Saturday 13 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 10

Woop Woop!!  Another Day in the bag.

  I know I say this like it is a big feat on a difficult challenge, LOL, but it is really so easy!!

Today has been a GREAT day!  Crossfit - awesome workout.  I was pretty happy with myself that I did 135lbs for my deadlifts throughout the entire workout. Yay Me!!  

We went to look at 2 homes I have been scoping out on the internet, one flop, one amazing.  Sooooo.... we put in an offer conditional on the sale of our condo in Victoria, AND, after some negotiations, we came to an agreement!!  WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!  Double Yay! So excited, yet nervous and anxious that we lose another house b/c our condo doesnt sell.  

To ice the cake... my Nike Fuel Band finally arrived!! Triple Yay!  The are not available in Canada yet, so I had to order mine on EBay.  I love nifty little toys, so this is just another for the toy box. I'm excited to wear it.  I consider it athletic appropriate jewellery.   if you are curious about the fuel band http://nikeplus.nike.com/plus/products/fuelband

So how is my eating by design going? Great!!  How is my no wine rule going? hahaha, i gave myself the night off. I felt like celebrating the hopes of getting my new house ;-)

What did I eat today?
Breakfast - coffee, 1/2 banana
Lunch - bacon, sausage and eggs
Dinner - chicken and carrot, parsnip fries cooked in coconut oil
snacks - pistachios
treats - red wine, dark chocolate

How Do I feel?
Great!  Its been a good day.  I was super excited to find coconut oil at safeway.  I have been sort of looking for it.  I wanted a treat, and felt like eating fries, so I modified them.  I used a healthier oil in a much smaller quantity, and I used parsnips and yellow carrots instead.  They were absolutely delicious!!!  satisfied my cravings!!

What was my biggest challenge?
I wanted to eat junk a little today, so I made it happen.  My ultimate challenge will be ongoing, and that will be keeping my stress and anxiety levels under control waiting for the condo to sell, and hoping that our offer on the perfect house doesnt get bumped.

Another positive note today.... I got a FB message telling me my blog is helping someone on their challenge to cut out grains and dairy.  And a FB post from someone I have motivated to start their own challenge to cut out the refined sugars, processed food and booze!  I am so happy that my rants and raves are making a difference for others.

Hope you all have a wonderful day/night!

JoJo!!

Friday 12 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 9

Another day under my belt!

Today was staff meeting day at work, and of course they provide muffins, danishes, and such for breakfast with some fruit.  They cater lunch, and have lots of fun snacks.  Lunch was fresh buns, an assortment of deli meats, cheeses, shrimp salad, condiments, and some salad items.  There were cookies and popcorn and chocolate treats.

The good news... I had already made the assumption that I would not be able to eat the lunch, so I had packed my lunch.  I treated myself to a few extra pieces of fruit in the morning, and after a satisfying lunch I didnt feel the need to snack in the afternoon.  It also helps that I have told people that I am doing the 30 day challenge.  I can't really eat bread and chocolate after I told them "It's not that bad, and I can do anything for 30 days."

So What Did I eat Today?
The same things I always eat!!!
Breakfast - coffee, salsa and egg scramble
Lunch - cajun spaghetti, beets
Dinner - salmon, salad, bacon - I even made my own salad dressing!!
Treats - almonds, cashews and dark chocolate

How Do I Feel?
I feel pretty good.  I would have liked to work out a few more times this week than I did, but sometimes life gets in the way.  I will go Saturday and Sunday.

What Was My Biggest Challenge?
I think the hardest thing is explaining to people why you cannot eat the lunch that was catered.  How can it be healthy to not eat grains or dairy?  How can it be better for you to eat bacon and skip the yogurts and breads?  Are you making your family do it too?  I try my best to explain things, but i never remember all the scientific mumbo-jumbo.

I believe that most people think I am crazy, but I am ok with that.  I have always known I am a little nutty.... that is why I have the strength and discipline to do something like a 30 day challenge.

Oh, and the no wine is going well!! Yay me! LOL

Happy Friday!

JoJo!!

Thursday 11 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 8 -Week 2!!

Here I am.... starting week 2!!  (red wine free)



When I woke up this morning I weighed myself (on our brand new fancy scale). I am pretty sure it is broken.  Do i really weight that much??  Still?? UGH!  I suppose what "I thought" I weighed could be a little off.  Our old scales were slightly broken and gave you a different weight every time you step on them.  Broken or not broken, I was very disappointed when I weighed myself this morning!

This evening I attended my Life By Design seminar.  I got the results of all my assessments and got to look at the X-Rays of my neck and back.  My poor poor neck.  It sure is a mess.  It should look sort of like the bottom of an "s", but mine is starting to look like the top of the "s."  I will be going to the chiropractor on a regular basis.  My stress and anxiety nerves are being squished.  I'm surprised by this... I never have and stress or anxiety ;-) (sarcasm)

soooooooooooo.............

What did I eat today?
breakfast - coffee, egg salsa and banana pepper scramble
lunch - cajun spaghetti, roasted yellow carrots, apple
dinner - cajun spaghetti

How do I feel?
I feel ok.  I enjoyed my meals today, even though i ate the same thing for 2 of them.  I still feel bad that I am never home. It is always one thing or another I am running off to do, leaving my husband and baby to fend for themselves.  I miss them. I want to give them more time, there are just some things I need to do for me, and I have neglected myself for so long!

My biggest Challenge today?
Today was not a particularly challenging day, as far as eating by design goes.  I did have issues with my punctuality, although that is not unusual for me!! LOL

Well that's it for tonight!  Have a good one!!

JoJo!!

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 7

I have finished my first week!!



Like I said yesterday, It really isn't THAT hard, its just a LOT of work!!  Processed food was definitely developed to make the working moms life a lot easier.  Boiling some noodles and opening a jar of Ragu is much easier than roasting a spaghetti squash, and making the sauce from scratch.  Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, and the homemade sauces tastes 10x better, but after working for 8 hours and spending 1+ hours on the road, I would much prefer to spend the time with Avery than working in the kitchen. 

Today was supposed to be my Live By Design 101.  I was looking forward to going and dragging the hubby along with me.  Unfortunately with Avery having Impetigo, we could not really take her along for the ride!  Soooooo I had to cancel.  I am going tomorrow solo, not ideal, but we do what we can.  

Since I didn't go to the seminar, I considered going to Crossfit for a workout, but I decided to spend the time with Avery instead.  Have I told you how much I HATE working fulltime?  I enjoy my job, I like what I do, I just hate how it takes so much time from Avery.  Then I feel guilty for wanting to do things like working out, when I could have an extra 15-20 minutes with her.  It may not seem like a lot of time, but when I'm only getting 2-3 hours a day with her.....  There are days she is not up before I leave for work, then I get home at 4:30-5pm.  She goes to bed at 7pm.  Balance.  I have to find a balance.

Back on Track!!

What I ate Today?
Breakfast - coffee of course, and one of my delicious scrambles
Lunch - spaghetti squash and tomatoes (yes the canned ones I didnt have time this morning)
Dinner - "Cajun Spaghetti" - a cross between gumbo and spaghetti sauce ;-)
Treats - red wine, chocolate (there is no wonder I've not lost any weight!!)

How Do I Feel?
Stressed out!!  I think i already vented my stress.  There are just not enough hours in the day to do everything I need to do in a day.  I am one of those people who need LOTS of sleep.  I'm a sleeper. Always have been.  I'm in bed at 9:30-10:00 most nights and I still struggle to get up in the morning.  As I said earlier, Eating By Design involves a lot of work and time, and I just don't always feel like I have that time.  That's why I opened a can of tomatoes this morning.

My Biggest Challenge?
Finding a balance in my life! Not completely related to the challenge, but that is my challenge today.

My Goal for Week 2
I have decided to give up the red wine for week two.  If it is going to take a glass or two of red wine (every night) for me to eat by design, this may not be a good match for me.  So next week I give up the wine for a week.  I'm also not losing any weight, so that is a goal point for me next week.  Lose a few pounds!!!!

Thanks for reading my rants and raves... Cheers to week 2!!!!

JoJo!!

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 6

Almost through week 1!!  
Surprisingly (at least to me) it is not as bad as I thought it would be.  Yes, when I see people eating thick pieces of homemade bread smothered in butter, I want to take a giant bite out of it.  Then I remind myself that I'm stronger than that. I want to really see the benefits of Eating By Design.  So I nibble on on my nuts, fruit, veggies, and tell myself "I can do anything for 30 days!"

What Did I Eat Today?
Breakfast - leftover scramble from yesterdays dinner, coffee
Lunch - roasted veggies and beets, an apple, almonds and cashews
Dinner - roasted veggies, shrimp and salmon 
Treats - :-) red wine of course, and a little dark chocolate (its not very good)

How Do I Feel?
Pretty Good!  I didnt sleep great last night, and struggled to get up this morning, but I wasn't yawning all day long like I usually do after a rough nights sleep.  I am super tired this evening and secretly glad it is not a Crossfit night :-0

What Was My Biggest Challenge?
I overcooked the baby's mac and cheese, and the cheese formed a delicious looking cheese cracker.  I wanted to take a bite out of it so badly. LOL

This evening we bought a scale that actually works.  Now I can track my progress with some numbers.  One of my major goals is to get rid of the last 15lbs of baby weight, so I should be keeping track of it!

Have a great night and happy eating!!

JoJo!!

Monday 8 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 5 - AGH!

Another day under my belt!


Spent the morning at Crossfit.  I was excited to go this morning when I saw the the first part of the workout was lifting to a heavy set of 1 (powercleans).  I got up to 105.  115 was too heavy, but I could have done a few reps at 105.  Maybe I should have tried 110lbs. Anyways I was pretty happy with myself.

My plan was to make brunch when I got home.  I was looking forward to some bacon and some sort of scramble.  Unfortunately we needed to take the kiddo to the medi-center.  We will just have brunch for lunch we thought.  After sitting in the Drs office for 3 1/2 hours we missed lunch too!  I was starving. I was not prepared with snacks, and its not like i can just run to McDonald's, or grab a muffin from the coffee shop. A coffee it was.

That was the excitement of our day. No thrilling new recipes to try. No exciting adventures.

What did I eat today?
Breakfast - coffee
Lunch - Coffee
Snack - Amonds, Cashews
Dinner - Breakfast for dinner!  Bacon, tomato, banana pepper, sundried tomato, scramble!
Treats - red wine ;-)

How Do I Feel?
I feel ok.  Definitely less bloated... and yes, less gassy.  My energy levels are ok.  What I really need is some catch-up time with sleep and some R&R, but this weekend just did not seem to have time for any of that.  I am feeling my muscles today too.  I did crossfit 3 days in a row and I don't think I have drank enough water.

What was Challenging for me?
Being thrown into the world unprepared!  Eating by Design you have to plan ahead to make sure you always have something to eat.  My lesson is to not only keep snacks for the baby in my purse, but also keep some snacks for myself!  When I get hungry it is really hard to not eat the wrong thing, or submit to the cravings.

I will be strong! I will continue to fight the urge to eat pizza!!!

JoJo!!

Sunday 7 October 2012

Eat By Design: Day 4 - How I Survived Thanksgiving Dinner!!

Oh wow! It is day 4...... and Today we celebrated turkey day with the Miles -Lipscombe-McIntyre Family. (Our technically unrelated, but extended family)



Thanksgiving dinner... one of my FAVORITE meals of the year.  Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes,veggies, macaroni and cheese, corn bread, pumpkin pie.... the list can go on and on.

Today's thanksgiving meal was a potluck.  Of course I needed to make my "famous mac n' cheese."  Given that everyone is looking towards a healthier way of living, I made it with a twist.  I used rice noodles, then added some broccoli and zucchini. Of course, this still did not make it something I could eat.  Typically when I make mac n cheese I taste all the cheeses, taste the sauce as I am making it, sample the product before it bakes, then over indulge in it when it is finished.  Today was not the day for that.... and I am very proud to say that I made it through successfully!!

I knew I would not be able to eat dessert, so I thought ahead and took my own dessert.  I made the Paleo coconut macaroons.  I think I ate 1/2 of them. LOL.  (I will blog about the recipe)

As I said, everyone (well most of the women) are aiming to eat some healthier diet.  So dinner was gluten free!!  There was even plenty of options for me to eat.  I did have to skip all the delights with cheese, and the lovely looking trifle, but I still had a great meal!

SOOOOO  What the heck did I eat today?
Breakfast - bacon, coffee (I didnt have much time before I went to crossfit)
Lunch - smoked salmon
Dinner - turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, coconut macaroons
Treats - coconut macaroons, red wine

How Am I Feeling?
I feel pretty good.  I would like to say I feel drastically different, but its the weekend, so I always feel a little more rested. I have noticed that my belly feels less bloated and gassy.

What Was Challenging For Me?
It's thanksgiving dinner. My favorite meal of the year!  What wasn't challenging?!?!  I wanted to eat the mac and cheese and he carrot cake trifle!!!!!!! I find it helpful that I have told everyone what eating plan I am trying, so I am accountable.

Confessions
I probably drank more red wine than is supposed to be consumed in a day.  My BF has a joke that she will have to do a red wine intervention at the end of my 30 days. LOL, but a diet without wine is not an option!! LOL
I also probably ate more coconut macaroons than I needed to today. in the words of Avery "whoooops"

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, I hope your day is/was as wonderful and blessed as ours!!!

JoJo!!