Tonight I’m leaving for London and Paris for a couple weeks! I’m so blessed to go on this trip and see a dear friend (the one who wrote this awesome post) get married, meet family, and simply enjoy different parts of the world! I’m hoping to document some things and perhaps learn some food related ideas about each place while I’m there as well.
How will I stay Paleo on this trip? Well, it will probably be hard as vacations are usually opportunities where I have failed. However, I have equipped myself with some trail mix and grass-fed beef jerky from Gourmet Grassfed Meat! I’m bringing these with me on the plane to snack on as well. I’ll just do the best I can, and, most importantly, enjoy my time 🙂
Paleo Snacks!
I also wanted to talk about some changes about the content of this blog. Somewhat deeper thoughts have been entering my mind through various forms of social media, personal life experiences, and discussions with friends. This includes food policy, emotions and eating, the female body image, etc. I definitely have some ideas about these topics, some that have been expressed before, and, perhaps, some new ones. I will say this now and again when I write these posts: I am not an expert in..well…anything! This is purely a journey of learning that I thoroughly enjoy. Prove me wrong, challenge me, I welcome it 🙂 Getting my ideas out there helps me to grow and, hopefully, allows my readers (or maybe just 1 reader at least? hehe) to get a different perspective as well.
Aritey, that’s all folks…see you in a few weeks!
So I completed my first week of Whole30 last night, and I’m really glad I didn’t just dive into it. I had spent time preparing foods in the previous months, getting used to eating less sugar, and creating a general food routine. That helped me SO MUCH in the past week, and it made it much easier to adapt to Whole30. At this point, I am just following the general rules. I have had some questions, and the Whole30 Forum has been helpful, especially for my common question “Can I eat ______?”.
I am going to admit that I have been breaking one rule. I have been weighing myself so I can keep up with my Pounds and Inches (I will update that tomorrow to account for the last 2 weeks). I did sneak a weigh-in yesterday, and I liked what I saw! It’s probably the most weight I’ve lost in a week, so it looks like avoiding those small temptations has really helped! I have also been tracking my food intake and exercise with SlimKicker on my iPhone (they don’t have it on Android yet). This is an awesome app because it has cool challenges and you can increase levels and feel that you are being rewarded for you work! There’s also a neat social component to it. It’s also free! I’m going to do a review and giveaway associated with them in the near future.
I also finally started reading “It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change your Life in Unexpected Ways” (ISWF for short). This has been a really great read. It is very simplified, yet informative. It also keeps me motivated to keep going and realize that I’m making a positive impact for my body and life.
Not having coffee was hard for the first couple days, but I got used to it. I do still miss it, but I am enjoying trying new types of teas! I actually went to a tea tasting at Adagio Tea with a friend this past weekend. I learned some interesting and new things about different types of tea and the importance of keeping it at specific temperatures.
I do like that I have a general routine now for my daily menu, however, I am getting a little bored with it. I’m hoping to try some new recipes from Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat, and I will be sure to report on those soon!
Also, there’s just a day and a half left for my Door to Door Organics Giveaway, so be sure to enter if you are in their delivery area!
Well…it’s been over two weeks since I have posted. Life just got busy for a bit, and then I went on vacation to see 4 Phish shows in a row! Does that sound nuts? Well yes, it sure was 🙂 We saw 2 shows in Indianapolis and 2 shows at Alpine Valley (WI). This was a lot of fun, but it was also a lot of driving and not much sleeping. I had a blast hanging out with my husband and friends that we have not seen in some time, but this whole healthy living thing didn’t go to well. I don’t think it’s the end of the world to take a break from working out and eating a little unhealthy while on vacation. However, when you wake up and eat three chocolate chip cookies to start your day, the day proceeds to follow in a similar fashion. (For the record, Jewel’s standard chocolate chip cookies are quite delicious!) That, coupled with exhaustion from the heat, standing/dancing at the shows, and generally being out of my routine did not give me much self-discipline to keep to the lifestyle I have been trying to lead. In a way, these are all excuses, but it was honestly much harder for me to stick to something when I wasn’t in my “zone”, if that makes sense.
I did bring a mix of almonds and raisins, grass-fed beef sticks, and some fruit which I did eat on car rides, etc. However, with a group of friends, time limitations, wanting to give myself a break, and, honestly, the desire to not be too picky in front of others, I succumbed to eating a Subway sandwich, the Mac & Cheese at Noodles & Co (I know there were healthier options, but I just let it all go), sandwiches from a delicious deli (which I will blog about later), late night Taco Bell, and munching on snacks like cookies, chips, etc. OK fine, I gave myself a break…but I really forgot how awful I would feel from eating this stuff combined with a lack of sleep and exercise! I was dancing at the shows, but it definitely wasn’t the intense workout I’m used to from The Dailey Method. I was having a good time with friends, but I noticed that I was more irritable. Saturday night at Alpine Valley, I noticed that my throat was hurting a bit. I ignored it, and of course it got worse. So on top of it all, I got myself a cold that is still nagging at me as I type this out.
I never realized how much getting out of my standard routine would throw me off. The second we returned home, I was back to sticking to my Whole30 lifestyle. I have not yet gone to workout because I haven’t had the energy from being sick, but I will likely go by the weekend. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it too much. After all, it was vacation, and it’s not the end of the world. In fact, I’m pretty proud of myself for getting back on track with my food choices the day I returned. I always have a fear that if I completely fall off the wagon, I may never be able to get back on. I am confident I will be able to, and I do still plan to do the official Whole30 program starting mid-July.
I found this graphic from this site: Double Eagle Fitness. It gives a nice breakdown of times people fall off the wagon and the post gives 3 great reasons to get back on track!
So that’s that. I’d love to hear if anyone has good tips for eating on vacation! Also stay tuned for a post about a few meals we ate at Brick Street Market!
This past weekend was full of wonderful celebrations! My husband and I drove down to Indianapolis on Saturday to celebrate the 1st birthday of the son of our dear friends. Of course, Sunday was Father’s Day. It was so great to enjoy time with friends we haven’t seen in some time. It was also a once in a lifetime experience to see 37 kids (most under the age of 5) in one place at once, lol. Just watching them all jumping around was quite exhausting. Sunday, we had a Father’s Day lunch and dinner which was wonderful as well.
Clearly, it was going to be difficult for me to stay on my diet when I could not have complete control over my meal choices. I always allow for myself to indulge a meal or two during the week that aren’t compliant, since that is just reality. However, being unprepared definitely got me in trouble. Saturday morning before we left, I made sure to have a bigger breakfast consisting of a 3-egg omelette with spinach and an avocado. As we embarked on our drive, I decided to only bring water with me. I did not bring any fruit or nuts to snack on. Clearly, when we arrived in Indianapolis, I was starved! So I immediately ate a sandwich and then ate tons of pasta and some delicious cake (I had planned on eating the cake beforehand). Everything was delicious, and I wasn’t beating myself up too much about it…but I know I could’ve prepared a bit more so I wouldn’t have taken that second serving of pasta and eggplant parmesan. On top of it, we were driving straight to my in-laws that evening, and I had not prepared a breakfast plan for the next morning.
I started thinking about where I went wrong in not preparing for the trip. Did I not have the food with at my disposal? Nope. Did I not have enough time to get it ready? Nope. Did I give up? Yes! Basically, I had already thought to myself, “I’m going to let go a little”. I did not decide how or when I was going to let go (which is what I usually do), which pretty much gave me the opportunity to eat whatever I wanted. So I failed in my thought process, which led to me choosing to not be prepared and eating unhealthy. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting go a little bit. However, for a person like me, who lacks self-control, this little goes a long way. I am positive that having a piece of fruit or nuts on the ride there would have staved off some of my impulsive eating for that day and the next.
The next morning, I had granola with milk and fruit for breakfast (fail). I meant to get some eggs, but since I had given up, this just didn’t happen. For lunch, I was able to be compliant, however, for Father’s Day dinner, I decided to have 1 crab rangoon. My parents don’t eat meat or seafood, and one order of crab rangoon had 6 pieces! Well of course I can’t make my husband eat all of those! Before I knew it, 3 of them were floating around in my tummy.
Inevitably, this all lead to me feeling irritable. I was annoyed that I let it happen, and this all led to negative thinking and being a victim to my own choices. This way of thinking is never good. On top of it all, I didn’t go to The Dailey Method for 2 days in a row, which I try not to do. But alas! This morning, I went to The Dailey Method and after 10 minutes I could feel myself becoming more calm. The stress I had placed on myself started trickling away, and I felt the ultimate release. Finally, I felt like my new self again 🙂
Overall, I think this is a lesson that it just takes on small thought to begin an avalanche of negative behavior. At the same time, I was so grateful to get back on track and to make the choice to get out of the negativity.
The best part of the weekend was seeing this face 🙂 He was such a birthday champ and is the most handsome little man I have seen!
Since I’ve started adhering to the Whole30 guidelines, most of my meals have been homemade. However, I have definitely found great options when I dine out. The tricky part is that I don’t always know whether the meat is grass-fed or organic, and sometimes sugar may be added to different sauces or marinades. While I want to be super rigid and perfectionistic about the program, I have to be realistic. Sometimes life doesn’t allow for me to be constantly prepared. Sometimes, I will have to eat out, and that is ok…at least it is to me 🙂 I do my best to find healthy options, and the rest of the time I try to eat at home.
I would have to say that this has to be my favorite “eating out” meal so far. I went to Mia Francesca in Lakeview this past weekend, and I ate some delicious salmon! It was served on a bed of asparagus and topped with tomato, onions, and avocado with a lemon wedge. It was such a great summer treat on a very warm day. The Francesca restaurants change their menus every couple weeks, and I just saw that this was no longer on the menu as of today! I’m so glad I ate it before the menu changed.
I also had a wonderful lunch at my mom’s house a couple weeks ago. She has been so wonderful and encouraging throughout my journey. My mom is an amazing artist, and this definitely extends to her creativity and presentation with food.
Lunch consisted of hard-boiled eggs, a veggie salad, boiled swiss chard, cooked parsnips, plain beets, mangos, peaches, and cherries.
Baby spinach, romaine lettuce, cabbage, bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, radishes, strawberries, walnuts, and homemade sun-dried tomato dressing (yes, homemade! My mom rocks 🙂 )
Boiled swiss chard with olive oil and garlic
Boiled parsnips. My mom added apple cider vinegar when it was done, and then she added some beets to give it some color! (She’s so creative!)
So there you go, two delicious meals! What are some creative things you have done to “ordinary” fruits and/or veggies?
As I mentioned in my previous post, I have had various experiences with trying to get in shape. Nothing really stuck, and I just figured that working out just wasn’t my “thing”. I’m just not “one of those people” who worked out…right?
Around February of this year, I started to feel really negative and depressed about my eating habits, lack of exercise, and increasing waistline. I was sitting on my couch after watching Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, which was definitely motivating and inspirational in its own right, and I decided that it was time to literally get moving. Then the “reality” set in. I thought to myself, “I’ve never kept anything up, what makes me think I will this time?”, “I can’t exercise because of my foot”, and, “I’ll just eat really healthy, maybe try juicing, Weight Watchers, or just anything so that I don’t need to workout”.
Then, a recent memory popped into my head. I was having dinner with friends and overheard a friend talking about how she usually gets up early in the morning 2-3 times a week to work out. Then I realized that this friend not only is married, has a full-time job, and a home to maintain, but she also has 3 young kids. So what exactly is my excuse? That I “can’t” get up until 7am every morning because I need sleep? Hmmm…most of the world is able to get up early, so again, what is my excuse?
Then…I had a moment of clarity. I am just looking for excuses when, in reality, I have none! I knew it the whole time, but I just didn’t want to accept it.
So, I finally came to ACCEPT that I have no excuses besides laziness. I want to look and feel fabulous, but I don’t want to put in any work. So I can either stay that way and pay the consequences, either now or later, or I can do what I CAN do. I have no control over what may happen in the future, but I can control what I do now.
That is how my journey towards healthy living began. I am happy to say that in less than four months I have seen positive results through exercising and eating healthier. These are not just physical changes but also mental changes. I am so much happier after I workout and throughout the day. I’m less irritable and less irritating. I am much more motivated to do work simply because I started my day off right by exercising and eating a healthy breakfast! When I feel sluggish, I drink some water or eat some fruit or nuts instead of going to the vending machine.
Sounds easy, right? HA! Not so much, but re-training habits is definitely hard work. The good news is that it gets easier! Don’t get me wrong, I have cravings for junk food and mornings that I just sleep in and don’t work out. However, I no longer allow those choices to become long-term habits.
Please share your own motivating experiences and/or challenges with keeping up regular exercise and diet. I’d love to hear them!
Cutting the Cheese 
