21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 12

To be honest, I know I did horrible today. I didn't eat all that much, but what I did eat was not very healthy. I think I'm going to go back and try again from Day 8. So tomorrow will be Day 9 take two!

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 11

What I ate/drank today:

• top ramen
• smoothie my sister made
• fish, fried zuccini and potatoes
• small bowl of ice cream

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 10

What I ate/drank Friday:

• coffee
• yogurt
• leeks and spinach salad for lunch
• top ramen (out of groceries)
• hamburgers with home made sourdough buns
• some taffy and some 60% dark chocolate pieces (about 2)

Not too bad, could have done better

No exercise, woke up with sniffles and sore throat again.

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 9

What I ate/drank today:

• Yogurt for breakfast
• club sandwich, homemade chips and a cookie for lunch with lemonade (gasp!)
• leftover club sandwich and chips for dinner
• some taffy my boss gave me today (from Seaside, Or! I miss it there!)

Exercise: still sick

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 8

What I ate/drank (wednesday):

• Oatmeal for breakfast
• Blimpie Panini sandwich for lunch, with water
• pesto pasta and scalloped tomatoes for dinner with sourdough bread
• 3 cups of coffee
• 8oz of orange juice with Emergen-C

I don't feel that I was really tempted to eat sweets yesterday.

Exercise is on hold until this sinus cold is gone. Trying to exercise when you can't breathe just blows.

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 7

What I ate:

• cottage cheese with my vitamins mixed in. Never eating that again. It was disgusting.
• oatmeal with flax seed
• 2 bites of a chocolate donut. Then I ditched it because it just didn't taste good.
• leftover acorn squash with butter for lunch
• leftover leeks
• some sort of beef cheese hash thing mom made with home made bread for dinner

What I didn't eat:

• the rest of the donut
• ice cream, again. There's still vanilla ice cream in the freezer because no one likes vanilla at our house.

Exercise:

• None because I am getting sick

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 6

What I ate today:

• yogurt with my vitamins crushed up and mixed in
• Spinach salad, sprouts, beats, artichoke hearts, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup leeks and 1 cup leek broth
• baby carrots, apple slices, cashews, granola bar for snack
• chicken breast, acorn squash with butter (I think that's what kind of squash it was)
• 8oz protein shake
• cappuccino
• darjeeling tea with real cream

What I didn't eat today:

• I was tempted to go out and buy a snack, but didn't
•  I am currently not searching for chocolate even though I want to!

Exercise

• ab day today! 1 mile run/speedwalk on the tread mill, 3 sets of speedbag abs (or in my case a weight ball), relay of stairs/stepups between Em and me, .5 of a mile run/speedwalk, ab exercises with a 10 lb weight on the back extension, lower abs on the bench, some kettlebell abs

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 5

What I ate/drank today

• 1/2 a taco johns supreme burrito (mostly healthy, lol)
• lemonade
• water
• another 1/2 of the burrito, plus a whole one for dinner
• cup of Darjeeling tea with real cream

I wasn't feeling well today after my binge last night. My stomach is still upset. Now I have a no alcohol but wine (and champagne) rule because I find it is much gentler on the body, you can't just knock it back, you drink it slower, and I really don't think I'll drink more than two or three glasses in one sitting. And red wine is good for your heart.

What I didn't eat/drink today

• I think there's still ice cream in our freezer, so I was tempted, but I didn't even check
• There is dark chocolate in my fridge, but I didn't break it open

No exercise today, too hung over. 

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 4

What I ate/drank Saturday

• Yogurt with my vitamins crushed into it (I can't swallow horse pills, never will)
• Homemade bread with almond butter and some hazelnut spread (those are healthy, I don't agree with all of the things in that picture)
• A pasta dish with lots of veggies and some garlic bread, plus a side salad while out with friends
• Way too much alcohol while out with friends. I had to crash at a friends' place.

Not a good day for the challenge.

What I didn't eat Saturday

• A very large chocolate ice cream sundae that did indeed sound very delicious

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 3

What I ate/drank today

• bowl of raisin bran with whole milk for breakfast around 8am
• 1 cup Coffee with cream, no sugar 
• Wendy's with coworker, baked potato with chive and sour cream, ceasar side salad around noon
• Apple slices around 4:15pm
• Spinach, sprout, cranberry and avocado salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar about 5:50pm
• 1/2 cup yogurt at that same time
• My mommy made me a grass fed hamburger with a sourdough bun, macaroni salad with broccoli and carrots, potato "fries" which I assume were made with coconut oil around 8:15pm

What I didn't eat today

• Jr Double Bacon Cheeseburger and a frosty with fries from Wendy's 
• Chocolate peanut butter icecream

Exercise

Today we focused on sculpting our backs. We use a pyramid of reps starting with low weight and 10 reps, 8, 6, 4 getting steadily heavier, but never so heavy that its dangerous to lift. We were at the gym from 6-8. It took a while because there were three of us instead of the normal two. The 3rd person is one of Em's friends who had a baby two months ago, so we were psyched to help her out and get her motivated to get back into shape.

• Warm up 2 miles on treadmill (fast walk)
• One arm pull backs with dumbbell while leaning over on bench
• lateral pull downs
• rows
• Abs

Goal

      I was shaking for most of the day today, just a slight tremble in my hands and a general uneasy feeling in my body. That normally happens when something is up with my diet. I know I'm on the right track because I'm eating well and drinking a lot of water, but I think what is wrong is that I'm not consuming enough calories for the amount of energy I'm expending. Right now my social life is at the gym, so that translates to a lot of time and energy spent there. :) I think the remedy to this is to eat consistently, every three hours like other people who are training do. 

     Yes, I do consider myself to be training now. I'm trying to instill a life long habit of exercise into myself and am currently trying to reduce a few years of neglect. I think that requires some compensation and additional exercise until I'm at a comfortable place with my body.  Serious goals equals serious knuckling down. :)

Random

• I am back at my own house tonight and am done house sitting for my bosses. I hope they got back alright! Their house was very fun to stay in and I loved their kitchen. I definitely look forward to having my own place someday. 
• My cat Yuki is currently tucked under my arm laying on her back with her paws in the air curled into little balls. She's adorable and I missed her even if she is an attention whore. :)    
•  I found a $50 bill on the pavement outside of Target today!!! That was so awesome! 
•      I used that money to pay for a haircut and a couple other things :)

21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge Day 2

What I ate/drank today

• Yogurt for breakfast
• Coffee with hot cocoa mix, 1 cup (oops)
• 1/2 rack of ribs and steamed carrots and broccoli from HQ BBQ (so good!)
• 8 oz protein shake
• 3 egg scramble with artichoke hearts, capers, onions, and parmesan cheese

What I didn't eat today

• Well, my coworker and I ate out at the BBQ place today, so there were lots of things on the menu I could have cheated with, but I really didn't even think about doing it! I went straight for my favorite: ribs and looked for the healthiest side I could find! The plate wasn't huge, I was satiated and didn't eat again until the egg scramble at 9pm.

Exercise

• I completed the Workout for the Lovers from Body Rock today. It was tough. I did the skipping warmup and discovered that I can actually skip with high knees really well! Unfortunately it makes me want to die. The actual workout itself was hard and by the end I had sweat running across my forehead and down my neck, but it all lasted about 20 minutes. 
• About half an hour later, my workout partner texted me and wanted to workout, so I hit the gym with her and another girl. We were there from 6:30-8 and man, the sweat was rolling there too. I squatted 125lbs for 5 reps! PR!

Goal

• Get rid of the fat pooch on my lower abs! 

Day 1 of Junk Food Free for 21 Days

Yesterday was Day 1 of my 21 Day Junk Food Free Challenge
What I ate:

• Oatmeal with Flax seed for breakfast
• Pesto Pasta with capers, broccoli, mushrooms and onions for lunch
• Avocado for a snack
• Ham, cheese, sprouts, spinach, onion, tomato sandwich on whole wheat

What I was tempted to eat, but didn't:

• Chips
• Dark Chocolate

What I drank: 

• I had one cup of coffee, and water for the rest of the day

I have gotten into this bad habit of needing a snack whenever I am chilling out reading or watching tv. By focusing on what I cannot eat i.e., chips and candy, I was left without snacking mindlessly. Mirielle Guiliano has a good tip: always eat at the table. This limits what you eat to 1. presentation and 2. mindful eating that allows you to pay attention to satiety.

Fitness

• I woke up at 7 and tried to jump rope for 20 minutes. I'm not very good at jumping rope yet, so it wasn't constant. 
• I came home in the evening and completed the Fierce Friday Workout and kept up the intensity throughout the workout. I was definitely breathing hard when I was done and this morning, my lower abs felt a little more taut than before. 

Goal

• I don't want to feel dependent on food anymore, particularly sugar. I've gotten a lot better over the past year or so in not giving into my cravings. For instance, I can now take tea without sugar or honey, as opposed to over a year ago when I would dump 1/4 cup of sugar into one cup of tea.
• I want to be consistent in my exercise habits, which is why I think a short, daily workout is a good idea, particularly if I start off my day with that. I feel that starting off with a morning workout starts your day off with a positive step.
• My problem is that I have a hard time waking up early. I'm working on it. :) I think the trick is going to bed at the right time and not getting too much sleep. 

Food Plan and Musings

I know I've been talking a lot about food, but I am going to get something right!

I am going to do a combination of the Paleo Diet while still listening to Sally Fallon and Mary Egin from Eat Fat, Lose Fat, which I highly recommend you read. The ebook is available at Barnes and Noble for $12.99.

Their coconut smoothie and coconut-yogurt smoothie looks like a great start to the morning!

What I am adding to my diet:

• A high fat, good protein base that focuses on vegetables and meats. 
• Eat Fat, Lose Fat also recommends lacto-fermented beverages such as kefir, kombucha, beet kvass and homemade gingerale. They aid in digestion and provide energy.
• Both diets like coconut products, like coconut milk and coconut oil. These are high in good fats (saturated fats) and will give you energy throughout the day. Coconut also helps you to lose weight because it enhances your metabolism. However, I am mainly looking to maintain my weight, but it helps with that too! 
• Cream, nuts and red meat are all ok! These also have a good saturated fat count that helps to satiate your body. 
• Avocados! I love love love avocados. They are full of monosaturated fatty acid, which is used for several body functions. When I eat avocados, I feel full of energy for most of the day! If you like avocados you should check out this recipe! I can't wait to try it!
• Bacon! Paleos love bacon, and why shouldn't we? As long as you avoid the nitrates and nitrites, you're in for a delicious and good for you treat. :) Nitrates and nitrites are preservatives that help to maintain the red color of the meat and prevent botulism. Recommendations are that pregnant women and children stay away from these. I think that if you shouldn't eat it while pregnant, you probably should try to stay away from it when you're not pregnant. 

What I am removing from my diet:

• Sugar: 
• An awful form of carbohydrate that depresses your immune system, raises insulin levels and can cause the formation of free radicals in the blood. Free radicals cause cancer. Watch out. Sugar is also something to avoid during pregnancy as it leads to gestational diabetes and toxemia.
• Most grains: 
• While Eat Fat, Lose Fat says to eat properly prepared whole grains, Mark's Daily Apple warns against grains. Personally, I find grains to be addictive, but not entirely filling. I even have soaked oatmeal (which I'm never too jazzed about) and I'll be hungry by 11am. I would rather focus on eating something my body can consume fully, rather than having an item that costs money and doesn't fill me up properly. 
• Instead, if I am really craving something grainy, I will find an almond meal, almond flour or coconut flour recipe to use instead. 
• Low fat items, such as yogurt and skim milk: 
• Rick, my honey, swears by skim milk because he thinks its great for you. Personally, I like Organic whole milk, because it is high in fat and has an amazing flavor. A lot of people consume raw milk, which I do while living with my mom, but I don't like the taste as much. It packs a hell of a hell of a nutritional punch, such as Vitamin A, D and K_2.
• Soy
• In America, it's a genetically modified plant that is pushing out small farmers and toppling the health industry, in more ways than one. Here people consume it in un-fermented forms, which have been linked to many diseases.
• Coffee
• Neither of these diets say no to coffee, so I am going to say it myself. It robs me of my natural hunger and gives me an upset stomach. Also, I'm addicted to frappuchinos. It's time to say no!
  
• Processed foods. 
• Even ice cream. D:

The school year is about to start, and I will be feeding myself for 3 months. I basically have the kitchen to myself during the day, so I will have plenty of time to make delicious, healthful concoctions. 

I do have a list of Primal Recipes on my delicious account if you would like to see what I discovered! They are tagged by ingredients and meal type.  Feel free to subscribe if you like what you see!

The Contract

I have a horrible time of sticking to resolutions. I hate that word. It seems to imply failure.

I tend to rely on Rick a lot to help me keep up with the new things I want to change. However, I tend to forget I'm trying to abstain from things when Rick reminds me to stick with it. (Especially if it pertains to my sugar cravings.) That's where contracts come in. :)

I wrote up this contract last night:

From this day forward I will focus on:

• Not consuming sugar
• Not consuming grains
• Abstaining from soda
• Only eating 70% cocao or greater chocolate bars, 1 per week, and no more
• Eat more natural fats to offset the sugar cravings.
• Focus on eating low-carb foods
• Staying away from honey and sugar!
• Drink water or tea, no coffee or soda
• Increase my protein intake
• Decrease my consumption of processed foods
• Exercise regularly

August 12th, 2010

Mark Sisson from Mark's Daily Apple always says to focus on the 80/20 rule. If I can stick with this list 80 percent of the time or more, I will feel a lot better, physically and emotionally. 

A Food Challenge Update

I've tried to post a couple of times this week, but when I get to the blank page, I don't know what to say.

So here's an update on the Food Challenge, which I need to keep track of more thoroughly. Here are some of the things I will talk about in this post. I will think of a better format to lay all of this out, but not right now.

• I will include
• my menu 
• my shopping list
• the cost of shopping
• the actual carrying out of this challenge. 
• what went well, when I messed up, what I ate that day

To review what entails in the Challenge:

• I will not:
• Eat out
• Get coffee from the oh-so-convenient-located-in-the-center-of-campus coffee shop
• I will:
  
•  Brown bag my lunches and daily snacks
• Eat healthy!
• Explore ways to streamline my meals and still have time to do everything else that needs done!

Eating out:

Eating out has not been much of a problem. I did eat out last wednesday because my schedule has me in class from 12-5pm and I then have rehearsal from 5:30-10:30pm, so I opted for a cheap meal of teriyaki noodles, but noticed it didn't really fill me up much. Then I thought of keeping track of how I feel afterward to remind myself that eating out might seem nice, but your body doesn't really like food like that.

Place	Price of Meal	Type of Food	Feeling Afterward	How long contentment Lasted
Rice Time	Free	Chinese	Immediately a little dizzy and nauseous	About two hours.

Notice that this meal was free. I think I might do a post later about what to do if a guy buys you dinner when you gave him money to pick it up for you. That was a bit of a pickle, let me tell you.

Coffee:

I admit, I had coffee from the shop last Wednesday because my sleep schedule was all screwed up and I had class from 12-5, but around 2pm I started to nod off. 

Lunch and Dinner:

Dinner has not been too hard, surprisingly. Last week I only cooked twice, but there was enough food left over for about three days of lunch and dinner. So, going off of that rubric, I have come up with an altered meal plan from the one I had before which turned out to be too much food. This is what January looks like. I normally would be cooking on a Tuesday or Thursday, since those are right in the middle of the week and I have a 3 hour block of free time from 2-5 in the afternoon. I still plan on using the groceries that I got before, but I shifted things around so that the more perishable items would be used up first. I'm not sure how well that will work out, but man, it seems a lot less daunting than having to come home and cook every night after rehearsal, around 10:30pm.

Week	Tuesday	Thursday
1	oops	oops
2	Baked Cheesy Pasta	Pasta and Zucchini
3	Chicken Pasta	Garden Chowder
4	Veggie Sandwiches	Vietnam Fried Rice

Lunches have mainly been snacks I eat throughout the day and I go home and have leftovers from the night before.

I already posted my grocery shopping, which I contributed $50 to. We haven't gone back to the store at all, and its almost the end of the month, so that makes me really happy!

Tonight's Dinner!

This is a recipe I think I got from Real Simple. Of course, I think that their's is much prettier.

I did run into some trouble. I didn't have frozen broccoli and I wasn't sure if glass pans could be broiled so I had to call my mom twice to answer those questions.

My smoke detector also went off twice.

I made a huge mess and I only had whipped butter, not regular butter, so the first part of the recipe required some experimentation on my part!

I think it's pretty good though!

Follow the Leader

I plan on following the lead from Real Food For Less Money, who is making a lot of changes in her diet and her family's health is definitely improving. She has invited people to follow her in her challenge to see what improvements they can make in their own lives. I will be following her posts and people she recommends to enhance my own food challenge.

Gathering Recipes and putting off making meal plans

I spent a couple of hours the other day gather recipes from allrecipe.com and from different Menu Plan Mondays, which are prompted by I am an organizing junkie.

I have been using Office Onenote, which is a great note taking program from Microsoft. I put the different meal times, like breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Then I have different catergories such as toast, eggs, meatloaf, casserole, etc. and I just copy and paste the different recipes into the different sections and it copies the url directly beneath the recipe so I can refer back to the website if I need to. I wish I could show you a picture, but I don't know how to take one. :)

I am a little scared about actually testing the recipes, but people seem to like them, so they shouldn't be too bad, right? I also wonder if my roommate and my boyfriend are going to like my cooking, ha ha. :)

Grocery Shopping!

My roommate has hopped on board with the challenge!

We were out of groceries, so we went shopping today.
Together we chose healthy things that were the generic brands.
Our budgets were: $25 for me, $20 for her.

My purchases:
$1.96 2 boxes of saltines (Alysse has been nauseous lately because of the flu)
$1.98 Totillas
$1.27 Navel oranges, 4
$2.78 Eggnog (a splurge, but there you go)
$1.33 Cottage cheese
$2.51 Moroccan Mint Tea
$0.98 Dozen eggs
$1.83 Chocolate syrup (oops... how did that get in there?)
$0.83 Long grain brown rice, 1.65 lb
$1.07 Dried banana chips, 0.71 lb
$1.14 Pinto beans, 1.50 lb
$1.05 Dried Mango slices, 0.42 lb

Her purchases:
$1.57 dry cereal, .90 lb
$3.96 tangerines, 2 bags
$2.46 applesauce
$0.92 Wheat bread
$1.63 Milk, half gallon (because we have a four day weekend this next week)
$2.80 String cheese
$0.98 Dozen eggs
$1.58 Plain bagels

We both came in under budget!
Me: $18.73 Her: $16.51