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Jennifer Tries...
April 28, 2017
Hello to you and all of your amazingness! Yes, you are
amazing. It’s true….I googled it.
::Sigh:: I am so tired this week. Coming back from a week
long vay-cay is no joke. When we travelled to Oahu we didn’t seem to have any
issue acclimating to the time change but coming back has been a different
story. I don’t really think it’s so much the time change as it has been me just
freaking myself out thinking about the work load waiting for me upon my return.
So, this week I’m starting a new post which will be
reoccurring on this blog at the end of each month. I’m calling it “Jennifer
Tries.” Each month I will try a new recipe, workout, gym, class etc. and I will
share it with you all! For me, especially when it comes to group fitness or new
exercises, I like to know all I can before trying it out myself. It helps me
feel a little more comfortable so I don’t look like such a newbie when I
finally give it a go. You what I mean? It’s always so awkward walking into a
group you don’t already belong to. And trying a new exercise can be just as
intimidating. I always feel like everyone is watching, waiting for me to screw
it up. In reality, they could probably careless what I’m doing but still!
So, this first “Jennifer Tries” post was supposed to be
about surfing. I was in Hawaii after all. What better place to learn than
there!? Well, the day we were going to take lessons the waves were too high for
beginners they said. We just didn’t have time the rest of the trip. Bummer.
Since my surfing lesson did not happen I decided to do this
initial “Jennifer Tries” post on a few products and foods I have recently tried
and love! Ooooorrrrr not so much.
Life Proof Phone Case
Now, I know I recently posted a little blurb on Instagram about this phone case
but I can’t say enough good things about it. My husband has had a Life proof
case for years now. I always thought it was silly to spend that much on a case,
much like the Otter Box. With our honeymoon approaching I realized I would need
to get some kind of case for my phone so I could take pictures no matter where
we were. I bit the bullet and purchased a Life Proof Case. I was so worried it
would be bulky and my voice would be muffled but none of the above occurred.
The case is pretty thin and my voice comes through clear as a bell to the
person on the other end. I put this bad boy to the test when we went
snorkeling. I swam with it, took pictures under water and had no issues! I took
that phone in the Life Proof Case kayaking, hiking, to the beach, in the ocean
with no issues. It has definitely surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend
getting one if you are going on any type of adventurous get away or even if you
have kids. I don’t have to worry about my phone anymore because it is truly
life proof!
Camel Pack….well
kinda If you aren’t familiar with camel packs they are less bulky back pack
like things that have a refillable water pack inside, room for a small amount
of belongings and a tube that comes out of the side so you can drink and be
active at the same time. I always thought they were so nerdy and people who
used them just wanted to use #allthegear. They have always felt like a humble
brag way of saying “I’m so fit right now.” So, when my husband said, I’m
ordering you a camel pack.” I
crinkled my nose and rolled my eyes at the idea. He ordered a generic camel
pack for me on Amazon. I think it was like $18. We lugged this thing all the
way to Oahu. I had no intention of using it but on Saturday when my husband had
planned two hikes for us he immediately wanted me to fill up the camel pack.
So, I did. I mean he did buy it for me and if it made him feel better, me
wearing this thing, that’s fine. Well, I must say. He was right. I did six
hikes while on our trip and not once did I regret having that pack full of
water. Granted it didn’t keep the water cold but there were a couple hikes I
really appreciated having water readily available. I still wouldn’t wear it out
in my day to day but I will pack it the next time we plan a trip that involves
a lot of hiking or physical activity.
Lomi Lomi Whaty?
Whaty? Exactly. It’s a traditional Hawaiian dish. I mean, Lomi Lomi means
several things but I’m referencing the salad. I guess you could call it a
salad. I dunno, but I know it’s delicious! When we went to our Luau, which was
fantastic, they were telling us what the dinner consisted of and Lomi Lomi was
one of the dishes. Now, being a mainlander my entire life I had never heard of
Lomi Lomi. Luckily, each dish was labelled with dietary information and
ingredients so after reading it over I found that I could have it so I tried
it! It was great! And it’s so easy. It’s just cubed salmon, yellow onion (they
use Maui onion,) scallions and tomato. That’s it! So simple, so clean, so
yummy. I have included a recipe at the end of this post so you all can try it
too. It may become a new staple at your family gatherings.
Coconut Jell-o Yes,
I have had Jell-o before. I can remember when Jell-o jigglers were popular. My
mom would make a batch of Jell-o and pour it into a 9x13 dish. Once it somewhat
solidified in the fridge we would use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. We
always bought strawberry, cherry, really any berry flavor I liked. As I have
gotten older Jell-o has become less and less appealing especially since I eat so
differently now. Oh man, Jell-o pudding though! That’s a different story! Jell-o
pudding used to be my jam! But, back on track. When we were in Oahu we went to
breakfast a couple of mornings and to the luau I mentioned above. At both, they
served coconut Jell-o. I didn’t try it until the luau. I really wanted a dessert
because everyone else was having cake. While Jell-o isn’t the best option it was
the only one I had so I put some on my plate. I took one bite and YUCK! It was
gross. It had a hint of coconut which was ok but the texture totally got me. I
guess because I haven’t had it in so long I just don’t like the texture
anymore. I will stick to my coconut syrup……which is delicious, I brought some
home and will use it very sparingly because I only have one bottle and its full
of sugar so I shouldn’t be eating that all the time anyway. But everyone should
try it or not ‘cuz it’s addicting.
Oh, quick give away update. I am my only follower ☹
So I get the give away!!! Yeah me! If you would like to be a recipient of any
future giveaways please add your e-mail address and click the follow button!I will be giving away treats and cook
books and other goodies so please follow! The more followers the more I’ll be
able to give away!
Now here is that Lomi Lomi recipe I promised.
Lomi Lomi
Makes 8-10 servings
Ingredients:
1lb fresh salmon filet, skinned and cut into a small dice
2tsp Hawaiian Rock Salt or Kosher Salt
5-6 ripe tomatoes, seeded, small dice
1 medium Maui onion or Vidalia onion, small dice
1 bunch green onions(scallions) thinly sliced- use both white and green parts
1-2 tsp of Hawaiian Rock Salt or Kosher Salt
Instructions:
In a small bowl add diced salmon and salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate 6-8 hours. Give it a stir every couple of hours.
Mix tomatoes, onions, green onions and 1 tsp of salt together in a bowl then transfer to a gallon sized food storage bad and let chill in the fridge while the salmon is quick curing. When the salmon is ready give it a light rinse under cold water, drain well an pat dry with a paper towel. Take out the bag with the tomato mixture and clip off a small piece of the corner to drain the excess liquid. Once drained, place everything in a bowl. Add diced salmon and mix well. Add additional salt if desired.
Serve chilled
Don’t forget to take a look at the blogs Instagram at Barbellsandboyshorts for fun
pictures of my recent trip, workout ideas and meal ideas.
Check out the blogs Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/barbellsandboys/blog-posts/ for some of my favorite pins
including grocery shopping guides, helpful Whole 30 information and recipes,
Paleo information and recipes, quotes and workout ideas.
See you all next week!
Trip Tips Part 2
April 21, 2017
Aloha my beautiful blog readers! Welcome to Travel Tips part 2- Hawaii Edition! I decided to do a second part of my Travel Tips so you can see how i run my day to day while on vacation, or in this case my Honeymoon!!!! And if you ever decide to venture out to our 50th state you may find this blog entry useful in planning. Yes, you read that right, i plan my day to day while on vacation. Just for me, no one else. Having a plan for when I'm going to get my workout in and what i’m going to eat really eases the stress of traveling for me and hopefully you have already seen from my previous post how it can do the same for you. So lets keep the good times rolling shall we?
Here is my first tip for this post. DO NOT FLY AMERICAN AIRLINES TO HAWAII! Ugh! Friday was our travel day. We were supposed to have our toes planted on the sand of Oahu around 1:00 pm ‘ish HST(Hawaii Standard Time) but lovely American Airlines didn't get us there until close to 6:00pm! WTF! We were so exhausted and over it by the time we got to the hotel we basically went to bed and called it a night.
Keep in mind Hawaii is 6 hours behind Florida. Surprisingly this did not mess with my inner clock too much because by the time we went to bed i had been up over 24 hours. So, on Saturday i was up bright and early but not really any earlier than normal. Now, would i have liked to sleep longer on vacation? Yes, but i felt good so i went with it. I was able to get my workout out of the way pretty early so we had the entire rest of the day to do whatever we wanted. By the time i got back to the room from the gym the hubs had already planned out the day. He totally won my heart because he planned an entire day full of hiking! I have been talking about going hiking even before this trip was planned so i was stoked! Not only is hiking a great way to see the sights and catch a glimpse of some epic views but it is a great way to sneak in some exercise.
If you are ever in Ohau and would like a great way to stay active, burn lots of calories and see so much of the island all at once, have i got some hikes for you!
For family friendly hikes i would suggest Manoa Falls (1), Diamond Head (2), Mokou’pu Light House Trail (3) and the Pill Box Hike (4). These four are great for novice hikers and pros alike. They are easy to maneuver through so children can go as well. Heck! Diamond head and the Light house trail are paved!
If you are up for more of a challenge i would suggest Kokohead. It is known locally as not only being a great hike but a great workout. I heed this warning however, if you are afraid of heights this climb is not for you! I am proud that i completed this hike but i still have nightmares about it. I also suggest doing this one with a buddy. I did this one alone and it was not my brightest moment but i lived to tell the tale so that’s something. I post a short review of Kokohead on the blogs Instagram if you’d like good laugh and would like to hear my uncensored comments LOL.
Any of these trails and more can be found on the All Trails App. A local told us about this app on the Pill Box hike. Its probably good I didn't know about it prior to this trip because our entire honeymoon would have been spent hiking! Im obsessed now!
Another fun activity we did was snorkeling. I just love snorkeling! Its so neat to see how the fish live. Plus i feel cool in all of the gear! LOL Snorkeling is great way too stay active and moving with all of the fish and coral you have the chance to see!
We snorkeled at Huanama Bay. It does cost $7.50 per person to enter the bay as it is a protected reef but it is well worth it. You get to see all of the different sea life Hawaii has to offer. They have lockers for your belongings and they have mask, snorkel and fins you can rent if you don't have your own. We spent a good amount of time out there. It was overcast that day and super windy. I got way to cold so we had to cut that trip a little short but it was a lot of fun.
We also went on a kayaking and snorkel trip out of He'eia. The weather was gloomy but we had a chance to swim with some very large sea turtles. It was AWESOME!
The island had several other ways to stay active as well including surfing and kayaking. They also have several golf courses if you are into that. I am not. The hubs totally is. He took a quick flight over to Kapalua to play the PGA course.
Now, with all of these activities its important to stay feed and hydrated. You don't want to be out hiking or snorkeling or even golfing if you haven't had enough water and food. In my prep for this trip the hubs made me order a camel pack to carry water on my hikes. At the time i thought he was crazy but now that i have done several hikes here I'm glad he made me get it. I have ceritnaly used it. As far as food, if you remember from my previous post i mentioned looking up a local grocery store and restaurants prior to the trip so you can purchase some groceries upon arrival and have a mental list of restaurants that meet your dietary needs. Well, what i thought was a regular grocery store when i googled pre-trip didn't end up being a full grocery store with items we needed. Luckily we spoke with a hotel staff member who advised us to go to Foodland. Have you ever heard of Foodland??!!! Let me tell you, I'm in love with Food Land! They are just like Whole Foods but way better priced. We bought groceries there and brought dinner back to the room from there a few nights. They have a hot bar, cold bar and even a Poke Bar. What is Poke you ask? Well its delicious thats what it is! Its fresh tuna with any type of sauce you can imagine. They serve it over greens and white rice. I did not have traditional Poke because dietarily i cant so i just ate the raw tuna which was amazing in its self.
We didn't eat dinner out to many times because by the end of the day we were just too tired. We did visit a local restaurant with in walking distance of our hotel one night though. It was called Goofy Cafe. It features all organic, local ingredients and it made my body so happy! No processed foods there! It was delicious. I had Mahi Mahi with fresh veggies and the hubs had the Pork Chop. You should definitely try it if you are ever in Honolulu.
And of course if you are traveling all the way here you have to partake in the local eats. Shrimp trucks are big here, especially on the North side of the island. You can drive and just see them lining the road way. I posted some pictures on the blogs Instagram from our shrimp truck adventure. BEST SHRIMP EVER! And of course you have to do a Luau. Its a must do for sure. You get to enjoy traditional Hawaiian cuisine and a great show! if only i could figure out how to move my hips that way.
As i post this it is our last day here in Oahu. We leave at 8:00pm HST and are due back in Florida around 12:00pm EST. This post doesn't even encompass all that we experience on this trip. I tried to keep it to only things that were food and fitness related but the truth is some of our best experiences involved neither of those things. Take Pearl Harbor for example. We went to visit Pearl Harbor on Tuesday morning. i didn't include it in this post because i knew i could possibly do it the justice it deserves. What an incredible experience and an incredible tribute to those who lost their lives defending our country. Pearl Harbor should be the number 1 item on your list when visiting Oahu. It is free to attend but for $7.50 per person you can get and audio guide which i highly recommend. Also, we spent some time just driving around the island. The scenery is breathtaking from every angle and is surely something i will miss but remember forever. Mahalo (Thank you) Oahu for your hospitality, amazing adventures and beautiful sights. It was worth every aggravating hour we spent to fly here. Aloha from two howleys on their honeymoon.
Shaka brah!
I haven't been active this week because I've been doing my honeymoon Hawaiian style. But I keep pretty active on Pinterest so don't forget to follow the blog there.
Also, check out the blogs Instagram to see photos and video lips from this past week!
Stay on Track with these Trip Tricks!
April 14, 2017
Wow! If you’re reading this then we are probably on our lay
over in Dallas on our way to Hawaii!!!! We are finally going on our honeymoon.
I never thought I would want to go to Hawaii. I felt it sounded so cliché to
say we’re going to Hawaii on our honeymoon but when we started researching all
there is to do it just makes sense. Plus, I really want to see more of the
United States before I travel out of the country and I think Hawaii, being the
furthest state away, is a great place to start! I am so excited to go hiking,
try surfing, partake in some history and go swimming with the sea turtles! It’s
going to be amazing!
I feel like I am difficult to travel with. Check that….I
KNOW I’m difficult to travel with. I drink so much water, which means frequent
pit stops, I eat so frequently and you know I’m going to have to get my gym
time in. Luckily, the hubs is quite versed in my antics so it doesn’t seem to
bother him. It probably does a little but he’s a good sport about it. To make
it easier on myself and whomever I’m traveling with I try to plan ahead and
create a schedule for myself as to not interfere with what others want to do.
We took off early this morning. I know the flight is going
to be forever long. Plus, once we get there I know we will want to hit the
beach. So, EARLY EARLY this morning I drug myself out of bed to hit the gym.
Check out the blogs Instagram for that lovely video. I am so pretty in the
morning LOL. I figured hitting the gym prior to take off would help me sleep on
the flight because I won’t have so much pent up energy. I mean, I get antsy on
a two-hour flight. I can’t imagine this 10+ hour flight. AHHHHHHHHH!
Check out the adorable neck pillow I bought! You’re so
jealous right?!
That being said, I wanted to share with you all how I
prepared for this trip. I want to share my travel tips with you all from food
to staying active and everything in between.
Planning for a trip in general can cause stress. Especially
when others are involved. I find now that my diet is limited and I follow and
stick to my workout routine while away, it can make travelling even more
stressful. I order to combat that stress I plan ahead as much as possible to
make it a more enjoyable experience for myself and those around me.
Once I know a trip is coming my first thought is where are
we staying? Are we staying with friends/family? Are we staying in a hotel? If
we are staying with friends/family I search to find the closest gym. I check
out their hours to make sure they open early and I look to see if they do free
day passes. If we are staying in a hotel it is a requirement for me that the
hotel has a gym. If there is not a hotel with in close proximity that has a gym
I try to find a gym in the area or see if there is a trail or park nearby so I
can take my workout outside. Fitness is an important part of any trip for me as
it sets the tone for my day. If you’re looking to skip the gym ‘cuz you’re on
vacation…duh! Plan a few activities that will get you moving. I am planning on
going hiking a few times while we are away and we already have a kayak trip
scheduled! My sister bought me a Frommers book. Yah, I didn’t know what it was
either but it has totally been an amazing way to plan our excursions and find
active things to do each day. It was especially helpful in finding activities
or sites to visit that we would have never known about! So, thanks sis for that
one!
While I’m stalking down the local gym on line I also check
out restaurants in the area. Do they have menu items I can eat? Are they in the
price range we want to stay in? Is there a grocery store nearby so we can stock
up and don’t have to eat out for every meal? Searching on line to answer these
questions helps me save money, time and stay on track nutritionally. For this
trip I found a couple grocery stores near our hotel and they have a Whole
Foods! So, no matter what I know there is a place with stuff I can eat! We’re
lucky enough to have a room with a kitchen so we will cook as much as we can
while we’re there. Plus, we love to sit out on the balcony and enjoy breakfast
together. Awwww I know…cheesy, right?! But, we don’t get a chance to enjoy
breakfast together that often so when we go away we really make an effort to
enjoy that time together.
As you can see I do a bit of prep prior to travel day. I
also take steps on travel day to stay on track so I don’t end up eating
everything in sight. Whenever I travel I always bring snacks. No matter how
close or how far I’m going I bring snacks. You never know what may cause a
delay or if you will have a chance to grab a bite to eat so it’s always good to
be prepared. Having snacks on hand helps to avoid low blood sugar and becoming
hangry. And let me tell you, I get hangry!
Since we will be flying for soooooooo long and we have one
lay over in Dallas that pretty short, I brought plenty of snacks. Here is what
I have in my carry on:
RX Bar/Quest Bar
Baby Carrots
Cashews/Almonds
Chicken
Some other great snack ideas include Lara bars, Lara bites, celery sticks with almond butter, and jerky. It’s good to find snacks you can put in a plastic baggy because it’s hard to take any kind of container on a plane.
OH! Speaking of snacks, when we flew Jet Blue to Boston back
in December they offered Terra Chips! Yah! A true gluten free option! I
couldn’t believe it. I was so excited. But I digress.
Unfortunately, I can’t bring my giant water bottle with me
anymore so I make sure to purchase a bottle of water once I get through
security. Granted it costs me $5.00 when I would normally pay about $2.00 for
1.5 Liter bottle but whatever. I also, make sure I ask for water on the plane. As
much as I don’t want to have to pee midflight it’s important to stay hydrated
and walking to the bathroom and back helps with circulation.
Other than that, enjoy whatever trip you venture on. I hope
my trip tips have helped. Try not to consume too much of your time dwelling on
exercising and eating right if you’re going on vacation. We all need a break
sometimes and you don’t want to miss life’s moments because they go by so fast.
So, remember to do your best to be active and eat consciously. Most of all have
a great time! I can’t wait to share my adventures of the upcoming week with you
all.
Follow along on Instagram for videos and photos of what
we’re doing.
Don’t forget to follow on Pinterest! I pin new recipes and
workouts daily. I also have a board full of helpful tricks and tips for all
kinds of stuff!
Finally, make sure you follow the blog in the upper right
hand corner! I’ll be doing a giveaway when I get back 😊
You can only win if you follow the blog.
Aloha!
Treat Yo' Self instead of having a treat
April 7, 2017
Hey there! How are you on this fine day? I am so glad it’s Friday. It’s been a busy week. Even this past weekend the hubby and I ran a lot of errands. It was kind of fun because we were shopping for our upcoming trip, but all of our running around further validated the fact that I HATE SHOPPING. I’m just not into pawing through items. I know I often pay more for things because I just don’t have the patience to hunt for the deals. Not to mention, I had to find a bathing suit this weekend. Yes, the most dreaded shopping trip of the year for men and women alike. I can’t tell you how many bathing suits I was in and out of this weekend. I did finally find one. I’m not really sure if it looks good or I was just so tired of looking I settled for it but either way I purchased a bathing suit. If this is a shopping trip you have coming up I wish you luck and patience.
So lately I’ve been giving you work out ideas, we’ve talked about food prep and ways to stay focused on your goals. I have also talked about my experience with disordered eating. This week I want to tie all of that together and talk about rewards. How do you reward yourself when you have accomplished things in life, no matter how small? In particular, how do you treat yourself when you have met a weight goal or a fitness goal? When I was in my early college years my best friend at the time and I started going a couple times per week to the campus gym. We seemed to always follow our gym time with a meal. Either lunch or dinner. For some reason, we felt it would be totally legit to get a salad and a side of French fries to share. Why we thought that made sense, I can only chalk it up to rewarding ourselves for going to the gym.
When I was in elementary school we had the Book It program. Do you guys remember the Book It program!? It was great. You had a button and for each book you read you received a star to place on your button. Once the button was full you could take it to Pizza Hut and get a free personal pizza. Are you noticing a trend? Goals are rewarded with food.
I notice this a lot with parents. They tell their children, if you eat your dinner you’ll get dessert. If you behave at school, I’ll take you for ice cream. If you stop crying, I’ll give you a cookie. I could go on. It’s ingrained at an early age into our minds that when we do something good we get food, a sweet treat like candy, cookies or ice cream. As we grow to adults we take on rewarding ourselves that way. When I was in Weight Watchers on Saturdays, if I did well at my weigh in I would reward myself with a cheat meal which always included dessert. I’m not saying you shouldn’t reward yourself. You most certainly should reward yourself for great things that happen in your life. You’re amazing and you deserve it. But, there are other ways to reward yourself besides food.
I feel it’s important to find other avenues of self-praise. Using food as a reward can create an unhealthy relationship and association with food. Offering food as reward can subconsciously cause binge eating behaviors. I know this seems a bit extreme but I only speak from experience. If you stick to your “diet” all week and then reward yourself on the weekend with a “cheat” meal this can potentially, if your not conscious of your eating, start a spiral where you try to cram more and more into your “cheat.” It starts as just a meal, then its and appetizer and a meal, then you add dessert and at some point, you just say F*&% it and your whole day or whole weekend is spent on a bender consuming all of the foods you deprive yourself of during the week. This will wreck your accomplishment.
So, what are some ways you can treat yo’ self without food? Lucky for you, you’re reading my little blog and I’m going to give you some ideas!
One of my favorite ways to treat myself is with a massage. Especially with as much as I work out it has become more for my health than just simply a treat. Here is a link to the spa I go to http://www.essentialswesleychapel.com/ If you don’t live in the area check out Groupon or Living Social for great deals in your area. A massage can really leave you feeling refreshed and revitalized.
I also like to treat myself to a facial. And don’t be fooled, facials are as much for men as they are for women. With everything in our environment and what we put on our face it’s nice to let a professional really get all of the gunk out of your pores and reveal fresh skin. I recently had to give up my facials while I’ve been visiting the dermatologist but I finally was able to go this weekend and it was amazing! My pores look so much better! I just love facials.
Along those same lines are the manicure and pedicure. Again, both men and women can enjoy a good mani pedi. Summer is coming up so get those fingers and toes on point! Its flip flop season people!
Buy a new outfit! Especially if your goal is to lose weight. If you have met certain mile stones toward that goal buy some new clothes so you feel and look good and want to continue working toward it.
Take a trip! Go away for a day or even a week! It will be good for your mind, body and soul and is a great reward for your hard work! If you’re thinking…. shooooooooootttttt, I don’t have the money to take a trip. Well, then start rewarding yourself by putting the money away you would use for a cheat meal so that my years end you have some money saved and youcan take a little trip 😊
Get yourself something nice. Maybe you’ve been eyeing a watch, earrings a new phone. You’ve been killing it lately! You deserve it! Treat Yo’ Self!
What ideas can you think of? Please share if you have any other ways to treat yo’ self. I mean, food is delicious, don’t get me wrong, and having a sweet treat from time to time isn’t going to make or break you. The issue comes when every celebration and every accomplishment revolves around food. Plus, in doing one of the above you may find more fulfillment plus you won’t have a food hang over the next day!
In case you didn’t catch me on the Instagram the blog is on Pinterest now! Give me follow! I have some great pins up already of workout ideas, recipes, clean eating and more. I pin daily so check it out to see what pins I find helpful and interesting. Plus, it’s a quick way to find all of the blog posts in one place.
Next week I’ll be talking travelling. How to pack, prepare and what snacks to take on a trip.
Don’t forget to follow the blog in the upper right hand corner. (P.S. if you are reading this on your mobile device you may have to switch to “view Web Version” to see the Follow Me box.) I will be doing a giveaway for my followers in the upcoming weeks so make sure to follow me so you’ll be eligible to win! And hey, share with your friends!
Let me know how I’m doing by either commenting below or sending an e-mail to barbellsandboyshorts@gmail.com
Question: You Tube Channel or Nah?
Let me tell ya a little story...I'll start in the middle
April 2, 2017
Well we are at the end of 2016. This year seemed to last
forever until October then ZOOM! Here we are knocking on 2017’s door.
Craziness. Tonight, me and the hubby leave for Boston. We are going to his
cousins wedding. The wedding I am excited for. As much as I loved our wedding
and it will forever be the greatest day I could have asked for it is so much
more fun being a guest! It’s the weather I am not excited for. How I got roped
into going to Boston, in December I will never know. I keep hoping some weather
event or work thing comes up so I don’t have to go. Why? I don’t do cold. Cold
weather is not my thing. The rest of my family is from up north, I am from
Florida. I do warm weather and sunshine. WTF it’s in the 30s and 40s in Boston!
I know to them that’s probably not that cold but I’ve got news! UGH! Wish me
luck that I come back without hypothermia. I mean the number of layers I’m
planning on wearing I’ll look like the stay puff marshmallow man! I’m so
anxious about this trip it makes my stomach hurt.
Man, I really tend to get off topic at the beginning of
these things but I figured you wouldn’t mind reading what I have going on for
the New Year.
So, onto what I was planning on talking about. How many of
you are planning on making a New Year’s resolution? Ok, now how many of you
think you will stick with that resolution until next New Years? Exactly. It’s
ok if you put your hand down for that second part. Resolutions are hard to
keep. Mainly because we just set the bar way to high. It’s good to have big
goals but you have to be realistic about them.
I have two resolutions this coming year. The first is to
take compliments. I am terrible at accepting compliments. I always try to brush
them off or give the person a reason why their compliment is wrong. I need to
stop it! I need to just say take the compliment, say thank you and move on.
It’s crazy how easy it is to take criticism but compliments are so difficult to
accept.
My second resolution is to be tired. I mean, I’m always
tired with the schedule I keep and don’t get me wrong I’m all about sticking to
a regimen and getting my daily recommended 8 hours but I stress about it way
more than I should. Its ok to stay up past 9pm every once in a while to enjoy
things in life. Man! I have some difficult resolutions to conquer this year.
Now there are plenty of resolutions I could talk about for
this post but my focus for this post is going to be about going paleo. I’m
focusing on paleo because it’s a journey I’m currently on. I also have spoken
with a handful of friends and acquaintances who recently started eating paleo
or are planning on starting to eat paleo in the New Year.
As much as I would love to just list a bunch of tips for you
on how to make the switch to a paleo lifestyle I thought I would share a little
bit of how and why I got started on paleo and how I stick with it in my daily
life. I am certainly no expert but maybe you will gain some useful information
from my experience.
Queue flashback music…………
Back in 2009 I went on the South Beach diet. Now I had
already been doing Weight Watchers for a few years but my boyfriend, now
husband, had shown interest in losing some weight. He tried Weight Watchers
with me but the points systems and looking everything up just wasn’t for him.
As I had previously lost 50lbs on a low carb diet I thought it would be an
easier option for him. I turned to the South Beach diet as I had a friend that
found success on it and it was recommended to her by her physician. In an
effort to be a supportive partner I decided we would do it together. On the
South Beach Diet the first 14 days are pretty restrictive on what you can eat.
Well, it just so happened it was about 14 days until my company Christmas
party. I thought, “great! I’ll be able to lose a few pounds before the
Christmas party!”
Prior to starting the SouthBeach diet I ate bread, pasta,
muffins etc. all in the points realm of Weight Watchers. Once on the SouthBeach
diet all of that went away. During the first 14 days of SouthBeach no
carbohydrates are allowed. You can’t even have corn or carrots. It’s like an
extreme carb cleansing if you will. I remember feeling super tired and weak.
People in my classes at the gym saw how it was affecting me and kept telling me
to eat carbs at work or something but I refused. I didn’t want to sneak carbs I
was determined to be a supportive partner and if he couldn’t eat carbs for 14
days I was not going to even look at a carb the wrong way for 14 days. I would
make through.
So, the night of the Christmas party came. We had both lost
a significant amount of weight in those 14 days and were excited to have a
night out to let loose and eat what we wanted. Although we had decided to cheat
that night I ate grouper for dinner and green beans. I did dive into that bread
though and it was open bar so HELLO!
We had a great time at the party and then just vegged out on
Sunday.
Monday morning I got up to go for my morning run. My legs felt tight but I didn’t think anything
of it.
I got dressed and headed downstairs from our apartment. I
couldn’t even make it half way down before my thighs cramped up so bad I could
barely move them. I was in such pain it brought tears to my eyes. I went back
into the apartment and tried to walk it off. I stretched out my legs even
though the pain was excruciating. I couldn’t’ t figure out what was wrong. I hobbled around slowly that morning and got
ready to go because I had to go to work. It took me forever to get down the
stairs to leave and then at work my legs just continued to swell. I felt awful.
Even my co-workers commented I looked swollen. I couldn’t disagree as my pants
fit tight when they hadn’t felt that way in years.
My initial thought was maybe it was the Grouper. I never eat
grouper, maybe I was having a reaction. The next day I was still pretty swollen
and cramping so I went to the walk-in clinic. They couldn't diagnose me so they
sent me for blood work. Once the lab
results came back they told me my liver enzymes were elevated. I thought for
sure that was the cause of my swelling. I clearly drank too much at the
Christmas party and it had caught up to me. Little did I know that was just the
beginning.
It happened again the next weekend. Come Monday morning I
was swollen from the top of my legs to my ankles and my quads would cramp more
and more with each step. This became a regular thing. There were some Mondays I
would miss work because the pain was unbearable not to mention I couldn’t wear
my work pants because they didn’t fit. I would go to the walk-in clinic and
they would have no answer. I saw different doctors, no answer. I was sent for
ultrasounds of my legs to look for clots. No clots. My primary physician even shrugged his
shoulders at me. Finally, I decided it had to be some sort of allergy so I went
to an allergist. She refused to do an allergy test on me as she said it
wasn’t an allergy I just ate to much salt. I then went to a liver specialist due
to my elevated enzymes. He just kept sending me for blood work and ultrasounds.
I begged him to do a biopsy but he refused.
The last time I had a terrible “reaction”, I went back to the walk-in
clinic. I went because the swelling was not just in my legs but my abdomen as
well. The doctor there then tried to
point the finger at my birth control. They did an EKG as they were concerned
about my low heart rate. I guess they were really alarmed by my low resting
heart rate so they sent me to the ER. Apparently, that’s not normal and perhaps
that was to blame. I sat in the ER for 4 hours. They had me hooked up to all of
these machines and they took a chest x-ray. My heart was fine. We also
discussed my swelling. I was provided with no answer other than I should eat
watermelon because it reduces swelling. He also told me when the swelling
occurs I need to elevate my feet above my heart. How can I work like that!? Yah…. that diagnosis, if you want to call it
that, cost me $800. It was then I decided no more doctors’ I was just going to
deal with it.
I dealt with it for 3 ½ years. I bought sun dresses I could
wear to work when I had swelling, I brought in a box to keep under my desk so I
could elevate my legs and I just dealt with it. I could just feel that my body was shutting
down. It was under so much stress. I also started retaining weight. No matter
how little I ate or how much I exercised I continued to gain weight. For
someone recovering from an eating disorder that was devastating.
In order to help take some of the weight off I thought I
would try a different form of exercise. CrossFit was new to the scene and I had
heard great things about it and how intense it was. I thought it would be a
great way to shake up my workout routine and help me lose some weight. I found
a Groupon for one month at a CrossFit gym that had just opened in the area.
After the first class I was in love! It was fast paced, competitive and left me
exhausted. A couple of classes in, the instructor was talking about the Paleo
diet. Before the next class I went up to another instructor at the gym and inquired
about it. She gave me a little run down and asked me to bring her my diet log.
I brought her what I typically ate and she showed me what I would need to
eliminate and what I could add to make it paleo. I decided I was going to give
it a try. It wasn’t far from how I had been eating so I didn’t think it would
be a hard transition, plus I was desperate to find something that would
work. I printed off a basic list of how
to eat paleo and put it on the fridge. After the first week, I felt significantly better. I
didn’t have any swelling. I thought to myself, “this could actually work.” I
stuck pretty strict to it for a couple weeks.
I forget why but one weekend after I had started on paleo,
we went out and I got nachos. All of the progress I had made vanished in that
one meal. That Monday I was back to square one. I went to CrossFit that night
and dragged myself through the work out. I had to modify a lot of the movements
because my legs were so swollen and would cramp so bad. It was awful. I swore I
would not do that to myself anymore. No more cheat meals like that. I stopped
drinking beer, stopped eating all grains, beans, white potatoes. Stopped eating
chips, pretzels, muffins, corn. I started eating a lot more green veggies and
just more veggies in general. I think it was a harder transition for the people
around me because they didn’t understand it. Quite frankly neither did I. All I
knew was that eating this way made my body feel better. But how could my body
change literally overnight? The only good information the Allergist gave me was
that your body chemistry changes every 7 years. Maybe for me that night in 2009
was when my body chemistry changed. I have never been tested or diagnosed with
celiac or a gluten intolerance. I
diagnosed and treated myself. I treated myself with regular, unprocessed, fresh
food.
I still find things now and then that I can’t tolerate. I
used to enjoy M & Ms as a treat at the end of the week as they are gluten
free but recently I started having swelling from them so I can’t eat them
anymore. Also, from time to time my husband I enjoy going for frozen yogurt but
the last two times we have gone I have woken up the next morning with a puffy
face and runny nose. I’ll have to stop treating myself to frozen yogurt as
well. Does it suck? Yes! But not nearly as bad as how It makes me feel. I
rather feel a little sad that I can’t eat those things than not feel
comfortable in my own skin. The trick to making it easier and more bearable,
especially when others around you are just eating and drinking whatever they
want, is to find items you can make. Go on Pinterest, invest in some good cook
books, follow a couple of good blogs. You’ll be surprised that you can still
eat cookies occasionally, you can have toast with your breakfast, you can make
chicken fingers. You can eat the same it’s just made different and you will
feel different. You will feel better, have more energy, have more clarity.
So here are the paleo basics that answer the question, what can I eat?
Some great people to follow for recipes:
PaleOMG.com
AgainstAllGrains.com
BrittneyAngell.com
And now a yummy recipe from The
Paleo Kitchen cook book
Twice Baked Stuffed
Butternut Squash
Ingredients:
1 Butternut squash (Approx 2 lbs) cut in half length wise
1 Tablespoon coconut oil
½ small yellow onion, diced
1 apple, cored and diced (I omit the apple, pretty much
because I never have them in the house)
1 pound ground pork (I use ground turkey)
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon almond flour
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed
baking sheet with parchment paper
2.
Place the butternut squash cut side down on the
prepared baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes., or until
squash is soft to the touch. Remove from oven and let squash cool. Turn the
oven down to 350 degrees
3.
While the butternut squash cools, heat the
coconut oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and
apple (if using) and sauté until onion is translucent. Add the ground meat,
parsley, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking apart the meat with a
spatula, until no pink remains, about 10 minutes.
4.
Remove and discard the seeds from the butternut
squash, then scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl, leave behind ¼ inch of
flesh to keep from tearing the skin. Mash the squash with a fork and place it
in the pan with the ground meat. Mix until well combined.
5.
Place the hollowed-out squash in a large baking
dish. Fill with the meat mixture and sprinkle with almond flour on top. Bake
for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
I am ADDICTED to this recipe! It is a yummy, hearty take on
comfort food. It uses a season vegetable and works well with any ground meat
i.e turkey, chicken or pork.
Enjoy!
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** I'll be posting chilly pics from Boston!
** I'll be posting chilly pics from Boston!
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