Whole30 Check-in: day 29

I can’t believe tomorrow is the last day finally! I’m so excited to accomplish something that I wasn’t sure I could do on day 1.

It’s helped me refocus and realize how much more important it is to eat good foods versus counting calories so much. Obviously your intake is important to staying on track or losing weight, but eating 300 calories of veggies and good protein is better than 300 calories wasted on a Starbucks drink. I also never realized how much added sugar is in EVERYTHING! I’ve even figured out I can go out to eat and not blow my hard work by ordering junk. There are healthy options, and every place I’ve gone to has been willing to make modifications as they can to help me out. It’s all just a matter of being willing to ask. 🙂

Since tomorrow is Saturday and I’m not sure what I’ll be up to I took my “after” photos this morning.

I did cheat once. Whole30 rules state no scale, but I hopped on the scale day 15 to see my half way progress. At that point I had lost 5.2 pounds. I am waiting until Sunday to weigh again, but I don’t feel like I’ve lost anymore weight (which is fine because I didn’t do this so much to lose weight). Not a big change, but I am noticing subtle differences that no one else will probably see. My clothes fit better, and I feel so much better. I never got that afternoon burst of energy some people talked about, but I did notice I haven’t had an afternoon crash. I feel like I have a more steady stream of energy all day long, and that’s one thing I loved most about this experience. That’s also what’s encouraging me to stay on track with the habits I’ve picked up this past month.

As a distance runner Whole30 isn’t something I feel I can maintain long term, so I’m planning to follow it with the exception of allowing myself brown rice, quinoa, or whole wheat bread. I do want to continue cutting the starchy carbs and watching my sugar and dairy intake, and I plan to allow myself a weekly cheat day. The hardest part of this process was knowing I couldn’t eat something, so I’m hoping allowing myself that cheat will also help me want it less.

One more day of Whole30 eating tomorrow and then an epic cheat day for the annual Super Bowl party! I’m excited to get to eat a few treats, but I know how I’ll feel groggy and stuffed after so it won’t be long before I’m ready to get back to my healthier Whole30 gained habits!

Thanks for following along and helping me stay accountable this month! 🙂

Whole30 Check-in: Day 24

Oh so close!!! This time next week I’ll be stuffing my face with nachos and beer at our annual Super Bowl party, and I’m sure it will taste twice as nice as celebration of my Whole30 challenge coming to an end!

I’m really excited for the challenge to be finished simply because I want so much stuff just for the reason I’m not supposed to eat it right now! I’m very pleasantly surprised that I’ve made it this far (and at this point I know I’ll make it to the end). I was honestly afraid I would get a few days in and then start binging on bad food. I always pay attention to what I eat, do eating healthy isn’t the hard part for me. The hardest part is not allowing myself a cheat day (or two sometimes).

I have quite the list of foods I want to eat once this is over next week. I don’t plan on eating the whole list, but I’m going to choose a few things that I’m really craving and treat myself on Sunday. I’ve discovered when I have a craving writing it down helps it go away. It’s like telling myself “ok. You can eat this on this day since it’s on the list.” I know there are things on there I simply wanted because I saw it and couldn’t have it, so I most likely won’t want to waste a cheat on them. But a cupcake? You better believe I’m hunting one of those bad boys down on Sunday!

I’m not sure about doing another Whole30 challenge anytime soon, but I do want to keep my healthier habits I’ve gained during this past few weeks. I’m planning to stick with the Whole30 guidelines with a little less restriction. As a runner I need carbs, so being able to add back in brown rice and quinoa will make it easier to get what I need. Although I have gotten a little creative on getting my carbs in and been on a major sweet potato kick lately!

Ok enough Whole30.

A little weekend recap: today was “long” run day. Since I stepped back my training a little post marathon my long run consisted of 7 miles today. I ran with a friend training for her first half marathon this morning, so it was a nice change from the usual. Different person, different route…still good company. 🙂 My running partner in crime wasn’t feeling well, so I definitely missed her but happy I had someone else to make sure I showed up this morning and put the miles in.

In other exciting news I bought a new car this weekend! I downgraded from my big ol SUV to a more economical Prius. Ha! I guess that means my Cali girl transformation is officially complete!

Now I’m spending my Sunday evening meal prepping and getting ready to tackle the week ahead. One of the keys to success is being prepared, so Whole30 has definitely got me back in the habit of preparing ahead…not just with food but also just my schedule in general. Who knew a post holiday challenge would make such a big difference? 😉

Whole30 Check-in: day 15

Woohoo! Today is officially the halfway point in my whole30 challenge!

I must say after my “carb crash” last week things have been so much better! I’m no longer having cravings, and it gets easier every day to say no to things not whole30 compliant.

As I’m getting more comfortable and confident with my new eating habits I’ve been able to eat out with a little less worry this past week. It’s been nice to know days I’m running late I have a cafe at work where I can still get healthy foods and stay on track. It helps take away that “I don’t have time” excuse.

I felt a little lazy after the gym Monday evening, so on my way home I grabbed an already cooked rotisserie chicken from the store and quick sautéed some veggies when I got home. I managed to eat all of the chicken for dinner this week and didn’t even have to cook! I just pulled the skin off because I wasn’t sure what all was used on it. It feels good to finally be finding the balance of eating out or grabbing something quick on my way home and still stay compliant with the challenge. This should definitely help my long term eating habits (which was exactly what I wanted going into it!).

One of the toughest parts of this last week was on Sunday. I ran my first race of 2015 which just so happened to be the Hot Chocolate 15k in San Francisco. It was pretty tough passing up all the chocolate goodies along the course and waiting at the finish line, but I came in with a 7 minute PR and let that be motivation to stay focused on my plan.

So far I still haven’t gotten this energy burst so many people talk about, but I have gone without coffee most days this week. I haven’t felt too tired until the end of the day, so maybe it’s giving me more energy than I think. 😉

Well meal prepping is underway for this next week, and then I’ll be into the home stretch!

I’m glad to see the halfway point today, but I’m ready to celebrate with the Super Bowl (and hopefully watch my team play!) and a nice cold beer!

Whole30 Check-in: day 8

Woohoo! I officially survived week 1 of the Whole30 challenge! This has been quite an interesting experience so far. Even though Whole30 isn’t too far off my normal diet I’ve learned quite a bit this week. So here’s what 7 short days has taught me:

1) Preperation is key. I chose to start this challenge at a time I knew there wasn’t a lot in the coming month to distract me. The holidays are over, the Super Bowl is in February, no special occasions to tempt me…so I’m definitely glad I planned that far ahead. Also meal prepping and making sure I had plenty of food on the go has been great at keeping me on track this far.

2) I eat when I’m bored. I’m definitely learning to ask myself if I’m really hungry now before I just grab something and start eating.

3) A support system is key. I’m so glad I’m not doing this alone! If I were in this alone I would’ve already caved. Yesterday (day 7) was the hardest day for me. It was my “food meltdown” day. Thankfully my 2 ladies stuck on this adventure with me made sure I stayed on track because they knew I’d regret it today if I didn’t. Also I’m very thankful my boyfriend is being so supportive of my crazy idea. I’ve been able to go out to dinner a few times this week and make choices that follow my plan because he’s been patient and helped make sure I make the right choice instead of ordering the things I really want (like a burger!). It has definitely made this week a little easier.

4) I can make good choices while eating out. this is good to know for once I’m done. It’s so easy to get off track with healthy habits, but I’ve already proven to myself I have the willpower to make a healthier choice eating out. It’s good to cheat and treat yourself on occasion, but I can’t let myself get into a habit of cheating anytime I’m eating away from home.

My hopes going into this challenge was to get my eating habits back on track after the holiday goodness I indulged in. So far I think I’m learning even more than I expected to, and I hope to keep these lessons in mind long after I complete my challenge.

I have a busy weekend ahead, so I’m currently multitasking and meal prepping as I type. I decided to make crock pot beef stew loaded up with plenty of veggies for this coming week. My house is starting to smell so yummy….can’t wait to eat it!

I hope everyone is doing well with their New Year’s resolutions this far!

Whole30 Challenge: Day 1

Happy 2015!

One of my goals for this year was to start it off by completing the Whole30 challenge (see my previous post if you want to know more), and today officially marks day 1 of my 30. After doing my grocery shopping yesterday I think this is going to be a little easier than I thought. It’s definitely going to be a challenge no doubt, but I’m not feeling as nervous about it as I originally was.

I don’t plan to blog everyday of the challenge, but I do think this is going to help keep me accountable. When I meal prep I prep for the week, and I typically eat the same meals that whole week. Basically it would be really boring seeing the same boring food photos daily, so I’ll spare you the blah-ness! 😉

For the first week I chose to keep my meal prep fairly simple. Breakfast consisted of two eggs, two slices of turkey bacon, and a banana. I haven’t felt hungry in the few hours it’s been since I had breakfast, so I feel like my breakfast choice will work well for me.

Lunch this week is going to be a sauté consisting of sausage, asparagus, mushrooms, and onions. Dinner is pretty basic with a chicken breast (flavored with Mrs. Dash lemon pepper to stay compliant) and a roasted veggie mix of squash, zucchini, and carrots.

I also bought grapes and apples to keep handy in case I need a snack or feel any of my meals need something more to get me through the day. Whole30 is geared towards eating only 3 meals a day, but my schedule between lunch and dinner may be too long to not have a snack. I’m going to try it out and see how I feel, but I’m not going to stress over eating an apple at 2 pm instead of noon if I need to.

With all of my meal prep finished I actually feel pretty excited to see how this goes! I’ll be tracking my daily food (no macro counting, just what I ate and water intake), and I’ll be checking in a few days to update my progress!

Whole30 is obviously a short term goal, but I hope I find some ideas for incorporating long term changes in my eating habits. As for my 2015 long term goals:

The Whole30 Challenge

First off I hope everyone had a great holiday with their loved ones! I spent Christmas Eve with the boy’s family and spent most of Christmas day cooking for my family dinner. Everything turned out super yummy (especially the desserts!), and I successfully fooled Santa into thinking I was good again this year. He came through and dropped off a new pair of Brooks running shoes for me along with a few other running goodies that were on my list (including signing me up for a half marathon in March!), so I’d say it was another pretty successful Christmas. 🙂

After all the sweets I’ve indulged in over this past weekend I’ve started thinking about getting back on track. I’ve been keeping up with my runs/gym workouts over the holidays, but I decided not to commit back to healthy eating until the new year arrived. There are still way too many treats in my house, and since I don’t indulge all the time I figured a week of treats wouldn’t hurt…especially since I’m keeping up with the gym at least. (It cancels out, right?!)

I read a few months ago about the Whole30 Challenge, and I decided then that I’d like to try it out as a “reset” with the new year. I’ve done a little more research and after treating myself this last few days I’m ready to officially commit to the challenge. (If you want to know more about what it is click here: http://www.whole30.com/)

I decided to post it here to hopefully help me stay accountable. It’s going to be tough…no sugar (except in fruit), no dairy…but I’m anxious to see if it really helps me feel better. I think it will be a good way to reset my metabolism after all the junk I’ve eaten between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

I’m all for setting goals that are realistic, so I decided starting Jan. 2nd would be the best for me. I don’t have any long runs that need extra carbo-loading, so I shouldn’t have any excuse to give in to the pasta and rice I love so much! Since it’s 30 days starting on the 2nd will give me New Year’s Day to get those last minute cravings taken care of, and I’ll be done just in time for beer and nachos on Super Bowl day! I decided the Super Bowl and our annual SB party would be the perfect way to celebrate making it through my 30 day challenge. Then the next day of course will be right back on the healthy train!

I don’t think this challenge is realistic for me to do long term (I love cheese way too much!), but I am curious to see how much easier it will be once I get through those first few days. I’m hoping I can learn a few things that I can maintain long term and keep in my routine once the challenge is done (I’m sure I don’t really NEED sugar in my coffee!), and I’ll be checking in along the way to make sure I stay accountable for my goal!

Happy Holidays!

I have a busy day today and tomorrow, but I wanted to take a moment to wish my followers a very Merry Christmas! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday filled with love, plenty of laughter, and all the treats you can eat!

Happy holidays to you and yours!

It’s all about perspective.

I ran across the post below on a Facebook page I follow earlier today. After the way my marathon attempt ended on Sunday it was a refreshing thing to read, so I wanted to share it with others.

I never looked at Sunday as a failure. I knew the odds weren’t all in my favor from almost the very beginning of the race, and I made a decision I in no way regret. I learned a valuable lesson, and I still reached my goal of having a good time with family…it just took me 13.1 miles instead of 26.2 this go around. 🙂

I believe the message of that Facebook post is one that we should all understand…as runners, athletes, and as human beings.

Guilting yourself and putting yourself down won’t help you get closer to your goals. You must always believe in yourself because sometimes you may be the only person who does believe in you. Just because something doesn’t work out how you want the first time doesn’t mean it will go wrong next time. Set goals, make a plan to help you reach those goals, and keep trying until you get exactly what you want out of it.

The only way you can truly fail is to give up. Take the disappointments, the mess ups, and the curve balls and treat them as a lesson. There are lessons to be learned in every stumble…just look for them. 🙂

Day-cation

One of my absolute favorite things about living in Sacramento is that I’m a short drive away from the beach in one direction and the mountains in another. Anytime I want to get out of town for a day I definitely have options. Today I chose the ocean view.

Since I’m tapering down for my marathon next weekend I’ve been doing a lot more cross training and short runs, so today I wanted to take my cross training somewhere different. I started out with a nice 3 mile walk across the Golden Gate bridge and back. I was pleasantly surprised the fog had already lifted by the time I made it into the city, so I had the best of views for my walk.

There are several hiking trails that take off from the bridge overlook parking area, so after walking back from the bridge I headed down the bluffs to the beach on a short, easy hike to finish off my workout.

There’s just something about an ocean view that puts my world back into perspective. I had a little fun practicing my yoga poses and refocusing once I got down to the beach.

It was a beautiful day to play in the bay, and I’m more ready than ever for next Sunday’s race now. I tend to freak out a little as marathon time gets close, so a little ocean view was just what I needed the weekend before. I’m ready to tackle Vegas next weekend!

Oh yeah…if you’ve been following you may have noticed I look a little different. After 5 years I said goodbye to my blonde locks and joined the dark side earlier this week! I’ve gotten lots of comments about looking like my mom since then, and I think that’s a pretty darn good compliment 🙂

Bye bye blondie!

Taper mode: ON

One of my favorite times of training is taper time. One of my favorite times of the year (especially for running) is fall. I dislike when the two happen at the same time! Sacramento is FINALLY having some cool, crisp, fall weather, and all I want to do is run!!!! I have a 3 mile training run on the agenda for tomorrow and can’t wait to be off work to get outside and go.

Taper time makes me restless because I actually miss all the time and miles. It makes me feel like a horse about to be let out of the gate at the Kentucky Derby, so I’m ready for race day!

I do really enjoy the rest that comes with tapering though. After all the miles and hours spent on weekends tackling long runs it feels nice to have the energy and time to do some things I really enjoy aside from running. This past weekend was my first without a long run in a few months, so I headed up to Apple Hill to soak in a little fall air and enjoy the last of the pumpkin patches. I indulged a little bit and had an apple donut, slice of apple pie, and of course plenty of hot cider (okay maybe I indulged more than a little). 😉

I mean really? How could I say no?!

It doesn’t look pretty, but it was delish!

I also indulged in a little Halloween fun with family and friends on Friday evening. I don’t drink a month before a marathon, so I enjoyed being the only sober person at the party (no really I had a blast!) and made sure my friends all made it home safe. I was surprised at how entertaining it is to watch the night progress, and I also learned I’m equally as terrible at beer pong when I’m sober.

All in all it was a pretty good, relaxing weekend, but I was looking forward to getting back in the gym today. I eased into the week with a cross training day on the bike followed by an hour yoga class. It felt nice to stretch out and relax after a busy Monday in the office, and bright and early tomorrow morning I’ll be back at it with a light leg day just to keep them strong and ready for race day.

9 more days until I’m headed to Vegas, and only 13 days until I’ll be running the strip for marathon #2! I can’t wait to share more of my journey as it goes!