Days 29 and 30!!

That's right, my friends. It's Day 30! 30 Days, no added sugar, no dairy, no gluten, no grains of any kind, no soy, no alcohol. Let's gauge how I'm feeling:

Main reason I tried this - eczema. Nope, still there, still really itchy. Bummer. I guess that one is not food-related.
Phlegmy, coughing, grossness - nope, also still there. I had high hopes for this one; my dad dropped gluten, and his asthma went away. Of course, I did have bronchitis a month ago, so maybe this is just the lingering cough? But, it has lingered an awful long time. I don't have full-blown asthma, either, so I'm hopeful that once I lose enough weight, it will ease.
TigerBlood - I don't know. I definitely have more energy, but is that because of what I've eliminated, or just because I am eating a clean diet of whole foods, and smaller portions?
All of this is eclipsed by the fact that I have lost weight, and a decent amount for such a short time. I don't have exact numbers as of now, so I will weigh myself tomorrow so I can give you those numbers. I didn't do any measuring or pictures or anything, which is kind of silly, but I honestly did not think I would stick to this.
And that is the biggest "go me" thing - this is the first time in 18 years I've actually stuck to dietary changes like this for more than a few days at a time. I proved to myself that I do have discipline.

So, what now? My plans for tomorrow include a morning stop at Dunkin' Donuts, then lunch at 5 Guys with double cheeseburgers and fries, an afternoon snack of white cheddar popcorn, Pepsi, and cupcakes, a stop at Graeters for double-scoops, and then dinner of Mexican?

Noooooo. Too bad for me. Tomorrow, I plan to add beans to my diet. Crazy, right? I think I mentioned in the last blog, I am not confident that I have managed a strong enough change to my habits to be able to just add stuff back in will-nill. So I will be doing a slow reintroduction - tomorrow will be beans, and then I'll wait a few days, then I'll try gluten-free grains (hello, oatmeal my old friend!) I have to ease the sugar, as I do not want to go back to my old sugar-guzzling habits.

Oh, I am so looking forward to adding sugar and cream to my coffee again. Almond milk is ok, but I miss my coffee. Maybe I'll try that creamer my cousin mentioned...

And, I have an appointment for a pedicure on Sunday - huzzah!

Let's have a quick chat about politics. I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone who would ever vote for the Trump. Do you watch John Oliver? He makes me laugh, but he is also pretty good at presenting information we really need to hear (I'm still stewing over the fact that Matt Bevins won the freaking gubernatorial race in KY,) and I checked most of these facts,so if you feel like some learning through a good John Oliver - ish rant, and a few good giggles at the same time, check this out: Drumpf!

Yikes.

Oops, I almost forgot to share the food:

Day 29: chili-lime chicken burger, salad; berries, grapes, broccoli, chicken, potato with ghee and salt; almond crusted chicken, asparagus cooked with prosciuto.

Day 30: chicken, potato, spinach soup; roast with roasted potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, lemon LaraBar; fajita chicken and veggies.

Workouts: yesterday was a long walk with a friend, today was boot camp.

Which is why I am way sleepy. Tomorrow I will share numbers. 'Night!

Days 27 and 28

The Oscars are tomorrow night, and I rarely, if ever, watch the movies nominated for Oscars. Unless forced. Which happens occasionally. I just watched The Martian, though, because I read the book, which was brilliant. Seriously, if you haven't read it, go now. Read it. The character of Mark Watney is a much more likable character in the book, which is saying something, because I adore Matt Damon. But you can't quite get in his head in the movie, since there is so much else going on, and he is a guy with a great sense of humor (Mark Watney, not Matt Damon, although I like to believe Mr. Damon and I would get along just fine, in stitches constantly.) Anyway, I still enjoyed the movie well enough.

If we are friends on Facebook, you know yesterday was a very good day. I went to boot camp in the morning, and we played musical chairs and kickball, and had a blast. I had a lot of energy all day, and my sister and her husband and my mom came over in the evening for a visit, which is always fun. I also had a very good weigh in. I will share results later this week, but it was good. (And yes, I know I'm not supposed to weigh in. I started out the program doing that, but it was such a pain in the arse having the printout in my book and not looking at it. I'm not eating sugar - I'm restricting myself enough. What can I say, I'm a freaking rebel.)
Today I did some kickboxing, and some baby snuggling, and some friend visiting, and some reading, and some napping with Finnegan, which is my favorite thing to do. These were very happy Saturday activities. Tomorrow is for volleyball, and hopefully some food prep. And even more hopefully, some time outside. It's supposed to be beautiful.

Day 27: banana, chicken fried cauliflower rice with spinach (not so good, need to play with that); chicken, carrots, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, plantain chips, salsa; hamburger, salad, fruit, brownie balls.

Day 28: berries, grapes, lemon LaraBar; chicken, more grapes, plantain chips, salsa; steak, potatoes with ghee and salt; brownie balls. Not nearly enough veggies today.

I have chicken in the crockpot right now, and I plan to make soup tomorrow. I have plenty of salad, and I'll have chicken. I would like to reintroduce beans on Tuesday; that is my first reintroduction food. I can't believe Monday is my last day. I have to be strong and do the slow reintroduction, though, I am not confident that my habits are changed enough to go completely off-plan, and I would like to see what foods affect me how. My body is my experiment - what fun!

"In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option, I'm gonna have to science the s**t out of this"

Days 25 & 26

You guys. Oh my gosh. I made up a batch of shredded chicken the other day, and last night I ate some with some hot sauce and my dump ranch and a buttload of veggies, while the rest of the family ate it with regular buffalo sauce. I was putting away all the food, and I dropped a small piece of the buffalo chicken, and I picked it up and ate it. I didn't even think about it. Guys, there's butter in that sauce.

I am not starting my 30 days over because of a tiny piece of chicken with an even tinier bit of butter. If I'm going to cheat, it's going to be on something good, darn it. So, I'm just sharing here for full disclosure, and because my husband and brother gave me a very hard time about it. Butter has accidentally been ingested. Other than that, I have now been fully compliant for 26 days. And, yes. It has gotten a lot easier. I was a little bummed this morning, because I was running really late and ended up shoving a banana and lemon LaraBar in my face instead of my beloved soup, and I kind of missed my soup. Also, I don't have any made up. Which I really need to do. I am still missing beans, and peanut butter, oh and cheese. I made up some brownie balls last night with walnuts, dates, and cocoa powder, and they are tasty, and rich enough that 2 with my tea are plenty. Yes, I realize that is a snack, but it is a lovely little snack.

Foooooood...

Day 1: Chicken, potato, spinach soup, grapes; chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, grapes, lemon LaraBar; chicken, potatoes with ghee and salt, carrots, sugar snap peas.

Day 2: Banana, coffee with almond milk, lemon LaraBar; chicken, carrots, tomatoes, sugar snap peas, dump ranch, grapes; salad with chicken, balsamic vinaigrette, 2 brownie bites.

I am eating all of the chicken!

I've been a naughty, lazy girl this week. Feeling really sleepy and gross, and I only made it to boot camp on Monday, but I will be going tomorrow and Saturday. So don't judge me!

Okay, gotta go.

Days 23 and 24

I don't blog about politics. It is something I have said several times over - I don't keep abreast of the political issues well enough to argue my point, and there are so many people with views similar to mine who say what I want to say so much better.

That said...that said! I don't even want to start on the current presidential race, but my sweet, adopted home state has taken a turn for the crazy, and after listening to the news the afternoon, (What?! My audiobook ended, and I had nothing else to listen to!) I came home irritated. Bevins is a tool, and McConnell is acting more and more like a petulant child. "I don't like the President, so I'm just not going to do my job. Wah."

And they were working on the road off my exit, so I sat at the exit for 15 minutes trying to get home.
I may have arrived home grouchy.

Let's talk Whole30.

This is a very...craving-heavy time for me, and I had a severe hankering for grapes last night. Unfortunately, grapes are not in season, and they are very expensive. I bought a small carton of them, but I gobbled them down. These are the habits I am trying to end. Apparently, you can binge just as much on fruit as you can on white cheddar popcorn.

Yesterday I went out to eat twice - not so easy. I had a new employee start yesterday, and we always take the new employee out to lunch, so we went out with the rest of the admin staff. We tried to go to Max & Erma's, because they have a large menu, and I had scoped it out earlier. Of course, they had closed, so we had to walk across to Buca di Beppo. You know what is hard to find at an Italian restaurant? Oh yeah, food that is Whole30 compliant!. I ordered the apple gorgonzola salad, no dressing, no cheese, added chicken, and used balsamic vinegar and oil. It was fine. Not spectacular, but fine. Then, for dinner, we went out for a friend's birthday dinner, and I suggested BJ's Brewhouse, which has a huge menu. Sirloin steak, roasted brussel sprouts and roasted asparagus - delicious. I kind of wanted to cry when one of my eating companions ordered the triple chocolate pizookie (which, admittedly, I recommended). Oh, and I had soup for breakfast.

Today: chili, berries; roast with potatoes and carrots, grapes, LaraBar; roast (it was really good roast,) potatoes, bell pepper.

Yesterday I went to boot camp, today was a rest day.

This is the building next to mine. They are taking it down...it appears to be brick by brick. Sometimes, they make these horrible, metal on metal scraping sound. It would have been pretty cool if it had been imploded...

Okay, I'm going to take my grumpy butt to bed. Good night, my pumpkins.

Day 22

Have you ever watching Ridiculousness? Hosted by Rob Dyrdek (from Kettering, OH!), it's another non-music playing show on MTV; they find videos on the internet - people having horrible, painful skateboard failures, dancing and losing their pants, a lot of drunk people doing stupid things. I admit to being partial to the funny animal videos - who isn't? It is on often in this house - it is one of the few shows we all watch and laugh at. The segment that was on just now was way too bodily-function-centric, however, and I had to turn my head. I am too old for poop-jokes, people. Don't judge me, people. If that makes me boring, I don't want to be fun.

This is Rob Dyrdek. He does a lot of stuff. Including wear these dumb-ass looking, flat-brimmed hats. I hate those hats. Why do guys wear those hats. They look stupid.

So, today's food: chili, carrots, peppers, olives, dump ranch; berries, plantain chips, salsa; balsamic roast, roasted potatoes, carrots, & onions, kombucha. Right now I am drinking valerian tea.

No workout today. I slept late, spent way too much time ogling Instagram, and visited my mom briefly. Did a little laundry, a few dishes, but pretty much just lazed about all day. It was glorious.

I have a new employee starting tomorrow. Exciting. And a friend's birthday dinner to attend. Much more fun. Restaurant menus are tough on Whole 30, but this is a huge menu. If my gluten-free, vegan dad can find something to eat at this place, I should be able to, as well.

I have a lot of friends with birthdays today. You know what else was born on February 21? The first telephone book, in 1878. Good stuff, right?

Day 21

See that? That is Dewey's pizza. Half Edgar Allen Poe and half Ryan's Inferno. I went with my family, and I sat there with my glass of water, and I didn't eat any of it!

That's not to say I didn't want it. Oh, I did. But I held off. For you. For my sweet, adoring masses. And the fact that it would be embarrassing to come on here and say I gave up after 20 1/2 days and ate pizza.

Today's food: chicken, broccoli & cauliflower, olives, banana; chili; hamburger, grilled asparagus, potato with ghee and pink salt (oh, that was a yummy dinner.)

Workout: kickboxing, on the bags. It was good to punch something.

Today was gorgeous - sunny, 60's, beautiful, so we went car shopping. We drove several cars and bought none. Some day I'd like to go car shopping with no budget, wouldn't that be fun?

2017 Volvo s80. Oh yeah.

Days 19 and 20

Hey, lookie there, friends! My first crocus of the year! I planted these bad boys 10 years ago, and I have not killed...all of them.

Food for the last two days:
Thursday food: Chili, coffee with splash of almond milk; berries, chicken, broccoli and cauliflower, potatoes with ghee; more berries (really should lay off the berries), chicken, potato,spinach soup.

Friday food: Coffee with almond milk, chicken, potato, spinach soup, banana; broccoli and cauliflower, apple with almond butter, kombucha; chicken, potato spinach soup, orange.

Yesterday workout - boot camp, today workout - rest day. Very sore rest day :)

I just went to see Deadpool with the husband. I enjoyed it immensely. Definitely not for kids, especially not ten year old kids sitting in front of me. Not even for some adults. But good for me.

Happy weekending!

Days 17 and 18

Another "I was too sleepy to get on the computer again" day, yesterday. Last week was a lazy boot camp week, and I got out of the habit. I slept until 7:30AM Sunday AND Monday! Lazy lazy Missy.

So, yesterday I dragged my rear out of bed at 4:20 and went to boot camp. As is often the case the first day back after a break, I didn't sleep well Monday night, so boot camp was done on about 4 hours of sleep. I figured, oh, for sure I'd sleep well last night - NO. I did go this morning, as well, and my arms are very sore, and I will definitely sleep well tonight, darnit.

Tuesday food: Whole 30 chili; chicken, sweet potato, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, dump ranch, orange; chicken, red potatoes with ghee and pink salt, salad.

Wednesday food: chicken, sweet potato with ghee and cinnamon, berries; Whole 30 chili, broccoli and cauliflower, berries; chicken, broccoli and cauliflower, leftover potatoes and carrots, olives.

Workouts: Tabata style boot camp on Tuesday, strength boot camp today.

So much daily posting and too little sleep makes for a very uninteresting Missy. Sorry about that. I think I'd like to start taking a picture every day, although I fear they may all end up being of cats. This may happen. I'll think about it.

Also thinking about - some girlfriends and I are thinking of going for tattoos in April. I know, I promised myself a tattoo to celebrate 100 lbs lost when that happens, and that most certainly has not happened. Yet. But this is not that tattoo - I would very much like to get a semi-colon tattoo, to support my brothers and sisters in mental illness. If you have been living under a rock, and have not heard of the SemiColon Project, read about it here.

I'm thinking either this:

Or this:

on my right wrist.

Day 16

See, now I am MORE than halfway done.
Today I was off work, and it was so lovely. I slept in, spent some time online socializing, and cooked a lot of food for the week. Including a double batch of the glorious chili, which will be delightful for breakfast. Except, I went way over the top with the jalopenos, and my mouth will be on fire. But, it will be a delicious fire. I also finished the slow cooker broth, baked a bunch of chicken breasts, washed and spun a bunch of salad greens, roasted veggies for dinner, and cooked some sweet potatoes. Oh, and made ranch dressing. So, I am set for food for the week.

Food today: chicken potato and spinach soup; fajita chicken and veggies, spinach, olives; chicken, roasted veggies, grapes. The grapes are gone.

Workout today: a bunch of body weight exercises at home, as prescribed by Mel. I did 105 lunges on each leg. They are good and tired.

I don't have much else to say right now. I have to put the chili away, and then I need to go to bed so I can get up so very early for boot camp tomorrow.

We have That 70's Show on right now, and a commercial for Commando came on, and I about squealed with joy. Oh the memories.

Days 13, 14, AND 15

The days are getting away from me, which is probably a good sign, since it means I am not thinking of food morning, noon, and night. This past week I have eaten WAY too much fruit. WAY too much. The mandarins and berries at book clubs, then Friday night I had some friends come down and I bought berries and grapes, and I ate most of it. Apparently, fruit, particularly berries and grapes, are one of those things I will pick at and pick at until it's gone, and I have. I don't do that with apples or oranges or bananas - I can stop at just one of those. Ok, so that's something I'm learning.

Friday meals: chicken potato and spinach soup and coffee with almond milk; chili, apple, olives; chicken, fajita veggies, potatoes; a lot of fruit.

Saturday meals: chicken potato and spinach soup and coffee with almond milk; cruciferous crunch with balsamic dressing, chicken salad; hamburger with tomato slice and pickles, french fries (yes. I know. while the ingredients were compliant, french fries really are not allowed. I am not starting again, but I will not eat french fries again, either.) Picked at grapes.

Sunday meals: I fried up Aidell's chicken & apple sausage with leftover potatoes, onions, and peppers. (I do not love the Aidell's chicken & apple sausage, so I won't be buying that again.) Chicken salad and small container of berries. Pork tinga on roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli & cauliflower. Grapes, on a plate this time.

Ok, so, lesson 1: If I buy grapes, I cannot wash them in a colander and leave them on the counter, because I will pick at them all day. I have to wash them and put them into a bag and put them in the fridge. If I buy berries, I should either buy a small container, or put them in a container, in the fridge. They are healthy but A. they have a lot of sugar, and B. they are reinforcing bad habits.

Ooh, I did some yoga today, as well. It felt excellent, and it was funny, as Dutch had no idea what was going on, so she wound around my legs and arms, and then perched on my back when I was in Child's Pose and meowed.

Did some food prep today - roasted 2 chickens, stripped the meat, and put the carcasses in the slow cooker with veggies for all night stock. Roasted broccoli and cauliflower for the week. Tomorrow I will make up chicken breasts, more chili, ranch dressing, and salad greens, for sure. Maybe more of my soup, as it uses up a lot of ingredients, but I don't know, I think I need something else for breakfast. I might try making a cauliflower fried rice.

Plans for this week - cut back on the fruit, obvs. 1 or 2 pieces a day, tops. Up the exercise - last week was lazy lazy lazy. I will go 4 days this week. Also, concentrate on my water intake a bit more - probably because I didn't work out as much, I didn't drink as much water this week. I'm really bad on weekends. I also drank a few kombuchas, which are good for a treat, but I had 3 this past week, which is really too much for me. I really want to finish strongly.

Every time I buy a couple of Larabars for myself to keep on hand just in case, my daughter steals them. This is very irritating.

Ooh, so, today is Day 15, and I am now halfway through! Huzzah!

Day 12

Made it through the day, no cheating. Thanks for the moral support last night, I appreciate it. I don't know what my issue is, but I am craving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches all over the place.

Today's food:
Meal 1: coffee with almond/coconut milk, chicken/potato/spinach soup
Meal 2: shredded pork, spinach, roasted potatoes, orange, kombucha
Meal 3: grilled chicken, roasted potatoes/carrots, broccoli, a little more kombucha, orange

Today's workout: 5AM Boot camp. I forgot my Fitbit this morning. I hate it when I do that.

I buy one bottle of kombucha and make it last a few days - it's expensive. I may have to learn to make it.

Today was a rather intense day. We're in the middle of end of year reviews, I ran a meeting this morning where we learned a number of new, not so very pleasant things, and then I had a long call this afternoon where I learned more about the unpleasant things, but not enough to answer the questions I have.  I don't think my job is in trouble, but I think the next 6 months may be...I hate to overuse a word, but...unpleasant.

On a happier note, one of my favorite friends is coming to visit from everyone's favorite city of sin, Indianapolis tomorrow. And then...long weekend! Huzzah!

Days 10 & 11

Yikes, sorry guys! I didn't get home until late last night, and I just did not feel the blogging. I've had my first true tests this week - back to back book club nights Monday and Tuesday. Monday night was my MOMS Club book club, for which I did not finish the book, but I will, because it is really quite good. I brought Sunshine Sauce and veggies, and some was eaten but not much. Still haven't figured out what is missing. One of the lovelies brought cucumbers dusted in some delightful seasoning just for me, because she knew I could eat it. Because she is fabulous, and she reads this blog - you are fabulous! Someone else brought fruit, and the host had an iced bowl of mandarin sections. I ate all of the strawberries, which are surprisingly delicious right now, and probably half of the mandarins. Then, luckily, we stepped away from the food to discuss the book I still haven't finished, which helped my need to pick at all the food. There were other things that looked delicious, but I kept my eyes to the produce.

Last night was classics book club, and the host made a compliant, rice-less jambalaya. It was fantastic, but not as fantastic as she is for thinking of me. There was also bananas foster trifle and homemade chess cake, and I faltered...oh I wanted a lot of both, but instead I took down a very large bowl of berries. In other words, I really kind of failed at the spirit of the Whole 30 last night, but I stayed compliant according to the rules, so I am going to call it a win, and move on. Today has, honestly, been pretty rough. About 50 different times today I considered just stopping this whole thing, but I have never gotten this far along on an eating plan, so I will keep trucking. Supposedly, Days 10-12 are the days most people quit, so perhaps, if I get past tomorrow, I will be good.

So, food for the past two days:
Tuesday: meal 1 - the rest of the chicken, potato, kale soup; meal 2 - chili, orange, apple rings, nuts; meal 3 - veggie chips, salsa, mountain of berries, jambalaya

Wednesday: meal 1 - broth, chicken, carrots, banana; meal 2 - chicken salad, salad greens, bell pepper, balsamic vinaigrette, orange; meal 3 - olives, Egg Roll in a Bowl (new recipe).

Right now I'm making another pot of the chicken, potato, kale soup (with spinach.) The Egg Roll in a Bowl was decent - I don't think I love the coconut aminos - they are supposed to be like soy sauce, but they are really sweet, and it tastes odd. It would probably have been better with Sriracha (all hail the mighty Sriracha), but it is not compliant, so...there is a recipe for compliant Sriracha, but I am kind of over making stuff this week.

I have 4 katrillion loads of laundry to fold, and I have to portion out my delightful soup (which would also taste good with Sriracha), so I must be off. Have a spicy night...

Day 9

Oh my goodness, I almost went to bed without posting. And that would be a catastrophe.

I just returned from another fabulous book club evening. I did not finish the book, which is very unusual, but now I am even more excited to do so. It's a good one - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. There was a lot of wonderful food, most of which I did not eat (which is hard when your friends have culinary talents which far surpass your own), but I brought veggies and Sunshine Sauce, another brought cucumbers (specifically for me, the angel she is), and two brought fruit. I may have gone a little nuts on the mandarin oranges and strawberries.

Other meals for today:

Breakfast: coffee with coconut/almond milk, chicken, potato, spinach soup
Lunch: fajita chicken and veggies with potatoes, orange
Dinner: chicken verde with potatoes and sauteed spinach in garlic, olives

No workout today, I totally overslept. I'm up late tonight, and won't be making 5am tomorrow, either, but I think I may hit the 5:30PM class before classics book club (sorry friends, I'll wear extra deodorant.)

I have no pictures from today, but we talked about travel tonight a lot, and I was reading about one place I want to visit, which led to another, which led to somewhere else I think I'd like to visit:

Devil's Tower in Wyoming. You remember Close Encounters, right?
Ooh, speaking of which, have you been watching X-Files lately? What do you think? It's so quirky and weird, I'm kind of loving it.

Day 8

Hello. Happy Superbowl Sunday. There is some heavy duty sportsing going on right now. I am rooting for the Panthers. They seem like a nice group. I'm not actually going to watch, though, so we'll see what happens.

Today was food prep day. Here is a picture of my completely packed refrigerator:

You can see salad greens, soup, chicken salad, roasted potatoes, chili, ghee, Sunshine Sauce...and a bunch of other stuff. Also, Parmesan cheese, which I am not allowed to eat.

Today's food (that I ate):
Breakfast:  Banana (I just wasn't hungry) and coffee
Lunch: lunch was kind of spread out, which is not what I am supposed to do, but I had stuff going on. I made this wicked delicious chili for lunches this week, and I had a small dish of that. The recipe is also at Green Lite Bites - Whole30 Go-to Chili. Oh, it is good. Even my husband liked it, and said he would eat it again. I also ate some berries, and then I went to Mel's house for a Whole30 kickoff party, and we all brought something to share. I made Sunshine Sauce (from Mel Joulwan), and brought veggies to dip. The sauce is good, but it is missing something - I haven't figured it out. Maybe a little salt - coconut aminos are not as salty as soy sauce. There were also grilled shrimp, dump ranch, sauteed potatoes with sundried tomatoes, brussel sprouts cooked with prosciutto, and more. So some snacking ensued. Healthy snacking, but snacking.
Dinner: World's Easiest Crockpot Pork Roast (yum), green beans cooked with onions in ghee, roasted potatoes and carrots. That was a tasty dinner.

I am satisfied, my fridge is full, it's been a good day. I walked with a friend this morning, saw my baby sister this afternoon, talked with my son and some friends online this evening. Now it's time to spend time with my husband and daughter. Have a good night.

Day 7

Today's meals:
Breakfast - banana and a little chicken
Lunch - berries, half a Lara bar, more chicken
Dinner - potatoes with ghee and chives, strip steak

Very light on the veggies today. I need to make sure I get plenty of those tomorrow.

Workout of the day:
Circuit with Benny - good fun, very tough. I ran for the first time in awhile, and I was sucking wind pretty hard.

I led a support group called "Getting Fit with Depression." I am a Minion this session, and one of the requirements is a "Give Back" activity. After going through a mild funk in October and November, I thought it appropriate. As many of you may know, there is a ton of evidence demonstrating the benefits of exercise on mental health, and I have plenty of personal experience. Unfortunately, finding motivation to work out is tough when you're feeling normal, let alone when you want to curl up in a ball in the corner of your bedroom. A few years ago, a friend's therapist gave her advice which I try to hold onto - when your depressed brain is telling you to do one thing, do the exact opposite. So when my depressed brain tells me to hole up away from other people, to curl up in bed with the covers over my face and cry, I force myself to get up, put on clothes, and go to a class, with other people. I may even announce on Facebook that I am going, so when I get to class, 20 different people call out "Hi Missy!" It makes me feel a little better, and the exercise makes me feel a lot better. If your brain is telling you to stay in bed, get up and move your body.

Other tips:

1. Start small. Tell yourself you are taking a 5 minute walk. Chances are, you will be able to go a little longer.
2. Make it social (if that helps.) Invite a friend, spend the time walking and talking. I have two friends who are sweetly willing to listen to me talk through issues when I am panicking. It helps...
3. Figure out when your highest energy level is during the day, and plan your exercise for then. I am much more productive in the morning, so mornings work best for me. That, and I really don't have a lot of other time.
4. Be comfortable - don't dress to impress, dress to work. Dress to be comfortable.

Anyway, those were tips I shared, and hopefully someone will find them helpful. As you all know, I'm pretty vocal about my own mental illness, but I know some people like to keep their own personal business to themselves (what?) So, maybe this will help someone reading this right now. Just move.

Ok. So that was serious. Lighthearted happiness - I also got to spend some time snuggling another baby, and visiting with friends. Then I spent the rest of the day with my daughter, who is a big goofball, and makes me smile. AND, my husband made me dinner, and it was mighty delicious. So, a good day. I shall spend the rest of the evening reading. Are you reading anything good? I'm reading a very enjoyable book, but I have a feeling that (gasp!) I will not finish it by book club Monday night. This is a rarity for me - I pride myself on always reading the book. I will finish it, though, it's rather thrilling.

23 days to go, and tomorrow is meal prep day, so I will have pictures from that. So you have that to look forward to...

Day 6

I want pasta with butter and parmesan. and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. and ice cream. and cheddar popcorn. and cream in my freaking coffee.

I wasn't angry all day today, like I expected, but I am kind of sad. I really want those noodles.

Food was pretty good today - I had my soup for breakfast, the last of the chicken salad with spinach, bell pepper, and cruciferous crunch, and some of that balsamic vinaigrette for lunch. I made my first spaghetti squash tonight and ate that with a tomato meat sauce, and it was good. I had an orange around 3. Lots of water. I'm just grouchy.

A lovely thing - I am less bloated. And I've had more control over my cravings than I expected. So, go me.

I really have nothing else to say - and my grouchy brain wants my tea and book. My husband is watching the Star Trek episode where we meet Khan. I've never seen this one. I have to admit, Ricardo Matalban was quite the stud.

Day 5

Oh my gosh, you guys. I just made the most delicious soup! My friend L suggested I should make a soup to take for my breakfast. I went to one of my favorite blogs, Roni's Weigh, and then took a trip to her recipe blog, Green Lite Bites. I made Kale Potato Chicken soup, although I tweaked it a wee bit - I don't keep kale on hand, so I used spinach. I asked my husband to pick up spinach over the weekend. Do you have any idea how much spinach is in 2 1/2 pounds of spinach? Well, it's 2 1/2 pounds, but it's a freaking huge bag. Anyway, I had roasted sweet potatoes and cooked potatoes and cooked chicken leftover...plus the homemade bone broth...oh, it's so good. I'm so excited for breakfast tomorrow. Even my Girl likes it.

And today was yummy, too! I had chicken and sweet potato for breakfast, leftover fajita and cauliflower rice for lunch, and this very colorful salad:

with spinach, cruciferous crunch, bell pepper, onion, and Tessemae's Balsamic vinaigrette, which was actually very tasty, for dinner, with a hamburger.

This morning I woke up - no headache, no nausea! Tired. So so tired. Luckily, I had a friend meeting me at boot camp, so I went, and I'm glad I did.

In other news, I finished my manager assessments today, so huzzah for that. Ooh, I've been meaning to share this here for months, and I keep forgetting - you know how I often lament the fact that I do not have a passion; I don't know my purpose. I read an article, http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-21637/18-signs-youre-exactly-where-you-should-be-in-life-even-if-it-doesnt-feel-like.html (a few months ago), and one thing really grabbed my attention:

"You’ve let go of trying to find your purpose and instead live each day on purpose."

Good stuff, that. I'm not convinced I'm exactly where I should be at this point, but this statement makes me think maybe it doesn't exactly matter - I can make this work. 

Day 4

This morning I woke, still feeling nauseous, but the headache has eased. So that's fantastic. I made a decision this morning as I stared at my bowl of admittedly well-prepared eggs with greens and sweet potatoes. I really don't like eggs. I made it through 1/2 that bowl before I felt sick. I am not going to keep forcing myself to eat crap I hate for this program. If that means I eat chicken for breakfast, I eat chicken for breakfast. 

I did not snack all day - 2:00 rolled around and I reached for my nuts (and yes, I had trouble typing that with a straight face.) I put them back. And then around 3:00, I passed them up again. Yay, mindful eating!

Tonight's dinner was the best I've had thus far. I made cauliflower rice the other day, which was not so tasty, but tonight I had fajita chicken and veggies over the cauliflower rice with some salsa (hooray for Kroger salsa being compliant!) and it was really good. Oh, I miss my sour cream, friends. But I shall be strong.

I looked forward to these apples sprinkled with cinnamon all day. They are so yummy. Why did I never think to do this before?

I am not loving the coconut cream in the coffee. I think I shall be trying coconut milk or almond milk. I really quite hate the black coffee. Coffee is a ritual for me, and one I really love. I may have to switch to tea until the 30 days are up. 26 to go...

Day 3

Holy hangover, Batman! I woke up feeling shaky and nauseous, and two minutes into my workout I was pouring sweat. Like cold, nasty, I'm going to yarf, sweat. A friend met me for boot camp this morning, and I felt like a big baby with all my whining (and excessive sweating.)The idea of eating eggs made me sick, so I went very easy with a little chicken and a banana, and then a cup of warm bone broth (that I made myself, thank you.) I felt less shaky after that.

I never thought to take pictures of food today (I did later when I got to snuggle one of the precious newborns in my life after work, which was the "sweetest sugar of all," according to my friend L.) Lunch was the same as yesterday - the chicken salad with the spinach and bell peppers, and that chicken salad is mighty tasty. I don't care for the Whole 30 mayo on its own, but mixed with other stuff works. Dinner was on the run, as I was visiting babies, so it was the rest of the chicken and leftover broccoli from last night. I ate while driving, which is not so good, but it was either that or not eat at all, and then I had some olives when I got home. Now I have tea, and it is lovely. I ate some of the apple rings and almonds and cashews today, but I wasn't as hungry. Probably because I started the day feeling like I had taken down a fifth of vodka?

I've had a few people ask about the snacking thing - is snacking not allowed?
The answer - it is recommended that you eat 3 meals per day and limit snacking, but it is not a rule (they are very definite about the difference between the rules and recommendations.) The reasoning they state in It Starts With Food is that the fasting period between meals keeps your hormones in a healthy rhythm, and it helps promote mindful eating. I am a binger, and this is the #1 reason I am giving this program a try. I tend to binge on snacks, so focusing on eating mindfully is extremely important if I am going to get anything out of this. Today at 2:00PM, I found myself reaching for my baggie of nuts, and desperately wanting the chocolate I asked my coworker to hide in her office. I made myself stop and figure out what the issue was - I wasn't really hungry. I am just used to snacking in the afternoon. Snacking ALL afternoon. That is a habit I need to break.
That said, I also need to figure out what size these meals need to be so I am not whimpering with hunger 2 hours later.

When I got home tonight, I put chicken in to marinate for tomorrow night's fajitas, and I am really looking forward to those.

Welp, I've got a book to read, and I may fall asleep right here, so I'm off. We'll chat tomorrow...

Day 2

Only 28 to go. I thought of food all day, and I have a headache. But I really can't complain yet, it's only 2 days.

This was breakfast - Trader Joe's Cruciferous Crunch sauteed in ghee, roasted sweet potatoes, and two fried eggs, with a few olives. It was good. I drank my coffee with coconut cream and a bit of cinnamon, and it wasn't bad. I had chicken salad I made with the Whole 30 mayo, spinach, bell pepper, and an orange for lunch. That was also good. Then a piece of pot roast with broccoli and roasted potatoes for dinner. I couldn't eat the sauce with the pot roast, and it was a bit dry, so I used Tessamae's barbecue sauce, which is meh. Date paste is a bit of an acquired taste, apparently.

Here's the kicker - I was starving between the meals. Like, my stomach was growling, starving. Which makes no sense, as the meals seemed fairly large, but I was so hungry. It's hard to determine if I just can't judge an appropriate meal size, or I really do need to eat more. I did end up eating a handful of almonds and cashews in the afternoon, and I had an apple after dinner with my tea. Which, I think, is not the point. Argh. Ok, but I can do this.

What works well is that this is the week I do manager assessments for my staff, and I do have a tendency to be too nice in these things, so maybe this is the perfect time to be depriving myself?

You all remember Dutch, right? Our pretty little pumpkin girl that joined our family in August?

She's on the top bunk.

Well she is not as snuggly as I like - during the day. But around 3AM, she jumps up on my bed, and purrs, and rubs against my face and meows her little peepy meow in my ear, and she does not want me to go back to sleep. This happens about 3 times a week. Sometimes more. And I try to explain to her that I need to sleep, and she just doesn't understand. She thinks, well that's silly, why don't you just take many naps? Wouldn't that be lovely?