Midweek MSG

After completing my 7 day no-grain no-sugar challenge, I feel the same as I did before the challenge. That might be because I ate rice once and drank a beer. I don't know.

I can tell you one thing, though. I was so conscious of my food. I haven't had any chocolate, ice cream, or cake. That's something. 

Going forward, I'm thankful to know that I don't need an abundance of bread to be full, and I will survive after dinner without a Hershey Kiss. I feel like I'm on the right track. Despite a little depression over the scale not changing, I know I'm working toward a healthier me and it won't happen overnight. Baby steps. 

Tonight, I needed a little midweek thai food. I had hot & sour soup, a spring roll, and a side of rice. I was to tired to cook, Kyle had a craving for noodles, and the rest is history. It's fine... I worked my ass off in spinning, at least. And we've been eating the pulled pork I made earlier this week for pretty much every meal. All about balance. 

I'm meeting with the nutritionist/dietician at the hospital where I work soon, and I can't wait to learn about what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong, and how I can eat for my best possible self. [Insert line re: body and temple here.] I hope to continue to limit my sugar and grain intake, and I can promise that I will keep working towards a mostly whole-foods diet.

Also: thanks to everyone who is actually reading this. Even if there aren't many comments, the page views let me know that I'm not just talking to myself. And even if I'm just talking to a fat old man on dial-up in Nebraska, I'm still thankful for the outlet. 

Monday Frustration.

I'm frustrated today. I got on the scale and it's two pounds higher than it was last Monday. 

With so many conflicting nutritional blogs, diets, etc. out there, I have really been trying to listen to my body and nourish it within the limits of eating whole foods, good fats, and nothing white. 

It turns out that when I listen to my body, it tells me to gain weight. 

Last week when I decided to avoid added sugar and grains, I expected to lose weight. Just a few pounds. Even one pound. I worked out really hard and my metabolism was definitely working - I was so hungry Friday and Saturday. I might have over-eaten a little, but I also drank two bottles of wine and had a few other cocktails. I overlooked everything and assumed that no grains and added sugar would be a cure-all. 

This is a reminder that I need to find balance. Like, how about two glasses of wine. Or hell, even one bottle would be an upgrade. 

I'm not going to give up, and I'm going to continue to search for balance in my diet and exercise. 

After complaining to my coworker (an adorable slender young lady who eats whatever she wants and drinks half a bottle of wine a night) she said "don't look back! it's a new day!" and I know she's right. 

But at some point, I want to stop having to go through this cycle. I'm tired of fighting the same battle when it shouldn't be a battle in the first place. I want to be 20 pounds lighter. I want my pants size to be one number. I just don't know how to get there. 

The journey continues... 

Weekend Warrior

Today is Saturday. I am ravenous. 

Last night Kyle and I went to a small gathering at a friend's house. I successfully avoided wheat (minus a sip of my favorite seasonal beer. A sip!!) and added sugar. After a 700-cal noon workout and unavoidable after-work obligations, I didn't get dinner until 8:30 p.m. I ate a Chipotle barbacoa salad with the ferocity of a homeless person. 

Today I can't get rid of the hungers. My metabolism is on another level! I kayaked this morning (and managed to twist my knee) for about an hour after only eating a few grapes and a handful of pistachios, then had an egg scramble and a few more grapes after. Within two hours I was ready for more. Celery and sunbutter, half an avocado, and a bit of smoked salmon. THEN I had pickles. THEN I had a pb &j larabar (which is the only larabar that matters). 

I am thankful that there's not any junk food in the house because I would most certainly eat it all. I'm not too excited about all this food, but I eat when my body tells me. 

In a few hours we're having dinner with friends. Korean food. I'm going to stick to minimal sauces, sashimi, and avoid rice. And I promise to drink just as much water as sake. 

Day two oopsie!

Today started out as most do: with a smoothie and a coffee (light roast, bit of cream, dash of cinnamon). I went out to lunch with my friend Brad to my favorite salad spot in Columbus, Market 65. I got my usual: mixed greens and arugula, roasted corn, jalapeno, cucumber, black beans, blue cheese, lean steak, with HONEY dijon dressing on the side. 

Honey. 

I made it a measly 1 days 1.5 days before I had added sugar. However, I only had a tablespoon of the dressing and it was honey - which is natural - as opposed to a candy bar or something with refined sugar. 

I actually don't know if the above statement is true since I didn't make the dressing or see the ingredients, but I do know that Market 65 uses quality local ingredients and makes everything in-house. 

Enough justification?  

In reality, this isn't a big deal. It's just a reminder that there's got to be a little give in everything. I had a great workout tonight at hot yoga (burned 900 calories!!) and ate quite well beyond the #honeyfail2012. I feel great and less bloated already. 

Tomorrow will be a busy day at work with spinning and toning classes over lunch, so I'm packing some smoked salmon, lightly dressed greens, and a kale/onion/mushroom sauteed in coconut oil and red wine vinegar (which is heavenly), along with a handful of nuts, berries, and grapes for grazing & craving purposes. 

"This seems to be getting easier,"she said optimistically, the night before her weekend began.

Sugar panic.

So today is day one of my no-sugar no-grain challenge. (That includes fake sugars too... Gross). And all day I kept thinking, oh this is easy! I can totally do this! I had my usual protein and green smoothie for breakfast, then packed a delish lunch with plenty of grapes, berries, and nuts to graze on throughout the day.

After work I hit the gym for a pretty kickass workout: 1.5 mile jog and full body weight training, then came home to cook dinner for my Kyle babe. We had orange roughy and a spring mix. Healthy, productive. This is easy, right?

Well. Now it's after dinner when I usually have three Hershey kisses. The days of kisses are over for the next little bit and I miss them. I miss my kisses! Panic! Sweet after savory is just my favorite.

I think if I can get past the first few days without my post-dinner sweet I'll be just fine. Juuuust fiiine. And maybe a little lighter!

If at first you don't succeed...

...try, try again. right? I just returned from a mini-vacation where I mainly consumed craft beers, scotch, pizza rolls, and potato chips. Now that I'm back to reality, I thought this would be a perfect time to kick my wellness into #1 on my priority list.

I recently started an instagram account (@hotsweatymess) to journal my fitness and exercise, and this blog is an extension of that account. Nothing beats a little accountability via the interwebs. My main fitness goal is to either a) lose 20 pounds or b) drop two dress sizes - whichever comes first. I plan to attain this goal by eating mostly paleo and exercising. I hope to be able to share new things, experiences, and tips with followers, while tracking my progress.

Tomorrow marks the first day of cutting added sugar and grains from my diet, as well as most alcohol (I'm afraid to say No Alcohol because that's always been the hardest thing for me to give up). I hope to stick to this for 14 days as a good way to detox from my vacation, then slowly move to a 90% paleo diet with a little room for give. I plan to continue my workout habits which consist of: weight lifting, spinning, jogging, and hot yoga, along with a bootcamp class here and there. I try to workout at least 4 days a week.

I feel a bit cliche creating this blog... another 20-something trying to get into shape, right? I know. But for me, this is more than that. It's about loving my body, surprising myself, and sharing (probably too much) about myself. I hope you'll join me. If not? No big deal.