Mid-Way Adjustments

So my month-long May challenge has reached the half-way point. I had every intention of going full-bore, super strict, sugar is the devil, I will rid my life of everything sweet- ass kicking mode.


That's not exactly how things have panned out, but I refuse to say the first half of this month hasn't been successful.
Shane and I have not only decided to run a half-marathon, we've even started our training program. Last night was our first run---nailed it, bam bitches.

Run run ya'll

Annnnnnnd now on Saturdays we roll out of bed and train at Em's
outdoor bootcamp in the beautiful Irving park.








Last summer, we were the couple that beat the heat by sprawling in front of the ac unit to watch tv. Now we are climbing, disc golfing, running and lunging around public parks.

So yes, this month challenge has changed, but my goals have too.
I started my first 21-day sugar detox in March because I felt like my 80/20 approach to diet had become more like 60/40 (sixty for who and forty for who?!) and my weight loss had stalled considerably.
I reigned in my sweet tooth and developed a more conscious awareness of what was on the end of the fork. Great.

But like many before me--- I falter at what to do on day 22! How do I apply all the things I learned during this detox to real life. I started to feel like I was off track again, thus the reason for wanting to jump back into another detox. But, I've started to realize I forget there is a reason its a 21-Day detox or a Whole30 and not a 365 fast.

If I consume something that is wildly outside my dietary lifestyle (sigh there was a mini- apple-turn over incident during the Dalai Lama visit) is it a fail or simply a choice? I really appreciate the Whole9 article approaching this very topic: hypocritical or human? 

Sometimes you can't turn down an opportunity to try a really delicious bourbon or scotch, especially after dealing with angry parents for three hours straight (#commencementticketfail #longstory #Ilovehashtags).

 

21 Day Sugar Detox

March 4, I kicked off the 21 Day Sugar Detox, or the Whole 30 on crack as I like to call it, through balanced bites.

My weight loss has slowed substantially since the holiday season and while I could tell my body composition was changing, its been fairly discouraging to see the scale stuck in one spot (or creeping up in the wrong direction).

There hasn't been anything inherently wrong with my diet. I'm sticking fairly close to my paleo(or primal) 80/20 rule, but that 80 has been comprised of a lot of fruit and nuts (paleo sugar!!!) and some not so careful label reading. Thus the stall in a year's worth of infinite progress.

Which brought me to the sugar detox.

I unknowingly chose both the best and worst time to attempt the 21 day sugar detox.
A back injury half-way through, kept me from my beloved Crossfit stumptown, but my 25th birthday brought the temptation of booze and sweets on several occasions.

However, in spite of temptation the detox went well. I did allow some cheats, but they were methodical and planned out, not the source of giving in or stress.

In 21 days, I lost 5.5 pounds and dropped a pant size, which is GREAT. 

BUT 

More importantly, I learned some valuable things about my emotional response to food and 

kicked(or slowed) some bad habits.

•  Ode to artificial sweetener! 
• The plague of diet soda had crept back into my life, almost on a daily occurence. Something about diet dr. pepper just brings joy to my life. But as my sister would say, its cancer in a bottle, so I said buhbye to it this whole detox. BAM. 
• GUM. I swear I am a serial gum chewer. I chew a pack a day, constantly smacking my jaw up and down, popping winterfreshy goodness with my tongue. Its absurd. Somehow, I managed to nix this habit through the whole detox (save one "I just ate fish" necessity). 
• Fruit was my go-to snack
• I come home from work, I go straight to the fruit bowl for an apple, orange or banana. Same story if I'm hungry at desk. Sometimes is dried cherries, apples, or banana chips. Never carrots or celery. 
• I had to come up with new snack ideas
• Green Apples with homemade sunbutter
• hard-boiled eggs
• sliced ham or turkey lunch meat with carrots or celery
• Or just drinking tea or water, because I wasn't hungry, I was bored!
• Stress equals sweet-tooth.
• Anytime I got overwhelmed or stressed I discovered my initial response was to walk straight towards the treat door for some dark chocolate or really whatever I could find. 
• The detox forced me to find other ways to unwind. Now, I make a cup of tea, take a walk with the dog, or practice my piano to quell the crazy.
• Emotional Balance
• I've always known that the less sugar dependent I am, the more balanced I feel, but I never realize to what extent it is until I remove sugar completely. 
• After the first week, allowing my body to adjust to the fact that I wasn't going to get that banana or dark chocolate fix, I started to feel better. My energy was up, my sleep was deeper, and the fact that I couldn't make it to the gym was far less emotionally-disastrous than it would have been a month ago.

I broke my sugar fast this weekend at my family birthday celebration with some delicious peach crisp my lovely sister made for me. So sweet, so good, but I couldn't finish the helping I was served. Truly a treat, instead of a staple. I'll surely incorporate fruit back into my diet, but with more moderation and care than previously exercised.

Death by Crossfit: 2013 look out

2013 is off to a great start

I bought a car,  I now haul my ass out of bed at 5am almost every day, and work my butt off till I drop; all for the love of crossfit. 

But, let me tell you.

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER!!!!!!! TAKE SIX WEEKS OFF CROSSFIT.

EVER.

Some of the delightful WODs I endured this week have really made simply walking a torturous event. Lets not even talk about sitting to standing...

Evil wheels are indeed, evil.

This mornings workout.... death by burpees. 20 minutes of Burpee filled hell.

I have never been so sore. Granted, I feel f*cking amazing, so its totally worth it.

 

2012 BAM

So this would be my belated happy new year in review blah blah blah post. 

2012 was an incredible year of transformation for me.

• I finally started recording music with the amazing Kelsey Anderson. 

Check out some of our work on the youtubes

• I bought a house!!!

Someone, somewhere thought it was a great idea to loan a single 24 year old woman with copious student loan and credit card debt an exorbitant amount of money. Thank god they did, because I now have a charming Portland 1950s bungalow to call home.

• I totally transformed my diet and the way I approach nutrition. 

Vegan to Paleo. What a trip. I reread a post from my super skeptical self from January 2012. Its pretty evident that I thought this paleo shmaleo thing was a load of crap. (Read for yourself) But as you may have guessed, now, a year later, I am a huge proponent of the Paleo or Primal lifestyle. It has completely changed my life, and I dont just meant the smaller pants I can now shimmy into. I am significantly healthier, emotionally and physically.

• I lost 50 net pounds, 66lbs of fat, and 36.5 inches.

I worked my ass off for this loss (or gain, depending on how you look at it). The wonderful trainers at Portland FitBody Bootcamp played a huge role in my success and I am unbelievably grateful for all the support they provided.

 

Dec 2011

Sept 2012

"You hit your goal!" tackle and laugh. NYE 2012

I am excited for 2013. I am back in action at Crossfit Stumptown and am ready to rock the rest of my goals.



2013 Smashin Goals

• Hit CrossFit at least 3/wk
• Lose 30 pounds
• Record and release an album with Kelsey Anderson
• Practice music at least 3/wk
• Save enough money to take the coveted disneyland trip with manfriend. Yes. That's on my list.

Xfit= love. Plus Lurong Paleo Challenge

OH EM GEEEEEE

CrossFIT. My new love in life.

I've been an avid boot-camper for the past year with the fabulous Portland Fit Body Bootcamp. I have made some fabulous friends, shed nearly 40 pounds and rediscovered my love of intense fitness. 

Because I am feeling much more adventurous in my new athletic physique, I ventured to CrossFit Stumptown to see what this crossfit business was all about.

 Another boot-camper and I battled through an intense WOD and left the gym sweaty, accomplished and with permanent smiles plastered on our faces. I loved it. 

I felt so absurdly powerful, pushing my body to its limits. When my legs said  NO MORE JUMPING, I jumped higher. 

Incredible. I really CANNOT wait until I can sneak out there again. 

I should mention that I don't mean this to be a comparison between the two programs, but rather a sharing of my excitement for some crazy intense exercise.

Now for all you other crossfitters out there--- I highly recommend checking out the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge. Very similar to the Whole30 in diet, but also incorporates WODs, benchmarks, photos and lots of awesome prizes. The nationwide challenge begins September 17 and runs through Nov. 18. 

I am super excited to share my progress!

Don't pull the trigger: BAM

Struggling with disordered eating for most of my teenage years, I've developed negative associations with certain foods. Some trigger mindless snacking (hello chips and salsa), some trigger purging (ice cream), some just make me feel sad depressed and generally like BLAH.

I've often wondered WHY that is. Is it something in my childhood? Some traumatic ice cream incident?
Actually, I did vomit ice cream all over my high chair at Old Country Buffet when I was like 3 years old (yes I remember that). But somehow I doubt this is why my stomach churns and my brain goes "behiavbieabvaan" when I eat certain things.

As most are aware, or I hope are aware, certain situations trigger certain behaviors. Example:
Watching tv late at night may trigger the "need" to eat or snack. (breaking that habit is quite the trick)


But it never occurred to me that WHAT I am consuming also has an emotional (hormonal) impact.

Reading It Starts With Food has shed some light on those emotional responses.
Since adopting a paleo lifestyle earlier this year, much of my trigger food doesn't typically find a home in my pantry anymore.
I did the whole30 in January and had great success. I tried to incoporate certain foods back into my diet and found I could eat/process dairy better than I could in the past.

Lately, I went a little too far and started incorporating dairy in the form of ice cream (Did I mention my loving wonderful partner has an insatiable sweet tooth?). While my tummy isn't super rumbly, I notice that my mood quickly deflates post ice cream indulgence. The grumpies stick around through the next day. I didn't really notice this until I found myself eating ice cream (coconut milk sorbet really) and the desire to purge snuck up and ATTACKED me. That's when I put the spoon down. And threw the carton away.

I refuse to go down that road. 

So I am back to ridding my pantry of any sweets and treats. I don't believe in cutting those foods out because they are "bad" or to limit myself so I lose weight or whatever. But really because I hate how they make me feel, they aren't good for me, and I make poor choices when they are in my diet.

Identifying my triggers and adopting the paleo lifestyle have been the two of the best things I've done for my body and my mental health. 

Whole30/9: Slip and Slide

The past couple days have been littered with little slips here and there.

• Clinking a couple PBRs in honor of my lovely lady Danielle, who is leaving Portland for grad school in the exotic land of LA.

• Desperation dark chocolate mid afternoon of stressful days. 

Yes Dove, Someone is thinking I should put the chocolate away and focus.

 

But, I refuse to beat myself up over it.
Instead, I look at the situation and then move on. Why did I make that choice? All in all, I think the importance of the whole30 is being cogniscent of food choices. Why am I doing what I am doing? Boredom? Stress? Social pressures? Doesnt seem like eating should be so complicated.

Yet, it is! I am in the thick of It Starts with Food, by the lovely couple who started Whole9 (and subsequently Whole30). It is fascinating. The book immerses you in all the science behind food; how it reacts and interacts with our body, from digestion to hormonal responses. And it does so in a way that is not overwhelming or too dense to comprehend.

I highly recommend it. It actually helps keep me on track.

We all have those days. "why the fuck can't I just eat the damn cookie" Well.... let me go back to my book and discover alllllll of the sad things that cookie does to my body, emotional and physical. If I understand those and make the decision that it is still okay to eat it then fine, but usually by the time I have thought about whether or not the chocolatey goodness is worth it, the NEED has passed.

How do you handle slips? Can you effectively move on without the guilt?

Whole30/Day 6: Camping adventures

I have the coolest family.

They are crazy. But seriously awesome.

We did our summer family camping trip this past weekend on the Oregon coast. SO beautiful.
I woke up early Saturday morning and went for a run down the coast line. Incredible. My calves were paying for it though.









Staying whole30 was more of a challenge than usual this weekend. We are a family that loves to have a good time, wine and cocktails are free-flowing.
I imbibed a little (a glass of wine and one gin and tonic), but overall was pretty "good" all weekend. I avoided my mother's brownie pizza (This amazing thing she made for us as kids... make brownies in a deep dish pizza pan, cover it with toppings like marshmallows, m&ms, fudge, and other sugary treats).

Overall my family is full of fantastic cooks. Beautiful steaks, nori cucumber salad, paleo granola, fancy shmancy camping cob salads. We eat well, possibly better, when we camp.

My sister put together this amazing vanilla and orange granola for breakfast from Fresh4Five's blog. Amazingly tasty. I highly recommend it.

My contribution to camping was a sweet potato beet breakfast hash, served with eggs and bacon and such nonsense.

Its a breakfast staple in my house.... I shred a bunch of potatoes and beets early in the week and then cook a simple portion for breakfast in the morning. It is perfect post workout recovery food!


Sweet Potato Beet Hash

    (food processor NECESSARY)

• 1 sweet potato
• 2 medium size beets (golden or red)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbls coconut oil
• 1 tsp  fresh ginger, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Shred potato and beets with food processor (grate attachment).

Melt coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add ginger to onion mixture and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Reduce heat and add sweet potato/beet business. Sprinkle with salt to release moisture. Add more coconut oil if pan gets too dry. Cook for 15-25 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through and start to crisp (hashbrown style). Stir every few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I like to eat mine with a couple eggs on top and some sauteed greens on the side. NOM.