Why I can't stand Paleo...

Well it's been a minute!! I can't lie and say I've been hitting the gym hard and doing well since last year. In fact it's been the complete opposite and on March 1st I said get it together girl and get back on track.

So much has happened since my last post! Like ughhh I got engaged!!!! Lol I saw a draft entry entitled "First Time Bride" I guess I forgot to complete it so I will come back to that another time I suppose! It's been a rip roaring adventure. I love love love him and I love love love us! It's been everything I could imagine I'd want. So why has my working out and eating right routine slacked off? I don't know! He's been on a good roll after I introduced him to Paleo and I just fell way off. My weight stabilized and I guess I kept pushing the envelop to see what could happen.

What would life be like for me if I could just eat and drink what I want? How freeing would it be to have no worries about calories and carbs? Who would I be? I mean so much of my life has been spent on dieting and exercising or thinking about dieting and exercising or complaining about dieting and exercising lol How would I feel if it all just didn't matter?

That's why I can't stand Paleo...

Paleo reminds me I'm not special. See in the other areas of my life things just kinda happen for me not that I dont put in effort but not nearly as much as I have to put in when it comes to "living a healthy lifestyle" that's pretty normalizing to me in fact it's down right demoralizing when I generally feel pretty extraordinary in other endeavors.


That's why I can't stand Paleo...

Paleo tells me I don't get to cut corners.
Paleo tells me I'm forced to make the effort, go the extra mile, take the extra time and slow down...I don't like to slow down by the way :-D

So that's why I can't stand Paleo because it makes me be viligant when I want to be lazy.  Paleo tells me what I feed my body matters...how much I exercise matters...what I cook matters...

Ughhh Paleo! I can't stand you! But losing five pounds in five days tells me Paleo is like that annoying Professor who dares to care enough so she pushes you to your full potential... You remember the one you emailed years later to say thank you for being an inspiration. Yeah... So on March 1st after driving three hours in the freezing rain from William & Mary Law School after participating in an American Bar Assoication panel I went to the supermarket and stocked up on fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and nuts to get back on track! After all that I came home started cooking soup soup and got on my treadmill...after taking off some clothing and dusting it off lol

It hasn't been a perfect six days... I've been cranky (apologies), I've had some carbs, and some cheese but definitely not what I would normally have.

I lost 5 pounds, feel less bloated, I'm drinking more water, sleeping better and I'm trying new recipes. All good things.

Paleo is a good thing...I woke up at 5am, brushed my teeth, got on the treadmill...for 70 minutes! Paleo encourages better behavior because your body responds so quickly. I woke up thinking all I got is 35 minutes in me but I took my iPad with me and I went on Instagram and looked at #Paleo and before I knew it I surprised my goal and it felt good.

I will do better with blogging! Promise!

Paleo Revisited!

Hey y'all! What a great weekend! I had the best workout Friday night with my trainer and a dynamic team of exercise experts! We did kickboxing, Zumba and a socarobics type class! I did just about two out of the three hours and felt good. Saturday I did Body Combat and it went well. Sunday the ManFriend and I hit the local high school track to walk!

I am back on Paleo and it's going well! I just opted on October 1st just because it was a new month! I lost a good bit of weight and wanted to capitalize on the momentum! Feeling good about it! I got a few emails about Paleo so I figured I would repost another quick and dirty Paleo guide! The quick and dirty is you focus on eating the way cavemen did by focusing on meats and veggies! So you will forego dairy... Yes no yogurt or cheese or other processed foods. Now there are a variety of versions of Paleo some do allow dairy and who is to say what's really right but I can tell you my stomach definitely was less bloated in a few days after eliminating dairy. The most challenging aspect is snacking. I've pretty much have used fruit for my sweet tooth and it's gone pretty well.

I am also back on My Fitness Pal. It's been helpful and encouraging.  I am cooking a lot more. I will check back in soon with some new recipes!

Photo from Friday night

Great workout! !! My winning 

Sorority who braved the event!

Back to the lab again!!!!!

OMG it is October 1st! OMG I have not posted since end of July! OMG so much is going onnnnnn! OMG!!!! Where did the summer go?! 2014 is flying by and I must say its been  a great year! If nothing is amazing happened to me for the rest of the year I have had a "Next Level Greatness" experience!

Quick catch up I had umbilical hernia surgery in September so I haven't blogged much because I haven't worked out much. That was a terrible experience! The Dr. made it seem very basic, in and out, and 1-2 days recovery! Bulllllll!!!!! I was laid up for almost 3 weeks! Had I known I would not have done it. But the hernia was getting bigger and bigger and I couldn't really workout without some discomfort and I like lifting weights and that just aggravated the problem so I had to get it right.

The upside was I lost like 14 pounds in 3 weeks! Praise Jesus! I had no appetite and I lived on sugar free ice pops and really just wasted away. Not that I am complaining! It broke my long running plateau. And to be fair I shouldn't call it a plateau. I been eat and drinking whatever I like and not working out so basically I was maintain meanwhile I should have been grinding.

But it is October 1st and I am getting back on my grind. Starting with my Personal Trainer's event this Friday!!! If you are in the area come on out! Its open to all! It will be a great mix of  kickboxing, zumba, and high impact cardio! If you are a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha there will be two special raffles just for us!! Don't miss it!!!

Today I decided to do Paelo. Just today. We will see about tomorrow. I plan to do some form of intentional exercise every day. Today I plan to do 100 squats while at work and depending on the commute home I will do the treadmill!

I have some serious events coming up this holiday season and I want to be fierce-er lol that means ballroom gown shopping and I can't wait!!!

I hope you all have been well!!!! I;ve had a few other things happening I will update in a few weeks but keep in mind the song "All Eyes on Me" :-)

Have a great 1st Day of the month! Time for new goals, new attitudes, new meals, new mindset!!!!

Therapy in a jar....

I been on the go with a capital G but it's all good I'm getting back into my routine!  Boule 2014 was wonderful and I enjoyed spending time with my sorors and the ManFriend.

My weight loss is at a stand still and so is my motivation.  Which was perfect for me to discuss it rather than ignore it...I had a good session with my therapist and we discussed my attitude about exercise. I told her I have these moments of utter frustration and I guess envy for people who seem to lose weight without much effort.  She suggested I re frame that because exercise is simply good for my health not just good for weight loss and I should consider that it's merely my perception that others have it easy when in actuality everyone must work at it to some degree.

She makes it sound so easy... like Therapy in a jar (that jar is real by the way lol its in her office)

I suppose she is right...but it doesn't feel that way. I'm still struggling with making better choices more consistently and that's frustrating too.

On a positive note I did a good job today I cooked breakfast and dinner last night and packed my food so all I had to do was grab and go this morning.  I filled my water bottle up at home and by 10 am I was already at 60 oz!

I stuck with my planned meals and instead of butter popcorn I had unsalted almonds for a snack.

On the way home my mind kept saying get some ice cream... then it went to get a blizzard. ..then get a cheeseburger. .. utter madness.  I drove straight home and had my treat for the week some Trader Joe chocolate with PB. It did the trick and the cravings stopped.

I just had dinner and I'm on the way out to a baseball game. Didn't do the gym and didn't do T25 or treadmill at home. Not even mad that it didnt happen but I will take the mini victories today brought. :-)

On The Run

Well I went to see Jay X last night oh and his wife!  Whewwwww! Tall know I love me some Jigga! They put on a great show. Not a concert a full blown theatrical production! Impressive! Everything from the wardrobe to the set which was really a digital masterpiece to the song selection and arrangements! #Flawless

I had a great time! I really must day what truly impressed me was the message they are sending a young couple in love working hard and enjoying life. So many other images out there devalue marriage and having children in wedlock it's nice to see multimillionaires doing it and making it look "cool" it can only help society especially the younger generation!  All around good stuff. They ended the show with lovely images of their life and travels and family pictures with Blue Ivy and it was heart warming. Love The Carters!

 Anyway back to me lol I am behind on updating my T25 progress. I was down another pound after week 3 and I will take it. I missed one workout but food was a lot better and I didn't stress myself out with being overly crazy about what I was doing

I didn't start week 4 and I really don't have a reason.  I slept in late on Saturday until a Junior League event at 12 noon at the same winery I had my 35th Birthday party! It was a great group and we had lots of fun. I made it a Sassy Summer Celebration!  We can dressed in sun dresses and derby hats and fascinators! We looked cute! See pictures to prove it below lol

All in all a good week and I have a meeting tonight so I will start Week 4 Day 1 tomorrow after work! My big sorority conference is next week and I'm looking forward to it. I just have to unpack from my last trip lol 

Any hoo I will check in soon!!!

Week 3 T25!!

Well we are onto Week 3! For a quick recap:
Week 1 -I did all 5 T25 workouts plus the treadmill and a workout with my personal trainer and journaled my food
Result: Gained a pound

Week 2- I only did 2 out of 5 T25 workouts barely journaled
Result: Loss a pound

I posted on Facebook that I can't call it and whatever I'm moving on to Week 3.

Well if it's one thing I've learned it's that the body is not a machine so I just have to keep plugging along and focus on the longer bigger picture!  

I got up and cooked more egg muffins and did my Week 3 Day 2 workout Speed 1.0 I think that's my new favorite.  It's challenging but I really like it! Last night I did a Zumba, reggae aerobics, and Chizel it class! I could only stay for 1 hour but it was great! I had big plans on going to a soror's birthday party in DC but literally came home took a shower and fell out and didn't wake up until 6am!!! Lol crazy!!!

Anyway off to do laundry!  I also plan to make some more paleo inspired meal ideas thinking turkey meatballs and spaghetti squash with spinach! 

Happy Sunday! 

TGIF!!!!!

Where did the week go?! Man time flies! I have been slacking on the T25 workouts its been a super busy week and I am opting for an extra 25 minutes of sleep in the morning instead of exericse! Since we last met I did the following... Wednesday ~ Board Meeting Thursday~ I cooked some paleo inspired meals skipped workout and now its Friday. So no workout for two days I am not sure how the T25 program deals with that because life happens so my goal is to do Week 2 Alpha cycle Day 3 which is Speed 1.0 and I will double up and do Cardio too since on Saturday ~Cardio Sunday ~rest Monday ~ Total Body Circ. Its all off so I need to figure the best way to catch up and get back to Saturday being my Day 1. With all that said I am easing my way back into a Paleo eating plan. I mentioend Paleo before but sicne I am a bad blogger I don't have tags to make it easy to find. LOL So a quick run down about Paleo its a way of eating that focusing on how Cavemen/women would eat so its a healthier high protein, high fiber fruits/veggie way of eating eliminating dairy, wheat, processed food, and sugar! I love carbs and I am on the go a lot so I love processed foods for snack things like protein shakes, bars, pita chips, crackers, greek yogurt, etc. all a no no on Paleo! I surely feel better ie., less bloated etc on Paleo but I miss my dairy and my crunchy carb snacks! Well since I am easing back into it I did some shopping as I mentioned the other day and I found two ways to make homemade Paleo BBQ sauce I sorta combined them lol but let me just say the outcome was amazingggg!! As soon as the chicken and pork started baking you could smell it throughout the house! Its been ManFriend approved lol so here's the details! Enjoy and let me know how you like it! Paleo BBQ sauce: 1/2 cup of honey 2 cups tomato sauce 1/4 cup liquid smoke 1/4 mustard 1 tbsp all spice 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper 1 tbsp salt & pepper ** CLowe's extra A few sprinkles of: Trader Joe 21 Season salute, Garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt (I left out the all space and they recc'd gulten and/or organic but I went with what was at my supermarkert lol) First dish was the BBQ Chicken 3 Chickenlegs 3 chicken thighs Wash and place in pan cover chicken with sauce and wrap tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes then uncover and add sweet onions and continue to bake for 40 minutes.

Peach BBQ pork (I saw a great recipe for Peach BBQ pork kabobs on Nom Nom Paleo I didn't want to use my grill but liked the idea of what she was putting together) 1 pack of Pork shoulders. (I will be honest I thought these were cheap ribs lol they looks like spare ribs without the bone lol) 2 ripe peaches Trader Joe Coconut oil and cooking spray A grill (I used my George Foreman) Wash pork shoulder and cut into cubes and place in pan cover with some of the remaining BBQ sauce (from above) Save about 1/2 a cup of the left over BBQ sauce and cube one of the peaches add some honey and blend until smooth (I used my Nurtibullet)

 Take the other peach and slice and grill using the coconut oil place a small amount on a microwave safe plate and lightly coat the peach slices Add the peach bbq sauce to the pork that is already cooking (after 30 minutes) cook for another 20 minutes then add to crock pot and cook on high for 1-2 hours add grilled peaches. Voila! Both are sooooo good!!!!! Enjoy!