Chrissa

Log File 08.14.13, Day 17 02:36 Woke up feeling rested so got out of bed. 02:40 Listened to Dharma talk for 10 min, then meditated another 10 min. 03:22 Took supplements w/ sip of almond milk. 03:34 Cup of green tea. 05:10 Breakfast: Paleo-style French toast w/ 1 cup fresh mixed berries, 3 macadamia nuts and drizzled with coconut milk. Decaf, black. 06:12 Cup of unsweetened almond milk. 06:38 1/3 cup of flavored black coffee(I found it unappealing so I tossed it.) 08:41 teaspoon coconut butter, got hungry while cleaning. 09:19 Snack: Tin of sardines with mustard and veggie sticks with tahini. 12:23 cup of white/green tea blend. 12:56 Lunch: Leftover cauliflower tabbouleh with curried beef. 15:15 Cup of coffee with coconut milk and a handful of pork rinds. 17:17 Dinner: Baked chicken with Frank’s and kale sautéed in coconut oil with garlic, shallots and carrot ribbons. Decaf, black. Piece of dark chocolate for dessert. Further notes: I did my full house cleaning this morning and I had the munchies quite a bit today but I resisted for the most part. It was really nice and sunny today so I got myself out of the house even though I had so much I wanted to do. Walking downtown felt really good and I didn’t regret skipping out on a few things to enjoy it. I haven’t been out and about as much as I usually am and tomorrow I’m going to get around to the rest after I go for a paper run. I miss doing that with these early shifts I have right now but I will be seeing more shifts that start later in the day that will allow me to start doing it again. No word on my applications yet but it’s too soon. I’m considering going to see a job counselor soon to look at what other options I have. Too exhausted to do anything else tonight so I'm going to hit the sheets a bit early.

Challenge Accepted.

Log File 08.13.13, Day 16 04:21 Woke up for the third time and got out of bed 04:28 Took supplements with mouthful almond milk 04:30 Breakfast: Chia protein pudding with pumpkin puree and 5 pecan halves. Decaf, black. 04:50 Coffee, black. 09:30 Snack: granny smith apple with a few pieces of beef jerky. Added a handful of berries and a few walnut pieces because I was still hungry. 10:47 Decaf, black. 13:01 Lunch: 12 Shrimp with mixed veggies cooked in coconut oil with pine nuts and some cider vinegar. 14:22 Took 90 minute nap. 16:35 Made a cup of herbal David’s Tea and picked at the fruit pieces in it. (dates, dried berries) 1 tsp coconut butter. 17:30 Dinner: Leftover roast beef with homemade bbq sauce, roasted zucchini bits and a side of spinach salad with MCT oil and balsamic vinegar. 19:03 Dumbbell Division Session D workout with burpee finisher (37 in 4 minutes!) Further notes: Starting about 1am I woke up about every hour and had to get up out of bed to check the time because we don’t keep a clock in the bedroom. Not the greatest night’s sleep. This morning I felt pretty sluggish but was able to avoid munching on anything until snack time. After I had my apple and jerky I felt like I needed a little more and grabbed some berries and a few walnut pieces while I was making salads. We caught up on work really early so I took the opportunity to go home early and have lunch with Hex while I worked on my resume and job applications. After I sent them out I decided to get some more rest and take a power nap. When I got up I had the munchies but felt much better and finished the day strong.

Congrats Mouse, you are so owning this! Your energy is infectious, I got pumped just reading your post. You are totally going to put your family in shock and awe. Keep it up!

Log File 08.12.13, Day 15 03:16 Woke up. 03:29 Took supplements with a scoop of midori greens mixed into a cup of almond milk. 04:34 Breakfast: 2 eggs scrambled with coconut milk and baked with prosciutto, broccoli and a tomato slice with 6 kalamata olives and salsa verde. Decaf, black. 06:15 A few sips of coffee at work and then tossed it because it was weak and unappealing. 09:30 Snack: 1 banana with 10 macadamia nuts and a piece of roast beef off my lunch salad. 12:30 Lunch: Roast beef on spinach salad with oil and vinegar. 13:42 cup of REAL coffee and 1 Tbsp coconut butter. 17:16 Dinner: Baked chicken breast drizzled with tahini with cauliflower tabbouleh. Decaf, black. Piece of paleo coconut fudge in honor of Hex’s birthday. Further notes: Today I managed to stay in control for the most part. I only nibbled on veggies twice. Once when I finished lunch and felt I needed a bit more so I grabbed a few but stopped as soon as lunch time was over. The second time I was prepping veggies for meals and nibbled on the ends. On my non-meal breaks at work I texted and phoned Hex (my husband) and we talked about the birthday presents I left him before going to work this morning. Tonight we’re going to see Elysium since it’s his day, it was rec activity day anyways so no missed planned workout. Thanks to you all I got this crazy momentum going and I hope to keep it right to the end. When I do something, I tend to go all-in and I feel really good about things this time around. Sorry I didn't jump on the bridges this week, I feel sorry for myself for missing out but life is getting in my way again. My job is just casual and after next week I won't be getting full-time hours. I got 3 good prospects to get me away from food service so I'll be updating my resume and applying this week. Wish me luck!

End of Week 2 Evaluation Weight: 148.5 lbs Neck: 13.5 in Waist: 33.5 in Hips: 38.75 in Goal 1: Eat 100% Paleo Subject in almost full compliance with the dietary restrictions as per detoxification protocols. Menu adaptation is going well and providing a great distraction at work during breaks. There is still some snacking but it's less often and she is starting to pay more attention to noting the feelings she has during each incident. The only other concern is her consumption of decaf coffee as a comfort beverage. Recommendations: Remember that the liver needs rest between meals and try not to take in any calories at those times. Acquire more palatable herbal teas to drink in place of decaf or brew some unsweetened iced tea and keep in the fridge. Plan out how to use break times more effectively and reduce boredom. Goal 2: Do strength training 3 times per week. Subject attended all three training sessions this week with her partner. She continued doing reverse pull ups in lieu of pull ups. She also kept up with the rest of the regimen getting in a tabata session when hapkido was cancelled and a bicycle ride with partner for recreation. She managed to do the finishing move for all 3 sessions this time but missed a cool down during one session. Recommendations for improvement: Continue at same weight for push press until form is better. Stretch more with partner and use him to practice hapkido techniques on rest days. Use recreational day to try more new things. Goal 3: Keep a log. Subject successfully logged her progress again this week. The highlighting helps make the meals stand out much better and nothing has been omitted. Logs are managed better now using a word document over the course of the day so the post becomes a simple cut and paste saving time at night. Picture problem has not been resolved. Meal pictures have been requested.Recommendations: Look for solution to upload issue. Get around to using that empty blog for meal pictures and recipes when time permits. Life Quest: Replace retail therapy with recreation: Subject noticed more spending on days off work when taking cards for grocery and gift shopping. She spent an excessive amount of time online looking at Keurig coffees and considered making an order several times but resisted. Coffee is running low and worth getting but there is a huge waste of time over this it seems. She also has been browsing ebay for things she would like to reward herself with for success. After finishing sewing project she picked up crochet project. Reading her book has been put aside because of end of chapter exercise she has been procrastinating to do. Recommendations: Buy the coffee and get it over with. Set timer to allow for only 1 hour of browsing online goods per day. Do the book exercise and get it over with. Overall evaluation: Week 2

Log File 08.11.13, Day 14 04:35 Woke up. 04:42 Took supplements with mouthful almond milk. Breakfast: Chocolate chia protein pudding with goji berries and coconut shavings. Coffee, black. 09:30 Snack: 3 small pieces of beef jerky with a baggie full of raw veggies, 1 Tablespoon slivered almonds and 1 Tbsp sliced black olives. Mustard. 10:55 Nibbled on a very small piece of grilled pork chop a few veggies and a handful of blackberries. I noticed I was bored on this break and resolved to bring my kindle or crochet tomorrow to distract me more. 12:55 Lunch: Leftover burger with ½ avocado and homemade bbq sauce over green salad with a few slices of pickled beets. 14:16 cup of decaf with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. 15:13 3 macadamia nuts. 17:35 Dinner: Roast beef with horseradish and dijon mustard with a side of zucchini noodles in tomato pesto sauce. White tea. 18:35 Dumbbell Division Rank 1 Session B with partner including finishing move, albeit rushed to finish in time for True Blood. Further notes: The smoothie mix I used for the chia pudding because my protein hasn’t come in the mail yet made it more like a mousse which was nice but it didn’t sit well on my stomach this morning. I found myself nibbling on veggies here and there later this morning, Sundays are kinda slower days and we get longer and more frequent breaks when that happens. I was doing well until I ran out of stuff to do. It was overcast today and a little chilly outside where I like to go during my breaks. I realize now I could have done some stretching and such but I am holding myself back from it because I’d be embarrassed to do it while everyone else is sitting there smoking and browsing their smart phones or chatting with one another. I need to either woman-up and do it anyways like a true rebel or find something else to occupy me. I could talk to the others a little more, but to be honest I don’t usually find the conversations very interesting. I gave my workout session my all tonight trying to get done in time and I feel I shorted myself on my planks and finishing burpees. I could have pushed harder but I was distracted. I hate Sundays. I’ll post end of week report sometime tomorrow, it’s Hex’s birthday and I still have to work so going to be a busy day. Welcome to the thread Cheechoe! Thanks for stopping by, I've seen you around the monastery too. I really liked you theme when I saw it at the beginning of the challenge. I wish I was able to follow everyone more, but life has this habit of getting in the way. And all that cooking I do. So you wanna see some food porn? I actually used to take pictures of every meal as my log and even posted an album on FB but I haven't done that during this challenge. I'll see what I can do for you. I may even put up a few recipes online. Too bad I don't have computer access while on break at work. That would be a great distraction for me. Thanks Kishi, your encouragement really helps when I check my e-mail on breaks. Couldn't do it without you. JediJem, you are the amazing one, I haven't been posting much but I am following and you are tearing things up! I have a long way to go to get near your level but I'll get there. Believe it! Anyways off to bed, I got an early day ahead.

Log File 08.10.13, Day 13 03:47 Woke up from odd dream of shopping for clothes. 03:57 Supplements with ½ cup almond milk. 04:04 Breakfast:3 egg frittata with green onion, grape tomatoes, zucchini and nutritional yeast. Decaf, black. 04:36 Coffee, black with a teaspoon of coconut butter. 08:00 Decaf black tea. 09:32 Snack: small granny smith apple with ½ avocado and 10 almonds. Herbal tea. 10:30 a tiny slice of a Splumbo’s sausage (just because I never had and they’re famous from Calgary.) 13:05 Lunch: Leftover salmon with okra and veggie mix in lemon juice and coconut oil. ½ cup green tea. 14:29 Decaf, black. 17:30 Dinner: Grass-fed Beef burger on mixed green salad with lime onion vinaigrette, mustard, 2 baby dills and 6 olives. Piece of organic dark chocolate for dessert. Herbal tea. Further Notes: First coffee break was productive this morning, I negotiated $110 off my Sirius subscription for the year but I’m even happier about being completely in control of my eating today. I barely snacked between meals at all and my mind was clear and focused. When I got home I still had a bit of an energy crash though, I wanted to go out for a bike ride or walk but my body said no. It’s okay because it’s our rest day and I really feel last night’s workout still. I was a little heavy on the decaf coffee today, I am going to have to watch myself there. Going to take it easy tonight and wind down so I can be fresh at it again tomorrow.

Going to hapkido is ALWAYS a great idea, I've never regretted it. Now I need to start recruiting some of my classmates!

Sounds like an awesome weekend, wish I could do that right now but we both work weekends and can't afford anymore time off. Have fun!

Log File 08.09.13, Day 12 04:15 got up and took supplements with a gulp of almond milk 04:35 Breakfast: 3 eggs omelet with spinach, tomato slices and ½ avocado and salsa. White tea. 05:30 Large black McCafe Americano bought on way to work. 07:10 taste of chicken breast and nibbled on cabbage while shredding it. 3 olives. 09:34 Snack: Handful of sliced turkey sausage, 2 boiled egg whites and veggies dipped in tahini and Frank’s. 10:00 Piece of pork roast and continued to nibble on veggies and a few more olives. 13:13 Cup of decaf with coconut milk and 4 macadamia nuts. 14:24 1 pepperoni stick. 15:25 cup of decaf green tea. 17:47 Dinner: Swiss chard, onion and zucchini sautéed with pepper bacon and olive tapenade. 3 baby dill pickles. Perrier “mojito†style. 19:10 Dumbbell Division Rank 1 session A with Stairs in lieu of shuttle runs as finishing move. Further Notes: Major munchies today, breakfast was filling and I was ok for the first few hours so maybe it was the Americano? It didn’t taste sweet to me or anything. I decided to skip the lunch I took to work today because of the munching but when I got home I was getting hungry. After my decaf with coconut milk and a few nuts I ended up going for a walk downtown to buy chia seeds and some meat and ended up eating a pepperoni stick on my way back. I guess I shouldn’t have skipped lunch completely. Worked hard on the strength session but realized after shower that we forgot to do cool down.

Stretching is very important, a lot of people neglect it. I used to be bad for skipping the warm-up and cool down. Since I started doing it I've noticed less pain afterwards for sure.

Log File 08.08.13, Day 11 04:24 got up and meditated for 15 minutes. 04:52 Took supplements with a sip of coconut milk. Oolong tea. 05:40 Breakfast: Chia pudding (no protein, I was out) with ½ cup mixed berries. Decaf, black. 06:35 ½ cup regular coffee. It was cold this morning but I dumped the rest because it made my tongue numb) 07:00 Green tea. 09:00 Snack: 5 macadamia nuts, a granny smith apple, 2 pieces of carrot and some leftover turkey breast. Taste of coconut butter. 12:32 Lunch: Salmon pan fried in coconut oil with a green salad dressed with garlic onion vinaigrette and a little Dijon mustard. 13:08 Cup of decaf with spiced coconut milk. 15:39 Piece of turkey sausage and 3 olives. Can of Perrier. 17:14 Dinner: ½ rack bbq beef ribs with baby bok choi and a few eggplant fries. 2 dried apricots and a piece of dark chocolate. 17:50 While prepping tomorrow’s lunch was snacking on veggies, coconut and goji berries. Decaf green tea. 19:30 HIIT workout in lieu of sprints. Further Notes: Hapkido cancelled due to lack of teacher so for sprint day I guided Hex through an intense Tabata workout that left us both sweaty and out of breath. He is learning that his back and lower body needs some work. Got out for a little walking and biking today but not as much as I usually would do. Had serious cravings for some steak or jerky this afternoon. I think it's because I was out of protein powder and eggs this morning so breakfast wasn't as satisfying. Luckily I met up with my farmer today and got 2 dozen fresh eggs. That should be enough for the week anyways. I also felt less focused today, I got my shopping done and a few things at home but I don't feel like I accomplished much. The workout was way more satisfying. Back to work tomorrow morning so I'll be heading to bed shortly. Feeling pretty good about this week, we'll see how work goes over the weekend. I hope to finish strong.

I try to avoid fruit at night because the sugar will keep me up. The eggs are a good idea for sure or you can make kale chips or cauliflower popcorn. The grain-less habit is a great one to have. It always helps keep my weight down. Keep it up you're doing good.

Log File 08.07.13, Day 10 05:06 Got up and meditated for 15 minutes. 05:26 Took supplements with a sip of almond milk. 05:30 Breakfast: chia protein pudding flavored with organic baby food, cacao nibs and coconut shavings. Black tea. 06:42 Drank cup of 1/3 regular coffee with the rest decaf, black. 09:35 Snack: 3 each of asparagus, celery stalks and grape tomatoes with 1/2 avocado mashed into salsa verde and gluten-free turkey sausage. White tea. 13:44 Lunch: A small bowl of broccoli steamed with bone broth with a tin of sardines and 3 macadamia nuts. Decaf, black. 17:12 Dinner: Pork loin chop fried in palm oil with leftover squash and re-steeped the white tea bag. 18:43 Decaf latte made with almond milk. Further Notes: On days off now so I got to sleep in a little and felt like meditating this morning. It's also our rest day so no workout but I spent the morning cleaning the house and doing laundry. I also finished my sewing project. A rather restful, yet productive day all-in-all.

Yep, don't stress too much over eating something occasionally that doesn't make the paleo cut. Honestly, there are so many versions of paleo out there now that it's hard to navigate around what is and isn't. If you're doing your very best to stick to the good stuff, the occasional bad stuff won't derail you. It's a constant learning experience. I can't wait til the end of week 3 so I can try re-introducing dairy to see what effects it has on me. I love being my own walking science experiment.

Easy way to meet those calories would be snack on some nuts, macadamias are my favorite. It doesn't take much because they are so calorie dense and so delicious! We did a moving plank exercise once and all the guys were complaining days later of still being sore. I loved it and wish we'd do it again but the black belt who gave us that one is in China now. I've tried to remember her whole workout for it but forgot most of it. She learned it from a Brazilian martial artist she met overseas.

Sounds like you are making an awesome comeback, Mouse. Keep it up, I really admire how well you are handling everything. Way better than I did last challenge. I envy you being able to go keto and fix hormone balances. I'm struggling so hard to fix my leptin, I might have to steal a few pages from your book!

The one thing I'm most proud of is being able to cook like I do. Do I have kitchen fails? All the time but more often than not our meals are amazing. The only downside is I geek out too much over new recipes and tend to spend way too much time planning meals and preparing them. I plan on reading The 4-Hour Chef after my current book to help with that. As for the logs, I use my own version of Zuel's format adapted a bit to my theme. Much better than using MFP like I did last challenge. I'm sure it will continue to evolve just as I am evolving and adapting. Since I've started eating it about a year ago I found I really enjoy munching on it raw, although my favorite is still wrapped in prosciutto and grilled. It definitely appeals to me more than plain old celery sticks. At our butcher shop they have some stuff marked gluten free as well, the chorizo isn't marked so it likely has a little. I am sticking only to the good stuff now. I'll have to make my own spice mix for chorizo I guess. Luckily some of the big coils here are good to go! Duly noted and corrected! Log File 08.06.13, Day 9 03:40 Got out of bed after a poor night's sleep. Kept waking up. 03:50 Took supplements with a sip of coconut milk. 03:57 Breakfast: 2 eggs florentine style with 1/2 tsp coconut butter, 1/2 avocado and salsa with a cup of mate tea. 04:39 herbal tea with a splash of almond milk and a few cacao nibs. 07:00 decaf, black. minimal veggie nibbles. 07:45 small piece of pineapple and 3 blackberries. 09:30 Tasted salsa I made. Snack: one granny smith apple with 2 slices of prosciutto, a boiled egg (just the white) and 2 sheets of nori. 11:30 decaf, black. Small piece of nectarine and a few more berries. 13:00 Lunch: Baked turkey breast on shredded cabbage salad with tahini. Noticed a mild headache this afternoon and started to crave more but avoided all the junk. 15:45 decaf, black with a tsp of coconut butter. 17:22 Dinner: Moose burger in a stack with eggplant and tomato slices with homemade pesto and a can of Perrier. Chocolate paleo mug cake as a treat for dessert. 19:00 Dumbbell Division workout with partner. For finishing move ran stairs instead of shuttle runs. Further notes: Was really tired after work and had to go for a dental cleaning so I didn't get a nap. I could have fallen asleep in the dental chair a few times. Headache from the afternoon persisted but I decided to suck it up and take a Tylenol before making dinner. It faded and I was able to muster up the energy for our workout. The paleo treat I made as dessert was actually a let down and I would have been happier without it. It looks like I drank a lot of decaf today. The Nabob stuff I bought kinda sucks though and is very watery, I can't seem to get a decent brew from it so after my appointment I went out and bought me some Starbucks for the Keurig. Going to toss the Nabob when I clean tomorrow. I am also having trouble uploading images right now for some reason. When I go into My Gallery and Upload I can choose file but there's no next button. Any ideas?

I have a recipe for paleo tortillas made with tapioca starch but I find even that is still too many carbs. It does sound delicious though, one thing I do miss is the cheese. Thankfully I can re-introduce a little dairy after week 3. It's a treat worth looking forward to. We do divebombers sometimes too, I'm not very good at them yet but they really are a great workout.

What's BCAA? Sounds interesting. I can't get my hands on the grass-fed butter here let alone yak butter, but given the first opportunity to try it I certainly will! I would love to visit Tibet...

You make me jealous of your speed increases. I see a possible side quest coming on to get back to doing some drills. I've let my at home practice fall by the wayside yet again. Damn you for making me want to get back to it when I have so much on the go already. I love it! It may be time to fix my priorities when it comes to time management.

I second this. I wanna see VIDS!

What is this egg a la Motuleño, and how do I make it? Great job with the distraction technique, to be expected of a black belt like you. I find reading the forums helps me a lot too when I need a boost. Glad to be here and a part of this community.

Log File 08.05.13, Day 8 04:49 Woke up late. 04:50 Took supplements with mouthful of almond milk. Breakfast: Chia protein pudding with organic baby food, coconut shavings and a cup of coffee, black. 09:33 Snack: 7 thin spears of asparagus dipped in mustard and horseradish with 10 almonds and a chai tea latte made with coconut milk. 11:30 Ate 3 strawberries, a few sliced black olives and some lettuce. 12:57 Lunch: Moose burger on top of arugula with veggies, 2 baby dills, mustard and homemade mayo. 14:00 Went for a 30 minute bike ride with Hex and spend additional quality time afterwards. 16:30 2 cups of decaf, black and nibbled while doing meal prep. 17:10 Dinner: 1 link of Chorizo sausage (may have contained gluten but was last of it and it's good quality from local butcher) with mashed butternut squash and a few salad greens dressed with garlic lime vinaigrette. Had a scant handful of coconut shavings and herbal tea for dessert. Further notes: Whew, what a day! Woke up late so I didn't get to post evaluation this morning. I pretty much ate and got out the door. I feel I did really well today. My meals all kept me full longer and I barely munched at all. I did notice something wonderful however, a few small victories over my cravings. I made a nut and cheese spread with cream cheese and was not tempted even to taste while mixing it with my hands. I also was able to look at the desserts more than once today and not feel any sugar cravings at all. Evil zombie bacon was avoided completely, it's as ugly as the sausage to me now. I also noticed my skin improving, I have less breakouts and I haven't had the low energy that's been bugging me in the afternoon. This is very encouraging!