Day 10: 2/27/13

Today was fairly uneventful but good overall. Worked a bit on getting systems in place as far as workout calendar, daily schedule spreadsheet, and the next 2 weeks of grocery lists and menus. We are going to use the Practical Paleo meal plans for awhile, and see how we like it. Excited to try many new recipes!

Day 9: 2/26/13

Today was good in a few ways. Lexi is still in her lovey needy mood, but that's ok. :-) she played-and I later discovered, napped- in her crib, allowing me to do an hour of yoga. There were some technical difficulties keeping me from Zumba, so we strapped on the ergo and tried to go for a walk. This would have been great had it not been raining. Too cold and wet, so we turned back pretty quickly. Food wise, the remarkable thing was the butternut squash soup I made. Oh my stars. I wanted to eat the whole pot! I leave you with a pic of the bug asleep at play:

Day 8: 2/25/13

Today was supposed to be my first day of working out, but Lexi was having a needy day, so I focused on her. It was really nice being able to enjoy the the results of my cook up and spend minimal time preparing meals. I had a bit of a hard day emotionally, just feeling discouraged and a bit fearful that I'm not going to be able to get into a routine with my sweet, unpredictable cuddlebug of a daughter. I'm just gonna work on that one day at a time. I have short term goals, yes, but this is about the rest of my life! Dinner was awesome-my sweet potato, apple, onion, Brussels sprout, chicken, and bacon skillet. It was pretty popular on Instagram too! :-D

Day 7: 2/24/13

Today Lexi is 7 months old!! It was a nice and productive day here at home. I did my first cook up, preparing mostly or completely 16 of the 21 meals for this week. Lexi seemed to really miss me, so I'm really glad for the extra time it'll give me with her this week. Overall the change has been pretty easy on me so far. There have been moments of craving, but I've managed to keep the big picture in mind! Only 38 days left till I can assess my results!

Day 6: 2/23/13

Today was great! We had lunch at whole foods, and proved it's a perfect eating out option for our new lifestyle! I planned out my first cook up for tomorrow (Sunday) and finished my winter clean out! Who wants to wait for spring? We had Balsamic Chicken for dinner, which was amazing, and I finally got to relax! I have so much energy! Can't wait to feel even better soon!

Interlude: Scott update 1

Scott has told me two different times that for the first time he can remember he is dreaming about food! So far the culprits are pizza and Burger King, two things we ate incredibly rarely even before whole30. Last night he was also dreaming of cake, which is like, birthdays only for us. Haha!

Day 5: 2/22/13

Today I cleaned almost the whole apartment. That doesn't sound like a ton considering it's pretty small, but after a week of being sick and it being a mess before that, it was a ton of work. I also watched Food Inc. I'm not exaggerating when I say that film was life changing. I will never look at food, particularly factory farmed meats, the same way. I'd encourage absolutely everyone to watch it. I was soooo wound up by the end! Food stuff continues to go well. I think a key for me is forward motion. I do best when I have a full but structured schedule. I do need to be drinking more water though.

Day 4: 2/21/13

So today I'm almost better! YAAY! I'm not feeling any withdrawal symptoms, and I think that's a combination of 3 things: I ate pretty clean in the first place (no, really, I have been overall since this time 2012), I started practicing at this paleo thing a few weeks ago, so maybe my body had already started healing(?), and, well, I'm sick, so I haven't really been asking much of my body this week. That last thing is gonna change, though, starting tomorrow, and ramping up from there! Lexi's sleep training was short and sweet, (3 nights with a little fussing at bedtime, then smooth sailing since!) so I'll be sleeping better and have some ME time in the evenings, and hopefully a schedule will begin to form FINALLY!! I've been really following Lexi's lead, and enjoying her baby days, and I have no regrets, but I'm excited for my days to have a bit more to them!
Three things about today:
-- Scott wasn't a huge fan of the flavor combo in the sautéed veggies tonight, and our theory is that it was the zucchini/tomato combo (there were also leeks and mushrooms). So, no tomatoes next time in that mixture.
--I'm in LOVE with my Practical Paleo book and the online resources available at balancedbites.com! I'm so excited to use the recipes and meal plans!
--I have decided this is going to be, at least for me, a Whole45. I found out there's a little added sugar in my bacon, I had a couple (sugar free) cough drops this week, and I just really want to make sure I give this the best shot at real Healing as I can. Not that I plan on venturing too much off the paleo road in the future, but I want to stay strict a bit longer. I decided, rather than starting over-and asking Scott to- I'd just add time to mine and let him decide when to reintroduce for himself. So, April 3 will be the "official" end date for this experiment, and the next time I'll weigh and measure myself!

Day 3: 2/20/13

Today was another sick day, but I think I'm getting better, which is good because I'm restless, Lexi deserves more interactive time, and my living room has very little floor. All I've really been able to do the past 3 days is care for Lexi and cook. The food aspect of things is going great! No real cravings, we are both enjoying everything I'm cooking, and staying full. Scott did mention that he may tire of sweet potatoes long term, but I assured him they will become less ubiquitous when I get a chance to look at my cookbooks. :-)

Day 2: 2/19/13

Being sick is no fun! I'm kinda thankful though, that if I have to be, it's now. I'm less likely to notice carb withdrawals if I'm already weak, right? Anyway, not much to report, other than I'm finding success in feeding Scott to his satisfaction so far, which is a win! Black coffee isn't bad, but I'm going to try almond or coconut milk in it next time.

Day 1: 2/18/13

Starting this while sick with some sort of ick wasn't the plan, but I didn't want to put it off any further, so we started first thing this morning before heading home from Virginia Beach, and today went well for us both! I think as long as Scott gets enough to eat (which isn't an issue on this plan because there's no portion obsessiveness) he won't struggle too much. We had our new Paleo friendly Chipotle order for lunch, and after dinner I cooked up breakfast "cupcakes" for the week! Can't wait to try them!

My (our) first Whole30

Yesterday Scott and I started Whole30, a nutritional jumpstart that you can read about at whole9life.com, and can be summed up as a strict Paleo approach. It sounds extreme, and in some ways it is-no dairy, grains, legumes, added sugar? No peanut butter??? But as I've been gearing up and practicing recipes the past 2 weeks, I've found that really, it's opens up a whole world of new food possibilities and creativity. I love cooking and creating in the kitchen, so this is right up my alley in that area. Scott also got me 3 paleo cookbooks for Valentine's day, so I've got plenty to draw from. If this goes well, which I have a feeling it will from the experimenting I've done so far, I am going to stay Paleo, which means a few rules are relaxed, and I can get even more creative. One thing I love about Whole30 is that they make it clear that the aim isn't to lose weight- it's to be healthier and stronger by eating whole, nutrient dense food sources. Weight loss usually happens, but it's not the focus. That's something I can get behind. I just wanna feel good! So, feel free to ask questions as we go, and I'll be excited to share!