tick tock...tick tock....

As the clocks start the countdown to the end of 2012, I'm giving alot of thought to where I've been...and where I'm going.  2012 has brought massive, sweeping change to my life.  And I have declared 2013 as the YEAR OF ASS KICKING.  I feel like I'm on an incline, that I've got a momentum going. 

2012 brought me a great deal of clarity to issues that had troubled me in the past.  2012 brought me the love that I have wished for my whole life.  2012 brought me a family.  It brought me advances in my health and fitness and the introduction to the Paleo lifestyle.  2012 brought me MORE of the knowledge that all we have is NOW.  It's important to think about the future, but it is exceedingly important to be present. 

Here is my little list of goals for 2013: 

1. Eliminate alcohol.  (This one I've already done, but I'm going to continue it.)
2. Eliminate spending on items that I DO NOT NEED.
3. Food prep every weekend.
4. Waste less food (see #3)
5. Lower bodyfat percentage by 5 points.
6. Bust my Starbucks habit...waaaaaaah! 
7. Best year of Fitness ever. 
8. Try one new Paleo recipe every two weeks. 
9. Purge.  Purge crap from life and spirit. 
10. Build up savings
11. Pay off car.
12. Cultivate more of the happiness that I've found :) 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

I have been too busy living life to be a good blogger.  Here is a little of what I've been up to... homemade potato chip recipe, which is decidedly UN Paleo, but delicious nonetheless...  That turned into Irish Nachos last night.

 Got the tree up and decorated last night, and am enjoying the latest batch of photos of my sweet family.  I love these faces.  My funny kids and my sweet husband keep me laughing every single day.  I'm so grateful, so lucky, and so content. 

In case I don't update before the holiday, Merry Christmas to all.  <3<3

Paleo Day 30 + RECAP

Breakfast: eggs, hashbrowns, strawberries, coffee, coconut milk
Lunch: Tuna, avocado
Snack: Larabar, sunflower seeds, beef jerky
Dinner: Chicken sausage, mustard, steamed veg

In 30 days, without trying terribly hard, I've lost 9 pounds.  I've lost 2 inches from my waist and 2 from my hips.  My skin looks nicer, my GERD and heartburn have disappeared, and my opthalmic migraines (which I used to have 2-4 times per week) are gone. 

I'm going to continue paleo- my next goal is to do 30 more days of paleo plus 30 days of no booze.  This is something I've done before, so it's completely do-able.  I always feel amazing when I cut booze out of my life :) 

I love paleo, and am a complete convert.  This is not to say I'll never enjoy my favorite green chile mac and cheese again, but those type of cheats for me are going to be few and far between.  I'm going to up my workouts and try to get my body fat percentage down to a pretty lean number.  I'm so excited to do this, and to see what other weird maladies I can cure with diet. 

If you're looking to change your life and, quite frankly, feel freaken amazing... TRY PALEO.  Give it 30 days. 

Paleo days 25-29

Day 25
Breakfast: egg, chicken sausage, strawberries
Lunch: chicken sausage, sweet potato, cucumber
Dinner: salad with chicken and bacon

Day 26
Breakfast: larabar
Lunch: turkey, deviled eggs, carrots, almond butter
Dinner: Eggs, bacon, potatoes

Day 27
Breakfast: eggs, bacon, hashbrowns
Lunch: deviled eggs, carrots, almond butter
Dinner: chicken shrimp coconut curry

Day 28
Breakfast: eggs, hashbrowns, bacon
Lunch: garlic chili chicken wings
Dinner:  wasn't hungry....weird.

Day 29
Breakfast: egg, hashbrowns, strawberries
Lunch: leftover chicken shrimp coconut curry
Snack: tuna, avocado, tomato
Dinner: steak, green beans, olive oil

I'll do a full recap for Day 30 plus my plans going forward.  :) 

Paleo Days 19 thru 24...catching up

Day 19
Breakfast: hashbrowns, eggs, grande americano
Lunch:chicken, broccoli, peppers, carrots, avocado
Snack: larabar
Dinner: paleo shepherd's pie (ground beef, onions, carrots, celery, dutch potatoes)

Day 20
Breakfast: dutch potatoes, eggs, bacon, coffee
Lunch: paleo shepherd's pie
Dinner: paleo margaritas.  WHAT??  Like you've never done that ;) 

Day 21
Breakfast: hashbrowns, eggs, strawberries, salsa, bacon
Lunch: Shepherd's pie
Snack: almonds
Dinner: Salad with pork carnitas, guacamole, salsa

Day 22
Breakfast: hashbrowns, eggs, strawberries, hot sauce
Lunch: Shepherd's pie
Snack: Larabar
Dinner: chicken, cauliflower, green beans

Day 23
Breakfast: eggs, strawberries
Lunch: chicken, green beans, cauliflower
Snack: larabar
Dinner: chicken sausage, egg, hot sauce

Day 24
Breakfast: egg, chicken sausage, strawberries
Lunch: Tuna, larabar
Snack: hard boiled eggs, banana
Dinner: pork ribs

Paleo Day 16-18

Day 16
Breakfast: Larabar
Lunch: Dill pickles, roasted chicken, strawberries
Snack: Pistachios
Dinner: Egg, hashbrowns, tomatillo salsa, bacon

This was a really strange day of food.  I was so busy, I just sort of threw together what I could.

Day 17
Breakfast: Tuna, avocado (this is a truly delicious concoction, I happily discovered)
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad with greek vinaigrette
Dinner: Steak, peppers, onions, olive oil

Day 18
Breakfast:Egg, hashbrowns, salsa, grande americano
Lunch: Chicken, green beans with garlic and olive oil, avocado
Snack:Larabar
Dinner: Omelette with two eggs, chives, diced ham and caramelized onions (I never knew an omelette could be SO delicious with no cheese or sour cream, but the caramelized onions made it absolute perfection.)

Paleo Day 13-15

Day 13
Breakfast:  I attempted two eggs, hashbrowns, bacon.  I could only eat one egg.  I'm just not nearly as hungry as I used to be.
Lunch: Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Dinner: Zucchini "spaghetti" and meat sauce

Day 14
Breakfast: Strawberries, egg, hashbrowns, bacon
Lunch: Grilled chicken salad
Dinner: chicken sausage

Day 15
Breakfast: Strawberries, egg, hashbrowns
Lunch: Chicken sausage, cucumber, tomato, avocado, balsamic
Snack: larabar
Dinner: Chopped salad with chicken

Paleo days 11 & 12

Day 11
Breakfast: larabar
Snack: strawberries, hardboiled eggs, almonds
Lunch: Chopped Salad with chicken
Dinner: Chicken sausage, zucchini

Day 12
Breakfast: Egg, hashbrowns, strawberries
Lunch: leftover chicken sausage, zucchini
Snack:larabar, hardboiled egg, pickles
Dinner: roasted chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes

Paleo Days 9 & 10

Day 9

Breakfast: egg, hashbrowns, strawberries

Lunch: Applegate organic turkey, cucumber, tomato, avocado, balsamic

Snack: Larabar

Dinner: chicken sausage, hashbrowns ( little carby…I spent the evening at the hospital with my mom and really wanted some comfort food, so I went for the potato…)

Day 10

Breakfast: egg, hashbrowns, strawberries

Lunch: chicken sausage, cucumber, tomato, avocado, balsamic

Snack: hard-boiled egg, larabar

Dinner: pork ribs

Paleo Day Eight

Breakfast: Egg, hashbrowns, strawberries
Lunch: Salmon, green beans, sweet potato
Snack: Larabar, almonds (I know, I know...but a Larabar is about as close you can get to unprocessed in a store-bought bar)
Dinner: Chopped salad
Coffee- I got a hankering for some espresso late tonight.  I'm sure I'll be up all night now :) 

Still feeling great, I am loving this way of eating...the simplicity, the way it makes me feel... all good things. 

Paleo Day Seven

Breakfast: Egg, chicken sausage, hashbrowns
Lunch: Salmon, green beans
Snack: almonds
Dinner: chopped salad

A week into paleo...I feel fantastic.  My skin looks great, my digestion is perfect, I have had NO heartburn or neck pain, and I'm down 5 pounds. 

More to come!

Paleo Day Six

Breakfast: Egg, Chicken & apple sausage, hashbrowns
Snack: strawberries, almonds
Lunch: Salmon, green beans
Dinner: Scallops, summer squash, carrots, haricot vert, roasted potato, paleo margarita :)

I felt great all day, and got in a pretty good workout before lunch. 

Paleo Day Five

I am finding this way of eating super easy.  I haven't been throwing away any produce gone bad, because I've been eating it all- normally if I had a 'processed' option to turn to if I was in a hurry, that produce would sit and 1/2 of it would get thrown out. 

Breakfast: egg, hashbrowns, black coffee
Lunch: chicken sausage, cauliflower, sweet potato
Snack: kiwi, almonds
Dinner: chopped salad

I feel fantastic, every day a bit better.  And, I haven't had a single bout of heartburn since starting paleo.  That is awesome. 

Paleo Day Four

Today I had just about the same menu as yesterday, due to what I had leftover...

Breakfast: Egg, hashbrowns, strawberries, grande americano
Lunch: Chicken sausage, sweet potato, green beans, olive oil
Snack: orange, almonds
Dinner: Chopped salad (chicken, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cauliflower, sprouts, sunflower seeds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.)

I felt REALLY good today, plenty of energy and very alert.  That fuzzy-brained feeling is starting to go away, which is nice.  I wanted to get in a workout, but I hurt my wrist somehow- feel like I should rehab it a little before I go crazy with the burpees :) 

Paleo Day Three or What A Difference A Day Makes!

I felt SO much better today.  I had enough energy to get in a quick workout before dinner.

Breakfast: Egg, hashbrowns, strawberries, grande americano
Lunch: Chicken sausage, sweet potato, green beans, olive oil
Snack: Strawberries, almonds
Dinner: Chopped salad (chicken, tomato, cucumber, carrot, cauliflower, sprouts, sunflower seeds, olive oil, balsamic vinegar.)

Onward!

Paleo Day Two, or I Must Be Insane

When I woke up this morning, I thought I would keel over from hunger. RAVENOUS. I didn’t feel better until about an hour after I ate breakfast.   

Breakfast: chicken sausage, hashbrowns with peppers, grande americano

Lunch: leftover steak, cauliflower, red peppers, green beans

Snack: tomatoes, cucumbers, ½ avocado, balsamic vinegar, little olive oil

Dinner: Chopped Salad (baby spring mix, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, tomato, clover sprouts, roasted chicken, sunflower seeds, balsamic vinegar, olive oil)

Mentally this morning I felt a bit fuzzy, around lunchtime I got hit with the “low carb flu.” This happens to some people who suddenly go low carb, and it feels…well…yucky. I am determined to power through.  Seriously, I'm struggling today.  Zero energy.

I'm so very sleepy today.  With that, I'm going to wind down and hit the sack.  :) 

Paleo Day One

Why did I decide to try Paleo? First, the concept of Paleo makes sense to me. I have always noticed feeling bloated and gross after eating things high in gluten or carbs, I like the idea of trying something for 30 days, because, well…it is only 30 days in the big scheme of things, and after the 30 days, I can make any needed adjustments. There is something to be said for listening to your body and tweaking your food intake to feel your absolute best. In what rule book does it say that in order to be healthy I MUST have a bowl of oatmeal every morning? I don’t even like oatmeal. (Unless it’s in oatmeal cookies, but that’s not very Paleo, either.)

Beyond that, I crave structure in my life. I function better as a whole when I have concrete, attainable goals in front of me. Complete 30 days of Paleo living= concrete, measurable, attainable.

Additionally, I have about 8 weeks until my next mud run, and I want to feel as good as possible.

Without further ado, Paleo, Day One:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, bowl of strawberries, Grande Americano(no cream-waaaaah!)

Lunch: Chicken & apple sausage, green beans, olive oil

Snack: cucumbers, tomatoes, ½ avocado with oil and vinegar, a few almonds

Dinner: Steak, cauliflower, red pepper

I felt good when I woke up this morning, I slept well last night and got up an hour earlier than normal since I had to be to work early. I got eight hours of sleep, but could have easily slept another hour. I ate breakfast at 6:15 am.

Around 10:45 I started to feel shaky, so I ate my lunch, felt better about an hour afterward.

I had my snack around 3 pm- I HEART avocado. 

Overall I feel decent today... a little "under-carbed" but that's obviously to be expected.  I'm sure I'll feel better and better over the course of the week. 

paleo paleo paleo

I just finished reading the Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf...  and I'm taking the challenge. 

Paleo, day -1:  I'm starting tomorrow, officially, but did eat a Paleo dinner this evening.  I'm committing to trying this for 30 days... I figure if I could stick to the Isagenix thing for 30 days, then CERTAINLY I can do Paleo for 30 days, because Paleo is ACTUAL FOOD.

I'll try to keep a good record of inches/weight changes, but mostly I want to see how my body reacts to this way of eating.  I shall be a guinea pig!!  I'm not a huge fan of cereal grains/beans/legumes.  I think what will prove a bit challenging is no dairy (I love lattes) and the bread/pasta combo.  I know those sit in my gut like a freaken gluten bomb, and I know I can get used to going without them, because I have before. 

So, an experiment in eating no dairy, no grain, no gluten, no processed foods.  I will keep you posted. 

a quick thanks to the heavens...

Everyone is napping...the house is completely silent, save for some pug snoring...  homemade turkey sausage and eggs for breakfast, and am about to go enjoy a bellini on the deck.  It's quiet and cool, I'm thinking about the week ahead and everything I want to accomplish. 

Week after next we're on vacation, and it is MUCH needed.  Work has been so busy.  But moments like right now allow me to reflect and relax, and think about all I'm thankful for.  I'm so thankful for my amazing fiance, our three funny, smart-mouthed kids that keep me laughing all the time... for my sweet animals, our home and all the love and laughter that we share... 

This is the life I always wanted.  This is the good life.  :) 

health and happiness

Two weeks ago, I returned from a trip to Vegas.  I went with my sister and we stayed at our brother's place.  I had an amazing time, but couldn't believe how run-down and TOXIC I felt when I got back.  And then my neck started feeling...weird.  I've always had pain in my neck from all the scar tissue, but this felt different.  Of course I started feeling my neck, and it felt weird.  Lumpy and strange.  Not good, given my propensity for hypochondria.  I made an appointment to get in to my PCP, but the week-long wait was HORRID.  I'm talking full blown nervous breakdown.  I couldn't sleep, and all I would do when I was alone is think the worst and cry. 

It's only scar tissue.  My bloodwork all came back perfect, with the exception of my crazy thyroid.  According to my doc, my thyroid labs make no sense at all.  The numbers are completely contradictory.  That explains the 'run-down' feeling...  I can't begin to tell you how relieved and thankful I feel. 

I have always known how loving and caring my sweet fiance is, but during this time of total mental breakdown, he couldn't have been more supportive.  I am so blessed to have him in my life. Oh yeah, that's right...I said 'fiance'  :)  We got engaged at the end of April and I couldn't be more excited.  What made it even more special for me is how excited the kids are.  I'm a stepmom!  And I'm blessed beyond measure. 

30 days down!!

I DID IT!!!!  I finished the 30 day Isagenix cleanse.  I gotta tell ya...at the beginning I thought I would NEVER be able to finish.  But here I am, pounds lighter, inches smaller, and feeling...quite honestly, the best I EVER have.  My fitness is at a level it has never been, and I have never been this healthy.  Feelin' good.  :) 

I would never have believed the difference it makes when you only put good things into your body...no alcohol, no sugar, no flour...  pretty amazing how your body will react when you feed it with lean protein, healthy carbs, and cut out the garbage.  I'm amazed.  That's all I can say.  Amazed.  I've cut out grains and things with a ton of gluten in them for the most part... not because I have some sort of adverse reaction, but because personally, my body just works better without them.  Tweaking my diet here and there has yielded great results.  What works for me doesn't work for some people...it's taken quite alot of experimentation to figure out what works.

Also, with regard to alcohol... I LOVE me some wine...LOVE it.  But starting the cleanse that made me completely cut it out was the best thing I have ever done.  It's not forever, I'm not going to be a teetotaler, but this is really working.  And I'm all about doing what works, and creating the kind of life that I want.

Feb 2012!

When I was a little girl, I thought we'd be traveling around in flying cars by 2012...  alas.  :) 

I haven't updated in while, so here goes... 

I'm about THISCLOSE to reaching some huge fitness goals, they're closer every day...  with the help of my trainer, I've blown through boundaries that seemed insurpassable.  I NEVER dreamed I would be in this kind of shape again, and that I would SO enjoy the journey.  Lynda has helped me understand what exactly to feed my body to get the best results, and that it's more about what you do OUT of the gym than in it.  I am into day 18 of a 30 day cleanse, another thing I never thought I'd make it through...  but here I am, in the home stretch.  In the last two weeks I think I've tightened up more than I have in months.  My skinny clothes are too big, and I feel better than ever.  I had side effects from cancer treatment that I thought would stay with me forever.  Some of them will, but Lynda has also helped me see that while I may have to work harder than some to reach my goals, they are right there for the taking.  Best. Decision. Ever.  :) 

Olive, Lenny, and Izzy are fat and happy as ever...  Olive and Len are hating being on a doggie diet, but it's helped Olive immensely with her mobility.  She's got her 'hops' back :)  Izzy is getting old and struggles a little with equilibrium, but she's a happy girl. 

Scott and the kids are well... Nate just turned THIRTEEN...  I can't believe this.  Teenagers everywhere.  :)  They are such good kiddos, and make me laugh 'til I cry.    Scott and I are going to turn the basement into a gym, once we get the area cleared out.  Isn't it amazing how much STUFF one can accumulate?  I'm all about paring down.  We were talking the other day about how being in great shape makes you want to do everything in your life better...  and we are.  Everything is in order, I just had an awesome review at work, and I've got my eye on some fun fitness goals this year.  No stopping.  :) 

Love you all-  XOXO
Ally