Suga Suga

Too much sugar today. Good day without carbs- bad day with sugar!

Kit Kat, few bites of ice cream, few skittles....

Wagon attack!

I've got to get back on the wagon! Obviously had my cheat days on Christmas Eve and Christmas. Sunday wasn't TOO bad, I did have 3 pieces of bread at dinner but I munched on a few fun size chocolates. Monday wasn't bad until dinner, thin crust pizza! It was delicious! But bad! Then today I had leftover pizza for lunch and a few more fun size chocolates and for dinner I ate a burger (with the bun) and chips! Then dessert was 2 cheesecake cupcakes! Oh man! The wagon ran me over and is just going back and forth over me! I'm jumping back on it tomorrow! I don't even want to weigh myself right now!!

Dang it!

Detox.

That is what I feel like I need after the last four and a half days! My planned 2 days of gluttony turned into double that. It's just so hard to say no when tons of homemade goodies are shoved in your face (okay...I may be exaggerating a little...they weren't SHOVED in my face, it was more like I went on a search to find them, but that's beside the point). I'm not sure how much weight I gained, but I'm sure it's not good. I'll probably weight myself in the morning when I go workout. And then I will go cry by myself somewhere dark...

Alas, I do have a couple of observations from these past few days. I promise I'll make them short and sweet.

-#1-
Once you fall off the wagon, it's hard to say no. I actually think I fell off the wagon and then it backed over me a few times and now it's dragging me alongside it.

Once I let myself have that first cracker with spread on it, it was over after that. So hard I worked to get the demons out and how quickly they return with a vengeance!

-#2-
I realized how bad I felt after eating nothing but sugar and grains for 4 days straight. Low energy, mental fuzziness, tired, upset stomach, bloated, and that's just a few. I think the biggest thing was how much my stomach and gut HATED me. I would eat a meal laden with carbs and then would feel horrible. I mean, run to the bathroom horrible...not a fun feeling! (<---TMI, I know)

I'm ready to get back on the gluten free wagon, hopefully I still have the strength to pull myself up. Although I am finding it harder to do. Convenience has taken over and I don't want to put in the effort to think about what I'm eating. I think I'm going to try some new recipes and see what happens.

Technically I only have 3 more days in my challenge, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to extend it indefinitely and see what happens.

New weight

Weighed myself this morning and weighed in at 151.8

About 6 lbs less than when started. Almost to the 140's

Back on track.....

Well the holidays are definitely not helping my new change! Stupid sweets! As far as carbs go I feel like I am doing OK. Yes I've snuck in a piece of toast here and there, I've had an egg sandwich but I am definitely more aware of how many carbs I used to eat as opposed to now. That has not been so difficult. Sweets weren't too bad until these past few days. I went to visit my husbands family and they had white chocolate almonds, white chocolate pretzels, cherry pie, brownies! A typical Hinshaw heaven! Well I told myself I would be in control, Sunday night I had about a handful of the pretzels..not too bad compared to what I usually eat. Monday I was doing a bad job of munching, we stayed busy most of the day but when I'd pass the kitchen it was a handful of pretzels or almonds. (At least what was under the chocolate wasn't TOO bad!) That night after dinner I at one brownie. On Tuesday same song, just randomly grabbing a handful then after dinner I ate cherry pie! The whole time I am eating these sweets I am telling myself to stop but I keep telling myself "oh, it's just my 20%" well that might be leaning closer to 30%. If I was not making this eating change I would have said I had a very successful week as far as not stuffing myself but not so much now! I am not going to give in since Xmas is soon and just say forget it! We've already set our "cheat days" as Xmas Eve and Xmas so I will continue on and get back on track. I weighed as well and we are at 153.8. Not great but I am making progress....OK I am back on track now!!!! Phewww

Same.

Not really sure how to begin this post, other than saying Christmas is almost here and the temptation is a lot. Especially for someone so new to this way of eating. Much of the food I've cut out has been a BIG part of my life. And if you think about it, it's part of most of our lives. We celebrate, mourn, socialize, and sooth ourselves around and with food. Therefore making this change and really making a commitment to it has been interesting so far. I have been far from perfect, but I've also become more aware of the things that I put in my body. I'm also more aware of the emotional effect that food has on me. Much of it is not the taste of a cookie, it's the emotional "high" I get from eating one. For a split second, it makes me feel better (for lack of a better word). It's not like my life is so terrible or anything like that, it's just the sublime feeling of joy that I get from eating sweets. I know at this point I'm starting to border on crazy, but I really can't be the ONLY one that feels like this...can I?

That was the random thought of the day...

A side note...

I weighed myself yesterday and my weight stayed the same from last week to this week.

146lbs.

I need to really dial things in and stop taking my "20%" ALL the way to 20% ;)

Will Power.

The last couple of days, I have felt my will power beginning to wane. I'm not sure if it's the time of year, the fact that I'm about 3 weeks into this and the novelty has worn off, or what.

Example.
Last night, I stopped at Panera Bread to get some soup on my way home from a 5 hour Christmas shopping marathon. The lady says "What would you like for your side?" I instinctively say "Bread please." I'm not sure what came over me, but at that moment in time I wanted something to sop up the soup that I was about to eat. Oh, did I mention that I wasn't THAT hungry anyways. I got home, soup put in the fridge, wrap presents, clean up, go pick up Ansley and put her to bed at home. By this time it's about 9:30pm and I decide that I'm hungry. Get my soup and bread out and proceed to eat every last bite of soup and bread. I should have easily been able to say 'No' to the bread, but I didn't.

An interesting follow up to that is approximately 30 minutes later, I had a pretty uncomfortable stomachache, like I felt sick. I wonder if my body has already adjusted to not having grains and my gut didn't like the flood of gluten that it got.

Here's the good news...
Today, I'm still feeling sorry for myself. I eat a couple pieces of chocolate (a gift) this morning. And I'm about to do the normal "Oh well, I've already screwed this up, might as well make a day of it", so I head to Whole Foods (I tend to make better decisions there...) and plan on picking up something to eat. Maybe even...GASP....a sandwich or something.

BUT....

I got a Chicken Salad plate (chicken salad, crackers, cheese, and grapes). I was going to say, "Beth, you can eat a couple crackers, it's okay." Alas, the crackers and most of the grapes are still in the box (as evidenced by the picture). I decided that I just wouldn't eat them. Really, what I am missing out on?

So I can say that while I am far from perfect, I am making progress. One slip-up does not ruin my day anymore.

Adventure.

Cooking is always and adventure for me. I think amongst other things that I lack, is a general sense of knowing how to prepare food. Last night was no exception.

I started when I got home from working out. I saw the 2 delectable Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Baking Bars that were sitting on the counter. So I grabbed them and threw them into a bowl in the microwave. (You see where I'm going with this...) I also grabbed the not so sweet strawberries in the fridge and commenced to dipping them into the chocolate. Yum, yum! Well I ran out of strawberries, so I grabbed raspberries, clementines and bananas. I also dipped a couple of animal crackers to see what they would taste like. My plan was to have a few of these goodies for dessert tonight. Dark Chocolate + Fruit = primal dessert!

Then it was time to make some dinner. Normally after such a dessert making effort, I would have called Ryan and told him to "just pick something up" because I wouldn't feel like making anything. But nope, not anymore. I looked in the fridge and found some chicken, marinade, cauliflower and cheese. Now...what to make with these ingredients?

Baked Chicken with Stubbs Chicken Marinade
Flatten the chicken, cover in marinade, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
Easy, tasty and done! 

Here's the tricky part and why I referenced my lack of cooking instincts.

Cauliflower Au Gratin (basic recipe from Emily at Joyful Abode)
1 head of cauliflower(outer leaves removed, washed, tossed with a bit of olive oil and roasted in 400degree oven for about 30 min)
1.5c shredded cheddar cheese
2-3Tbsp butter
Coconut flour
Heavy cream
Whole Milk

Okay just looking at this list of ingredients, it's a lactose intolerant person's nightmare! Anywho, the recipe said to melt the butter and then add the coconut flour until it makes a nice roux. I have NO idea what a roux is, but thanks to Wikipedia, I do now.

Second of all, my "roux" did not look like a roux, it wasn't creamy or smooth. So I figured I added too much coconut flour and it was too think. Then I added more butter. Then it said to add a splash of cream. What's a splash? I added what I thought was a splash and then my mixture got kind of lumpy...it's not looking good.

At this point I told Ryan that we might be having salad with our chicken instead.

I figured the mixture wasn't getting much better, so I just dumped the cheese in the pot. It begin to melt, but melted into a giant lump of cheese! There was nothing saucy about this. Add more cream, stir, add more cream, stir. Then I came to the culinary realization that I needed something to thin it out more. Ah ha! I have milk in the fridge...it's all in the same food family, right? So I madly keep stirring and pouring in milk. My arm was more sore from making this than doing the Filthy Fifty WOD at Atomic!

I finally had a cheese-ish "sauce" it was pretty thick. Dumped it on the roasted cauliflower, put more shredded cheese on the top and baked it for about 15 min in the oven with the chicken.

It actually tasted okay, but I think it was a little too rich for me! Ryan loved it, Ansley loved it, so I guess it was a success. Great alternative to using potatoes.

I did feel VERY full and uncomfortable after I ate it, which leads me to believe that I need to cut down on dairy. I might have to tackle that one next month!

Thoughts...

I agree with Beth's post about guilt. Obviously before we started this healthy lifestyle change I took it a little too far with not feeling guilty about anything I ate! I just put whatever in my body and did not think twice about it. So I am thankful for this because I am more aware of what I am eating and was is IN what I am eating. But I would still like to eat pizza every once in a while or ice cream without feeling like that was the worst decision possible. I think the biggest thing I am taking away is that I can be perfectly happy just making certain adjustments to my eating habits. For example, yesterday we heated up a Digorino Pizza and I made myself a salad and ate a couple of small thin crust pieces. Or when I cooked tacos I just ate the taco meat and cheese and I was perfectly satisfied after the meal. Also, that I don't have to eat sweets at the end of EVERY night. I was getting into a very bad habit of constantly eating sweets. After the craving passes I am perfectly fine and happy that I did not feel like I HAD to eat it!
But Beth you are doing a GREAT job. You are almost halfway to your goal weight loss and it has only been a couple of weeks. Don't fret over chips! People would kill to look like you!!

P.S. One of these days I am going to out-do you on SOMETHING at Crossfit. I was hoping I had you on deadlifts or squats but you just beat me. I will beat you at something ONE DAY!!

Guilt.

It's really something that I've tried to eliminate with this new lifestyle change. I don't want to feel guilty for indulging in a good dessert or meal once in a while. It's when the indulgence turns into an every day thing that becomes a problem. Case in point.

Last night I made a quick meal of some taco meat, lettuce, cheese and salsa and made a taco salad. I've been doing well by not eating things like flour tortillas, etc. But I had a hankering last night for something crunchy with my salad. So I took some of the corn tortillas in the pantry, brushed them with olive oil, and baked them for about 15 min at 400 degrees. Voila! Perfectly crunchy homemade tortilla chips. I was in control of these chips, because I made them. I made about 4 small tortillas worth of chips (approx. 8 chips per tortilla - they were really small) so if you do the math that's 32 chips total. Ryan ate a few, I ate a few and I put some away for lunch today. The crappy thing about this was that I felt GUILTY for even eating the chips at that point. It irks me that I now feel guilty for eating anything that I'm not "supposed" to eat. I would like to be able to enjoy a treat every now and then for goodness sake!

As a side note - if you 3 people that read this blog are looking for a grain free/gluten free snack bar that only has like 4 ingredients...here's a good one that I had today. It was a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar.

 

The only ingredients in these things are dates, cashews, chocolate chips (the one I had today) and sea salt. Very tasty and portable! The carb count is a little high (~30 g) but in a pinch this is a great alternative to eating something not so great for you!

Down.

I forgot to post my "weigh-in" from last Thursday. So I weighed in this morning at Atomic, the verdict...

146lbs

Even with my McDonald's debauchery last week, I'm still losing. I'm officially down a total of 4.5 lbs. I know that most of it has been water weight, but it still feels good to be able to take off some weight. I've honestly been struggling with this last 10 lbs since about December of last year. It's the remainder of the baby weight I had from Ansley. I think that I was so accustomed to eating semi-healthy and staying active that I could really eat what I wanted and stay about the same. My body has changed a bit since she was born and I was having some issues accepting that and realizing that I will have to really pay attention to what I'm putting in my body. 

I wish I could say this it's ONE diet/ eating plan that's doing it, but honestly I've found something that works for me. It's not a magic formula, or a pill, or a person. It's just me, being aware of what I'm putting into my body.  I haven't totally eliminated all sugars, I still eat fruit, have sweet tea occasionally and eat dark chocolate, but the sheer fact that I've cut out all the excess snacking (which was usually crackers, cookies, etc.) has made all the difference in the world. Another FANTASTIC part about what I'm doing is that I have not counted a single calorie since I've been doing this. My dietary past is one of either counting calories or weighing and measuring everything. It's been quite relaxing to look at the content and quality rather than the numbers. 

I'm starting to feel stronger and lighter in my workouts. Yesterday I had one of the best performances that I've ever had in Crossfit. I pushed myself harder and longer than I used to be able to handle. My body is loving this no-gluten, low sugar thing! 

Moment of weakness

OK, so I had a moment of weakness last night. Dang it. I was at my parents house and the desserts kept yelling at me "EAT ME" they would not stop! So finally I caved! I ate half of a "smores" dessert. It was definitely delicious and I definitely wanted to eat the other half but I figured half was enough. I think running errands does something to people. I mean I was running around with my mom last night and for some reason after you come in from errands you just want something that is not good for you. I don't know what it is! It is very strange. Or at least that is how I am. I know I'll be tested once again when I visit Dane's family in Graham, TX. We go out to eat a lot and his dad always gets me a dessert. I am thinking I will have to tell him ahead of time what I am doing and don't bother buying the sweets for me!

A thought...
I think it is getting a tiny bit more difficult for me to reist sweets and carbs because I am starting to feel better about my body so I feel I can eat those. But I have done this before, I'll lose some weight then eat the weight back on! So, I am getting the hang of what to eat and what to avoid and it is getting easier finding lunches and dinners. The hardest meal for me is lunch. Everything I have takes time to prepare and with teaching I have about 20 minutes to shove the food in my mouth then I have to pick up my kiddos! But fruit and cheese is always a good fall back. Dinner is easy because I just take out the carbs I don't want. The biggest change I feel I've made is not eating the sweets after dinner basically every night!

So, while it is hard to resist things at times, I am starting to get the hang of it!

Day 13

Greetings!
This weekend was OK. On Friday we had our Magic party. I had a couple of glasses of wine, beef, very small portion of noodles, fruit, and a salad. It was very delicious! After that it was dessert heaven BUT Jamie and Beth primal nightmare! I feel like more desserts have been put in my face the past 13 days than ever before. Or possibly it is because I did not notice how many desserts were in my face because I was too busy stuffing my face! Either way, I did eat one cheesecake square. It was definitely awesome but of course after eating it I was mad at myself. Owell, it was a part of my 20%... :) Saturday was not a bad day, typical selections! On Sunday I "baked" with my mom at my parents house and there were so many things I wanted to eat! Mints balls, Red Velvet balls, "stick balls", fugde, smore bites! Oh man! I denied. One point= Jamie. It was tough, that stuff looked soooo good!! Until next time......... (ready for my cheat day on Christmas!!)

Reflect.

It's Monday morning, so I thought I would take a bit of time to reflect on the first 13 days of my challenge/adventure/temporary psychosis...whatever you want to call it.

The last 13 days have been both an eye opening and educational experience. I find myself being very aware of the effect that food had on my body. I will admit, it hasn't been a perfect 13 days, but I can definitely tell a difference in my body and mood when I eat something that is filled with sugar or grains. Although that doesn't mean that when presented with the opportunity to indulge in homemade cookies or other goodies I would turn them down. Which says something about the power of emotional attachment to food. That I would knowingly make myself uncomfortable to enjoy food.

Part of me thinks it's been a LONG 13 days of avoiding grains to the best of my ability and will power, but then again, I also think that it hasn't really been that hard either. I guess most of the "sacrifices" I've had to make have been in either convenience or cost. If I eat out now (aside from Friday of course) I choose places that I know I  can get decent quality primal foods.

Prime example is Saturday. Ryan and I were out Christmas shopping all day long. In the midst of our shopping we realized that we were both completely famished. Driving down Westheimer near the Beltway we were going through our options for a quick bite. There were the usual suspects, fast food, sandwich shops etc. Ryan knew that I would find "something" to eat at any of those places, but he knew it probably wouldn't be a great idea. So instead of stopping at a less-than-ideal fast food place, we ran into a Whole Foods and I found some cheese and chicken salad* that I could have as a big snack while we finished. Better decision and I felt much better than I would have. Typical fast food meal averted!

The same thing happened at dinner. Done shopping, it's late, we're tired, usually a recipe for a quick drive through meal. However, we were on such a role that neither one of us wanted fast food. So we ate at La Madeline, where I could get a bowl of soup and a salad with chicken. The other bonus was we got to spend some time together with no other distractions. With Ansley, I think we forget what it's like to converse without interruptions!

I think I set out with a goal of being somewhere between "on" 80% of the time and then allowing myself some "off" time about 20% of the time. The last 13 days have been close to 90/10. I can think of two whole meals that have not been grain-free and a couple of handfuls of things, but I definitely pick and choose where I want to "spend" my 20% very carefully!

*as a side note - I'm now craving this chicken salad! Might have to make a run back to Whole Foods today to get some for lunch.

Fail.

I actually thought about not posting this, but then I figured that this blog would be a useless piece of web space if I wasn't being completely honest with the 3 MAYBE 4 of you that read this.

Today started off with a lot of positive self talk and planning. I had my monthly department meeting all day and at each meeting there is a massive cornucopia of food all day long. Not to mention that we go out to lunch ( we are teachers, there is no daily out to lunch for us) so it's a big deal.

I did a good job in the morning resisting the sugar-trap that was the food table. Danishes, candy, hot chocolate (the instant kind), oatmeal and cookies beckoned me. I drank my usual protein shake and had an apple for a snack. I thing the apple made me even more hungry than I should have been because I ended up eating a banana with peanut butter smeared on it. Peanut butter is not ideal, but I was in a bind and needed some fat to hold me over. I wasn't thinking this morning and didn't grab my usual bag of nuts that I keep on hand.

Lunch= possible disaster. Everyone decided to go to Olive Garden to eat. Okay, great. I resisted pasta while on a date with my dear husband, so this shouldn't be that bad. Well, it was bad and good. I ordered a chicken skewer with potatoes, grilled chicken, and grilled veggies. Primal WIN! Then they brought out the salad and breadsticks and if you've ever eaten at Olive Garden you know how good the salad and breadsticks are. The breadsticks have some sort of magical coating that melts in your mouth and I think takes you to heaven for a split second...I'm just sayin'. I quickly grabbed some salad to try and fend off the need to have a breadstick. I lost that battle, although it was a better decision than I normally make. I only ate ONE breadstick. Escaping Olive Garden with a one breadstick wound...fine by me!

The afternoon was a breeze because I really wasn't that hungry. I did however eat 2 mini Reece's Cups that someone handed to me. FAIL. Not a huge fail, but one nonetheless.

I hate to say, but this is going to get worse before it gets better....

More Christmas shopping with the significant other and the daughter. Daughter did not want to cooperate at the mall. I really should have learned my lesson last time, she does not like the mall, or maybe she just doesn't like being in her stroller, whatever it is, it sucks! One the way home, I was tired, stressed and a little put out by my lovely child's behavior in public. So I actually said the words, "I really just want a burger and fries right now." AAAAAHHHHHHHHH! And what's worse is that my husband actually complied. He's supposed to be the unemotional one. He's supposed to make the right decisions for me, when I can't do that for myself! The only thing I can think is that he, too, has succumb to the stress that lingers in the mall....it clouds your judgement, like having an out of body experience or something.

Guess I'll have to get back on the bandwagon tomorrow. Just sabotaging myself, it's really unfair. I think this stemmed from eating too much sugar during the day. AND you know what else stinks about this....It wasn't even that good :(  I'll just end with two words. McDonald's...yuck....

Bye bye fluff

Today is definitely a test! Today at lunch it is the teacher's "pig out". At the end of each quarter a grade level brings lunch for the teachers. Today there was chili, soups, salads, chips, crackers, and assorted desserts. Usually a dream for me! But today, a nightmare. Actually I am being dramatic, it wasn't that bad. Although the desserts looked delicious it was not too bad to turn it down. I had a taco soup with 5-6 crackers. Not bad. Tonight we have our Magic (softball team I coach) party and there will be plently of goodies there! I will succeed! :)

Beth, way to pass up Dairy Queen. That was NOT easy!

This morning Jim made me feel good and put it in a nice way. We (Beth, Jim and I) were talking after Crossfit about what we were doing and he told me he could tell that the "fluff" on me was going away. Fluff...nice way to put that.

Ice Cream.

Congrats to Jamie on her almost 5 lb. weight loss in a week! I'll weigh in tonight at Atomic Crossfit, as I like their scale better than the one at my house. I honestly think the scale at my  house is about 4-5lbs off. I guess that's what I get for buying a $20 scale!

Holiday stress has begun to set in! I'm now noticing my reaction to stress, to eat! In short, got home late last night, meat was already ready (yummy pork chops that Ryan grilled) and I had to make sides to go with it. Rushed in the door, washed some broccoli, threw it in the steamer, put my things down, threw a bag salad in  a bowl. Dear hubby says "we need to run to Toys R Us tonight to pick up some things for Ansley. Quickly take broccoli out of steamer, throw some butter and spices on it, food to plates, eat quickly and hurry to the car to head to Toys R Us.

By this time I can feel my blood pressure going up, partly because we were hurrying so much and the other part because I knew we HAD to go shopping because I've gotten almost nothing done. As soon as we got in the car, I turned to Ryan and said "I could use a bowl of ice cream right now".
      
Red flag #1- After a good meal with veggie carbs, protein and lots of fat, I'm wanting more sugar.

On we go to Toys R Us, which surprisingly was not very crowded. But I can definitely tell that Ansley is becoming a toddler, because we were fighting the "I want" battle with her. Everything she saw was intriguing. She wanted to stand and look at everything for extended periods of time, especially toys with Dora on them. By the time we left, she was on the brink of a meltdown. Partly because she was tired and because we wouldn't let her take everything home with her.
     
Red Flag #2 - Lots of deep breathing and rubbing my face. This signals stress and again, when we were in the car I still wanted something sweet. At this point I don't think I really cared what it was!

As we drove home we were talking about all the other Christmas stuff we needed to do and as we drove by Dairy Queen I actually reached my hand out towards the mecca of ice cream as if to use my magical powers to make the Blizzard come to me. It was quite desperate and pitiful. I also thought of Grace and actually said "Well, Grace eats Blizzards and they give her power!" So. Lame.

I made it past Dairy Queen without jumping out of a moving vehicle to get to a Blizzard, because Ryan wasn't stopping. Got home and had 3 (yes, three) pieces of dark chocolate and was shocked that I was satisfied and feeling kind of full.

This was the first time where I actually felt an almost uncontrollable craving for something. I was acutely aware of what triggered it, which was stress. Awareness is the key to fending off potential food bombs. I also let myself have a "compromise" in eating dark chocolate. It's all about acquiring the skills I need to not turn to food to help me cope with emotions or deal with stress. Lesson learned.

 

New weight

I weighed in this morning at 152.8. Alright! My body feels so much better, I am not where I want to be weight wise but I just don't feel sluggish. I just FEEL better. So far so good. I am feeling some of those temptations. I had a piece of dark chocolate, it tasted really good after a week of no chocolate. I think I can handle just having dark choc. I had a piece of bread last night as well. I cooked breakfast for dinner and had some eggs and made Dane some cinn. toast (yummy) so I just had a plain piece of toast. I think I am going to try Beth's salad very soon! It sounded delicious!

Until next time......

Kitchen.

I think my kitchen got the most use it's had in a very long time last night! Gluten-free and grain-free cooking was abundant! When I finished the marathon of cooking I was both stuffed and also felt a little guilty. Everything was so rich, savory, and dare I say a little sweet that I thought I had totally cheated myself.

My first goal yesterday evening was to create a savory potato soup. So I found a recipe on one of my favorite primal sites, Joyful Abode for  potato-leek soup. I didn't have leeks, so I just substituted green onions. I started the soup and then decided that I needed to try to make primal dark chocolate muffins.

This is another recipe I found on Joyful Abode. I'd been itching to try some baking without using refined flour and sugar and I must say the muffins turned out really good! They could also be frosted to make a cupcake if you don't care about the amount of sugar. I might make a few minor adjustments, but all in all not bad for my first try!

In the midst of making the soup and muffins, I realized I had some chicken in the fridge that was going to go bad if I didn't cook it. This is when things started to get a little hectic! I decided that I would make some primal "chicken nuggets" with my chicken. So I mixed up some egg and milk, make a dry mixture of almond flour, parsley, garlic salt, black pepper, and probably some other spices (there was so much on the counter I can't remember!). Breaded my chicken and put it in the oven for 30 min and voila! Chicken nuggets NOT from Tyson. They weren't very crispy, I guess I should maybe finish them off in a skillet with some oil? But the taste was good. They got the Beth and Ryan seal of approval, but our chicken nugget connoisseur did not want to eat them. I thought she would love them, but what do I know?

On the other hand, she LOVED the potato soup. Ryan had to go and scrape the bottom of the soup pot to get more for her! She especially loved it topped with bacon and cheese.

Next time I cook, I'm definitely posting pictures of everything.

Mia Bella Salad w/Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

Last weekend I ate a Mia Bella Trattoria in downtown and had the most fantastic salad I've had in a long time. I tried my best to recreate what I could of it and it turned out pretty good today. Here's what I did.

My Mia Bella Insalata di Mela
Fresh Spring Mix and Baby Spinach
Sprinkle of Gorgonzola cheese (it has a strong flavor so I don't put too much)
Honey roasted Pecans, crushed
Apple slices (Mia Bella used granny smith, but I had Gala and they tasted great!)
Cherry tomatoes (I omitted)

Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Blush Raspberry Vinaigrette
8 packets Truvia sweetener (could use a 1/4 cup sugar)
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper

It tasted really good! I could probably lower the amount of Truvia I put in there...it was almost TOO sweet! Definitely better than the salads I usually eat and I like a good vinaigrette much better than ranch dressing or something like that! I might make it again tonight and I will definitely take a picture of it.

Occasion.

Last night was one of "those" nights. The ones that come along every now and then, where I gave myself the leeway to indulge in foods that are currently on my Do Not Eat list. It was quite refreshing to not feel like I was "cheating", there was no guilt, just the freedom of enjoying the food and socializing that came with it.

Our Women's Ministry at church had a progressive dinner to celebrate the Christmas season. I had the pleasure of dining at a good friend of mine's house. As a guest in someone's house, I'm not going to start making demands on what they should and should not cook or serve. She had chips with guacamole and salsa. I did have a few chips LOADED with guacamole...yum, yum. For dinner we ate homemade enchiladas, rice, beans, and tamales. I ate one enchilada, one tamale and some rice. I savored the flavors of the food and found myself enjoying what I was eating so much more.

When we finished our meal and fellowship, it was onto the dessert home for an ornament exchange. This was actually the easiest to resist. The sweets that were there didn't appeal to me. I did have a few peanut M&Ms, so I guess you could call that a "cheat" because it wasn't something I planned for or really savored...I just ate them because they were there :)

Pretty good evening though. I had a great time talking with some wonderful people, making new friends, and focusing more attention on conversation and enjoying myself, rather than what was on my plate!

Chick-fil-a

Why the temptation!
Our adminstration is doing a nice thing for the teachers everyday until we get out for the Christmas break. So today we got a FREE Chick-fil-a sandwich delivered to our rooms. I mean c'mon man! It is sitting on my desk staring at me....grrr you yummyness of fried chicken and carb loaded bun! I will say no to you!
Can't they just bring a grilled chicken salad next time?!?

Jeans!

It started off as a good day today. I slipped some jeans on that are usually pretty snug around my waist and they fit so much better! It is amazing, just 6 days of laying off of the sugar and carbs and I am feeling a change in my body. I haven't completely given up on carbs, I had a few pretzels and a Luna bar or two but I am saying no to the bread, cereal and chips. Sometimes it is hard during lunch because I like just a typical sandwich and chips but I find something else and am equally satisfied. Last night I cooked tacos and I just made shells for Dane and I ate the meat and cheese, and it was GOOD. I really did like it. I did not stuff myself but did not leave myself starving. This is a concept I am learning.
But there is progress being made and can't wait for the 30 day results!
Whoo Hoo!

Unprepared Part 2

Well, yay for Beth's posts. Enjoyed reading them sister! I feel the same way that if I eat a piece of bread I just say "forget it" now I'll eat whatever I want. For example, yesterday I was at the softball fields ALL day! I went home for about an hour and a half but other than that I was freezing my tail off watching games. (the team I coach was hosting a tournament and we had to work it). When I woke up yesterday I grabbed a Luna bar and water and headed to the fields. I ate my Luna bar and worked. I went home and was not in the mood to eat anything (not typical for me). After going to the softball fields again and staying until 7:45ish Dane and I went home and, as Beth said, I was unprepared for a meal that I can quickly make. At this point in the day I was starving! Dane started heating up a Digorino pizza and I ate one piece for dinner. Carbs I know! Usually when we eat a pizza I consume 4 sometimes 5 slices! I figured if I just eat one, I won't be starving and it is just enough until I go to bed. It was OK, I felt fine afterwards and went to sleep!

This morning I weighed myself and was excited about the result, although I did not eat much yesterday so that can affect my weight, I am still seeing progress with my body and my decision making. This morning I weighed in at 154.4, that is 3 lbs less than my starting weight. The exciting part is we have only been doing this for 5-6 days! I can't wait to see the results after day 30! Take it one day at a time!

Unprepared.

After a great weekend, I was actually looking forward to going grocery shopping for some yummy grain-free foods. I even had a couple of recipes that I want to try out this week. If they work I'll definitely post them here!

This is where the fun stopped. Not only did I not leave for the grocery store until late, my local HEB did not have the ingredients I needed for my recipes. Bummer. So after searching high and low, asking no less than 4 people for things, I gave up and decided to call it a night. I was frustrated that I will probably have to make a trip to Whole Foods tomorrow to finish off my list.

So now it's already late and my dear husband calls and informs me that both he and Ansley are starving and that I don't have time to cook anything when I get home. Pick up food it is. This is where I need a massive overhaul. We eat out entirely too much because of a lack of preparation and time management on my part. I need to figure out some easy, primal-type foods that I can cook quickly. Okay, back to the conundrum...

Hubby says to stop at Burger King. A familiar feeling starts in the pit of my stomach. That feeling of, "well, I know I should make a good decision, but I'm starving and it's not going to hurt anything to have a burger and fries this one time." I made the good decision and got a salad from the menu. Onward I go.

At home, I anxiously pullnout my "salad" and immediately wonder what I've wasted my hard earned money on. The salad is lettuce, 4 baby carrots, a bit of cheese. I also get a package of croutons, and this is what totally grossed me out, a separate baggie of "grilled" chicken. I made the mistake of touching the chicken and I promise I threw up in my mouth a little bit. It was gross...my description on here would do it no justice. The fact that I could tell the chicken had been thrown in a microwave and had a slimy film covering it was just disgusting. I mean, I should have known, it's Burger King....not Salad King. Into the trash the salad went. I was going to wing it.

Bottom line, not great at winging it yet. I could wing a great meal before I started this, some chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, and maybe some veggies. I stood in my kitchen looking around like some food was just going to jump out of the air for me to eat. I stood too long. Finally decided to eat some bacon(which I decided to cook in the oven for the first time), eggs and fruit. The bacon cooking took longer than expected and baby girl was having a rough night, so no eggs and no fruit. Sad to say, I ate 3 pieces of bacon(when it finally finished cooking) and a glass of whole chocolate milk. Lame? Yes. Lesson learned? I hope so!

Disclosure.

In the interest of full disclosure, I thought I needed to  recap the last 36 hours...

While I was not perfect, I was vastly improved and as a former athlete, I can say that improvement is always a step in the right direction. If I was always perfect then what would I be working for, right?

Ryan and I had a wonderful date weekend planned. We travelled into the big city and planned on having a nice dinner,  seeing A Christmas Carol at the Alley Theatre and then staying the night at Hotel Icon. Wonderful way to have a short getaway before the holiday madness begins! The temptation abounded, while I did not say 'no' to everything, I made great decisions that I am quite proud of.

We started out the evening at Mia Bella Trattoria. If you have not eaten here, I HIGHLY recommend it. The food was fabulous! One of the best restaurants I've eaten at in Houston. The restaurant setting was quaint and quiet, although some of the tables were a little too close together. Excellent service and an Italian menu to die for. Let me just pause there and reiterate that this was an ITALIAN restaurant, as in there was a basket of fresh bread served before our meal. I looked at the menu online before we went, so I had an idea of what I was going to order. I was unprepared for the basket of bread. Yikes - impending low carb disaster. So instead of eating the bread I did order a glass of wine (I know that wine is metabolized the same way as bread, but at least I got the small health benefits of a glass of wine). I ordered my food and decided that since I wasn't going to partake in the bread, I would order a salad. Bread temptation averted! The conversation, salad, and wine kept me busy enough to not really even think about eating it. I was actually quite surprised at how easy that was...I mean really surprised.

As a side note, the salad I had was the best salad I've ever tasted, it was a little bit sweet (had a grapefruit vinaigrette, granny smith apple slices, and candied pecans), the flavors of the greens and gorgonzola cheese balanced out the sweetness. There was some sugar in the candied pecans and probably the dressing, but negligible compared to the bread bomb sitting in front of me.

Dinner was easy, I love beef so I ordered an excellent peppercorn beef tenderloin sitting atop a bed of garlic-leek mashed potatoes and a crostini. It was surrounded by delicious fresh veggies. I didn't eat the crostini (wasn't hard to say no after turning down the bread basket :) ) and had a few bits of the potatoes. We ended up having another glass of wine, so I'm sure at this point my body thinks I've had a basket of bread, but I think I'm trying to get more in the practice of turning down the things that tempt me on a regular basis. Wine is not an everyday thing, but bread definitely is!

We strolled a few blocks down to the Alley Theatre to see A Christmas Carol. I just mentioned that because it was a great performance! The actor who played Ebenezer Scrooge was fantastic. After the show we went back to the hotel and shared a bowl of homemade ice cream at the hotel restaurant. Full fat milk, cream and sugar...can't beat that! I'm finding that I'm now relishing my indulgences a bit more, because I pick and choose what I REALLY want to eat.


All in all I'm quite proud of the weekend out I had! Like Jamie said in her last post, I'm eating and not feeling sickly full when I'm done. That part is great. We ordered room service this morning before we left and I got back on my low carb wagon and had eggs, bacon and a cup of hot tea. My resolute commitment to making a lifestyle change is freeing me from the guilt of the "oh great, I had a piece of bread today...I'm totally off my diet so I'll just go binge on whatever I want" mentality. I know that there will be birthdays, holidays, date nights, etc. where I want to eat whatever I feel like, but those most definitely be SPECIAL occasions. It's the everyday choices that will bring me success and the allowance of occasional treats that will keep me happy.

You will not conquer me Roadhouse!!

Well, it has been a good weekend so far. It has been super busy so I have not really been in the apt that much. Last night Dane and I went out to eat with his mother and grandmother. We went to Texas Roadhouse...by the way, incase you don't know their rolls are AMAZING! We sit down and the carbs loaded masterpiece is sitting in front of me. Everyone is eating one except me then Dane grabs the last one so I am no longer tempted. Battle WON! Then Dane orders cheese fries, I loved those too, but I did not eat or pick at them at all! Battle WON! I ordered a steak, veggies, and a salad. After the meal I felt great, I was not so full that I was miserable but I was just right! Usually with all of the food on the table I would have felt HUGE but all I ate was my meal and it was GOOD! I did have a Luna bar yesterday. I was at the softball fields from 7:00am-4:00. I went to the concession to find something decent to eat and they had some peanuts so I ate those. That is OK, right Beth?? The tester will possibly be next Friday because the softball team I coach is having an end of the season party and I think we are making hamburgers....I'll just eat the meat! :) Well that is all for now. Until next time....

EAT IT Dane!

I would just like to say for the recod that my petit fore is still sitting in my fridge as well. I am hoping Dane will eat it before I "reward" myself! That would make my decision a lot easier if it just was not there anymore! C'mon on Dane! EAT IT!

Temptation.

Petit Four: is a small confection generally eaten at the end of a meal (e.g. with coffee) or served as part of dessert. The name is from the French petit four, meaning "small oven". (source: wikipedia)


This small iced  cake of deliciousness is still sitting in my refrigerator from Tuesday night. I'm not sure why I haven't thrown it away yet, maybe I like the feeling of denying myself the sweet decadence of eating it each time I open the fridge. It's like electroshock therapy or something. Or am I holding on to it to "reward" myself at some point for being so awesome? Only time will tell...

Battles Won!

Well, yesterday was successful, for the most part. After school I had a pounding headache (and I never get headaches) I honestly think it was because I did not have any sugar in my system. My body is so used to having some kind of carbs or sweet that it was mad I did not feed it! I went to the grocery store yesterday and got some things I can snack on or eat for lunches. When I came home I had to lay down because I was in pain (sad, I know) so I had a clemintine (sp?) and half of a Luna bar. I know there are carbs in there but I might die if I quit cold turkey on day 2! Dane and I went over to a friends house last night to eat dinner and I knew I would be tested! As soon as I walk in there were chips and cheese dip (by the way...I LOVE cheese chip and chips) I went and sat on the couch and did not fall! Whoo Hoo!! When we ate dinner we had chicken, green beans, and I had half a spoon full of mashed potatoes, they also had rolls and I denied! So there were a couple of small battles won yesterday and I feel good about it.
I weighed myself as well this morning and I weighed in at 156.4...So almost a full pound. We are making progress!
Keep winning the battles!!

Awesome.

Just wanted to share....

Weighed in at Crossfit today.... 149.5 lbs! That's down a pound from last week.

That is all, thanks!

Crave.

I knew this time would come...

It's 1:45 in the afternoon, I've eaten lunch, and now I want something sweet. BOO...Mark Sisson advocates eating more fat if you are still feeling hungry and craving sugar. My body is going through a phase right now where it wants the simple energy from some sugar. It doesn't know that after eating a sugar-filled snack my insulin will spike, which will make me feel full of energy, but will subsequently crash and I will be more tired and groggy than before. It's all about balance!

So, I will sit here at my desk and snack on some delicious raw almonds, cashews, and walnuts and stay busy enough to not think about sugar!

carbs, carbs, and CARBS OH MY!!

Howdy!
Yesterday was not too bad. I did have a fun size Kit Kat--grrr....but it is OK. Dinner was a challenege, my husband does not gain weight (yet) and he eats whatever his little heart desires and he is heating up pizza last night and it looked so good! But I told myself I could do it. I had to call Beth for some eating tips because I am still not sure about the wrongs and rights. So when all else fails, EGGS! I ate eggs last night with a yogurt. I always think that won't be enough because for some reason I feel I have to stuff myself at dinner. I was not hungry after my meal and I did not have to feel guilty. WHOO HOO! As I was looking through my pantry this morning I realize that I have carbs everywhere! Cereal, toast, bagels, breakfast bars OH MY! Luckily I still had a couple of protein shakes in my fridge so I grabbed one of those. I have a big jar of mixed nuts at school that I can snack on. I need to go to the store and get some food!
Here is my updated info (with my exact weight)
Age: 24
Height: 5'5
Weight: 157.2
Goal Weight: 140

I realize I want to lose 17 lbs and I don't expect to do it ALL this month but if I can get on the right track then I can do that in a couple of months.

Mexican Food.

Well, a small victory tonight, but a victory nonetheless! We had our church youth group Christmas Party and some of the parents catered fajitas for everyone to eat. It was low carb kryptonite...tortillas, chips, beans....all so yummy! I a made a decision to not derail what I was trying to accomplish on the very first day, so I ate fajita meat, a small bit of rice (not great, but not horrible), cheese and a large helping of guacamole (fat is good for me!). Not too bad, BUT this was a party so there were desserts galore! Rice Krispie treats, cookies, pies in all their sugary goodness were calling out to me. I thought once, thought twice and told myself that I didn't need the guilt I would feel later from eating all that junk. Plus, if I'm going to cheat, then I'm going to do it with Mom's homemade Christmas cookies or some homemade Lemon Pie. I'm holding out for the stuff that would really be worth it. So one day down.....29 more to go and we'll see how I look and feel!


A side note: There is the issue of the Petit Fore (not sure about the spelling and I'm too lazy to look it up right now) that is still sitting in the 'fridge....

And it begins!

As you can see from Beth's post we are trying to lose the weight in the hardest month of the year. We can do it! I figure if I can lose the weight this month the other 11 months will be a breeze! I am a sucker for sweets and carbs! If someone told me to lay off of the fast food, NO PROBLEM! But when someone tells me no bread or no sugar I look at them like they are crazy. This challenge will be difficult for me but I know I can do it! I know if I stick to this and keep up my Crossfit training and running then I can get where I need to be. I am NOT going on a diet I am making a lifestyle change! Beth and I are creating habits, right Beth?!?! I am not sure of my weight, I will weigh tomorrow and post (AHH SCARY).

Here is my info so far:
Age: 24
Height: 5'5
Weight: unknown- 155ish? Will let you know tomorrow!
Goal Weight: 140

Beginning.

My sister, Jamie, and I have decided that it's finally time to quit our whining and complaining and make a commitment to eating better foods and cutting out the sugar. This blog is our accountability partner and log of our journey.

With the holidays upon us, we think we are a little be crazy to start this now, but why wait any longer. We've talked and made some allowances for treats here and there, but no more gorging ourselves on a half dozen cookies or eating our way through a bowl of cookie dough.

I am already making a resolution to eat no burger/ french fry combos between now and the end of the month. This is going to be tough, because my husband and I eat out quite often. This will force me to be prepared with foods that I can fix quickly to feed myself, my husband and our 19-month old daughter.

Here is where I am starting...
Age: 29
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 150.5lbs (12/1/10)
Goal Weight: 140lbs

I guess my goal in all of this is to find a way to be healthy, happy and also look-good (face it...vanity is evil!).

-Beth