Day 1 Basecamp 24 Day Challenge

I'm starting this a little later than the rest of the group, so I don't have my before body comps done yet or my supplements.

I'm planning on writing down everything I eat, how much water I drink, supplements I take and what my workouts are. I am also going to add how I feel, and one thing I did today to advance my business.

Food:
Meal replacement shake, coffee with whole milk (need to go to store and get food!) and honey, fish oil, evening primrose, daily cleanse pill, and magnesium.
Grapefruit

slice of brisket
piece of chicken thigh
mashed sweet potatoes

elevation burger wrapped in lettuce
half a serving of fries.

Cooking Frenzy.

 I've learned from living 38 years as me, that my creative energy tends to ebb and flow, and that I just need to go with it. Sometimes, I feel like I can work on a project all weekend without looking up, but then for several weeks I'll have no inspiration. Right now, I'm on a roll. Luckily, it's a slow time of year for me at work and I have no clients needing a house in the next few days so I'm left to my devices (Anderson is at camp...from 8-5!). I have some house projects (redecorate mantle and entry, paint an accent wall(s) in living room or get crazy and paint the mantle yellow...) but for now I'm putting some energy into cooking. I'm not back to 100% yet from my illness, but better. I think I had possibly my worst WOD ever this morning, and I think I will take tomorrow off to make sure I am well for classes resuming next week.

On to breakfast. It was quite honestly one of the best things I've had in a long time and I'm running on abbreviated taste due to congestion. It was more time consuming than a bowl of cereal, but if you make extra potato you can have it for a few meals quite quickly. First I shredded 1/2 a large sweet potato after peeling skin. I did this in my food processor which made it really easy. Then I seasoned with S&P, melted some coconut oil in a pan and plopped a big handful in. I let it get nice and crispy on the bottom before flipping it over and popping a cover on it. Let that sit while you work on the egg.

I poached 2 eggs, which was easy, but they didn't turn out beautiful. Put about 2 inches of water in a pan, crack eggs into little bowl, bring to just before a boil when you see bubbles but not rolling, pour eggs in while stirring water with spoon to create a whirlpool. This will help pull the whites into the center. Let go for a few min and take out with slotted spoon. Put on top of the sweet potato, put your prosciutto in the same pan you cooked your sweet potato in, no need to add more fat, it will crisp up in just a min. Layer it all up and enjoy! Something about the coconut oil with sweet potato is so good, then with the saltiness of the prosciutto....omg.

A food stylist I am not.

mayo

I then made mayo following this dudes tutorial.
I used olive oil.

 I also prepped dinner. We are having cod cooked in parchment. I know there is a French term for this, but I don't feel like googling it. It's our favorite way to prepare fish in our house and it's really easy.  Cut a rectangle of parchment like you are going to wrap the fish up as a present. Take a lemon and slice it up, put your fish on top. I add fresh herbs (thyme and rosemary from yard), a pat of butter (just evoo on mine), a drizzle of olive oil, S&P, and some garlic. Then, just wrap it up and secure. You can staple the packet, or just fold really good. I used a toothpick today. I'll bake it in my favorite kitchen gadget ever my Breville Convection Oven (more on this later) for about 20 min.

I think I'm done cooking for the day. Mission accomplished!

No Grains, No Dairy...Oh No!

I read this yesterday (in bold) in "It Starts With Food"... I think it is a good reminder of why we do this Paleo diet in the first place. It's not about looking good, it's about feeling great and nourishing our bodies. I know I feel better than I ever have after going Paleo. The funny thing is I didn't even realize that I didn't feel good before. I thought it was normal to feel sleepy at 3pm every day and to feel bloated regularly.

Also, I kinda always fumbled at the "But where do you get calcium?" question from people. The book goes into a very specific explanation on the importance of calcium, where we get it on a Paleo diet and how much is really needed and in conjunction with other foods.

That is all.

Before Pics and Day 1 recap

Kale, pomegranate, butternut sq, chicken, avocado, almonds

Day 1 went by without a hitch. I felt better in terms of my cold, but still pretty sick compared to how I usually feel. This may have helped with my appetite, I wasn't very hungry, so I didn't miss any foods and didn't have single snack. I had a great salad for lunch, and made a pounded lime and coconut milk chicken cutlet for dinner with some broccoli.

Here are my before pics. I had my hubs cut my head off because I was so sick and looked like hell. My starting weight on this is 130.5.Not too bad, but I really want to lose the fat on the sides and would like to see more definition in my back. Is it possible that I feel leaner already? It's probably just psychological, but who knows.

This morning, Day 2, I went to a free WOD at CC. I am certainly not 100% and couldn't put in 100% effort, but I made it there. Back at work today, planning for 2013 and getting personal stuff organized since Anderson was sick for a week before break, travel and then my sickness. I feel like I'm not exactly on top of things like usual.

I hate coconut milk in my coffee.

Happy 2013....here we go!

Looks like today is the day. Day 1 of The Whole 30. Unfortunately, 2012 did not end like I had hoped due to a massive head cold, severe sore throat and general lack of energy. After winding the year down with a big bowl of Tom Ka soup, antibiotic and hitting the sack at a whopping 8pm last night, I feel much improved. Nothing a netti pot can't handle.

Since I went shopping a few days ago, I feel prepared for the next few days in terms of food prep. I'm going to try a chicken cutlet recipe tonight, have a salad for lunch and some eggs for breakfast. One of the biggest challenges for me is not being able to use dairy milk in my coffee. This is something I do even when I am trying to be "strict" paleo b/c it just tastes so much better. The Aerolatte frother from Williams Sonoma really helps. I stick a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk in the microwave then froth it up with this guy. Still tastes like coconut milk, but the consistency is like a latte.

I did some prep work over the last couple of days too. One of the things I found was that any chicken stock I wanted to buy at Whole Foods had a bunch of non-Whole 30 approved ingredients. So, I bought a rotissiree chicken, cut it up and put the carcass overnight in the slow-cooker. This serves 3 purposes: chicken for me, broth for stocks, food for dogs. When the carcass is cooked for that long, the bones and remaining meat become very soft and doggie friendly. They were happy!

*I'll be posting "before" pics later along with my weight.

Introduction and Goals

If you have stumbled upon this blog, welcome! I am Anna. I'm 38 and a mom to one awesome son (7), and 3 dogs, wife to one. This blog a place where I can put down things I am currently working on in a few different aspects of my life. I'll leave the work/family/relationship stuff out of here and will stick with cooking, decorating/DIY and working out...my hobbies. I am a semi-recent convert to the Paleo lifestyle and an avid Crossfitter/weightlifter. Just writing down that I am a "weightlifter" seems weird, but it is true. *Please excuse the lackadaisical grammar and writing style. This is meant to be more of a journal for me, not something I intend to publish for the masses ;)

I'm starting this blog on the brink of the Whole-30 January challenge. I have done several "paleo challenges" before, but will be the first time on Whole 30. I have heard great things and am very excited. Several women from  my Crossfit class have also committed, so that makes it better. I find the more accountability, the easier something like this is.

I have always been an active and "fit" person. Running, triathlon and cycling were some of the things I did on a regular basis. I have 3 marathons, two 1/2 Ironmans, maybe 12 half-marathons under my belt. I even got as far as 16 weeks into the training for Ironman AZ before throwing in the towel (which means an 80 mile bike ride with a 1/2 marathon right after). I biked solo century rides (100 miles alone) on occasion and taught spin classes at 2 gyms in Chicago. So, by most standards I was fit. HOWEVER, I was still overweight (about 146 at my highest, I'm 5"4') and never felt like I "looked the part" of an athlete. I had no discernible muscle outside of some bulky quads. I was always watching what I ate (lots of grains, vegan, low fat, etc...) and never losing weight no matter how much time (oh, so much time!) I put in.

About 3 years ago now we adopted our son Anderson Xiaojun from China. It was a whirlwind and it turned my (our) lives upside down. I wasn't prepared for the ways my life would have to change to fit his needs as a 4 year old. I lived for 36 years doing what I wanted all the time, with nobody dictating my schedule. I realize now that I suffered from post-adoption depression for a good month after getting home. I'd never been depressed before, so I didn't recognize the signs. Luckily it was short-lived. I had to adjust my life around his schedule and the long runs, swims and rides were out of the question. I tried jogging with him in a baby jogger, but both of us became quickly bored. I was in a rut and saw my future self as a pudgy, middle-aged mom wearing capris and didn't like it one bit. I literally woke up one day and decided to dive in head first to Crossfit. After seeing the gym and it's uber fit population day after day for 5 years (I live around the corner) I knew it was something I had to try...if just for proximity's sake. Once I started I never looked back. My story of starting out in my first class I'm sure is the same as many others...the pain, the thinking the warm-up was the workout, the feeling like you are going to puke, the nerves that keep you up at night wondering if you are going to survive. Then, over time you start to get stronger, start seeing muscles, hit milestones that you never expected to hit and before you know it you are one of "those people"...the people that others ask questions with regards to fitness.

In the 1.5 years I have been doing CF I have dropped 2 solid sizes, lost 20lbs (from my highest to my lowest) and have exceeded any idea of what I thought my body was capable of. I can do pull-ups. I can walk 1/2 way across a gym floor on my hands. I can snatch 85lbs and Clean and jerk 125 at last count. I dead lift over 1.5 times my body weight. These are things I never even imagined myself doing, but now, in terms of my athleticism, define me. Numbers measure my gains, but there isn't any way to measure how much this all has changed me as a person. I am more positive, healthy, happy and energetic. These are the real gains.

I have goals in relation to fitness/health. Here they are:
This quote will serve as a guide: "This year I will realize the full potential of my athletic self.  I will live like an athlete."
Specific Goals:
Complete Whole 30 and maintain this lifestyle with only MINIMAL deviation. Quit cold-turkey nibbling on Anderson's snacks (my biggest cheat and overall downfall)
Snatch 110#
Clean and Jerk 140#
Dead lift 215#
Front Squat #140
Back Squat 165#
Run a mile in under 7min
Get below and stay below 18% body fat ( I think if I am about 125 lbs this will be good)