What a difference a day makes!

06/11/15 9:05 AM

Well, today, despite the fact that I have only had 5-6 hours of sleep per night for the past four nights,  I am really feeling good!  Yesterday I was back to eating compliant whole30 all day and Wow - what a difference a day makes. I feel lighter today, clearer, and tired but yet with energy. I am hopeful and motivated!  Good stuff!

I have been missing my home made mayo.  Last night I made a double batch!  I am so excited! I had some with my pork this morning for breakfast.

Let me tell you about a little something I have been trying this week.  Before I tell you I have to give you a little background story.  I used to be a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant.  I loved the training we received.  It was so applicable to life.  One of the things I love but could never really grasp was listing the 6 most important things to get done each day.  I couldn't grasp it  because I could not get past the thought of their only being 6.  I have WAY more than 6 things to get done in a day.  Last week I read an article about things you must do each day to be less stressed or more productive or something like that.  Several of the items on the list I already do.  However, one of them was to list 6 things you want to get done for the day.  Hmmmm.  I decided to give it a whirl.  I have done it for 3 days this week - focusing on things I need to get done around the house.  I have told myself I have to have the list done before I can sit down to do homework.  I hate doing homework when I know there is house stuff that needs to be done - it's very distracting.  By doing this little list I am not distracted when I sit down to do my homework.  In 3 short days I can already see an improvement in the overall cleanliness of my house (remember - I am housekeeperless right now :-(  ) I am pretty excited about the results.  So I have no reason to not continue!

Share with me any strategies you have to have a more productive day!

D. J.

Stumbling Through...

06/10/15 8:55 AM

Good Morning Friends.  I have to admit over the past few days I have had moments of feeling lost.  This part of the journey - "after Whole30" is about finding your own way with your new knowledge obtained over the past how many ever days you did your Whole30.  I am stumbling through things to try and I have yet to find anything that I would add back in.  I don't think this is a bad thing, but I certainly didn't expect it.  I am thinking I found false enjoyment in food previous to this.  I think I wanted the food to taste and be glorious, I believed it, and in the process I experienced things that were not real.  For example: I love love love home made french fries...or at least I thought I did.  We went to a restaurant last night that has these amazing home made fries.  I ate one and even said - Wow, those are good!  The taste was good.  Better than I remember ever before.  Like I actually tasted it.  BUT it wasn't so awesome that I wanted another one.  I also think I am in disbelief...can I really be satisfied with eating more wholesome long term?  I already know I can, I have done it for 60 days and loved it....so why the disbelief?

I have also stumbled with being prepared and planned.  I have literally slacked WAY off in this arena which I know is causing unnecessary frustration.  Not preparing ahead of time and planning is just asking for stress.  The perks to being planned and prepared are phenomenal and it's not as hard as one would think.  You just have to live each day on purpose!  Do what you need to do!

I miss logging my food each day.  I think I am hard wired for list making and tracking.  So, I may start doing that again in a more abbreviated way.  Either on here on or my fitbit dashboard.  Thoughts?

Even in my stumbling, I am focused on completing the changes and, as I mentioned yesterday, adding to these lifestyle improvements.  I will move forward in achieving health.  I have not intention of allowing satan to bind me back up to a food addiction and weight problem.  I am an overcomer - that's what the bible says!

D. J.

A new lifestyle it is!

06/09/15 8:16 AM

Today is the 5th day off of Whole30.  Truth?  I miss the discipline of it.  I am not a fan of how the non Whole30 foods make my stomach feel and I have had headaches.  A couple of times I have deviated quite a ways off the Whole30 track - like having pizza.  Most of the time its just little stuff - like we smoked some meat that had a rub on it, the rub had sugar in it.  I had store bought mayo last night - it so was not enjoyable.  Here is my dilemma that I am about to just get over.  I hate feeling like I am making it hard for others when we have family meals because my food is different or I have different needs/preferences.  I simply need to learn to stick to my guns and eat the way that I choose to eat!  I need to be prepared at every juncture.  I could use this dilemma as an excuse to not continue this life style but I am here to tell you - you just don't feel as good!  I like feeling good.  I also like the weight coming off rather effortlessly.  This is my new lifestyle.  I will do my best to perfect it.  To live it!

There are a few other things I need to focus on as I begin to live and expand this new lifestyle.  Water intake, weight bearing exercise, I want to get back into jogging/running regularly, getting enough sleep, being prepared, planning ahead and just overall being organized about life.  This seems like a lot, I know.  But I have never been more ready and more confident that I will be able to implement all these changes over time and change my life even more for the positive.  Inevitably these positive changes will affect my family and others!  Come to think about it, the positive affect on my family should out weigh any negative affects....like feeling like I am inconveniencing them to make sure we have food that I will eat.

Going forward I want to continue to blog too.  But I am not sure what I want to blog about.  I was to continue to keep you involved in this lifestyle change.  But that's not what I am all about.  I think I need to share more.  I had to create a webpage for myself for a class I am taking.  I think I will try to incorporate the use of it too.  I am thinking about sharing recipes.  I will be in prayer over it - I really want God to use this as a way to glorify Him.  He has blessed me abundantly.  I haven't deserved it, but that's just how God is.  Even better, He will do the same for any one of his children.  Believe it!  It's true!

That's all for today friends!

Love ya!

D. J.

The Day After....

9:38 PM the day after....I ventured out, I tested, I nibbled...I now have a head ache and I don't think I have ever been so bloated in my life! I think Iay be sick , like vomit sick! Even worse than how I feel - none of my non compliant choices tasted even the least bit awesome! I can't wait to get back on the band wagon tomorrow! Ick! Ugh! Stupid stupid stupid!! 

The upside - 24.4 pounds gone in 60 days. Another realization - I really appreciate the taste and satisfaction of good wholesome food! My final realization - reintroduction should really be more calculated and planned. I chose to not "deal" with it today as we had a large family yard sale, lots if chaos, meal time was ridiculous.  Truth be told though - I would have felt so much better just sticking with it, both physically and emotionally.  

The past 60 days have been an eye opening journey...today was a skillet being whapped up side of your head kinda day!

I am some what disappointed in myself yet proud because it is very evident to me what I need to do and I am willingly going to do so!

My blogs will not be daily going forward unless time allows. But don't you worry I will be checking in.

Thanks for taking my journey with me!

Whole30 - DAY 60 DAY 60 DAY 60!!!!

8:10 AM Well, here I am...DAY 60!!  I feel AMAZING.  I feel in control!  I feel hopeful about a healthy and active life! I am so proud of myself.  My confidence and belief in myself is abundant!  I have said it before but I will say it again!  I AM FREE!  Free of being controlled by food, by cravings for food, be emotions affected by food.

This is only the beginning!  I will continue the Whole 30 course, a little less restrictive, but most days will be Whole30.  I will be getting serious about some distance running again.  I will be making progress on clutter and changes in my house.  I will be making changes and improvements to how we take care of our finances.  I am already changing how I focus on time with Brandy and my family.  I am also changing how I approach and work through my college classes.  Whole30 has opened my eyes to the possibility of change and fired up my desire to make changes to improve our quality of life.

Last night - due to my tempermental internet - I went to bed and was asleep shortly after 10:00.  Aside from a dog barking part of the night, I got a very good nights sleep.  This morning I rolled out of bed at 6:20...again...on the way out the door to work I had my handy dandy coconut oil coffee and a slice of turkey lunch meat.

Summer is our busiest time in our offices and it has certainly kicked in this week.  I really do love my job even though summer is CRAZY!  I appreciate our 4  - 10 hour days as I feel like I have calm before I get started and calm before I go home.  It helps.  Having Friday off certainly helps too!  That being said - it's time for me to get to work.

Later....

Day 59 - Whole30 - almost there!

10:29 AM.  Good morning folks!   This morning I was out of bed by 6:20 and I was focused on not wasting any time...I didn't even make my bed (I just realized that as I was typing)!  And still I was eating my turkey slices in the car at 7:30...That was my goal time to be at work.  Taking time to fix your hair and do all your make up must be rather time consuming...but I think it is worth it.  So I think it's time to really put effort into getting out of bed earlier again.  I am thinking I need to skip the 5 minutes earlier goal and just jump to 6:00 - period end of story!  Seriously work that for like 2 - 3 weeks and then shoot for 5:45.  Ultimately I would like to be one of those people who is up around 5:00 or 5:30!

Okay - so I grabbed 2 turkey slices, and coffee with coconut oil and ran out the door.  I ate about 1 and 1/3 of the 2 slices of turkey.  Today I am trying to survive on only 2 cups of coffee.  It's not hard, just weird.

It's already proving to be a busy fast paced day so I must get back to it!  I will blog again, hopefully, before midnight!

9:57PM really busy intense day! My internet is not working well so I can't do homework! I will not stress about it rather I am going to go to bed and get some sleep!

I can home for lunch and had leftover pork and a quickly made slaw. I didn't eat dinner until almost 9:00. I had leftover steak, hamburger mixed with pico. I also had a grapefruit and man was it good!

Hoping for a stronger morning tomorrow - my last day of this commited Whole30! I am excited about moving forward in this new lifestyle!! It has truly been a life changing journey! Praise The Lord!!

I hear my bed calling!! 

Night night!

Day 58 - Whole30 - this could be a long post!

9:31AM This is already an incredible day.  I had less than 6 hours of sleep last night.  I am a bit tired but I feel fantastic!  I feel confident and hopeful.  I feel strong.  I wonder is this is the "Tigers Blood" the Whole30 books talk about.  I wish I were better at expressing myself right now.

In my car this morning I was thinking about this little journey.  I thought about how much I have prayed to be released from the bondage of weight...and now I realize from food as well.  I consider this Whole30 a gift, an answer to prayer.  I don't believe it has been given to me to use temporarily and then set it aside.  It's not a quick fix even if the results have been amazing in just 60 days.  I truly believe this was given to me to live as a lifestyle. I don't think we are given many blessings that are intended to be set aside after the initial wow factor of the blessing.  I think by nature we don't realize the significance of the blessing and so we discard it.   I will not do this.  I thought about salvation.  It's a gift freely given to us.  Having this personal relationship with God has many many benefits while we exist on earth.  But the best part of the gift we don't receive or even truly comprehend until we pass.  Initially many people have that "Wow" factor of receiving salvation and then life becomes life again so the significance of the gift becomes a bit more common and we tend to back burner it.  Some however understand from the get go, some who set it aside later are reminded of the significance but in a deeper way, and then they embrace the gift and live the gift!  I plan to live this gift and this gift has given me greater insight to some other gifts I have set aside.  This Whole30 is all about health, but it's so much more than just physical health.

Okay, that was my soap box for this morning.  I reserve the right to get back on the soap box at any time today.

I was out of bed this morning by 6:15. That's better than yesterday and pretty darn good since I was in bed after midnight!  I ate my breakfast of diced steak and pico in the car.  I brought my coconut oil coffee with me.  Here is a little TOOT of my own horn.  I am successfully at 4 cups or less each day of coffee now.  This is pretty huge.  I am working on getting to 2, but I am working slowly.  Also, I consistently have my coffee AFTER my breakfast.  I am no longer drinking it first thing.  Okay, done tooting my own horn.  Anyway, hubby fixed Brandys breakfast, Brandy packed her own snack...these seem like little things but they are a HUGE help.  Never take little HUGE helps for granted people.  I also had time to fix my hair a bit more than normal and I put on ALL my make up, not just my normal powder, blush and mascara.  So I look a little more put together today and that helps me feel better about myself.  My goal was to be at work by 7:30.  I was here by 7:35.  I am good with this morning.

I did not bring my lunch today so I will be headed out to eat something.  We shall see what that will be!

12:56AM quickly getting in my post before going to sleep. I aplogize for the lateness...homework is killer! 

For lunch I came home and made tuna with my homemade memo, added pickles. Put it on tip of lettuce and onions.  Dinner was grilled pork, 2 pieces because I was actually hungry, with smashed cauliflower and green beans. Ghee in the cauliflower. 

So sleepy!!! Goodnight friends!

Day 57 - Whole30 - Not going back!

10:51 AM  You know the past couple of days seemed out of control.  Perhaps I should say they were out of "my" control.  I have mentioned before how much I like to have and follow a plan.  It's hard for me to operate for an extended amount of time without a plan.  But due to my husbands spontaneous (and somehow productive) nature I am operating without a plan...out of my control.  In the past I would have used this as an excuse to let my eating be out of control too.  Over the past 2 months I have proven to myself that this is simply not true!  I can still be in control of my eating decisions. Taking that responsibility actually helps the overall feeling of being out of control.  It's the one thing I can be in control of at all times.

This week looks pretty awesome!  Nice neat organized days.  I have a lot to work on each night at home as I need to clean (remember - no housekeeper) and get stuff ready for the garage sale each and every night! My two summer classes also start today!  I purposely put my "class time" for later in the afternoon AFTER I take care of some pending/piling up work items.  I will be eager to get to class time :-).

This morning I was out of bed by 6:20.  Since this is my week to work 4 - 10 hour days I really really need to get up even earlier.  I barely got ready in time, was a few minutes later to work than I wanted to be and I ate my 2 slices of turkey lunchmeat in the car with my coconut oil coffee.  I can do better than this!

I brought my lunch of 2 small leftover burgers that I cooked yesterday along with grilled onions and mushrooms with mayo.  I plan to eat and walk or walk and eat.

I am looking forward to this day and this week!  I feel able today!

11:42 PM  Well its a late post because my 2 summer online classes started today.  I have just finished working on them.  Almost 3 hours tonight.  Normally when I do class work I am constantly snacking.  Tonight I have not had the tiniest of a desire to snack.  My habits kicked in when I sat down - my set up didn't feel complete as I didn't have a bag of chips or even something healthy like carrot sticks.  I made sure I had a glass of water and moved forward.

Today has been a very productive day!  Love it!

At lunch time I went on a 20 minute walk about and ate my lunch.

For dinner I cooked up some of the little diced steak pieces, made a large container of pico and cut up a half of an avocado.  I put a nice amount of pico on my plate, topped that with my steak/onion mixture and topped that with pieces of avocado.  YUM!

For and PCOS  gals out there - today I am beginning my third cycle while on Whole30 and I had no distinguishable symptoms that it was time.  I anticipate I will have minimal pain and a much reduced,,,how can you say this without being gross...output.  My last one, which happened right around the day 30 mark was amazingly a non event!  Like no ibuprofen, no ridiculously frequent changes, no day spent in bed...I felt better than a normal cycle gal does!  

Life is good folks!  I am not going back!  I am embarrassed to post this but I want everyone to know how successful this is!  I started Whole30 cramming myself into size 20 pants and comfortably putting myself in some 22's.  About 3 weeks in I bought some size 18 shorts and 2 size 18 skorts.  They are all loose on me now.  Tonight I put on a pair of size 16 jeans - can I just tell you they are not the least bit "tight". I am not hungry.  I feel great.  I am not bored with what I am eating.  It is like win win win win all over the place!

Off to bed friends!  Sleep well!

D. J.