Day 52

I woke up before the alarm this morning for the second day in a row. Yesterday, I thought it was a fluke! But maybe, just maybe, something's going right!

Nov 21, Day 52

(Hubby on Day 3)

 

Sleep

Lights out at 9:50. Woke up before the alarm at 6:45am. Got out of bed at 7:10am.

Total Sleep: 9 h

Food

8:00am breakfast

½ of a two egg frittata with lots and lots of veggies (peppers, zucchini, porcini mushrooms, onion) fried in olive oil and ghee, stuffed with a handful of spinach.

I can’t believe it’s legal to eat this way—never mind healthy!

Fullness after eating: 7.5

Lunch: (no idea when, I was a parent volunteer  taking a few hundred Junior High SchoolGirls to a movie all in French.)

A couple of handfuls of cashews, raisins and one apple.

Supper: 5:00

Porkchops pan fried with onions and apples, mashed Cauliflower, boiled carrots and sweet potatoes, steamed spinach w/ghee.

Fullness after eating: 8.5

Activity:

Before I left for the school, I did a 2 mile walking workout with a Leslie Sansone video. No meditation today.

Mood:

Great! I was content and not at all anxious about the field trip, which surprised me. 

Day 51 Still Truckin'

Nov 20, Day 51

 

Sleep:

In bed, with the lights out at 9:30pm. Up at 7:15.

Total Sleep:  9 ¾ h

Food

Breakfast:  8:00am

½ of a two egg frittata w/leftover shrimp stir fry heated up and mixed in. Slice of butternut squash w/ghee.

 

 

Lunch:

Root Soup with a handful of the most wonderful (compliant) Kielbasa in the world fried up and added to the soup. So Good!

Fullness after eating: 7.5

Snack: 4:30pm Handful of cashews and a mandarin orange

Supper 7:00pm

Cottage Flower Pie (1),  rutabaga, yams and sweet potato, steamed broccoli w/ghee

Fullness after eating: 9

I think I have been making too much food for supper! I think its because I'm worried my husband is really hungry (he did eat alot of this meal!).

Activity

Took a really short and brisk walk down the block and back again. Too cold! (-17 C)

Mood

I’m in good spirits, though I seem to have a short fuse. Oh well.

(1)    http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/12/28/paleo-comfort-food-cottage-flower-pie/

Goals

I've had two reminders to set some goals for myself these past few days.

The first was on Robb Wolf's blog where in a post about losing weight, he talked about having a performance goal. The other was part of my daily message in the 21 Days of Meditation series by Depak Chopra. The centering message was

"Today, I embrace my potential to be, do, and have whatever I can dream."

We were encouraged to picture what it was we wanted in as much detail as we could muster.

I've really had to think about it.

As far as performance goes, I want consistent energy and stamina throughout my day. I don't want to be tired and grumpy after a day of friggin' housework, I want to feel deliciously tired after working my buns off. I want to feel strong and capable.

But I want to feel strong and capable not just physically, but emotionally, too. I want to face whatever comes my way with lightness and humour. That may seem trite, shallow or just lame--but not to someone who has ever had to wrestle with the black dog--or who lives with teenagers--am I right?

Would I like the Universe to bring me lots of money so we could live wherever we'd like in the world? Of course. Would I like the universe to bring me a few more friends? Yes.

But I'd also like the universe to give me something good so I can turn around and share it with everyone. And that has very little to do with the Universe, and everythingto do with me.

Nov 19 Day 50 for me, Day 1 for Hubby

Yes. My husband has agreed to follow the whole 30 with me. I am thrilled.

Nov 19, Day 50

 

Note:  For years I have had a red blotch on my face by my nose under my eye. I wear heavy glasses, so I’ve always thought it was partly related to that (and who knows what else). Today I noticed that the blotch is gone. For the first time in years and years my complexion is completely clear.

Sleep

Late to bed, unfortunately. 11:15, lights out. Up at 7:15 after sleeping through the first snooze (which I enjoy).

Total sleep:  8h

Food

Breakfast: 7:30am

1 egg frittata w/peppers, onion, zucchini and mushroom. Slice of butternut squash w/ghee.

 

Lunch: 1:45pm

Hamburger chili from ISWF served over raw spinach and topped w/ ½ avocado and black olives. So yummy.

Fullness after eating: 8. I actually gave some of what I’d dished out for myself to my husband.

Supper: 7:00 pm

Chicken with zucchini, tomato, onion fried in coconut oil (1), roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli, mashed  cauliflower  (2)

Fullness after eating: 9

Activity

Yay! A Two mile walk with a Leslie Sansone video. Challenging! Then I did a small “Mobility Stretching” routine from  book I have by Joanna Hall. I’ve noticed that the biggest casualty from wrenching my back a week ago has been my flexibility, ergo, the routine. It, too, was nice and challenging. I love to move. I am so grateful to the whole30 for enabling me to lose the poundage so I can!

Mood

Pretty good. Shopping wasn’t too bad and though my husband probably thinks I fussed far too much, I managed to keep him fed on his frst day of the whole30 without too much anxiety.

(1)    http://everydaypaleo.com/2012/09/13/one-pot-chicken-drumsticks-and-a-release-week-recap/

(2)    http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/07/mashed-cauliflower/

Day 49: Grrrr

Nov 18, Day 49

Sleep

Late to bed last night due to a small crises from the twelve year old’s point of view.  Light’s out at 11pm, up at 8:30am. I felt like I got the right amount of sleep.

Total Sleep:  9 ½ h

Food

11:45 am Breakfast

One slice of whole 30 compliant bacon. (not shown) It was awful. ½ of a two egg frittata made with lots of onions, a mushroom and some sliced zucchini. ¼ of an acorn squash w/ghee.

 

3:15 Snack
 Small snack baggie of cashews and raisins. Fighting off cravings for french fries.

6:00pm Supper

Pork chop, butternut squash, steamed broccoli and carrots, Melissa Joulwen’s mashed cauliflower (1)

 

Activity

Lots of errands, today. I really wanted to do a work out, but I’m afraid of working out too much. (Though is a ½ hour walking workout every day “too much?” How can I tell?) I didn’t really have time anyway. I did accompany my husband on a walk with the dog after our late breakfast. No meditation. (I have a hard time getting access to the computer on weekends.)

Mood

I am in a terrible mood. I’m grouchy and talking much more loudly than I need to—and I’m irritated and angry. I have no patience, either. My husband is starting the whole 30 tomorrow and hasn’t read the book yet, (though he keeps saying he will) and I feel  like I will turn into his policewoman. I am currently his only source of knowledge about what he can and cannot have and I really didn’t want this! He eats toast with every meal! He is also on holidays this week (and we’ll be doing our Christmas shopping) and so I’ll be out of my regular routine all week—and shopping, which I hate, too. I feel like I am creating my own stress and anxiety here (and the grumpiness is just how it manifests)—but how do I not?

(1)    http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2012/11/07/mashed-cauliflower/

Nov 17, Day 48

Nov 17, Day 48

I am doing this just before bed, so it will be brief.

Sleep

10:00pm to 9:00am

Total: 11 h

Food

11:00am Breakfast

½ of a2 egg frittata made with mushrooms and onions fried in olive oil. Roasted root veggies.

(no picture)

3:00pm Lunch

Leftover ground beef and roasted root vegetables. Some meat from soup bones. (Tasted awful)

6:30pm Supper

Shrimp stir fried with veggies

Activity

2 mile walking workout and a day spent running errands on public transportation. (Lots more walking than using the car!) oops—no meditation.

Mood

Excellent, though I am going back to see the chiropractor on Monday.

According to Erik Davis....

Over at Skeptic North, Erik Davis has written a humorous article claiming he lost 40 pounds (in six months) doing "everything wrong." In the comments he clarifies:

I looked at the research with a skeptical eye and tried to figure out what the science said. It was surprisingly consistent given all the nonsense out there: calorie deficits are the only driver, macronutrient composition doesn’t matter, satiety management does, supplements are useless, and cognitive reinforcement strategies are really important for long term success. No magic and not really that hard most of the time, if not a ton of fun.

 

According to Davis, then, three things and three things only contribute to weight loss:

1. Creating a calorie deficit.
2. Managing satiety.
3. Using cognitive reinforcement stategies.

I'm not going to argue with any of that. A calorie deficit does matter. How much of one? He calculated 500 calories a day to lose one pound a week. (If he lost 40 pounds in six months, though, he as losing at a faster rate than one pound a week!)

 

I don't believe all calories are equally equal, though.

 

Something I have been meaning to do for some time is calculate how many calories I need to maintain my ideal body weight with a two mile walking workout at least four times a week. Of course, once I got to maintenance, I'd have to eat even less than that to maintain the weight loss at least until my endocrine system caught up with the changes.

 

To manage satiety, he mentions he ate whole foods high in fibre, food which fill you up without contributing a lot of calories: so, whole foods high in fibre, foods that aren't nutritionally dense, (fruits and vegetables) and "regular hits of protein throughout the day."

 

I'm not entirely sure that I need to eat whole grains and legumes for fibre, though. The protein seems to be doing its job.

 

Sounds like a very sensible diet.

 

As for the cognitive management strategies, he found recording all of his food and tracking the calories to be enough. In the comments, he mentions Judith Beck--the very same person whose approach I followed the last time I lost my own forty pounds! (Before this blog.) I need to have my on copy of her book though rather than depending on the library for it!

 

Right now, as I am following the protocol of the whole 30, the pounds are falling off of me. I'm not entirely sure how much I've lost because I'm not supposed to get on the sale, but my yoga pants are loose. Yes. My yoga pants!

 

Nonetheless, I will have to "venture out" into the real world out there and continue losing weight. I am undecided about whether I'll continue eating mostly the whole 30 way or whether I'll reintroduce grains, legumes, and dairy into my daily diet. I'll have to see how I react when it comes time for reintroduction.