Chain reaction

With one change comes another and another ... 

Today is day #23 of this whole 30 journey. The main craving is variety. I suppose there probably is more varieties with meals than we have chose to make but it seems most dishes tend to taste the same in one way or other. Other than that and of course a good cup of coffee to my liking, we arent struggling with the program. 

What is so great is the other changes this has led to. We are striving for health and peace of mind and we are well on our way to both. With starting our one hike a month and working out consistently, we have both decided to sign up for something that will challenge us. Pete has signed up to ride 100 miles from Portland to Pacific City with Reach the Beach in mid May and I will sign up to run the Newport half marathon in June with a goal of finishing in under 2 hours. Both will require us to continue to focus on eating well, drinking a lot of water and sticking with a rigorous training program. We have done all 3 of those but not simultaneously it seems.

Along the lines of health we are catching up on labs, tests and procedures with the MD. I actually have chose a PCP in which I havent had in many years. We also are slowing our roll or at least being more attentive to not wishing our days away. Oh what you notice when you realize there is no need to be busy at every moment. In those moments we are trying very hard to have a good work/life balance. This by far is the hardest for me as I feel my job is consuming but again having the balance may change the feeling.

We havent master everything mentioned above but step one is being aware of it and to continually grow. 

I absolutely love where we are headed and it feels like we are almost back to our "normal"

TGIF

It's my Friday and after the last 2 days … Thank the Lord!

Day #18

Its crazy to think we have been following Whole30 for 18 days. We definitely don't have the cravings like we did even a week ago. Coming home and cooking dinner is becoming a habit. We no longer look for the "easy dinner". Unless of course it is meal prep. Vegetables are the new potato chips and carbonated water is the new beer. But I must say I long for coffee creamer. I miss my 1 good cup of morning coffee every day. 

The last 2 days have tested everything in me. Unexpected long days at work left me with not enough "special food" to eat. Trying to figure out what to eat at work is not easy because everything has something in it I cant have....except veggies. Only a rabbit can be satisfied with just veggies lol. Lucky for me my hubbie came to my rescue. He told me he "threw" together dinner (chicken, potatoes and vegetables) and brought it to me. Back in the day throwing dinner together for him was frozen chicken nuggets and French fries. He loves me.

None the less progressively everything doesn't surround food. Eventually the hardest part will be in front of us though. When the 30 days is complete and we have to chose the next step. 

oy vey ist mir

Today was a rough day. 

Today I didn't have patience.

Today was overwhelming.

Today I was hungry.

Today is only Tuesday...…..

We all have days like this and today was my day. It immediately got a bit better when I got home and will get even better when I crawl into my warm bed and sleep.

Tomorrow is a new day 

**side note last night I had a very real dream about donuts and a cute puppy and in the end I chose the puppy over the donuts. No cheating even in my dreams HA!

Fabulous Sunday

This past Sunday was fabulous. We hiked just under 6 miles roundtrip to Cascade Head just outside of Lincoln City. It spit on us only a few times and we even got a short glimpse of blue sky. Zac headed out with us early and the trail was empty. There was a ton of mud but not as bad as we thought. We saw Bald Eagles and 2 herds of elk. It was refreshing and absolutely amazing at the top despite the wind. On a side note, I am out of shape. On another side note, this has sparked our adventurous side and are already planning the next hike.
We will adjust what we will bring to eat during and after the hike because we were starving and waited too long to eat lunch. Lara bars to the rescue!

How can you resist this view?!

Party time

Nothing is better than celebrating Christmas two times. We are talking Christmas tree, music, movies, present's and food!

Oh yes ...  food, lots and lots of amazing food. This truly was a test of will power. The chocolate chip cookies, brioche buns and tequila wanted to be in my belly. The hubs and I planned ahead because we knew we couldn't be starving with all that food. We ate before but also brought some chicken, fruit and veggies so we could eat with everyone else. We also stayed away from the food table.

Success! We survived by not focusing on food but instead on every thing else going on. But also there was no way we were going to cheat because we are at Day 13 and really don't want to start over. No way.

Tomorrow we are starting another goal we set for ourselves. We have always been avid hikers and love every part of being outdoors. We only hiked a few times last year and really have missed it. We plan on at least hiking once a month. Tomorrow we head to the beach to hike Cascade Head with our youngest. Fingers crossed it wont rain as predicted and the mud isn't took slick, oh and a clear view would top it all off. We are figuring out a new way to eat before a hike as we have always followed the same regimen.  Normal for us was to carb load with spaghetti the night before and then oatmeal for breakfast. Not this time but we do have lara bars for a refuel if need be.

Excited to step back into our "normal"

*Snow and Sick Day

Ironic its snowing and I spend the day thinking of gardening. I have BIG plans. Bumper crops would mean canning and dehydrating, something I haven't done for a few years. Nothing like homegrown food and nothing like less trips to the grocery store for fruits and veggies. Gardening is so therapeutic.

Day 12 has been uneventful. I have been battling a nasty head/neck ache for 2 days which has caused me to not be terribly hungry so that has been helpful. In fact I have had no cravings today because of the way I feel. Made Korean chicken tonight and fish sauce was part of the marinade. I was hesitant to use it because I was worried about a fishy taste but we really wanted to try it. The reviews were right no fish taste but the smell when your cooking the chicken was less than desirable. If you can get past that smell, add broccoli (instead of rice) and a salad with pinenuts - Walla  a dinner that will fill you up.

The way we are looking at bread and rice is changing so much. Crazy because 12 days ago we didn't think we could live without it. Tomorrow we are going to a get together with lots of yummy (not approved) food....wish us luck with the temptations.

Day 11 - Say what?!

Whole30 the last 11 days

I had meant to start this blog at day 1 but now a recap is in order. Having my husband start this with me has really made it easier. Especially because there aren't any extra temptations of watching him snack on french bread as I eat kale (just say no to kale). Before we started the boys got all of our "not approved" foods that might go bad as well as stuff we wont reintroduce after the 30 days. The Sunday before we started, we gorged on pizza like it was our last meal ever. We were prepared in the fact I had bought specialty items and groceries for meals we had researched. Looked at meals we thought how hard can this be and with that mentally we were ready to start. Or so we thought...…
     
By the beginning of day 3 we found out quickly that meal prep is key and that we can not eat chicken and green beans for the next 28 days. Menu planning and making plenty of extras is also was high on the to do list. That Wednesday I prepped food like I was a chef. We now had items to grab on the go. 

Day 5 oh how we miss rice, bread, cheese, creamer and the list could go on. At the end of the day our conversations now consist of asking each other if we could have 1 food item what would it be and then taking a moment of silence for those unattainable delectable. It has now turned mental. We somehow think by not eating rice or pasta we wont fill up. Funny enough with every meal we have eaten we are satisfied but that thought reoccurs. Coffee is a whole new ballgame. We found an approved creamer but it isn't sweet and coffee tastes like....well coffee. But we keep drinking it even though it isn't as pleasurable. Strange.

Day 7 Cauliflower rice is almost an acquired taste. I love cauliflower but my mind is calling my bluff when I put it under my stir fry. My husband and I often talk about what we will reintroduce first and right now it will be rice. Sparingly.

Day 8 we realized if we had done this challenge during the summer, the variety of vegetables would have been greater as well as fruits (although fruits are eaten sparingly) We also are hungry. Not all the time but the feeling happens several times during the day. Am I really hungry or is this me thinking I am hungry? I use to eat something every 2 hours. Mind you I ate tons of veggies and no sugar items but I loved snacky foods, the ones not allowed on Whole30. This is the one time our consuming jobs are a good thing. No time to think of chocolate cake or bagels.

Day 9 I just want to order take out. Grueling day at work and the last thing I want to do is cook. Tuesdays are the day before one of our 2 meal prep days and so dinner we fend for ourselves. Just give me a taco and i'm good.....no... grilled cheese and I would be even better. 

Day 10  Today is prep day and at the store I find myself reading the labels of EVERY kind of food. Most are full of additives and I immediately try to figure out how I can make it at home. I spent almost 4 hours prepping but that includes recipe searching. Today I discovered the amazing Larabar. The fact that they taste amazing AND they are approved makes me happy. I will be sticking with these well beyond the 30 days. Pete started working out and I do believe I will be following suite here real soon.

Day 11  I was actually not hungry today but I also drank 90 ounces of water by 3pm and currently working on another 30 ounces.  The topic of conversation tonight was all about changes in our bodies. We both haven't experienced heart burn since day 2 and this was something we battled at some point every day. We also aren't bloated and having stomach issues including being gassy. Our clothes are starting to feel a bit more comfortable. All this is so exciting and also very motivating!

Onto Day 12

Starting now.....

Rewind to 2019 and in a nutshell it flew by with my undivided focus on what I see now as unhealthy choices for my mental and physical health. Now this is obviously hindsight that I actually didn't realize until I was so mentally and physically drained and "I couldn't figure out why".   

As cliché as others think, every New Years is my restart. My downfall is continuing what I set out to change each and every year. As my wise mom states, always at the perfect moments ... One day at a time. This will be my 2020 mantra for reals. I will fall back on it when I try to get ahead of myself and especially when I lose my focus or patience.


 I made a decision to start something hard  AND complete it. 

The first Monday in 2020 I started Whole30. I tossed this idea around with my sis for weeks leading up to the new year.  I consider this to be the most positive reset I can do. I am clearing my body of all unhealthy which in turn will positively change my mental health . I will also be taking on a goal for 30 days to follow this strict regimen. A goal I have set for myself. A goal I am holding myself accountable for. A goal I want. 

As hard as it will be I wont quit.