Friday, February 20, 2015

30 Day Paleo Challenge. Day 2

Day 2:

I'm tired today. I'm hungry. SO hungry. Haha this goes to show I was eating way more than I should, and my body got used to it...

Breakfast:
Had the usual ;) - 2 eggs scrambled, 2 pieces of bacon, and half of an avocado

Lunch: 
Left over steak and bell peppers from last nights dinner. This seemed to hold me over for a lot longer than the other meals I've been eating

Dinner: 
Cauliflower hashbrowns and two eggs. Basically, grate the cauliflower, and cook in a skillet with the same seasonings and such that you would normally cook your potatoes in the morning. You can tell it's not potatoes, but t was close enough to satisfy that craving right then.

Today, I struggled more. I don't have much energy, and I'm ready to have that back. Couple more days till I get it... hopefully.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

30 Day Paleo Challenge. Day 1

As Cassie gets bigger, I MUST get smaller! ;)
Day 1:
Now - this is HUGE for me. I'm not one to even take 'before' photos, let alone share them with the world. I'm super nervous about posting though - and even more embarrassed than that. I HATE the way that my body looks, especially after the changes that were made during pregnancy. I am now covered in stretch marks that didn't used to be there, and I'm still learning to adjust to them being there. I have extra skin that I didn't have, and love handles that weren't there before either. But, like I said in a previous post, it's all about accountability, right? So, here are my 'Before' photos, and stats that follow as well:
Shirt size: large
Pant size: 30R
Bra size: 36K
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 173 lbs

 

 


Breakfast:
Following along the blog in the previous post - Breakfast was two eggs scrambled, two pieces of turkey bacon, and half of an avocado.

Lunch:
A whole avocado mixed with one 5oz can of tuna. By the time lunch time came, I was STARVING. Hope this goes away

Snack:
I didn't make it to dinner without an apple, and two more scrambled eggs.

Dinner: 
The recipe below - without the brown sugar. I'm not a fan of sweet things in my food, so that had to go.
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/balsamic-glazed-steak-rolls/c723300c-8122-462d-b8ff-2c85ecd7325d/?nicam4=SocialMedia&nichn4=Pinterest&niseg4=Tablespoon&nicreatID4=Post&crlt.pid=camp.AxUc7qiDDaLm

End of Day Review:
I did not exercise today. I have to find special ab exercises to do, since my abs have not reformed yet. I also found myself hungry all day. And I mean ALL day. I think this amount of food may not be enough because of the nursing - so I'll have to adjust for tomorrow.

30 Day Paleo Challenge

30 Day Paleo Challenge. Challenge accepted.
So I was just wandering around Pinterest looking at recipes, and stumbled upon this blog that was posted detailing out a 30 day Paleo challenge. After reading through day 1, I got really excited about the thought of doing this challenge. I'm not huge on milk and that sort of thing - but the reason I can't keep my weight where I want it - potatoes. Carbs.
I don't plan to be living only a paleo lifestyle. I want to give myself the freedom to eat the things I want - I just really need to learn that portion control, and making the protein and veggies more important than the other sides. That's why I am doing this challenge - to kick start some weight loss, restrict myself from all those carbs I love so much, and learn some damn self control!

So here is my story:

In 2013, I was in the best health I have been. I was eating a great diet with Herbalife, going to the gym everyday, and staying active. I was watching the pounds come off - and then I lost my mother. She passed at the age of 47 - extremely unexpectedly - a few short hours after she left the gym, after working out with my me and my sister.
 

My mom was my other half, and after she passed, I didn't have the appetite to eat anything, I didn't have the motivation to get out of bed - let alone go to the gym and worry about my health. I lost all momentum, as well as some extra pounds from starvation.
Three weeks after the loss of my Momma, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. We had been trying for about three months, but obviously that also stopped after I lost my mom. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew it wasn't about me anymore. I had to stop being selfish, allowing myself to wither away with grief, and start eating again - for the baby's sake. I mustered up the strength to start eating, very slowly, and when the morning sickness hit - it took everything I had just to hold down water.
I ended up gaining a total of 25 pounds during my pregnancy (as I don't really count the anorexia weight loss - we all know that jumps back on when you put a single slice of an apple in your mouth) putting me at a whopping 180 pounds. (I know you must be thinking, how could 155 be her healthiest? I'll tell ya, I have a ton of muscle on my body - I was just built dense. That's why I look at the scale, but I don't let that number control me - that's what the mirror is for.). Our sweet little Jacqueline (rightfully named after my Momma) was born in September, just in time for all of the sugary, SO unhealthy for you, holiday food to be devoured. And I did.




 The little love of my life is now 5 months old. Time flies! Even now, I'll find comfort in food or drink to distract my mind from my Mom. But I look in the mirror - and I'm sick of seeing a body I can't appreciate. It's not about seeing a tiny number on the scale, or trying to impress my husband (though that's a plus, right?), it's about looking in the mirror and feeling beautiful. It's about knowing that I am living the healthiest life I can, to stick around for my babies as long as I possibly can.
I don't normally blog - and I don't normally tell people when I'm trying a "diet" - so I'm doing things different this time, and blogging everyday about my challenges, sharing photos of my progress, and letting out frustrations and triumphs I have along the way. Why? Accountability. If I do this every night, I must think back on my day, and hold myself accountable for my diet and exercise.

Ready!? The link below is the blog that walks you through the day-by-day meals and plan. This is what I am going to follow - with my own substitutions. I am nursing my little angel, so I have to be a little selective with what I eat, and I have to eat more calories than the average 'dieter' to ensure I have enough to supply to my mini-me.

http://robinssweetconfessions.com/wp/category/paleo-challenge/