So tonight is the night that we complete our Whole30! Oh boy was it full of ups and downs. Times that were easy breezy and times that were just plain hard. Sure, we had cravings. We had nights where we just wanted a dessert, even a “paleo” dessert. Almost every night I wanted wine, however, we stuck it out. It feels really good to come back and tell everyone that we did it. We did it together.
I am having wine at midnight. Yes I know, a little ridiculous, but no not really. I can’t wait to taste it!!! I miss it with my dinner. I just love a good red wine. I’m really excited to get to reintroduce some things I have been missing such as goat cheese, raw honey and dried fruit. I stayed away from dried fruit for my Whole30 as well.
Now for the super cool, really awesome amazingness… I started day 1 at 195.8 lbs and today when I weighed I am now at 181 lbs!!!! That is 14.8 lbs this past 30 days. I feel on top of the world! I don’t want to stop. Watching the transformation is kind of addicting. Adrian also weighed in today and he started this month at 222.8 lbs and is now 211.2 lbs! That is 11.6 lbs this month for him! He looks phenomenal. It’s funny when we hug each other we actually feel closer. I guess that would seem obvious but it’s funny to notice it.
Yesterday it was so hilarious when I showed my twins a picture of me way back when I started paleo at over 200 lbs. I kept a progressional picture in just bra and panties. The beginning is quite disturbing. Anywho, Xavier, pats me on the shoulder and says “Mom, you were real chubby.” All I could do was laugh! What a sweet way to say what a fat ass I was! Sure made me happy for them to realize. Davonni was like “Wow, I didn’t even know you were that big.” Not as sweet as chubby, but I’ll take it. Gotta love the brutal honesty in kids. Having your kids cheer you on and having conversations with them about staying healthy and watching what they eat is crucial. Ever since I just started making them aware of what is in the food we eat they make better choices. It is really cool to watch. Now, I’m not saying they never eat candy or if I’m not around they won’t except soda from a family member, but just making them aware will help them make better decisions.
I feel like I should have a ton more to say but I don’t so here are our before and after’s from the beginning of this month. If you have thought about doing the Whole30 but are nervous or don’t think you can just go for it! Prepare yourself and jump right in. If we can do it so can you!
Oh BOY!!!! What a week it has been. Ever feel like if you have nothing good to share so why share??? That was me this past week! I have had the worst week. My car is back in the shop AGAIN. Yes this is less than two weeks from last time. It went back on Wednesday and I didn’t even want to know what was wrong until Friday. I honestly am thinking I don’t even want to pick it up. I so wish I had just listened to my fiance and got rid of it a long time ago! Yes, I did just say that in writing. So back to one car with a family of six. Not so fun.
Anywho… Enough of that! I am proud to say through the stress I have stuck to my paleo lifestyle. Let me tell you this has been really hard over the last two nights. I am dying for some JUNK! I know I don’t need it but I want it soooo bad! I’m sure had there been anything remotely close to cake I would have smashed it. In seconds. I was so close to going to one of our favorite spots, Sheridan’s frozen custard, the other day. Adrian reminded me how we are almost through the month, we are doing so good, if we cheat we didn’t make it, and then he mentioned it. He said “stress related eating.” I never really realized how much you want to eat junk due to stress. I have been perfectly fine steering my cravings up until this week which just so happens to be a very stressful week. So I didn’t go. It was so funny because this is his all time favorite place to go. I couldn’t believe I couldn’t sway his vote! Then like two hours later he is all for it saying “come on let’s go!” Then I was able to say those same things and remind him again why we are doing this. It is very encouraging to do this with your spouse or significant other. You can really keep each other on track.
This morning I stepped on the scale and I am officially down ***drumroll please*** 6.6 lbs since May 1. I expected more I’m not gonna lie, however, this puts me at 203.4 which is ONLY 3.5 lbs away from being under 200 lbs!!!! I am so close I can taste it! Cardio is getting kicked up like so many notches! I am so excited!!!! Adrian weighed in and he is down 12 lbs since starting May 1. WTF is that about? Why do men drop pounds like flies whenever they try. It’s crazy! I am still thankful for my 6.6 lbs, don’t get me wrong and it’s enough to keep me going. I am so glad I didn’t cheat! Who knows if I would have woke up to that number if I had headed out for a delicious chocolatey custard sundae. It may have been worth it… I’m just sayin’.
I do have to point something out. When I started my paleo lifestyle May 1, I was also doing my squat challenge and my daily work outs that I have previously shared with you. Well let me back up. I market a product call Boresha fat burning coffee and tea. It is an absolutely wonderful product that I believe has brought on many changes in my life. It is what made me start to pay attention to my health and ultimately what got me where I am now. When I started my journey with Boresha in November I didn’t believe in it but I was intrigued. When I started my journey with Boresha I was 229 lbs and was able to drop 19 lbs in five months. I did not change my eating habits or exercise at all. Pretty amazing what a cup of coffee can do for you. After realizing the success that I got just drinking coffee, I had to do more! I mean, if I could drop 19 lbs so easily imagine what I could do with diet and exercise as well!!! Which brings me back to my work out… We also have a product called Codebreaker which is meant to be used before your work out. You drink it a half hour prior to starting and it helps boost energy levels and induces lipolysis. Lipolysis is a reaction that occurs when the body releases lipid, or fats, from its fat stores and converts them into useable energy. The first two weeks of me working out and and changing my eating habits I lost 2.5 lbs. I added Codebreaker these last two weeks and that number has nearly tripled! That is amazing. I would be a fool not to share that aspect with all of you. This product is all natural, caffeine free and low glycemic!
Now for food pics… Here is what I have from this week. It isn’t much, I have been horrible about this aspect. I am working on being more creative as I have noticed myself sticking to certain things. This makes for repetitive pictures which is no fun for anyone. My absolute favorite thing about this week was this KICK ASS sweet potato I made!!! It was heaven on my plate. I ate it for a post work out snack and it immediately became the best thing I had eaten all month. Please remember I have been having sweet cravings and this just reminded me of a wonderful sweet potato pie. YUM! I devoured it in minutes. I know I have to be careful with the sweetness of it all but hey, it was a great “cheat” if you will. I baked it on 400 degrees for about 30 minutes or so, sliced open, smashed a little, added cinnamon, tiny bit of sea salt, cayenne pepper, and drizzled with some raw honey! OMG it had the sweet, salty and spicy content! Absolutely amazing! Until next time friends!
Pan fried chicken breast in EVOO seasoned with home-made adobo seasoning paired with broccoli and brussel sprouts! YUM!Yes that is a picture of my current weight because I am so excited just how close I am to being under 200 lbs!!!!And just because… my shot glasses from my lovely friend! I collect them and she always gets me one from all her travels.
YES! I am dead damn it. My legs are out of commission! I went ahead and walked the I-205 bridge with my Mom yesterday. We had an amazing time and I wouldn’t trade it for the world but I would say I need to invest in a better pair of running and walking shoes! I’m proud to say that it didn’t stop me from my work out today! YES! It hurt so good. I’m not gonna lie, I love the soreness from working out. I just always feel like when I’m a little sore I really put it in!!! So, now I am dead. My squat challenge was 180 squats today. Along with that I did 65 leg lifts, 65 crunches, 60 side crunches 30 on each side, jogged in place for five minutes, 150 jumping jacks, 40 arm circles front and backwards, 10 each arm curls and I planked four separate times for 30 sec each set. OUT OF COMMISSION.
Thankfully I had a delicious breakfast! A chicken, asparagus and mushroom scramble! I love a good scramble to get my morning started. Feel like I can conquer the world… Well not really, but close.
In recent news, I found a partner to go walking/running with me every morning!!! Exciting! It’s always good to have a partner for accountability and something to look forward to. We start on Thursday.
Now for the disappointing not so great news… Excuse the language that is about to happen. I fucking cheated! UGH. It was a very minor cheat but still. Last night my lovely, bright, thoughtful son Jason went to a good friends birthday dinner at Famous Dave’s BBQ. My son decided to bring us home a bunch of food including chicken, ribs, pulled pork, corn bread muffin, potatoes, cole slaw and baked beans. I had just returned from my long extensive walk with my mother and I could not resist the damn chicken. Or the rib. Or the little bit of pulled pork. OOPS. At least I only ate meat, and it was so freaking good. Damn Damn Damn. I should have resisted and just grilled my own! Oh well. I fight on. 20 days with zero cheats is quite amazing if I do say so myself. Cheat justified. Over and out.
Yesterday my ass actually got up and went for a jog! I had pondered it all day, trying to decide if I was going to get out and go. I searched for a partner to go with me but had no luck. So I continued to sit and think about it. Then I just decided if I didn’t get up and go even if it was by myself then I would never go. I decided I was going to jog across the I-205 bridge which links Vancouver, Washington to Portland, Oregon. It is just over three miles over and back.
I used to jog all the time. My good friend and I used to jog anywhere from three to six miles daily. This was only four years ago. I have been pushing myself in my cardio work outs at home practicing breathing and such. I have been dying to get back out and jog. When I jog I have to have scenery. I can do a track, but it gets old really fast. I need a point A and point B. A destination. Being that I live in Vancouver, Washington I can literally have whatever kind of scenery I want. The wonderful Pacific Northwest has it all! Mountains, rivers, city, bridges, the good ol’ country. You name it. It is the reason why I love it here so much.
So I set on my journey. I headed down Highway 14 getting off on Ellsworth Rd. to park at the beginning of the bridge. I stretched and set on my jog. You go through a little woodsy area first before you hit the bridge. I walked up until I got to the bridge and then began to jog. I did not last the entire span of the bridge, which one way is just over a mile and a half, but it was right when the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful run I have ever taken. Absolutely gorgeous. I only had my Ipod with me so the pictures don’t do it justice but I will share anyway. I caught an airplane in the first one. Now I am determined to jog the entire bridge non-stop. This gives me a goal. It was a little tough to breath due to the cars and the smog, but the scenery was so amazing it is hard not to want to go back. In fact I’m pretty sure I’m doing it again today! So, if you know me, and you happen to look in the middle of the bridge while driving, do not be alarmed it is in fact probably me that you see.
Most exciting news ever! This morning I weighed and I am down to 206 pounds!!! This means I have seven more to go to get under 200. This is epic. It is so going to happen. So encouraging to see pounds come off the scale. So far at day 20 of this journey I have lost only four pounds. I hate to say “only” but sometimes that is just how I feel about it. The feeling I have is amazing. The energy I have is amazing. And the most important thing of all is that I have no desire to throw in the towel. I am determined like never before! I will have a bangin’ body by the end of the year. I am getting married for crying out loud. Every girl wants to look their best on their wedding day. Confession: I do still want cake, but that is beside the point. I will reward myself on June 1st with one piece of cake. I don’t want to go to crazy but when I make it this full month I will definitely be having a piece of cake!
Food over the last few days has been tasty. I have been eating a lot of salads. Using different meats. I put some really good garlic shrimp in a salad the other day and it was delicious! I also made some chicken breasts and had some left over so this morning ate a chicken breast and egg scramble! I was able to pick more collard greens from the yard and made Adrian and I some spicy italian chicken sausage with mushroom, onion and collard greens. That was really amazing. I am finding that preparing food is becoming easier and easier. This weekend was my turn to do “Chopped” and we forgot. So sad. We will give it another go next weekend for sure. I have only taken two food pictures over the past few days which is insane. I will try and stay on top of this. It’s always fun to share what I have eaten. It also helps me want to make pretty plates and encourages a lot of color. Until next time…
Chicken, spring mix salad, yellow carrots, cucumber with balsamic dressing.Beautiful flowers from my Mom’s yard. Peonies are my favorite!!! Had to share.
The past two days I have really pushed myself in my work out. I have still been doing my squat challenge and my daily fitness calendar from Health and Effectivity faithfully. It has not been easy. I honestly feel like I just don’t want to at first but then I push myself to not only do my challenges but also add in even more exercise! Today was my best so far! I did 135 squats, 17 push ups, 1 min 30 second plank (split this up to 1min 10 second, and then 20 second), 15 each forearms, 50 leg lifts and then a jog in place for 5 min! This may not seem like much but it was for me. I feel amazing and I have to say today was the first day I added in Boresha’s Codebreaker before my work out this month and the difference was amazing! I felt like I had so much more energy and stamina. I will not be doing my work outs with out it from now on! And I’m not gonna lie Jay-Z Had something to do with it too! This song came on and my work out got kicked up 10 notches!
I feel like my paleo journey has been one of the best decisions I have made for myself and my family in life! I am changing in so many areas of my life and it all started with a cup of skinny coffee and paying attention to what I am putting in my body! I truly feel like if I can do it ANYONE can. I was absolutely out of control when it came to eating. I had no self control. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted often with an attitude like I didn’t care if I was fat. Truth is I definitely did. I now see that I was more than likely depressed and eating for comfort. Too bad I didn’t realize it is much more “comfortable” to eat HEALTHY!!! That’s all for my preaching today. I am just beyond excited for my progress thus far.
I was able to eat my first meal out of my garden yesterday for lunch! Braised collard greens with clean spicy italian sausage, garlic, ginger, onion, very little kosher salt and pepper.
Then for dinner I made some amazing jerk seasoned boneless skinless chicken thighs! OMG. I got the recipe from Eclectic Recipes. I swapped out the soy sauce for raw coconut aminos and the brown sugar for a touch of raw honey. Delicious. One of the best so far. I paired it with some butternut squash from Paleo Cupboard and roasted asparagus with evoo, kosher, and pepper. Simple and AMAZING!
Paleoblivion 