Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Gearing up

Hi friends!
I'm gearing up to start the Whole30 Paleo cleanse next Wednesday, May 1st for a month. I've only done this once before, well over a year ago, but I think I got it down. I've been eating mostly Paleo for a good two years now so cutting out the sugars and dairy won't be too difficult. The hardest part is cutting out the alcohol. No booze at the bachelorette party I'm going to or during any weekends away or for happy hours. BUT I've done it before and I can do it again. It's only 30 days for crying out loud.

And I have at least two folks who have committed to doing it with me so we can talk about challenges and successes and recipes. I'm stoked.

To be clear, I don't expect anything regarding weight loss. I'm actually not even doing this with any weight loss intentions. My ezcema has been reacting to sugars mostly so I'm really using it as a tool to cut it out for a while and allow my body and skin to heal up a bit. I'm doing it to see if cutting out the sugar for 30 days helps with my overall energy, which has been sporadically both super high and super low.

I am considering actually making time for scheduled meditation each week. My ND tells me that my adrenal hormones aren't happy right now and they are reactive to stressors. Not necessarily mental/emotional stress either, but physical ones as well... carrying extra weight, working out with extra weight, worrying excessively about extra weight. I'd love to be free of the worry and while I can't really magically wake up thinner (if someone comes up with THAT formula, let me know!), I can try to relax about it. Ease up on how much my brain space it takes up. I'm already taking a weekly Yin yoga class and in addition to that I'd like to actually schedule time to sit in front of one of the multiple guided meditation CDs I have just to free my mind for a little while.

So I'm going to have my sushi this week, have my beer at the brewfest this weekend and be going sugar/dairy/alcohol free May 1st! I'll keep you updated on how things go! WHOOT!!!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Challenge Schmallenge

I've only cheated once on the April Challenge of no sushi, but I see eff it! I'm done with depriving myself of my very favorite food. I mean, it's not Carl's Jr. or McDonald's. It's not the worst thing to indulge in every now and then.

So I learned something yesterday. I realize this seems really obvious, probably to everyone else, but it just occurred to me yesterday. If I'm craving something (such as sushi) then it's really better for me to have it in moderation (I don't need to eat four rolls at a time, maybe just one or two!) than it is for me to not have it at all. I've noticed that my snacking is a bit out of hand the last 2 days that I've really wanted to have sushi. Instead of having the sushi, I just had almond butter with chocolate chips and veggie chips and a slice of cheese and extra egg and bacon on my cobb salad and 1/2 cup of coconut milk ice cream instead of the 1/4 cup serving. Calories I ended up eating one way or the other.

I'm going to do the Whole30 next month with Amy (more on that later) so I'll have more time to not eat my favorite food. But in the meantime, if I want it, I'm going to have it and dang it, I'll enjoy it. Again, it's more about the quantity limit than anything else. If I can manage that, I can be a-ok. Granted, I don't always manage that, but I do better when I give in to the craving with the intention to moderate than it is when I just give myself free reign to make up for the craving other ways.

So.... April challenge is officially voided for me. I have all of May to refocus energies on no sugar, no grains. So in the last 12 days of this month, if I want sushi, gosh darn it, I'm going to have it!

Okay, rant over :)

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

rough day

My energy has taken a might dip in the last few days. So much so that my eyes are bleary and watery and I'm not motivated to do much other than get through my work day and curl up with a book afterwords. Both today AND yesterday, I bailed on my workout because I could not .... could NOT... get myself to the gym. I did 5 minutes yesterday and gave up... I was so exhausted, I couldn't even hold good form... so I quit.

All I wanted today was sushi. I CRAVE it so. I almost talked myself into it a few times, too. But I repeated some mantras I had remembered about a desire to compulsively eat and that it's a temporary discomfort with long term benefits versus temporary relief and long term consequences. And so I grit my teeth and made my salmon burger (with garlic aoli and avocado) and my brussel sprouts and thoroughly enjoyed it.

On the whole it was a hard day. I'm unknowingly exhausted, I haven't worked out in days, and I just want to eat and eat.

Tomorrow is a new day, though, and I do hope it will be a better one.

Monday, April 1, 2013

April Challenge

I've decided to try to do one personal challenge each month this year. I haven't gotten much further than this month and last month, so I welcome any ideas!

In coming to the end of my "no scale" challenge for the month of March, I'm remiss to find I put on 4 pounds. I am not entirely convinced it's not just situational. Easter brunch with mimosas still digesting in my belly, a handful of glasses of wine this weekend and the timing of the month that always lends itself to water retention. I may not have lost weight this month (darn it!) but I don't really believe I gained weight, either. Although I'm bummed that this is the note my March challenge ends on (I won't lie, I was hoping to jump on and find I'd lost something), I have to keep my chin up and keep going.

So April is my "no sushi" month. I have a serious weakness for sushi and I love my sushi rolls. But... with my staying away from gluten and sugar (and corn and dairy), sushi is not the best choice for me. And frankly, if I get takeout, I can put away 3-4 rolls by myself and that's a lot of calories I really don't need all in one sitting. So... that is my April challenge... no sushi. The longer I stay away from sushi, the easier it is for me to stay away, but if I eat it one day, I tend to eat it for a few days in a row, like a crazy sushi obsessed person. Moderation is key, I realize, but I haven't quite figured that out too well unless I'm sharing sushi with someone, then I'm better. But since I generally eat sushi alone, I'm shooting for 30 days without it at all.

I'll let you know how it goes... wish me luck! And if you think of any other good monthly challenges that you have tried or think I should, let me know!