Day 5, Meal 3

What do you do when you can't decide between Japanese or Chinese food for dinner? You have both! I got home and ordered tri-color sashimi (salmon, yellowtail, tuna) and while I waited for the delivery I quickly whipped up broccoli and pork.

 When I got home I still had a headache and rather than sneak some chocolate like I normally would have, I had a small bowl of vegetable soup. Whole30 recommends having a small salad before a meal, so I figured a small soup would be great. It helped fill me up enough so that I could wait for my entree without having something bad for me, even if it is on the program, like apricots or a larabar!  So I ate soup while I ordered dinner!

 

When I finished the soup, I threw some broccoli, red onions and kale into a saucepan and let them cook for about 5 minutes. I wanted to mimic the balsamic sauce the pork was made in so I added some water so the onions would caramelize and then balsamic vinegar. Right at the end, I added the leftover pork ragout just to heat it through. Right as I was finishing my "Chinese" food, my Japanese food arrived!

Unfortunately I ate dinner on the couch watching TV, against my goals, so I ate it really fast and barely thought about what I was eating, but it was so good and I am so glad I got my sushi fix! I always liked sashimi and never needed the rice or the special rolls and special sauces and tobiko so this isn't difficult for me. The few difficult things when ordering sushi though is making sure there is no tobiko, crab or special/say sauce in the dish. Luckily, the miso soup, rice and soy sauce that came with the delivery were at the bottom of the bag, so I took out my platter and closed the bag back up and immedietely threw it out! No temptation! I tried shopping for coconut amino acids as a soy sauce replacement, but I can't find it in stores so I will have to order it online. Luckily, my pork and broccoli was salty enough that I didn't need any sauce with the fish!

Now I am curled up on the couch with Haley about to watch a movie. One more night alone so I have some cleaning to do before Ryan gets home! Cooking every night means lots of dishes and messes!

Have a great night!

XO

Day 4 and Rx Bars

I woke up this morning at 5:20am (on my own without my alarm clock - damn internal alarm clock) and rather than try to go back to sleep, fail and then be mad at myself for not waking up and going to Bar Method, I got my butt out of bed, dressed and out the door for the 6:30am class! And I am so glad I did!!!! I had a handful of nuts (almonds, cashew, walnut) on the bus crosstown which got my fully energized for class, and I packed a Coffee Cacao Rx Bar for post workout (it was really hard not to open it on the bus and sneak a bite).

I cannot even explain how good it felt to be at Bar Method today. I was smiling, happy, giddy and excited for class. And Amanda's class was a lot of fun (yes, fun at 6:30am does exist). Even during arabesque, when my standing leg was shaking and my glutes were burning and my eyes wanted to drop to the floor, I just kept thinking positive thoughts and pushed through (I can't tell you what these thoughts were because they were interspersed with a lot of cursing and internal crying of pain). It's only 3 minutes, right? I had such a great class, and walked out of the studio still smiling - I hope this is a permanent feeling because it really is amazing. I had my Rx Bar in the locker room while I got dressed - AMAZING, DELICIOUS - so satisfying. And while I was eating and getting ready a few girls started asking me about the product and about Whole30. When I told them it was a sugar, grain, gluten, dairy free program and lifestyle, they were shocked. A few said they couldn't live without cheese, and others said "well, I don't eat sugar anyway." Then we went on FreshDirect and looked at those 4 minute meals they eat and low and behold, the first few ingredients (besides grains and rice and wheat) were "sugar and rice malt" which Whole30 has deemed, sneaky sugars. They couldn't believe it, how could sugar be in their "real" food. Well if it has a barcode, it's most likely not real food. It was fun to talk about the program and reinforce my belief that Whole30 is changing my life, mentally and physically. I help helping my body and educating my mind.

The RxBar was the perfect post workout meal. It was sweet (from the dates and coconut and almonds) and had a great crunch and texture. I'm sure 4 days ago I would have said it was a bit bland and not "chocolatey" enough, but 4 days without sugar and it was really sweet to me! It kept me full for 2 hours after Bar Method when I made it to work and had an omelette with scallions, peppers, tomatoes, and spinach. I went to the omelette station and picked all of the vegetables they had and none of the meats or dairy. And no to homefries and toast - everyone in line looked at me like I was crazy, but the omelette was delicious. Meal #2 is soup and salad (and a mini larabar if I need it to hold me off until after the colonic. Since I have to stop eating at 2pm and I won't be home until 7:30pm, I just don't want to get a headache or dizzy from having such a wide gap in between meals).

 

Whole30 Approved stamped right on the packaging! Love it!

The Day 4 Whole30 Daily email was great to read this morning. It discusses cravings and how to differentiate between hunger and cravings. Basically, if steamed fish sounds good to you, you are really hungry and if not, step away from the chocolate! Walk away, fast, in fact, run!

I definitely battle with the "sugar dragon." I am a victim of what whole30 defines as HALT (eating when I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). Especially at work between the hours of 2pm and 5pm. I may have just finished a large lunch, but then work slows, emails stop coming in, Facebook isn't distracting me, and I reach in my drawer for an apple, or even worse, a quest bar, chocolate kisses, or anything sweet. But really, I am not hungry. I read the book "The Power of Habits" which is mentioned in today's email - 3pm is my cue, reaching in my drawer for food is the routine, and the reward of pleasure and happiness comes with each bite of sugary goodness...but then the reward disappears and I feel guilty, angry, and disappointed in myself. The reward is never as good as it seems 5 minutes later. So I need to create better habits at 3pm when the sugar dragon shows up - talk a walk, drink water, have herbal tea...create new habits for the same cue (3pm). And sometimes I convince myself that a fruit is better than the chocolate, but our brains do not differentiate between fruit sugar and chocolate sugar, it's all the same, so giving in to the sugar dragon with fruit is just as bad. It has been 4 days and I have not had a piece of fruit. I know fruit is nutritious and beneficial, but my sugar addiction is so real that I know that if I have fruit, I will have a much harder time resisting other types of sugar. I am keeping it clean!

Tonight is my colonic and I am excited to continue cleaning out my body of toxins. I have been eating clean for 4 days and feel healthier, lighter, and more regular. The colonic will only help with the benefits of Whole30. I will be getting home late for dinner which is what makes me nervous. Normally, I would microwave something quick and easy, but Whole30 does not allow that. Luckily, I have a lot of soup at home, eggs and a lot of greens. Tonight might be a boring Meal #3 just to feed my body quickly and remain healthy and on program.

Tomorrow morning I am not doing Bar Method because my body will be healing from the colonic. I plan to make N'Oatmeal for breakfast and relax and even walk to the office since the weather is warming up. I have planned a week of meals for Week #2 and lunches will be leftovers - I don't want to get bored or redundant with salads so I am finding new ways to use leftovers rather than just microwaving them in their original form. Short ribs can become taco salads, almond chicken will make a great salad, etc. I know I am only on day 4, but this positive attitude will hopefully remain for the next 26 days! And sharing everything here is really helping! I am so used to tracking my food with Weight Watchers that writing it all here is helping me remain accountable and make sure that I eat enough to be full until the next meal, but not overeating.

Tomorrow is my last night with Ryan still traveling and I think I want to treat myself to sushi. That means, SASHIMI (no rice), no soy sauce and no spicy mayo or tempura. I love sushi and am craving it so I am going to get a whole lot of salmon, tuna and yellowtail to fill me up. It will be worth the splurge and since Ryan hates sushi, this is my chance! 

Have a great day!

XO

Update: I think I am going to make salmon cakes for dinner tonight. I know it will be late when I get home, but they will be great to have for dinner, lunch tomorrow and breakfast on Saturday with a fried egg! I have canned salmon from Trader Joe's (only ingredient is pink atlantic salmon), and will use an egg, almond flour to hold them together and some onions and lemon and salt and pepper. I will fry them up in coconut oil! Since dinner will be later, I will probably have 2 patties on a bed of kale (with soup if I am that hungry). Tomorrow for lunch I will make my usual vegetable salad and breakfast Saturday will be a salmon patty with fried egg! Yummmmm.

Lunch Out With the Girls!

It's really good to get away from your workspace and eat lunch out - this doesn't mean you have to go out for lunch every day, but change your scenery. Eat in a different part of the office, go for a walk and eat in the park if it's warm enough, but whatever you do, try not to eat lunch at your desk. When we eat where we work we don't get a break from working or spending time on social media. We don't get to focus on the food itself which causes us to overeat or not feel full and satisfied when our meal is done. When we are on our computer, watching TV, or texting on our phones while we eat, we don't savor the moments and the flavors of our food.

I have a bad habit of eating lunch at my desk and watching TV when I eat dinner. I know not to, but it's hard to get up and tune out. My goal in 2014 is to eat dinner with the TV off. Ryan and I are always watching the news or a sports game when we eat but we need to turn it off and focus on our meal and the time spent together. I also eat at my desk which is the worst habit that I have. I sit on Facebook or news sites or gchat while I eat. Sometimes I don't even look down at my food to see what I am eating. I lose the enjoyment in my meal and when there is no food left, I tend to still be hungry. My body also begins to associate my desk with eating and I become hungry all the time.

Today I went out to lunch with a few girls from work and we got sushi! It was great to get out of the office and walk to the restaurant despite the frigid temperatures and eat at a table that did not have a cell phone or a computer on it. I ordered the sushi lunch which was 2 pieces of tuna, 2 pieces of salmon and 2 pieces of yellowtail sushi with a small salmon roll (9 WW points). I ordered it with salad (1 WW point for ginger dressing) instead of soup and ate it without soy sauce because that is one place gluten is always hiding. I loved being able to talk to people while I ate and not sit alone at my desk in silence. The food was good and the company was even better!

I have only a few points left for dinner tonight and without any vegetables in the house because we juiced everything it is hard to decide what to make that will keep my points low. I have a portobello mushroom cap left (no kale, spinach or peppers to stuff it with or to make a salad), but I might grill it and eat it on the side of a spinach or butternut squash garden lites. We are going to the basketball game so I want to be full so I can get through the night while avoiding the tempting smells of pizza, popcorn and chicken fingers! But Ryan and I always have a great time at college basketball games and tonight it's a battle for the bridge! Go Brooklyn!