Confessions

This is a day for confessing, coming clean, in more ways than one. I have a big huge F on my forehead. F for failure. Given the stressors of traveling and moving, with four children, two of whom have wholeheartedly entered the ever dreaded 'terrible twos' stage, I have most definitely failed at my first attempt to go full Paleo. So much so, I have the evidence around my middle to prove it. I also feel sluggish and unmotivated.

As easy as it was at the time to just "go with it", it is going to be so much harder to start over again. You see, when we set out to visit family it was so much easier (and polite) to just eat what they served us and not ask for special treatment. The food was delicious so it was an easy choice to make. Our reasoning that "it's only for a couple weeks, it won't hurt us", made it even easier. Wrong choice!!!

What happened to that "couple weeks"? It turned into over a month of eating the SAD (standard American Diet) and a struggle to return to our mostly Paleo ways. It combined with a complete lack of exercise also resulted in my gaining back almost all the weight I have lost over the last 2 years!!! I say almost, because I have have lost some of the muscle I had gained and it hasn't resulted in that much of an increase on the scale, just in the way my clothes are fitting. I had finally gotten down into a 14 and now my 16's are getting tight again.

This is what it is all about folks. Not the numbers on the scale, or the # of calories, or even the cost of the food. It is all about the way I feel. When I was even just Paleo-ish I felt SOOOO much better. When I was doing crossfit I had energy. The combination of the two left my clothes loose and comfy! I want that back. I want to get back on track, get CLEAN from the junk I have put into my body, and I want to be healthy, strong, and full of energy!

The time for excuses is gone. We may be living in a hotel, but we have a kitchen. I may not be able to workout the way I want to right now, but my diet is a good place to start on this self made road to success. To ignite this renewed exuberance I am reading: The Primal Blueprint. I highly recommend it! That and the Paleo Solution (but I haven't read it yet just plan to). They will open your eyes to the evils that are whole grains and other "health foods" and turn your idea of healthy eating upside down. It will rock your world!!

Here is to take 2!

Whole30 FTW!

And we're off!!! After about 2 weeks of being 80-90% Paleo today marks the beginning of my Whole30 to official begin our new lifestyle. I am the only one in the family doing the Whole30 since I am the only one in need of shedding a little of my excess body weight. I took pictures and measurements this morning and will not step on the scale again until July 12th, a full 30 days from now. I have to say, I am very excited! All stats and pics will be posted at the end of the 30 days.

So far, after our pseudo-paleo start, I have to say that this is the best 'diet' I have ever tried. I never have been one to jump on any one diet bandwagon. In the past I have just cut back portions and lowered my fat and sugar. (which left me feeling HUNGRY!!) Well, count me in with the crowd on this one, cause I heart REAL food!! This my friends is no 'diet' in the usual use of the word.

For those who are curious, here is a sampling of some of our meals as of late.

Scrambled eggs, pork chops, and berries

fajita salad topped with guac, cheese, and sour cream

Stuffed portabella mushrooms with broccoli on the side

Just a side note: the dairy products are not strict paleo. They are referred to as 'lacto-paleo' which is what we will lean towards. I will not have any for the next 30 days, but as long as it doesn't affect me after that, there is no reason to take it out of my diet. Paleo is all about what works best for your body, so if it ain't broke, don't fix it! :o)

The hardest part of this diet isn't going to be focusing on what we can't have. It is going to be the cost. We just went to the store today and spent about $180 for maybe 5 days worth of food for our family of 6. That is the best trip so far! I have also learned already that it is best to cook big batches with leftovers in order to keep from feeling like all I do is cook. Having the leftovers makes for quick lunches (and sometimes breakfast!). As I type this I have a crockpot full of carnitas cooking away and some kale drip drying so I can make it into kale chips. It's all about the prep-work. You have to put some effort in early to make it easier later. This is definitely going to get me more organized with my meal planning, shopping, and prep.

I am eager to get settled in Hawaii. I am positive that we will be able to bring that cost down to a manageable amount. Not only will we have two large refrigerators to work with instead of one tiny one, we will also be setting up a garden, looking into a CSA for our other produce, and possibly some of our meat as well. With a larger family it does make it more difficult. I am not going to let it get me down. I am stepping up to the challenge and am going to make this work. After all, it's for the good of my family's health!

So, if you haven't seen my FB page, we are going Paleo! I have been doing some research on it and I am excited to get started.

It has been 9mo since I began my new lifestyle that included crossfit and healthy eating. As I was told once, "It is only a matter of time before you go paleo." Well, thanks to Michael, here we go! He has been doing crossfit for a few years now so he is overdue for the change. ;o) To his credit, it is hard if not impossible to pull off such a drastic diet change if you don't have your spouse (and main meal maker) on board.

In my 9mo of crossfit I have bounced around with my weight. It hasn't been steady only because of my diet. My biggest loss was during a detox which was a bad idea for my body type. I lost 12 lbs in one week! Turns out it was all muscle, a no-no for crossfitters. I promptly put all 12 lbs back on the following week in the form of belly fat. (It would only be fair to the detox to include the fact that I did not follow the strict rules for coming off of it though.) I'm confident that going Paleo is going to accomplish the goal of detoxing my body without any bad side affects. In fact, it is only going to give me more energy and help to regulate my weight and optimize my crossfit goals (another blog in itself.)

So to date my lowest weight was 186. I am currently at 200 even. This is due to two weeks of unhealthy eating and only working out twice in two weeks. (I was 195 before the two week break.) I am down only 8lbs since September but 20lbs since I had my twins in 09. I have dropped 2 dress sizes since beginning crossfit. I can squeeze into my 14 jeans since vacation but my 16 are still a bit loose. (I have been an 18/20 for years) I will post some pics when I get a chance.

Michael just got home so I am off to make lunch for the fam. Happy Thursday!

Roller Coasters...

Wow, it has been one roller coaster of a day. Here are the highs and lows:

LOW:

Started off fairly normal, other than having to dose the twins with motrin for a fever. Shayna has been in a funk recently so I had some drama from her this afternoon.

HIGH:

I was given the opportunity to talk to Hannah about salvation (not for the first time, but for the first time that I think she actually GOT it) She closed her eyes and said her own prayer!! I didn't get to lead her in a prayer, but hey, she got the jist of it herself. :o) We then talked about baptism. She may get baptized after her Daddy gets home!

LOW:

Heard we will be in a communication lull for a while with Michael. I guess he does have a job to do...

HIGH:

Prayed with both my big girls to protect their Daddy and to give us the strength to carry on till he can come home. They are so precious! I just know that God was listening with a swelling heart and moist eyes as I was.

So now with tear stained eyes I am off to watch some Pushing Daisy's and finish my wine. I'm getting off this coaster for the night. :o)

p.s. Now that I have posted this, I see that Roller coasters seem to be my theme. Maybe I should change the title of my blog?