A New Year...A New Me...

I think that's what I titled my first post last year when I began writing, but I guess it's fitting for my first post in over 6 months. I stopped writing because I needed to find myself and not just write what I was doing and where I was going. But people kept looking to my writing for inspiration for health and wellness and I think it's time to pick up writing again.

As I write this, I am on Day 6 of my fourth (maybe third) Whole30. A lot has changed since my last Whole30 in May. After I completed the Whole30 in may, I went to Puerto Rico with Ryan for a much needed vacation and indulged on tostones, mofongo, yucca rice/beans, tortillas and dessert. But because I had just completed a Whole30, my health, my weight and my happiness was at an all time high so I enjoyed the food, the location and the rest and relaxation. We were extremely active on this vacation - we hiked at El Yunque Rainforest and went swimming in the waterfall, went kayaking on the bioluminescent bay at night, walked all over Old San Juan, went stand-up paddle-boarding and snorkeling and jet-skiing and swam every morning in the ocean.

After we returned, I did a Whole15 in August before we left for a trip to San Francisco. There I really indulged....crab sandwiches, peanut butter ice cream, clam chowder soup, garlic fries, basically everything that wasn't paleo. When I was on the trip, I was upset with myself for letting myself eat this way...I was bloated, red in the face and sad. But looking back now that I have had the time to think about it, I am so glad that I enjoyed the food while on vacation. It was a once in a lifetime trip with my husband and I shouldn't look back and wish that I had eaten something. All that I can do is do my best to prepare for events like this and then enjoy whatever situation I am in because it may never happen again. We were active on this trip too - walking up all this hills in San Francisco is the best booty workout ever! We also went hiking in Muir Woods and went on a 10 mile bike ride from San Francisco to Sausalito! And we're New Yorkers so we walked a lot except when we took the old fashioned trolleys! I did 2 Bar Method classes, one with the founder, Burr Leonard and my first ever Soul Cycle class.

 

After San Francisco I did a quick Whole7 to restart my healthy eating habits (see why I am on round four, but really I never did a complete round 3). Ryan and I have been eating completely Paleo since his first Whole30 in May. Both of us are so happy with this transition in lifestyle - we are so much happier, healthier and aware of the foods we are feeding our bodies. His transformation has also been amazing to watch because his workouts at the gym have been so much more efficient and his body has completely transformed.


The biggest thing that we did in October was Tough Mudder! I still cannot believe that I signed up for Tough Mudder but even more unbelievable is that I did it. I guess because I didn't think about it or train (which I do not recommend), I wasn't able to really think about what I was getting myself in to. But on a cold, windy and rainy Saturday morning in October, Ryan, my brother and his friend and I ran 13 miles and completed 22 obstacles together. We ran as a team, we completed every obstacle as a team, we worked together as a team and as a Tough Mudder team helping other individuals complete the course. We ran through mud, swam in an ice bath, jumped 12 feet off a plank, ran up a half pike, and ran through 100,000 volts of electricity...and we got a headband and a tshirt at the end to prove we did it. I had never done anything like this before and probably never will again but I have never been so proud of myself and my family for helping me complete the course. Of course I couldn't walk for 3 days after but it was worth it!

 

 

 

 

   

 

For Thanksgiving, my mom cooked a completely paleo meal which was so incredible to see how our family has completely embraced the new lifestyle and healthy eating habits. The only thing I did indulge on was the chocolate coconut cookies that I can never have just 1 of (I can't even have only 3). I did Bar Method Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday so even though I felt a little sick after eating so much, I made sure not to fall into a rut and let one cookie (okay, maybe 9) ruin my weekend. I could have sat on the couch and said "well, I ate 9 cookies yesterday, so might as well eat 9 more today," but I didn't and that is one of the harder parts of this journey. My only issue - Foldover the day after Thanksgiving for the second year in a row...really...you want me to go parallel to the floor after one of the biggest food holidays of the year? You must be crazy! Thanksgiving morning my brother and I did a 60 minute Turkey Burn Ride at Peloton.

After Thanksgiving, we kept up the Paleo lifestyle and I even stepped up my workout routine. Still doing Bar Method 4 days a week, I added in a lot of spin classes. I joined classpass which allows me to go to unlimited classes at select boutiques in NYC for the low price of $99! I love it. Swerve Fitness and Peloton have easily become my new fitness addiction. Only problem with spin, the amount of showering I have to do and I am running out of workout clothes each week but with the added fitness classes, I can't afford new clothes right now. Both Swerve and Peloton have an amazing team aspect to spinning which I never thought I would enjoy but I have become obsessed with. I hated spinning, never enjoyed being yelled out to bike on a stationary bike - where are we going? What hill do you see me going up? And why do you want me to add more resistance when my legs are barely moving anyway? And weights? You want me to lift weights and bike at the same time? This is ridiculous. But Peloton and Swerve have me going at least twice a week in addition to Bar Method. My whole family loves Swerve too - my brother goes to Swerve most weekends and Ryan comes with me to Peloton. If I can't get him into a Bar class then at least I can get him on a bike. I even got a few 1st places at Swerve which is so exciting

Christmas vacation was a little tough. I had off from December 24 - January 5 so I knew I wanted to workout every day but the food became hard to handle. Christmas Eve my family made dinner and everything was paleo except for the popovers and dessert. Well I indulged. Christmas Eve Ryan and I had our first Jewmas so after an amazing Peloton ride, we had donuts and my first bagel in over a year. It was from Essa-Bagel so it was special to me...when I was younger, my mom would wake me and my brother up every Christmas morning at 5am and take us to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. It was dark outside and the streets were quiet and empty. After the sun started to rise we would go to Essa-Bagel and get the first batch of bagels hot and fresh out of the oven. So this year I introduced Ryan to that family tradition (there was a tree in the Peloton studio so that counts). After breakfast we went to see a movie and got popcorn with raisenettes (you pour the raisenettes into the bag of popcorn so the chocolate melts)! Dinner was Chinese Food (what else would you even think to eat during a JewMas). We got dumpling, egg rolls, pork buns, scallion pancakes, spicy beef and chow mein. And now, we're not done there...we had chocolate peanut butter Ben & Jerry's at home for dessert.

Well I paid for this meal the next day. I couldn't get off the couch. Every muscle ached, I was so tired that I couldn't keep my eyes open and I had a terrible headache. I ate completely Whole30 that day (when I was not napping). I made it to a spin class that morning but didn't leave the couch the rest of the day. Talk about a Carb Hangover.

The rest of the vacation we ate very clean except every night we had a Paleo dessert. My favorite was chocolate molten lava cake with almond butter crunch topping.

Tuesday December 30th I began my day with a 60 minute Dream Ride at Peloton. The class was focused on setting intentions for 2015 and less about resistance and how hard we were working. There was a percussionist in the room and the studio was lit by candles and the music was very motivational. I found myself crying, releasing 2014 and every worry and doubt I was holding on to and feeling lighter and happier. We filled out intention cards with I WILL, I CAN, I AM and I DO. It was a great way to end the year!

That same night I went to dinner with my girl friends at The Nomad. It was a special meal to share with my best friends because this is the hotel where Ryan and I stayed when we got married and the same owner of Eleven Madison where we had our wedding dinner. I indulged in the best food I had ever eaten and the best dessert. It was a very special night and I couldn't have been happier.

New Years Eve was like Christmas...donuts from DOUGH, Essa Bagel, a salad for lunch and pizza and ice cream for dinner. Ryan and I went to Comic Strip Live for a comedy show and came back and ordered in pizza and had Ben & Jerry's Milk and Cookies ice cream and a glass of sparkling cider. As soon as the ball dropped, we were in bed.

My workout schedule for the 11 day vacation was:

December 24: 6:30am Bar Method
December 25: 9:30am Peloton
December 26: 9:30am FlyWheel
December 27: 10:30am Swerve
December 28: 8:30am Bar Method and 10:30am Swerve
December 29: 10:30am Bar Method and 12:30pm Swerve
December 30: 9:30am Bar Method
December 31: 12:30pm Peloton
January 1: Carb Hangover
January 2: 12:30pm Peloton and 5:00pm Bar Method
January 3: 8:30am Bar Method
January 4: Rest Day
January 5: 6:30am Bar Method and 6:30pm Revolve Spin

January 1 was the start of our Whole30. We are doing it together with a lot of people from around the world. It is the largest site wide Whole30 and I feel excited to be a part of it. It isn't about completing 30 days for me because I eat very clean and have learned so much from my past whole30's but right now it is about resetting my habits. I hate needing dessert after dinner, or not being able to go without craving pizza and ice cream since I had it so often in the past 2 weeks. I eat well, I workout, but I need to recognize the habits I created after finishing Whole30 and how I have gone back to my old routines. I am on day 6 now and already have more energy and focus than I did during Christmas break.

I am so glad I pushed myself last week for double workouts and know that without those double days, my eating habits would have been worse. I gained some weight and I am aware of it, but I look back on the 11 day vacation and know that I had an amazing time with Ryan, with my friends and lived the final days of the year to the fullest.

Yesterday was the first day back at work, the first day that I woke up at 5am for Bar Method in over a week and a half but I am ready to get back to a routine, get back to my healthy eating and workout habits. I just miss the time I spent with Ryan and my friends - I feel trapped in my routine of working out early and then spending 8-9 hours at work and working out in the evening. It's hard to balance it all but that's part of the journey.

I look forward to writing again and seeing where this journey takes me!

Whole30 Round 2 Day 6 - 9

Time seems to be escaping me, both good and bad! I feel in control, happy and full! Whole30 Round 2 is going great and I love seeing Ryan's success and watching him feel as amazing as I did my first round. He is having a few non-scale victories including his pants being loose and needing a belt, working out, going to sleep early, cooking every night and not ordering pizza, and getting so focused that he is now preparing to take the GRE so he can apply for PhD programs! He is excelling in his first week of Whole30 and I couldn't be more proud.

My first week went well too! It was a busy one and I wasn't home for meal 3 three nights, but now that Ryan is doing Whole30, I know the food he is cooking is compliant so I feel less stressed about eating, having leftovers, meal prepping and staying on track! A non-scale victory that I had this week was bringing meal 2 every day to work and not buying anything and because I meal prepped on Sunday, I had meal 1 prepared for my Bar Method mornings. I went to Bar Method Monday, Wednesday and Friday and am going this morning (Saturday, Day 10). I am even going to take a Level 2 course since that was one of my goals!

Another non-scale victory that I had during week 1 was hitting my NikeFuel Goal every day! That's over 10,000 steps per day. It feels great to be active and not be confined to a gym in order to do so. I know the warmer weather helps with my activity so I am more than excited for the warmer weather to arrive in NYC.

We ate really well this week and had some great recipes and meals that produced amazing leftovers!

Tuesday - Day 6
This evening I went to Hu Kitchen for meal 3 because nomnompaleo was doing a book signing. It was really exciting to see Michelle and have my huge red paleo cookbook signed, but it was also amazing to go to Hu Kitchen and have an amazing meal that was whole30 approved. I even bought leftovers for Ryan's meal 2 the next day. I went to the book signing with a friend who is also doing hole30 so it was a great evening talking about our new lifestyle and the success we're having as well as the hardships. Meal 3 was roasted brussel sprouts and Italian Meatballs. I got the same meal for Ryan's lunch.

Ryan's meal 3 was bison burgers with a homemade roasted peppers and fig balsamic sauce. He made extras for me for my meal 2 the next day!

Wednesday - Day 7
This morning I had a great Bar Method class and had my chicken and vegetable frittata for meal 1 at the office. Meal 2 was a huge salad topped with guacamole, salsa, and bison burger.

I promised Ryan we would cook meal 3 together since it was the only night that I was home to cook with him. He has been doing such a great job of cooking every night and I wanted to give him a break. We decided to make shepherd's pie using cauliflower mash instead of mashed potatoes! It was delicious! The cauliflower was creamy and light and we didn't even think that we were missing anything by not using white potatoes. The meaty filling was hearty and delicious and we had enough for dinner and leftovers for lunch! We made a side of roasted kale chips and used Tessamaes zesty ranch dressing which gave them an amazing kick! I ordered a lot of Tessamaes dressings that arrived so that Ryan would not get bored with a salad most days for lunch. We are using leftovers a lot but a side of salad at work is so easy but using oil and vinegar every day can get boring. I got lemon garlic, italian, raspberry vinaigrette, cracked pepper, zesty ranch and ketcup, hot sauce and bbq sauce!!

Thursday - Day 8
Meal 1, Ryan and I made spinach and tomato omelets with a sweet potato, carrot and zucchini hash on the side! I added cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper to the hash to make a bit sweet which was so satisfying!

 

Meal 2 was left over shepherd's pie, kale chips and a small salad.

Meal 3 was at an Irish pub - not the best place for paleo food finds but it was a work event so I went and enjoyed the night. I didn't give in to temptations though of mozzarella sticks, nachos and chicken tenders. I was able to order a grilled salmon over mixed green salad with fruit. I didn't eat the fruit because I didn't want the sugar to derail me. If I had eaten the sugar, it would have been harder to say no to the fried foods in front of me!

 

I was out until 8pm which wasn't too late, but I think eating, drinking and socializing didn't allow me to focus on my food and what I was eating because even though I was full, I wasn't satisfied. On my way home I had a blueberry RxBar. I didn't need it and honestly didn't feel proud for eating it, but there are worse choices to make for late night eating. I was happier eating the RxBar though than going home and eating almond butter and dates which is what I would have done during Round 1 or after Whole30 ended. I guess that is another non-scale victory - I haven't had almond butter in a week and have not had any late night snacking besides this bar!

Friday - Day 9
Summer Friday has started! This means I am done working at 1pm so I didn't plan any meal 2. My morning still began early with Bar Method and the remaining pieces of chicken and vegetable frittata at the office!

Meal 2 was amazing. The food was filling, I was at home cooking and eating, and Ryan was there. It wasn't good weather so it was nice to spend the first Summer Friday at home resting on the couch watching TV and doing nothing, though in the future I hope to spend time outside and take advantage of the warm weather and afternoon sunshine. Meal 2 we made Trader Joe's chili lime chicken burgers over a large spinach and vegetable salad, topped with salsa and guacamole. I love using salsa and guacamole as dressing because it adds good fat, vegetables and a lot of flavor and spices! Ryan noted how full he was which made the meal a success.

I spent the rest of the afternoon laying in bed and being completely lazy! Ryan studied for the GRE's and got a lot of work done. Meal 3 was the amazing Chocolate Chili from Well Fed that we made during Round 1! I started cooking at 5:30pm and let it simmer for 2 hours so we ate late. But that was okay - the weather had gotten worse and a thunderstorm and pouring rain had started so we were staying in anyway and it felt good to eat late. Another non-scale victory is that we have been eating a lot of meal 3's together at our dining room table and not on the couch in front of the TV!

We made roasted brussel sprouts using Tessamaes lemon garlic dressing. We topped the sprouts with a fried egg! We topped the chili with crushed almonds and flaked coconut. I doubled the recipe so we have a lot of leftovers for te weekend and maybe even 1 meal during the week! I also used a combination of meat (turkey and lean beef).

 

It has been an amazing week 1 in terms of food and meal planning and working out. I am however feeling a bit tired and run down. Maybe my tiger blood hasn't kicked in yet but I am waking up most mornings feeling achy and tired. I also get tired mid-day to the point where I could fall asleep at my desk! I am 3 weeks without caffeine so I don't want to give in and have some to wake up. I am making great food choices and working out so my energy should be peaked. Maybe it was the week of not being home most nights so I will see how week 2 goes!

Have a great weekend!
XO