117

117= the number of days until our next triathlon. AHH! This frightens and excites me at the same time.

I'll admit, I've been a bit of a slacker since my last tri in September. I had busted my rear training for that tri. I was in the gym easily 4-5 times per week, doing long rides on the weekends, etc. It was the best I had felt in a long time and the success in my first tri made it worth every training session.

I haven't done much since September. John and I did run a 5k on Thanksgiving and have had gym sessions here and there. But, we are no where we need to be before May 18th. I keep telling myself I need to get my butt in gear but, it's time to get serious. I want to do better this triathlon, not worse.

So, here's to training for this tri! We have 117 days to go hard, or go home!

And just to reminisce and inspire me...pics from my first tri.

Days 13-15

Let's me start by saying this detox did not last the full 21 days. Although it would have been ideal to finish, I was getting burnt out on this diet. John on the other hand LOVED it (of course he did). I'm sorry, but I need SOME carbs. I was finding it difficult to workout and not feel like I was going to hit the floor at any given moment.

I will say that this detox did give me more energy and an increase of free space in my pants (which was later taken away with birthday sweets, treats, and beverages). This detox did teach me that it is OK to eat what you want, in moderation. I am completely fine with working out for 2 hours if that means I can go eat a fat cheeseburger and drink a beer. You only live once, right?

We did give this a good shot and I'm sure we will continue to modify our diet accordingly. We definitely don't need to eat as many carbs as we were, but if I want some bread or pasta I'm going to eat it. It's just a matter of being prepared ahead of time with healthy snack foods and meals.

You never know, this detox may come back to haunt us in the future! But, until then I'll just enjoy my favorite foods in moderation and will NOT feel guilty for indulging once in a while.

Days 9-12

I'm turning into a little bit of a slacker with this blog. Life has been chaotic in our home over the last couple of days and we had a pretty busy weekend.

I'll go ahead and confess that Friday was a rough day. I was still fighting a GI bug and vegetable and meat did not sound appealing whatsoever. I gave in and ate a plain bagel. I had to. My stomach was writhing in pain since I wasn't eating much and I needed some bland food. I also had to drink some diluted gatorade. My electrolytes were low people, I had the stomach flu!!

I got back on track Saturday and powered through. Thankfully my GI bug had subsided. Then, shit got real Sunday morning. I had tried several approved recipes for pumpkin scones (gross) and pumpkin pancakes (also gross). Both were hideous and I was so hungry and pissed at this point I ate a bowl of cereal...fail #2. The rest of the weekend was fine other than a glass of wine last night....fail #3. After an emotional battle with a neighbor and conversation of selling our beloved condo, we felt as though we deserved a beverage as we watched the season premiere of  House of Lies (if you don't watch this, you should).

Needless to say, we're back on track today. I weighed myself this morning and was in shock that I have dropped from 165 to 157.4 in just 13 days. I'm sure majority is water weight but overall we both feel much better. We were even able to take advantage of the glorious KC weather yesterday and get out for a 3 mile run!

I have already learned a lot from this detox experience. Although I like eating clean I do think it's a bit overboard. I would much rather workout for 2 hours every night and eat more of what tastes good to me than follow this detox on a daily basis. My Birthday is Friday. And although I plan to behave this week I am not going to deprive myself on the "Anniversary of my Birth". Plus, I'm another year closer to 30 so that's a little hard to swallow.

Happy Monday!

Days 6, 7, & 8

Ah, days 6, 7, &8....these days have been interesting for several reasons. Read on...

Tuesday (day 6) was a good day. Breakfast was the usual. Snack was banana muffins, and lunch consisted of a HUGE spinach salad with chicken, avocado, and hard boiled eggs. I missed my afternoon snack...which was fine. THEN Tuesday night got interesting thanks to a promotion at work that evening.

John and I had gone to the store to get a slue of healthy items. We stopped at the liquor store to purchase a limited edition beer that would be consumed once this detox was over. However, once I accepted my promotion at work a celebration was in order. And, this celebration was prompted by my husband of call people!! We devoured gelato, soup and sandwich at one of our favorite places, and then topped it all off with a Boulevard Tank 7 (ouch!). Let's just say the next chain of events wasn't pretty the following morning....

I'm not sure if I was hit with a GI bug or if it was my body absolutely rejecting the fact that we had a "cheat night" to celebrate my promotion. Either way, it sucks. I later concluded that this was a GI bug as it is still around on day 8. Trying to eat appealing foods on this detox while sick is not fun. I went to bed last night without having eaten something since lunch and have barely eaten today. I did have to break down and dilute some G2 gatorade in water. I WAS DESPERATE PEOPLE! I just hope this passes soon...

In good news, I am down almost 4lbs. Now If I could just feel better so I can get back in my workout routine, life would be awesome! I haven't worked out in a week and that workout a week ago was sub par. I need to get back into my 5 days/week as my sprint triathlon is almost 4 months away. Although I have time, I feel like it's going to fly by and be here before I know it. I definitely want to be prepared for this one.

We've got 13 full days left of this detox. Other than my GI bug I really do feel TONS better. I hope we can continue to eat healthy like this once this is over. I'm sure we will still consume alcohol and go out to dinner. But, I'm sure it will be less often.

Here's to feeling better (as I'm raising my diluted gatorade)!!

Day 5

Today's post is going to be speedy. So, here goes!

Last night I made the lentil soup as previously discussed in earlier posts. Again, this was a recipe from my oldest sister. Turns out lentils aren't bad afterall. My husband and I both had 2 bowls. =) I even took some extra time to make some Coconut Flour Banana Muffins before my bananas were too ripe. Man, those things are dense. I digress.

Today's events:

• Breakfast: Again, we had a bacon, egg, and spinach scramble. My husband was the chef again this morning. Of course I had my coffee. The temperatures are below zero today!! Brr!
• Snack: Banana muffin.
• Lunch: Left over bison lettuce wraps, avocado, 2 hard boiled eggs with GF mustard. All of this was pretty darn filling. I also had my post lunch tea.
• Afternoon snack: Full fat yogurt, green apple, and almonds.
• Dinner will be more left over lentil soup (I did add chicken from making my own stock. Hey, more protein!)
• Not sure about a workout tonight as it is absolutely FREEZING outside. Plus, I'm headed to the chiropractor for a back adjustment.

Until tomorrow....

Day 3 & 4

Buenos dias! I'm sitting here typing this post this morning from the comfort of our home office sipping my coffee in my PJ's. I've got my Pandora (Jack Johnson's Banana Pancakes station) playing while I sit next to the window with a snowy view outside. Although I'm tired of winter already, I don't mind snow when I can stay home and look at it.

Moving on........

We're getting in a pretty good rhythm  in our home on this 21DSD. Despite feelings of "hangriness" yesterday afternoon, everything is going OK. I'm starting to get proud of my "food prep" skills so we have plenty of things on hand ready to grab in an instant. Friday nights dinner of the beef lettuce wraps was a success (I'll post a picture later in this post). So, let's back up to Saturday (Day 3).

Day 3:

I had a hair apt in the morning. I prepped my usual 2 eggs with a slice of bacon and spinach, which I added a little extra to this batch. I grabbed my homemade latte, an apple to snack on in case of emergency, some almonds, and out the door I went. My husband was still in bed when I left so he was on his own for breakfast. I also took plenty of water along. I'm learning that as long as I keep on top of water intake my cravings are in better control.

I grabbed an early lunch before I went to a 60 minute massage (this pampering doesn't happen every Saturday, don't worry.) Lunch was a salad with 2 hard boiled eggs, 2-3 baked chicken breast strips I had already prepped, and some EVOO/balsamic dressing. There may have been an avocado on there but I can't recall. I devoured my salad and went straight to my 60 minute massage, which by the way was DIVINE. 

We were due for a Costco trip, so that was the next stop after the massage. Perhaps I should have gone to Costco before the massage as the store was the busiest I had ever seen it in the 4 years we have been members. Anyways, I stocked up on veggies, eggs (yes, all 32 of them), steaks, some more ground bison (which is what I actually used in the lettuce wraps vs beef the previous night), quinoa with brown rice, almonds and pecans, spices, sparking lime water, along with other home essentials. Phew! Several dollars later I was out the door.

One of the toughest parts about day 3 was going over to a friends loft for the Chiefs/Colts playoff game and not being able to indulge in a nice craft beer. It's not that we wanted to party. I just simply miss the taste of a good Belgian style beer. I digress. Oh, and cheese dip and chips were also going around. Our friends wanted us to go out to BBQ after the game. We were tempted to go but, as we looked online at the menu we quickly discovered that there was literally NOTHING we could have ordered at this place. So, we went home to have more lettuce wraps since it was too cold and snowing in KC to grill our steaks.

We devoured our lettuce wraps again along with 1/2 cup of the quinoa/brown rice blend from Costco. It was filling. I topped off my evening with some "sleepy time tea" and was plenty ready for bed.

Ground buffalo lettuce wraps with cilantro, lime, purple cabbage, and avocado.

Side note: I had bought some lentils this past week. It seemed like a good purchase as it was on the list of foods we could eat. The only problem was that I wasn't quite sure what to do with them. Since my oldest sister gave up meat in all of 2013 I figured she'd have a good lentil recipe. Not to mention, she also has a cooking blog with amazing recipes that you can fine here --->  http://www.willmakeagain.com/ . She had recommended John and I try this recipe ----> http://www.willmakeagain.com/2012/12/favorite-lentil-soup.html . So, that recipe is today's mission, along with some more Coconut Flour Banana Bread.

Since the soup calls for chicken stock, I am faced with the challenge of making my own. You are not allowed to use any store bought chicken or vegetable broth. We went to the market last night and bought a whole chicken (3.2lbs). Not to mention this chicken is a local, free range chicken from Lathrop, MO. My clever mom gave me the idea to put the chicken in the crock pot over night. GENIUS! I cleaned the little bird, dropped it in the crock pot, seasoned it with pepper, Mrs. Dash (keeping an eye on sodium consumption), parsley, and covered it with water. When we went to bed we turned the crock pot on low and away she went. When I got up this morning I took the bird out of the crock pot, but not without it falling to a million pieces because it was so tender. SUCCESS! Thanks, Mom!

Ready to cook.

Day 4:

This is the plan of events for today.

• Brunch I can hear bacon sizzling as I type this. John is making our usual bacon, eggs, and spinach this morning. I've had my morning coffee and am feeling motivated for the day!!
• Snacks with consist of the usual.....hard boiled eggs, green apple, or yogurt.
• I plan to make the lentil soup recipe from my sister: http://www.willmakeagain.com/2012/12/favorite-lentil-soup.html
• I also plan to make some more banana bread. I have to hurry before my bananas are no long "green-tipped".
• If our snowy parking lot has been plowed we'll probably make our way to the gym later today. If not, then we'll have to improvise for a living room workout.

Happy Sunday everyone!

Day 2

We survived day 1. Barely.

In my opinion it was a little rough once 4:30/5:00 rolled around. I had some almonds around 4:00 but that wasn't seeming to satisfy my craving. We hurried home after work. I prepped dinner before we went to the gym. I attempted to use the elliptical but started to feel a little faint and ended up walking it out on the treadmill. Clearly, the lack of carbs throughout the day was getting to me.

We got home around 7:30 and I was frantically finishing dinner so that we could eat and so I could get a little boost of energy. At this point I was tempted to chug the orange juice in our fridge or pop a mini Reese's PB Cup in the secret stash. But, I didn't. I survived, ate dinner, even made some banana bread, drank some sleepy time tea, then went to sleep.

Dinner Day 1: Mustard Glazed Baked Chicken Thighs (from the 21DSD book), Quinoa, and Zucchini with onions. Not too shabby.

Today is a new day, and we are stronger today because of what was accomplished yesterday. Here's a list of today's planned events/meals.

• Breakfast consisted of eggs with spinach and bacon.
• Coffee: I think I have a new found love that I created this morning. I'm a latte kind of girl, so I made my own modifications to my coffee this morning. Typically I would just add a touch of flavored creamer (You ask, all of that processed, sugary, shit? Yes, that stuff.). This morning I brewed my coffee per usual (via Keurig, the only way to have coffee IMO). I warmed up 1/2 cup of whole milk in the microwave for 30 seconds then wisked it with  my latte wisk (you can find these at Bed Bath and Beyond, it just makes the milk a little frothy). I then added my milk to my coffee and was in a world of delight. =)
• I've snacked on the Coconut Flour Banana Bread I made last night. It's good, but interesting. Definitely not the usual Banana bread style and density but, it's something good to have on hand.
• Today's lunch will be left over baked chicken with a lettice salad, avocado, hard boiled eggs.
• Snack today is going to be a little more hearty due to yesterday's events in how I felt after work. Planning on my organic, full fat yogurt with a green apple. May even throw in some almonds.
• Dinneer may consist of beef lettuce wraps. If not that, then something of the chicken variety.

We're out of quinoa, eggs, and some other sides I need to stock up on tonight to get us through the weekend. A Costco run may be in order after work.

I did break down and weigh myself this morning, even though I said I wouldn't do it until after my challenge. I was down to 164 so that is promising. I'm sure it isn't true weight loss but, it's a start. Besides "feelings of hunger", I feel a little more energized today.

Today is Friday, it's a good day, we are blessed that God gave us another day on this wonderful Earth, and no matter how hard life is it could always be worse.

Happy Friday!

The Plan: 21DSD

Today marked day #1 of John and I's 21 Day Sugar Detox journey (see details here: http://the21daysugardetox.com/). This is going to be a LONG 21 days but, I am ready! I'm ready to kick off 2014 with a bang and set the tone for the whole year.

A little background:

My husband (John) have done a pretty decent job of eating healthy in the past. We would workout for an hour most days of the week and have a healthy, home cooked meal afterwards. Our evening meals mainly consisted of chicken/fish with a grilled vegetable, salad, or brown rice. Breakfasts were mainly oatmeal, cereal, or an occasional scrambled egg/egg white with whole wheat toast. Lunches have been anything from left overs, an occasional frozen meal when in a pinch, salad, or something of the sandwich variety. All in all we did not eat out much or have fried/fatty foods. With time, we also kicked our diet soda habit.

I think we had become a little relaxed about our diets since we were both training for triathlons at one point. We needed the extra nutrients to stay fueled and energized. We would bike 20-25 miles on a Saturday then go pig out on chicken wings and beer as a reward. What I didn't seem to grasp that most food items were for "convenience" and weren't always filling (i.e.- granola bars). We also became interested in craft beers, which are not low cal.

I got the 21DSD book for Christmas. My family was quick to tell me "man, that looks hard". And, they're not wrong. It is going to be hard and as I read through the book I couldn't help but say in my head "shit, I eat this or that on a regular basis". My husband decided that we should do this as a team, as he had also confessed his unhappiness with his physique from the holidays. Phew, I was then relieved to have a detox companion.

My inital goal with this blog is to update datily while on 21DSD to remeber what I ate, how I felt, what I did for a workout, and how I have slept.  I want to be able to monitor my progress and look back to see what was working if I plateau or struggle. Because, let's face it, there are going to be hard days ahead.

We started off the New Year by getting rid of the foods that are not approved on the 21DSD diet. We also made a rather expensive trip to the store. As we were shopping I paused and said to John, "we really can't eat anything (as I stared at our shopping cart of vegetables)." This is not true. There are plenty of things to eat in this detox, they are just things that we don't eat on a regular basis or don't take the time to cook. We are both so busy with working full time, working out, social events, and grad school that we sometimes don't go the extra mile to fix a balanced meal. It's always easier to just run and grab something convenient and it's always going to be easy to use the crutch phrase"I don't have time" when maybe it's just not the priority.  I did some research for recipes last night before we shopped so we would have a better idea of what lies ahead. I didn't want to not be prepared then find myself in a vulnerable state craving a cheeseburger, giving in, then hating myself for being weak.

I spent 3 hours last night prepping food for lunches, snacks, etc. Everything from cleaning lettuce, boiling eggs, cooking and degreasing bacon, and baking chicken tenders for salads. I even took the time to bag everything/put everything in containers so we could just grab and go first thing in the morning. I felt good about this accomplishment!

I would say "cheers" but this is a no alcohol zone on this detox! So, here's to 21 days of taking a huge step in my/our health!!

New Year, New Habits

'Tis the season for resolutions and happy 2014! Let me start by saying this blog is for inspiration and a way for me to keep track of my health/fitness progress through 2014 (and hopefully beyond 2014). Let me start with a little background.

My healthy/fitness journey began way back after I had gotten engaged to my now husband (4'ish years ago). I was in nursing school, had horrible eating habits, was stressed, and when I drank alcohol it wasn't in small amounts. Since then I have lost around 40lbs and have been pretty good about keeping it off. My husband is a workout/health nut so his motivation to workout forces me to follow in his footsteps. I now enjoy working out more than I did in the past. I grew up being an athlete and continued through college. I was a little burnt out on any form of exercise and was "bored".

In 2011 I developed a love for spinning class and became addicted. I went to class 4-5 times per week and was basically eating cereal for dinner (bc it was quick and convenient and I was too tired to cook after class). Plus, my husband was OK with that plan while other husbands would expect a warm cooked meal on the table at night. Attending spinning class and watching calories really helped me drop weight and tone. My husband and I ran 5k's and 10k's frequently to help keep us motivated. I was (and still am) thankful for his support. It's true when people say it's important to have a workout companion. Although there were times of tears, frustration, and tough love, I thank John for pushing me the way that he did.

So, here we are in 2014. Since those rough days of weight loss I have completed several 5k's, 10k's, a half marathon, and a sprint distance triathlon. The half marathon was a killer (not sure I'd do another one) but, I LOVED every minute of my triathlon. During that time I was getting in really good shape. Sure I still had a few problem areas that I wanted to fix, but over all I felt the best I had ever felt.

The end of 2013 brought some health challenges that included dizzy spells and a lot of head aches. My workout streak was declining, my diet became poor, I was in a car accident, and my husband and I were really getting into enjoying the taste of craft beer. All of this is no bueno when you're not burning 500-800 calories per workout 5 days/week as you were before. Gradually, my pants became tighter, tops aren't fitting as they once were, and I can feel an over all difference physically. Plus, lets not pretend the number on the scale hasn't increased a smidge. THEN, on top of all of those things, the holidays arrived. I tried and tried to resist the holiday deliciousness, but lets face it, I failed.

During all of my dizzy/headache spells I did some research on dietary approaches to helping me feel better. Doctors were trying to throw pills at me to fix my problem. Although this may be a future possibility, I wanted to explore other non-pharmacological options first. The nurse in me wanted to start with "least invasive" (plus, with being married, an "oops" could happen, if you know what I mean. You can't take most medicaitons when you're pregnant.). I searched high and low for multiple books, diet plans, and recipes. I read a little on how eating Gluten Free could help. This idea scared me bc gluten is in EVERYTHING that is good (in my opinion). Beer, desserts, breads/cereals, condiments, literally everything! My husband suggested following more of a "gluten-light" diet. So, we did our best to reduce gluten but not completely cut it out.

I stumbled across a book called the 21 Day Sugar Detox By Diane Sanfilippo, http://the21daysugardetox.com/, and decided to add it to my Christmas list. I am now the owner of the book and am now on Day 1 of the detox journey. I'll write more about this journey in a post following this one.


For now I will say here's to a new journey in 2014! My goal is to be in better health than I was in 2013.

Cheers to new goals in 2014!