AND I MADE IT!

So here I am! Day 31! I completed my Whole30 and to be very honest it was much easier than I could have ever imagined! I made progress but I still have a long way to go.  I plan on keeping my eating up to the Whole30 standards but I'm going to add in my post workout protein shakes again.  I'm going to use this time to build strength and gain lean muscle!
Here are the results that you have been waiting for.....
Day 1 179# .... I'm sooo embarrased to even be posting that number!
Day 31 170#.... Total loss 9#
For those of you who know me, I STRUGGLE with weight loss.. I can NEVER get the scale to move! I'm very impressed but, still have a long way to go! Thank you again for all the support, couldn't have done it alone!

and now for the pics!!

It's Day 30!!!!

I made it! I made it!!! It's day 30 and I feel AMAZEBALLS!!! Stay tuned and I will post my final update this evening and another tomorrow morning with pictures included! Thanks for all the support on thsi journey of mine!

So, I just ate my last "official" whole30 dinner! Never did I EVER think that I would actually make it this far! I'm soooo amazed with myself.  I didn't cheat, not even once, and for the first time I didn't really want to.  It was honestly the easiest thing to stick to! How strange, the most restrictive thing that I have tried, was the easiest to follow through with.  The food was amazing and I think that helped quite a bit.  I had an AMAZING support group and I couldn't have done it without all of you! I am so grateful for your constant support!

So, I'm not going to weigh myself until tomorrow morning and I'll be taking pictures then too.  I feel great and today was the first day that I felt like my old self again today at the box.  I did a WOD with hang cleans and pullups and I felt efficient again.  I did really well with my pullups and the hang cleans didn't feel overly heavy like the weigh has been feeling lately.
After the WOD I got to meet Isabel from URAWK bars, couldn't try her bars because they have agave but you can bet that I bought some for tomorrow!! I can't wait to try it, everyone was raving about them!

So I'm going to enjoy X-Factor with Dyan and Trent and feel accomplished on my couch!! I'll post the pics and numbers tomorrow .... until then....

Day 28! I think I'm going to make it!

Okay so my last post was Thursday.... (yes I am behind) But..... I have a good reason! I had my ETO visit on Friday at work and from what I hear, they were really happy! Thank you Baby Jesus!
I went out to celebrate happy hour and got wasted!!!
HA just kidding!!! Instead I went to the box and took my energy out on some hang cleans, box jumps and HSPU.
So instead of trying to catch you up with food and all of that specifics... I'm going to give you a "general" recap of the weekend.  (I ate mostly leftovers anyway)
Friday - ETO visit.... stressful day at work. After Work I picked up Dyan and we went to the Cube to train with the girls.  We did a quick warm up and jumped right into 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 box jumps 24", Hang power cleans 95# and HSPU.  Dyan did it with us and she actually did kipping HSPU the whole time, never had to scale down to a box!! I started on 1abmat but had to scale to 2.  I'll get better it's one of my goats. 

Saturday was a "rest" day for me because I took Dyan to her Wild West Fest at school.  She had a great time with her friends, playing games, riding rides and eating PURE JUNK! She was on a cheat afternoon.... lol when she is with us, she sticks to whole30 with me.  She likes to eat the healthy foods and loves water!
Saturday after the Fun Fest we watched the Notre Dame Game.... Jesus fighting Irish way to keep me guessing.  I almost pulled out all of my hair.  It was worth it, WE WON 9-0!!!!!

Sunday was Firebreating Sunday! I met up with my buddy Streaky, her boy Jerrett and the WODCity crew and we went H.A.M at Southdade for a Sunday Funday! Tony met up too and we paired up for WOD2.
I had a blast and it was nice to WOD with a different crew, pushed me to go harder because I was out of my comfort zone.  The rest of Sunday, I spent cooking and dreamin' of Thursday (Day31).  I have it all planned out.... I"M GOING TO KNAUS BERRY FARMS!!! perfect way to end the Whole30! I'm also considering keep this blog to talk about my training a little more... what do you think??
Here's to 2 more days!

Day 24! It's down to the wire

Hey there! so I have been EXTREMELY busy at work and VERY STRESSED.  Sorry I wasn't able to update so I'll try and fill you in now. 
Tuesday was a very strange day for me.  I almost feel like I went into a depression.  I was feeling okay most of the day and I think the stress of work and this ETO visit really got to me.  Breakfast on Tuesday was Bacon and eggs and I had a LARABAR about an hour after that, for my fruit/fats serving.  Wednesday I had an Extremely rushed breakfast of bacon wrapped dates and a LARABAR because my alarm clock didn't go off and I was BEYOND late for work :-/
Tuesday mid-morning is when I started to feel the stress and the depression.  I had people in my room all day telling me what to do to prepare for this visit and how to do it.  I wanted to scream.  Talk about taking your self confidence and flushing it down the toilet.  It's as if I'm incompetent and don't know what I'm doing after teaching for 9 years! Rawr!! Wednesday Morning was a little bit better but the kids were completely wild because it was Halloween! I expect today to be the worst because they are all high on candy overload!
Tuesday lunch was buffalo chicken wraps and I had never been so grateful for that 30 minutes in my life time.  I was actually online searching for jobs during my lunch.... (Anyone hiring? wanna sponsor me as an athlete/coach? anything?) Wednesday lunch was Zucchini spaghetti with meatballs and marinara.  Another pretty delicious treat!
Tuesday after lunch was an uphill battle.  I couldn't wait for the bell to ring and get to the box.  When I finally got there, i ran a mile to blow off some steam before coaching the 4:30 class.  I ran it in 8:20 which is about 40 seconds slower than my best mile but I blame it on the wind... it was like a freaking brick wall! I coached the 4:30 and 5:30- through HEAVY FRAN and then I decided to take her on myself.  What can I say besides, she kicked my ass and wrote down my name?! I felt horrible.  I wanted to cry during the workout because never before had 95# thrusters felt so heavy (well except maybe the first time I did them).  It was a very tough moment for me.  I completed the workout in 10:20 with disgusting pull ups and way too much rest in between thrusters.  But at least I finished right?? I left the box with my head held very low but i silently vowed to myself that no matter what I was going to get back to where I was and better and I Was going to do it NOW! For dinner was Country style ribs with butternut squash.  Trent really enjoyed it.  I liked the butternut squash better than the ribs but I'm not a huge fan of ribs in the first place.  The squash was amazing and I will definitely be making that again. 
Wednesday I didn't go to the box instead we decided to Trick or Treat for time.... 3,2,1 BOO!! It worked and we definitely loaded Dyan up with her fair share of Candy.  It was very very very tempting to just reach in her bag last night and open up a Lil double bubble but I resisted! somehow I didn't do it!
we go home pretty late and I had some buffalo chicken wraps for dinner.  I know I shouldn't have but I also snuck in some dates.  It was Halloween and at least they are Whole30 approved! right?? lol So I have 6 days left not including today and I definitely know I can make it! I don't know if I will be able to resist going to Starbucks on the 8th but I'll try to make it through to the weekend.... NO PROMISES.  I hope you have a great Thursday and I'll be back soon! My dreadful visit is tomorrow.... wish me luck!!

Day 22.... I can see the light :-)

The end is near and I'm beginning to have mental battles as to what I will "celebrate" with. I can't decide if I want Starbucks, a cupcake or Mac and cheese! There are so many choices but just thinking about them makes me feel guilty and I haven't even indulged yet! Maybe my brain is transforming and I really don't miss these things.
So Sunday I did all my cooking for the week. Brand new recipes the only repeat I did was the "famous" buffalo chicken ;-)
New Stuff: creamy shrimp pasta made with zucchini noodles, grilled country ribs with butternut squash, lemon garlic chicken with cauliflower fried rice And for Sunday night dinner we indulged in Gluten Free Crab Cakes :-)
So yesterday I woke up a lil sleepy. Daisy has been sleeping in our room since Oscar left us and last night she woke me up several times whining. I think she just wanted attention but it was quite an inconvenience :-/ She used to be very independent but has become the complete opposite as of late. Woke up with a migraine that I'm sure is a direct result of work. I dragged myself to work and my migraine finally subsided after 1st period. I had a cherry pie Larabar in first period to try and ease the pain. Had bacon and eggs at home for breakfast. Lunch came and I had a leftover crab cake with avocado/basil dressing and the zucchini shrimp pasta. Wasn't a big fan of the sauce so next time I eat it, I'm going to sub marinara sauce.
Finished up my stressful day at work and Trent asked me to pick up Dyan from school. I grabbed her in pinecrest and headed off to the Cube to train. The cube is close to my house and Trent's shop. I had already passed south Dade :-(
I set Dyan up with her homework, I ate my pre-workout dates and warmed myself up. I had trunx strength followed by the Cube's metcon. Dyan ended up joining in on the strength and was able to 5 rep max her backsquats at 35#! Not bad for a 9 year old first time under the bar. I didn't so too badly myself. Went home and decided on lime chicken with cauliflower fried rice for dinner. It wasn't bad. Not making the "favorites" list but I'd make it again. :-) still going strong with my energy and cravings are at a 0!

TMI ALERT. (Ladies only)
My menstrual cycle started 2 days early and I had ZERO PMS symptoms this month. That's super encouraging because I'm usually pretty bad :-)

Make it a great day everyone!!!

DAY 20!!! 10 days to go!!! OD

So, I usually don't "do" Sundays but Since I'm waiting for my ghee to cook, I figured I'd squeeze in an update.
It's day 20! I'm so edited, I never thought that I would even make it this far, and in all honesty, it's been EASY!!! I have a HUGE support system and that totally helps, but let's be honest, THE FOOD IS GOOD!!
Recap for day 18-19 coming up!
Friday was a teacher work-day but THIS teacher took the day off! Boy did I need it.  With that ETO visit coming up this Friday, everyone is a huge stress-ball.  I try and take confidence in myself, my work and my classroom so that I don't let the stress consume me.  Friday morning when I got up I whipped up some bacon and eggs, I also had a few dates.  Look for "fruit changes" and moderation coming this week.  I cleaned around the house and did some laundry.. overall a productive day.  I had the last of the buffalo chicken wraps before I went to the box and left it all on the floor!
Strength WOD went well and I felt like I was getting some of my strength back.  Did a really fun Wod with Yeline, Tony, Day Day and Jo Jo. I felt like my endurance was a lil weak but nowhere near day 1-9.  It's just something I have to build again but I know it will be back VERY soon! Friday night was spaghetti squash, meatballs and marinara... YUUM! (eating the last of it right now!) Got an incredible night's sleep on Friday night and woke up Saturday ready to take over the world!!
This is the first time I have realized that my mood is just better OVERALL!! I  may be going out on a limb here with a lil TMI... gentlemen feel free to skip the next few sentences, ladies... LISTEN UP...

TMI ALERT*** my period is due in 3 days, and i feel hardly any PMS symptoms!! A lil bloating but I'm usually a HUGE bloater.  I'm not moody and I have ZERO cravings!! I don't know if it's directly related to Whole30 but I'll take it!!

Back to my Saturday...
Got to the box around 11 and was ready for a partner WOD with JoJo... WE killed it! less than 9min..woot woot~ Left for home because I had a lot to do in 3 short hours.... wait a sec... breakfast on Monday was 4 bacon wrapped dates and a LARABAR... apple pie.... if you have not tried these amazing delicious bars you are completely incomplete, no go get one!! I had the apple pie flavor.  I wanted to have the Fruit energy for my morning WOD.
Get home and rush around a bit because at 4 I had to Pick up Dyan for the Rascal Flatts concert! Made myself a lil packed dinner (very impressed with myself) but before I left I had some more spaghetti squash and meatballs!
I picked up Dyan from her mom's and then headed to plantations to pick up my friend Stacy and her mommy... we were having a girl's night! With all passengers safely in my truck we headed for Cruzan. Walking in the gate was worrisome for me because I thought I was going to catch some crap for my Whole30 dinner.  Luckily I didn't, because I was prepared to launch into a whole speech about my "special needs diet" and how NOTHING they were serving was good for you..lol
Ghee is almost ready so let me speed up this post...
I packed lettuce wraps filled with bacon and basil avocado spread... can you say delicious? Pretty hard to do with my mouth full but I managed.  Concert was AMAZING, They NEVER disappoint.  Brought the iPad along for a lil ND vs. OK action and boy was I pleased... 8-0 baby!! Love my Fighting Irish!! Got home at 2am and crashed!!! See y'all tomorrow don't wanna burn my Ghee! Homestretch here we come!

Day 17... oops skipped a day!

Hey there, sorry about yesterday I ended up super busy....
So Tuesday after school, my mom has insisted that I go home and pick up the fed ex package that she sent to me so that it didn't sit out on the porch.  So I ran home because I had to coach at 4:30 and I find my mother parked in the driveway! Apparently she WAS the Fed-Ex. lol It was a great surprise and that's why I've been a lil busy the past two days... This morning I woke up feeling very bloated and full.  I have been feeling this way for about 2 days now and I don't know why =( It's frustrating because I know that I am giving my body the best fuel I can and it's still fighting against me.  Rawr to you, Body!!

Day 15 & 16 recap...
Breakfast on both days was a simple bacon and eggs and some applesauce.  Tuesday was a stressful day of lecturing my classes and attempting not to murder them for the work that they thought was appropriate enough to turn in.  Wednesday flew by for me because I was conferenceing with my kids about their essays and I wasn't able to get through a whole class before the bell was ringing. 
Lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday was kelp noodles! Tuesday I added sweet potato and and apples and Wednesday just the apples.  I really like that dish and I'm actually very proud of myself for trying it!

Tuesday was a FULL day.  After I discovered my mother hiding in my driveway, I wisked her off to the gym with my because I had to coach and train! Coached the 4:30 class and then I did Twisted Annie 50-40-30-20-10 Double Unders/ Roman Twists before the 5:30 started.  Coached the 5:30 and when they were finished, I did the WOD myself.  3 rounds 400m run, 50ft walking lunges, 50 BFSU.  Nice cardio and core day.  =)

Wednesday I met mom at home after school and we went to pick up Dyan at her mom's house.  She didn't go to school yesterday.  Then we ran to Target so I could pick up some PJ's for today's PJ day at school and Jo-Anne Fabrics because she's making me some top secret things ;-) Tuesday Night I introduced my mom to the world of WHOLE30! She and I had sausage stuffed portabella mushrooms for dinner.  She said she loved them and asked how to make them.  I felt proud.  Last night was Kelp noodles.  I don't think they are her favorite but I commend her for trying them.  Once she knew it was "kelp" I think she mentally shut down to the idea of liking dinner. I enjoyed having my momma dukes here and letting her into my Whole30 experiement.  I'm so glad she tried it out (even though she bought chocolate and Mt. Dew at publix)! I'm still hanging in there.  Looking forward to my day off tomorrow! Make it a Great Thursday!!

Half Way TODAY!!!

It's the Halfway point and I'm feeling pretty good.  =) Some of the things that I have noticed are: My eyes aren't so "sleepy" looking in the morning, I wake up a lil faster, meaning that once I'm out of bed, it doesn't take long for the energry to kick in.  I think Whole30 is trying to make a morning person out of me, but I will fight it! lol I have energy until I crawl in bed, but when I do get into bed it's also fast to sleep, no melatonin needed.  I also don't get that energy slump in the afternoons.  As far as weightloss is concerned, I had Yeline weigh me on day 1 and she wrote it down in a super secret location to reveal to me on day 31.  People have told me that I look leaner in my face and neck, in my arms and shoulders.  I feel a lil more trim but I'm still waiting to get rid of the lil pooch under my belly button. I feel it when I sit down and I cannot wait for that squishiness to go away! When that flattens out, I will be throwing a party!
Here is the day 14 recap...
Breakfast - I had scrambled eggs with sausage, spinach and onions.  I was supposed to have some applesauce but I left it on the counter =/ Got to work and it's been a pretty stressful couple of weeks.  We have our ETO visit coming up on the 2nd so everyone is on FREAK-OUT mode.   I don't usually stress it too much but this year I'm feeling extra pressure because I don't have a planning period. I feel like I'm getting a little behind.... (side note: anyone wanna hire me as a full time crossfit coach and athlete? pretty please!) Needless to say I couldn't wait for lunch, it's the only 30 minutes that I have to myself.  =(
Lunch - Sausge and Spinach stuffed portabella mushrooms topped with paleo friendly marinara sauce.  Chased with a handful of granny smith apple slices. 
Finished off my workday  extrememly stressed and I couldn't wait to get to the box! Got to South Dade a lil early to start my strength, I need to get it back.... my squats are incredibly weak it's embarrassing! I'll be following the Trunx strength program.  Prescription was 5x5 back squats, bench press, and Power Clean.  I filled in the Chart that Dre emailed me and it magically created all the numbers I need for the entire program YIPEE!! Can't wait to start getting stronger! I paired that strength with Jeremy 21-15-9 OHS (65# rx) and Burpees.  Damn Burpees get me everytime.  Finished in 7:13. not too bad.  Did a lil core work with Yeline and Chrissy afterwards 50 BFSU 50 Straight leg sit ups. 
Took myself home a lil bit early to start working (no I don't get paid extra for working at home, but if i don't get everything done you can be sure I'll hear about it) Sat down to hi-lite some stupid data and grade essays.  I don't understand why hi-liting the data "proves" I'm using it but hey, I'm not a teacher, I'm a puppet! I won't even begin to tell you how angry the essays made me... Apparently, we need to go back to square one on sentence structure.  RAWR!
Dinner time! Buffallo Chicken Lettuce wraps coming right up! Just what I needed to make me feel a little better! Need to make some more homemade ranch dressing I ran out =( Finally crawled into bed around 11, I couldn't take any more essays, they were making me crazy! 15 days to go!!

It's day 14... Exactly 2 weeks in =)

Happy Monday! Or as I like to call it, Tuesday, becuse I don't have to work on Friday!!!!! Hope everyone had a fun-filled enjoyable weekend.... here's my recap.

Friday - Breakfast: Egg, spinach, mushroom, bacon Fritatta with applesauce and 3 bacon wrapped dates.  I took my breafast on the go this morning.  Good thing it was already prepared! Made it through periods 2&4 salivating because I knew what I had instore for lunch!! Kids are always wild on Fridays and I always feel like I'm on the outside looking in... oh well, it's almost the weekend!
Lunch was...... BUFFALO CHICKEN LETTUCE WRAPS!!! yay! my all time favorite! I paired them with applesauce and Bacon wrapped dates of course! I think I may turn into a date...lol
6th period flew by. We had an assembly presented by South Dade High School.  After work I ran as fast as I could to WOD with a dear friend, Wendy...(another victim that I convinced to join crossfit).  She goes to All American Crossfit and they have always been very welcoming and hospitable when I drop in for a WOD! Thanks Oscar ;-) I was stoked because I was going to be swinging the sledge hammer for the first time! What a work out....
30min AMRAP
20 hammer swings
20 Supermans
20 KB SDHP 53#
400m run
I got 7 rounds RX not too shabby.  I was happy with my time and I got the "I'm bAAAAAck!" feeling that I have been waiting for... FINALLY
After the WOD we decided to hit up Off the Grille foe some delicious recovery food! First time eating out on the Whole30 and I was beside myself wioth excitement.  I had the coconut curry chicken and shrimp.... OUT OF THIS WORLD! Picked up take-out for Trent and Dyan and headed home...
Side note... TRENT CHEATED!! I won't go into detail but he's now on the "abridged" version of the Whole30. 
I was passing out on Friday night by 9:30.... what a nerd!!
Saturday morning RISE AND SHINE! It was Dyan's first day of training.  Dyan and I will be compeitng on a team at Caution Grounds this year and she is really excited! (I am too!) So her introductory WOD at South Dade was FRAN!!! lol!! We completed it "team style" 42-30-18 and divided the reps between us.  She did UH-MAY-ZING! I'm so proud of her! After that we did some walking lunges and them headed off to shop! Whole Foods, Fresh Market and Costco was on our list of places to go! Threw in Party City for a Halloween Costume too!
Came home and started cooking, while watching my Fighting Irish whip up on BYU of course! Lunch was Last serving of Kelp noodles and Dyan finished up her Dinner leftovers. 
The rest of the day was spent cooking and for dinner we had bacon burgers wrapped in lettuce with home made sweet potato fries.
Sunday-Funday.... or cooking day..lol
Woke up early secretely hoping I was driving to starbucks instead of Publix for last minute things but oh well.  By noon both crockpots were going as well as the oven.  We stopped at Off the Grille again for lunch. Today I repeated my coconut curry meal.  It was sooooo delicious!
Dinner was sirloin steaks on the grill.   In all honesty, they were an EPIC FAIL.  Apparently I need to clean the underside of my grill because my steaks caught fire and the rest is history :-/
At least all of the cooking is done for the week! Remember it's Tuesday in my mind ;-0 make it a great one!!!

Day 11... SURRVIVED the first 1/3 of this challenge ;-)

Here I am on day 11. I surrvived the first 1/3 of this 30 day challenge and I can honestly say that I'm feeling pretty good! I think I have gotten past the coffee hump, I still crave sweets here and there but it's getting better.  I'm craving my Iced grande Skinny Vanilla latte but I can honestly say it's because of the 8 splenda that I put in it.... <---- SAD,  I KNOW~
The only thing that I'm struggling with these days is drinking.... It's not what you think, I'm not drinking enough water.  I'm so tired of water I find myself having a hard time getting it down.  Any tips or suggestions?? I know that I'm only hurting myself by not getting it in, but I hated water to begin with and now that it's the ONLY thing I can drink.. I HATE it even more.. =(
Day 10 recap
Breakfast - I had 3 mini egg muffins, 3 bacon wrapped dates and some applesauce.  Eggs in the morning are becoming a lil monotonus but I think I have a plan. lol I was pretty alert and awake for most of the morning, got some grading done and attended a magnet school assembly.

Lunch time - I had left over Kelp noodles again... I just Love EM! I made a very big batch so I would have leftovers all week long! Added some applesauce and bacon wrapped dates to the mix as well.  The afternoon was a lil sluggish but I honestly think it's the kids, They take it out of me!

Got home after work and I had a few mini projects that I wanted to tackle... Project #1 homemade mayonaise Project #2 homemade ranch dressing Project #3 pancakes! <----- yep I said pancakes!
Project #1 was successful! Homemade mayo was made... it's kind of funny though because I used avaocado oil so it has a green tint.  Project #2 Ranch dressing. I needed the mayo for this so my ranch dressing is greenish yellow but IT'S DELICIOUS!!!! Project #3 pancakes... So, I had seen somewhere that you can make pancakes out of bananas and eggs...sounds like a gross mixture to me especially since I HATE bananas. I'm so tired of eggs that I decided it wouldn't hurt to try. I took 1 ripe banana and 2 eggs and mashed them into a hot mess! lol I just whisked until smooth. I turned on my stove and poured the "batter" in the pan, HOLY CRAP IT LOOKS LIKE A PANCAKE!! It bubbled up just like a regular pancake and I flipped it over. When they were finished, I topped them with a little bit of melted ghee and dove in. OMG they tasted just like buttered banana bread!! Now, I cannot stand bananas but I love me some banana bread so I was beside myself! (side note; yields about 5-6 mini pancakes). I felt so accomplished! Mayo, Ranch dressing and pancakes all in an hour?!?!

Time to go coach at the box... Got there a lil early and I started my HSPU/Pullup challenge over so yesterday was day 3.. That means 3 handstand pushups and 3 pullups.. Did those and did some work on my handstand walks.  Coached 5:30 and 6:30, picked up my grassfed meat by Seasons Farm Fresh <---- A must try!, and took my booty home because I couln't wait for dinner!

DUN DUN DUN>>> Dinner time!!!
It was time to devour my freshly made buffalo chicken.  I had been waiting for this moment ALL DAY.  I decided to make lettuce wraps with my buffalo chicken and my homemade ranch dressing... they were DIVINE!!! I had to make myself stop eating.  Trent devoured his share too! His favorite meal so far he said! They were really out of this world! I believe they will become a weekly staple!
I think I am finally getting the hang of this cooking thing and the recipies are becoming easier.. I must say that I pieced that buffalo chicken idea together from tid bits on Pinterest and made it whole30 friendly. 

Cheers to starting the next phase of the Whole30.  I probably will do a weekend recap on Monday because I'll be cooking all weekend! enjoy TGIF!!

Day 10! I think this is a monumental day.

I'm going to start by saying there's nothing actually monumental about today except, I have gotten to day number 10! I think that I am going in the right direction and I'm excited to see what lies ahead. I was super busy at work today, so this post is a little later than usual. Time for a Day 9 recap...
For breakfast I had an egg spinach and bacon frittata with a side of natural unsweetened applesauce. I'm not a big fruit person so I've been told that I need to get in my fruit here and there no matter what it takes so AppleSauce seems like a good alternative for me. I actually felt a little fatigued yesterday didn't have as much energy as I did on Day eight. I don't know if I went to bed a little bit later or woke up a little bit earlier, But something had me sleepy. I finally made it to lunch and I was really excited to have leftover kelp noodles I was the talk of the teachers lounge! Everyone wanted to know what that was on my plate! I shared a few bites but that was it, the rest was all for me! I finished off my lunch with four Bacon wrapped dates for a pseudo-dessert.
After work I stopped at home before heading to the box. I had to coach at 6:30. When I got to the box today I decided to do the WOD that SouthDade CrossFit had programmed. What was I thinking?? That WOD was insane! It definitely set me back mentally. I had to scale halfway through the WOD from men's RX to women's RX. Most of you may not think that's a big deal but to me it is. I put my pride aside, I checked my ego at the door and I reminded myself that my body is adjusting to a completely different intake of food. I definitely got a good workout yesterday. I wasn't overly exhausted, it was just that my legs couldn't handle all the wall balls box jumps and Burpee box jumps, they were completely shot. Oh I forgot to mention the 1200 m run as a Buy-in and the 400 m run as a buyout. I can't believe I'm walking normally today. After coaching I came home and we had chuck roast that I had cooked in the slow cooker for dinner. I paired it with mashed garlic Cauliflower and sautéed zucchini. The chuck roast had a coffee rub on it it was pretty darn delicious. We settled into bed early last night and I try to get some extra sleep. I woke up this morning feeling pretty good I put Some buffalo chicken breast in the crockpot before I left for work this morning ;-) I can't wait for dinner tonight! 10 days done 20 to go!!

Day 9..... Feelin' Fine... FINALLY!!!

Goooood Morning!
It's day 9 and I'm actually excited! Yesterday was the first day that I did not spend the enitre time at the box yawning! I WODed and I felt NORMAL, not over exhausted and depressed but normal like usual.  I didn't throw around heavy weight or anything but it's nice to not want to nap in the middle of your WOD! I felt leaner yesterday, the bloating had subsided, but I do feel that it's back this morning.  I'm feeling puffy :-( So let's do a Tuesday Recap...
Breakfast.. I had 3 mini egg muffins and some apple sauce(natural unsweetened) I don't think that I am taking in quite enough food, so I tried to up it a little bit today.  I breezed through 2nd and 4th periods without a problem and time actually flew by!
Lunch Time I had left-over beef stew from the crockpot and I just wanted to cuddle up in a blanket and watch the news durning lunch, but there was no blanket! I wasn't tired, the beef stew put me into an "Autumn" mood.  After lunch I didn't get that "2:30 feeling".  I was pleasantly surprised and extremely grateful!
Faculty meeting after work had me rushing to the box, Thank goodness Luis covered my 4:30 class so I was able to WOD with Yeline and JoJo! yay! We did the Trunx metcon and accesory work and I finished without extraordinary fatigue like I've been feeling all week.  I coached 5:30 and headed on home!
When I got home, I acually had some spare time because I had prepped all my meals for the week.  i decided to whip up some extra bacon wrapped dates for snacktime! They are my absolute favorite
Dinner was Kelp noodles and ground beef... I was SUPER DUPER nervous about eating this dish... I've been nervous about it since I bought the kelp noodles.  I was totally wrong, it was AMAZEBALLS!!! It will be added to my favorite meals list for sure! I had a giant helping with some freshly steamed broccoli on the side.  I felt full and satisfied =)
It was the first night I had to wind myself down, we got into bed at 10 to watch Sons of Anarchy...mmmmm love me some Jax Teller YUM!
Until Tomorrow Keep Calm and WHOLE30 On!

Day 8... Hopefully better than Day 7

Gooooood Morning! It's day 8 and I'm going to try and make a conscious decision to feel great today! I decide my mood right??
So yesterday started off great and then took a sharp left hand turn for cranky land :-/ Something clicked after lunch and I lost all of my confidence and drive and wanted to take a nap.
Breakfast was 4 mini egg muffins that included bacon, eggs, spinach and onions and 3 bacon wrapped dates. This is the first week where I have everything prepared already so breakfast required 1min in the microwave, which was very nice. Work was plugging along okay but ,in essence, it was a typical Monday. Lunch couldn't come soon enough. I had two leftover sausage stuffed mushrooms! So far I think they are the favorite dish. All day I was struggled with feeling bloated and I think after lunch it all came to a head. I was tired and all of a sudden extremely irritable and bitchy :-( ( I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to my victims yesterday)
I arrived at the box and wanted to sleep in my truck instead of get out and change my clothes, not a good sign. I finally went inside and decided to get started right away only to feel like I had lost every bit of strength in my body. :-( It was horrible, I was attempting a backsquat 80# less than my 1 rep max and it felt 90# heavier than my 1 rep max instead! I made a conscious decision that I need to redefine my PR's as to not set myself up for failure. I abandoned the strength determined to start over again today. I did my metcon work and I felt good with my double unders and rope climbs but I was exhausted.
Fast forward to dinner time. I had beef strew that cooked overnight Sunday night. It was pretty delicious. It was filled fwith grass-fed stew meat, carrots, broccoli, onions, garlic and mushrooms. 
So today I have decided that I am going to be in a good mood and not get down on myself. I'm going to keep plugging along because I KNOW it's going to get better. Day 10-12 is what I'm hearing. I can't totally make it! Thanks for everyone's support. Sorry today's post is such a downer but I want to be honest with myself as well as everyone who reads this. If you are just starting and go through something similar, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. :-) Happy Tuesday everyone! Xoxo

DAy 7!!!! 1 week down...

Day 7! I made it! Usually I would celebrate such a monumental occasion with a cheat meal but... lol oh well I'll just add up all the cheat meals I would have given myself and have them all on DAY31! ;-)
Just Kidding ... So here's the weekend recap
Friday
Bacon and Eggs for breakfast feeling okay in the morning. I 'm not a morning person so I am ALWAYS tired, espceially on work days.  Fridays are always a blur for me because I can't wait to get out of work and that's ALL I think about.  Lunch on Friday was leftover Taco Salad.  Not too bad for my first time.  I made the meat in the slow cooker so the seasonings were on point! I also made homemae dressing with Avocado, cilnatro, lime juice. garlic and olive oil.  Mix it all up with some lettuce, salsa and black olives =Happy tummy!
After work I went to the box and I felt sooo incredibly lazy.  I didn't feel like doing ANYTHING.  I paired up with one of my favoritre traning buddies, Yeline and mimcked her strength WOD.  Just to illustrate how lazy I was being, it included 95# deadlifts when my max is 315#... <------- LAZY! After we finished we laid on the gymnastics mats and Chatted for time..lol
Dinner on Friday was an old favorite.  Churrasco marinated in balsamic vinegar with mashed cauliflower and grilled sweet potato.  Oh yes, balsamic mushrooms too!
Trent was relieved to have something that he enjoys and is accustomed to; however, he was dearly missing his beer. 
Saturday!
Barbells for Boobs was this Saturday at South Dade Crossfit! I had to be at the box at 10 so I had a speedy eggs and some bacon wrapped dates on the go! Got to the box and was totally rocking the pink! (DUH!) We had ad great turnout! Against my will, I did WOD... didn't PR on my Grace time but I wasn't expecting to. 
After the box Yeline took me shopping to show me how to efficiently shop, WHOLE30 style! We hit up BJs, Whole Foods, and Fresh Market..... I've spent less $$ shopping all day at the mall!! But, now I have the basic staples I need and hopefully won't have to restock for a while.
I snacked on a date here and there but I really didn't make time to eat... I know, NOT GOOD but I guess it was better than pulling through BK Lounge! When I got home I was able to visit for a few hours with my very dear friend Kayla while watching Notre Dame Fighting Irish Beat Stanfiord in OT! HELL YES
Dinner was bacon/groundbeef burgers with cauliflower mash.  MUCHO DELICIOUS! Trent was extremely cranky on Saturday and I was too.  We fell asleep watching TV.
Well hello there Sunday!
Woke up around 10 finally got out of bed around 11:30... I needed that and so did Trent.  Whipped up some eggs and bacon and went out to finish my shopping.  I needed to pick up an extra crock-pot that I got for a mere $14.99 after using a gift card and a 20% off coupon. <------ girl on a budget coming through! Then it was off to pick up the produce I had forgetten on Saturday.  Finally got home around 3 and began cooking for the entire week! I had two crock pots going, the oven, stove and microwave... HOLY HELL I was a cooking machine.  Stopped for 10 min to eat leftover churrasco and then kept on going.  Finally sat down for dinner at 9pm! Enjoyed Giant portabella muschrooms stuffed with sausage, spinach and onions, topped with marinara! DELISH, I paired that with tomato, cucumber and avocado salad.  That was defeintley a meal that I will make again whole30 or not! Thanks to my Nom Nom Paleo iPad app!
Phew okay I think I have caught you up on everything! So far todayI'm feeling good! I have some energy and I'm not overtired. I do feel particularly bloated but I brought a gallon of water with me today and I'm hooping to fix that! Happy Monday =)

Hey Hey Hey, Day#4!

It's Day 4 and I'm still feeling sleepy.... You know that burning feeling around your eyes when they are tired?? Yep that's me! I must admit that it just set in though. I woke up pretty refreshed.  Trent and I made it to bed...lights and tv off... by 10:30! It was a miracle! I woke up at 1 am because I heard one of the dogs bark and thought it was almost time to get up... Instead I got to tell myself HELL YES 5 MORE HOURS!!!!

Here is my recap of day 3!
Breakfast, cooked eggs and bacon for Dyan, Trent, and Myself.  YUMMY BACON! Delilah was outside, she doesn't even know ;-) Felt okay yesterday morning.  A lil sleepy but better than the day before.  I was ready for lunch though... it's my only break from the kids ALL DAY. 
Lunch was garlic pulled pork (again delilah is completely unaware) with sweet potato mash and 4 bacon wrapped dates, AKA heaven in your mouth! Yesterday was the first day someone tried to force feed me something they had brought to work because I had commented on how good it looked (beef stroganoff... can you blame me?) I politely declined 5 times... Yes that is not a typo. I savored my dates and it was time to go back to the classroom... UGH
I went home to pre cook dinner before I had to coach at the box.  Threw lean ground beef in the crockpot with various seasonings for a taco salad.  Headed off to the box to coach for two hours. 
It was my rest day and I was so grateful.  I did do some pistol practice and handstand walk practice but no WOD.  I also got to pick up my first share of grass fed meat from Seasons Farm Fresh! They delivered it to the box and I canot wait to start cooking with it this weekend =) Two people told me I was looking lean and I think they were just being nice... 3 days?? I'm thinking not quite yet but I will ALWAYS take a compliment. 
Back home and it's dinner time.  Trent walks in STARVING and I have a delicious taco salad prepared.  Thank goodness I packed a portion for lunch before he came home ;-) We had seasoned lean ground beef on top of romaine lettuce with fresh salsa, black olives and avacado,garlic,cilantro, lime, olive oil dressing. my tummy did a happy dance.   
All in all today was a pretty decent day.  I'm excited to hit that energy burst and I'm anxious to see and feel phsyical changes.  Just have to keep reminding myself "If you build it, he will come" right??

Day 2 down, 28 more to go!

Let's start by saying I didn't want to get out of bed this morning, but once I did, I felt a little more awake than yesterday. 
Recap of yesterday (day 2)
Breakfast was an omlette with mushrooms (no onion today, my students are grateful).  Energy level was at an all time low! I had meetings all morning and thankfully they wrapped up early which allowed for a 15 min power nap in my truck! I have NEVER done that before but boy am I grateful for those 15 minutes!! They were almost as good as a cup of coffee. ALMOST!
Lunch time, my favorite time of the day.  On the menu was leftover sirloin, spaghetti squash and my absolute favorite, BACON WRAPPED DATES! If you have never tried these delicious morsels, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR??? I have a feeling that they will be my saving grace! After work I went home to prepare my dinner before hitting the box. 
WOD time....
yuck~ I had less than zero energy and to do a 4 min AMRAP of the Bear Complex at 75# kicked the living shit out of me! For those of you that know me well, 75# Bear Complex should be cake!! I'm trying not to be too hard on myself but this energy BETTER improve!
Home for dinner... After coaching the 6:30 class it was finally time for dinner! YES! Dinner consisted of sauted zucchini and chicken cordon paleo (chicken wrapped with proscuitto and onion).  It was pretty yummy and even Dyan enjoyed it! Poor Trent is constantly starving and is seriously missing his beer and sweets (as am I).  Bedtime couldn't come soon enough, but first DUCK DYANASTY! (Best show EVER).  I made it to day 3, can't wait to see what today holds!

Surrived day 1.... On to day 2

Somehow I made it!!! Day 1 is over and only 29 days to go!!
Here's a lil recap of my first day.

Didn't really wake up with that "today is a new day" attitude but that was expected.  People have asked me, why I didn't wait until I was feeling better.  My answer to that is two reasons: 1. I already had put it off long enough and I don't need to put on 1 more pound. 2. Thanksgiving is closer than you think and I don't want to be wrapped up in a 30 day challenge when Tom Turkey is calling my name!
So to be fair, I think that my first week may not be as "normal" as someone else's but I'm going to share anyway. 
I had an egg scramble for breakfast with red onions and mushrooms.  It was pretty yummy but I think onions first thing in the morning are something I need to consider omitting in the future.  I missed my coffee terribly =( My eyes were half closed for most of the day and I felt incredibly tired but I pushed through.  Lunch was delicious and a welcomed break from my classroom.  I had Sirloin Bruschetta with spaghetti squash instead of toast/bread.  Everyone at the table was eyeballing my lunch!
Finally the last bell rang and I was able to head to crossfit.  I was still kind of sad from earlier in the day. My mind wanders to Oscar and then it usually goes downhill from there.  I dragged my behind to the box anyway and started my WOD.  I have been following the Trunx metcons lately without the strength.  I pushed myself through the workout and boy was it hard! I think I'm mentally and physically drained and I can't wait to get out of this funk and back to myself again.  Even as I reread this, I'm disappointed in my writing, it's pretty bland and lifeless.  I coached the 5:30 class and took my big booty home. 
Trent came home and we had shredded pork and sweet potato for dinner.  It was yummy but he kept asking for more and then dessert and then beer. I don't think he will last... lol.  Finally went to sleep around 11:30 to be woken up by my beautiful alarm at 6:15am.... snoozed until 6:45am and I'm dragging some serious ass over here! Hope I can make it through the next few days!!!

and so it begins...

And Away We Go!
It's WHOLE30 day 1 and I'm feeling exhausted.  It's only 9am and I could use a nap.  Let me give you a little background into why I may be this tired and most definitely why it has NOTHING to do with the WHOLE30, at least not yet. 
So last weekend was a weekend that I had been looking forward to for over 20 years!! It was the renewal of the Catholics vs. Convicts rivalry that is Notre Dame vs Miami college football.  Lucky for me my dad got tickets and we jetted off to Chicago in hopes to see an Irish win! I did get to expereince an Irish VICTORY on Oct.6 but it also turned out to be one of the worst days of my life.  While at the tailgate, I received the phone call that changed everything.  Oscar, my 10 year old mini-weenie was losing his battle with Diabetes.  It was time to say good-bye.  It wasn't the way I had hope things would go but at this point it was out of my hands.  The past few days have been extremely rough for me and I'm missing him terribly, but I promised myself that I was starting this journey today and I am comitted.  I am going to welcome the distraction, not to forget my lil man, but to heal so that I can start remembering all the wonderful times we had without feeling instant pain. 
So here goes nothing! I hope that you will follow me on this journey and I welcome tips advice and support.  I'll be back to let you know exactly how day 1 really went....

RIP Oscar 9/21/02-10/06/12