming over for the 4th, and we want to be able to have wine/beer with our cookouts, we're waiting until the 5th. But as we have been "enjoying" ourselves this weekend--GF snacks, alcohol, frappacinos yesterday (egads! I hadn't had one in a year!), cakes (I ate the non-gluten, but dairy laden filling but not the crust, as if that made it better), and today I'm paying for our indulgences. I feel like crap. I really really do. So much so that I couldn't work out this morning.
So we start Thursday. We have had a moderate last "hurrah." Our last lunch out for the month (the only exception is that on Sundays my grandparents buy us Subway. I have been eating salads there with double chicken and avocado. Boudreaux will now need to do the same. While not ideal, the salad fits into the Whole30 and Paleo guidelines). We are going to stash the beer deep in the closet in the guest room ( a room we don't go in). Non-paleo foods in the house will be cleaned out tonight and tomorrow. I do have to go to campus tomorrow which means my last real day of getting up early, but as crappy as I feel today, I can't wait until Thursday to do this. As most of our stuff is Paleo kind anyway, tonight and tomorrow's meals won't be a problem if I can't get to the store before Thursday. We have the 4th accounted for anyway, too. But most likely we'll make it to the store tomorrow afternoon.
We know what's ahead of us. 10-14 days of adjustment and crappiness probably. I am expecting for myself massive sugar withdrawal and testiness without my wine that I usually drink while I cook and clean. I am expecting sluggishness and crankiness for the next two weeks. I am expecting that after I work out in the morning I will want to just veg on the couch and sleep. I expect going through serious withdrawals in not being able to weigh myself twice a day (which is another habit I need to break). I expect a lot of highs and lows for those first two weeks. I expect that once we make it to the 19th, things will turn around. I expect it to be really really hard not to cheat at any one part.
We already agreed that we will probably be cranky and that we will allow each other to be cranky and not try to fix anything.
I'm looking forward to this "challenge" actually. I think Boudreaux is, too.
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