It's been almost two weeks

I wish I could say that I haven't cheated.  I wish I could say that I lost a bunch of weight.  But I can't.

My SIL was here for her birthday, so we went to a Wine Cafe where they have wine vending machines. Who can resist that?  And I came home to my husband and his new NCO and family eating sandwiches and stuff.  First of all, after drinking wine, I needed something substantial to eat, and they had brought two trays of Subway sandwiches and it would have been very rude of me not to have eaten one.  I also had 3 chicken wings...and they were sooooo good.  But I ate mostly fruit and veggies.

And then I made my SIL a pavlova which is 90% sugar.  Good luck anyone trying to say no to that!  And it was the best pavlova I have made to date.

My other cheats have been a few triangles of pita bread to eat hummus, and rice to go with the Tikka Masala I made for dinner.  But my biggest cheat was the Chinese we had for dinner on Friday night.  There's nothing good about it.  I had a little rice and lo mein, and of course everything including the veggies are covered in sugar and MSG.  Needless to say I felt HORRIBLE after eating it.

One thing I've noticed is that naturally sweet food like corn and peppers taste super sweet now.  It's like having sugar cubes in my salads!

I've been running a bit too.  I did my couch to 5k workout yesterday and felt like I hadn't done anything at the end of it, so I ran home.  That I wouldn't have done before. Progress!

I was doing so well...

I really was doing well.  I hadn't cheated at all.  I went to a restaurant and didn't cheat.  I went to the movies and didn't eat or drink anything.  I had friends over for dinner and didn't cheat.

I lost 6lbs!

And then today I went to a wine cafe with Jenn, and had wine. Definite cheat.  And came home to my husbands football food he had made for his new workmate and family who came over.  Ugh.  I was so hungry and just needed to eat something - mostly to counteract the effects of the wine.  3 chicken wings, a mini cupcake, a tortilla chip and a corner of a slice of pizza later....crap.

So I didn't overdo it, and it's not like I pigged out, but I still am beating myself up.  I haven't even had a chance to run like I had planned to make me feel better.  I woke up Saturday feeling like I had a hangover, and Jeremy went on a 50km bike ride this morning which left no time for me. 

Tomorrow I just need to go and do it.  And get eating right again.  This is the first time I've ever tried a diet that actually has worked so I really want to keep it up.

Day 3......Detoxing.....

I've made it through two full days of no sugar, no grains or potatoes, and no additives/preservatives.  I would be lying if I said it's been easy, but it's not as bad as you would think. I've had no headaches which I've heard is common.

See, during the day I keep busy and can usually take my mind off my sweet tooth.  But in the evening...when my husband decides to eat a giant portion of pasta, then a giant slice of apple pie with whipped cream and ice cream, then a Jack and Coke.....yeah.  He's lucky I didn't bonk him on his head with my flip flop.  Just plain evil!!

It seems my urge to snack and have sweet stuff is in the evening.  So I've eaten a lot of grapes.  Now, technically I'm not supposed to be snacking unless I truly am hungry, and my smallest meal is supposed to be dinner.  All things take time, and I figure if grapes give me that sweetness that I desire then so be it.  I could have cracked and eaten 10 pudding cups. Not that I would do that.  That would just be gross.

My other challenge was lunch yesterday.  Mia and I had been out and about getting craft supplies for a few projects.  So she needed lunch before going to school.  If you live around a military base then you'll understand lunch time traffic, and the craziness that hits all local restaurants every lunch time.  If I had gone to Roly Poly or Subway, it would have been 1 hour of driving for a two mile trip.  I didn't have that kind of time.  So we went to KFC.  Mia had her Mac and Cheese and all that I could eat was some iceberg lettuce and two slices of tomato with a bottle of water.  Yes, there is grilled chicken, but don't try to tell me that they don't deep fry the grilled chicken.  I was starving!!!  So after dropping off Mia I went to the Commissary, picked up my eggs, beans and veggies and devoured a banana once I got to the car.  Lesson learned.

Dinner was awesome though.  I'm one of the lucky ones whose kids LOVE salad.  So I cooked some ground turkey with my home made taco seasoning.  Then made up a salad with lettuce, black beans, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, avocado and sour cream.  AMAZING!!!

Great Wolf Lodge

This past weekend was awesome.  We packed up and went to Great Wolf Lodge for two nights as part of a marriage retreat, and we really did have a great time.  

We hit the water park for an hour or so before dinner.  Mikey has turned into quite the adrenaline junkie and went down all the slides including the tornado one, where Jeremy tells me his eyes almost bugged out of his head and he screamed like a girl.  Mia played in the little kids pool and eventually gained enough confidence to go down the little slides.  She is like her Mamma and HATES getting splashed. (Yes, I'm the girl who can leave a pool with dry hair). But she really wanted to go down the big kid water slide so Jeremy took her up there and protected her from as much splashing as possible, but when the giant bucket tips over on top of you there's nothing much you can do.  Jeremy couldn't go down with her, and there were a few minutes there when we thought she wouldn't go down, but no - my brave little girl went down all by herself....and then wanted to do it all over again!

Friday night we had pizza and a briefing with the Chaplain.  Mikey met a boy who is in Kindergarten at his school (but only a year younger since Mikey is a grade higher than most kids his age) and they seemed to get along great.  After in processing we dropped the kids off with the sitters and went to the bar for a few drinks, then got the kids to get their wands for Magi Quest.

Saturday morning we spent watching video about communication - it's a funny DVD that we'd already seen before, but it's nice for a refresher.  We spent our afternoon at IKEA, then Jeremy and I took advantage of date night.  We went to Chima which is a Brazilian steak house in Uptown Charlotte.  O  M  G...it was AMAZING.  The salad bar was incredible with cheeses, vegetable and fruit dishes, and salad meats to die for.  And then there was the meat that was sliced at your table.  I'm a sucker for lamb and it did not disappoint me.  It was seasoned with mint and one bite took me right back home.  The service was incredible.  I have nothing bad to say about the restaurant....except for the rather large dent in my wallet.

http://chima.cc/site/

Once we picked up the kids we ran around the hotel and did Magi Quest where the kids followed quests and clues by using their wands on different things.  It was fun but crazy with all these kids running around.

Sunday we had a brief seminar again, and then hit the water park again before heading home. A pretty good way to spend the weekend that's for sure, but I was very glad for a down day on Monday.

Anyway, today is my full on start to phase one of the Perfect 10 Diet.  Three meals, grain free, sugar free, processed food free....and one serving of dairy.  Breakfast and lunch are easy...dinner will be a challenge.  I think I will make a Shrimp Scampi and just skip the pasta.  I'll make some for the kids though.  And have that with steamed veggies and salad. I need to figure out dressing though since looking at my favorite White Balsamic Dressing it has soybean oil which is banned, and sugar in it.  So I might make my own Italian Dressing which looks simple enough.

And then during my free minutes between dropping off Mia and picking up Mikey I'll go to the community gym and start the Couch to 5K again.  Wish me luck!

Sugar...

So, I've been researching diets. Again.  Screw anything that tells me to do anything unbalanced, or tells me that I can never eat carbs, or that I can't eat fruit.  Screw something that tells me I need to eat every 3 hours because I've tried and I just can't.

Anyway, I cam across this: The Perfect 10 Diet. http://www.perfect10diet.com/ Honestly, I only stumbled onto it because it was free on my Kindle.  But it makes sense.  I've always thought that processed food is crap for you, and that it makes sense that we should only eat things that were available 100 years ago. This diet is more about balancing your hormones which I've long thought were out of whack with me.  

One thing I find interesting is that it first tells you to quit sugar, which is a no brainer.  Our bodies aren't designed to process sugar so it makes sense that it messes up your hormones.  Then it tells you to quit low-fat, or fat-free products.  Huh? This goes against everything I've been told in the past, but it makes sense since after looking at all the "fat-free" stuff in my pantry and fridge, the second or third ingredient is always a sugar product, or some chemical I can't pronounce.  Hmm...it suddenly makes sense. 100 years ago food wasn't filled with fat-free ingredients, chemicals and high fructose corn syrup.  So I'm starting to think the natural fat (yes, butter) makes sense as long as you don't overdo it, or if you don't exercise.  I have no issues exercising.  So I'll stick to butter, eggs and olive oil instead of margarine, egg beaters and vegetable oil.  

He also talks about enriched flour, so I'll switch full time to brown rice, whole grain bread (which I usually do anyhow, but I took a closer look and the stuff I've been using has more added sugars that I would want.  So I just need to switch brands.  No biggie), and whole grain pasta. So really it's not a big change, but cutting out sugar will be tough.

Since I'm heading out of town this weekend and I fully plan on indulging on a few drinks I'll start phase one when I get home next week, but I've already started the sugar fast...and I'm not going to lie - it's been half a day and I can fully feel the withdrawal.  It really is an addiction! Phase one is no sugar (natural sugars from fruit is fine), and no grains like rice, pasta, bread and potatoes for now.  It lasts three weeks.  Then in phase two you slowly reintegrate the carbs by maybe having one serving of a healthy grain a day.  As I say, the sugar will be hard, and not having a grain with dinner will be super hard, but really the modifications aren't too hard and I can't wait to see how I'll feel.

So today I had scrambled eggs with peppers, tomatoes and cucumber, and fresh strawberries and blueberries on the side.  And for lunch I had my morning smoothie with fresh squeezed orange juice instead of the honey.  I'm craving sugar, so I just go and brush my teeth instead.

WTF??

So for the past week I've upped my water intake, ate a majority fresh fruits and veggies, I've been doing crunches, and the 30 Day Shred....and I've gained weight!!!  WHAT THE HECK?? This is so freaking frustrating!!!

I'm trying so hard to remain positive.  I did slip up once when my husband decided to order pizza.  I had two slices and I was done and went on my happy way and continued trying to eat healthy.  Just frustrating.  I won't give up.

Anyway, I have this weekend to look forward to.  We're going to go to Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte for a marriage retreat.  I am very grateful for this as its all expenses paid in a wonderful location.  No one can claim that the Army doesn't try to look after their families.  And trust me, we need it. Having so much illness in the household the past few months have taken a tole on our relationship and the seminars usually give us tools to revitalise things, and then there's the family time - we're planning on going to a discovery museum with the kids, the water park in the hotel, and magic quest where we get to run around with wands.  And the best part is the date night we get as there is childcare available.  We're torn between going out to a nice restaurant, or staying in the hotel and having a few drinks at the bar and playing in the water park.

Morning Shake

So I decided I would try a morning shake.  It makes sense really, to have as much fruit and veggies as possible and having tried one before, I know that green smoothies aren't too bad.  

But here's the thing.  I'm not going to spend $500 on a blender.  I have a cheap blender from Walmart but it sucks and doesn't chop ice.  And I just got my husband a food processor for his birthday last month. (He never used the old one so I sold it, and then the one time a year he uses it, he got mad at me for selling it.) But I read the instructions and it says, "Don't chop ice".  What the heck?  I feel like the world is ganging up on me to buy more kitchen equipment just for a damn smoothie!!  Maybe if I can do these smoothies long enough I'll consider upgrading.

So yesterday when I searched out my ingredients I was kind of amused and annoyed.  It seems like a lot of people are doing the green smoothie thing for their New Years Resolutions so it was hard to even find spinach.  (OK, so I'm one of those people I'm annoyed at).  I also couldn't find fresh strawberries and peaches, although I know the Commissary stocked them the day before! So I figured frozen would do.

This morning I whipped out the frozen strawberries and peaches and let them thaw a little since my food processor doesn't like frozen things.  When they were a lot less solid I added a handful of spinach, a banana, a tablespoon of greek yogurt, a little honey, and a splash of almond milk and blended it all together.  It wasn't too bad - a little thick since I omitted the ice so I can add more milk next time.  But the favor wasn't bad at all, and it's very filling.  I forgot the blueberries which will make it even more delicious and an even more funky color.  And I'm pretty sure the texture and color would be different if I had a blender instead, but for now it will do.

I can't take credit for it, so here's the link: http://www.singforyoursupperblog.com/2011/07/19/green-er-brown-ish-monster-smoothies/ 

Maybe I'll stick with it.  It really is a logical way of getting more fruits and veggies.

I've been doing more crunches too - it really helped my back when I was doing it during my streak last year.  I had no back pain until Christmas when I was forced to sit on crappy chairs and lay on a crappy mattress. That's enough to kill anyone's back. The pains still there, but not that intense, crippling pain that I'm usually stuck with.  I'm thinking about going for a run this afternoon too, but it's damn cold and I'm a wuss. Maybe cycling.  Something while I'm motivated.  And this 60 Day Plan just isn't cutting it right now.  I mean, Day 1 was 20 jumping jacks and 10 crunches, and today was 30 jumping jacks and 15 crunches.  Maybe that's a good thing because maybe some people would find that challenging.  I'll stick with it though since the last day of the challenge is brutal.

Oh, so I'm back to being worried about Mikey.  He got off the bus yesterday holding the side of his head by his ear.  I eventually got it out of him that this first grader was being mean to him on the bus and punched him on the side of the head.  He asked Mikey to punch him too, but Mikey refused. (Yay Mikey!), but of course Mikey didn't say anything to the bus driver.  It could just be boys being boys, and I didn't want to make a big stink over it.  I wrote a note to his teacher to make them aware of the situation and to monitor it, and if something else happens then I will make a big stink. It's horrible that he was being bullied, but I'm proud that he didn't fight back.  Worried that he didn't say anything though, and it makes me wonder if there are other things going on.

2012...Let's start over

So last time that I blogged I was doing really well doing the 30 Day Shred and Couch to 5K.  But the shin splits sucked bootie...and things were going too well.

And then my husband decided to jump out of a plane and break his leg right before Thanksgiving.  Unfortunately it was his right leg, so I immediately became his nurse and chauffeur because the sucker couldn't drive. Luckily it was only his fibula and his big toe which broke so he got to have an uber sexy boot (Army issued of course) instead of a cast.

Right before we headed home, I wound up sick.  A delightful case of post-nasal drip and a virus.  And then as I was just starting to get better, Jeremy got sick.  As in REALLY sick.  At first they said it was a virus...then the flu...or pneumonia, or bronchitis, or salmonella, a blood infection....In other words, they didn't have a clue.  He was so ill, and I didn't see him for a few weeks.  I had to sleep on the couch for about 3 weeks, and keep the kids away from him because they just didn't know what it was.  It turned out that it was/is Hepatitis A, which is crazy because he's a cook and had been vaccinated against it.  He's starting to get better - he's not yellow anymore and he's eating and being pretty productive.

It was a pretty lonely time, I'm not going to lie.  It's worse than a deployment because you're doing everything, and nursing him, and it's like he's not there even though he is.  And right around Christmas too when you just want to be together as a family.  I just can't wait until the blood test turns out negative so that we can move on.

So back to where I was before I started rambling...I still want to run a 5k.  And I will.  But I am going to get back to exercising everyday starting with a 60 day program I can do at home.  And I'll get to eating right again...no more soup and sandwich for dinner!