whole30 5.0

Woot woot, whole30 5.0 coming up on January 1st! I've recruited a few peeps to do this with me and I am SUPER excited.

2nd Meet Wrap-Up and What Now?

I should probably break this post into 3 parts: before the meet, the meet, and after the meet.

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BEFORE:
So I left off a few weeks before my meet. I went to Las Vegas, I actually drank for the first time in two months and totally enjoyed myself. I was there for 2.5 days, then the Bay Area for 2.5 days. Throughout that time, I was able to find a good balance between indulgence, eating mindfully, and making healthy choices. For example, I would try to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch, and then splurge for dinner and dessert. During that time, I had one real workout and then one half-ass workout. I also rested and enjoyed my vacation.

When I came home, I weighed myself and I was surprisingly a 1/2 lb less than when I left. Then Thanksgiving weekend. I ate a ton. But I also worked out a lot. I ran the morning of Thanksgiving and walked after dinner. Friday morning, I ran, then benched later that day. Saturday I deadlifted, then walked. Sunday I ran a mile in the morning and got rained out, so tried running again in the afternoon. Monday when I weighed myself, I was the same as Thursday morning. I was really afraid I had eaten myself out of my weight class, but even though I was a little over, it still gave me confidence about cutting the rest to be slightly under my weight class, because you never know... different scales. I'd rather be under than right where I needed to be.

On 11/28, Monday before the meet, I went to the gym and tested my maxes. I was able to do 175lb squat, 100lb bench, and pulled 260lb for deadlift, which was a PR. I was a little bummed about my squat because I feel like I haven't made much progress since my last meet. But I am at a lower body weight and at least my bench and deadlift have gotten stronger.

The rest of the week before the meet, I didn't do much. I think I may have walked a few times. I ate dinner early and even then didn't eat much. I didn't eat a lot of carbs. Ok so this is where low carbing affects me. I can't sleep. I can fall asleep, but around 2 or 3 in the morning, I wake up and can't go back to sleep. So around Wednesday, I started eating some sweet potatoes. That helped a little.

As for my weight, I got all the way down to 95lbs. That was my official weigh in. And after that, I totally ate. It was a glorious two days of eating!!! I realized though that I can only handle so much. I can indulge to a point, and these days, it is getting easier for me to stop. And I love that I am really enjoying these indulgences. I am fully present and not eating mindlessly. I am savoring every bite. There is no guilt. It's so liberating.

I'll talk more about weight later. But now for...

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THE MEET

I was nervous a few days before the meet. I even thought about pulling out. I was afraid of so many things. Not meeting my weight class, not pulling numbers that were higher than my previous meet. Then I thought about how hard I've been working for the past 3 months. How much time and effort I have put into getting to the gym and watching what I eat. How awesome I felt in my stronger body. I also looked at State and National records for 44kg submaster and decided to go for broke and attempt to set new records for both.

The meet was held at a small gym. There were only 3 flights. I felt more comfortable this time around because it was my 2nd and I made the effort to talk to other lifters and it was just fun and exciting.

Squat. This is my hardest lift. Like in triathlon, swim is my hardest, so I am glad they both come first, to get them done and out of the way. Because I hit 175lbs on Monday, I went for 176lbs for my 3rd attempt. I didn't feel comfortable going for 180, because I couldn't do 177.5lbs when I tried on Monday. During that 3rd attempt, I almost stalled coming up. I can still remember that moment, telling myself to push, push, PUSH, and the crowd yelling, then louder and louder, until I stood up and locked out. I knew I was going to cry at this meet. I could feel myself breaking up inside as I walked off the platform. Thank goodness I had someone to hug. And it was a long hug, because I needed that long to cry. I was so proud of myself and couldn't believe how far I had come.

Bench. I was able to set a new meet PR of 99lbs. My 3rd attempt was 105lbs which I wasn't confident about since I barely benched 102.5 once before the meet, but I was feeling good from my squat so just went for it. I didn't get it, and I was ok with that.

Deadlift. My favorite lift. Like in triathlon, run is the last and my best. I went for 259 as my 2nd attempt and felt awesome so went for 264 for my 3rd, but I was red lighted because I leaned back too far =( Whaaaaat! I had no idea. I was bummed but still super happy about how I did overall that day.

This meet stats:
176/99/259 (missing decimals) = 534lb total @ 97lb weight class (95 at weigh in)
Set State and American records for all three lifts!

Previous meet stats:
165/93/248 = 507 @ 105lb weight class (103 at weigh in)

LEAN GAINZ!

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AFTER

I am still feeling amazing even though it's been almost two weeks since the meet. Proof that experiences make me happier than material things. Two weeks of happiness! Ok, maybe a new car would do that, but this is a different type of happy. This is a feeling of accomplishment and pride. This is empowering and motivating.

I've lifted a few times since the meet, and have committed myself to running my own 10k before New Year's. I have missed running a lot. I've deloaded on all my lifts but am taking it more easy with squat, since my knees are kinda important for running. And squats hurt the most. That's probably why they are my weakest lift.  But I am happy with my short term goals right now.

As for long term, I am feeling a little lost. I don't know what I want to do, but I know I want and need to do SOMETHING. I've been asking myself why is this so important? Here's why. Because I am a goal oriented person. I thrive on consistency, routine, and structure. I like to know what's next, and I like to know how I'm going to get there. So I'm going to do this 10k. Then I'm going to figure out what I want to do next. I do want to do another meet. But the question is when? (Right now I'm thinking before August) And how hard do I want to train for this? I've thought about how I got into running and how I ended up becoming a triathlete. I ran for years, then made it too technical with gadgets and tracking and got burnt out. I got into triathlons because I was terrified of the swim and wanted to overcome that. The biking and running were just fun. So I do want to enjoy powerlifting. I don't want to get burnt out. But I also want to see where I can go with this.

As for eating and my weight. I'm still under 100lbs right now, which I am pretty stoked about. I've drank a few times since the meet, and am just really soaking in the holidays with friends, family, and food. Lots of cookies. Lots of desserts. I am happy.

I feel like I am in a really good place with my health, my body, and my fitness. I know there is a lot more I could be doing to get a rock hard body, but I know what the trade-offs are, and they are not worth it to me right now. On the other hand, I know I could be relaxing a lot more and maybe not working out so hard and eating whatever the hell I want, but again, I know what the trade-offs are, and no, I don't want to be fluffier than I am now. I look strong, I feel amazing and confident.

This powerlifting training and weight cutting was mind opening. I'm glad I decided to compete. I'm glad I made the effort to tweak my diet and cut back on drinking these past couple of months. I would do this again, for sure.

Protein smoothies?!?

Yesterday I had a deload session with a trainer at the gym. That was interesting. I am sore today. I tried drinking a plant based protein smoothie post-workout and it was extremely disgusting. I thought I had put all good stuff in it too: spinach, banana, cocoa powder, coconut milk. No. It was horrible. I drank half, then threw the rest away. I am not one to waste food normally, but omg. I wanted to throw up.

Today was a rest day. I'm trying to eat sensibly these days since I'm 4 weeks out from my meet and still have about 2 lbs to cut. I'm going to Vegas in a few weeks and then there's Thanksgiving! But I am SO determined to get into this weight class. I KNOW I can do this!

Less than 5 weeks

Yesterday and today I had a little bit of sugar and wheat. It tasted good, it was intentional, I ate it mindfully. But both days I have felt irritable and impatient. So is it worth it? I am not sure. Maybe a little. I even needed a nap today.
I also stopped drinking coffee on Saturday because I think I am having an allergic reaction from it. My workouts haven't been that great since then =( I'm going to keep trying my 5x5 this week though as my last week, then I am not sure what I'll be doing. But for sure the last week of the meet, just resting!

5x5 squat PR!

Today was an awesome food and workout day. I did my first 5x5 attempt EVER of 167.5lb squat. And I did it! I was sooo happy and excited. The only thing was my last few reps were really painful. I knew that my form was starting to suffer, and I rounded my lower back a little because I was just trying to get the weight up. Then I tried doing AMRAPs after and my last two reps I felt like I had tweaked my lower back. I did a lot of stretching after that.  And told myself that AMRAPs are good, but not worth it! I was trying to get more than I did last time. No, not again. Too close to the meet! Time to put my ego in check!!!

Then I went to one of my favorite breakfast/brunchy/lunchy places, Opera Cafe.

I had the spicy shrimp and salmon salad with goat cheese instead of feta. OMG that thing was humongous. I ate all of it and was too full to eat dinner. So next time, I will just package up half of the salad. Their desserts looked amazing too. But I was seriously too full to partake.

Thinking about my workouts for the next couple of days. Definitely need to bench. And deadlift! And maybe another squat session this weekend. Get it, get it!

1st bench attempt 92.5lbs

When I woke up this morning, I was a little disappointed that I was hardly sore from my double lifting day yesterday. WTH! And I did amraps after both squats and deadlift. So then I'm getting breakfast together and I'm thinking out loud on whether or not I should work out, and my daughter goes, "I think you should go mommy." That was so supportive of her =)

So I made my preworkout (coffee, collagen, coconut milk), took her to school, then headed to the gym for my first bench attempt of 5x5 92.5lbs. I was able to get 5/4/3/3/2. That was rough! I would so love to be up to 100lb 5x5 on bench before my meet. I have a month!

So much lifting!

This was a pretty good weekend. Yesterday I finally conquered 90lb 5x5 bench. And today, I got 165lb 5x5 squat and 240lb 1x5 deadlift. Today is the first time in over a month I've done two heavy lifts in the same day. My last training round, it took me 3 attempts to finish 165lb squat so I was happy I was able to get it this time after only one attempt. Yay!

I also got to go to Cucina Enoteca yesterday with one of my mom friends. I've been wanting to go there for a few years now and I'm glad I finally did. The restaurant was colorful and bright and earthy. Their menu was creative and the food was delicious. My favorite things were the raw oysters and the dessert I got which tasted like a soft dark chocolate bar with a dollop of chantilly and almond brittle, which was a bit hard to eat because it kept sticking to my molars. It was incredibly rich. I was only able to eat 1/4 of it. That whole dining experience was just amazing. And I didn't even drink alcohol! I was a little tempted but then I was totally fine with sparkling water. I really love bubbly drinks. They're so festive! It's like all the fun without the hangover. Kinda. But enough for me for now =)

Chugging Along

This has been a pretty good week, in terms of stress management. I don't feel like I've over scheduled my life and I don't feel like things are chaotic. Saying no this week is really working for me =) For example, my daughter had a field trip today to a butterfly farm and I usually go on her field trips, but when I found out it was going to be 90 degrees, I decided that wasn't going to happen. I already know that hot weather makes me irritable so it's probably best for me to not be around a bunch of 6 yr olds.

I've been eating really well too. Yesterday we made Paleo breakfast biscuits that got extremely flat while baking and looked like cookies when they were finished. We had them this morning as breakfast sandwiches with egg, bacon, and spinach, and my daughter loved them. I thought they were ok. Not really the buttermilk biscuity flavor I was going for. But I know not to expect that since it is Paleo. But maybe next time I'll try blanched almond flour.

I also made this really delicious lemon thyme chicken yesterday. I need to post that recipe. One of these days!

Today's workout was my 1st 5x5 attempt of 162.5 squat. This is where I failed before I deloaded the first time on squat for this training round. The best I did before I deloaded on 162.5 last month was 5/5/3/3/2. And today I was able to get 5x5! Yay! When I was training for my first meet, the last 5x5 squat I got was 165. I feel like squats have been really hard for me this training round. I don't know if it's because I weigh about 5lbs less than I did before. Should that really make that much of a difference? I don't understand why my bench and deadlift are getting better though, but my squat is now, but progress on it wasn't what I expected. Oh well. I'll take the progress now! LEAN GAINS!

1st day back

Well here I am off whole30. Baking is back in full swing. We tried a new recipe for Paleo carrot muffins, yum! Sweetened with only dates.  That got me thinking... I think I want to try and make chocolate with date sugar. Next project?

2nd attempt today for 5x5 90lb bench. I got 5/5/5/5/4! Damn that LAST rep! I drank half the amount of coffee that I did before my last heavy workout, and today I felt better. Not as jittery. I'll play around with that more. I am also considering teecino or yerba mate. Or maybe puerh tea. That stuff is strong!

Day 30 - Not really the end

I was craving clean all day today. I even celebrated my clean eating by drinking kombucha after dinner. I make that stuff, so I really should drink it more. I had a short lived craving for a muffin (the ones I ate yesterday), but wanted to save it for another day. Today, I really just wanted to stuff myself with goodness!There are a couple of things that I thought about today:

1. My love of Paleo baked goods/sweets and how easy it is for me to eat lot of it. Even "healthy" foods like dates and almond butter. Just because they are made with healthy ingredients, this shouldn't give me the green light for over consumption. How can I be better at this? Eat. More. Consciously. In the words of Melissa Hartwig, "...if you’re really paying attention and savoring the experience, you’ll know when enough is enough."  All I can say is, I will try my best!

2. My powerlifting meet is less than 7 weeks away. SEVEN! I have been training since the beginning of August. I haven't trained this long for anything since the one marathon I did in 2007. I took that so seriously. I had to wake up early every Saturday for our long runs, and pretty much had no social life on Friday nights. Well, in my experience, I would say that training for a powerlifting meet is not as hard as a full marathon, but I want to be as dedicated. I have spent the last 30 days making healthy food choices and avoided sugar and alcohol, the two things that have been the hardest to cut out. I was able to cut a few pounds, but if I still want to compete in 44kg (and I really do!), I have a few more pounds left to cut. I don't want to do anything extreme the week leading up to my meet. I have 7 weeks. SEVEN WEEKS. I can cut that weight in seven weeks. I am determined to stay focused. I am dedicated to all the hard work I've put in to train, all the money I have spent on the nourishing foods I've been eating and the times I dragged my daughter (and paid money for it!) to kids' club at the gym. I'm not going to throw this all away. All my hard work and time and dedication. This is all going to amount to greatness!!!

Day 28 and 29 - Falling off the wagon!

Well yesterday I wasn't able to blog, because it just wasn't high on the priority list. I can tell you that I pretty much ate whole30 until dinner when we went to a Pho restaurant. There is sugar in everything there! I did the best I could and ordered the shaken beef, which was the first time I had that. I ordered all salad, no rice. It was really good. It came with a dipping sauce (or maybe it was the "dressing" for my salad), that looked like watery fish sauce that they usually have for egg rolls, but someone else ordered a dish that had that same looking sauce, but with julienned carrots in it, so I'm thinking maybe mine was different? I dunked a few of my beef pieces in it and it was mildly sweet.

For my workout yesterday, I just went to my hip hop fitness class. My legs were still really sore. In fact, they are still a little sore today, but I am going to try and either squat or deadlift tomorrow. Heavy! Get it, get it!

More on falling off the wagon. Ok, confessions. I weighed myself this morning! I had a huge dinner last night and this morning, I came in 1.5lbs less than the last time I weighed myself (2 days before I started whole30). Also, I ate Paleo muffins today! Now just one, but 2.5! They were the applesauce sweetened muffins. OMG they were so good. And not that sweet. I almost ate 3.5. But I'm proud of myself for stopping at 2.5. The 1/2 was the first part I ate, I had split the first one with my daughter. Then you know, I wasn't sure if I liked it, so I ate another one. Then decided they needed to be baked longer, so I did that, then tasted one more. But I thoroughly enjoyed those 2.5 muffins.

Other than that, I ate whole30 meals today. Even though I went to a birthday party this morning! I only ate fruit there!

Tomorrow is my last day... will I eat the homemade goat milk ice cream in my freezer like there is no tomorrow? Stay tuned to find out!

Day 27 - Best Friday ever!

M1 - Egg soup with kale. This was so lame. I mean seriously, how do you mess up egg drop soup? Here's how. You add the egg when the water isn't boiling. Then it scrambles. It doesn't get all wispy white like it should in egg drop soup. Lesson learned! But I have to say I was full from this. I ate 3 eggs!
M2 - tuna salad wraps, grapefruit
Preworkout - Sweet potato, coffee, collagen, cashew milk
Workout - Attempted 5x5 bench, 90 lbs. I was able to do 5/5/5/3/2. This was my first time attempting a 5x5 of 90 lbs. So exciting! Then AMRAP 65 lb bench, 14 reps.
M3 - caulirice, greens, fajita chicken, kombucha, soda water.
I say today was the Best Friday ever, meaning on whole30. Because I LOVE Fridays and I always like to have some sort of food treat. Well today, I ate a huge, delicious, satisfying, satieting dinner after my workout. Then I enjoyed my kombucha with soda water. It was something I was looking forward to and it made me happy to enjoy that with my daughter today. During dinner I was telling her about my workout and how I didn't nearly get 5x5 but she said I still did really great. She said, "Mommy can I call you Powerlifting Mommy?" I thought that was so cute.

Speaking of Powerlifting, I watched live streaming of my friend's powerlifting competition in Atlanta today. That was SUPER exciting to watch. I was really proud of her, and watching her, and all the other super strong girls really motivated me in my workout today. You're so awesome Vivyen!

That also made me excited about my upcoming meet, even though it's still 1.5 months away.

Day 26 - A great day!

M1 - potatoes, eggs, kale, sausage
Preworkout - sweet potato, almonds, coffee, collagen, cashew milk
M2 - tuna salad, lettuce, green onion, grapes
M3 - brisket, asparagus, roasted veggies, shredded coconut, cashews
WO - I completed my 5x5 squat of 160 lbs! Next up, 162.5 lbs. This is where I left off before I deloaded last month. I drank my coffee with cashew milk and collagen about 10 minutes before I left for the gym. That was the first time I had it that close to leaving for the gym, but I'm glad I tried that because I think that really helped me today. I think it also helped that I worked out at a gym that I hadn't been to in a long time, that I used to enjoy going to. Maybe I'll try to start squatting there more. I also like squatting in racks that face a mirror, as opposed to the TRX squat racks where you face another person.

The most exciting thing about today (other than my fabulous squat workout), is that we got to meet Ms. Fabulous herself, Melissa Hartwig, co-founder of whole30! She was on her book tour for Food Freedom Forever. I thanked her for writing and sharing such a great program. I also mentioned to her that me and my daughter were lefties, like her, and she said "All the good ones are!"

She talked a little about FFF and answered questions before she did the book signing. She said a lot of things about food and our relationship with food that I thought were enlightening. I wish I would've taken notes. But it was awesome to see her in person and I'm looking forward to reading her new book more in depth. I skimmed it at a bookstore last week, but I actually have it on hold at our library.

One thing I liked that she mentioned is that someone had said how doing food prep for whole30 is a lot of work. And Melissa, she's all about tough love, she said, we will prioritize what's important. We make decisions to go on social media, but we could be using that time to do food prep. So true! But sometimes we get tired. And I know when I go on social media, it can be a black hole sometimes. One thing leads to another and there I am, an hour later, wasted. But I do try to find what I call "golden nuggets" on social media. Like information about things to better myself or events happening around town that I might want to go to. Or new recipes. But tonight I think I'm going to limit myself and go to sleep earlier.

Here we are with Melissa! She's soooo tall! No, really I am just super short.

Day 25 - The end is near

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M1 - sausage, scrambled eggs, greens, asparagus, oranges
M2 - grilled beef, salad, avocado, carrots, beets, tomatoes, ranch dressing, plum
M3 - potatoes, fajita chicken (this was tasty), kale, grapefruit, kombucha, shredded coconut, cashews, almonds

No workout today. I am determined to squat tomorrow. I did a lot of cooking today and have to confess that I did a super duper tiny taste test of goat milk ice cream (sweetened with banana and date sugar) that I was making from scratch. It was like 1/8 of a tsp. It tasted really good, but as I was enjoying my grapefruit and kombucha tonight, I thought about the ice cream and I was ok with not eating it. Because I made a lot and I'll be able to enjoy it soon!

I tried on my super skinny jeans yesterday and they were a little baggy. I haven't tried them on in months. But I know the last time I did, they were pretty snug. So that was a little exciting.

I have also enjoyed oil pulling when I remember to do it this week. As well as collagen in my tea today! It's a lot better than drinking it with my morning cocktail (Natural Calm, Floradix, apple cider vinegar, and water).

I am super excited because tomorrow I am going to see Melissa Hartwig on her book tour! What a great way to end my whole30!

Day 24 - 2nd attempt deadlift

M1 - sausage, scrambled eggs, greens, sweet potato, almonds, oranges
M2 - salad, boiled eggs, ranch dressing, carrots, beets, pumpkin seeds, plum
M3 - shredded coconut, walnuts, chestnuts, cashews, brisket, salad with ranch dressing, potatoes
WO - My legs were a little tired today and I thought about squatting, but during breakfast, I started feeling sick, like I wanted to throw up. I think I am getting sick of scrambled eggs. So then I didn't feel like squatting at all. I feel like that takes so much more focus and concentration than deadlifting. So I decided to deadlift.
Now I never really understood why my boyfriend checks and rotates the barbell before he uses them. They all look the same to me. But I found one at the gym I go to that I kinda like. I used it to bench the other day and decided to deadlift with it today. I warmed up then got ready to do my 1 set of 5 of 235 lbs (2nd attempt). I felt really good about it. I thought about keeping my arms loose while still gripping the bar. And yay! I did it!

Tonight after dinner, I wanted something sweet badly. I wanted a date. But I haven't allowed myself to eat any dates since starting whole30 except for those two lara bars I ate a few weeks ago. So I kept eating shredded coconut and nuts until I thought I was satisfied. That is one thing I hate doing. If I have a craving, I want to fulfill it. I have very specific food cravings. But if I can't have it, I will find all of these substitutes and eat until I think I'm done with it. Half the time, that works. But the other half, I just keep foraging and eating until I finally have what I wanted in the first place and should've just eaten that to begin with. So lesson learned. Sometimes I really should just eat it. And then stop. Drink a lot of water or tea or soda water and be done with it. And definitely leave the kitchen and brush my teeth!

Day 23 - 5x5 bench

M1 - sweet potato, roasted veggies, kielbasa sausage
M2 - cabbage slaw, veggie salad, sushi (no rice), stir fried vegetables, mackeral, baked fish, honeydew melon
M3 - caulirice, brisket, asparagus, roasted veggies, apple, almonds, an oyster shooter with kombucha!!! This was amazing! Whole30 compliant? All the ingredients were, so I'm guessing yes =)
WO - 3rd attempt of 5x5 bench at 87.5 lbs. I did this in the morning, right after I dropped my daughter off to school. And yay! I did it! After that, I did an AMRAP 65lbs and completed 13. I was so done after that. I could barely move my arms, but it felt so good to have finally done 87.5 lbs.

I ate lunch at an all you can eat sushi restaurant today. I am pretty sure there was a little bit of sugar, MSG, and soy sauce in most of the things I ate. But like yesterday, I did the best that I could. I didn't feel like stressing about nitpicking what to eat. I was meeting with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. Had it been a restaurant with a menu, that probably woudld've been easier. But I really am trying to keep things low stress these days. I did try to squeeze as much sauce as possible out of the vegetables I was eating. I did try to ask if they made hand rolls. Other than that, I just ate. And enjoyed it!

Today was a really great day. Actually the past couple of days have been awesome, seeing friends I hadn't seen in a long time, people that I have known for years. While eating whole30 probably hasn't been ideal (since I resorted to cheating a few times), I haven't felt too deprived. Even at the restaurant I went to for lunch today, their dessert spread looked pretty awesome, but I told myself, I can always come back. But even when I left, I was really full. And that's all it felt like. Just full. I didn't feel overly gross. I didn't have a food coma later where I wanted to sleep. But I bet if I had eaten rice, and some of the questionable fried things I saw, and the desserts, I would've been sluggish and lethargic.

Day 22 - Pack more food!

M1 - scrambled eggs, kielbasa sausage, kale
M2 - mashed potatoes, chicken adobo, kale, plum, fries =(
M3 - carnitas, lettuce, salsa, guacamole, two fruit leathers (before M3 actually)
WO - walking around SeaWorld all day

I spent most of today at SeaWorld. It was fun and exhausting and obviously I cheated twice today. I brought lunch to the park and thought it was enough food, but after finishing all the food I brought, I was still hungry and ate some of my daughter's leftover french fries. I didn't want to spend more money, and the other option was her burger with ketchup. Also before we left the park, I started getting really hungry (I didn't think we'd stay that late), and ate two of her fruit leathers from trick-or-treating. It contained only fruit and fruit juice, but still. So I know I didn't eat the best things today. Every night before my daughter goes to bed, we try to ask each other 3 questions, what made you happy, sad, and what did you learn. Well today I told her that I was a sad that I had to make those two food choices. And she said, that was ok, because I did the best I could and that the other option was I could've gotten sick from not eating at all. So that is true. And really insightful for my little 6 year old daughter to say. But next time I know, bring more food!

Day 21 - Food Prep

M1 - scrambled egg, kielbasa sausage, greens. Why have I not ever made scrambled egg before? I mixed this a little bit of flaxseed/chia milk and they were fluffy and delicious! More scrambled eggs please! And the kielbasa sausage was soooo good. I loved breakfast this morning. I felt like I was eating in a restaurant, it was that good.

M2 - grapes, melon, carrots, salad (ranch dressing, pumpkin seeds, boiled eggs, carrots), almonds, sweet potato. I normally don't like boiled eggs but with the sausage for breakfast and I thought I'd have brisket for dinner, I wanted to have a no meat lunch. This was pretty filling.

M3 - salad, grilled shrimp, brisket, mango, kombucha. We checked out Liberty Public Market. Sooo many good things that I saw (desserts mostly) that I was somewhat dying to eat. But buying kombucha on tap made things a little better. Also knowing that I'm not eating whole30 for the rest of my life. Desserts aren't that special. Especially since I can bake. And live close to a bakery that sells really good desserts.

No work out today. Probably not one tomorrow either since we're going to be out all day and it's going to be hot and I'd like to have a good work out on Monday.  I did cook a few things today. Roasted veggies, slow cooker brisket, and applesauce (mostly for my daughter for now, but I also froze some to use for baking post whole30).

Day 20 - Bench and Protein

M1 - egg, grilled chicken, greens, banana, walnuts
M2 - salad, grilled chicken, ranch dressing, carrots, pumpkin seeds, apples, banana, almonds
M3 - sweet potato, greens, chicken adobo, dasani soda water, kombucha

WO - Miserable fail at 5x5 bench at 87.5 lbs this late afternoon after a few hours at the beach. I actually did better on my first attempt a few days ago. Before my workout I had coffee with flaxseed/chia milk and ghee. It made me a little jittery. Maybe morning bench attempts are better. Although I feel like my energy has been pretty consistent throughout my day even though I haven't been sleeping for a full straight 7-8 hours a night. Usually I need a nap in the afternoon around 1 or 2pm. But I can't even remember the last time I took a nap. Maybe during my 2nd (rough) week on whole30. My legs were pretty sore today from squatting yesterday.

Today I got my first package of grass fed collagen protein. I want to start taking this daily for its health benefits.  I first tried it in water, and I could taste it. Not that it was bad, but it was like tasting melted jello. So in the kombucha/soda water, it was great.

I'm excited about trying new recipes this weekend. I wanted to try this zeggs recipe and also slow cooker brisket.

Day 19 - Squats and ideal whole30's

M1 - green beans, egg omelette with grilled steak, greens
M2 - mashed potatoes, chicken adobo, green beans, greens, bananas, walnuts, ghee (lots)
M3 - salad with grilled chicken, ranch dressing, cucumber, carrots

WO - 5x5 squat, 157.5lbs. I was anxious about squatting because I haven't since last week Monday, and last week was by far, an ugly week. Well the weight felt heavy and on my 2nd set, my bar hit the safety on the 2nd rep and I wasn't going to redo that set, but I did. So I was able to complete my 5x5 today, yay! Something that helped me today was when I squat, I push really hard through my heels and just think of being really balanced as I push, so that both heels are working equally hard. I'll have to remember that for my next squat session, which I hope will be sometime this weekend. I don't want to take another long break like that from squats. I'm also glad I was able to complete my workout today because when I woke up this morning, I was actually pretty sore and thought maybe I won't work out until after lunch. But after I took my daughter to school, I just decided to go. Good call, self!

Today I was thinking about doing resets/whole30's and what part of the year is easiest for me. I like August, nothing much going on there. Mid-September to mid-October isn't too bad either. But not the entire month of October because of Halloween and Oktoberfest. November/December, definitely out because of the holidays. January is a good month and easy because there's more support since most people are with you on the holiday/food hangover boat. February if it ends before Valentine's day or after Valentine's day. March and April can be good, just not during spring break. May is ok, but has to end before Memorial Day. June, hmm. June is the beginning of summer so maybe. And definitely not July because of the 4th and my birthday.

I placed my 1st Thrive market order today! Woot!

Day 18 - Nuts!

M1 - egg drop soup, banana
M2 - roasted veggies, chicken adobo, kale, banana, almonds
M3 - salad, grilled chicken, avocado, carrot, cucumber, ranch dressing, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, bananas, ghee, dasani drink
WO - Rest day!

I made the mistake today of not eating enough for breakfast. As you can see by the amount of bananas and nuts I ate for the rest of the day. Big breakfasts are important!

I also read a little of Melissa Hartwig's new book Food Freedom Forever. Her 3 step plan is basically what I've been doing for the past year: reset (whole30), enjoy your food then recognize when triggers get out of control. Then repeat that whole process. I'm excited to see her when she goes on her book tour!

Day 17 - I need a do-over!

M1 - tomato egg frittata, baked potato wedges, tea/cashew milk
M2 - salad with avocado, cucumber, carrots, red curry chicken, apples, walnuts
M3 - egg drop soup with greens, cucumber. zucchini "cheese", almonds, oranges
WO - I was supposed to do a 1x5 of 255 deadlift but the past two times I attempted that, I was barely able to do 3. Then I realized that I had programmed the 5x5 app to increase by 10lbs on deadlift, when after 225, it's only supposed to increase by 5lbs. So I thought I'd try 235, which I've been able to do in the past. Well today I only got it up 4x. I was really bummed about that. I felt like the weight was heavy and I didn't have a good grip on the bar. Maybe I was also tired from sleeping late last night. Oh and I also went to the hip hop dance class, which was really fun.

Well today was the first time I made egg drop soup. It was delicious! I think what really makes it is the sesame oil. Once I added that, it tasted more authentic. I also made zucchini "cheese" because my daughter has been asking for cheese, and I wanted to attempt a Paleo version. So I made it, which was really easy, and I tasted it. Cheating, yes. Did I go to town on it? No. All the ingredients are whole30 compliant, but together, it is a cheese substitute. So bad on me. As you can see, I also ate nuts twice today. Probably not the best whole30 day.

Day 16 - Bench attempt!

M1 - tomato frittata with greens, apple
M2 - red curry chicken with greens, pot roast veggies (these were leftovers, no beef left), green beans, puerh tea with cashew milk, banana
M2.5 - chicken adobo, sweet potato, ghee, butternut squash
M3 - chicken adobo, salad with ranch dressing, carrots, cucumber, pumpkin seeds
WO - I did my first attempt at 5x5 bench, 87.5 lbs. I was able to get every single rep, except the very last one!!! OMG! SO CLOSE! I was so happy with my first attempt though. I tried to carb/caffeine up before this workout. That's the first time I really did that, and I like to think it helped so I will try this again for when I need to lift heavy again. Good thing I bought potatoes and sweet potatoes last weekend.

I also felt a little shakey and weak after my workout. I never thought benching was a whole body workout, but I am seriously using my whole entire body to push the weight up. I'm pressing hard with my arms and chest, I'm pushing hard against the ground with my legs and feet, but not lifting my butt off the bench. I can't believe how starving I was when I got home. I ate a ton of ghee with the sweet potato. I was so tempted to eat nuts today, especially with the banana. But I didn't.

I can't believe I am halfway through this whole30. I actually feel like today was the first day that I felt like myself for most of the day. I was in a pretty good mood and minimal ups/downs. I am wondering if the all the added sugar (even though most of it's "natural") really has that big of an effect on me. Or maybe it's the alcohol? But I definitely eat more desserts/treats that I consume alcohol. I need to figure out how to make most of my desserts from date sugar or dates. Or maybe when I get off my whole30, just try date-sweetened desserts for a few days before adding in natural stuff.

Day 15

M1 - tomato frittata with greens, roasted veggies
M2 - salad with cucumber, carrots, red curry chicken
M3 - spiced lamb meatballs, balsamic reduction, greens, mashed potatoes
WO - a fun workout, stand up paddleboarding

My daughter and I did a lot of cooking today. I am starting to let her do a lot more. It takes so much longer but I am able to clean up and do dishes while she's cutting, mixing, or whatever. But it's fun teaching her how to cook and bake. And she's more willing to try the things we make. Like the mashed potatoes we made today were really good. We used a good amount of ghee, cashew milk, and salt. I'd really like her to eat more eggs though because she loves meat and can eat a lot of it, but eggs are more economical. Maybe I'll teach her how to make scrambled eggs soon, that way she'll want to eat it.

My sleep has been decent the last couple of days. I can fall asleep ok, stay asleep for about 5-6 hours, then I kinda drift in and out of sleep for another 1-2 hours, but still wake up feeling energized. And I have a good amount of energy during the day. I also have not woken up in the middle of the night, feeling like I'm dying. I don't know if that's what a panic attack is, but I feel that sometimes and it's really scary. so yay for whole30 and no panic attacks!

Tonight while we were cooking and after dinner, I wanted something else to eat or drink. I had a Dasani flavored soda water, the tropical pineapple flavor, which was good and satisfying. 0 calories! Then I also had rooibos tea with a little bit of cashew milk. That was a nice way to end the evening. And I also tried oil pulling for the first time today. I only did if for like 5 minutes because by that time, I had a lot of saliva in my mouth and I was afraid of swallowing it. But I'll keep at it.

Day 14

M1 - tomato frittata with greens
M2 - caulirice, red curry salmon, greens
M3 - caulirice, spiced lamb meatballs, greens
WO - hip hop fitness class - SO FUN!

I just realized that I didn't eat any salad today. I usually eat a salad every day. Lunch was eaten at a park, I had brought my food. The lamb meatballs was a new recipe we tried to make today along with a balsamic/fruit jelly reduction and that was amazing! The tomato frittata I made from the whole30 book, that was also very good, but I had added sauteed onions and pork belly. Can't go wrong with pork belly!

The other day we bought meat from Whole Foods. I was comparing their prices to US Wellness Meats and they were comparable. I've decided that we will probably buy our organic or grass fed beef from Costco, along with organic ground turkey and organic chicken (whole, breast, thighs, drumsticks), and then pork, other cuts of beef, and lamb, from Vons (I know, Vons, but they are getting better with meat options), Whole Foods, Sprouts, or try US Wellness Meats. I also want to start eating more seafood, at least once a week. Vegetables are easy to prepare, it's just the protein that takes a little more planning. It's easy to just throw vegetables together for any protein or add vegetables to a protein dish. Like the red curry salmon I made the other day. I just threw in a bunch of spinach. It looked so blah without any green in it!

Day 13

M1 - Eggs, roasted veggies, greens
M2 - persimmons, salad, red curry chicken
M3 - red curry salmon, greens, caulirice, kombucha, a small bite of pork belly, izze
WO - 3rd successful attempt at 5x5 bench at 85lbs.

Fridays are my favorite days of the week because it's the start of the weekend. And I typically like to end my week with a treat of some kind. A bit difficult to do on whole30. Especially when the types of treats I'm looking for are either sweet, have chocolate or alcohol or all three of those things. During dinner tonight, I drank some kombucha and ate the fruit, feeling like an alcohol fiend. Because there is a teensy bit of alcohol in kombucha and the fruit. It was good, but not satisfying enough. So then I started cooking pork belly and drank an izze soda and that was great. And then I tasted a small piece of pork belly. It was fantastic! So now I feel a bit better about ending my week.

My bench workout felt better than the previous one. So now I need to decide if I want to do 85lbs for another workout or attempt 87.5. I think I also need to eat more carbs on my lifting days. I am so curious as to how much I weigh! Am I making lean gains still? Guess I'll find out in 17 days.

Day 12

M1 - a little bit of mango jello, egg, roasted veggies, kale, sausage
M2 - lettuce, grilled beef, ranch dressing, cucumber, radish, carrot, avocado
M2.5 - lara bar, banana
M3 - beef fajitas, greens, kalamata olives, lara bar (This meal was at Whole Foods, a great place to dine for whole30'ers, because almost everything is labeled.)
WO - 2nd attempt at 1x5 255 deadlift. I was only able to pick up the bar twice. Ok so that is my 2nd fail at 255. One more and I get to de-load.

I felt really weak and shakey after my workout today. That explains the lara bars. I went to the grocery store because I wasn't going home until late tonight and that was the only place I could think of to get something whole30 compliant and portable since I was on the road. All I could think about was protein. But I ended up getting lara bars because I needed something dense. Plus they are delicious. The ones I ate though had vanilla extract in it, and I'm not sure if that is whole30 compliant, but whatever, everything else in the bar was. I was starving and desperate. Which brings me to a decision I made this morning right when I got up. I had decided that today, I wasn't going to eat any nuts. And then I did by way of lara bars. But I'm not going to count that. I love nuts because they're so crunchy and delicious. The problem with nuts is that it's easy to eat a lot of them. Nuts are almost starting to move on up there with my addiction to almond butter. Maybe I should refer to them as snacking nuts. Because I do drink cashew milk, which I have no problem with in terms of possible overconsumption. But it is hard to stop at a handful of nuts, unless I drink a lot of water and move away from the kitchen. So I'll just cut them out for now. But I was proud today because for a moment, I thought about buying almond butter at the grocery store, then stopped myself. That would've been super easy protein, and with the banana I bought? So perfect. But I knew it would've ended with me having a stomachache from eating too much.

Day 11

M1 - egg/kale/sausage wrap, ghee/coffee/cashew milk, apple

M2 - lettuce, grilled chicken, ranch dressing, cucumber, carrot, avocado, apples, walnuts

M3 - red curry salmon, greens

WO - Rest day! My body is still sore from the last couple of days.

Thank goodness today is the last hot day of the week. I loved the red curry salmon so much, that I used the leftover coconut milk to make more curry sauce and threw some chicken in it. I'm totally going to enjoy that the rest of the week with my roasted veggies!

I am not sure what I am doing for my workout tomorrow. Either squat or deadlift. Or maybe bench again?

Also I've made a mental list of things to do the next time it gets hotter than 90 degrees where I live. Because anything hotter than that, and I am just a complete mess.
1. Drink super cold water all day. Buy ice if you need to (we don't have an ice maker and I am lazy to make ice).
2. Turn the AC/fan on! Keep blinds closed.
3. Don't spend a lot of time outdoors unless you are submerged in water.
4. Make minimal commitments to go anywhere or do anything that involves being outdoors. Unless you are submerged in water.
5. Check the weather daily to see when relief will come. Plan naps/meltdowns accordingly.

It all seems funny now, but I know when the next heatwave comes, I will be thankful for making this list!!!l

Day 10

M1 - breakfast scramble, greens, ghee/coffee/cashew milk

M2 - lettuce, steak, ranch dressing, cucumber, carrot

M3 - red curry salmon (so delicious!), greens, mango, cashews

WO - Did another 5x5 85 bench. It felt harder this time. I took a hip hop class after.

Another hot, annoying day. Blech. But there are a few things I've learned so far into this whole30 about feeling satisfied with my meals:
1. I love creamy salad dressings. Oil/vinegar or citrus juice is not satisfying enough for my taste buds.

2. I love meals with courses. Or what feels like courses. So a main entree with a few sides and then something else. Either before or after the meal. It makes for a better dining experience for me. It makes me feel like I make time to eat, and that I have good food to eat. It makes me feel like I am taking care of myself. It makes me feel like I am self-indulging!

Day 9

M1 - breakfast scramble, greens

M2 - lettuce, steak, ranch dressing, cucumber, carrot, apple, walnuts

M3 - orange chicken, greens, zoodles, mango, lots of cashews

WO - I went to the gym with the intention to continue working out of my deload for squat. I had failed 162.5 so I'm working my way back up. Today I was supposed to do 5x5 of 155. I completed my warm up and then loaded the bar. I unracked and it felt SO HEAVY. I only managed one rep. Then I looked at the weight and thought, "OMG. I just PR'ed. I loaded 185! OMG!" Haha... well. No. I recalculated and it was really 175. My 1RM for squat in May was 180. But I WAS able to do my 5x5 of 155, barely. It felt really heavy.

The past few mornings I have tried drinking super watered down coffee with a bit of cashew milk and ghee. It tastes great! Minimal affect on my stomach, slight effect on my brain. Maybe that's why I loaded the bar incorrectly today. Maybe next week I will try ghee and homemade chai.

This afternoon was a downward spiral of sucky-ness. I think it was over 100 degrees today, no joke. I never do well in the heat. It irritates me, I complain, it's just not pretty. All I want is cold water or to be in an AC'ed room. Or submerged in water. So anyway, that explains the cashews I ate for dinner. That was stress eating =( Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit cooler, but I've learned my lesson for today. Don't stay out in the heat, and I just need to start saying no more.

Week 2 - Day 8

M1 - breakfast scramble, greens

M2 - lettuce, steak, ranch dressing, cucumber, carrot, apple, walnuts

M3 - orange chicken, greens, zoodles, almonds, mango jello. I know I said I wasn't going to have anymore mango jello while on whole30 but after doing more research, it looks like people eat kombucha jello on whole30, so that makes mango jello in small quantities ok in my book.

WO - early morning 3 mile run/walk with my neighbor friend who is also doing the whole30 with me!

Today I did a little food prep and meal planning. I don't plan for the whole week, just usually 2-3 days out. Because cravings can change in 2-3 days, or I might find a recipe to try.

Week 1 done! And another PR?

M1 - breakfast scramble, greens
M2 - orange chicken, greens, zoodles, roasted red peppers, apple, almonds, boiled egg, grapes, izze
M3 - lettuce, steak, lime juice/olive oil dressing, cucumber, carrot
WO - I was FINALLY successful at my 5x5 bench attempt at 85 lbs! Stronglift 5x5 bench PR! SO HAPPY ABOUT THIS! Then I went to a hip hop fitness class for a few minutes.

I went to a party this afternoon and packed my own food. It was my best friend's kids' birthday party and she knows I'm doing the whole30 and I told her not to worry about me and that I'd bring  my own food.  So I ate more than I normally eat because I tend to graze at parties anyway, but I'm glad I planned for that. The izze was my "treat", as was the apple and almonds. I almost wished I had brought some dates and cashews, because I love that more than apple and almonds and I didn't feel satisfied after eating everything that I brought, then I almost had some when I got home after the party, but I was upset over something, and told myself awhile back that I would not eat or drink (alcohol) when I'm feeling that way. In fact, when I have been in the middle of eating/drinking, and something upsetting happens, I stop eating/drinking immediately and get up and throw the food away or drink down the sink. Yes, kinda wasteful, but that is the one time I don't give myself permission to eat/drink my feelings.

But at the party I was a bit wistful about not drinking alcohol with my friends and eating some of the non-compliant foods. I survived though, thanks to thoughtful planning and bringing food/drink, and it's not like I won't be able to ever enjoy the foods/drinks I missed out on today. So there it is. I finished my first week on whole30, successfully navigated through a restaurant meal and a party. And PR'ed on deadlift and Stronglift bench!

Day 6 - Deadlift PR

M1 - breakfast scramble (same as yesterday)
M2 - steak salad (same as yesterday), grapefuit, almonds
M3 - beef stroganoff, broccoli, caulirice
WO - Today was my first attempt at 1x5 255 deadlift. Before my last competition, I ended at 215 deadlift. And just a month ago, my 1 rep max for deadlift was 250. Last week I was able to do 1x5 245 deadlift, so I was feeling fairly confident about picking up the 255 once. I was going to be happy with once. Because that already would be a PR! Well I did my warm up sets and rested nearly 25 minutes before I was ready to attempt my 1x5. That was probably way too long. I tend to psych myself out when I take too long to do anything. One of my favorite sayings that I heard a few years ago was "Don't think, just do!" But I can see how that can also get you into a lot of trouble. But anyway, I was able to deadlift 255 twice! On my 3rd attempt, I was nearly up, then I lost my balance and stepped backward and almost fell. After that, I was done, haha. I did 3x5 of 185 just to get volume in since I didn't get my 5x5. But overall, I was pretty happy that I PR'ed today.

I was starving after my workout and the beef stroganoff dinner that I had tasted amazing because I was so hungry.

So tomorrow or Sunday I hope to bench, I really want my 5x5 of 85lbs. Oh and I officially registered for my 2nd powerlifting competition. I'm so curious as to what my weight is now... but I can wait until the end of my whole30 to do that. My competition goal is to compete in the 97lb open weight class and pull at least 530. Last June, I competed in the 105 weight class (actual weight was 103.18 at weigh in) and pulled 507. My weight since then has fluctuated between 98-106.5, so I think I can get 97 by this meet's weigh in.

Day 5 - Restaurant Meal!

Last night I barely slept. I slept well for the first five hours, then woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. I stayed in bed though. So I was surprised today that I wasn't as tired as I thought I would be. I only felt it a little in the afternoon, around 1:30pm. I tried to take a nap but couldn't fall asleep, but it felt good to just lay down and rest for a few minutes. Because after that, I was on the go, and out of the house until late. So props to whole30 for giving me energy!

M1 - breakfast casserole (eggs, onions, mushrooms, sweet potato, breakfast sausage, spinach), banana, walnuts
M2 - lettuce, cucumber, ranch dressing, steak, avocado
M3 - rotisserie chicken, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, lemon (no dressing). I ate this at a restaurant. I called ahead and asked about a few menu options that were labeled gluten free, to see if they had any of the other non whole30 ingredients in them. It was between the rotisserie chicken and fish ceviche. I went with the chicken because I wanted something cooked.
WO - Rest day, in preparation for super heavy deadlift tomorrow!

So the fruit jelly we made yesterday was actually fruit jello. It just had fruit juice (no sugar, all fruit sweetened), grass-fed gelatin, and small mango chunks. My mom used to make us jello growing up, with fruit cocktail. So of course my version is a bit healthier =) I was excited to make the fruit jello with my daughter because it's easy and pretty forgiving. Well it turned out really well. Yes I tried a little. No I didn't really consider that cheating because all the ingredients were compliant, and I wasn't enjoying it as a dessert. And it was easy to just have a little taste. But no more fruit jello for me until I'm done with this whole30.

Today was the first time in awhile that I've worn jean pants. And they felt a little loose. Yay! I went out to another restaurant late tonight with my one of my BFF's and she ordered a bunch of things that smelled amazing (and definitely not whole30 friendly) and although I kinda wanted it, it was super easy to say no, because 1) I wasn't that hungry, 2) I don't like eating that late normally, 3) Whole30!

Day 4

Today I had cramps, which is weird because it's not even that time of the month. But it FEELS like it. I'll chalk that up to some weird detox side effect that my body must be going through without sugar and chocolate.

M1 - eggs, eggplant, bell peppers, kale
M2 - lettuce, cucumber, ranch, steak, banana, walnuts
M3 - sesame orange chicken, spinach, broccoli, mango
WO - I benched today 5x5 of 82.5 lbs. I thought about going up to 85, which is where I failed last week but I want to build my confidence up slowly and attempt 85 lbs this weekend. If I fail 85 lbs this weekend, then I will switch to a 3x5 for bench... which kinda sounds enticing at this point. I was also pretty sore from squats yesterday. I was going to walk today, but going to the gym to lift sounded better.

I did a ton of cooking today. That is not normal for a week day. But the time just materialized somehow. Fruit jelly with my daughter, then we tried sesame orange chicken, breakfast sausage, then made a breakfast casserole with the sausage... and then I made her french toast for breakfast tomorrow. I was pretty excited to find a loaf of gluten free bread at Jimbo's yesterday on clearance! For 99 cents! And it was still soft! So yeah, I had to buy that.

Tonight I asked my daughter if she was ok with the foods I pack for her lunch. Because I remember when I was younger, I was a little embarressed that my mom packed me hot foods like ramen. And I remember her bringing me lunch, her hand opening the door to my 4th grade classroom, and slowly, quietly, placing my lunchbox on top of the shelf that was by the door. And the embarressment I felt! I feel horrible now for remembering that, especially since I am a mom now and pack my child all sorts of non-traditional lunch foods. But she seems to be ok with it. Today even, she ate almost all of the paleo lunch I packed for her: caulirice, broccoli, and beef stroganoff. I was pretty ecstatic about that.

She did ask me last week though if I could start packing her a "sweet treat" every once in awhile. Because, she says, everyone in her class gets them. So then I started naming off kids to see if they had sweet treats, and she says no to all of them. Sigh. And so the peer pressure begins! The funny thing is I asked her what would she like for a sweet treat, and she starts naming things like fruit juice and banana bread. Ok... I can totally live with that. But I told her no cookies or chocolate. Well I may bend on that in the future. But we'll start with non chocolatey things for now.

I really enjoyed having her in the kitchen with me today. I got her to start eating a salad every day so that she could grow tall enough to ride the bigger rides by herself at Disneyland next year. "As long as," she said, "the salads have my favorite, mango and meat". Easy for now, because I don't even have to put dressing. But I'm afraid she is going to get sick of that, so we'll need to come up with some other lettuce combinations she is willing to try.

Day 3

M1 - kale, spaghetti squash pizza
M2 - lettuce, cucumber, homemade ranch dressing, baked tilapia, pumpkin seeds, nectarine, walnuts
M3 - beef stroganoff, caulirice, broccoli, nectarine, almonds, nori (seaweed)

WO - 5x5 of 150 lbs squat, then I took a hip hop class for about 30 min.

I was starving by the time I ate dinner today at 5:30pm. And I thought I ate enough for lunch! I also am aware that I am eating a lot of fruit. Part of that is because there is a lot of fruit in my house and no one else is really eating it. But I give myself props for not making any almond butter. Because I know that is one of my foods with no brakes.

I was able to pick up some exciting whole30 compliant foods at Trader Joe's today: grass fed already cooked and sliced(!) beef, and fully cooked pork belly. Can't wait to enjoy these!

Day 2

M1 - eggs, eggplant, peppers, green beans

M2 - lettuce, cucumber, homemade ranch dressing, pumpkin seeds, carnitas, pear, walnuts. Oops! I had taken carnitas out of the freezer for my salad and totally forgot that I had made it in the slow cooker with non-compliant bacon. Oh no! Oh well, I forgot, and that isn't as huge of a mess up for me to start over. So I will continue on my path to wellness =)

M3 - spaghetti squash pizza, greens, a few bites of a teriyaki pineapple chicken wing, banana, walnuts

WO - Yesterday I didn't work out, but today I went to the gym and just did a 5x5 of 80 lbs on bench. I haven't been following the Stronglifts program exactly. It prescribes 3 exercises for each workout and that was just too much for me. The last time I trained, I only did squat, bench, deadlift, and overhead press. I had cut out barbell row. Then towards the end of my training, I cut out overhead press because my workouts were taking more than two hours. I can't stand working out for that long. This time, on most days, I only do one lift for each workout. The weights are just getting too heavy, and then I dread my workouts, and I don't have the time to be in the gym for more than two hours. So I've been alternating my workouts with squat, then the other lifts, and also running/walking outdoors. I feel like this round of training has been mentally easier for me because I'm still doing my cardio, but not as intense.
For the rest of the week, I plan on trying to squat tomorrow, then maybe walk/run Wednesday, then deadlift Thursday and bench Friday and maybe squat if I'm not too exhausted.

This evening was mentally exhausting and I totally wanted a drink badly. But I managed to get through that. Woot, 29 more days to go!

Day 1

Today I was pleasantly surprised to find whole30 compliant breakfast choices at our hotel's complimentary breakfast buffet. So today I started instead of tomorrow. I was so happy to start today because I was feeling all food coma-ish from a party we went to last night.
M1 - spinach, banana, pineapple, walnuts, almonds, hard boiled egg. I really don't enjoy hard boiled egg, especially when they are cold. I thought I might gag but I took my first bite, immediately followed by a pineapple so that helped tremendously. There was also scrambled eggs but I assumed there was butter and milk so avoided that, along with the breakfast sausage, assumed it had sugar.

M2 - power greens, almonds, nectarine, spaghetti squash pizza

M3 - beef stroganoff, caulirice, broccoli, greens I got the beef stroganoff recipe from "The Frugal Paleo Cookbook". I don't know if I really like it enough to make it again. It was a little labor intensive with all the cutting of the vegetables, and then the end result didn't seem worth it to me. Maybe it'd be better with noodles, but the beef looks too much like this military SOS dish that my dad used to make all the time when I was younger. And it had milk in it, and we'd eat it with toast and I am gagging just thinking of it. I'll keep eating it though because I made a lot. 

Another whole30?!?

I'm going to start my 4th whole30 on Monday! I'm starting with our neighbor/friends and this is going to be their first, so I am really excited to support them and share my love for this awesome program. I also told my 6 year old daughter the other day that I was going to start one and why. I explained to her that it was a good way to reset your body and get back in touch with how certain foods make you feel so you can try to make more conscious food choices. I don't want her thinking I'm a chronic dieter. Most of the time, I do watch what I eat and how much I weigh.  She sees me weighing myself almost every day and I explained to her that I am trying to watch my weight because I have a competition coming up. But I've never used the word "fat" in front of her and talked bad about my body. I talk about the things my body can do, like run, and lift weights. When I try clothes on in front of her, instead of saying, "This makes me look fat", I'll say "I don't feel comfortable in this". I hope I am teaching her to have a positive body image.

So yes, I am planning on doing another powerlifting competition in December. I started the Stronglifts program on August 5. So I'm about 1.5 months in. My weight has fluctuated since then because of family in town, special occasions, etc. So that is another way reason why I'm looking forward to this whole30. I'm tired of eating all this sugar, and yet, it's hard to say no!

I didn't start SL from the beginning like I did when I started in March 2016. My squat hasn't improved much, in fact, I am slightly less than where I ended before my last competition. Right now I'm stuck at 162.5 lbs. I was able to complete a 5x5 of 165 before my last competition. For bench, I'm right where I left off, which was trying to get a 5x5 of 85lbs. I'm getting there though. I'm at a de-load week for both squat and bench right now.

Deadlift has been great though. I have not failed yet and yesterday I was able to do 1x5 of 245lbs. My 1RM is 250! So I don't know what's up with my squat. I'm sure I'll get there though.

My goal for the December competition is to pull a total of 530. My last competition I did 507. Ideally, 550 would be incredible, but I don't want to put that much pressure on myself and risk injury. I think most of that extra weight is going to come from my deadlift. I'd love to squat 180, bench 105, deadlift 260. So I've got 2.5 more months to train.

I'm going to try to post during my whole30 this time. I want to try and make more recipes this round. And eat less nuts/fruit.

Runner/Triathlete turned... Powerlifter!

I’ve kind of been all over the place since I last posted. So I finished my 3^rd whole30 and it was better than the 2^nd in terms of my accountability. I don’t know how much weight I lost because I didn’t weigh myself. But I did become more aware of how certain foods affect me. My 3^rd was fun because I got one of my best friends to do it with me. So I enjoyed teaching her about it and watching her learn more about her relationship with food and how she has become more mindful about her food choices. That was very rewarding for me. I love sharing knowledge about health!

I started the Stronglifts 5x5 training program on March 1. I was able to make great gains on theprogram. About halfway through May, I stopped the program and started working on maxing out to get ready for my competition, which was today. It felt good to put the 5x5 on hold. The program was tough and because of my running/triathlon/duathlon background, training for anything more than 8 weeks is mentally challenging. Plus the 5x5 trainings would take me sometimes over 2 hours to finish. Even after I cut out everything except for squat, bench, and deadlift.

Things I loved about the 5x5:

1.       There’s an awesome app. I loved being able to track and chart my progress. Very motivating!

2.       It made me stronger, physical and mentally. Before the program, my PR’s were 145 squat (Sept 2015), 85 bench (Nov 2015), 215 deadlift (September 2015). At the end of my 5x5, I was at 165 squat, 80 bench, and 215 deadlift. That is 5 sets of 5 reps.

3.       Aesthetic changes… ok so I do have more of a squat booty now, that’s pretty awesome. My abs are a little bit more defined and so are my arms. My bodyweight, I started at 107.5 (I weighed ten lbs less a year ago, but was not nearly as strong), and yesterday at my weigh in, I was 103.18. So I lost some weight. I wish I knew how much body fat I lost. I have a pair of jean shorts that is more snug in the thigh and butt, which I am a little bummed about, but at the expense of not being a weak little waif, I will take it!

Now as for my diet between my last whole30 and today… I have pretty much been keeping it clean and eating whole30, I would say maybe 85% of the time. Weekends, parties, special occasions, I may have a little non-compliant stuff, but I am usually pretty mindful about it, and typically savoring the experience. Going out to eat at restaurants, I don’t care about added sugars usually, or oils, table salt, whatever. But again, I keep things in check and if I have an off day, I just be sure I get back on track soon after. It has been a reasonable and balanced way for me to live.

Because I was trying to get into the 48kg/105.8 lb weight class, I did try to lose a little weight by cutting back on indulgences or working out more to compensate for said indulgences. For a minute, I considered cutting drastically to compete in the 97lb weight class, but decided it wasn’t worth trying to cut all that weight. This was my first meet, I didn’t know how much losing weight would affect my strength, so I played it safe.

As for today… my first powerlifting meet! I am feeling pretty awesome right now. I got 8/9 but still made my overall goal of pulling at least 500 lbs total. Here were my attempts:

Squat: 148.8lb/165.3/181.9 (missed that last one, it would’ve been a PR. Before today, my recent squat PR was 180)

Bench: 77.2/88.2/93.7 (PR)

Deadlift: 214.9/231.5/248 (PR)

Total weight: 507!

Since I was the only one in my weight class (48kg), I came in first, woot!

I had fun today… and I am super thankful that I’ve had the experience of doing races because I think it kind of gave me an idea of what to expect in terms of getting ready, packing food, and just being able to stay calm and focused to perform. Everyone I met today was awesome and supportive, just like the runners and triathletes I’ve met.

I’d love to do another meet, not just because it was fun, but I know I am capable of being stronger, and setting goals for myself and reaching those goals, well that’s my THING! I am super goal oriented and I love that I can use that leverage to better myself physically and mentally. I love that I am somehow juggling this active lifestyle of mine while working and raising a child. I’m not saying it’s easy, but it is indeed possible! I want to be an awesome role model for my daughter, to show her that women can be strong, and that hard work really does pay off. I want to show her the importance of being active and staying fit, but most of all, that self-care at any stage in your life is not only beneficial to your health, but also for the loved ones that you care for.

Day 5

Today's meals:

M1: eggs, roasted veggies, kale, carrots, ranch dressing
M2: salad with chicken, cucumber, sweet potato, ranch dressing, avocado, banana, almond butter, almond slivers
M3: Chipotle (carnitas, guacamole, romaine lettuce, tomato salsa, green chili salsa)
WO: biked to the gym, 5x5 deadlifts, 5x5 bench, 5x5 squats

I overdid it on the workout today. I had decided I wanted to see where I was in terms of how much weight I could lift and move, and the deadlifts absolutely killed me. I have been obsessing over competing in a powerlifting competition this summer. So I did it, I signed up! Now am thinking about training programs.

Day 4

Today's meals:

M1: eggs, roasted veggies, kale, carrots, ranch dressing
M2: salad with chicken, cucumber, sweet potato, ranch dressing, avocado, banana, almond butter, almond slivers
M3: clam chowder, asparagus, paleo-fied chicken nugget
WO: lots of stretching, pull-ups, yoga

I didn't sleep very well last night, but today I didn't feel tired. I usually feel it in the afternoon around 2 pm but today I felt good. 

I think I may be getting tired of ranch dressing and may need to find other salad dressings soon. Also even though today was supposed to a "rest" day, I still did light active recovery. The stretching and yoga felt so good! But I am really looking forward to working out tomorrow. I think I may do a quick gym workout or run outside for a few miles. And abs. Then in about a week, I need to start training for another race. I am debating to do either a duathlon or triathlon. 

Day 3

Today's meals:

M1: eggs, roasted veggies, kale, carrots, ranch dressing
M2: salad with chicken, cucumber, sweet potato, ranch dressing, avocado, sunflower seeds, green olives
M3: clam chowder, banana, almond butter
WO: biked to the gym, squats, bench

I worked out this morning after M1 and when I got back, actually ate a little bit of chicken. I think I enjoyed doing that. It held me over until M2 because that was a pretty hard work out.

I started lifting more consistently at the gym the past few weeks. My glutes and thighs have gotten slightly bigger. I like that I'm getting stronger but my skinny jeans are also tighter, and I thought that was because I had gained weight. I am curious to what my body fat is right now and am thinking of getting that measured. 

Sleep last night was pretty good. Slept for 7 straight hours, then woke up for a bit, and slept another hour. 

Day 2 - done

Today's meals:

M1: eggs, roasted cauliflower, kale, carrots, ranch dressing
M2: salad with chicken, cucumber, sweet potato,goddess dressing, avocado, celery sticks with almond/cashew butter and raisins, banana, almond butter, almond slices
M3: Tom Kha soup, raspberries, carrots, cucumber, asparagus, ranch dressing
WO: OrangeTheory Fitness 

Although I slept early last night, I didn't sleep that great. Tonight should be better though. 
I ate a lot for M2 because my workout was right before dinner and I didn't want to be starving. Plus those OTF workouts are so hard, that I am usually so hungry and delirious after my workouts and all I can think about is eating chicken. But that didn't happen today! However I did overeat for M3. Way too much ranch dressing and vegetables. Next time, I'll cut back. 

As for tomorrow's workout, I may take a rest day. Either tomorrow or Wednesday. I am doing lots of stretches! Now I just need to buy a foam roller...

Whole30, Round 3!

Today I am starting my 3rd whole30. My first one was awesome, the 2nd one, which I did last month was okay. I did not put into it as much as I did my first one. I didn't even weigh myself before or after because I don't have a scale that is convenient to use. I did learn a few things that I am going to incorporate for this whole30:
1. Get all my food that I plan to eat for a meal on the table one time. I don't have to finish all the food, but I am not going to get up for more. I was making this mistake during my last whole30 and would just continue to eat in the kitchen, not really knowing how much more I was eating. When everything is laid out in front of me, I get a better sense of what I'm eating and how much.

2. Drink more water! That afternoon stretch between lunch and dinner are so hard without snacking on something sweet. I plan to bump up my lunches with a little more fat and protein and drink more water to make it to dinner time.

3. Three is my magic number. Eating two things just doesn't cut it for me. I need to have three different things to eat. Eggs, greens, vegetables. Potato, greens, meat. Two is boring. Plus with two, I can't get in everything I *should* be eating.

4. Get more sleep. So this week, I did well and did not get on FB. I hope to avoid FB again this week. I won't say for the whole 30 days. But I am going to take it one week at a time. I do enjoy looking at the whole30 group page and recipes for inspiration. Maybe I will limit myself to that. Or just cut it out altogether.

5. More check-ins. As you can see, I did not blog at all during my last whole30. But I will this time!

There are a few reasons why I decided to do another whole30 so soon after my first. Well, the main reason is that the new few months I am going to be a little busy for work and I know I will be tempted to stress eat chocolate and drink. It is so much easier for me to say no if I'm on this program. Otherwise, it is an all out chocolate/drinking fest, which initially doesn't sound horrible, but I feel it the next few days. I'm irritable, can't sleep well, and am just mad at the world. So I'm not going to give myself an opportunity to go that route. I'm sure I will still be a little stressed and mad at the world, but I will just find other ways to soothe myself. And get back to my physical healthier self at the same time.  Also I considered weighing myself this morning, but after much though, decided not to. I don't own a scale and the most accurate one is at my gym, which is only 2 miles away, but it still takes effort to get myself there and then I'd have to do it again on Day 30. Plus I really did not need a scale to tell me that my skinny jeans are a little snug these days.

Today's meals:

M1: eggs, roasted cauliflower, kale, avocado, carrot sticks
M2: salad with chicken, cucumber, sweet potato, lime juice/olive oil, avocado, celery sticks with almond/cashew butter and raisins, roasted almonds
M3: Tom Kha soup, apple, almond butter
WO: 10 mile bike ride

I was starving and slightly shaky before M3. So tomorrow I will increase my protein or fat for lunch.