Weekend Results Weigh-in

So, as you know, I'm not weighing myself daily anymore. But I do a check in around three times a week to make sure everything is on the up and up.

I didn't weigh myself yesterday, because I did eat off plan during the weekend and have a few drinks. Definitely stuff that would bloat me up!

Some of my indulgences this weekend:

~4 glasses of wine

Sips of Chris' beer at the concert

Cheese Nips on Friday night 

Cookies on Saturday night 

Falafel wrap for Sat. Lunch

Half a bagel Sunday morning 

Some of the things I did right:

Drank TONS of water

Ate eggs and fruit at the breakfast buffet on Sat. morning (limited myself to one small pancake as a treat there)

Didn't constantly snack when I wasn't hungry 

Got a salad on the car trip home Sunday

Walked and danced a lot!

Good and not so good choices, overall. 

I decided it was right to check in today, to see where I was.

123 on the dot!

Good choices outweighed the bad :) 

I can't believe I'm going on almost 3/4 of the year of not calorie counting, trusting my hunger levels, trusting my instincts, letting myself indulge here and there, and just doing what I know is right and good for my body. 

And at the same weight I was when I let myself let loose some of that control I was holding so dearly to.

This week is going to be FULL of clean, whole, Paleo food to mitigate some of the junk I ate!!

Back to work! Enjoy your day! <3

Weekend Happenings

Philly was gorgeous and awesome, as always - it is may be my favorite city in the Northeast, it's a really beautiful city and I love the vibe there. Also, the weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and warm and it felt like summer!

Here are some photos from our Saturday morning walk around the city:

And the concert was awesome! One of the opening bands canceled, so the main act, the Disco Biscuits, played an extra set! It was really great, the band played awesome, the venue was beautiful, and everybody was in a really great mood! Also, I had amazing seats right up front with plenty of empty space around me to enjoy. For some reason, the person looking at tickets and letting you into sections let me into a section I didn't have tickets for!! I didn't leave my seat for five hours for fear they wouldn't let me back in. The mistake was an awesome one and I really enjoyed the entire night :)

We partied really hard, stayed up too late, were exhausted the next day, and it was perfect!

Back at work today, back to normal, I'm glad I didn't drink very much over the weekend because I don't feel too bad or bloated or anything :)

<3

What's been going on?

All the crazy!

Seriously so busy, there doesn't seem to be enough time in a day to get everything done. I feel like life is speeding by me and I'm somehow missing it. It's hard to remember that THIS, all this crazy, IS life!

But the super crazy week was worth it, because I got everything done that I needed to get done and put a lot of things into motion to further my life and my home and my family.

And now I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor, because I'm going to Philadelphia this weekend!!

We are going to stay in a hotel with our friends and go to a mini urban festival called City Bisco and I couldn't be more excited. I enjoy this part of life quite a bit more than all that mundane, necessary stuff that needs to be done every day - laundry, cleaning, food prep, etc. This is my little reward for diligently taking care of all my chores and our future!!

Weight is holding steady around 123 pounds this week. I plan to maintain moderation in my food this weekend while away, but I will be having a few drinks, so I do anticipate a little bit of weight gain and bloating. But if I don't overdo it, which I plan not to, the bloat will go away in a day or two after I get back to normal at home.

I'm pretty impressed with myself, it has been well over half a year of not counting calories, and I am within 1 pound of the weight I was when I stopped. Even with all the stress has been going on the past few weeks, my weight has remained really stable. It is a sign to me that I have developed better overall coping mechanisms. 

I will let you know how the weekend goes, and hopefully have some really fun pictures to show you. Until then, I hope everyone has a really great weekend. It is supposed to be a beautiful autumn weekend up here in the Northeast - warm and colorful!

Work walk selfie :)

Namaste <3

Gut Bacteria

I've had the opportunity to read a lot of news lately. Aside from all those horrible disease, war, etc, things happening in the world which occupy most of my reading, I've also come across a lot of articles lately about got bacteria.

And since this is generally a health and life and weight loss and fitness blog, I will talk about got bacteria instead of what seems to be the apocalypse looming!

There have been articles that link gut bacteria and differences and gut bacteria to all sorts of things from autism to diabetes. It seems to be a general consensus among scientists that the type of gut bacteria we have can affect our overall health, including our weight.

There's research being done about using probiotics to alter the type of gut bacteria we have in order to do things such as alleviate aggressive symptoms of autism or prevent the onset of diabetes. (Note: even though probiotics are a big health craze right now, it seems that researchers are warning us against treating ourselves too heavily with probiotics, as they are not regulated by the FDA. Simply, do your research. The probiotics in fermented foods are really good for us - just be careful of the products you buy).

Other articles detail the fact that other types of foods, such as sweeteners found in diet soda, can alter our gut bacteria to actually make us more obese. Food for thought for you.soda drinkers out there!!

Anyway, just a trend I've seen in the news and studies recently. It makes a lot of sense, all those millions or trillions of bacteria in our stomachs and intestines must affect the way that our bodies and minds work.

We are little planets unto ourselves!

Off for my lunchtime walk :)

Camp Recovery

So camping was fun! We had a beautiful tent site right by the water, the weather stayed really nice, it's a bit chilly, there were no other campers around - the sites were far away from each other, and I had a great view out my tent door in the morning:

We kayaked all our stuff out to the site about a half mile or so away from where we parked. I have to say, though, I didn't do a ton of physical activity this weekend, I just relaxed my face off.

I did play golf, weirdly enough! My friends kayaked their golf clubs out to the camp area and they set up a nine-hole golf course in the woods and by the water. It was really silly and a lot of fun.

I missed Chris tons, and I missed my pets dearly, but it was really nice to just be somewhere for two days and not think about all the things that have to be done and have to get taken care of and all my plans and on my preparations. I was realllllllly relaxed (some wine helped - no regrets about that!):

I will not be weighed myself for a couple days, there is no point, because my body is all out of whack from eating some really salty food. And grains. Ayiyi! Still, no regrets - I am still at a point where my body rebounds pretty well after a day off plan. Those days have to be less and less and fewer and far between as I get older, though. But this weekend was a forgivable sin that I am already recovering from after getting back to my normal :)

Actually, other than some snacks, the dinner was really Paleo: grilled meat in lettuce wraps with scallions and radishes and other veggies! But I definitely ate more pretzels than I should have - paleo or not!

I am also looking forward to another night of sleep. I slept really soundly Friday night, the sound of the lake and the wind lulling me to sleep. But I stayed up very late with my friends on Saturday night and I'm a little sleep deprived, even after getting a full night last night.

Back to regular programming :)

Chris is away this week, so my food is actually really simple, and already prepped for the entire week of lunches and dinner! Easy peasy no thinking healthy stuff :)

Ok - going to watch Sleepy Hollow and hug my dog <3

Goin' Campin'!

On my way to kayak/camp for the weekend - without Chris (so strange)!!!!

But there will be radio silence till Sunday/Monday from me. So until then: treat your body and mind well and enjoy yourself!!

<3

Let's Talk Inflammation

I, early on, came to my own conclusions about food causing inflammation which, in turn, caused most of my health issues and have read a lot in the past couple years that this is a common belief in Eastern/ alternative AND Western/traditional medicine.

Inflammation caused by poor diet causes the body to attack itself, go haywire, and stop working efficiently. 

Rashes, acne, joint pain, stiffness, lack of energy, exhaustion, gastrointestinal pain, and more ... All CURED by reducing inflammation in my body.

What do I avoid to reduce inflammation (remember, food can cure or CAUSE disease... It's important to choose well)?

Avoid:

Meat from animals that are fed meat

Meat from animals pumped full of hormones and antibiotics

"Fat free" products (eat that full fat yogurt!! They make fat free taste good by adding sugar!(

"Sugar free" products

Processed food (made with chemicals and preservatives)

HFCS

All soda (ESPECIALLY diet soda)

Grains in general (personal choice to help me avoid processed foods AND to include more veggies/healthy fats in place of the calories I would have consumed of grains)

Added sodium (almost none of my food comes with salt OR sugar added because I don't buy processed food-- which means I get to choose how much salt/sugar I eat by adding it myself)

What do I choose?

Whole foods without labels 

Nuts and seeds 

Wild caught fish

Grass fed beef

Tons of leafy greens 

Fiber in its natural form (veg and fruit)

Full fat foods - avocados, coconut oil, olive oil

You know the drill :)

The more natural your food looks before you eat it, the less likely you are to inflame your body!

Also - just a side note for the day: drinking my pumpkin smoothie again today. Such a great cure to those pumpkin spice cravings without getting a sugary coffee drink WITHOUT actual pumpkin in it!

My smoothie (canned 100% pumpkin, flax milk, banana and spices) gets me all the taste and the benefit of eating pumpkin (which is super nutritious!).

Don't fall prey to quick, delicious treats that treat your body WRONG! ;)

Complete and Utter Bananas

Well, things are BANANAS as usual around here!

Still don't have my car back.

Money pouring out faster than it comes in.

Can't seem to make any progress on my dissertation.

Teeth issues.

House soon to be painted (upstairs).

General sense of being overwhelmed!

(And I'm thinking of adding a baby to this mix?! WTF?!)

I actually have a chance to go camping with some friends this weekend. However, Chris and Koda would not be able to go. But Chris is urging me to go, anyway. To just get away for a few days, and not think about any of these things that I can't help right this moment.

I think he's right and I'm going to go.

Maybe next week, I'll have my car, my professor will have gotten back to me, my TWO dental appointments will be near, and I will feel a little more relaxed.

I'm doing EVERYTHING I can to stay healthy. 

Eating well (whole and clean and 99% paleo)

No alcohol

Exercising (and just getting outside and active about an hour a day with the dog)

Carving out an hour of the evening where I am not running around like a chicken with my head cut off!!

And it's working - I am stressed, but I feel okay, in the end. I feel healthy. My weight is stable (122.5 all week). I'm sleeping.

It's ok :)

See? Smiling at work, even :)

Just have to keep plugging along, keep working on what matters to me, and making time to enjoy life!

<3

Whole Foods - eck!

I got a $10 off $50 coupon in the mail for our local Whole Foods yesterday so I finally decided to give it a try.

RIP OFF ALERT!

Holy Cow - I do most of my shopping at my local co-op and at the neighborhood Hannaford. I buy the same staples every week and usually have the same splurges and treats, as well. So I know what things cost.

Whole Foods does not stand up to the price comparison game in my area! The local grocer and co-op beat them hands down. The organic meats were insanely overpriced, in fact, anything labeled as organic was insanely overpriced. They price gouge like crazy on the items that appeal to their target audience.

Example: The organic sunflower seed butter that I buy at my local grocer was four dollars more expensive at Whole Foods! 

Simple staples like produce, eggs, etc were stupidly expensive.

And the quality wasn't anything to talk about!

The creepy produce display was weirdly bright colored, way too shiny, and I know from years of experience buying produce, would not taste fresh. 

The produce department was way too small for me, too. Terrible variety. The whole store focuses on premade foods in general. Not my scene. Premade tends towards preservatives, chemicals, and ingredients that I'm not sure what they are.

I like to know what I'm eating!

I haven't said this in a long time, but food is the best preventative medicine you can have. I still believe that and practice that 100%.

Foods that I ate today: wild organic blueberries, organic sunflower seed butter, cottage cheese, flax milk, pumpkin, beets, roast chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans, cantaloupe, almonds, carrots, summer squash, onions, garlic, olive oil, organic dark chocolate.

The only processed item? The chocolate - and I pay significantly more for good dark chocolate with minimal ingredients when I do have it (and Chris and I have stopped having it every day to save $).

So, in the end?

Not going back to Whole Foods - it seems to be the epitome of "healthy" marketing in this country ... Lots of people pouring their money into the idea of healthy but missing the point.

Sorry if you love your Whole Foods- but for my area, it is a waste of time and money when you look at the nearby alternatives! My opinion is obviously colored by the stores and stuff available to me.

I guess if Whole Foods was the only option in my area, I'd go!

I did get some local honey and organic almond milk and organic broth on sale and used my coupon, so not a wasted trip haha :)

New Birthday Traditions!

Today was Koda's birthday! He turned four years old, and we've had him for almost 2 years (September 22 was the day he became ours).

So we celebrated in the perfect way for our healthy, happy, athletic dog. Hiking!

He also got a special dinner that included chicken giblets (ew).

But it made me think of something.

We do not center our celebration of our dogs birthday with food (because he doesn't even know it's his birthday, ha ha ha, but I do know people who give their dogs cupcakes on their birthdays!).

And we don't do the traditional birthday cake on our birthdays, either!

I realize that the past several birthday celebrations for both me and Chris have not centered around food, and certainly not around cake.

Sure, we might have had a particularly nice dinner on the day of, but that's not the star. Chris always wants a hike much more than he wants a cake :)

We've gotten rid of a lot of traditions that are common in our society that just don't work for us, and it's kind of nice to be free to do what we want. We used to eat cake on my birthday because my dad wanted to celebrate in that way (and years ago, I did too!). But not anymore... Cake isn't quite grain free, now, is it? I asked for paleo pumpkin pie this past birthday, hehe- it's a protein bomb!

But really, I think the whole family prefers celebrating by being outside and being active a lot more lately than by celebrating with food.

So hiking it is - a new tradition!

Happy Birthday to my buddy <3

Pumpkin Smoothies to Bonfires

Guess it is fall around these parts!

I'm feeling ever so slightly better (but also kind of braced for the next shoe to drop... I never feel like life ever evens out, but is a series of short highs and intense lows... TRYING to have a rosier outlook!)

Some nice things from the last day or two:

Paleo Pumpkin Smoothie! - put 2 bananas, can of pumpkin, several cups of flax milk and cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in the blender ... Come out with several servings if a delicious pumpkin smoothie!!!

No high fat/high cal/chemical pumpkin coffee "drinks" for me this year!

What else?

Ah yes, my favorite! Breakfast for dinner!

Chris made a lovely tomato spinach omelette for me :)

Finished off last night with a bonfire with friends - got to wear a hoodie and fuzzy boots and feel super cozy.

Chris is off hiking today (something that would be as scary/challenging as our last .. He thought it would not be a good hike for either me or Koda, so the dog and I are going to walk to our city's big park and play :)

That's all- some light and fun after my doom and gloom!