Since my discovery that I can have pineapple, I'm making sure to keep up with my Paleo lifestyle. Pineapple is delicious and I will have it as much as I can. I need to make up for 35 years of not being able to!
March 3 was also my spiritual birthday! Just like my tattoo says, March 3, 1982. I was 4. Best decision, EVER!
(this is freshly done)
Sunday had an epic meal plan for dinner: Bacon-crusted meatloaf; creamy, spicy collards; and pineapple upside down cake. My husband was impressed with my pineapple upside down cake, even though I used the wrong pan. It was an awesome first attempt.
Now! Breakfast Saturday was fun. I wanted to make something tasty that would be filling and feed all three of us...so, I made a fritatta. Usually, I follow strict recipes on making fritattas, but no one seems to ever want to use tomatillos in anything other than puree sauces with avocado (which sounds amazing, don't get me wrong). Here's what I did.
Ingredients
4 tomatillos (sm/med), large dice
3 strips of thick-cut applewood smoked bacon, diced
1/2 onion
2T minced garlic
1/4c coconut milk
6 eggs
bunch cilantro, chopped (optional)
1/4c feta cheese (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400* and make sure you use an oven-safe skillet.
Start by dicing your onion and sauteing it in the oil of your choice (olive or coconut...I used olive oil). This will take approximately 7 minutes; during this time, dice your tomatillos. Once the onions are mostly translucent, toss in your garlic and saute until aromatic (so, about 30 seconds). Add the tomatillos and saute for a few minutes.
In a mixing bowl, combine the diced bacon, coconut milk, and eggs. Whisk to a smooth, satiny texture, then poor the mixture over your veggies. Let the mixture cook on the stove top for about 5 minutes, or until eggs set up. Sprinkle the feta (if using) on top and stick in the oven. After 20 minutes, take the mix out and sprinkle with cilantro. Put it back in for another 5 minutes. Remove from oven, crank to broil, and stick it under the broiler for about 1 minute. Cut into your preferred serving size and enjoy! Use some salsa for a little bit of an added kick.
Please note: cooking times vary and a lot of this is approximation. When I create recipes, I don't tend to measure...just eyeball it. I'm terrible, I know.
I know I did my recap of the program before I posted my food log for yesterday, but hey! I was excited! Today, I'm wearing jeans I've not worn in a long time. They need hemmed.
So, yesterday's food was ... well...
RECAP
Breakfast: 2 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, and 2 slices of back bacon
Lunch: homemade meat sauce (which was like a chili), a banana and coffee...and more coffee.
Snack: 3 or 4T of peanut butter and a banana
Dinner: Pina Colada Chicken with three pina coladas! I'm so excited about being able to eat pineapple!!!
So, that's it, really. I'll get the "after" pictures today and get them posted. I'm sure there's a drastic difference.
My goal is to keep this blog updated, but I have issues with remembering (clearly). If I don't update it again, I will in April!!
Today is Day 30 of my Whole30 challenge. I'll do a recap later for what today's foods were, but for now, I want to share the awesomeness of the success.
When I started, these were my numbers:
Weight: 172.3
Bust: 39"
Waist: 33"
Abdomen: 39"
Hips: 40"
Roughly. There was up to an inch variance depending on time of day and tape measure used...and whether or not I could breathe.
As of this morning, my numbers are:
Weight: 161.4
Bust: 38"
Waist: 31.5"
Abdomen: 36"
Hips: 38"
...and I can breathe when I take the measurements.
Not to mention, I feel amazing. I feel healthier, stronger, clearer. I still have a raging case of ADOS... (Attention Defici---oooh, sparkly!), some anxiety/panic attacks, and seasonal allergies. BUT! I have lost my allergy to pineapple and kept off my allergy to iodine! So, yay!
Ultimately, I'd like to lose another 10lbs or so and see if I can drop those numbers to 38-28-36. My first goal was to get my hips to 38"....SUCCESS! Now, to get the other number for my waist to cooperate... :D
I'll do another Whole30 challenge in April, just to make sure I'm super hero ready come Memorial Day for Gamex.
This is it. These are the final days.
....and I'm sick.... fml.
So, I didn't recap yesterday...and, honestly, I don't remember much of it. I remember I ate eggs for breakfast...I think I skipped second breakfast and eventually had a salad for lunch...then Ken took me to dinner where I had a steak and shrimp, mashed potatoes, ice cream (I KNOW I KNOW!) and a glass or three of red wine. I don't honestly remember much. It was an emotionally and physically exhausting day. I helped my best friend and chiropractor for 6 years, Kara Nania, sell off her equipment and clean her office. There were so many times I wanted to cry...but, I didn't for her sake. I couldn't bear seeing her beautiful face streaked with tears. It's a long story, but suffice it to say she'll be greatly missed.
I skipped the gym today because I feel like crap. I have zippo energy and whatever energy I appear to have is likely from sheer adrenaline. I'm skipping the gym tomorrow because I think it will be about the same.
...but, I'm not skipping today's recap...
RECAP
Breakfast: buffalo chicken salad (this was left overs from a few nights ago...I left it in my boss' fridge from the other day when I only ate half.
Lunch: Southwest chicken salad. Nothing paleo about this, but it was 3pm and I was starving.
Dinner: GF Chicken Noodle Soup to make me feel better.
I also had two bananas and 3 whiskey & sodas because...well... I feel like crap. The whiskey and soda is my form of medicine, seriously. It's making my voice sound less crackly.
I've been knitting tonight. I can't wait to fit into it! It's a backless halter and I hope to make it look amazing. If I finish it before March 10, I'll wear it to the Comedy & Magic Club when we go to see Jay Leno. :D
Today was pretty painful on the muscles. I loved it! I already posted my gym update for the day, so this is really about the food intake.
Doesn't help that I'm coming down with a cold or pollen-related allergies or both. Regardless, I hate not being able to breathe. Especially when breathing becomes integral to working out. Sleep would have been nice, too. I managed to snag about 15 minutes this afternoon. It helped. I blame the drugs.
So, here's my recap of food for the day!
RECAP
Breakfast: half a tray of Fresh & Easy rotisserie chicken breast;
2nd Breakfast: the other half of said tray;
Lunch: buffalo chicken salad, but only about half of it;
Dinner: Piña colada cicken & confetti f'rice. This was an experiment in allergies. I have a pineapple allergy. The Whole30 has had testimonials of folks who've kicked various allergies--food and otherwise--so, I figured, hey, why not! It was TOTALLY WORTH any hives I may break out with later.
I've been remiss in updating like I should be. I have no excuse other than I can't seem to brain lately. :P
Brief entry so I can get to the Day 27 entry...
RECAP
Breakfast: Scotch egg
Lunch: 1 cutie and 1 dill pickle...and coffee
Dinner: steak, mashed sweet potatoes with a little ghee, and roasted carrots. 2 glasses of red wine.
Snack: handful of mixed nuts.
I did the whole couple tablespoons of nutella, as well, because, frankly, I was starving by the time dinner happened.
Twenty-four days into this challenge and I have found two things: 1) I have a weakness for alcohol; 2) I have a weakness for nutella.
This past week has not been the best of weeks in this challenge, but I had a couple things happen this morning that made me feel recharged and energized and believe that the "sacrifice" is worth every moment.
I have a pair of khakis that I love. I haven't been able to wear these khakis in a long time. Like, nearly 10 years. I kept all my "skinny" clothes because I had this idea that I would someday fit back into a size 8. Whereas I am not a size 8 yet, these pants weren't size 8s to being with. :)
They were, however, impossible for me to wear. I can say with honesty and great joy that I can wear these pants again and I know that, come May, these pants will actually fit better than when I got them!
So, to recap yesterday's poor eating choices...
RECAP
*Running 2.5 miles in 30 minutes...went straight to the Farmer's Market...
Breakfast: 4egg omelet with bacon & onions and a side salad with basalmic vinegerette and freshly squeezed orange juice.
Dinner: Herb crusted salmon with gingered bok choy. It was delicious.
I also had a couple Tablespoons of Nutella and a glass of Canadian whiskey and soda (as in soda water). I need to stop sabotaging myself and just stick with the program. It works...and I know I'll do it again--probably in April.
Just a few more days...
I've already reincorporated alcohol. Such a weakness I have. Makes me sad, really, but it's my choice. My vice, as it were.
Today was a long day of work...again. Here's the recap, since it's late and I just finished one of my favorite movies, Air America (Robert Downey, Jr. is not allowed to be that hot).
RECAP
Breakfast: uncured back bacon, 2 eggs, 1 orange, copious amounts of coffee,
Dinner: kick-ass hamburgers made by my darling hubby!! I have no idea what all was in them, but he was very proud of the fact they were Paleo (just for me!) I had 3 of them.
...and 3 whiskey & sodas....from about 7pm til now (1am). Oh, and I sneaked a few spoonfuls of Nutella....because...Nutella.
I'm going running tomorrow! I've never been excited for running which is a clear sign I need to return to my beloved barbells.
Seven more days--one week. We'll recheck progress and start reintroducing cheese........
Zoiks! What a wild ride this week! I totally spaced out yesterday, but that's alright. Food was not on my brain, but I managed to eat breakfast (egg and a half with some bacon and 2 clementines), and a snack of an apple and 2T of peanut butter. Dinner was steak, swiss chard, and sweet potatoes. So yum! I had a gin and tonic that lasted me from about 8pm til about midnight, just because I needed some sort of flavor.
I'm not drinking enough water. I know this.
My ankle's doing much better from last week. Given that the hotel still has a hold on my account (I paid for incidentals in cash) and that hold has now caused my account to have an overdraft fee...and I have a ton of work to do for work plus knitting projects to finish and list, I have yet to make it to the gym this week. My plan is to go running on Saturday.
Still, all in all, I'm pretty happy with my progress thus far. I'm also excited because I now have a new cosplay goal! I'm supposed to be Zatanna, Mystique (as Emma Frost), and Sister Psyche over Memorial Day weekend (who knows, maybe I'll throw in a female Captain America, just for kicks!) and I'm totally stoked! I know I can pull off the looks and not have to worry that someone's thinking I'm too fat (even if that someone's me).
So, to recap food today...
RECAP
Breakfast: 1 mollet egg & copious amounts of coffee
Lunch: I was bad and skipped it...
Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Chopped Salad. It's very tasty....very tasty.
Back to knitting my epic pet sweater!!
WHAT a WEEKEND!
Holy crap! Okay, so we remember back to Thursday when I was up til 2am, cooking. It was so worth it. The scotch eggs were perfect; the chili, miraculous; the chicken salad, awesome; the bacon bowls totally non-functional (but delicious!) and the pork roast amazing!
So, here was my weekend... in a recappy kinda fashion...
Friday
We got to the con right around 11:30...which was good because minor crises were going on and Ken and I were the deflectors of disasters (or, at least, I like to say we were). I was trying to knit for the afternoon, but that didn't work because I have too many friends I only see three times a year and I like to socialize. I honestly don't remember what we grabbed for food on Friday. I think I had a scotch egg for lunch and I remember Ken brought me some fruit and a grilled chicken breast for dinner. I was going to play a game at 8pm that night, but was talked into running a Pathfinder game, instead. It was interesting...that's a good word for it. There was a player that made me question the state and future of humanity, but I didn't think much of it...how wrong I was to not do so...
Saturday
This was Daphne day. And Daphne was a smashing hit. I had a ton of people tell me I was spot-on for her, too (which made me feel awesome). I had another scotch egg, tons of fruit, some chicken salad, bacon...and this was chili night. I ran a session of Pathfinder as Daphne and it was awesome because I had two kids at my table. They were twitterpated to be playing with Daphne Blake! This is part of why I cosplay.
Sunday
This was Velma day. I, apparently, was an amazing Velma. I also was unrecognizable as myself to even the staff who knew I was going to be dressing up as Velma. Many of them questioned who I was. I, again, had a scotch egg, bacon, chicken salad, fruit, etc throughout the day. This was the slow-cooker pork day and it was mouth-gasmly awesome; especially with the salad. We forgot garlic and it was still delicious. I picked up a stalker this day, however; that's never awesome.
Monday
I had a scotch egg for breakfast and some bacon for lunch. Since it was load-out day, we just went to dinner. I had a burger with grilled onions and hot peppers (no bun, no cheese) and rather vapid steamed veggies. And a glass of wine. Because I played in a session today with that guy from Friday. The one that made me question humanity. I wanted to stab him with my pencil, so I rolled vs. Willpower and just said I needed to step away from the table for a few minutes. Fortunately, we were nearly done with the scenario, so his death wasn't as imminent as it probably should have been.
I admit it. We went straight to BevMo and got two bottles of the Cabernet I had with dinner. I'll be on my second glass here after I finish this blog. I now remember why I drink at conventions....
Today started out beautifully. I slept in, I felt refreshed, and I had a list of things and a schedule and I knew everything was going to be great!
Went to the bank and deposited my check, taking out some cash; went to the post office to pick up the Valentine's gifts for Ken and Dave...and this is sorta where the day fell apart.
You see, I have no depth perception. Well, I have about 17% depth perception, but that really doesn't help me. Most of the time, I function very well and know one would know...then there are the days I fall off the sidewalk because I don't realize I'm at the curb.
Like today.
What felt like eternity, I sat on the ground uncertain if I'd actually managed to break my ankle this time. I'm sure it was only about 5 minutes, but I had several people offering to call an ambulance for me. Why? It's just a sprain--and even if it's broke, the car is right there. Save the ambulance for real emergencies.
Finally decided nothing was broken, so I got up and limped over to the car and climbed in. We went home, got some ice packs, then went on to the rest of our errands--which seemed to double in time. What was supposed to take 20 to 30 minutes took us 120 minutes. And my ankle was throbbing.
Needless to say, today has not been a good eating day.
RECAP
Breakfast/Lunch: 3oz steak, 2 strips bacon, 2 eggs
Dinner: Kung Pao Chicken
It's after midnight and I'm still cooking epic food for the weekend. This weekend is Orccon2013, the first of three cons for Strategicon. Ken is on staff (Quartermaster) and I am on staff (Assistant-soon-to-be-Marketing Director). We stay at the hotel for the convention to, basically, make sure everything runs smoothly. Our hotel room has no microwave or fridge, and the restaurant is too expensive to eat at for all meals. SO! I'm making food.
So far, we have the base of chili, bacon cups for salads (or whatever will stay in them)...and on tap, tarragon chicken salad, and scotch eggs. We have plans to pick up more salad stuff near the hotel, as well as a pork roast for a great slow-cooker recipe (which, we're taking both of ours). I figure, if Dave ends up making it down for the weekend, we will have plenty of healthy food to nom on and make the rest of the con jealous of our epic nutrition! I don't know how much recapping I'll be able to do there, but I'll do my best to let you know! May have a "Tales from the Con" section...we'll see. :)
"I feel fantastic! And I never felt as good as how I do right now--Except for maybe when I think of how I felt that day When I felt the way that I do right now, right now, right now!"
That pretty much sums up how I'm feeling after 15 days of clean eating. I feel fantastic! I'm still very groggy in the mornings, but I'm sleeping at night and, mostly, restfully. The only time I'm hungry during the day is when I realize I've missed a meal (like today), and, in general, I like to think that my outlook on life has improved somewhat. It's much more difficult to gauge and, given that I'm a girl, subject to change with the lunar cycles. Or something. SCIENCE!
*ahem* Anyway...
As you may have read earlier, I hit a personal milestone today. When I started my lifting program, I decided that I wanted to squat 200#. In a "When I ... Then I..." statement, I asserted I would get myself a "Miss Fit" t-shirt. I'm happy to say...I have to wait til after the weekend's gaming convention in order to design it, but it's in the works!
...and this fills me with glee...
So, lemme recap my day of semi-awesome eating...
RECAP
Breakfast: 1 egg, 3oz of steak
Second Breakfast: 2 eggs, 1 sorta blood orange, coffee
Lunch: ...water... I worked through it by accident.
Dinner: My husband so very sweetly opted to make the dinner I had suggested for the evening so I could KNIT LIKE A MAD WOMAN. I'd wanted "comfort food," and this was the perfect night for it. So, off to The Clothes Make the Girl for recipes. We went with the Cottage-Flower Pie, but used turnips instead. Probably will make it again tomorrow night with sweet potatoes. I dunno yet. Tomorrow is a very busy day... food prep for 4 days away from home.... for 4 people....
If I learned nothing else from this evening, I learned this: Ken very much loves the immersion blender. My shake tonight was strawberry, apple, coconut milk, and the lemon-flavored magnesium powder.
PS: Last night's concoction decided to erupt after about 45 minutes under my bed lamp. It was awesomely fun...but, y'know. SCIENCE! (It really does work!)
I suppose, mathematically speaking, tomorrow would be the actual half way point of the Whole30 Challenge, but, y'know what? It's been two weeks since I started and that is just awesome. So, how's the last two weeks been? Here's a bit of a recap of things.
Things I'm not supposed to know...
I've lost 10 pounds. I started with 172 (I listed it as 170, because that's what I'd say to people) and I'm at 162. I've also lost inches. I always pull the tape tightly because I *hate* those numbers, but lets be realistic--I'm only hurting myself when I do that. My numbers to start were 38-33-40 and the abdomen (2" from navel) was at 38, as well. Today, my measurements were 38-31.5-38 and 36 at the abdomen. I admit it. I squeed.
Things I have learned...
When they say no alcohol for 30 days, they mean it. I had a total of 4 vodka tonics in the last 14 days. The first two didn't do much other than taste icky; the second two plastered me and made me sick to my stomach. Enough for me to say I'm not doing that again in the next 2 weeks. Don't care. Not worth that pain.
I've also learned I need to eat before my workouts. If I don't, I just can't push the weight (HA! punny!). I also really need to pay attention to time and eat. Three times a day is not that difficult. Protein! Protein! Protein!
Things that have improved...
MY SLEEP! Mostly. I still have off nights, but for the most part, I'm falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up semi-refreshed.
So, what did I nom on today during one of the most emotionally stressful days of my last few weeks?
RECAP
Breakfast: Chicken livers and coffee.
Lunch: The salad from last night....yum!
Dinner: Spaghetti squash spaghetti with meatballs from last night, chicken, and black olives. I finished off the meatballs....SO YUM!
Now, I'm getting my magnesium (the powder, coconut milk, a banana and a little bit of unsweetened cocoa powder), knitting this sweater for the weekend (you can read about that kinda stuff here), and watching a movie before passing out so I can go to the gym tomorrow and be SHE-RA!
I didn't log yesterday. Obviously. So here's a recap from yesterday.
RECAP
Breakfast - Mollet egg, bacon (2 slices), and sautéd Nappa cabbage.
Lunch - I think I skipped it. I was having a very bad emotional day.
Dinner - Chili. It was awesome. The recipe is here.
I had 2 vodka tonics last night and pretty much instantly regretted them. I was kinda nauseated and in pain. I think the coconut milk that went with my banana and magnesium powder curdled or something. Who knows.
Today... I at least ate 3 times. I'm proud of me! But, it was also a training day...so, I should have eaten 4 times. Oh, well.
I don't have any epic stories from the training room today, so you get this one post.
RECAP
Breakfast - Chicken breast tenderloin & half a sweet potato
Second Breakfast - 2 eggs, and 4 strips of really bad bacon and about 2 cups of coffee
Dinner - SO MUCH FOOD! We made this great salad, these awesome roasted carrots, and these amazing meatballs. This was a masterpiece of taste sensations! And we have a ton of leftover salad (YAY LUNCH TOMORROW).
Drinking water today.
Overall, I'm feeling pretty amazing and I'm starting to see how some foods negatively impact my system. This makes me happy, too. Not thrilled that I need to rid myself of Vodka (unless I can drink the more expensive gluten free vodka), but maybe I'll be able to drink my wine. I do like a dry white.
I totally forgot to do my recap from yesterday, so I shall do that below. I will chalk the forgetfulness up to the pinched finger and the bruises on my rib cage. It is always easier to blame injuries than to just admit to failure.
Results, not excuses!
...and I'm getting results. Seriously. I know I said I wasn't going to weigh in, but I have no willpower, like, at all, when it comes to the scale. So, I weighed in yesterday.
164.2lbs.
That's almost 10lbs in less than 2 weeks. This is inspiring to me, so I'm glad I did it. I'd like to lose another 10lbs by the end of this challenge. That would put me right around 150-155lbs which, I think, would be a very good weight for me. Realistic goal. Now, that doesn't mean that I won't try to lose more fat and see if I can drop that number to 140, but the more I work out and get stronger, the more I realize my once-set-in-stone goal of 130lbs is unrealistic for me. I'd love to LOOK 130lbs, but, really... no. Too thin, given what I lift.
So...
RECAP
Breakfast: Sweet potato, 2 scrambled eggs
Lunch: 4 egg omelette with peppers, diced ham, salsa, and avocados, and hashbrowns (we went to a restaurant...and I'm sure there was butter in the hashbrowns because...intestinal distress. All I'm gonna say)
Dinner: Crispy Spiced Chicken Livers and squash with bacon. This is what it looked like:
Hungry yet? GO EAT!
Today was craptacular. Actually, the past two days have been craptacular. I found out that I need my undergrad transcripts, as well, for the doctorate program I'm trying to apply to; I screwed up my bench pressing; my back's killing me; and, I found out, today, my Valentine's Day plans are pretty much null and void.
AWESOME!
So, I made a conscious choice: I chose to drink 2 vodka tonics tonight. The good news: I had two and it took me 6 hours to finish them. Also...I didn't like the taste.
Why did I choose this? Honestly? Because I had about a pot and a half of coffee so I could make it through the day without the panic/anxiety attacks becoming overwhelming. But, the news about my Valentine's plans pushed me over my ability to cope.
Here's a recap of my (not so great) eating today:
RECAP:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, scrambled with homemade pico de gallo
Lunch: ...what is lunch? 1 orange, 3oz of chicken, 1 handful of peanuts (it's what my boss had)
Dinner: Two chicken breast fillets, roasted beets, and sauted beet greens. And a banana.
...and a pot and a half of coffee throughout the day, plus 2 vodka tonics.
Too frustrated/hurt/upset/whatever to go make my magnesium shake, so skipping it. The alcohol will probably help me enough. Tomorrow's another day...and it will be so much better. Gym day! Squats, deads, and push presses!
If you read my earlier post today, then you already know about my gym experience today. My first thought as I lay there, pinned under my barbell was, "I have got to start eating before my workout..."
Which means...I have to get up earlier...which...has been the problem, in the first place. I'm still waking up tired, though my sleep quality seems to be improving. I'm hoping it continues to improve.
Anyway! Recap of today's fooding...
RECAP
Breakfast: 2 chicken breast tenderloins, 2 eggs, and 1 sweet potato with mint chutney
Lunch: 3oz chicken, 1 banana
Dinner: Moroccan salmon with curried frice and an apple.
Epic food was epic for dinner; but I think I just need to eat more during the day.
Magnesium shake with coconut milk and strawberries rounds out my day. My husband is making dinner tomorrow night. I am excited for what he comes up with! He's been hugely supportive in my Whole30 program and I'm very thankful.
I have graduated. Kind of.
I have graduated from the StrongLifts program into....I have no idea what, but I'm working on it! Today consisted of squats, bench press, and a new exercise called a power clean.
I have learned I have no idea what I'm doing with power anythings.
But, it was fun! I will feel that in the morning, I'm sure. I started with my bench press today because all the squat racks were taken. Every. Single. One. There are six of them. And everyone decided to hit them at the same time. I'd finished my warm up sets for my bench press, looked to where the squat racks were and...they were all effing empty. FRUSTRATION!
That's okay. 115# bench press! Set one...power! Set two...POWRAWR! Set three.....roll of shame. I should have re-racked at 4, but I had to try for the 5th and my arms gave out. Just in case you were curious, 115# is really heavy--especially when you're pinned under it and everyone else is in the middle of their own sets. I'll have some lovely bruises. The guy on the bench next to me finished his set and looked over. I gave him a whimper and the puppy eyes of "HELP!" and he came over and moved the weight for me. Then offered to spot me.
We reduced my weight to 105# and he worked with me on that, then gave me some tips and we reduced again to 95# for form check. I actually felt much better about my bench presses after working with him and he wasn't thinking I couldn't do the heavier weight because I was a girl. Probably will stick at 95-100# and watch my form for the next few cycles.
Finally did squats. They were awesome and I felt (mostly) powerful. Then I realized I should have been at 190# today. Ah, well. Next time. My low back was really acting up...I'm seriously hoping the F/D treatments at the chiros don't mess me up. Those suckers HURT.
Final exercise...the power clean (mine looked nothing like this). I have NO IDEA WHAT I'M DOING. I saw a muscle-head who was doing some pretty amazing stuff and seemed like a person who would *answer* my questions rather than tell me I couldn't do them because I was a girl. I asked him if he was familiar with a power cleanse and how to do them.
I was not prepared for the voice. Well. Not so much the voice as the accent. For the next few minutes as he explained that he wasn't sure how to answer the question because the exercise can be very dangerous for your low back (and not knowing me and my weight lifting history), all I could hear...was... THIS. I felt badly. Nice man...named Sergi.
I finally worked up the courage to do something similar to a power clean and was complimented at the end of my set by a guy who was just impressed that I, a girl, knew her way around the free weights. "You don't see many girls doing those kinds of exercises. That was just awesome." I was at bar weight. Where I will remain for form checks...then start gently upping the weight. I'll keep Squats and DLs, steadily increasing til I hit 200# on each. I may hold there, or I may drop back squats and switch to front squats or power thrusters or something. Dunno.
Saturday will be...interesting. Squats, DLs, and power presses.
Incidentally. I must be doing something right. Sergi said I had the figure most women work hard to get. Either that, or he needs glasses.
It's been a week. The last couple days have been eating challenges, but, I've done okay. Just really craving a soda or a vodka tonic or even margarita right now.
It was an emotional day...as was yesterday. In short, eating wasn't high on my priority list. If you read my "Tales from the Gym" from today, you probably have an idea of how my day was going. It didn't get better.
Plus, new chiro today. Unexpected paperwork and exam with X-Rays accompanied by a new diagnosis and treatment that I don't like. He said I had a compressed disc in my low back... I'll believe him, but I still don't like the treatment.
Anyway. I only ate twice today...I know, bad. I wasn't expecting dinner to be at 9:45pm, either, but that came with the unexpected exam and paperwork.
RECAP
Breakfast: Sautéd Napa cabbage, a chicken hot sausage, and 3 mollet eggs
Dinner: Sautéd yellow and green squash with peppered bacon and chicken breast. I had an extra serving of this to double as a lunch/dinner thing. I gave it five minutes in between, so it was totally two meals, right?
I will definitely take that coconut milk+Magnesium+fruit concoction tonight before bed. I desperately need the stress relief.
My day started as it should--I woke up, kinda, rolled out of bed into my workout gear, rooted around for a pair (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) of socks, and the flattest sneakers I own. Grabbed my phone and my tablet, my towel, water bottle... I was ready to crush my workout today.
Set it all up in my tablet app (LiftBook, for those interested): StrongLifts 5x5, Workout B, 180# squats, 60# OHPs, and 180# Deadlifts. I was feeling powerful (except for those OHPs...they are my nemesis). My squats sets went well. I was feeling confident and on top of the world. My OHPs were surprisingly good today...until the 4th set. That's when I realized there were a lot of guys staring at me...and they weren't staring at my weight. I looked down and thought, "Oh, geeze...if there is ever an exercise to make feel even *more* chesty... it's this one. DOUBLE Ds COMIN' AT YA..." Threw me off, because now I was focused on the fact I have boobs and my workouts are just making them bigger and everyone in the gym is noticing. Set 4 gave me 3 reps, set 5 gave me 4.
I happily moved to my Deadlifts. My warm up sets were great, but I only did 2 at 160# instead of my normal 3. I think I should have done 3 because I only managed to get 3 reps at 180#. This made me very sad. I like PRs every time I lift. It makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something. I don't know how to handle it when I don't hit those PRs. Then it makes me worry that I'm losing strength while doing the Whole30 program and I start to freak out.
Of course, apparently, I base my sense of self/self-worth on my lifts. Oh, THAT is a bad idea (Yes, I know this already)! When I couldn't do my 5 reps at 180# on the deads, my tapes started blaring in my head. I tried to drown them out by saying, "Oh, yeah? I got 3 reps at 180#...and competitive dead lifters only do ONE rep at their weights! So...shut up!" But, it just got louder. Apparently, it is better at intimidation than I am. :(
"So? You have to get to those weights, first! You can't even get to 200lbs, let alone 315lbs! Everything everyone has ever said about you, ever, is true--you worthless excuse for a waste of air!"
Thanks, brain. So, I went home and consoled myself with an epic Paleo breakfast (which you'll get to read about tonight). All I can say is, I'm glad I'm not cooking tonight. I'd burn the kitchen down in all likelihood.
