Continuing My Transformation

To say this last month has been challenging would be an understatement. I have put so much energy into making sure I succeed that I've become pretty worn out. I decided that to insure success after this month is off, I needed to implenent new eating standards. Thus, I have been incorporating whole grains back into my diet the last week or so. Still straying away from all those delicious, fat-filled, deep fried, over-processed, will-survive-the-apocolyps treats, I have managed to remain with veggies and lean proteins taking up the majority of my plate, and adding a little bit of carbs in there on the side. For instance, the other morning I had two pieces of smaller-slice whole grain bread with my scrambled eggs. It was soo good! The best part: I actually felt like I was having a balanced meal.

Don't let me get you wrong, there have been slip ups.

We made tacos the other night, and I had a taco salad like a good little girl. ;) The next couple days however, the extra flour tortillas sat in the fridge, taunting me with all the deliciousness they could muster. So, I caved. I made a breakfast burrito with eggs, s&p and a little cheese. Tossed some sour cream and a little ketchup (was out of salsa) on that too! It was so bad in the best way. I quickly regretted it though. In all honesty, I think my body has gotten so used to the lack of processed white startches that it actually doesn't like them anymore. I had a stomach ache for about a half an hour after that.

In a way, I do feel like I failed the challenge. I know I was supposed to go a whole 30 days with out touching a single bread particle, but I had the feeling that if I didn't sooth the cravings soon, I was going to dive head first into the first box of french fries thrown in my direction. The best part is, I've only had a few bits of carbs lately. No, I haven't been including them in every meal, and indeed I am MUCH more aware of what I choose to put in my body. In fact, my willpower has strenghtened so much, I was able to avoid the chocolate glazed donuts Boone ate in the car on the way to work. *High-Five!*

<3<3<3

Apples and Peanut Butter...

...Are delicious.

I realize it's been a few days (5 to be exact) but I've been steadily continuing my challenge. And guess what!? I haven't faltered!

I've found a few things that I find absolutely delicious, such as: apples and Adam's peanut butter, SteamFresh mixed vegetables of all sorts, taco salads and more. That's pretty much what I've been sticking to as of late. Last night I made everyone tacos. I avoided the Spanish rice and tortillas, and instead enjoyed my fixings on top of a big bowl of romaine lettuce. So good! Instead of beef, I used ground chicken, plus I had some freshly sliced avocado, a bit of refried  beans, some cheese, corn, salsa, and sour cream. I want some more!.

Only 13 days left! 

I've found that it is much easier to turn down carbs/crap food now. Yesterday my roommate and his girlfriend made cookies! I wasn't even tempted to eat them. Also, I'm sitting next to two large bowls of popcorn, and I had no problem turning they down. I have to admit, however, that I am ready to restricted my diet. I've learned how to turn down food and disassociate it with depriving myself or feeling bummed about it. Now, I believe I can do the same thing at my own discretion. But, there's no use in quitting early. I will stick it out for 13 more days! Then the first thing I'm having is toast! Woo!

Back on the Wagon as They Say

After my minor mishap yesterday, I started today with a vengeance. 

For breakfast I had some eggs and my last chicken apple sausage. Delicious as usual. Then for lunch I had a SteamFresh bag of veggies and a banana which was also delicious! For dinner we didn't really have a plan so we baked some chicken breast and had some soup. Easy enough and for the last time, delicious.

And the best part is, I wasn't tempted at all today to eat carbs. It's like I got my "fix" or something. 

I think the one MAJOR improvement I am going to make when all is said and done is, I'm really going to make sure my breakfast is actually somewhat balanced. Before I would make toast and run out of the house, or a bagel, or english muffin, whatever. Now I've really come to realize that I need to have some protein and calcium as well as fiber in my diet. Shouldn't be too hard to do. I think I'm finally over being disgusted by eggs! Huzzahhh

So, anyone out there have some delicious recipes I can eat? I've come to realize, my ultimate success in this challenge is to have a plan in way before I attempt anything. 

By the way, I really appreciate the support I've received during this time. It makes it so much easier. I find that the more people I tell about my challenge, the more accountable I have to be, and the more people I can let down and subsequently be embarrassed by.

Anyway, that's all for tonight. Need to catch up on some sleep!

xoxo

Someone Fell Off the Wagon.

I had a great breakfast and lunch today! Made some tasty eggs for breakfast, and had a Chicken Chipotle Bistro Box from Starbucks. I tossed the tortillas out so that was cool.

This evening, however, we had a very special friend come to visit us and he wanted to treat us to dinner. I figured since it was an extra special occasion, I deserved a "vacation meal". I was so impressed with myself this evening, let me tell you!

I ordered two chicken enchiladas which came with rice and beans. I only ate half of each enchilada and I left most of the tortilla it came wrapped in. I had a few bites of rice and ate my beans. It was sooo good, but what tasted even more delicious was the fact that I didn't feel overly tempted to devour everything on my plate. I really feel like I've made a life-style change here, not a temporary fix. So so so proud.

Cat! You'll have to let me know if I'm still allowed to pick your April challenge. I haven't decided what it'll be, but we'll see how you feel.

Funny thing is... I knew if at any point I were to cave during this challenge, it would be over Mexican food. LOL

Fumbles Aren't Only for the NFL...

It's been a few days since my last post, sorry! In my defense, I've been really busy, catching up with an old friend and other crap to.

Saturday I went out to dinner with my friend Michelle at a divey Mexican restaurant. The margaritas were delicious and so was my taco salad. I had been doing great all week; avoiding the mac&cheese I had to make for the kids I nanny, the BurgerKing drive-thru and more. So it wasn't hard to turn down tortilla chips and dip at El Chupacabra. I just wish I would have read my menu a little more closely. The veggies in my salad were fresh and delicious, I even broke and got rid of my flour tortilla shell, but next thing I know I dug into some delicious beans that were mixed with rice. I took a great big bite and immediately felt the failure seep on through. At that point I stopped eating the salad and focused on my drinks! I didn't fell too bad since it was just a bite- and a total accident at that, but for a minute, just a minute, I felt like I could just toss the whole challenge and get back on the carbo-overloading. Thankfully, I didn't, and the next day I was proud of myself for not giving up. 

The next morning I went to breakfast with Michelle at Red Twig Bakery and Cafe. Let me just say, this place is right up my ally, I just wish it wasn't in Edmonds! They have a great breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, plus delicious homemade treats, and they even do latte art! I ordered the ham and cheese scrambled eggs, hold the toast. I thought "wow good recovery Rose, way to deny that toast". Then my plate came out with the best looking roasted red potatoes on it. Yet for some reason, I was able to look at those potatoes and not feel sad or disappointed that I couldn't eat them. Yet again, SUCCESS!

I've been staying up to late recently, so I've been pretty tired. Thus, I can't quite recall what else I had to eat over the weekend, but I know I was on my best behavior. Only 20 days left in this month and I'm just ready to be done. I'm bored with my food choices lately but I shall prevail!

"Early to Bed, Early to Rise...

Makes a Girl Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise."


Yesterday was quite a long day and I didn't quite have the energy to post. But, for good reason! My friend Cat bragged to me that she was hitting the gym early in the morning before work. I figured, if this woman who has four kids at home AND a full time job, can find time to get to the gym before her motherly duties kicked in I should have no problem with it either.


So, I did. I had my gym clothes all prepared for the morning, and my outfit for the following day packed as well. I woke up before the sun at 5:15AM (the earliest I've been up since I don't know how long) and made my way to the car. I should have had something to eat, but I need to retrain my body to be physically able to eat in the morning. I stayed for a bit over an hour, hit the weights and all that jazz, and felt amazing. I truly believe early morning work outs are for me! I stopped at Starbucks on the way to work, grabbed a coffee and a banana, and started my day! 


I packed some eggs and a chicken and apple Aidell's sausage for breakfast, which i scrambled up really quick at work for breakfast. I felt great all day long! I only really slowed down at about 2:30 where I really could have used some more food, but I waited until I got home with Boone.


For dinner we made pork chops with cream of mushroom soup, mixed veggies (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots), and Boone had some rice. It was so delicious and satisfying! I was one happy camper last night! With a full belly and a smile, I sat on the couch to watch The Bachelor, and found myself dozing off. At 10:30PM my bed was calling my name, so I succumbed to the exhaustion I was carrying around and hit the sheets. I slept great and woke up at 10AM! So far today has been going swimmingly, I'm a little sore from the gym, but I can handle it! I'll post again tonight! <3<3
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Later that evening... ;)


I got home from running some early morning errands with Boone and made myself some breakfast. Two perfectly fried eggs with two pieces of bacon. Mmm protein! Who can turn down bacon?! I only had a couple more hours before I needed to start dinner (homemade chili) so I did some things around the house, then got to work!


The chili was such a hit, I wish I would have made more for the neighbors! With ingredients like (more) bacon, tons of onion, fresh bell peppers, and good-for-me fiber, it really couldn't have been better. I topped mine with cheese, sour cream, and some diced jalapeno. Great for clogging my carb-less arteries LOL! Overall, a great meal, and I didn't even miss the cornbread (too much) that everyone else was enjoying.


I'm feeling rather successful these last couple days. Bread/pasta/potato cravings and decreased almost completely. I can smell, cook, and look at all of those things without feeling overly tempted. As I write this, Boone is sitting next to me eating powdered mini donuts, and I'm not the slightest bit jealous that I can't have any. If nothing more, I have really gained a sense of awareness about my previous carb-laced diet. I remember saying one time "there is no way I could live with out bread". Now I think of saying that and know it is simply not true! Those foods definitely comforted and entertained me more than they nourished me. 


However, I am still looking forward to ending this challenge in 24 days. Not because I can't handle it, but because I feel like I've learned more about myself in the last week than I ever knew. I'm not really sure what else there is to discover.


Furthermore, I am so grateful to have a February plan in store, so I don't revert back to old ways. Basically, remember there are better things for breakfast than bagels and cream cheese, and that if I am going to keep carbs in my life, they better be whole grain. Otherwise, it's just garbage in my body, and I plan to keep my body of the utmost priority. 


Until next time! 

More Chicken!

I was all out of eggs this morning so I skipped breakfast until I got to work where I had a couple string cheese and some coffee. For lunch I had packed a baked chicken breast and a bunch of baby carrots. The chicken didn't seem very appealing so I just ate the carrots and a few bites of chicken. When I got home it was time to figure out dinner. Boone and I decided to get a whole roasted chicken from the store, some baked beans, and a vegetable medley mix. I know there are carbs in baked beans, but there's also lots of good-for-you fiber, and since they aren't processed, I consider them safe. Dinner was delicious! Oh I forgot to mention, when I got home from work I ate some left over wings from last night. I felt really cranky before I ate them, then after I was a little more level.  

I'm very excited for breakfast tomorrow morning. I got some Aidell's Chicken and Apple sausage tonight too. I plan on cooking one up with some eggs. I'm really happy I got these sausages because they are all natural and don't have any fillers like most meat products do. Can't wait!

I'm planning on making chili from scratch this weekend. Should be pretty good!

Xoxo

Things Are Looking Up!

I accidentally skipped a day! Woops! I was in a food coma hehe. 


1.03.12
I made myself coffee and some eggs again like the day before; with mushroom, peppers, and spinach. It was good but I'm starting to get tired of eggs so I didn't finish it all. One thing I've noticed since eating veggies and having a healthy breakfast every morning is that it sticks with me for quite a long time. Consequently, I was really not hungry again until dinner time. I know it isn't the best to go hours with out eating, but I truly did not have a taste for anything. About five hours after having breakfast I started to feel hungry, so I ate the baby carrots I had packed and felt deliciously satisfied. (I've recently discovered that I can eat carrots all day and night and not be tired of them! Yay!) I wasn't hungry again until it was time to cook dinner. For dinner we had one of my favorite meals: Spaghetti Squash and Red Sauce. It's a super simple meal and no pasta whatsoever! The spaghetti squash is literally a squash- so instead of eating starchy pasta with my sauce, I ate a veggie! I had some meatballs in the freezer and a couple jars of garden veggie sauce in my pantry, so I mixed them all together with some fresh red peppers and garlic and let them simmer while the squash roasted in the oven. It was so good. The best part was that I finally felt satisfied after a meal. Success!


1.04.12
Today started out a little off but ended great. I only had two eggs left so I just scrambled both up and added a little cheese, salt, and pepper, and ate them with some coffee on the side. I ate half of what I made, being that I was very turned off by the eggs. They are starting to gross me out, HA! Thus, I need to find some different breakfast option. Fruit smoothies on the horizon maybe? For lunch I ate a little salad and half of a chicken breast, still not quite hungry from the morning. However, the one thing that kept me focused all day was what I had planned for dinner. Dinner at Wing Dome! I realized I could eat wings- even though they aren't the healthiest, I feel as though I've put in lots of hard work so far and deserved a reward. Even though everyone else ate french fried along side their wings, I held strong and stuck to my wings and celery. I was even offered the tiniest morsel of a fry and I was able to turn it down. A very proud moment of mine! 


Some things I have noticed in the last few days:

• I am CRAVING red meat like I never have before. A big juicy steak sounds delicious!
• My clothes fit a little better! I am noticeably (by me) less bloated than usual. I can get used to this :-)
• I still really want and crave breads. Today I smelled a biscuit just to torture myself, LOL ;-)
• I've had more bursts of energy throughout the day but find myself very tired at night.

This IS getting easier as time goes on, but I still look forward to February's arrival. Later!

I'm Just Hungry.

Ah! Today is rough. I'm so hungry but honestly, fruits and veggies just don't sound satisfying. I had a late breakfast/early lunch today. I had scrambled eggs which consisted of two egg whites, one whole egg, a mushroom, a little red pepper, spinach and a little cheese (my guilty pleasure). They were seriously the most delicious eggs I have ever made for myself. I had a yogurt too. I never really felt satisfied though. I can't stop thinking about wanting toast, or a tortilla, or to devour the left over basmati rice and Indian food in the fridge. Today has been utterly exhausting and I might just call it a night early. I'm just thankful Boone decided to eat his Taco Bell at the restaurant because I am this close to crumbling! 

Just to Clarify...

January's challenge is No Carbs. Each month I will go into detail the terms of the current month's challenge. When I say no carbs, I mean no bread, pasta, or potatoes and potato products. Of course I know carbs are good for you and are essential for energy production. So, I have resolved to eat the fruits and veggies with carbs in them still as well as milk products. 

Today was the first day of the challenge and I found it to be very difficult! I started off strong with two over-easy eggs that my honey cooked for me. But I was so sad when I realized I couldn't have a piece of toast to accompany them. Nonetheless, I held strong and didn't break my oath. A little later, my best friend Taly (get used to that name, you'll read it a lot I'm sure) and I went to Starbuck's for some coffee. I was still hungry from earlier this morning so I grabbed a fruit and yogurt parfait. I had an inner debate with myself, and an outer debate with Taly and Boone (another name you should get used to) as to whether the granola could be considered a "bad" carb. We ultimately decided that the granola was safe to eat because it was a mixture of seeds and grains. However, I regretted it because I rationalized over it for so long. I should have followed my instinct and omitted the granola. This just means there is another rule to abide: follow my instinct. If there is any question, it's probably a no. Dinner was easy peasy though. Taly and I went to a restaurant down the street and I got a chef salad, dressing on the side, and no garlic bread. That was at around 4:00pm and I'm still stuffed. I am celebrating my minor successes and searching for inner strength for tomorrow. I think I see a lot of chicken and eggs in my future....