Starting Line ... WHOLE 30 time

A year ago I did my first, and really only, Whole 30.
It got me so excited that I started blogging, if this can be really called blogging. But still, shocking!

With a year of perspective, I have some observations:

Whole 30/Paleo Challenge Take 2

So Christmas time got a little wild and ended with a repentant me on my sick bed.

I'm committing to another 40 days ... no cheats, no excuses, just real food.

Goals this time around:
1) To not allow 'going strict' to make me feel like a victim or  keep me from 'going out' and spending time with friends.
2) Not to snack on nuts all day, but save them for emergencies and a garnish.
3) To be Zone-esque in my meals... eat 5x/day no less than 2 1/2 hrs apart
4) Do eat a recovery something post workout
5) Do post meals on the Whole 30 blog for ideas and accountability

Starting Line:

Chest 36, Waist 29, Abs 32, Hips 37.75, Thigh 22.5,

Bicep 11.75, Calf 15 (just for fun these two)

135lbs of lovely lady

compare to last time

It's a LOVE.HATE kind of relationship

Your Paleo Lifestyle

1)  Absolute Truth... if strictly followed your body WILL eventually shred itself into a pretty athletic machine.  what's not to LOVE about that!

2)  You get to eat real food... and realize how good real food tastes without processing and sweeteners. LOVE

3) There is a good chance if you live alone and work from a home office you will never see people again whilst trying to eat this way economically and flavorfully, because you are too obssessvie and anal for your own good.  You will be alone and miserable. and really want to turn to Starbucks for comfort, but there is no paleo comfort there ...  HATE.

4) Sometimes you will want to rebel and have a cheat day or vacation, not because you HAVE to have something in particular, but because you deserve it, or for the sake of being social or 'normal'.... just to kick back, have fun, and not be so strict about your life... when you make this choice, you will get sick. Your body will rebel and hate you.  HATE that.

5) BUT you will not gain weight and start packing on pounds because you went on a little binder.  You will get sick, and in getting sick you will be eager to eat right again.  Additionally you will have no appetite because you. are. sick.  You may even lose weight (but it's probably from your muscles and will come back as soon as you are eating and exercising again).  LOVE. 

6) Whilst you are sick, if you have the pleasure of being so in the presence of your mother (or another motherly type), she will take care of you in the way she has learned to do with cold medicines and cough drops, all full of sugars. In her love she will tell you how your upset tummy needs the BRATT diet - you know Banana, Rice, Applesauce, Teas, and Toast... again all sugar (and grains, which are sugar), which will all be nice at the time, but will repress your immune system and keep you sick longer.  HATE

7) While cheats may happen from time to time for 'valuable' causes,  you really do experience freedom from absolutely 'have to have' cravings for bad things.  There's always a great alternative, if you have a paleo kitchen and supplies around. LOVE

8) Delicious paleo friendly options are hard to come by on the go, on the road, or at 90% of restaurants - HATE (see #3... hence you stayed holed up alone)

9) A true Paleo lifestyle is one with 8 hours of sleep a night.  There should be no guilt in sleeping because you know the dangerous things that happen in your cells when you do not get quality sleep.  LOVE

10)  A true Paleo lifestyle is as much about the balance of physical activity and leisure, lots of socializing, and sunshine, as it is about the food  LOVE.

11) But in a modern world where 10+ hours of your day are spent virtually alone in front of a computer and the other 6 waking hours are spent in travelling in a car to get a minimal amount of time outside or exercising, OR spent in shopping, cleaning, and preparation of food, who gets either the leisure, relationship time, or the amount of physical activity of a real Paleo lifestyle.. HATE.

Let's round off the list with something positive... and a better number than 11.

12)  When you are faithful to the lifestyle, you avoid illness, wake without an alarm, sleep soundly, have great energy, never have to measure food, and look good naked... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. 

These are just a few friends, believe me, the list goes on....

~~~

Acknowledgements:

*Whenever any one makes "YOU" or "Everybody" statements, they are really only making a statement about one person... themselves.  Except several of these really do apply to YOU and everyone if they choose this path... like #1, 2 and #12

Six Pack Experiment- one month

I've done nothing out of the ordinary in the last month that would help me get better abs.  Just 95% paleo eating and a moderate amount of crossfit.

The tummy has gone ups and down with the gastrointestinal tides and lady bloating.  Actually to give the most fair comparison I should take pics in another 3 days or so; however, just now after a work out and after a few days of deliberate light eating I am feeling skinny and encouraged... so here's the pic.

compare.

better? same? worse?

Hmm... maybe the same?  Maybe a little puffier.  Pic's are good for comparing.
I thought this experiment would be strictly "will paleo give me a 6 pack?"  without really changing how I exercise or adding any ab specific work. But if I'm going for a 6pack, then I kind of want to commit to go for it and work for it - not just wait around another 10 months to see if the paleo/primal/eat clean program does it on its own.  Decisions, decisions...


"What about Core?"  There's a crossfit video on it.  Crossfit doesn't do a lot of ab work in the way people usually think of it... situps, crunches, etc.  The core muscles of our bodies are designed primarily for stabilization - so you are really working your core muscles in a functional way when lifting weights, and everything else we do, by stabilizing your midline, i.e. back and abs are contracted, tight and stabilized as you work/lift.  This prevents injury and builds core muscles.

This is what I meant by I'm not going to do anything out of the ordinary. But I actually kind of love traditional ab work.  situps, V-ups, GHDsitups, Lsits, Knees to Elbows and feet to bar, bosu ball work, (flutter kicks I could live without).

I've always been a situp princess.  Actually, a couple months ago a trainer thought it would be a fun warm up to have us do max situps ... He had to cut me off at 600 so we would have time for the work out.  Maybe that's why I'm like a tree trunk in my torso? hmm... I digress.

Since I actually like that stuff, and a six pack is sort of a loose goal I have, I'm considering looking for a 6pack focused program to work on. Looks like I have some research to do.  I'll let you know if I make any progress on that. Really, I think diet is HUGE in looking so cut.  I'll probably just have to stay with paleo and be more conscious about my salt intake.  Wouldn't hurt if I drank pure-er water too.  Just some thoughts.

It's a girl thing

I've told you that I am all over the place these days.  ONE factor in that is just being a girl.
I have been questioning how much the female cycle really affects us...  In a culture that can be somewhat androgynous, and dismissive of our gender differences, some times I forget or question how much of what I'm feeling is real and how much is just in my head.

Well friends, yesterday morning, right on time, my monthly guest arrived.  I awoke this morning 1.5 lbs lighter, with my measurements coming back toward normal  (36, 29, 31.5, 37.8, 22.5... two inches down compare)... geesh... and I feel worlds better. 

Of course I have been eating very light for 2 days (with the special intention of a safe delivery for my friend. While fasting is good for me. I will not go hungry for my own sake).

But I am certain now, there is definitely something very true and powerful about the rythym of my femininity -
the swelling, water retaining, hormonal genius. 
My food cheats this last month may have made it worse... which is a testiment to the eating clean approach.

It helps to know.

So take heart my lady friends.... there is so much more going on in our bodies than just what foods we are putting in and what exercise we are putting out, while that is very important.  Don't lose heart when you think you've blown all your efforts.  Patience.  Surrender.  Just stay the course.  Peace.  All will be well.

In the meantime, just a word of warning don't google image search 'girls only'... so unnecessary. Really, world?

Fasting

I think it's natural to feel a pull to fast after a feast, and feast after a fast.  In addtion to the primal instinct of facing times of plenty and scarcity as natural, we've also had centuries of feasting before fasting within the religions of the world.

In the Catholic Faith, which is my home, we have fasting seasons of lent and advent, which are proceeded by Mardi Gras and Thanksgiving, and followed by feasting at Easter and Christmas.

These are times to voluntarily go without all the richness and comforts we enjoy every day.  There are SOOO many spiritual benefits to fasting - when we aren't so self sufficiently meeting every comfort we allow God to bless us to show us how much He wants to do in us and for us, to transform us in our emptiness. Because let's face it, when we are full we don't want more. When we are comfortable we don't seek, Every person is inclined to pray more when they are suffering and life is hard than when they have it all picture perfect. Any ways....

A dear friend of mine is expecting her 1st baby... a week ago.  She has been uncomfortable for a long time now.  I decided that I would fast until baby is in her arms.  Fast - meaning go without, deny my wants, as a sacrifice, the grace of which can be applied to her. We are united, and in a way 'bear one another's burdens'.

Having gained 3 lbs and 5 in over the last few weeks, skipping snacks and laying off the paleo treats (raisins, dates, paleofied baked goods) will do me no harm.

In fact, there are actually physical benefits to fasting.  Intermittent fasting shakes up and wakes up our bodies a little bit. Check out the primal view:  http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting/

Day 3 billion 63 sans coffee

look at how nice it looks.... how good it could be!!

It's official. My attachment to coffee is just an emotional nostalgia... like the way I've been treating food lately.  Trying to some how fill in my sadness with something that makes me feel good for a few minutes.  This is a very good awareness that I am still vulnerable to this fault.  I am grateful for this.

This morning I decided I would have a cup of coffee.  I dug out the french press, steeped and poured a cuppa.  Blah!  It didn't even taste good!! I took two sips... and a third just to be sure, before proceeding to pour it down the drain and fix myself a cuppa mate' herbal tea.
Good bye, coffee.  I will be able to move on with less lamentation for a whiile.

It's like an exboyfriend.  Every now and then when you are lonely you think of him again.  You wonder, "what if" and "maybe we are different".  You contact him, and inevitably within a conversation or two you are perfectly renewed and satisfied in why things are the way they are and that he is NOT the person for you.  You let him go again and even though you are still alone, it is a little more bearable knowing that your life is not a mess.  God has something great for you, and the road you have been on is not aimless. It's part of the journey.

So coffee, thanks for the good times we had.  I am happy now to let you go.

Get off the couch... or out of bed in my case

"Exercise gives you endorphins.  Endorphins make you happy.  Happy people don't kill their husbands.  They just don't." - Legally blond.

There you have it my married friends... go get your sweat on :)

It's hard to know what exercise is appropriate when you are sick... it's the rest - effort continuum that baffles me.  If you have advice on this one, please feel free to weigh in!!
Today, I declined the most heartwarming workout invitation I may have every received - "you, me, and whoever, we're working muscle up technique.  you're going to get one before Friday!"
A trainer after my own heart, and alas in a 'morally responsible' awareness I opted not to potentially infect the whole gym with conjunctivitis (dramatic... it's probably just a reaction to sleeping with my contacts in, nonetheless... my eye balls are neither functional nor pretty). 

So what do I do?  Guess I put aside my dramatic 'death by mini bar' thing I've got going on here (added sickness of my own making) and get my rear down to the garage to work my muscle ups any way.

Bloated

I feel like I have a balloon in my belly...  It may not look as bad as it feels - and smells.  (We're talking hellacious gas, I'm sorry to say.) But there is a difference: 1 whole extra inch across my belly button and it's crampy and uncomfortable.

 I really am at a loss for what is causing the reaction.  I ate out 3x this weekend, which was a break through for me in not making myself a recluse for the sake of 'paleo', but I honestly can't find much suspect in the choices.  Help!

1) I baked this last week... but there was about another pound of this mix that I have eaten.  Maybe too much brussell sprouts is the culprit. I mean, the gas thing has been present since I started eating on this. 
There are also snap peas in there, which maybe are a legume and so really not a desirable choice?


2) the Yerba Mate'  - I know that it is supposed to be very healthy for digestion, but I am still suspicious of it.  I like it though, and don't want to be prejudiced toward it, so while I don't drink it every day, I've still been drinking it, including today.

3) Dining out #1 Friday, Souplantation - I stuck to the raw veggies with oil and vinegar.  I ate two big salads, but didn't put anything unusual in it. I did have a bite of lemon mousse though; it was not worth the bite.  It was probably cream based with artificial sweetener.

4) Dining out #2 Saturday, Barbeque:  I went for salad again with Italian dressing and Brisket, no sauce....

5) Dining out #3 This afternoon, Chipotle:  Chicken 'Salad' (it was more like a burrito without the tortilla)- lettuce, peppers and onions, chicken, salsa, and guacamole.  I eat all of that at home.

6)  Paleo "Cookie Dough" - so good. This is actually just extra crust from my paleo cheesecake the other day.  I thought I would make it into a snack bar or cookies, but before I could figure out what to make with it I ate the whole tupperware raw. It was delicious, but maybe not a good choice.  Ingredients: almonds, dates, coconut oil, almond milk, baking soda, vanilla, and an egg.  It's been in my fridge since Thursday. Maybe raw eggs don't keep that long.  (Not to mention I should know better than to eat raw eggs, but I like it, and I figure if it was ok for Gaston, why shouldn't it be okay for me).
Well, if raw eggs don't keep, then I should throw out my homemade mayo from last week too.


I have no idea where the problem is, but I would like A LOT to avoid it in the future. Ideas?  Where do you think the problem is?

aches, pains, and personal records

My body kind of hurts.... my hip flexors have been so tender that I've been avoiding the foam roller in denial of the pain. My right arch has been aching. Shoulder/rotator cuffs ok presently, but muscle up practice irritates them and as soon as we start hitting more shoulders' WOD's they are likely to flair up again.
Back... oh dear. My never ending injury. I have an arthritic/degenerating disc at my 5th lumber - my back muscles spasm and freak out when they think I might be pressing the vulnerability too much.
Okay Okay body... I'll rest a bit. Ice and biofreeze, here we come. Tomorrow only furpees, I mean burpees.

Good news is today I practiced hang power snatches... 85 lbs! Not a bad start. I didn't have a record and I am very happy with that one.

And ten jumping muscle ups... Yes! Power up!  ... I want a real muscle up by next Thursday!

very pretty OHS compliments of Crossfit Black Diamond

It's a fine line between disciplining the body and abusing it.  With the way I have been eating I feel like I am working with, not fighting against, my body.  I'm not trying to manipulate it, or manipulate my food and exercises for yoyo results, abusing it with binge-ing, then lashing out at it  for not being different than it is... Finally I am working with it,  trying to give it what it needs for fuel to be it's best.  I need to take that to the fitness realm as well - knowing when to pour cold water on my pride and ease up or take a break.
Today that meant being satisfied with the 85lbs when I failed 3 times on 90lbs, and being satisfied with the 10 jumping muscle ups when I failed 3 times on the hanging ones.  Monday it meant turning an amrap WOD into a 4 round WOD (4 min. short of the intended time.)
It's all a journey... listening to my body I "live to play another day" in the words of a great trainer.  Less injury, less frustration, fewer set backs.  Always moving forward, at a healthy pace.  That's the goal anyway :)

"Many of the benefits of a strict and disciplined "healthy" lifestyle

can be compromised by a perfectionist mentality."

 -Mark Sisson . The Primal Blueprint.

Hungry in the Morning

I generally eat breakfast just before or as I'm starting work in the morning... about 7:30. but the last few days I feel like I am insatiable and within 45 minutes need a second breakfast.

Physically, no problem. Really I can eat as much as my body asks for of Paleo/Primal/Real foods without any fear of 'getting fat' or blowing my goals.
However this is problematic because I need to work, not be eating all the time because I'm hungry all the time - hmm...

I think I will try a little test for the rest of the week. I need to fast for some intentions anyway. So I will stick with the Zone rule of only eating every 2.5-5 hours. If I am hungry an hour after eating - oh well. I'll drink more water (I certainly need that) and hold off just another 1.5 hr.

Really, I think this little extra discipline will serve body (which thrives on being a little hungry sometimes), mind (so I can get my mind off of food and onto work), and soul (Matthew 17:21).

Day 8 sans coffee

This is a fun observation... for 3 days in succession I have awoken before my alarm. I was able to get out of bed renewed and tranquilly... not with loud chiming or noise making music from my alarm.  I've even had time to lie there and take my time getting up before I actually need to be up.  PRICELESS!

Day 7 sans Coffee

oh coffee, you smooth aromatic delight to my mornings, I lament our separation.
the countdown continues...

heachaches:  today is the first without headaches
energy: too soon to tell, it's the weekend
digestion: getting back to normal
skin:  no difference


Days 5/6 I opted for mint and pomegranite teas (I LOVE mint tea) - however today I went back to the Yerba Mate'.  It feels more like coffee than lemon or orange would, and those are my only other options today.

As a treat I've been adding a spoon of carob powder to my morning tea some days... it sweetens it a little and makes it more treat like. It helps keep the Starbucks cravings at bay - oooh before I gave up coffee I had come up with a pretty acceptable home made knock off for frappeccino's - coconut or almond milk, ice, cooled coffee, cinnamon, and chopped dates, blended together for cool delight... ahhh... I digress.

7 weeks ago, I was content with my switch from flavored creamer and syrups to just coconut milk in my coffee.  The emotional/mental attachment is harder now to make this switch from coffee (ie caffeine) to herbal teas ... it's a bigger problem I think. 

Day 4 sans Coffee

Countdown without coffee/caffeine

heachaches: mild
energy: ever so slightly improving
digestion: questionable.

Sorry to get graphic but I'm an advocate of the daily, or twice daily, big easy poo.  This change from coffee to Mate' may be throwing off my digestive tract...  I haven't made any other changes to my diet, so it's isolated in the analysis.

I was not thrilled with the way my digestion reacted at first to this anti-grain, legume, dairy lifestyle, but it took about a week, I think, to adjust and regulate.  hmm... (narrowing my eyes at the herbal tea)... we'll see about you.

Today, I am very tempted to return to coffee.  sigh... but I won't.  It's worth giving it at least two weeks to give my body a reset before making that call. 
However, I will be switching teas tomorrow.  tba.

Day 2 sans Coffee

It's official.  I have cleaned and stowed the French Press and the Coffee Pot.  I bought an herbal tea replacement.  (Thanks to the suggestion of a dear friend.)
There have been times in my life that I appreciated hot tea (with cream and sugar)!  Days in Ireland and Australia - sigh... at least we have a history with happy times.  Perhaps this warmth will coax me through my break up with my beloved coffee.
This Mate' does have some barley in it, which is not "paleo"  but I have no other grains in my diet so we'll see if a tea form bothers me.  Maybe after a week of detoxing caffeine headaches I can practice taking this tea in and out of my diet to see if it has any negative effect on me.
Sleep!  Sleep is my immediate consolation for giving up coffee/caffeine.  I slept so well last night! (Granted it's 9am and I'm ready to go back to sleep, but I trust that will pass ;)  I am grateful for good sleep.  I hope in another month I can be grateful for clearer skin and increased energy levels too!

Lies

What an interesting time this is in my life.  I am excited and hopeful, encouraged and renewed, except of course when I am scared and frustrated, discouraged and exhausted.  ha.
I am confident  in the victory of the Light and Good, but it IS a battle... everyday.  I have to pray against the lies, and the fear, and the tired, and the blah blah blah, inviting the Truth to renew and refill me.

At this moment there are two inklings I have (I can't call them discoveries yet)  that I am not thrilled about ... to say the least.

1) Almonds might not be my friends
2) Caffieine probably needs to leave my diet

UGHHHH!  I hate these ideas.  I do not like them one bit.  ONLY because I want to be at the end.  I want to have my diet all in a nice little package that is 'easy' to live with, if only in the sense that I have it figured out, and now I have to go back to the beginning by changing more things. 
I DON'T want to give up coffee :( and every treat I get these days is almond based, but I'm suspecting that it's not treating my body.

Isn't life just like that though?
I want to have it all figured out.  I want it to come in a nice little neat package.  I get coaxed into submission to a world of things that are not good for me because they are more appealing than the true good.   And as much as I hate the idea of making changes because I have stumbled onto a potential truth - I hate living with lies even more. 
I am so sick of lies - doctors who sell you the drugs they are supposed to sell rather than tell you what would really cure you, marketing that makes you feel like whatever they are selling is good for you or will improve your life, the list goes on...   I'm sick of commercialism in general because it rewards lies.

And here I am - faced with something SO small:  "Your beloved coffee might be the reason your acne hasn't cleared up in 15 yrs."  and I want to hate it

but I can't.  If this is the truth then I will fight for it. 

You remember this dialogue from A Few Good Men (I think). 
"I want the truth."  
"You can't handle the truth."

We think we want the truth, but almost always the truth forces us to change something, makes us a little uncomfortable, opens our eyes to things we were happy to be ignorant of (even if our ignorance is killing us).  I understand, in this moment, why so many people reject the truth.  While the truth will most definitely set you free, freedom always comes at a cost.  Too often we'd don't want to pay the price, we don't want to work for it, we don't want to fight for it... so we just ignore it.

God help me - I want the truth!

Did you know?

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/corn-is-not-a-vegetable/

huh... wow. Well there it is!  "In sum: corn is not a vegetable, and it’s a worthless grain." - Mark Sisson

Sugar. Crack. Whatever you want to call it.

"Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds. " St. Theresa of Avila.

This is going to be a little tiny bit of a rant.

Last week I tested one little 'cheat'.  A diet coke. It's was ok, nothing phenomenal.  I didn't finish it, but after a month of avoiding sicknesses I caught a cold within 24hrs.  Coincidence or not, I blame the chemical infused coke.  Poison.... Of course I would have to test it a few more times to be scientifc, but I am not offering my body as a guinea pig for that. Just resting assured that I'm fine without diet drinks in my life again.

Enter cold & flu symptoms:
Not feeling well ignited my cravings for junk food for some reason - oh yes, comfort... Anything to make me feel better (even if it really would make me worse).  I resisted wine, milk shakes, chocolate, etc ... but I did indulge in a lot of fruit concoctions smoothies, blueberry banana walnut 'cereal' (see icecream entry) apples with almond butter, more smoothies, a homemade 'frapaccino' sweetened with dates, etc etc etc.  I could tell right away that "something" I was eating wasn't helping... but why examine it?  "I'm sick afterall... shouldn't be too hard on myself, and I've already given up so much." right...

Meanwhile a friend suggested a homeopathic remedy for cold/flu symptoms, I took her advice along with others (and a few of my own) without pause.... I brought the remedy home, took a dose..."wow this is like candy"... read the label... "inactive ingredients: lactose, sucrose"  SUGAR! They even add sugar to cold medicine!? "homeopathic" ones too!?
Now, I should know better than not to read labels before purchasing... let this be ANOTHER lesson. 
But.... I bought it so why not just take it?? So I did. about 6 doses in 2 days.  I do feel better I'll admit, but that 'medicine' is calling to me.  I want to keep taking it... like a lot want to.  "and why shouldn't I?" a voice calls from within, "Why shouldn't I finish off the remaining bit... I'm not 100% and it will only make me feel even better"  hmmm....Why?  It's still counterproductive to what I'm trying to do with my body. aka give it real food, and real nutrients, hence cutting out ALL of the non nutritive kinds of sugar.
    
Yesterday, my chiropractor went one better than to affirm the nutrition path I'm on... He said some really smart stuff including that glucose (sugar) actually blocks the cells receptors from absorbing vitamin c .... loosely translated that means sugar = extra bad when you have a cold.

Again we all know this, right?  Our mom's told us that. Or maybe it's like natural law or something.  We just know.  But it's buried deep somewhere and I have always been a stubborn and rebellious child. I chose to ignore this little echo because I wanted to feed my cold whatever would feed my emotions and make me 'feel better', sigh...

I think I got the lesson. I made a note to self  "Eat more veggies,  and lay off the fruits and homeopathic remedies for a few days."   Today I have tried consciously not to eat any fruit except to squeeze some citrus into my water. I was surprised at how hard it's was.  I had to be really deliberate not to just reach for the fruit fixes I make so easily.  Such a little thing. 

I am proud to be able to share, though, that I did it... one entire day with sugar  Only veggies, meats, eggs, and fats. baby steps.

The journey to a balanced life while fueling my body for performance and its best continues. Onward march...