All The Way

Tonight's show All The Way starring Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston was fabulous! He had so much energy, so much flair, so much emotion and the show was so enjoyable. It told the story of the days between JFK's assassination when LBJ took office to his Presidential Election. It told the story of Civil Rights and the War on Poverty. There was so much hope and courage in all of the characters and I felt what they were saying and believed the story and the words they spoke. It was so much fun to watch Bryan Cranston in this role, so different from Walter White in Breaking Bad, and he did a great job! Ryan and I were so happy!

We ended up not going to Nizza for dinner - there was so much traffic and we took the bus crosstown but then had to walk from 23rd street to 45th street. We got to the restaurant 15 minutes after our reservation so they gave up our table. I was so disappointed because I really wanted Gluten Free pizza. But we didn't want to dwell, so we walked towards 52nd street where the theater was located. We ended up at a quaint Italian restaurant, and although it was not gluten free, or paleo friendly, we decided this would be a last supper for me and I would stay as close to a meal plan as possible, but enjoy the meal as well. I started with half a dozen Blue Point Oysters and had chicken with peas, ham and mushrooms for dinner. It was in a sauce (not gluten free) and served with brussel sprouts and potatoes. It was delicious and do filling. Ryan had clams oreganata and rigatoni with prosciutto. For dessert, Ryan had a cannoli and I had chocolate cake. Surprisingly, I wasn't hungry when we sat down for dinner even though it was 7pm. I had eaten clean and followed a paleo meal plan, eating whole foods, only when I was hungry, not weighing, not counting, not worrying and I was full. I didn't feel deprived or stressed to eat a certain amount of points or that I was eating too many calories, so I felt good when we sat down to eat dinner. After dinner, I felt like I had really indulged, but I also felt bloated and a bit itchy (from the gluten, which I hadn't eaten in a few months) so I knew this would be my last "cheat" meal. And it was a perfect way to go out - chocolate cake!

My Whole30 program starts Monday, so tomorrow I plan to just eat whole foods and prepare my body for the program. I have FreshDirect delivery coming and I am planning to make a vegetable soup that I can have all week as a backup meal plan so that I always have something on program to eat! Dinner is going to be salmon with a mango & avocado salad with a side of brussel sprouts and bacon! I am also going to prep my slow cooker pork and sweet potato dish for Monday! I feel good about this program and I hope it can change my life, physically and mentally. I took before photos and will weigh myself - even though the program is not about losing weight, it is good to have physical changes to look back on. Another part of the program is setting goals for yourself. My goals are:

* I will eat dinner without TV or my phone 5 nights a week (this will be easier with Ryan not home this week).

* I will go to Bar Method a minimum of 3 days per week for the entire 30 days.

* I will take a 5 minute walk every day, every hour, during the work week away from my desk in order to destress, move my body and step away from my work

* I will read one nutrition book during my 30 day program (ideally "It Starts With Food")

I am excited to start on Monday and look forward to the positive changes this will bring me!

XO