Let’s Get Ready!

Today is day ZERO!!! of my Whole30!  Let’s get this shit done!

The Whole30 website is such a GREAT tool 🙂  They have even provided a wonderful shopping list.  This makes the dreaded trip to the grocery store a little bit more tolerable.

http://whole30.com/2013/07/whole30-meal-plans/

Since it is day Zero I decided to go shopping when I got off work- DONE!  Now, I need to think about the week ahead and do some serious planning.  My life is so crazy and I feel like I am pulled in so many different directions.  That is the problem statement, so, what is my solution statement… Make a life budget!  What is a life budget you ask?  Well, simply put I have categorized what the different areas of my life are and then listed my responsibilities/ what I would like to do but don’t always do.  With this new found information I am going to divide my time amongst the different categories.  Some of you right now are saying “that is insane” or “that is just over the top”- well, let me ask you something, do you ever feel like you are overwhelmed? not enough hours in the day?  Or, do you ever feel like you neglect aspects in your life because “you’ll get to it” and never do?  If not, try having my life for a week: Cancer; college; full-time job; house to run; family; friends; me time; health other than cancer.  The list could just keep going.  These are the reasons I need to budget my time 🙂

Part of my life budget is health other than cancer.  What does this mean?  This means all of the other things I do to be healthy that will effect the cancer (hopefully) in a positive way, but, that are not prescribed by the Dr.  So, exercising; yoga; Whole30; meal planning; blogging; research; etc… My Whole30 is the main portion of this category.  What is my plan/budget so that I feel like I am accomplishing everything in this category without neglecting other areas?  That’s the question.  I’m not 100% there yet.  I think I have the 1st step down- acknowledge the problem lol

What are some keys to success for the Whole30?

Meal Planning ~ this is a tough one for me for some reason.  I don’t like to cook via recipies I have found because it takes to much time, thought, and effort.

Preparation ~ This should be simple enough and I think it will save my kitchen from being a disaster zone all the time.  I think I will use my food processor to chop up a variety of different veggies and put them in designated containers in the fridge.  The Whole30 shopping list will be a HUGE help because I can just circle what I want to get and go get it.  No more forgetting things I wanted.  Side bonus, I can just hand my boyfriend the list and say please go get this for me 🙂

Motivation ~ I think that the visual results and physical results will be a big help here.  Hopefully there is a significant difference in how I feel too!

Support ~ I have such an awesome group of family and friends that are supporting me through this that I just feel so blessed.  A couple of them are even partaking in the Whole30 with me 🙂  I am one lucky girl!

Wish me Luck!

What is the Whole30?

Info strait from their website 🙂

http://whole30.com/step-one/

4 Days of Wild Non-Paleo!

Hello All,

So, I took the 22nd through the 25th as free for all days!  Oh the glorious poison I poured down my throat into my waiting stomach!  I dove into the proverbial troff head first!  I swam in the oozing apple pie and ice cream, homemade scalloped potatoes, Dairy Queen chicken strips and french fries, chips, dips, CHEESE, and of course I jumped right for the Taco Time Mexie Fries (aka tater tots).  And then Oh the pain!  I knew it was coming and I am still glad that I did it, because, it told me a lot about my body.  What did it tell me you ask?  Well, I will fill you in!  I found that I hadn’t noticed that I was NOT having hot flashes until they came back FULL force.  I felt like I was one big burning ball of hot flashes yesterday and today.  Something else I learned was that bad food = GAS!  Oh No!  My poor boyfriend- my stomach was hurting last night and it was hard and bloated 😦  Don’t worry I saved my family and took a GasX.  I noticed that I was a lot more irritable than I have been and the spotting that had stopped started again.  It amazes me how fast my body reacted to this experiment.

Needless to say, Christmas was a blast!  I spent the day with my family and enjoyed every minute of it 🙂  I am so thankful for the support I have been getting from them!

As of today, I am officially back on the paleo train 🙂  The only difference between the experiment and now is that I am still drinking wine- YAY!!!  I start my Whole30 on the 1st and I am trying to mentally gear myself up for it.  The aren’t many differences between the Whole30 and what I am doing, but, those differences are HUGE!  No drinking, No smoking (this is the big one for me), no sweeteners fake and real (no honey, maple syrup, stevia), and I am sure there are more.  I am still reading my book- It Starts With Food- which outlines the whole ordeal and why it’s so important.  This book is fantastic!  If you are considering taking a swing at the Whole30 I recommend getting this book.

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER!!!!  God is amazing!  Thank God for the very life you have and appreciate where you are and where you have been.  Use that knowledge to allow God to take you to the place He wants you to be.

Day 22

Hello All,

So, today was a pretty shity day in the fact that I just felt like shit.  I actually thought I was going to have to leave work and come home.  Another thought was that maybe I had thought I took my 5 am meds but didn’t actually take them.  I stuck it out at work and when I got home I had indeed taken my pills.  I have no idea what the hell was wrong with me today.  I am super, super, tired right now.  It probably doesn’t help that we went to dinner at the Outback!  I ate my weight in bread and loaded baked potato.  I am not excited to see how I feel tomorrow but I am interested.  We will see.

On another note, I am excited to announce that I weighed in and did my measurements today… I lost 12 LBS and 14 1/2″ total!!!!  That’s HUGE!  I do feel like my 1 meal tonight made me gain it all back.  It’s crazy how fat I feel after just one meal- and I had prime rib, bread, a side salad, and a loaded baked potato.

Energy- very low

Mood- ok but a bit irritable now

Mental Clarity- low

I have had some anxiety issues in the mornings and today I felt more anxiety than normal.  Along with a weird sensation throughout.

Overall, today was good in a lot of aspects but I felt like shit, so, it wasn’t a good day to me.

As Always- FUCK YOU CANCER!  God I ask You to heal my mind, body, and soul.

DAY 22 WEIGH IN!

Final Day! 21 :)

Hello All,

I have made it to day 21!  YAY me 🙂  It has not been as difficult as I had thought it would be.  I think my Whole30 will be a lot more difficult because there is absolutely no alcohol, sugar/ sweeteners (real and fake), no smoking, and 100% paleo.  It will be interesting.  I asked my boyfriend for moral support with not smoking and his response was “I’ll try but I don’t want you to get mad at me.”  He’s so cute.  I said tough love!

So, today was a shity day because my car died on the way to work.  It’s Sunday so the shop isn’t open.  I had it towed to the dealership and I hope they can fix it fast.  I have had a lot of issues with this car and it’s only a 2010 with 70k miles.  I take great care of my car and it irritates me that shit keeps happening.  I tried to make the best of my day, so, I ended up making my very first homemade handbag.  It turned out wonderful!  This will be a nice Christmas gift for a good friend of mine.

I felt stressed and tired today.  Not much in the way of being mentally foggy today- YAY!  My energy was pretty low and I did not drink nearly enough water.  I made homemade paleo chili today and it turned out great.  My boyfriend is still onboard with the whole paleo thing so I baked some chicken for tomorrows lunch and dinner.  He has not tried the BP coffee, but, I think if he did he would notice a difference in energy and fullness.

As for our date night tomorrow, I think we will not go to The Olive Garden but instead maybe The Outback or The Ram.  Steak is better than a plate of pasta.  I think I will continue the paleo thing through the end of the month, but, maybe not as strict about it.  I don’t want to feel like death warmed over.

Reflection on the passed 21 day experiment:

The first week was difficult because I felt like shit.  The second week got better but not great.  I think week 3 has been the best of the weeks.  This shows me that each week has made a difference.  Originally when I started this I posted some rules or guidelines for a Primal lifestyle- well, I didn’t stick to most of that.  Held strong in the eating, no drinking (not that it’s not allowed I just cut it out for myself), and taking measurements before and soon to be after.  I did not run full out 1x per week or do yoga at all.  I just didn’t have the energy the first 2 weeks and this week I just didn’t do it.  I know I could have this week but for whatever reason I didn’t.  2 huge things to mention are the facts that my skin is super soft and the spotting that has been happening since June 2nd has stopped!

I am very interested to see what my measurements reveal tomorrow!

Energy- low to moderate- not enough water and high stress

Mood- stressed, not as irritable as I would have thought

Mental clarity- I don’t think I was super foggy, it’s hard to tell when I am alone with nothing pressing to do

Overall, today was stressful but I got through it and my 21 days are almost over!  Tomorrow is a new day 🙂

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER! God works in ways I don’t always understand at first but I have faith that God’s plan will come to light and is always good.

Oh My Day 20 DOWN!

Hello All,

It’s the end of day 20 already!  I have had more energy- I came home made dinner and worked on organizing my office/ library/ art room.  I am a freaking Rock Star 🙂

Today was a super slow day at work.  We had clients asking for the weirdest items.  One person wanted a butler statue holding a serving tray.  We are interior designers LOL!  I have to give them credit for trying every avenue.

I am not finished with my Christmas presents as of yet- Ahhhhh!  I only have a few days left, but, I can do it 🙂

Tomorrow is my last day on this experiment and my boyfriend and I are supposed to be going on a date to the Olive Garden on Monday.  Now I am wondering if this is a good idea.  On Tuesday my friend is making homemade mac n’ cheese for a Christmas lunch- most definitely NOT paleo.  Then on Wednesday we have another Christmas party at another friends house followed by Christmas at my boyfriends brother and sister-in-laws house.  I know I have the choice to partake in the devilish goodness that is also known as crap filled non-paleo food.  I have the choice of what goes into my system.  The question is: do I want to partake and see what happens OR do I want to just keep this going?  We shall see.

I did feel pretty foggy today and low motivation.  I need to get my head together and get some shit done!  I did get a lot of work done a big project for a client that is coming tomorrow- not enough!  I am going to have to go in early tomorrow and get some shit done.  I really like these clients and I want to make sure I give them the best possible design solution for their space. I had my  BP coffee, then as a snack I munched on some of the leftover lamb roast and some cherry tomatoes, finally for dinner I made lemon almond crusted salmon with mashed sweet potatoes that were topped with melted ghee- freaking amazing!

Energy- pretty good

Mood- good

Mental Clarity- foggy most of the day

Overall, I think with each week that has passed I have lost some inches and weight, gained some energy, and stuck to it! I am proud of myself for getting it done 🙂  I am pretty excited to see what my final weigh in results show on Monday.  We shall see.

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER!  God I ask for strength, knowledge, understanding, energy, and motivation.

Day 19!

Hello All,

So, day 19 is coming to an end 🙂

Today was an ok day.  I went to the post office and mailed out my Christmas gifts- finally!  It took a freaking hour in line to get it done, but, I did it.  I was in between 2 women who loved to talk- grrrr!  I am a happy introvert and I want to keep it that way.  For those of you who think introverts are weird or antisocial… you’re wrong.  I am not antisocial but I would rather spend my time with people I love 🙂

I waited too long to eat and that ended up making me super tired and a bit foggy.  When I did eat I made some baked lemon pepper chicken with a side salad.  In a previous post I discussed my attempt at making paleo “ranch” dressing.  This didn’t turn out so yummy 😦  It’s a work in progress.  I think I am just going to stick to delicious foods that don’t try to pretend to be unhealthy foods.

Overall, today was productive in the fact that I mailed out my Christmas gifts and attempted to make a salad dressing, but, other than that I was not super productive.  I had some work I needed to get down but I put it off and now it’s too late.  I have a 9 am morning meeting tomorrow… ugh!  It’s time for me to get some rest.

Energy- good then bad because I waited to long to eat- got better once I did eat

Mood- good

Mental Clarity- good then low

Tomorrow is another day 🙂  A few things to note: I have not been spotting all week!!  This is HUGE considering I haven’t stopped since June 2nd; my skin feels super soft- this is also a big deal because I have had dry skin my entire life; my boyfriend has already lost weight and his pants are super lose.

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER!  God I ask for internal motivation to do what I need to do.

My Attempt at Paleo eggless ranch dressing…

So, I tried this recipe tonight and it turned out super watery.  Maybe this is because I used homemade coconut milk?  I wonder if the canned stuff with the added Guar Gum makes it thick like regular dressing.  I added arrowroot powder to thicken it… but, I didn’t think that arrowroot powder needed to be heated up to make it thicken.  It wasn’t working so I slapped it a pot and heated it over medium heat.  I apparently had added WAY to much arrowroot powder because it became gooey and not liquidy at all.  I tried adding some olive oil- didn’t really work.  I tried cold water and that seemed to help a lot.  My opinion of this “ranch” is that it is ok in taste, not great, and it is most definitely NOT ranch!  I am reminded once again why I have decided not to try to re-create non-paleo eats- it doesn’t work!

http://www.grassfedgirl.com/dairy-free-ranch-dressing-recipe-paleo-low-carb-gluten-free/

Dairy Free Ranch Dressing Recipe (Paleo, Low Carb, Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut milk (I like this one) (full fat, canned)
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon dried dill
1 tbsp gluten free mustard
1 tsp paprika

Always use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Directions:

Add everything to a bowl and stir until well combined.

Serve with your favorite veggies or salad.

This dressing lasts one week in the fridge.

Day 18 Over!

Hello All,

3 more days!  That’s crazy!

I have had great energy today, ok mood, and pretty clear mind.  Overall, great day!

I slept in until 9:30 am and that rarely ever is even possible.  I cleaned the house, made a leg of lamb with veggies, and worked on my Christmas presents.  Very productive day.  I had nice consistent flow of energy- didn’t seem to spike or drop.  I still have some shit to do to get these gifts finished and some of them shipped out.  I don’t want to describe them because some of my readers/ followers are getting said gifts- but, I will say they fucking rock and if you are getting one you should feel loved 🙂

I sauteed up some chicken tenders with lemon zest, salt, and pepper for lunch… Awesome!  My boyfriend is still on board the paleo boat.  I must say, I am shocked!

Our Dinner: Leg of Lamb and Veggies

Leg of lamb with cauliflower, carrots, and sweet potatoes!  Amazing!

I will post another page with the info on the recipe I used as my motivation later 🙂

   I used the pan drippings to make a yummy gravy.

Energy- pretty dang good 🙂

Mood- pretty good but got a bit moody towards the end of the day

Mental Clarity- not bad, it’s hard to notice when I don’t have to interact with others

Overall, today was an awesome day 🙂  Let’s see what tomorrow brings!  Oh, and the probiotics seem to be working!  Yay me!

As always, FUCK YOU CANCER!  I ask God for guidance in the decisions I need to make soon.  God Bless 🙂

Homemade Ghee DIY

Melt some organic butter from grass fed cows

First foam- the foam on top is actually milk solids. The milk solids go to the bottom and turn brown.

The first foam goes away.

When the second foam forms the Ghee is finished!

This is the crap that’s left in the bottom of the pan- Yuck!

And this is what is left in the cloth!

The whole process takes about 10 minutes and it doesn’t have to be refrigerated when done!  Enjoy 🙂

What is Ghee?

Ghee is soooo easy to make and fabulous 🙂  Take a look at what livestrong.com has to say about this wonderful stuff!

http://www.livestrong.com/article/435588-is-ghee-healthier-than-butter/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/470598-is-ghee-healthy/

 

Day 17!

Hello All,

I can’t believe it has been 17 days already.  I felt a bit foggy and non-productive today.  It was a super slow day at work and I think that is a huge factor in my productivity levels.  I get a bit lethargic when it’s slow.

I have had a bit of the runs the passed few days and today was the worst.  I had my boyfriend pickup some natural probiotics for me, so, that should help.  I know my body is still detoxing but I want to level everything out.  I have not been taking my multi vitamin because I get nauseous if I don’t eat enough when I take them.  I need to figure something out since I am grazing during the day and not eating an actual meal.

I had a fairly even amount of energy but the lack of activity just made me a bit lazy.  I don’t feel like it was a lack of energy just a lack of motivation.

My boyfriend seems to still be onboard with everything- awesome!  He’s not 100% with it.  Where I read the labels on everything he is just getting his feet wet with the whole idea.  I am getting pretty excited about my Whole30 next month.  I have been reading my new book and it is super fascinating.  I will sit down and discuss it further when I get deeper into it.  I have noticed my clothes fitting a little bit loser and some coworkers have mentioned that I look like I have lost weight.  I don’t like saying I lost weight because I have no plans of finding it again.

Energy- ok, moderate

Mood- good, no noticeable  irritation

Mental Clarity- good in the morning and early afternoon, got foggy mid-day

Overall, it was an ok day.  Nothing to exciting to post.  I am trucking along and looking forward to my final weigh in.

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER!!!  God gives me courage during the most difficult times.

Day 16 Down!

Hello All,

Today was a great day until I went to leave my clients house, took a wrong turn, and ended up on a random freeway.  I have severe anxiety about driving on the freeway and I totally had a full-blown panic attack!  Suck city 😦  I am home safe and well fed now- I am a happy panda now.

I had great energy today, good mood, but still a bit foggy.  I know that part of the fogginess I feel is from the thyroid meds but I am hoping this experiment helps.

I grazed today on baby carrots and cherry tomatoes.  On the way home I stopped at the grocery store and picked up some provisions for the next few days.  I got some wild caught salmon and baked it with lemon, pepper, and kosher salt- fabulous!  On the side I sautéed some cauliflower and brussels sprouts in ghee, lemon zest, lemon juice, coconut oil, salt, and pepper.  My boyfriend actually ate it all!  Never in my life did I think this would happen.  I asked him if he is still planning on continuing to eat paleo.  His response “well, I either eat 100% junk food or I eat 100% paleo.  There’s no in-between because that’s when I feel like shit.”  What an interesting response.  I don’t want to push him to eat paleo.  It needs to be his own choice.  I did tell him, however, that I would be making dinners pale style so if he doesn’t want to eat this way he will have to figure it out on his own.  I hope he continues but we shall see.

I ate some baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, watermelon chunks, a couple dried turkish apricots, and my salmon dinner today.  I am satisfied with what I ate and how I feel 🙂 Bonus!  I haven’t felt like I have been missing out on anything really, so, that’s good news.  We did decide to go on a date on the 22nd, I have a luncheon on the 23rd, and then Christmas on the 25th.  I think these are the 3 days I will allow myself to eat non-paleo.  It will be interesting to see how I feel before, during, and after these 3 days.  I will keep you posted.

Energy- good, parts of the day great

Mood- good

Mental clarity- foggy here and there but overall pretty good

Overall, other than the shit on the freeway today was a great day.  I am so pleased with myself that I have been staying paleo even when I am stressed, hungry, and at the grocery store!  Now that is willpower.

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER!!!  God gets me through the toughest times, I am so thankful for this and for His Grace.

Day 15!

Hello All,

It is the end of day 15!  YAY!

The most interesting thing has happened to my boyfriend.  He has been inadvertently eating paleo because that is what I buy and cook.  He does not eat fruits and veggies and he does not cook.  He eats 2 string cheese’s everyday for lunch and sometimes, if I make it, he has a sandwich.  I make dinner every night and that’s what he eats.  So, since I started this experiment he has been also eating this way.  I added in a post the other day about him eating teriyaki and feeling like shit afterwards.  Well, he went up North on Saturday and ate Greek pizza and a chocolate milk shake.  He didn’t get home until well after I was fast asleep.  The next day (yesterday) he ate some Taco Time.  Last night was the first night we had to really talk since the pizza on Saturday and yesterdays tacos.  He said “I think my new vitamins are messing me up.”  I responded with “how long have you been taking them?”  He told me he had been using these new vitamins for about a month or so.  I said “I doubt it has taken you thins long to have a reaction to your vitamins.  Have you thought about how you have been eating and now when you eat shitty you feel shitty and like you are coming down with the flu?”  That was an appiphony moment for him.  He has now decided that he is going to have to eat better to feel better.  I am shocked!  This is super awesome 🙂  I am excited that my experiment affected someone else.  Fascinating!

Today was a good day.  I wasn’t overly tired, my mood was good, but I did feel foggy.  I had more energy today than I have had thus far- bonus!  I had my BP coffee this morning and I have been using organic maple syrup to sweeten it- MMMMM! I grazed again today on veggies and blueberries and I did have a the last little bit of the bacon, chicken, coconut concoction. When I got home I thought the chicken I had in the fridge wasn’t do to expire until tomorrow- I was wrong 😦  I opened it and it smelled a little funky… well, that’s because it expired 2 days ago.  Grrrr!  Money wasted!  Oh well.  So, instead I roasted some cauliflower in some Ghee (lactose free butter) and seasoned it with garlic, salt, and pepper.  Then I sauteed some bell peppers and onions and mixed that in some grass fed ground beef.  I made beef patties with it and it was fabulous 🙂  My boyfriend actually ate cauliflower!  Another shocker!  AND he liked it!  I also had a little side salad with mine.  I added a little dash of dill to the salad and that changed the whole dynamic of it.

I am pretty positive I am going to do a Whole30 starting on Jan 1st.  I am still mentally preparing myself for it.  It requires no drinking or smoking for 30 days on top of the paleo lifestyle.  I am a smoker- I know I smoke with cancer.  Get over it!  Trust me if you smoked and then were told you had cancer that wasn’t caused from smoking and you had probably had the cancer for 15+ years you would probably have trouble quitting too.  Just saying.  I need to stop and I think I am almost ready.  It is such a mental battle.  Never in my life had I ever thought I would smoke- much less be in this predicament.  Some of you out there didn’t know I smoked because I tend to hide it.  Well, this blog is all about me being open and honest, so, there you go- I’m being honest.

I am debating on even stopping my experiment on the 22nd and then starting the Whole30 on the 1st.  After what my boyfriend has experienced I don’t think I want to put myself through that.  I might give myself Tuesday the 23rd for my friends Christmas lunch, and the 25th for Christmas.  I am still debating.

Energy- Good, higher than it has been

Mood- good, easy going

Mental Clarity- good in the morning but early to mid-afternoon I got foggy.

Overall, today was a pretty good day.  I had a great day at work, had lots of laughs, energy was good, and my boyfriend has decided to go paleo with me.  Good day 🙂

As always- FUCK YOU CANCER!  I ask God for guidance, strength, and courage through this journey.

Day 14 Down!!

Hello All,

So, today is the official 2 week mark!  I am excited that I have made it 2 weeks without any slips 🙂

Today was a pretty good day.  My energy levels seemed pretty normal and my mood was good.  i was a bit foggy at the end of the day but all and all it was a good day.

I had my BP coffee at about 8:30 am and then grazed on some veggies and black olives though out the day- starting at about 11:30 am.  Veggies included: cherry tomatoes; baby carrots; and I think that’s about it.  I brought other veggies to work but they weren’t cut up and I didn’t have time between clients to do it.  I also, ate some fresh blueberries through out the day.

We had left overs from last night- bacon, chicken, spaghetti squash, and homemade coconut milk- delicious 🙂  And my boyfriend loved it- bonus!

I am finding that I have bought too much food and now it is starting to go bad.  Eating like this has made me eat less which means I need to buy less.  But, when I am at the grocery store that idea seems to go out of my mind.

Yesterday and today I did not drink enough water and tea- not nearly enough water.  My regular water bottle needs a good soapy soap and I just haven’t done it yet.  This, I now know, is one culprit in my problem with lower water consumption.  Problem will be faced and fixed tomorrow!

I purchased a kindle book today-

 I am super excited to start reading this!  It goes into the science behind food and why some foods are paleo and others aren’t.  This will aid in my research.  I will discuss my readings as I go through the book.

On another note, I am a bit irritated with myself.  Last month I signed up for Amazon Primes 1 month free membership.  I haven’t found it useful and I haven’t been using it… But I forgot to cancel it!  So, I got charged the $99 for the full year 😦  I had better start using it.  The thing with us is that we don’t have cable.  We just have Netflix and a Roku box- both of which rarely get used.  We just don’t care to watch TV and movies the way we once did.  So, now what am I supped to do with this membership?  We shall see.

A website that I really seem to be liking at the moment is:

http://stupideasypaleo.com/

Check it out!  I think you’ll like her humor and recipes.

Energy- moderate- pretty normal

Mood- pretty good

Mental clarity- pretty good most of the day up until I had about 2 hours left of work.  Seems just ok now.

Overall, today was a great day.  I felt productive and focused on the goal at hand while at work.  I didn’t drink enough water but tomorrow is a new day.  Yes, I could drink a bunch of water now but that will just make me get up and down all night to pee.  I also decided to research how to make homemade coconut oil- this shall be my next adventure in the kitchen.  Should be interesting- wish me luck!

As always, FUCK YOU CANCER!  I ask God for guidance in my walk and to show me the path He wants me on.

Day 13

Hello All,

Wow, it’s already day 13.  I only have a week and 1 day left!  It doesn’t seem long enough.  I feel like I have just started to get the hang of this process.  I am getting pretty good at cooking dinners without a recipe or plan of action.  This approach works best for me because I don’t have to put too much thought and effort into it.

Tonight I was all alone for dinner and my evening- which never happens.  My boyfriend spent the day up North with a longtime family friend which left me to figure out what I was going to do with my night.  The interesting part of this is the fact that even though he isn’t doing this challenge with me he still eats what I make every night.  So, every night when I make dinner I take his likes into consideration and tonight I could make whatever I wanted.  I wanted sushi!  I wanted it soooo bad!  But, I just didn’t have it in me to make sub-par sushi.  This would just leave me wanting the real thing even more than I already did.  Whole30 is 100% correct in saying that when you make paleo foods to mimic non-paleo foods it just leaves you disappointed and unsatisfied.  The most curious part of my evening was the desire to fall off the paleo wagon and just partake in the wondrous raw fish, soy sauce, and wasabi- but, I did NOT do it 🙂  Instead I made homemade coconut milk for the first time ever.  Which turned out super awesome.  I used that coconut milk to make a bacon, chicken, Italian seasoned, and spaghetti squash concoction that was fabulous.

Today I had my BP coffee at about 7:45am and then grazed on some veggies, kiwi, and blueberries throughout the day.  I felt like I had pretty normal energy today- AWESOME!  I don’t recall feeling like I was in a fog- bonus!  I did however feel sick this morning on the way to work but I got over it.  I get sick to my stomach a lot of mornings- don’t worry no baby!  I bring this up because I found out today from someone in my support group that this is a side-effect of the levels of medication I am on.  A lot of people in the group are actually having the same issue.  I get excited when I find out I am not the only one going through something.

Overall, it was a good day.  I felt more productive than I have been feeling- I just didn’t know what to do with myself when I got home.  Another thing to note is the fact that I don’t find myself thinking about all the crappy food as much.  I thought about sushi today because that is my ritual when I have an evening alone- no boyfriend = sushi!

Energy- normal which is good 🙂

Mood- grumpy most of the morning and easily irritated- sorry to my co-workers!

Mental Clarity- not bad, I don’t recall being super foggy or being super clear

Tomorrow is a new day and the mark of 2/3’s down!

As always, FUCK YOU CANCER!!!!!!!  God is the spark inside that keeps me going.  He has many forms and is everywhere we just need to open our hearts and minds to let Him in!