Quick Update

Hey everyone! Life continues to go well! I am on day 20 of the whole30 and really enjoying the mental clarity and energy that I seem to have. 

Of course, work is putting that energy level to the test because it seems we go from a hectic day, an even more hectic day to an insane day. 

 I had another therapy session that I found cleansing again. I swear I come out feeling like I lost a couple of pounds in there ;)! 

Food wise its been good, however today I was in such a rush that I never stopped to take pics. Breakfast was me inhaling a chicken apple sausage and banana on my way to my first appointment. Lunch was better with grilled veggies and beef kabobs which I also had for dinner.  I was starving and didn't even think about the picture until I was done! oops! 

 My food for the day before (day 19) follows below: 

 Breakfast: a banana and almond butter. Lunch: avocado and chicken butter lettuce tacos with a sliced tomato. Dinner: beef patty over a bed of lettuce with a fried egg on top and grape tomatoes on the side. YUM!

 I am off Friday and Saturday this week!!! So looking forward to some relaxation and reading by the lake! Until next time!

Days 17 and 18!!

Feels like I'm going downhill now after 18 days on the whole 30. Even though my meals are somewhat repetitive, I am really enjoying what I am eating. As a result of not drinking coke zero, my water intake has gone up as well. It's a win win!!

My food for the last couple of days!

Breakfast: boiled potato, hard boiled egg white, berries and tomatoes.

Lunch: grilled mahi mahi with mixed steamed veggies and avocado with hot sauce.

Dinner: omelet made with spinach and a slice of prosciutto, watermelon and a huge jar of iced water. It was so hot yesterday!!!

Breakfast: compliant hotdogs, hard boiled egg whites, strawberries and blackberries.

Lunch: chicken over a power green saad, sweet potato, radishes and tomatoes.

Dinner: shredded chicken lettuce "tacos", purple heirloom  tomato and avocado. 

I love butter lettuce. I had never tried it before this and though it's a tad pricier around here the texture is worth it. I love making "wraps" and "tacos".

I have never eaten hot sauce in my life! Until now that is! A few drops of complaint hot sauce give certain foods that certain oomph that was missing. My mom would be proud lol only person in my family who hated spicy stuff!

Last but not least, someone asked me the other day why I don't eat the whole hard boiled eggs. I'm not saving calories lol I just don't care for the hard boiled yolk. I can eat scrambled eggs and fried eggs with no issue, but I have to be in the right mood to eat the hard boiled yolk!

Hope you had a great weekend! Until next time!!

Halfway there!

Double updates yet again! Life is pretty busy and hectic right now but I am doing really well. I am on day 16 of the whole30 and pretty pumped that I have made it this far. 

I think the only thing I really miss at this point is feta sprinkled on my salad and one afternoon with the heat index of 106 F, I really craved an iced cold coke zero.

 Work is going good and while the family issues are still there, the days have helped with the shock factor and everyone is more into problem solving mode. This is a much more comfortable stage to be for me. 

 My garden is doing so well! I have so many veggies in different stages of growth. It just makes everything taste better when you have put effort into what you eat from the time it was a seed. 

 Here is my food ( repetitive and easy since I felt like I had to be cooking all the time and I've been to busy for that!) for the last two days: 

 Breakfast: Chicken sausage, hard boiled egg white, boiled potato, mixed berries and grape tomatoes 

 Lunch: chicken, power greens, carrots, radishes and tomatoes

 Dinner: sweet potato and patty pan squash sauteed with some ghee and a chicken apple sausage 

 Breakfast: Chicken sausage, hard boiled egg white, boiled potato, mixed berries and grape tomatoes 

 Lunch: Big Salad ( lettuce, cucumber,onion,tomatoes) with some chopped compliant ham and bacon from home dressed with some evoo and vinegar; a banana

Dinner: sweet potato and patty pan squash sauteed with some ghee and a chicken apple sausage 

Hope everyone had a great week. Have fun this weekend. Until next time!!

Two days and talking it out

 This post is a couple days behind. It's been a crazy roller coaster for me since Thursday between work and family issues. I have been able to navigate it all without comforting myself the way I used to. 

However, I feel more and more overwhelmed. You know that saying when it rain it pours? Well, it has started to pour! Monday I needed to do something about it. Something that didn't include a big bag of Cheetos and the fast food drive thru. I decided I needed to talk it out.

Because of the setting and nature of my workplace. The hospital officers an in house counselor for employees as well as number of free therapy sessions with some selected providers.  I understand their value but I've always been one of those people who"didn't need it".

Monday, I reached out and ended up talking to her for an hour. I was a bit apprehensive because who enjoys being vulnerable? Certainly not me! 

I went in thinking I'd try to hash out my feelings  about the intense and emotional last few work days and nothing more. I ended up with a big case of verbal diarrhea and hearing myself admit out loud to food binges and mom issues.

My word! The weight I felt got  lifted off

Off my chest allowed to feel that I wasn't underwater anymore. To actually voice what I have been trying to to try to stop hurting myself with food allowed me to be proud of myself. Because I am proud of myself but I'm not always kind to myself. 

Every day we try to be kind to others but yet we end up being our own harshest critics. We most likely are not as unkind to others as we can be to ourselves! That is just not right! I am a newbie to talk therapy and always get it would make me weak to admit I needed help. It didn't matter how obvious it was to others. In my deluded brain I can fix it all. But it turns out I can't. I am a key part of it but it's ok to reach out and get help. Whatever kind of help it is you need to compliment what you are doing for yourself already.

All that heavy but now a tad less so stuff aside, here's my food for the last two days:

Breakfast: chicken Apple sausages, lettuce, strawberries and grapes

Lunch: chicken, avocado and raw veggies

Dinner: chicken and a big salad

Breakfast: one egg omelet with power greens, chicken sausie, half a boiled potato and coffee!

Lunch: ( I was truly on the go lol pack the second half of breakfast in a Baggie and ate while driving!) egg with greens, half a Prato and a chicken sausie.

Dinner: zucchini noodles ( from my garden!!! Mixed with a little ground beef with a fried egg on top ( from my friends chickens!!) and sweet potato.

I hope y'all are having a good week. Until next time, Stay strong!!

Day 11

I have made it to day 11! As excited as I am to be doing this and about staying strong regardless, I have to admit that today I am struggling. Emotionally past drained during the last three days and Father's day is still a rough one for me even if its been several years since I lost my dad. 

Once you are already feeling emotionally weak, it doesn't take much to make it worse. Snowball effect anyone? After I leave work, I am going to my second family home to celebrate Father's Day with my 'Second Dad'. 

He has chosen his menu which shall consist of fried chicken, greens cooked with bacon, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese and key lime pie. I am attending but gave my disclaimer a week ago that I would be bringing my food and not sharing their food. It gets easier and easier the more functions occur and I am still on "my diet" as they call it lol. 

 Here is my food of the day: 

 Breakfast: Chicken apple sausage and greens, tomatoes and strawberries.

 Lunch:Salad greens, avocado, chicken and a few pieces of leftover fajitas.

 Dinner:NO I DIDNT EAT A PUPPY! I did forget to take a pic  and figure a cute puppy always fixes everything 😁. What I did eat was a Big salad ( tomatoes, greens, radishes, cucumber, lime juice, evoo), chicken apple sausage and a baked sweet potato. 

 Hope y'all had a good weekend and celebrated the Dads out there. Until next time! Stay strong!

Day 9 and 10

I am back with a double day because work was so brutal yesterday that by the time I got home I had nothing left in me.

Even though it was  a very stressful day, busy and emotionally draining. I did not make any bad choices regardless of how much I felt  I "needed" some chips or a glass of wine. I have to stop and remind myself that I don't need it, I'm just trying to deal with my emotions with food. I have been trying so hard to not do any of that that I felt victorious when I chose a long shower and early bedtime instead.

Here's my food for day 9:

Breakfast: chicken sausage, 1.5 hard boiled eggs, sautéed yellow squash and mushrooms. 

Lunch: chicken, mushrooms, raw veggies and avocado.

Dinner: pork with onions seasoned with coconut aminos,  sweet potato and avocado.

The food keeps me fueled and satisfied all day even with the crazy day I had! Today, I was hoping for an easier day at work . Unfortunately, that didn't even happen. It actually ended up being even harder on me than the day before. Days so heavily charged with emotion and demanding so much physically make me realize how much the strides I've made in my journey have helped.

I have plenty of excess baggage left to drag around but it's days like these that show me how the extra 40ish pounds I had before took even more out of me. So yes, it takes time and effort. Yes, it will take more time and more effort. But is so worth it!!

Here is my food for today:

Breakfast: chicken sausage, 1.5 hard boiled eggs, sautéed yellow squash and mushrooms. 

Lunch: chicken, avocado, raw veggies .

Dinner: beef fajitas  and an avocado filled with fresh salsa.

After having another demanding day at work, I was ready to come home and relax. Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards. I came home to some really devastating news  about the health of one of my aunts ( more like a second mom) back home. It's hard to cope with my emotions when I was already so emotionally drained from work these past two days.

 When you are tired, you are more emotional. These are the times when I have lost control before. Today I will not lose control Over what I can control

I can control what I eat.

I can control every choice I make.

I can take charge of my brain and body.

I can take care of me.

I can decide to not pick up my old habits.

I do not need food.

Food is not going to fix it.

I have to help myself so I can help others.

I will make good choices.

I will stay strong. 

You can do it too.

Until next time!

Day 8 and a Garden Update!

Hey y'all! It has been a great day! I am beyond excited to share a garden update for all of you. If you recall my last update this is what my garden looked like several weeks ago:

This is what it looks like today:

And here is my first harvest!!!

I got some romaine lettuce, a cucumber and a zucchini. So excited for tomatoes, peppers and watermelon soon!! Considering this is the first year I started the garden from seeds I felt terribly accomplished! My dinner salad was extra scrumptious!!!

Here's my food for the day:

Breakfast: hard boiled eggs, chicken sausage, grape tomatoes and strawberries.

Lunch: half an avocado, chicken and raw veggies ( tomatoes, carrots and radishes).

Dinner:  big salad with lettuce,radishes, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber dressed with fresh lime juice and some chicken. Not pictured a handful of strawberries I had with dinner.

A successful day food wise. No major struggles as my body continues to get used to this way of eating. Hope all is going well for everyone. Until next time!!

Day 7: One week down!

One week down yay! Today as a great day and even though several hangs went awry around lunchtime and my prep work semi out the window, I still managed to stay on plan.

I came home after a full day out and worked on meal prep. I have breakfast and lunches cooked and packed for the next three days!

Here's my food for the day:

Breakfast: beef patty, egg, zucchini and yellow squash sticks sautéed in some ghee.

Lunch: Chicken Apple sausage, side salad (greens and tomato dressed with a bit of hot sauce lol), a smal fruit cup.

Dinner: pork loin, sautéed mushrooms, sautéed yellow squash and onion and butter lettuce.

I have to say that today I realized that on this whole 30 it is extremely difficult to eat out or not be spending a lot of time meal prepping/cooking. It works for me because I avoid eating out as much as possible but omh I went into a semi panic today when I had to figure something out lol

Tomorrow is my Monday! But I am ready as I fee like I had some very productive days off. Hope everything is going well in your side of the woods! Until next time!!!

Day 6

Day 6 ended up surprising me because I woke up with so much energy! I have been sleeping through the night and waking up ready to tackle my day. 

This morning I woke up at six and got right to the spring cleaning that I had left undone and has now become summer cleaning. I decluttered my kitchen like I had been meaning to for a long time.

I got three big black bags full of stuff to donate/ throw away from the kitchen alone which is ridiculous for a two person household! I feel so much better and seeing the roomy cabinets and everything so well organized!

After that I decided to tackle cleaning and vacuuming. Within a couple of hours everything was cleaned, organized and fresh. Don't you just love the feel of a spotless home right after you're done cleaning it?? I sure do! 

Here is my food for the day:

Breakfast: beef patty, hard boiled egg whites, half avocado and leftover roasted veggies.

Lunch: power greens scramble, chicken Apple sausage and roasted veggies.

Dinner: pork loin, half an avocado and sautéed mixed veggies.

Hope yall are having a good week. Until next time!!!!!

Day 5

One of my coworkers texted me that picture today asking me if I can relate lol to be honest I thought that would be how I would feel but it has not been that way at all.

I miss my coke zero but not to the point that I'm constantly thinking about. It is more of a fleeing thought if I happen to notice someone's soft drink. I'm enjoying the foods I am eating and making a point to not make myself eat something I do not enjoy.

I prep my meals the night before so I don't waste much energy thinking about food. It's fixed and ready at mealtime and I truly not think about what I can't have while I commit to this.

Tonight was another cooking first for me. A few days ago I tried coconut aminos in a stirfry and enjoyed the taste. Tonight I sautéed my vegetables in some ghee and was pleasantly surprised! Of course I took the lazy way out and bought some pre made compliant ghee but hey I gotta start somewhere!

Here's my food for the day:

Breakfast: power green scramble, beef patty, half a small avocado and half an apple.

Lunch: half the avocado, half an apple, lettuce and chicken Apple sausages.

Dinner: beef patty, sweet potato. Sautéed carrots and sautéed yellow /green  green beans.

My face is breaking out horribly today. I am hoping it's the detoxing part of my skin having all the yuck come to the surface! Other than that I am still feeing pretty good, clear headed and energized. 

Hope your Monday was a good one. Until next time!

Day 4: Give it your all!

I have made it to day 4 pretty much unscathed! I was really worried about feeling yuck and tired as I had read so many people experiencing online. I guess all these months of cleaner eating helped since my diet was not totally wrecked. 

Today I felt pretty good and energetic. I had another hectic day at work but I was able to keep going without feeling like I needed a snack. Note to self: increased protein and some good fats may hold the key to no drips between meals. I had two situations today where I was faced with 'temptation'. It was not too hard to walk away even though the donuts ( which I normally wouldn't give a crap about) looked fresh and inviting. Like the picture above says , I am doing this and I am giving it my 100%. After all it is not donating blood ;)! 

 Here is my food for the day: 

 Breakfast: scrambled eggs with mixed power greens ( swiss chard, spinach and other greens), an apple chicken sausage, half an avocado and 1/4 apple. 

Lunch: Mixed greens dressed with some fresh lime juice, a hard boiled egg, grilled chicken and half an avocado. 

Dinner: Diced up compliant hotdogs cooked with some compliant hot and tomato sauce served on butter lettuce with a baked sweet potato. 

 I hope y'all had a great weekend. I am looking forward to my Friday ( Monday for the rest of the world) since I have a huge to do list to get through during my "weekend". Until next time!

Day 3 is here

Hey everyone! I made it to day 3! I have to say Day 2 and so far Day 3 have been much much nicer to me than Day 1. No sugar dragon or anger on my part. No mood swings(yet ;) ). I haven't had any headaches and my head seems pretty clear. 

Yesterday, I actually felt more energized than usual. I was shocked that I wasn't yawning and ready to pass out by 9. I wake up super early so I also try to get to bed early. 

 Here is my food for Day 3: 

Breakfast: Prosciutto, hard boiled egg whites and a quarter avocado with fresh blackberries and grape tomatoes.

Lunch: tomato, cilantro and onion salad with fresh lime juice, chicken and avocado.

Dinner: compliant chicken Apple sausage  sliced and served over butter lettuce boats and baked sweet potato.

 Day 3 has been good because I have had no headaches at all. It has been crazy busy at work today and I had clocked at 10,000 steps before 1 pm. That's more than my usual workday. 

I know that while doing the whole 30 you are not supposed to snack but I felt like I needed a little something to pep my step since I was already starting to get tired. Not sure if this was due to the "hangover" timeframe or just a busy hectic day. 

 I caved around 3 and had a cup of coffee and a tablespoon of almond butter. Probably not the best choices but truly all I had that was compliant around me. To keep myself from snacking, I am only packing my meals and no extra snack stash. I was glad I had the almond butter I had purchased the other day. I went to our little market and other than fruit, I couldn't find anything else that was compliant. I really didnt want to do the fruit for the sugar. I knew the almond butter would keep me going for the next few hours. 

 How is your weekend going? I hope you are enjoying some rest and relaxation with your loved ones. Until next time, Stay Happy!

Day 1 Aftermath and onto Day 2

Well day 1 is in the books and I think I did well. I successfully stayed on plan and my only complaint was a dull headache  all day. 

I know the headache was from caffeine withdrawal. Even though on the whole 30 you can have coffee ( recommended 2 cups max ideally before noon so it doesn't affect your sleep), I decided to try to quit it for good. 

Not sure why I thought I had to cut down all the way to zero lol but I regretted that all day because of that headache. It finally went away around 3pm when I decided to just drink a cup. This is pretty much how I felt :

 I had been having close to 4-5 cups a day plus the caffeine that coke zero had. On the bright side I already liked my coffee black so I have no issue about it lacking sweeteners or creamer.

On to Day 2: This morning I was worried about how I would feel. According to the book's timeline, day 2-5 is usually when the "hangover" hits you.  I felt good today, I drank one cup of coffee and had no headache. I actually feel a bit more energized tonight and I know it ain't related to caffeine haha!

Here's the food of the day:

Breakfast: beef patty, leftover hash and a hard boiled egg white

Lunch: zucchini noodles aka zoodles with  homemade marinara, chicken , a couple of radishes and a small slice of avocado

Dinner: stir fry with beef and mixed veggies ( broccoli, carrots, snow peas ) seasoned with a dash of coconut aminos.

Looking forward to a successful Day 3! Have a great weekend. Until next time, Stay focused!

I'm Back and on Day 1

Oh my! It sure has been a hot minute since I last posted. There are many things that have happened since. I got sick and better. I had a birthday Yay!. And I went on a much needed short vacation.

 I did not go completely out of control during my vacation but I have slowly noticed myself being more lenient with my food intake. I went from not having any grains, to slowly allowing me some here and there. I also never got to the point where I could give up legumes completely. I have insulin resistance so I know and understand how what I eat affects me. 

 Although nowhere near my old self, I could sense the start of old patterns justified by my birthday/vacation. I haven’t gained any weight, however I am stuck where I was 4 weeks ago and that is not where I want to be. 

I have a long long way to go before I get to maintenance so at this point maintaining is not a good thing. I could almost say that at least I haven’t gained but I am not about trying to enable my bad habits.While hiking during my vacation , I decided that enough was enough. I have come a long way through lots of effort. Letting loose and continuing to be increasingly lenient would only end up a disaster. I know I do not want to tear down what I have accomplished and I feel like I can eventually get there by falling back into old habits. 

So I decided to try the Whole30. Not because it is a media and Instagram fad, but because in reading the book(It starts with food), a lot of it resonates with me. I felt like I needed to get back to being strict in order to reestablish my health routine. 

So I am on day one of the Whole30. I have been bad about my coke zero. I have cut down but continue to make excuses to justify one or two a day. Today is it. No alcohol, sugar, sweeteners, grains, legumes, processed food and dairy for 30 days. I am scared but excited, I am looking forward to the challenge. So to keep myself accountable I have announced it at work so that I am not offered crap and I will journal it on here.

With all that said, here is my food for Day 1:

Breakfast: compliant bacon over potato hash, hard boiled eggs and fresh berries. I ate one egg and saved the rest.

Lunch: chicken, avocado, radishes and tomato.

Dinner: chicken, carrots,green beans and tomatoes 

I hope everyone is doing well. Onlooking outward to catching up with y'all's blogs and sharing my journey through the whole30 with you. Until next time, Stay strong!!!